Chapter Four
After they went back inside, Olive led the Baudelaires to their rooms. Violet got her own room, which was connected to Sunny and Beatrice's through a door. Klaus' room was next to the third floor library, which pleased him. Olive had told them everyone would gather for supper and they should prepare. After they got ready, the Baudelaires descended the stairs to the first floor, and arrived at a large dining room with two separate tables. One table for the orphans, and one for the staff and faculty members. Since Sunny had just arrived, she wouldn't start cooking until the next day when the Baudelaires' contract began to have effect, but the Baudelaires had a grim surprise waiting for them that made them wish Sunny had already started working as the orphanage's cook. 'The menu today is onion soup. I made it. Eat.' Miss Hannigan said, while she poured the thin, pale yellow liquid in everyone's plates as she walked around the two tables. Pepper made funny faces when Miss Hannigan turned her back on her, making Annie and Molly laugh, while Esther merely took her soup in silence. The boys weren't too happy about the menu either; Simon and Alex poured their soup stealthily underneath the table, and then took Tom and Finn's plates of soup and refilled their own, only to empty them again underneath the table.
The faculty and staff members were not too pleased with the menu either. 'I asked for four cubic centimeters of soup, and you poured me two, Hannigan!' Ms. Bass protested. Nero pushed his plate and removed some candy from his jacket's pocket and ate it. Mr. Remora ate a banana, while Mr. Flounder took his soup with a blasé expression, every once in a while looking at the orphans' table. Ms. Perch took her soup only after she finished praying. Olive Oakley seemed sad while she took hers. Clearly the earlier conversation with the Baudelaires had affected her more than they would have imagined. 'Pipe down, Pepper, and take your soup!' Miss Hannigan shouted from across the room, when she saw Pepper stand on her chair doing her best impression of Miss Hannigan. 'May I be excused? I'm not hungry!' Pepper shouted back. 'If I catch you in the kitchen again, there will be hell to pay, missy!' Miss Hannigan threatened.
Pepper stood up and walked out of the room all the while giving Miss Hannigan a beligerant look.Taking the soup was the last thing on the Baudelaires' minds. They were frozen in their seats, every once in a while sheding aprehensive looks at Nero, Mr. Remora and Ms. Bass' way, expecting the three to recognize them. It still amazed them they hadn't even bothered to even talk to the Baudelaires, and actually seemed oblivious to their very presence at the orphanage. 'We must discuss schedule, now that we have two new teachers with us.' Mr. Flounder said.
'Yes, we must. Also, we also need to talk of more sunday school, these orphans might become a bunch of heretics!' Ms. Perch added. '
Also, we also need to talk of more sunday school, these orphans might become a bunch of heretics! Nero mocked with his high-pitched, childish voice. 'No! Music is more important! It's bad enough Prufrock Prep was closed and I had to come here for work. A genius like me, teaching music to stupid orphans!
That, Ms. Perch, is the true heresy!'
'Don't call the orphans stupid, Nero!' Olive scolded. 'I understand in
your school you discriminated them, but here, you cannot do that. My brothers have warned you multiple times.'
'
My brothers have warned you multiple times!' Nero mocked childishly again. 'And where are Oliver and Otto
now, Olive? Are they having a nice vacation?' Nero asked sarcastically. Olive's face took on an angry expression. 'My brothers are on an errand.'
'And what exactly is this errand they're on?' Mr. Flounder asked. 'It's not any of your business, Mr. Flounder. I suggest we drop this subject.' Olive said. 'I suggest we not!' Ms. Perch said. 'I suggest we go get more bananas.' Mr. Remora said. 'I suggest we take the measurements of the orphans again, they're growing up so fast not even I can keep track!' Ms. Bass suggested. 'I suggets you all shut up!' Miss Hannigan shouted, banging on the wood of the table, scaring everyone. 'I can't take this. I'm going to bed. Good night.' Olive said, after throwing her napkin on the table and heading for the door. 'Children, you're all excused. Go to your beds.' The orphans all arose from their seats and left the room. 'Come, Baudelaires. You need a good night sleep as well.' Olive said to the Baudelaires. After all the orphans went to their rooms, Olive led the Baudelaires to their own rooms. They said good night to each other.
