Anna-Marie was born when lightning struck a book of nursery rhymes that had been left out for the disposal. From its worn cover, faded pages, stringy ribbon and scratched corners, it began its life anew as a little baby girl. An assistant at the library was certainly surprised when she discovered her that evening.

Luck found her swiftly as a family of two were interested in adopting her from the Chan Welfare Society, and from then she lived a life of love and learning. Anna's mother, an illustrator for children's picture books, was especially enamored with her origins, and often read to her many a bedtime story and fable. What she didn't know was that any book or page that held a nursery rhyme in its print would soon be turned to dust- a peculiarity of the Chan race. From this discovery, her mother began to memorize Anna's favorite rhymes, and so Anna learned to memorize them too.

Anna's father, a prop designer for a children's variety televion show, brought Anna along to his workplace when she was about 5 years old. She got to see in-person some of the set pieces, costumes, and people who worked on the production she was most familiar with as being only on the screen. Every time she got the opportunity to go to her father's work, she was always ecstatic, and loved to learn the going-ons behind the scenes.

One faithful day, Anna got her big break when the show was inviting children in the area to try-out for a role as an extra. She impressed those judging with her ability to recall a variety of nursery rhymes, and her charm and confidence (from being so familiar with the territory, of course) left a good impression. It took some time after that happening before her dad got the call back.

Starting as an audience member, Anna went her way through being a background character, a proper extra, to seeing herself spending more and more time in front of the camera. People who watched the show adored seeing such a friendly Chan on TV, and her unique appearance helped her stand out. At the age of 9, Anna recieved a proper role on the show, and became a staple with her own segment. She believes that it was thanks to her father's love and care for her that she was able to get so far- she was hardly frustrated, and he was always around to give her his support.

One problem with becoming an up-and-coming child star was that the people around her outside of this dreamy workplace began to treat her much too differently for her comfort. Strangers were rather chatty and sometimes much too pushy, she was given way too many a favor, and her peers at school either alienated themselves from her (subconsciously or otherwise), or began flocking towards her, all the while creating an air of elitism. This upset Anna so much, she asked her mother to study at home, and while her mother insisted she be with people her age, eventually allowed her. Aside from the very few friends who didn't start seeing gold in her presence, Anna often only had her parents and co-workers to speak with.

That all became a memory to be left in the past when a letter arrived requesting Anna spend a day with the sender's daughter. This mystery person was willing to pay well for her appearance, and described his daughter as also being a Chan, who was a fan of the show Anna starred in. This Chan was a lonely girl, of Anna's age, and the sender believed it would be dandy if she could be introduced to another girl her age of such fine stature. The request was initially ignored, before it was discovered the mystery person had been a benefactor of the show, was real, and so was the Chan mentioned in the letter, who was his daughter.

Anna's father was incredibly nervous, not because of any possible bad intention, but because of the matter that someone so wealthy and in a high position wanted him over at his personal home. Anna didn't know what to expect, and they were introduced to the mystery man at the door of the home. A caretaker brought Anna to the Chan she was meant to meet, and she was astonished to find a cuckoo-clock Chan before her. The other Chan (having introduced herself as Maria), couldn't keep eye contact and spoke very little, but even then, Anna was all-too fascinated to see such a unique Chan.

As they talked with one another, Anna learned that Maria was homeschooled, due to the ticking in her head and the calling of the cuckoo in her chest, which had disturbed her classes frequently. Maria was often left alone at home, sometimes with her grandpa, who maintained the luster of her wooden surfaces. She wasn't allowed to go out often, and never alone, due to how costly the object of her birth had been. Maria was more a trophy to her parents than a real person, and she believed their meeting was only at the fancy of their quirky nature.

Anna was shocked. Never had she known someone who lived such a life as this. She told Maria how she, too, was homeschooled, because the people around her had begun to treat her differently. While never really alone, she had few her peer, and felt sad she couldn't go to school anymore. Going out alone wasn't something she'd ever thought of, but Anna had been warned of people who would want to take advantage of her. Anna hoped these things they shared would inspire Maria to open up, and gradually, she did.

So began, from that slightly-forced-upon meeting, a budding friendship. Anna saw the interest Maria showed when she would speak on her experience as an actress, on the rhymes she memorized, on the things she personally liked. Maria in turn told Anna about the things she liked, such as the birdsong she heard from her window, the children's program they both shared, and when she could wear a dress that didn't snag on the clock on her chest. It made Anna happiest when she could see Maria come out of her shell and be herself.

That's where her life's gone up to so far. Born from the remnants of a once-beautiful book, Anna has led a life of love, and in turn, has begun to share her love of life to one yet to see all it has to offer. In her dreams, she hopes to make a positive impact to all she can in the world. For now, she'll try doing that on the television screen and with her new friend.