One Kiss Later (K. Baudelaire)

Chapter 16

Candie

"Quigley." He said, "Quigley Quagmire."

"You're Quigley Quagmire." Violet confirms. "We heard you perished in a fire." Klaus asked. "I survived."

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"She never came back." Quigley sated sadly, telling us how he survived the fire. "I was an orphan." Violet, Klaus and I exchanged looks. "We know exactly how that feels." Violet connects. "I know you do." he tells us.

He explained where he went after the fire.

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"Our Uncle Monty lived there." Klaus explains to Quigley. "No body lives there now." Quigley explains.

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Quigley explains further. "This place was my last hope to finding my brother and sister." Quigley says, feeling hopeless. "Duncan and Isadora are safe. They escaped in a self-sustaining hot air mobile home." Violet explains. "How do you know?" He asks. "They're our friends." "Where are they?" He asks "We're not sure, but they are safe. We were hoping to find one of our parents up here." Klaus says sadly. "How do you know my siblings?" Quigley asks. Righteous question. "We met them at Prufrock Prep. And Duncan is Candie's ex-boyfriend." Violet introduces. "We're glad we found you, Quigley." I welcome. "We will safe Sunny. You saved my siblings Baudelaires. Let me help you save yours."

We nod. "Hey Quigley, I'm sorry for not trusting you, you know, down in the cave." I apologize. "And I'm sorry I got so defensive when the lock got stuck. You followed you instinct. I see why Duncan liked you." He says to me. "Look, green smoke." Violet says.

We run over to where she is and look up a the mountains. "Odd." Klaus says also looking up. "Indeed." I reply. "It's coming from Mount Fraught." Klaus explains further. I squint my eyes trying to make out where it's coming from. "It's a Verdant Flammable Device. I read that V.F.D. used them for sending signals." Quigley tells us. "So it could be someone from V.F.D. up there?" Klaus asks for confirmation. "Or it could be Sunny." Violet guesses.

"We have to get up there." Klaus says looking at Violet. "It's a long way to the top." Quigley warns. "I don't care." I say looking up. "We'd have to go through to lock again down the tunnel and take the route the Snow Scouts." Quigley explained. "There's a more direct way to the top." Violet says. "No, there isn't. Look at the map." Quigley says rummaging in his pockets. "Look at the waterfall." Violet says staring up at the green smoke.

The smoke stopped. "The smoke stopped. Maybe the Verdant Flammable Device burnt out." Klaus concludes, "Or maybe the person signaling got caught." Quigley suggested. "We have to get up there." I say still staring up at the waterfall, taking spyglass from Klaus. "I hope Violet can invent a way up the waterfall." Klaus hopes. "No doubt." I say giving the spy glass back to Quigley.

"Look what I found." Violet says holding a bunch of different supplies. I smile at her and she smiled back. "Come on." I say following Violet who walked inside. "I salvaged these in the ashes. Look at the names." Violet discusses.

"Dr. Tornado." Klaus reads. "Father took us to her engineering lectures." Violet connects.

"C.M. Comstock. Mother gave me her book on female pirates." Klaus says reading the objects. "I know. That's where I learned the Devil's Tongue Knot." Violet says. She looks to her right and picks up a bag.

"L. Snicket." Klaus reads. "I read his book on maps and his tutorial on the accordion." Quigley says, connecting. It's like our parents were training us for VF.D. and we didn't know it." Klaus thinks. "As if they knew one day they wouldn't be here." Quigley guesses.