Chapter Seven
It was a day full of surprised in the Baudelaires' lives, the day next to their arrival at Boreas Botanics. Nothing could have prepared them for that day, not even a letter sent with the help of a seagull with a message tied to it's foot. After the Baudelaires woke up in their rooms and got together for breakfast, they arrived at the cafeteria, or more accurately, the kitchen of Boreas Botanics, the Boreas sisters' house, and they saw Juno and Jessica with Lars, who were having breakfast at the table, while other volunteers had their breakfasts out in the kitchen's porch.
'Good morning!' Jessica shouted, quickly getting up and pulling a chair for, who else, Klaus Baudelaire. 'Please Klaus, sit with us! You too, Violet, Sunny and Beatrice!'
'Jessica, I'm afraid you will have to cut back on the sugar and the coffee. You've been too much of a bundle for your own benefit lately, and I think it's the cafein and sugar making you hyperactive.' Juno said, reprehending Jessica's behavior. Jessica only shed a disdainful look at her sister, sitting on her chair and resuming her meal.
'Good morning, Baudelaires. Forgive my sister for her hyperactivity. It's genetic. Our father was like that.' Juno said, biting on a buttered bun afterwards an sipping on coffee.
'It's no big deal, Juno. Jessica's...a um,
nice girl.' Klaus said, with emphasis on the nice, as Jessica eagerly looked at him to see what he would say, then looked disappointed and embarrassed and started playing with her scarab beetle brooch. 'Well, if I heard correctly, you've met a certain Carmelita Spats. Quite the brat, I heard.' Juno said.
'Brat? She's more than that. Now that she's under Esmé's care, she's growing into a practical clone of Esmé.' Violet said. 'Only Carmelita calls other
cakesniffers, and Esmé doesn't.' Klaus added, and the both laughed. As villainous and evil as Esmé Squalor and Carmelita Spats were, certain aspects of them were just too absurd.
'She left her uncle for dead, which he would be, had we not rescued him from the fire at Montague Manor.' Violet said. 'After that fire, it seems as though our lives have taken a turn for the worst.' She added. A normal, not as unfortunate person would have said 'it seems as though our lives have taken a turn for the worse', but Violet Baudelaire was one of the most unfortunate people alive, and for her, the proper word was 'worst' because when things took a turn for the 'worse' in the Baudelaires' lives, it always felt like the 'worst'.
'I'm glad I never met her.' Jessica suddenly spoke, tired of playing with her scarab beetle brooch. 'She perpetuates the evil red head stereotype. I'm not evil.' Said the red-headed girl playing with her red hair, and smiling. 'Am I?'
'Sometimes, you are, Jess.' Juno said, and then she turned to Lars. 'Lars, I know you said you didn't want to meet him, but I invited him for our breakfast. I think it would be nice if you at least
talked to him.'Lars, who had been silently eating his breakfast without inserting himself in the conversation, looked at Juno. Lars didn't have time to answer what he thought about talking with whoever it was, because that person suddenly walked into the kitchen.
'
Baudelaires?!You?Here?' he shouted, too surprised to keep his voice down. When the Baudelaires realized who he was, after a good five seconds of sheer shock, they were delighted to see someone they hadn't seen in
quite a while, the one of two people who made their stay at Lucky Smells Lumbermill less unbearable. Charles, the former partner of Lucky Smells' owner, who the Baudelaires had last seen at Funeral Factory Fulfillment.
'Oh my God, I'm so glad you are all alive!' Charles said, taking time to hug each Baudelaire tightly. 'I'm so happy to see the four of you!' Charles was changed. Now that he and Sir were not together anymore, Charles looked
radiant, his true colors finally showing.
'How did you wind up here?' Violet asked, bereft by such a surprise. She still hadn't recovered when another surprise hit her. 'Funny story actually. I'm actually the eldest Boreas alive. The Boreas sisters are my cousins.' The Baudelaires now were
really surprised. It just occurred to them they never heard Charles' last name.
