For my dear Beatrice:
your children are doing well; brave and brilliant, just like you. -- L.S.

~*~

The world is such a twisted place, cruel, broken, treacherous. One can say that in a moment's life, they can drown into uncertainty, adventure -- and mystery. The world itself is a big mystery -- filled with never-ending clues, puzzles and questions that people try to solve and tend to ask. Everything, is one big question mark.

And it was one big question onto why the Baudelaires were able to find and save their companions, the Quagmires. It was one of the biggest questions that were left unanswered by the volunteers of the secret organization V.F.D., also known as Volunteer Fire Department. And like the organization, this was one of their secrets.

Violet Baudelaire spread a piece of paper on her desk and stared at it as she spun a fountain pen in her fingers. The now young-adult still had her habits when she was a child and like before, she would tie her hair up with a dark purple ribbon that helps her think -- especially when it comes to inventions.

Besides her was her younger brother, Klaus Baudelaire, who still had the same shiny glasses and the talent of a bookworm and a literary nerd. He analyzed the paper and pushed up his glasses upwards, his thoughts running around his head.

And next to them were the youngest Baudelaire, who was now about thirteen to fourteen years old, one hand in her hips as she looked at the paper with an astounded look. Right beside Sunny was their adopted sister, the daughter of the noble Kit Snicket, Beatrice Snicket-Baudelaire II, who was named after their mother, Beatrice Baudelaire. She had the same soft, blonde hair as Kit and had the same heart of a volunteer even if she was only two years younger than Sunny.

The four of them looked and stared at the paper, the seconds of the clock ticking inside the room, and the whole mansion was quiet, you could hear a pin drop, not until there were three consecutive knocks on the door.

The eldest Baudelaire stood up from the leather armchair she was sitting on and went towards the door. She placed her hand on the doorknob, straining her ears for any sound that the person on the other side will say.

"Vi it's me, Q. Snicket just called me, saying you recieved the note?" A manly voice said and this was the only signal Violet was waiting for as she opened the door of the room.

And there, right in front of her was Quigley Quagmire, her present husband and behind him were his siblings, Isadora and Duncan Quagmire.

Violet hugged Quigley tightly in the arms and whispered in his ear. "Yes, we did -- the note's on the table."

Meanwhile, Isadora and Duncan had entered the room in which Isadora planted a kiss on Klaus. They were a couple as well.

"Where are the kids?" asked Violet as Quigley closed the door and they all crowded around the note again.

"Don't worry, they're all upstairs sleeping." Duncan said as he placed a comforting arm around Sunny and Beatrice.

The room was once quiet again as the Quagmires saw the paper.

Quigley held it up and read:

To: The Baudelaires and Quagmires

I am pleased -- yet also sad -- to inform to you that all of you have passed the test and training for being an official volunteer for the secret organization V.F.D., also known as Volunteer Fire Department. We wish to recieve your statement regarding this in order for us to know who will be willing and exemplified in joining us for there might be some emotionally unstabled issues.

Sincerely,

L. S.

And right below the note was the intials V.F.D. in the signature form of an eye, just like Count Olaf's tattoo.

After Quigley read the note out loud, Violet asked the question all of them were asking their selves, "So, are willing to join V.F.D.?"

And in any case, it must be one of the hardest questions this world can bring to them.

"We already experienced enough misery to know that we're destined for this kind of life." Sunny commented and as for a youngster, she was very witty and true of her statement.

Isadora laughed lightly and placed a hand on Violet's shoulder. "We already know in ourselves that the Baudelaires are already volunteers at heart with the deeds they performed, especially in saving us." Isadora became quite nostalgic and she suddenly hugged Violet in which the eldest Baudelaire comforted her by ruffling her hair.

"I'm in. Period." Quigley said with a determined look and shot Violet a smile. All of them looked ready to enter a volunteer's dangerous life.

"In this case, I'll inform Snicket." Klaus offered and dialed the noble volunteer's number on the phone that was sitting on the desk as well, right beside the note they recieved.

The line kept ringing until there was a soft click and a voice from the other line answered, "The World is Quiet here."

"Indeed," Klaus replied. "Lemony, we wish to inform you that we are firm in the continuation of joining V.F.D."

There was a silent pause for a moment and he said, in almost a whisper, "I have followed your footsteps and tried protecting you from the unfortunate events that happened Klaus. I tried."

Klaus Baudelaire bit his lip. He knew where the conversation was going.

"I know." He said quietly. "And me and my siblings, as well as our parents will be forever grateful."

"No, I have displeased Beatrice. I even disgraced my own sister, Kit, for not being able to adopt my own niece. And now, there seemed not a thing that can stop you from getting involved with V.F.D." The excellent volunteer said sadly from the other line and sighed.

"I think, mother will understand. This is our way of respecting and following their footsteps." Klaus replied with nostalgia in his voice as he remember his parents, who are probably now in a safe place.

He heard Lemony laugh softly and said, "You're just like your father, noble and respectful. I would be happy to be the first one to welcome you." And Lemony Snicket was true with his words, he was just every little bit of noble as his father, Bertrand Baudelaire.

Klaus smiled and answered, "Thank you L." And with that, he slowly hung up.

"What did he say?" Violet asked her brother as the others chatted away.

"He said, I was just like our father." Klaus said to her with a beaming face. He was proud of it.

"And indeed you are." Violet smiled and patted his shoulder.

Klaus then told the others, "We're in." And they all smiled, half-joyous, and half-pretentious, knowing that the dangers that they will face on the next events may be as unfortunate as it gets.

Everything was cut short when the cries of babies filled the mansion and they all scurried upwards to the rooms where Quigley and Violet's babies and Klaus and Isadora's kids were.

They went inside the kids' room and there, someone had removed the hinges of the crib, and so the babies were all crawling in the floor crying.

As the grown-ups fix the cribs and wonder who was the culprit, Duncan, Sunny and Beatrice stayed in the room where Sunny folded the note and placed it in the drawer underneath the desk, hiding it from the kids. Now that they were adults, they have to keep all of this a secret from Sunny's nephews and nieces, the newest generation of the Quagmires and Baudelaires. Now, they knew what their parents felt and why they kept them from knowing the secrets of V.F.D.

While Sunny was busy hiding all of the items related to V.F.D., and Beatrice was staring at the old pictures of the deceased volunteers that hang on the wall, Duncan saw a shadow lurking near the window in the corner of his eye. He hurried towards the window, but saw no one.

Little did he know was that a guy more or less his age was hiding beneath the window. And as mysterious as the actions of the man was, the other mysteries that lie up ahead will unfold even more mysteries and secrets.

~*~

This Prologue is written in 3rd Person's POV, not from Lemony Snicket's POV, as you have noticed, and in the following chapters the POV would be any of the protagonist or antagonist.