Lina was born in the Ukraine to a poor family that could not afford to have a child but kept her anyway. Her mother worked on the streets, and her father worked in a factory until he was fired because the product that the factory made became obsolete. He took to drinking. Then, he took to hitting his wife and daughter. The rest of the village faired no better. With the closing of the factory came hunger and poor health, and the constant change in leadership left many without resources or any way out. Lina played in the streets and attended a small school with four other students, then came home and cared for her parents, who were ill. Her father was often angry, and her mother was often out working or home, tired and indifferent. Lina did not have a happy childhood, to say the least.

When she was twelve, after a particularly rough beating, Lina suddenly felt a clarity unlike anything she had ever felt before. She understood and felt the anger, frustration, shame, and fear of her father, who would soon be drafted into the army. When her mother came home, Lina understood her too, the lies, high, and shame. She realized that she understood many more things about old artifacts in their home and the people she passed on the street. Her mind moved at a hundred miles a minute, and she was confused and jumpy. Several days later, her mother left with a lover. Then, Lina found, at a passing market, a gem, that turned out to be quartz, that she was drawn to at one of the vendors. It helped her clear her mind form the waves of clarity about everything she saw. she began to collect little raw gems whenever those types of vendors passed through with the little money she could earn cleaning the homes of rich families.

She was neglected and abused by her father, and after many years was taken by an American couple when she was fifteen to live in the United States, where she perfected the little English she had learned in Ukraine and integrated herself into society after years of violence. The couple became her foster parents, and she loved them, despite never forgetting where she came from. They realized she was hard of hearing and cared for her medical needs, and her foster mother, who would be generally considered a hippie, taught her about crystals and let her work in their flower shop. She read, and learned, and grew, and became stronger. Before her eighteenth birthday, the couple got into a car accident that killed them, and Lina was sent, per order of her American mother, to live in Ashwood with a relative of her foster mother. After realizing the girl's abilities, the relative sent her to the home for other girls like her, girls with special abilities. Lina has grown, though her body is not as strong as is should be, her inner strength makes up for it, and though she has changed, she will never forget her origin and the pain that finally brought her to a decent place.