Author's Disclaimer: SO SORRY for the delay this time guys. I've been running around non-stop to get my pa´perwork and documents in order to register at college, and that kind of took my whole time. I do hope this chapter is worth the wait. Enjoy!
Chapter Three
As cities grow bigger, and grow upwards, it is often common for houses to get demolished and replaced by tall skyscrapers or smaller, yet really tall buildings which blot out the sunlight. It is
not common, however, for a house to resist this phenomenon, and stay put in the middle of tall, darkening buildings. The Burton house was one of these rare instances where a house is surrounded, in all sides, by towering, darkening buildings. The sunlight barely reached the bottom in that patio-esque area, where the old-fashioned house stood. It was three stories tall, yet it didn't compare to it's neighboring buildings. Painted all in red and brown, the house gave a strange feeling of warmth that the Baudelaires soon came to apreciate. 'This is Helena Burton and Augusten Burton's house. Helena is our mentor, the founder of Burton's Bazaar. She ran it for decades, but Augusten took over when his grandfather Timothy died.' Ed said. 'Desmond must already be inside. He and the Burtons are thick as thieves.' Ed added. Violet, Klaus, Sunny and Beatrice examined the house. They were still unsure what to expect from the Burton Bazaar people, but if Desmond said they could be trusted, then it must have been a good thing. Ed proceeded ahead and opened the door, which was unlocked. Entering the house, he invited the Baudelaires in. 'Come, don't be shy. I'll make us some tea while you go upstairs to Augusten's office. Desmond will be there and you can talk in private.' The Baudelaires entered the house, which was very warm, comforting, compared to the chilly autumnal breeze outside. Ed disappeared through an adjacent room, probably heading for a kitchen which the Baudelaires could not see. The house was big, but it somehow felt really small; it was cluttered with antique furniture and unusual décor; african masks were hanging on walls next to french paitings; ceramic statues of japanese
geishas were displayed next to a gigantic suit of armor from the 15th century. 'That's probably a replica. Why would there be a suit of armor in anyone's living room?' Klaus asked, with a smile on his face. 'Look, there's a sewing machine, Beatrice.' Sunny pointed to a corner in the room. An elegant, black and gold sewing machine laid, with a piece of fabric under it's needle; aparently, someone had stopped sewing in the middle of creating what it seemed like a rag quill. 'Let's go upstairs, Ed said Desmond is up there.' Violet said, before Beatrice could reach the sewing machine. Upon seeing Beatrice's expression, Violet smiled and said 'Bea, you can touch the machine after we talk to Desmond and Augusten Burton, if he says so.'
The Baudelaires ascended through the main staircase, which was covered by a red carpet with an intricate pattern of spirals. They reached the second floor of the house and heard Desmond's voice not very far, coming from a room with it's doors open. 'There he is.' Violet, Klaus, Sunny and Beatrice entered the room, and saw Desmond talking to a young man which must not have been much older than Violet, whose eyes were concealed by a pair of round, red glasses. The young man must have a deep fondness for the color red, as he wore a dark red suit with lighter red pinstripes. For some reason, his nails were also painted a deep, almost-black red. He raised his eyes, their color concealed by the red of the glasses, and smiled at Violet Baudelaire. 'You must be Violet Baudelaire!' He said, quickly raising from his armchair behind a large desk, and approached Violet. 'Desmond informed me of your loveliness, but I underestimated you.
Pardon.' He took Violet's hand in his and gave it a gentle kiss. Violet blushed. 'Oh, hi. I'm...um, Violet, yes, thank you.' Desmond Fulfillment arose from his chair. 'That, my dear Violet, is Augusten Burton, current manager and heir to Burton's Bazaar. He's one of the most precocious volunteers there ever were.' Augusten laughed. 'Oh, please, Desmond. I'm nothing compared to you. And this must be Klaus.' Augusten turned to Klaus. 'Yes, pleased to meet you. You have quite a collection downstairs.' Klaus observed. 'Oh, those things? They're not mine, they belong to my grandmother. You'll meet her. If there's one thing she loves is meeting new, brave, young volunteers.' Augusten then crouched on the hard wooden floor and smiled at the sight of Beatrice and Sunny Baudelaire. 'And you two lovely girls must be Sunny and Beatrice, eh? I'm afraid I have yet to meet more corageous infants in the rest of my life.' Augusten said, patting Beatrice and Sunny gently on their heads. '
Gracias' said Beatrice, which Sunny translated as 'Thank you, sir.' Augusten then raised from his crouched stance just in time for Ed to come in with a tray carrying a teapot and several cups. 'Your favorite, Augusten. Earl Grey.' Ed said. 'Thank you, Ed, you're most thoughtful.' Augusten said. Ed blushed and smiled, and quickly left the room.
