Book excerpt: Elle Edwards, who has been told she's a product of her mother's sinful mistake, has never gone to school, never met a teenager her own age, never even been allowed off of her grandparents' property. Convinced that their granddaughter is infected with evil, Myra and Prescott Edwards believe that only the harshest child-rearing methods will prevent Elle from becoming an instrument of the devil. When Elle's mother finally returns home and tells a different story of her daughter's conception, Elle worries her grandparents are right. But with the help of a handsome boy vacationing nearby, Elle is finally about to discover the truth about her past…