Jesmynda and her little brother were adopted at a very young age. Originally from India, their family had died in a riot, leaving the two to the care of the government. When a middle aged American family came along, wanting to adopt, they instantly fell for them. Very rarely are both brother and sister taken, so it was finalized quickly, and the two were shipped off to America.
The parents however, insisted that they grow up as they would have in india, following all the customs, religion, and learning their language properly. The parents both being college professors at an obscure California College, they had the means to do so.
And that's where they are now, years later, as Jesmynda approaches womanhood, and the brother approaching his teen years.
((More to be added as i figure it out =P ))