The Cayman Prep School took children up to thirteen before handing them over to the High School. Many children made the transition smoothly and completed their education in the senior division next door, but for a considerable proportion of expatriates the expense of sending children for their secondary education abroad was outweighed by the risks involved in staying. The island had a drug problem, as well as a problem of teenage pregnancy. Stories circulated of girls who had stayed being seen as an easy target by boys from West Bay. Sending children abroad might have its drawbacks, but at least the teenage years would be passed, for the most part, in the supervised conditions of a boarding school. There the day-to-day headaches of looking after adolescents were borne by people paid to bear them – and experienced in doing so.Clover knew, and accepted that boarding school awaited her. She was ready to go; several girls who had been in the year above her at the Prep School were already there and seemed to enjoy it.
