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Description
Thirteen years ago, the sky all around the Earth lit up with the glow emanating from a strange speck of bright whit light. In Japan, an infant woke in the middle of the night and looked out his window. Six thousand miles away, a tiny crater became the only evidence of the unusual events of that fateful day.
As the years passed, grass grew over the scar in the ground. Only a small patch of scorched rock remained as its witness. Animals avoided it at all costs, often detouring for miles from their normal migration patterns. Even birds refused to fly above it.
In the modest town nearby, the appearance of an orphaned newborn girl coincided with the date of the crash. She was adopted by a young couple who already had five children of their own. Even though the constantly struggled with financial problems, there was always more than enough. Everyday, one or more friends were invited to play and dine with them.
None of the brood had ever known boredom, for their adopted sister was clever and inventive, forever dreaming up new ways to have fun. She seemed to have a wisdom and intelligence beyond her years, enough to be accepted into numerous academies her parents could never afford. Scholarship offers and the opportunity to study abroad encouraged her to leave her hometown at the tender age of eight.
An affluent family accepted her as their own, teaching her proper manners, sending her to the finest schools. Her talents in the martial arts, sword fighting, and communication quickly became legendary. Despite all of this and the benefits her new life offered, she soon discovered that she was terribly lonely and sincerely missed the only family she had ever known.
In the fall of her twelfth year, a letter reached their door, asking for participants in a youth exchange program. The girl jumped at the chance to escape from her dull existence, if only for a little more than a year. By the time the leaves had begun to turn the next autumn, she had left her home and country to start her expedition.

Description
Thirteen years ago, the sky all around the Earth lit up with the glow emanating from a strange speck of bright whit light. In Japan, an infant woke in the middle of the night and looked out his window. Six thousand miles away, a tiny crater became the only evidence of the unusual events of that fateful day.
As the years passed, grass grew over the scar in the ground. Only a small patch of scorched rock remained as its witness. Animals avoided it at all costs, often detouring for miles from their normal migration patterns. Even birds refused to fly above it.
In the modest town nearby, the appearance of an orphaned newborn girl coincided with the date of the crash. She was adopted by a young couple who already had five children of their own. Even though the constantly struggled with financial problems, there was always more than enough. Everyday, one or more friends were invited to play and dine with them.
None of the brood had ever known boredom, for their adopted sister was clever and inventive, forever dreaming up new ways to have fun. She seemed to have a wisdom and intelligence beyond her years, enough to be accepted into numerous academies her parents could never afford. Scholarship offers and the opportunity to study abroad encouraged her to leave her hometown at the tender age of eight.
An affluent family accepted her as their own, teaching her proper manners, sending her to the finest schools. Her talents in the martial arts, sword fighting, and communication quickly became legendary. Despite all of this and the benefits her new life offered, she soon discovered that she was terribly lonely and sincerely missed the only family she had ever known.
In the fall of her twelfth year, a letter reached their door, asking for participants in a youth exchange program. The girl jumped at the chance to escape from her dull existence, if only for a little more than a year. By the time the leaves had begun to turn the next autumn, she had left her home and country to start her expedition.