In 1610 a new disease plagued the soil. Originating in South Africa, it was quickly spreading. Scientists scrambled to try to understand the cause of the blight that was ravishing the area. Young plants were stronger and larger than before, but turned yellow and died before they could have any yield. Affected towns were in chaos, desperate to save the food stores from looters.

Amidst all the fear and panic was one small girl, curiously playing with a doomed plant sprout. Nobody was paying attention to her peeling the tightly curled outer leaves. The sap burned the little cuts on her fingers, but not enough to stop her from digging her nails into the plant and peeling back another layer.

“Sienna”

The girl turned around, hearing her name but nobody was there.

“Sienna”

Staring at the clawed up plant, astonished, the voice was from the ground underneath her.