Abby Mills

Abby Mills (Elaine Cassidy) was the daughter of Charlie and Sarah Mills, and childhood best friend of Henry Dunn. She returned to her hometown of Harper's Island for the first time since her mother's murder to attend Henry's wedding to Trish Wellington and confront her difficult relationship with her father and the island. As the object of Henry's twisted affections, Abby is the main protagonist of Harper's Island.

History[]

The Promise[]

Abby was born to Charlie and Sarah Mills in 1983. Her childhood was a pleasant one, with many summers spent in the company of the Dunn family, who were old friends of her mother's. Over the course of these many visits, Abby became very close friends with Henry, the Dunns' eldest son.

Summer's End[]

Abby's adolescence was derailed by John Wakefield's killing spree in October 2001. That day, Abby had convinced her mother to turn a blind eye to a "camping trip" (an island euphemism for sex) she intended to take that weekend with her boyfriend Jimmy Mance. While heading out with Jimmy, Abby witnessed the marina burst into flames at the onset of the rampage.

Abby and Jimmy hurried to the scene of the explosion, where Charlie ordered her to return home. Abby obliged, only to find the front door had been forced and her mother was missing. Charlie called her, having by now realized the scope of the carnage on the island. Learning of his wife's disappearance, he ordered Abby to remain home with the doors and windows locked.

Abby didn't stay put for long, however, hearing Sarah's screams from the woods. She went out to investigate, in so doing witnessing Wakefield murder a hostage who had outlived his usefulness. Wakefield would have killed Abby too, had he not been distracted by the timely arrival of Jimmy in his truck. Abby would privately credit Jimmy with saving her life, and would not know for years after that he had seen her when he approached Wakefield and, indeed, had distracted him for the sole purpose of keeping Wakefield from her.

Abby's wanderings eventually took her to a desiccated willow tree near the Eastern Bluff that, in another time, the Mills family had picnicked beneath. Here, she found her mother hanging, along with two others, as a final monument to Wakefield's vendetta.

A New Life[]

While Wakefield was shot and presumed dead the same night, his reign of terror left permanent scars on the island and its inhabitants. Abby and her father grew more and more distant from each other, with Charlie spiraling down into alcoholism. He eventually made the decision, without Abby's input, to send her away to live with her grandmother in Los Angeles. Abby deeply resented him for this decision, but could do nothing to sway him.

The night Abby took the ferry to the mainland, Jimmy ran out to the docks to say goodbye to her but Abby, filled with grief and regret, didn't even acknowledge him as the boat sailed off.

Trivia[]

Abby is one of the only four survivors of Harper's Island.
Abby is the only "good" character to have killed someone.