Saint Anthony’s is a private school identified as Julia Deveroux’s starting point on the evening she failed to make it home. The novel gives little description of the school itself; its significance comes from the routine journey away from it and the danger that overtakes that journey.

Setting and Identification

Liz Hartman identifies Saint Anthony’s as the private school Julia attended. Julia’s house was only a few blocks away, and her play practice ran late. Because of the short distance, her parents assumed she would be on her way home. The school is thus established through the practical details of Julia’s evening rather than through a description of its grounds, staff, or daily life.

Julia’s Journey

Julia was walking home from Saint Anthony’s when she became the newest victim of the Sweet Sixteen Killer. The account connects her departure to an ordinary after-school activity and a nearby destination, but does not say that the attack took place at the school or specify the route she took. Later, Tyler Raines is identified as the person who disemboweled Julia. Her school remains the last named point in the brief account of her journey before it turns into a crime.

Narrative Significance

The school’s importance lies in the contrast between the modest distance Julia had to travel and the violence that made the journey perilous. Her parents’ assumption that she would soon be home gives the disappearance its ordinary, domestic beginning; the later appearance of Julia’s photograph among the victims makes the loss irreversible. Saint Anthony’s therefore marks the threshold between an evening of play practice and the wider horror of the murders, without being presented as the site of the crime.