'Oh, Baudelaires. Another thing.' Olive said. 'Lock your doors. Don't forget it.' Olive then went in another direction, to her own room, leaving the Baudelaires wondering why would she want them to lock their doors. Violet took Beatrice and Sunny and tucked them in, an expression which here means 'put them in their bed and covered them so they wouldn't get cold.' Violet then went to bed, and Klaus did the same, in his room. In the middle of the night, Violet woke up.
She turned on her bedside lamp, which did not do much to light up the room. Violet went to the chair where she left her back pack and opened. Inside it, a few clothes the Baudelaires had accumulated, and the sugarbowl wrapped in a cloth; also, a book that contained the dry Fire Flower Juno Boreas had given them in Jupiter Island. Violet was glad to see it all there; the sugarbowl's importance was already known, but she had forgotten about the fire flower. When she was about to head to bed, she heard steps out in the hallway.
Sneaky steps. The kind of step one takes when wanting to pass unnoticed. It was late now, and everyone in the orphanage was asleep, or so it seemed. Then, the steps stopped. Violet approached the door of her room and put her ear against the wood of the door. She heard a noise, the noise of someone trying to turn a doorknob. After a few turns, the person was frustrated, as the door wouldn't open. Then, Violet realized; the person was
trying to open Klaus' door! The person then walked away, and Violet listened carefully as the steps descended the staircase to the second floor. Violet was too nervous to sleep now; she had to find out who this intruder was. Violet opened the door and exited the rooom; locking the door behind her with the key, she put it in her pocket. There was but a dim light coming from the window at the end of the hallway, and a few candles that only did so much to light up the place. Violet stepped barefoot on the dark wooden floor; it was
very cold and Violet almost went back inside the room to put on her shoes. But at least her steps would be more silent this way, so she decided to endure the cold. Violet descended the staircase carefully, her heart pounding in her chest. She did not in any way like enourmous, dark houses like that, and the orphanage felt very much like Montague Manor; the manor belonging to a noble, albeit eccentric volunteer who was now dead, and Violet had had a
terrible time at said manor. As she arrived in the second floor of the orphanage, Violet proceeded down the hallway in front of her. Then, like a ghost in the darkness, she saw someone enter a room with big, double doors. It must have been one of the orphans' rooms. The room was close enough to a window that she could distinguish a small plaque on the wood of the door. She approached the door, and the following word is what she saw.
BOYS
Not sure of what to think, Violet Baudelaire quickly headed back on her steps, chilled from the cold wood against the skin of her feet. She was nervous, and she almost tripped while climbing the stairs. Just as she was about to reach the top, she heard a voice.
'Violet? Is it you?'
A light shone on Violet's face, offuscating her sight; her pupils were already used to the darkness and the light hurt her eyes. She was deeply scared for a moment before she realized it was the voice of her brother, Klaus Baudelaire, holding a flashlight. 'Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to hurt your eyes.' Klaus lowered the flashlight. Violet's eyes were still hurting and she could see spots in the darkness, floating like mist. 'Klaus, you scared me.'
'Well, I got scared too. I was reading this book I found in my room and then someone tries to open my door. Was it you?' Klaus asked. 'If I were to open your door, I'd knock first Klaus. You know it.' Klaus blushed, not that anyone could see in the darkness, but he did. 'Well...Who was it then, did you see it?' Klaus asked. Violet ascended to the top of the staircase and stood next to Klaus. 'No. But whoever it is, they went inside the boys' room.'
'In the middle of the night?' Klaus asked. The idea was very strange. 'I guess there are things happening here in this orphanage we're better off not knowing.' Violet said. 'Go to your room, and lock the door.' Violet went to her room and inserted the key into it's keyhole. She noticed Klaus was still standing at the top of the staircase. 'What is it, Klaus?'
'No, nothing. I just thought of something...disturbing. Good night.' Klaus then went back inside his room, and Violet into hers. They were not sure of what just happened, or what was happening in the darkness of the orphanage, and they weren't sure of what was going to happen, but there is one thing they were dead on right about; something
very wrong was happening, and something even more wrong was going to happen in that orphanage. They just hoped they could be gone before it did.