Jade had no memory of her life before she was six years old. Told only that she'd been given a special gift after the death of her parents, she was brought under the care of a woman named Adriane Alanis, whose surname was given to her after the adoption papers were finalized. For three years, she led a relatively normal life – she went to school, helped around at home, and had a handful of friends. However, her adoptive mother, though generous and kind, always felt distant. She never gave Jade the gentle kisses, the loving hugs, the delicate care the girl would see from the parents of her friends.

Then, without warning, they moved to a remote settlement nestled in the Almaj Mountains, a range of peaks along the southern edge of what used to be the Centra civilization's region. There, a small group of people, almost entirely women, had made their home. A handful of children were present as well, though they were all a few years younger than Jade. None of them wanted to hang out with her, and the adults weren't friendly, either. Jade was decidedly homesick by sunrise the next morning. Yet, her mother said nothing. She spent all her time with the other women, talking, whispering, and talking some more. Jade didn't understand what was being said – she hardly could make out the words most of the time – but Adriane spoke the most, by far. She also didn't like it when the little girl hung around for too long.

Finally, a few days after their arrival, Adriane sat the child down and explained what was happening.

"You must be wondering why we are here, child."

Despite her age, Jade knew her mother was stating the obvious. "Yes! Why? I want to know!" She suddenly snapped her mouth shut, afraid she would be in trouble for being so demanding.

Surprisingly, Adriane wasn't upset. In fact, she made no note of Jade's outburst. "We are special, and the world hates our kind of special."

"Does this have to do with the present you told me I got?"

"Yes, child. You were granted powers by a dying sorceress, just as I was."

Jade yelped in surprise. "I don't want to be a sorceress! They're bad people!"

Her mother shook her head. "No, they're not – we're meant to think they are. People who don't have power are afraid of people who do have power. We have power, and they do not, and their fear turns into anger, anger against us. That is why we have come here, together."

Jade didn't really understand it, and she still was afraid of who she was, or who her mother told her she was. "Why did I get it?"

"We can't choose whether or not we accept these powers, child – we simply must learn how to use them, control them, and show the rest of the world why they're not bad."

"I can make my powers... not bad?" She had trouble absorbing this, though it gave her hope.

"Yes, and we will show you how. Here, where it's safe."

Safe. That was a word Jade liked. She missed her home, her friends, the playground a few blocks away from where they had lived. But she didn't want to be afraid of herself, and this was the first time her foster mother had spoken so kindly to her.

"Do I have to go to school?"

"Of course. It will be a different kind of school, because we will teach you what to do about your gift."

"Will it be fun?"

Adriane smiled, but Jade didn't like it very much. It gave her a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. "I'm sure it will be, child. I'm sure it will be."

And it was, in some ways. Under Adriane's guidance, Jade spent the next eight years sharpening her newfound abilities. In the process, she slowly forgot about her wishes for improving the relationship between sorceresses and the rest of humanity.