Page 93 of The Unknown

“Tell that to Susie, Heather, and Julianne.”

“They might not be as lost as you think.”

I’m not sure Violet means to say it. She inhales once the words are out, like she’s trying to suck them back in and swallow them down. But it’s too late. I’ve heard them, and all she can do is turn her back to me again.

“Do you know what happened to them?” I ask.

Violet says nothing. A maddening silence that draws me closer, even when I suspect I should be running. It dawns on me, right now, that I might be in more danger than I first thought.

That the next woman to vanish on this island could be me.

“Did you do something to them, Violet? You and Loretta?”

I’m at her back now, a hand clamping down on her shoulder, demanding that she turn around and face me.

“Look me in the eyes and tell me you and your sister aren’t behind all of this.”

Violet does look me in the eyes. A direct stare that’s so disconcerting because of how many times I’ve seen it on the big screen. It happens in so many of her movies. That big moment when Violet Wright, screen legend, locks her blue eyes with the camera, as if she’s peering into your very soul. This is exactly like that, only it’s one on one. A movie meant just for me.

Her lips part, and for a moment, I think she’s about to admit that I’m right. I can feel the confession coming. I even brace myself for it, pressing the soles of my shoes into the floor.

But then Violet smiles. It’s a coy smile, revealing nothing.

“No comment,” she says.

June 15, 1926—11 p.m.

These may be the last words I’ll ever write.

There’s a small chance that I’ll make it until morning, when Mr. Ruggle is due to arrive. Assuming Mrs. Semple was telling the truth. I’m now at a point where I can’t believe a single thing she’s ever said. Which means this might be my final entry.

A horrifying thought.

Almost as terrible as what I just experienced during the séance. Mrs. Semple insisted we do it. She all but forced me to. I was marched into the parlor like a prisoner heading to the gallows. My fear was the same, for it felt like I was walking into certain doom.

There was nothing outright ominous about the parlor when we sat down at the table. It was arranged exactly like our previous séances. This time, though, in addition to my palpable fear, I sensed something else. A presence rustling in the shadows, hidden yet keenly felt. I wasn’t sure, but I feared it was the Darkness, already there without being summoned.

I turned out to be right, for when Mrs. Semple asked if there was something present, the Darkness emerged from the shadows behind her. And to my horror, it again looked exactly like Daddy!

He stood there, staring at me, and I was so afraid. I’d always thoughtthat, if I were to see Mommy or Daddy again, I would be overjoyed. Yet there I was, looking directly at Daddy, and the only emotion I felt was pure terror. Because he simply stared, not smiling, his eyes as dark and mean as they got when he’d been drinking, which was often after Mommy passed on.

Adding to my fear was the knowledge that this wasn’t Daddy at all. It was the Darkness acting like a mirror, reflecting the worst parts of Daddy.

“Why are you doing this?” I shouted. “Why is he here?”

“Who do you see, my child?” Mrs. Semple said.

“Daddy! He’s right behind you!”

“I’m unable to see what you clearly can. Why do you think that is?”

Mrs. Semple smiled then, and I realized it was right for me not to trust her. Because she knew. She knew exactly what was going to happen during the séance. In fact, she knew all along everything that had been taking place on New Avalon.

“You,” I cried. “You’re the Darkness! You’re Azra!”

“No, my child,” she said. “But we are acquainted.”

“You’ve been working together all this time,” I said, the realization prompting a horrified gasp.