Memento Mori {A Series of Unfortunate Events}

•THIRTEEN• In Which We Encounter Old Friends

(A/N: Scout Master Brucie is a girl in the TV show, but Carmelita's  Uncle Brucie in the books. I'm going with the book version, so don't get confused.)

You barely slept that night, wracking your brain for the answer to the question. It was useless, you'd never even picked up the collector's item version of Anna Karenina your mother had sitting on the bookshelf your entire life, right until the moment the house burned to the ground.

The next morning you were exhausted, so you fell asleep again until after lunch. "You okay?" Quigley asked worriedly "You're always up so early, is something wrong?" You shook your head "No, It's just... The Anna Karenina question's really bugging me. I bet Klaus would know, he's read so many books. I just really want to know what's behind that door, you know?"

"Yeah." He held out his hand for you to grab, and you did. He hauled you up from the ground and you walked together over to the campfire. You sat side-by-side on a log in the shadows, not talking.

You were starting to doze off, leaning heavily on Quigley's shoulder, when you heard a commotion towards the front of the cave. "Carmelita Spats." You heard the unmistakable tone of someone who really did not want to see Carmelita right now. "Go away cakesniffers." Carmelita's snooty voice drifted back into the cave. "This is a private cave."

You sleepily rubbed your eyes. "Who's she tormenting now." You asked Quigley.

"I don't know, but just in case, put your mask on." You slid the mask over your face and stood up. You saw Uncle Brucie walk up to his niece and ask "Carmelita, who are you talking to?"

"They're in our cave, so they're obviously cakesniffers." She responded, then paused. "Waaaaaaaaait. You're those orphans from Prufrock Prep who lost your parents in a fire and then Vice Princey expelled you!"

You gasped. Was it really the Baudelaires? You edged towards the front of the cave and Quigley followed. "What is it?" he whispered. "Nothing yet. I just want to be sure of something."

"No, we've never been to Prufrock Prep." A girl's voice said hurriedly. "He did not expel us." a boy said indignantly.

"I knew it!" Carmelita said, ignoring them. "You're the Baudelaires!" You grinned from underneath your mask.

"Yes, it's them." You told Quigley. "That's what I thought, too." He responded, still whispering.

The two of you edged closer to the cave entrance, staying in the shadows with your masks covering your faces. "Oh, I hope not." Uncle Brucie said. "I would have to kick you out of the cave if that was the case! I read about those terrible children in The Daily Punctilio. It said they are murderers and arsonists! They started that enormous fire that's still raging across the hinterlands."

Klaus looked at Violet and gave her a significant look. "Well, we're not them," Violet said nervously. "We're the-"

"The mountain climbers." Klaus finished "We're looking for our sister. She's about this tall," He held his hand about two feet off the ground. "She has a good set of teeth, and she's travelling with a bunch of dangerous-looking people. Have you seen her?"

Scoutmaster Brucie shook his head. "We haven't seen anyone. We've been in this cave hiding from gnats- I mean having a great time- but we have a map of the mountains you can consult."

"No! No! Scoutmaster Brucie, this cave is for Snow Scouts only, and they're obviously the Baudelaires! Look at their little orphan faces!"

You made a face at Quigley and imitated Carmelita.  "Wook at their wittle owfan fwaces." You mimicked.

"Now, Carmelita." Uncle Brucie said, clapping a heavy hand on Carmelita's shoulder. "Snow Scouts should be accommodating.  It's the first word of our pledge."