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Orphaned

Amanda lost her brother, mother, and father all to mysterious disappearances making her, in effect, an orphan. When she was twelve, her mother and father went on a trip to Europe for their second honeymoon. They were going to be gone for 2 weeks. Amanda was very excited for them and they called every day to let her know all of the exciting places they had visited. On their 6th day, the Ranchilds called to tell their children that they were in Wiltshire and were planing on visiting Stonehenge with their tour group. That was the last time Amanda heard from them.

After several days without hearing from them, Amanda's older brother, Steve, began making inquiries to find out what happened. Unfortunately by the time they were able to convince authorities that there was a problem, it was too late. The tour guide didn't remember them and they couldn't get a hold of the other members of the group which had dispersed immediately after they went to Stonehenge. All of their clothes and belongings were still in their hotel room but other than that there were no signs. After weeks of dead ends, it seemed that no one would be able to find out what happened to the Ranchilds.

Steve who was 18, took over the responsibility of raising his younger sister. Since Greengale is such a close community, the other families looked out for Steve and Amanda as well. It was because of this that Steve was still able to go to college even though he had to work. Steven never complained about his new parental role, but it was clear it put a strain on him. So it wasn't surprising that after his third year of college, he decided to spend some time alone during the summer. Amanda was 15 and able to stay by herself for the month Steve planned to be gone. The Conner Family also agreed to keep a close eye on her.

Amanda was apprehensive about her brother leaving, they even fought about it just before he left. She was still shaken from her parent's disappearance. Steve was determined to take the trip though. Though he wasn't on the best of terms with Amanda when he left, he knew she would be fine and that they could patch things up when he returned. Unfortunately, he never did.

Because Amanda only spoke with Steve once or twice a week while he was gone, she had no idea where he was. He had gone on a solo road trip across country and she didn't even know what state he was in. Because there was no reason to suspect foul play, the police concluded that Steve could have run off. His grades in school had slipped and it was clear that taking care of Amanda by himself was taking its toll on him. Though Amanda sometimes wondered if their theory was correct, deep down she still believed that her brother would never leave her like that.

After this second mysterious disappearance, Amanda began to wonder if there was some bigger conspiracy at play. First her mother and father, then her brother, all of them disappearing without a trace. It couldn't be a coincidence, but she had no idea what could have caused it. She often thought that she might be the next to disappear.

Though her brother was gone, Amanda was not alone. Her father had a younger sister. She and her husband moved to Greengale to take care of Amanda in her family home. Amanda's aunt and uncle were kind people and never complained about uprooting their lives to come to Greengale. They treated Amanda like their own daughter. Though she had lost her whole family, Amanda managed to stay afloat and not drown in her own grief. This may have been one of the reasons she finally decided to join the Action and Adventure club.

The Rainbow Legacy

Amanda's suspicions were correct; her family's disappearance was not coincidental, it was providential. The Ranchilds were part of an ancient legacy that started with a family chosen on Mendala to be the guardians of an important treasure, [Ranbow Mountain]. Amanda's parents and brother had been brought to Mendala via a dimensional door inside the mountain, which was designed by Epsilon to bring descendants of the original [Rainbow Dancer]s from Earth to Mendala. The dimensional door had special properties that allowed it to link to different points in time on Earth as more rainbow dancers were needed.

When Amanda was brought to Mendala by the quickening incident, she came through the Rainbow Mountain dimensional door almost a year in the past. It was unclear whether or not the door had summoned her or whether it was Henry's quickening mistake that had shot her in the past like so many of her other friends.

Regardless, Amanda was thrilled to be reunited with her family and learn the secrets of her family, the caretakers of the mysterious creatures of Rainbow Mountain. She quickly assumed her role as a rainbow dancer, learning the skills and powers that had been passed down for generations. Amanda lived happily with them for a year, not troubling to worry about Davron or the Book of War while she lived in the floating fortress. She made no effort to find her friends and would have gladly stayed in Rainbow Mountain with her family forever, but this was not to be the case.

Orphaned Again

Amanda's happiness was not long lived. Her past had come back to haunt her. As Davron's army spread across the world, ensuring his tyrannical rule, Rainbow Mountain was not left untouched. The normally impenetrable fortress was quickly attacked. Amanda was forced to hide and watch as the creatures of the mountain were captured, her parents taken hostage and her brother killed by the ruthless mandant Calendon.

Shortly after the attack, Amanda's friends arrived to retrieve her from the mountain. Though she was shaken by the ordeal, Amanda vowed to get her parents back and seek vengeance against the murderous Calendon. A year at the mountain learning the rainbow dancing skills made her a powerful asset. Not only was she skilled with several weapons, she could also use her rainbow dancing skills to blend into her surroundings, making her practically invisible.

Since watching her parents be captured, Amanda has been emboldened. Now she never runs from danger. In fact she joins her close friend Melvin Conner when he decides to strike out on his own to help Fantasma in his evacuation plans. It is this newfound courage and daring that helps her eventually rescue her parents and the creatures of Rainbow Mountain. However even in this triumph, Amanda still carries the burden of her brothers death. It seems only revenge will satisfy her now.