The unseemly education of Anne Merchant

the long version

So many secrets for such a small island. From the moment Anne Merchant arrives at Cania Christy, a boarding school for the world's wealthiest teens, the hushed truths of this strange, unfamiliar land begin calling to her-sometimes as lulling drumbeats in the night, sometimes as piercing shrieks. One by one, unanswered questions rise. No one will tell her why a line is painted across the island or why she is forbidden to cross it. Her every move-even her performance at the school dance-is graded as part of a competition to become valedictorian, a title that brings rewards no one will talk about.