Through The Shadows - Klaus Baudelaire FF

XV

Who do I trust? Who do I want to trust?

My parents. They're good people. They taught me to respect others, but only those who respect me. They taught me to be kind, even to those who may not deserve it. Be kind to everyone, but respect only those deserving. That was what my parents said.

V.F.D. The members have been trying to help the Baudelaires and I. They've been the first people to show us kindness in so long. But they abandon my parents. Not one of them helped when needed.

These thoughts circle through my mind as I re-enter the elevator. I hardly realize when I reach the lobby, only noticing when a hand slides into mine.

"Are you okay, Ellis?" Klaus gazes down at me, brows creasing in worry. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Do I tell him? I want to tell him, so badly. But how can I tell him I don't trust the organization that his parents were members of?

"Oh, I'm fine. No need to worry." I wonder if he can tell how fake my smile is? He probably can. He's always been observant to everything around him.

Klaus says nothing more, and we quietly walk to the desk. "This hotel is full of people we know. But they can't all be a part of V.F.D."

"They were all I voted by someone with the initials J.S." Violet, Sunny, and Lilian join. Apparently they all met with someone they know. Except for Lilian, who helped an elderly woman carry her things to her car. "But they each think that J.S. is a different person." Jerome Squalor, Jacqueline Sciezka, Julio Sham. "Why is Esme planning a cocktail party, and what does Carmelita want with a harpoon gun?"

I can't help but chuckle. "My dreadful cousin wants a harpoon gun? She doesn't even know how to properly hold one." Last summer, her parents had bought her one. She held the weapon the wrong way, almost shot herself in the head, but it flew inches above her and broke the kitchen window. Of course, I got blamed for it.

"Did Frank or Ernest give me the bird paper? And who told Sunny to lock the laundry room door?" Lilian glances at me. What the hell is bird paper? She mouths.

Violet, having seen her, laughs. "Why is everyone watching the skies?"

"Elephant." The four of us turn to Sunny, who sits on one of the sofas.

Klaus gasps. "I know what she means. We've heard parts of a larger plan. But if we put them all together, we can see the whole shape." Elephant. "Larry Your-Waiter said something about a package being delivered tonight, and crows."

"Carrier crows." Klaus nods at me. "Like the ones Isadora used to send couplets." The pieces click, and we realize what's going on. "My cousin wants the harpoon gun to shoot them."

"Which is why Frank or Ernest had you hang the bird paper." Violet grabs a piece of paper, drawing the outline of the building.

"When the bird is shot, it'll land and stick to the paper, and the package will fall." Lilian joins in.

Klaus stares at the drawing. "Maybe not. I saw a laundry vent under the window. What if the plan is for the package to fall in there?"

"So, what's in the package?"

My eyes widen, and I let out a groan. "That stupid sugar bowl."

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The rest of the day slowly drags on, and I find myself dozing off more times than I'd like to admit. All the new information about my parents and discovering why all these people are here, my brain feels like it's on a never ending train ride.

My eyes close once more, and I'm hopeful to get decent sleep. But as my head presses against my hand -which is propped up on the armrest of the sofa- it slips, and I jolt awake.

Klaus snorts next to me. "That was elegant." Tired, and a little grumpy, my fingers lazily move; until I'm waving a not-so-friendly finger at him. He laughs louder.

Groaning, I push myself into an upright position. "You're cute, but I'm tired and grumpy and now I kinda want to rub whip cream in your hair." My head drops on his shoulder as I snuggle into his side.

"Why whip cream?" His arm drapes across my shoulders.

"Cause," I pause to yawn. "It's a pain to wash out."

"How do you know?"

"In that memory I had a few days ago, part of it was me rubbing whip cream in Violet's hair." Klaus lets out a loud laugh, gaining the attention of his sisters and Lilian.

"What's so funny?" Klaus and I share a glance. I haven't told anyone else about these new memories. Will Violet remember?

Figuring I'd end up telling her later anyways, I retell the memories, all of them. But I leave out what Carolyn and her parents told me earlier.

Violet's eyes light up. "I remember that! Well, at least the whip cream part. It took three washes to remove it completely. But I don't remember you, why?"

"I don't know." My shoulders shrug. "I didn't remember until a few days ago."

Violet shakes her head. "How could we forget each other? You're my best friend." My heart swells at her words.

Lilian suddenly gasps. "I know! There's this medicine my grandmother used to take. One of the side effects was memory loss. She couldn't remember my dads name. It was called Flawegfrine." (Made up, so go with it.)

"So, our parents gave us pills to forget one another. That's so awful."

The squeaky sound of the luggage cart catches our attention. Dozens of bags with the initials J.S. sewn on the sides.

"You can take that to room 347, please." A woman's voice calls. "Civil procedures and courts."

"Justice Strauss."

Tried to include more Ellis x Klaus for y'all. Hopefully this holds you over til I can update again.