A man wearing a dark red coat ushered the two triplets into his truck. Duncan and Isadora gripped each other's hands the whole time as they got into the truck. They didn't fall asleep. They couldn't fall asleep. They were so sad that they couldn't even think about their favourite subjects, journalism and poetry respectively.
Isadora was thinking about everyone she had just lost. How her father would give her inspiration for poems. How her mother would read her poetry every evening after dinner. How she and Quigley would try and combine maps and poetry and then laugh at the result.
Her brother, however, was trying to do everything he could to not think about them. He was trying to work out the time. It had been about five past ten when he had been warned of the fire, so he figured that it was about quarter past ten.
The next morning, one of the men encouraged the children to go to a beach that they had never heard of named Briny Beach. The children looked at each other, exasperated, and agreed reluctantly.
They were sat at Briny Beach looking out over the rather miserable looking sea. Duncan was desperately trying to think of an article to write about the fire, but would get so sad that he would have to stop, and Isadora was trying to think of couplets about the beach.
"Who's that?" the male Quagmire asked, pointing to the edge of the beach.
A man was walking towards the children, wearing a top hat and a smart black suit.
"Hello." he said once he reached the children.
The children looked at each other before walking away, remembering what their father had told them about never talking to strangers.
"I'm afraid I have some bad news for your children." the man said.
"Yes, we're aware." Isadora turned to him.
"We were at our house at the time of the fire." Duncan added.
"Oh." said the man. "Well, I am Mr. Poe, and now that you are orphans, I will be in charge of your affairs."
"I see." Isadora nodded.
"Where will we live?" asked Duncan.
"We can't exactly live here on the beach, and I'm sure the Fire Department have enough on their hands without having to take care of two children." said Isadora.
"No, no, no." Mr. Poe shook his head. "You will be staying and learning at a lovely school on the edge of the Hinterlands. Prufrock Preparatory School."
Duncan and Isadora stared at each other.
"Prufrock Prep?" asked Duncan.
"We've heard of that place." said Isadora slowly.
"I wouldn't be surprised." said Mr. Poe brightly. "It is a well-known school. Oh, and my wife wrote this. I thought you might like to read it."
He handed them a crumpled newspaper.
YOU ARE READING
Memento Mori
FanfictionDear Reader, If you have clicked read on this book, then it would be a good time to close it down. Inside this book are unpleasant events in the Quagmires' lives such as a terrible and slightly suspicious fire, three lost family members, and a drear...
