Detention (ASOUE)

Chapter Twenty Six

The door swung open and I held my breath as Violet Baudelaire stepped through. She paused when she saw me and, under her icy glare I couldn't help but feel like an intruder. That feeling was short lived though, as, as soon as she smiled, that sharp look melted away and was replaced by her award-winning smile.

"Klaus, you have a guest!" she said happily, smiling from ear to ear. The way she said it made me think that this wasn't a usual occurrence. Of course, everyone knew that Klaus usually kept to himself at school, but I sort of assumed it was because he had enough friends outside of it. But now, Violet's reaction revealed that maybe I had been the first visitor that had been invited there by Klaus in a while.

Violet's smile was infectious and I fell prey to it, smiling back at her and giving her a small, awkward wave.

"Would you like something to eat?" She asked me, lowering her bag to the floor. " I can't believe my brother didn't even offer you a glass of water!" She shot a meaningful look towards Klaus, which he shrugged at.

"I was about to," he frowned.

The pair shared a look: a silent conversation I didn't really understand. I stood around awkwardly while it was happening, glancing around at different things in the room as if I hadn't been doing that the whole time I was there.

"I should probably go home," I said, cutting through the silence. The two stopped their gesturing and turned to look at me.

"Are you sure?" Violet asked, "you're welcome to stay longer."

I nodded. "Yeah, I need to get back before my mum gets home."

I said goodbye to them and thanked Klaus again for the book, before opening the door. However, as soon as I took one step out, I immediately took three more back in. My mother had just parked up down the street and was getting shopping out of the car.

My reaction made both of the Baudelaires come to the door as well and, as soon as they laid eyes on what I had, Violet swiftly slammed it. It went without saying that my mum would kill me if she saw me coming out of this house.

"What do I do?" I said quietly.

The siblings shared a look, another one, before Violet said: "you might have to go out the window."

What was it with Baudelaires and windows?

Unfortunately, I couldn't see any windows on the ground floor, as the entire entrance- every wall, floor to ceiling- was covered in books. Which meant, if I was going out a window, I would be going from the first floor.

Noticing my concerned look, Violet quickly added: "don't worry! We used to do it all the time as kids!"

So that was that. I couldn't think of a better idea so I followed Violet and Klaus up the grand staircase and into the room furthest from the front of the house. We stepped into what I assumed was the dining room and were instantly flooded with light. It was miraculous, really, how different the inside of the house was from the outside. The facade of the house was dark and dingy, whereas the inside was anything but. I didn't consider myself very knowledgeable about interior design, but with the little knowledge I did have, I could say that the house on a whole was beautiful. 

The dining room, of course, had a large dark wood table that took up most of the space. But the crowning feature was the two, tall, arched windows that sat on the back wall. Certain panels of the glass had patterns or colours throughout them and the entire thing was a spectacle to behold. I couldn't help but stare, bewildered, until Klaus cleared his throat and I quickly snapped out of it, making my way to where him and his sister were stood waiting for me.

They quickly undid the latch and a small section of the window swung outwards. I peered down, trying to judge how far away the ground was. Sure, I would be jumping out onto grass, but that didn't mean I was guaranteed a soft landing. 

"Well," Violet said all of a sudden, and the amount I jumped was almost enough to have me tumbling out through the aperture, "I should probably go and see Sunny. It was nice to see you again Isadora."

She smiled at me and then took her leave, and I was left with Klaus and the wide open window. I slipped the book into my bag and then threw it over my shoulder, trying to prepare myself for what I was about to do. Maybe, I thought to myself, I can find a way to climb down. But the sleek exterior of the Baudelaire house thought otherwise. I would just have to jump.

"Hold on," Klaus said, "I can help you out."

Then, as if he had done it a million times, he climbed onto the window ledge and slid himself out, landing outside like an agile cat.

He held out his hand. "Come on."

Suddenly I was reminded of that time in the science lab when we had to climb out of the window to escape Carmelita. Speaking of Carmelita, the fact she was so quiet was making me nervous. What was she up to?

I realised I was taking too long and took a deep breath, climbed onto the ledge like Klaus had just done, and tried my best not to feel scared. Klaus gave me a reassuring look, something I wasn't used to seeing, and that was enough to encourage me to make the leap.

I landed a little harder than I expected to and my ankle buckled. I didn't fall completely, however, because Klaus stepped forward to steady me. Once again his catlike reflexes had come in handy.

"Are you okay?" He asked, still holding onto my forearms.

I nodded and he let go. "Thanks," I said and then, feeling a little awkward, I tried to ease the tension. "Can you stop making me jump out of windows?"

Unbelievably, Klaus smiled. It was small and passed within an instant, but it was genuine. I smiled back at him to show him I was joking, and then said goodbye for the second time that day. 

Then, miraculously, I crossed the street and reached my house without any more drama. Little did I know, that was the calm before the storm. 

A/N: I... don't really like this chapter? I don't know why... maybe it's a bit abrupt? Let me know what you think! :) 

I suppose this counts as a bit of a filler, but I don't want things to move too quickly. I'm sure I've said it before but I'm a sucker for a slow burn. They always seem more satisfying to me! So hopefully this will be satisfying in the end and not just annoying!

Side note, what language do you think would be the easiest to learn? I only speak english but I really want to learn another language. I know, last week I said I was learning piano and this week I'm trying to learn a language. What can I say except I enjoy learning things haha. I'm so jealous of people who are bilingual; I think it's so cool to be able to speak more than one language!! So yeah, if you have any idea what language might be easy-ish to learn, please drop me a comment!

As for the chapter, I hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to give me feedback and constructive criticism in the comments! I hope you have a fantastic day!! :)