It had been about eight months since they had been rescued from the island. Their story of surviving the disaster and their rescue briefly made some headlines before other events occurred, that natural cycle of news. What had happened on the island was kept a secret by the seven survivors.

The captain and his first mate, absolved of any responsibility in the shipwreck, moved on to work on another boat. Dave and Rachel were still a couple. Brad and his wife Leslie returned to their lavish lifestyle made possible by Brad's business. And Melissa continued to work as a receptionist and had just turned 20.

She, though, was struggling with...