'After my separation from Sir, I decided to come with Juno, who was in the mainland at the time, to Jupiter Island, to help her however I could. I wanted to contact you, but you disappeared.' Charles said. His eye was then grabbed by the sight of Lars, across the table. 'And who is this?' Charles said, walking over to Lars' chair at the table. 'Hi, I'm Charles Boreas.'
'Lars Gabriel Gaarder-Jones.' Lars said, standing up to shake Charles' hand. Suddenly, Lars seemed less cold, even if he was being so formal. 'Good, now that you two have met, I want you to talk. You have some things in common, the both of you.' Juno said, smiling.
Then she turned to the Baudelaires' direction.'Baudelaires, would you be interested in taking a walk with me to my garden? I have something I wish to show you.' Juno said, rising up from her chair. 'Can I come?' Jessica eagerly asked, looking from Juno to Klaus. 'Can I ever stop you, Jess?' Juno asked, sarcastically. Jessica smiled and stood up, ready.
While she did want to stay and hear Lars and Charles' conversation, Violet knew it was best to leave them along. Charles knew one or two things about having his heart broken. The last time the Baudelaires saw him, he was being cruelly dumped by Sir, an awful man with a cloud of smoke for his head that the Baudelaires had the disprivilege to meet in their lives.
Proceeding to the outside garden, where some of the most gorgeous flowers the Baudelaires had seen blossomed, while peculiar, but harmless insects flew, Juno showed the Baudelaires around many different species of plants, but a particular flower caught their attention.
'This, Baudelaires, is the product of my research. The Fire Flower, which only grows here, in this volcanic soil. I am trying to make a compound with it's pollen and leaves, which have powerful properties, including it's efficiency against burn wounds. You can see how much it applies to primary goal of our organization.' Juno said.
'Literal fires.' Violet said, and Juno nodded in agreement. 'Volcano flies polynize the flowers so they can spread. But due to their over-exposure to the chemicals of the flower, they are very poisonous, as is the plant if consumed as it is. My sister Jane was stung by one once. She still has the scar.'
'She showed us.' Sunny said. The scar on the back of Jane Boreas' hand was kind of hard to forget. '
'Well, yes. This here is the biggest project of Boreas Botanics, and by biggest I mean...
secret. Were our enemies to discover this plant and my research, they would, as they always do, use it for their own personal gain.' Juno said, very formally.
'This is no sugarbowl, but it is crucial too. Baudelaires, if...an emergency happens, I want you to take this flower and put it between the pages of a book. When it is dried, it still mantains it's medical properties, but a recipe must be followed to obtain the coumpound. I will provide you with a copy to said recipe, though I do warn you, if not followed by the letter, it will counter-effect, and when this plant does so, it's for the kill.' Juno said, plucking one of the flowers and handing it to Violet, on a tissue.
'You must not touch it with bare hands. Remember that.' Juno warned the Baudelaires, while Jessica watched several beetles fly above the group, kept afar because of the powerful repellent they had on.
'Oh, there goes a hell beetle! They're gentle, but their bite really hurts!' Jessica shouted, poiting to a large, purple beetle with red wings. 'I'll see if I can catch it! See you later!' Jessica shouted, grabbing a nearby insect hunting net. Klaus was glad to have his arm back to himself again.
'The one thing that can catch her attention about even you are insects.' Juno said with a smile. 'Follow me, Baudelaires. I have a whole garden here to show you.'
While the Baudelaire siblings followed Juno Boreas on a very interesting stroll around the garden, Jessica chased a hell beetle - sometimes bumping into one of the Baudelaires, generally Klaus - and Lars talked to Charles as they watched the whole scene, two people emerged from the Aqua Lagoon. They walked towards the Boreas Botanics, still in their diving suits with water-proof bags in tow. Both looked at each other, amused by the ease of penetrating the Verdant Forest Dome and before it, the mine field that surrounded the island. They were also amused to know they soon would have their hands on a crucial, precious artifact they needed for their own reasons.
Indeed that day was full of surprises for the Baudelaires. But not all surprises are good. And specially not the surprises that followed as the duo of invaders made their way to the Boreas Botanics house.