'Now that we've introduced ourselves, we can move on to more serious matters. You must be wondering why Desmond brought you to this Bazaar, am I right, Baudelaires?' Augusten said, walking back towards his armchair, which was also of a deep shade of red. Behind the armchair, a window let the Baudelaires see the dark walls of the buildings which encased the Burton house in a space of nearly everlasting twilight. Few windows were lit in those buildings, implying the neighbours of Burton's Bazaar were not home often. 'The reason Desmond is here and the reason you're here is the same. Of course, his motivations are a bit different than yours, as are mine. I called him here, because I'm afraid some of our salespeople at the Bazaar are working as double agents, to stop our operation. This Bazaar is more than a simple flea market. This is an information central, one of the few that are still standing, untouched by our enemies. We pass along information to volunteers who come here, undercover, as mere customers. The symbollic price of thirteen dollars only covers our costs, but the Burton fortune is nowhere near it's end.' Augusten said, playing with a red pen he grabbed from the desk. 'Desmond has informed me of the latest
events you've recently witnessed. Everything, from Paltryville and the factory to Ophelia and the orphanage.' Augusten said. 'But other volunteers also informed me. See, while we pass along information, we must first get that information from somewhere, and there at least two volunteers who come here very often, and they keep me informed of everything that happens with you, Baudelaires.'
'The reason I called you here is becase I cannot ask any of my salespeople for help. I might ask the wrong ones, and accidentally ruin everything. Now,
you, you're neutral, so to speak.' Desmond then took the teapot and poured everyone some tea in each cup. 'Assuming you'll agree to help us, you'll be employed at the Bazaar, assisting some of our salespeople. You must be careful around them, and you must pay attention to their every movement, I know it's hard, but I can't exactly do it myself. I'm expecting four new salespeople soon, and I know the four of you have interest in at least one of them.' Desmond raised his eyes. Upon seeing this, Klaus realised who Augusten was talking about. 'That being said, we'll have twenty one salespeople at the Bazaar, and at least six are attached to the other side. You must discover who, and inform me. That way, Burton's Bazaar can get rid of it's bad apples, and we can move on.'
'Get rid of them?' Violet asked. 'Well, when we discover them, we must immediately throw them out. I feel most bad for saying this, but it's the way it has to be. You have to understand, my grandmother took them all in, and now six of them are conspiring...to murder her...and I'm afraid, me, too.' Augusten said. As calm as he was, it was no secret to anyone that his words had bitterness and anger in them, like the words of a person who has been betrayed. 'I feel awful. I grew up here, I've witnessed their evolution, and to learn all that...'
'We'll help you. But what if...? What will happen to Burton's Bazaar if we fail?' Violet asked. 'If that is the case, and my grandmother is murdered, and, I'm assuming, me, too, you'll have to exercise the Emergency Escape Plan. The alleyways that comprise Burton's Bazaar are almost of a labirynthic nature. Unless you know the route to take, you can wind up at a dead end, and it will be your end.' Augusten said. 'If Burton's Bazaar falls, you must get yourselves to Hyde Place, and from there, Desmond will take you to your next destination. Thriller Park.'
At this very moment, someone entered the room. An old lady, dressed in a elegant, age-appropriate, expensive dress. She looked a bit pale and sickly, but not too much. Her hair had somehow retained it's dark brown color, and her brown eyes had kindness in them. When she saw the Baudelaires, she showed them a large smile. 'Oh, Baudelaires. I've heard such great things from you.' Augusten seemed a bit apalled by her appearance. 'Gran, aren't you supposed to be in bed?' Helena Burton smiled. 'I feel better today, and I just had to meet the Baudelaires after Ed told me they were visiting. And from what I just overheard, thank them for agreeing to help us.' Helena shook hands with each Baudelaire and sat at a large, important-looking armchair. She resembled a queen sitting on her throne. 'I'm afraid the poison of our enemies has contaminated the minds of some of my children. I feel for them, but if they are against me and Augusten, and the Bazaar, we have no choice but to expell them.'
'Desmond here has a lot to lose too, I understand. Isn't it right, Desmond, dear?' Helena asked. 'Yes. My sister and brother are missing, and my daughter, she's been a hostage of Esmé Squalor's for quite some time now. I fear for their safety, if
you-know-who is behind all this.' Now, Desmond seemed to be talking in code. Helena immediately understood, and to the Baudelaires' surprise, so did Augusten. They felt shut out not knowing who this person they were talking about, and it must have shown in their expressions, because Helena said 'Now don't be frustrated, Baudelaires. The whole of the truth behind all of this is more terrifying than you can imagine. You'll know it all, eventually, but right now it's best if you just let things be. Leave the greater concerns for us, older ones, for now.'
