Veronica felt her eyes open to the first rims of small sunlight as the grey clouds covered it, rubbing her head. There's no word to describe the feeling of waking up and knowing instantly that something is terribly wrong. If there were, the Baudelaires and Veronica would have used that word when they rose to find dawn had awoken them and their Uncle Monty had not. The brunette saw a iguana on her beside table, making her confused. Where was Uncle Monty? She got out of bed and rushed into the Baudelaires room and awoke Klaus. "Klaus...Klaus!" She whispered. "Yes?" Klaus asked groggily. "Monty had never woke us up, I'm worried." Veronica said. Klaus sat up and put on his glasses before waking his elder sister.

Violet ran out the room as Veronica's breath quickened in worry. Klaus saw this and took ahold of her warm and pale hand. Her breath slowed down and she gave a heart-warming smile towards the glassy-eyed boy. "Come on." Klaus said, as the two ran down the stairs with their hands still intertwined. "Monty?" Violet exclaimed. "Uncle Monty?" Klaus yelled. The trio ran into the Reptile Room and Veronica noticed Monty sitting in his chair by his desk. They looked at each other uneasily and then walked over to their guardian. Veronica gasped as tears stinged her eyes. Monty's skin had gone pale and his eye had lost it's colour, he had two bite marks of a snake on his cheek, he was dead. "Monty..." Klaus muttered, putting his hand on Monty's arm. "How could have this happened?" Klaus then whimpered. "Klaus, we know exactly this happened." Veronica responded in a whisper to then biting her lip in sadness.

"My, my, my, my, my..." Olaf stood at the top of the stairs and took his huge glasses off as his voice changed from Stephano to his simple and cruel self. "What a terrible accident...whoever discovers this will be very upset. 'For in that sleep of death what dreams may come.'" Olaf sneered. "You murdered him." Veronica growled as her fists clenched up but her voice trembled. "Why, Veronica, I'm surprised. A smarty-pants girl like you ought to be able to figure out that jolly old Uncle Monty died from a snakebite, not murder." Count Olaf replied as he made his way to the three children and the corpse in front of them. "Look at the teeth marks on his cheek, look at his cold, waxy face. Look at his unblinking eyes." 

"Stop it!" Violet exclaimed. "Stop talking like that!" She continued. "You're right. There's no time for chit-chat, we have a ship to catch and I'd like to board in time to have a bottle of wine before lunch." Olaf said and then magically pulled the four tickets out from his sleeve. "Peru, we're going to Peru." He added. "We wouldn't go to the end of the drive-way with you much less international waters!" Veronica yelled. "Well then, I guess I'll have to take my own luggage..." Olaf replied as he picked up two bags beside him. As he left, one bag hit the wall which made a some sort of baby sound and the elder children realised who that was. "Sunny!" Klaus exclaimed and the three ran out to help her. Veronica ran with the Baudelaires but stopped in the parlour to see a small photo with a note. "This is for me...?" The brunette said to herself.

Veronica took the note and read it in her head, but also making sure that Olaf or his henchmen that she knew were probably somewhere weren't there to capture her. 

'Veronica...I'm so sorry for not explaining this to you. 

I couldn't find the right words to explain myself, I'm sorry if I hurt you in any way because of it. I'm giving this picture to you so you can have a better look for yourself. I hope whoever you meet next might be able to help you...all I can tell you is that you knew them before your terror...

Uncle Monty.'

The note shaked in Veronica's hands as she felt tears sting her eyes once more. "I'm sorry, Monty...the last moment we had together...and I only upset you..." She cried to herself, trying to wipe her tears away. She stopped when hearing a crash outside on the drive-way, causing her to shove the picture into her pyjama pocket and then rush out the door. Monty's car was crashed and a snake hedge had smashed the front window and another car was beside it. "Baudelaires!" She exclaimed and ran towards the accident. "Klaus, Violet, are you okay?" She asked in worry. "We're okay, don't worry. Get Sunny out!" Klaus responded. Veronica obeyed and unlocked the trunk and opened a suitcase to see Sunny, laying with a smile. "Buttercup, you're okay!" Veronica exclaimed, picking Sunny up and holding her tightly. 

