Page 16 of The Unknown

“Why do you do it, then?” I asked, for in my experience very few people have charity in their hearts for those less fortunate.

“Because there should be a place for people like you. I’m all too happy to provide it.”

That settled it. Off we went, crossing the lake in Mrs. Semple’s rowboat. But when we reached the island, a strange, unsettled feeling came over me. While I quite liked Mrs. Semple and knew she intended no harm, I felt differently about the island. It possessed an aura of foreboding. The Gift sensed it and started burning in me like a fever.

“What’s wrong, dear child?” Mrs. Semple asked as we clambered out of the boat.

“This place,” I said. “There’s something here. Something…bad.”

I couldn’t quite put my finger on what I sensed. It reminded me of how you can feel a thunderstorm approaching even though it’s a bright, sunny day. In times like that, there’s an electric buzz to the air some people can feel in their bones. The island was surrounded by it.

“I assure you, there’s nothing to fear,” Mrs. Semple told me. “I’ve spent every summer for the past sixty years on this island. It was a retreat, built by my father. I’ve had many happy times on New Avalon, and I know you will, too.”

“New Avalon? Is that the island’s name?”

“It is indeed. My father let me choose it, and so I named it after Avalon, the magical island of Arthurian myth. Are you familiar with it?”

When I told her I wasn’t, Mrs. Semple explained that it was from the story of King Arthur. According to legend, Avalon was a magical place inhabited by women with great power and great wisdom.

“Even though I was just a girl at the time, I wanted this island to be a similar place, and so I dubbed it the New Avalon,” Mrs. Semple said as we followed a winding path to the top of the island. Near the crest, the buildings atop the island came into view. There were four cottages and, at the end of a rectangular green that surrounded a large oak tree, a lovely house.

“The cottages are where my guests reside,” Mrs. Semple said as she guided me to the first cottage on the right. “This one is yours for as long as you stay here.”

She stepped aside, allowing me to open the door and enter. The place was small but comfortable, and I loved it immediately. It was far nicer than my wretched room at Mrs. Clack’s boardinghouse, which didn’t contain its own washroom and privy. There was even a bathtub, which my excitement about made Mrs. Semple smile.

“I’m pleased you like it,” she said as I turned on the faucets, marveling at the water that gushed through them.

“I love it!” I exclaimed. I no longer had the worrisome feeling that greeted my arrival to New Avalon, and instead became excited about what I might experience here.

Mrs. Semple retreated to the big house at the end of the green, leaving me alone to get settled in. I didn’t own much, so it took me no time to unpack my belongings. After that, I left the cottage and went off to search for others who might be staying on New Avalon. Even though no one else seemed to be here when Mrs. Semple and I arrived, I assumed there were. Sure enough, the moment I stepped outside, a young woman emerged from the cottage across the way.

She was dressed in the latest style and with her hair in the same bob I’d seen so many women wearing nowadays. I had once asked Daddy if I could cut my hair like that, and he told me that only wicked women did such things. Well, this girl didn’t look wicked to me, although she also didn’t quite look friendly.

“Who are you?” she said suspiciously.

“Why, who are you?” I asked back.

She approached and gave me a haughty, disapproving look. “I’m Katrina Fiske.”

“It’s lovely to meet you, Katrina,” I said with a curtsy. “My name is Daisy Rue.”

“Well, your dress is ugly, Daisy,” Katrina said, eyeing my sad blue frock.

“Ignore her, kid,” a voice behind me said. “Sure, she dresses swell, but her manners are the pits.”

I turned around and saw that someone had emerged from the cottage next to mine. She stood framed in the doorway, cutting quite a figure in her form-fitting dress in a polka-dot print. When she stepped outside to greet me, I took in her dark skin and flawless features.

“Your clothes are lovely,” I told both of them. “Polka dots suit you. And, Katrina, that ribbon trim looks divine.”

“You said your name was Daisy, kid?” the woman in polka dots asked.

“Yes. Daisy Rue.”

“I’m Jonquil Collins.” She hitched a thumb in the direction of the fourth cottage, where another woman had come out to meet me. “That’s Phoebe, although she likes to go by Mrs. Minafer. She’s stuffy that way.”

Unlike Katrina and Jonquil, Mrs. Minafer was dressed in a manner I was more accustomed to. In her high-necked lavender dress and long sleeves, she reminded me a bit of Mommy. Part of that was because Mrs. Minafer was far older than the rest of us, but she also had a caring, maternal look about her that drew me to her immediately.

“It’s lovely to meet you,” she said. “Welcome to New Avalon.”