'Esmé Squalor. She won't be coming here, I bet. No, not in my territory. In my few run-ins with her, I've made my views about her quite known.' Helena said. 'I understand she's related to you, isn't she, Baudelaires?' Violet, Klaus, Sunny and Beatrice were greatly displeased to be reminded of it again, but they confirmed it with a head nod. 'She's our...
half...aunt.' Klaus added, feeling the need to comunicate this blood relation wasn't as strong or deep, almost in an effort to deny their connection to her. Knowing Esmé Squalor
personally, like I do, and being related to her myself, if not by blood, by marriage, I must say I quite understand Klaus right now. Esmé is not someone you would like to be your relative, and definetely not someone you'd invite to a family reunion. Not that it would keep
her from appearing, of course.
'She wreaked quite a havoc these past days. That old Montague's manor, Anwhistle Aquatics, my family's factory... Esmé has been more active then ever. She's accomplishing more at evil-doing than her late companion right now.' Desmond said. 'Don't forget, she's receiving help from others.' Augusten added. 'I understand she recently took in her twisted little cousins. The Finches.' Helena said. 'Yes. Esmé's mother was Dr. Augustus Finch's sister, making Natalie and Nathan her natural first cousins. The two are unnaware of this relation, as Francesca was disowned by her family for her romance with Esmé's father, for reasons which are quite obvious. The Finches celebrate Christmas, ant the Salingers, Hannukah.' Desmond said. 'Yes, I guess for such a traditional family, Francesca's romance was quite shameful, specially after she became pregnant. But we're not here to discuss Esmé's lineage or family.' Helena Burton grabbed a golden bell from the tray Ed had brought and swung it, causing it to ring with a metallic tingling sound. 'Ed!' Helena called, and soon, Ed materialized through the open door. 'Yes, mistress?' Helena smiled at Ed. She clearly cared a lot for him, which was unnusual, considering her age and Ed's dressing habits. 'Ed, would you be a dear, and show the Baudelaires to their rooms? They're staying with us as guests. After that, you can assign them to help one of the salespeople.' Ed smiled. 'Yes, mistress, with pleasure. Baudelaires, this way!' Ed said with a smile, poiting to the right with his manicured index finger.
Violet, Klaus, Sunny and Beatrice asked for permission to leave, and being granted it by Helena, they ventured into the hallway, following Ed. 'She's something, isn't she?' Ed asked. 'She's like a mother to me. Others of her age would be horrified by me, but not her. This way!' Ed said, leading the Baudelaires through another hallway. 'These are your rooms. The girls can share a room, while Klaus will stay in Augusten's.' Klaus blushed a little. 'Oh, I don't want to be a bother to him.' Ed smiled. 'There's no bother. The bedroom is large enough for two, and you'll have lots of privacy, Augusten barely spends any time in it. I'm afraid the other rooms are either too cluttered with things, or people.'
'Do some of the salespeople sleep in this house?' Klaus asked. 'Yes. Lydia, Vincent, Sally, and Emily. The others sleep in the dorm, which is in another alleyway.' Ed said. 'Do you want to watch movies? Augusten has a whole collection, and there's even a small theater in the house, with red curtain and all, and a big silver screen.' Ed seemed to genuinely try to entertain them, his nature as a film maker, but the Baudelaires were kind of tired. They hadn't rested since their arrival at the train station, after a long train journey from the northern town of Ophelia, a place they'd rather forget existed. 'Ed, we don't mean to be rude, but we're so tired. If we could just rest for a bit it would be great.' Violet said. 'Oh, silly me. Of course. I forgot you just arrived after a long journey. Well, your things have already been placed in your rooms, you'll find clean sheets and new clothes on your beds. I now have to go and make dinner.' Ed said. He walked away from the Baudelaires and waved with a ''Til later!' look.
'Let's just rest for a few hours and we can talk later.' Klaus said to his sisters, and the four of them separated. Klaus entered Augusten's room, and Violet went into an unoccupied room with Beatrice and Sunny.
Their impression so far is that they were breathless at how much treachery could occur in such limited space as those alleyways that formed the Bazaar, crushed by the shadows of the neighboring buildings, which towered above almost as the 'normal' people of the world, who were clueless to the shadowy world of volunteers and the villains who opposed them. The people of the neighboring buildings were like this, unnaware of the hidden purpose of the Bazaar, as they were unnaware of the many things that were hidden in the world. Klaus Baudelaire, like his sisters, entered the room, a part of him secretly wishing he could be like one of the people of the buildings next door, wishing he and his family had nothing to do with that world of shadow and villainy they had been doomed to live in forever.