Summary

The Prologue is set in Wildoak Forest, currently covered in snow. Something new happens on this day – a van pulls up and stops. A man gets out with his flashlight and opens a cage. The next page sets the time and place as February 1963 in London, England.

In Chapter 1, Maggie Stephens is in class. She tests the point of her pencil. She listens to another girl reading aloud. Maggie imagines everyone laughing at her as she struggles for air. She looks around the room. She wonders if there are some girls who might not laugh this time. The teacher calls on Maggie to begin reading. Maggie does not move or speak. When Maggie does not speak, someone giggles. She looks at the page, feels she has only one option, and drives her pencil deep into her palm. She is shocked at the...