Casey Andrew has always been just an ordinary girl. Kind of. She was born in Maine, but her family had to flee her home state, because of the war. They fled to the West, to California. And even though the war is almost over she still can't go home. But Casey has never been that "beach girl". She's what you would call a geek, or nerd. She reads almost all of the time, and has a lot of questions about the universe. But when Casey's mom dies from an accident at work, she is devastated. But was it really an accident? Casey never knew much about her moms side of the family. All she knew was that they traveled a lot. And that when they did go some place they would give her some unusual trinket from the places they've went. Her favorite was a little choke necklace that they got for her. It was blue with little cactus seeds on it. But it also had a sort of vintage key on it too. Casey didn't know what it was about the necklace but she was just drawn to it. But it was what her mom had said to her before she died, that made her wonder. But now Casey's mom's past is coming back. And it's coming for Casey.