An Anonymous Girl: A Novel

Dr. Shields notes that people tend to judge themselves severely, scrutinizing their own actions throughout each day and looking back on past moral choices, wondering how they affected others. People have regrets about many of these choices, and many sit in wait for the day that their past choices come back to haunt them.

Jessica gets to her apartment and locks her door immediately. Realizing that her impulsive decision to participate in the study is what led to all of this, she resolves to be methodical. She writes down everything she knows about both Thomas and Dr. Shields and realizes it is very little and very superficial. Jessica searches for information about April’s suicide on the internet and finds it, along with her full name. April was only 23 when she died. Jessica then finds her Instagram page and sees a photo from a few days before April’s death that seems ordinary. She notices a wrap in the photograph, much like the one Dr. Shields gifted her. She comes across a photo of Thomas lying half-nude in a bed, and all she can feel is fear.