FOURTEEN - search for her friends

"Daddy, please let me look for them with the officers!" Marigold begged while on the phone with her father.

"I'm sorry, but it's just not safe for you. You understand, right?" She did understand. Barely.

She didn't understand why the few friends who genuinely cared about her are currently kidnapped. She didn't understand why she couldn't find the Baudelaires and be with them while they are with their next guardian. She didn't understand why the "grown ups" were always in control of things, but never find the suspect. She didn't understand why she was dumbed down when she knew what truly happened. Count Olaf and his companions are kidnappers and villains. No one was believing the disguises, and now, her friends are gone.

"Okay, whatever. I'll talk to you later-"

"Actually, the Baudelaires aren't too far from our house. I'll let you skip school for a few days to try to find them," Marigold's father interrupted. Marigold grinned.

"Really! Thanks daddy!" Marigold exclaimed, jumping up and down. "Okay, I gotta go. Thanks again!" Marigold hung up and went back to her dorm, enthusiastic to see Violet. Well, also find her friends, but also see Violet. Recently, she's been thinking about Violet, but not in a normal way. In a weird way.

~

Robyn secretly flipped through her journal as the Quagmires were taking a nap. She ate a piece of her granola bar as she read over the notes she had taken. God, when will I get out of here? She thought. All she wanted to do was go back home and be with her mother. Unfortunately, that would never happen again.

"Robyn, look!" Isadora exclaimed, pointing up. She put the notebook down and looked to where Isadora was pointing. Three people were flying down on what looked like a hot air balloon. It took her a minute to realize that it was the Baudelaires. Robyn stood up with the Quagmires and grinned at their friends.

"You found us!" Duncan remarked.

"I'm so happy to see you," Isadora added.

"Please get us out of here, I can't be in this cage for any longer," Robyn spoke. Everyone smiled.

"I've never been so happy to see anyone," Klaus replied, looking Isadora in the eye.

"How did you find us?" Isadora questioned.

"It was Klaus's idea."

"It was Violet's invention."

"Can we stop for a moment? Can one of you guys please pick this lock?" Robyn interrupted, motioning to the Baudelaires.

"Not without any tools. I wish I could see what's down here," Violet complained.

"Try this," Isadora said, handing Violet something. It was the spyglass.

"See the markings? If you line them up and give it a half-turn counterclockwise," the two triplets guided. Violet and Klaus followed their directions. The device flickered on, becoming a flashlight.

"We learned that in The Incomplete History of Secret Organizations," Robyn explained, looking over at Duncan. Surprisingly, he was already looking, so all they did was smile at each other.

"You found it?" Klaus expressed, turning to Robyn. Yes, of course she did. She wanted to say how her mom gave it to her during their most recent meetup.

"Well, right before we were kidnapped, Robyn found the book. We got some information and took as many notes as we could." Duncan flipped through his commonplace notebook and looked for a certain page. "We me be kidnap victims, but I'm still a journalist."

"We've learned many haunting secrets," Robyn explained, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Duncan was looking at her. He looked mesmerized, but she couldn't tell.

"About our parents. And your parents, too." Isadora started. "We were right. Everything is connected."

"Well, what did you learn?" There was a thumping noise coming from above the children, who quickly looked up.

"Tell us when you're safe," Violet said.

"We heard Olaf's plan," Isadora started.

"We did?"

"You were asleep on Duncan's shoulder, remember?" Isadora called out. Robyn gave her a look as Violet raised an eyebrow at her friend. "Hell hide us in an item at the In Auction and sneak us out of the city tomorrow."

"No he's not. You're coming with us, right now," Klaus emphasized.

"I think it's an electromagnetic circuit. It's not just light, it's heat," Violet spoke. "I wonder..." her voice trailed off as she adjusted a few of the digits.

"The Incomplete History of Secret Organizations said it can be used for all sorts of things," Duncan explained.

"Maybe it can melt the lock," Violet wondered. The two triplets and Robyn watched the lock while Violet held the light over it. It moved, but only got hotter.

"Did it work?" Isadora asked.

"No, it only got hotter." Klaus gently touched it and blew on his hand.

"It's not gonna work. I can feel it overheating," Violet said.

"There must be something else down here you can use," Klaus suggested. Violet looked up at Robyn.

"Can you hand be that newspaper?" Robyn nodded and gave the loose piece on the floor to the eldest Baudelaire. She held it up and turned on the flashlight by moving the dials. Her friends and siblings watched as the newspaper flew up into the air. "Heat rises."

"What?"

"We have to go back to that penthouse," Violet exclaimed.

"You're leaving?" Duncan asked nervously.

"We're gonna find something here to get you out," Violet ensured. "Can you gather the handkerchief as tight as you can?"

"I see what you mean. Heat rises."

"And so will we." The two siblings gathered their supplies.

"Sunny and I should stay here with Robyn and the Quagmires," Klaus recommended.

"No, Klaus," Isadora starts. "Help your sister. Just come back soon." The worry on the three kidnapped individual's faces was proof that they were scared, but they weren't going to let the Baudelaires split up.

"We will," Klaus promised.

"We promise," Violet confirmed as the handkerchief expanded.

"You saved us at Prufrock. We'd be in Olaf's clutches if not for you." Violet gently smiled at Robyn.

"So I'm sure you know."

"What?" Isadora questioned.

"What friends are for." At that moment, the three Baudelaire children started to rise into the air as they sheepishly looked down at their friends. They would be back in no time to save them. Hopefully.