Royston, Massachusetts, early 2010's

Royston is the small, semi-rural town where most of The Burning Girl takes place. There are four main square blocks, and the rest of the town is "winding residential streets" surrounded by forest. It is located around the North Shore of Massachusetts, which is the area of and around Cape Ann. It has strip malls and a number of small shops, the quarry, and the asylum, as well as the schools that Julia and Cassie both attend.

The Quarry, Royston, MA

The quarry was put out of use a hundred years ago, and is now filled with water. People swim here, and teenagers party at it in the summer, but you are supposed to be a member of the Land Association to be able to go. Julia compares it to "a private pool" for this reason. There's no guard or fence, however, so it is...