One Kiss Later (K. Baudelaire)

Chapter 20

Candie

"When my sister joined Count Olaf, I could've so easily left with her. But I didn't I helped you save Sunny, and now, Sunny's safe. Now Carmelita's the one in danger. I'm trusting you to help Baudelaire. I'm trusting myself." I say sternly. "Sorry. I didn't know I wanted to save a brat that's everything for granted and was raised by someone just as bratty and unlovable as her." Klaus snapped back at me. My jaw dropped and tears welled up in my eyes. "Candie no, I didn't mean that-" He tries to say. "No, Klaus. I know exactly what you meant. I walked away, tears falling from my eyes. "Screw you, Klaus." I hear Violet say as I walk out the door.

"Candie!" Violet runs after me. "What?" I say turning around to Violet. Tears streaming down my face. "Oh, Candie." She says pulling me into a hug. "I know Klaus, I mean, that was a really rude things for hi, to do but- I know he didn't mean it." Violet insures. "The truth always comes out when you're angry." I respond, "Olivia told me that." I say with a sad smile. She smiles back. "Besides, Klaus likes Fiona." I say blankly. "What? No he doesn't." Violet defends. "Yeah, he does." I insist. "How do you know?" She asks me curiously. I shrug my shoulders. "I feel it. I feel emotion from a mile away." I explain. "I still don't buy it. Prove it to me." Violet says. "Okay." I respond. "On that note, let's get you freshened up." Violet smiles at me.

We walk into the bathroom. I walk over to the sink mirror. "Oh God." I react. My face was red and my eyes were puffy from crying. "Here." Violet says turning on the water. I rinsed my face quickly and look up again at myself. The redness was basically gone, and my eyes were a little less puffy. "Here." She said handing me a towel. I dried off. "Come on. They must be waiting for us." Violet says walking out of the bathroom. "Thanks Vi." I thanked. "For what?" She asked. "For being the big sister I want to be and never had." I say with a smile. "You all that and more." She compliments. "Okay, now we really have to go." She laughs, taking my hand and pulls me to the library.

"Hello, sailors. Looking sharp." Fiona greets "This is Herman Melville. He's one of my favorite authors.  love the way he dramatizes the plight of overlooked groups, like poor sailors and young people." Klaus informs Fiona. I close my eyes. Don't think about Klaus and Fiona dating. Don't think about Klaus and Fiona dating. I mean, we aren't officially broken up right? He wouldn't do that to me, right?

"I like his use of symbolism, like how Moby Dick is a literal and figurative meaning for death." Fiona adds. "I could do without the sea captain pursuing obsessive, bloody, single-minded revenge." Klaus jokes "I'm not surprised." Fiona jokes as well. I know Klaus and Fiona like each other. I know it for a fact. But how to prove it is the read question. Just like I know that Duncan and Quigley both liked Violet. How I knew? I couldn't tell you. I've just always been able to figure it out.

"But my favorite books are over here." Fiona leads Klaus to a different part of the bookshelf. "Do you think there's fantasy in this library?" I ask Violet quietly. She shrugged. "Hmm." I hum looking through the books. "I've always been interested in fungi." Fiona smiles. "Get a room." I look down to see Sunny Baudelaire. "I couldn't agree more." I whisper to her. "Sorry to ask, but, where is your fantasy section?" I ask Fiona. She laughs at me. "We don't have time for fairy tales and fantasies on this sub." I scoff.

"Where should we start?" Violet asks trying to change the subject. "Well, a book on tidal charts might help us determine where the currents carried the sugar bowl. Then we can calculate where it ended up." "It would be easier to calculate if we knew what was inside." Violet says annoyed. "And I told you confidential." Fiona defends. "So we're missing the V.F.D. gathering for something we know nothing about?" Violet questions. "Without the sugar bowl there is no gathering. Now get to work." Fiona says sternly. "But-" me and Violet start.

"I am the captain and that is an order." Fiona snaps. I cross my arms. "Sorry, I-" Fiona starts but this is our turn to interrupt her. "I'm going to check on the sonar equipment. If that's alright with the captain. Candie, join me, please." Violet says grabbing my arm puling me to the other room.

She pulls me to the room next door until I stop, dead in my tracks. "What?" Violet asks. I lift my finger up to my mouth, telling her to be quiet. "You and Violet are actually a lot alike." Klaus says to Fiona in the other room. "except I don't snap at people." Violet says. I put my finger up to my mouth again. "You're both pretty smart, pretty strong-willed, pretty...pretty... uh..." Klaus stammered.

I pulled her into the steering room to talk. "See what I mean!" I exclaim. "Okay, okay, I see what you mean, but you and Klaus aren't technically broken up yet right?" Violet thinks. "Correct." I say. "Klaus wouldn't do that. Anyway, can you help explore these rooms?" Violet asked. "Yeah, of course."

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"There you guys are." Klaus says, as I clean the glass of the submarine window. "There was nothing onboard that needed repairing, So I've been studying the mechanics of this airlock. And Candie's been cleaning." Violet says. "You put on these diving suits, and the room fills with water, and then, that hatch opens so you can go out and explore." Violet explains. "That might be useful soon. We've made some progress." Klaus informs us. I stand up. "You and Fiona?" Violet says, condescending.

"You should give her a chance. Both of you." Klaus says looking at me for the first time in hours. "I'm not sold." I say rolling my eyes. "The reason she didn't tell us what's in the sugar bowl is because she doesn't know herself." Klaus explains. "So we're on a mission, missing the meeting at the Last Safe Place to find something neither us or our captain know about?" I ask completely annoyed. "And she lied. What else is she hiding?" Violet asks.

"She's on our side. She's V.F.D.!" "Uh-huh Klaus, yeah great going, because so is Count Olaf, so was the man with a beard with no hair and woman with hair on no beard. There was s schism remember?" I say. "Exactly, what side of the schism?" Violet asks. "She seems pretty noble to me." Klaus discusses. "A lot of people seem noble that aren't. I don't trust her Klaus." Violet says finally. "But I do. Don't you trust me?" Klaus asks us. "Of course." Violet replies.

"Candie?" He asks, looking to me. "It's Candace to you, and what?" I ask just to spite him. "Do you trust me?" He repeats. "No." I reply. "So you don't trust me. Candie that's your whole problem. You don't trust me." He says, crossing his arms. "That's my problem?" I ask, in shook. "Yeah, yeah it is." He replies blankly. "You wanna talk about trust? Really? Okay then well, what about at Prufrock when you said Count Olaf was bad, I trusted you then. When you said Duncan might start cheating on me, I trusted you there. When you said Oliva was going to be 'fine' I trusted you then. Now, it's your turn to trust me." I argue. He looked at me stunned.

"If that's how you feel, then I think we need to break up."