Anna's head jerks up when the sound of her name pierces her reverie. She had been pretending to be deeply engaged in prayerful contemplation as the Reverend ascended into the pulpit to deliver his usual weekly drawl. It would be an hour, at the least, of haranguing and invective, quotes from the Bible hurled at the congregation like lances. Anna knew what to expect, and so she had thought herself safe as she contemplated, with a little guilt, the week to come.
Her parents had warned her about The Mainland the night before she set off to college on her own for the first time. The Mainland, though, had not been the den of Wickedness they described. True, the college students initially looked upon the three as oddities, but the Islander children all soon found their places in the student body.
Rebecca was the second daughter of the Olsens. Chad, Rebecca's brother, ran the ferry and helped their father Mark out with their lobster traps. Rebecca was short and curvy, having inherited her mother's full figure, but unlike her mother, was as quiet as a mouse. Rebecca took the longest to fit in, but soon she was heavily involved in the Computer Club, where her skills for mathematics and programming made her a star.
Luke had it much easier. It helped that he was rangy, with perfect teeth and a movie star smile. Luke joined the swimming team and, almost a year on, was vice-captain, having seen the team to several victories over local colleges. Word had it they were favourites for the State Championships.
Luke was twenty-one and an only child. His father had died five years ago, soon after the family arrived on Morris Island, and his mother Elsa had brought him up. When it was time to go to college, Elsa had allowed Luke to stay on the mainland with her sister's family during the week, returning home at weekends and for holidays. Anna had only seen him occasionally at college as they passed in corridors and on the ferry home on Fridays.
Anna had noted, as did Rebecca, that Luke looked different from college when he got on the ferry home. On the mainland, he wore skinny jeans, branded sneakers and T-shirts. On the ferry back, he dressed modestly, in the customary long-sleeve shirt, buttoned to the neck, and plain slacks. Anna had also heard from her new BFF, Elena, that Luke went out drinking in the evenings, and that he had had girlfriends. Several girlfriends.
Elena came from a well-to-do restaurant family. Elena's mother was Ukrainian and had married into the Chalmers dynasty. They ran a chain of successful seafood restaurants dotted all over Charlston. Elena had inherited some of her mother's smouldering good looks, her fine bone structure, blonde hair, and crystal blue eyes. When Elena first tried to make friends with her, Anna had been suspicious, even stand-offish; Anna couldn't understand why a girl such as Elena, from the very upper classes of Charlston society would befriend a curiosity such as her. Anna soon realised that there was something about Anna and her upbringing that fascinated Elena in the way a brand new doll might fascinate a child.
They soon became fast friends, Elena using her wealth to cement their relationship. Where the other students would adjourn to the canteen or the parks to eat their lunches, Elena would whisk Anna away to 'Chalmers' Seafood Inn' two streets away, where they would always receive a rousing welcome and a prime table overlooking the Boulevard. It was over one such meal, lobster cooked in its shell and glittering with butter, that Elena told Anna about Luke.
Elena had giggled at Anna's horrified face.
"What? He's really cute. And he's got a great body. All the girls want him. You know he's on the swimming team, right? I've seen him. At practice. In the pool. You should look."
