Ashley Hawkins

Ashley is a 17-year-old track star at the beginning of the novel. Ashley’s mother always said that she had been born with teeth and nails. As a young girl, Ashley had always been independent and stubborn. Her mother had always wanted a girl, but she bemoaned the fact that Ashley would never even let her brush her hair. Ashley’s mother left while she was still in elementary school, and Ashley was left alone with her father, who raised her as best he could. The two lived in a small trailer, and Ashley’s father had to work overtime to pay their bills, but he always took care of her.

When she was ten, her father started dating again, and he sent Ashley to Camp Little Fish. At first, Ashley did not want to go, but once she met her camp counselor, Davey Beet, she was...