The elder Baudelaires joined her as someone came out of the other car with a fit of coughing. Veronica looked towards Klaus with a look of concern. "Klaus, is that-"

And as if a miracle had come the children's way, Mr Poe came stumbling out. "Mr Poe!" Violet exclaimed. "Violet Baudelaire?" Mr Poe questioned. "I'm so grateful you ran into us!" She added. "Well, I wouldn't say that. It was clearly the fault of the other driver." Mr Poe replied, pointing towards Stephano. "You're not Dr. Montgomery." He then said, seeing Monty was no where to be found. "Oh! My spleen! I think you've ruptured him!" Stephano said with fake pain as he turned away to put on his huge glasses. "Hello, my name is Stephano! I'm Dr. Montgomery Montgomery's new assistant, I mean I was...I mean...I don't know how to say it..." He said. "Mr Poe, Uncle Monty's dead." Veronica informed. "That's how to say it."

"He's dead?" Mr Poe asked in worry. "But that...that's terrible. How did it happen?" He asked, looking from the children to Stephano. "He was bitten by a snake! I was on my way now to get the coroner, the children were too hysterical to be left here alone." Stephano lied, as he was really trying to take the children away and leaving Monty's dead body to rot in his home. "He wasn't taking us to a coroner. He was taking us to Peru." Klaus corrected. "What? Wha...?" Stephano stammered. "See? Hysterical?" Veronica glared at the villainous man as Sunny found comfort in the brunette's arms. 

"No, the children must be confused. Dr. Montgomery was taking them to Peru." Mr Poe clarified. "Last night he called me to insit on me rearranging my morning itinerary to bring these passports." Mr Poe brought out four passports from his pocket but Olaf snatched them from him and put them into his pocket. "He'd want me to have them." Veronica huffed as Violet said "Can't you see, Mr Poe? That's Count Olaf!" Veronica nodded in frustration. "He's in disguise and he's trying to take us away." Klaus cried. "He followed us to Uncle Monty's!" Veronica exclaimed in addition. "Who am I? What am I doing? Don't you miss the vivid imagination of childhood?" Stephano chuckled, playing stupid once again. "I never had one." Mr Poe said.

"An imagination or a childhood?"

Mr Poe ignored Stephano and looked down at the children beside him. "Children, you must be very distraught about losing your uncle. Count Olaf is a terrible man who tried to steal the Baudelaire and Bella fortune." He explained as he was oblivious to the fact that Stephano was really Count Olaf. "Really?" Stephano asked in fake disbelief. "Yes." Mr Poe replied. "And do I look anything like this Count Olaf?" Stephano questioned and Mr Poe began to look him up and down. Veronica looked at Klaus with an uneasy look, mouthing "This is bad." Klaus nodded and mouthed "I know, but we're gonna get through this." Mr Poe shook his head once finished examining Stephano. "Count Olaf has one long eyebrow and he has a very short beard. You have a very long beard, and if you don't mind me saying so, no eyebrows at all." He clarified.

"He shaved his eyebrow." Klaus exclaimed in reply. "And he let his beard grow!" Violet added. "And wearing those fake glasses and talking in a fake accent!" Veronica cried. "Can't you see? Anyone could see that!" Violet finished. "Except Mr Poe, of course!" Sunny gurgled and Stephano hissed at her. "Sunny's right. Count Olaf has a tattoo on his ankle. It's in the shape of an eye." Klaus said. Veronica smiled happily, knowing that might be their only miracle for a way out of this unfortunate event. "I hate to trouble you sir, but just to put the children's minds at ease, would you be so kind as to show us your ankle?" Mr Poe sighed as he looked back at Stephano. Veronica expected a shocked look on his face but Olaf's expression was nothing of the sort.

Instead, it was a smirk directed at the children. "What is he smirking about?" She questioned to herself in a small whisper. "I'd be happy to." Stephano said, the smirk not leaving his face. Veronica shared a small look with Violet of confusion as the children then watched the sock come down and there was no....eye on his ankle. "What?" Veronica mouthed then taking a few quick breaths. "My apologises, Mr Stephano." Mr Poe apologised, tipping his hat. "It's no problem, as long as the vehicle is operational, then we really must being going." Stephano responded, making a small gesture to the crashed car behind him. "No!"

"No."

"No?" Stephano questioned to the children's and Mr Poe's response. "No, none of us are going anywhere until the police have been called." Mr Poe responded. "Oh, come on, man. It's just a fender bender." Stephano stated. "About Dr. Montgomery."

Olaf scowled at the words but then forced a fake smile. "What a sensible idea..." Veronica smirked and then smiled sweetly at Sunny in her arms. They both and the elder siblings knew they had just wiggled their way out of this small problem but as said before, nothing good happens in this story, more unfortunate events are about to come...