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Prologue

A journal by Victoria Anne Dearbourne, 1850

January 17

Today is the third day of our time here Mother, Miss Scott, and I survived the wreck of the Serendipity and drifted in a leaky lifeboat to a deserted isle somewhere in south Oceania Becal typhoon season Mother said it was as though we'd been held in place for the storm

When the tian to break, the sailors scurried--like rats, all of them--to abandon the ship and every one of us One crashed into Mother--he didn't even hesitate when she fell into the lifeboat froht of the deck Her back was separated and her ar, and I am convinced if we find help, she will recover

We have not yet found Father I looked up through the rain and foam and spied him atop the deck, a child in his arone Is it wrong fordown below and escaped? The vile crew did It doesn't matter what I wish--he never would have left them

It was thisthat we received a windfall of supplies from the sea Mother whispered to ifts, though Miss Scott says it's only a repeating current--the sah Camellia Scott is only in her twenties, she is very wise, and so I don't knohich version I wish to accept)

Miss Scott and I hauled ashore several trunks, a cask ofthe trunks, we found the captain's footlocker, and inside was an e and a bottle of ink Miss Scott bade me record our time here

She probably believes if I am occupied so, I won't be able to see the misery that has befallen us But I have, and even as I cared for Mother and wrote, I still saw the two bodies that floated in with our bounty The sea had done awful, awful things to them

I know Miss Scott dragged thele and buried them, because I see the tracks in the sand and her palms blistered from the paddle handle Miss Scott has only been with us for a short time, and I know she wants to spare us any harshness But I hope she would tell me if one of the deceased was Father

January 18

Last night was the first night Mother cried She tried to be strong, but the pain was too great Rain began to drizzle and the wind gusted Miss Scott found flints in the lifeboat and tried tiht a fire It was hopeless, but I think it took her iven up and fallen asleep where she knelt, her hands were sliced and ragged

Mother toldfor such an ie"

January 19

I see how h, but Miss Scott predicted ill be rescued well before I run out of paper

Later in the day, she found a map in one of the trunks and tried to deter me to look for firewood on the beach despite the fact that we have no fire When I returned, both she and Mother see here for soh Miss Scott and I beg her, Mother has stopped taking her share of what little water we have left

January 20

Last night I drea with Mother andh is wonderful, hearty because of his barrel chest, and he's quick to it He loves Mother so much he looks to burst with it With each new land we explored, the tould search for creatures, some little beastie never seen before He always h she'd done it again and again for the articles they published Then he'd set down her drawing and twirl her around, grab me up under his arm, and proclaim that the three of us were the best team in this hemisphere, at least And then Miss Scott joined us too, to teach me deportment and su had seemed so perfect

Luckily, I rose before Mother and Miss Scott because I woke up crying hout the day when I thought of hi and face turning hot, just like the babies I played with on the ship

Both Miss Scott and Mother tell me each day to be brave, but today they seemed even more insistent Yet in the afternoon, Mother woke to

find h I am thirteen!

I told her I didn't know if I was strong enough to do everything that needed to be done on the island I knoe need to build a shelter I try to re I've learned fros while I played hatever children we came upon

Mother told h to survive here She said, "Remember, Tori, diamonds are born of pressure"

January 21

The deep cuts on Miss Scott's hands are not healing and are so swollen she can't close her fingers I kno dangerous this is in this climate I did not know I could worry even n of Father, but I have to believe he survived and is even now standing on the bow of so for us

January 22

I a about food and water now that we have so little of both It drives o inland to search for a spring or so ht tell us it's packed with creatures that we htn't want to see

This afternoon, Mother made me sit beside her In a soleht not have lived Hearing her say that was like a hit to my chest It wasn't real until she voiced it When my tears finally died down, she looked randfather would find us She swore that he wouldn't stop searching until he brought us home But I know that he's too old to journey so far Mother vowed he will send someone in his stead

January 22, Afternoon

We have decided that I will go with Miss Scott The hungrier I get, the less the jungle frightensthat so I know it, and the back of 's about to go wrong

I al Howcould our circumstances be?

I glanced over at Mother and saw her urgently whispering to Miss Scott My s, was unaware she was squeezing Miss Scott's ruined hands Miss Scott winced as she listened, but said nothing

Am I to lose my father and my mother as well?

Sometimes I feel as if allas thin as lace And sometimes I'm tempted to rip the threads open, to tear at htful That the things I fear will fear me instead

We leave for the jungle at daybreak

One

Oceania, 1858

The short relay from the Keveral to the inscrutable island before hie: Dooley, his firstaround even in this small rowboat to find a crisis to forestall Grant's creary around their captain, obeying orders quickly out of their fear of hi of spirits and still--after all the miles and islands they'd covered--drunkenly optimistic of success