• Meaning of Name : “Hayashi” means “Forest”
• Ajan Treasure : The Goldenwood Talisman
• Quote : “I wish I could be an astronaut and fly; just fly away to space, just to see what’s there.”
• Age : 14
• Birthday : April 22nd
• Eyes : Brown
• Hair : Brown
• Height : 5’1”
• Family : Father, Mother
• Personality : Shy, Intelligent, Contemplative, Logical
• Home : North Shore
• Hobbies : Reading, computer programming, astronomy, hiking
• Best Friend : Jessica Hoshi
• Favorite Food : Oranges
• Favorite Color : Gold
• Favorite Place to Visit : Lakeshore Municipal Library, North Shore Gardens
• Favorite Music : Chopin, Mozart
• Favorite School Subject : Geology
• Favorite Flower : Bluebell
• Favorite Ice Cream Flavor : Lime Sherbet
• Favorite Pizza Topping : Green Peppers
• Least Favorite Food : Carrots
• Least Favorite School Subject : None
• Least Favorite Thing : Meeting new people
• Year in School : Freshman
• Band Instrument : Glockenspiel (Percussion)
• Band Rank : None
• Other Musical Instruments : Piano, Marimba, Xylophone, Vibrophone, Electronic Keyboard, Digital Sequencer
• Greatest Wishes : To become an astronaut, to sail every ocean in the world, to learn to fly a glider

Talitha Hayashi is an extraordinarily intelligent but also extremely shy girl who is in Jessica’s class at Tree Shores High School. She has a nervous habit of adjusting her glasses constantly, even though they are not loose.

Until she meets Jessica, Talitha is shy to the point of social paralysis, and is often virtually incapable of conversation. She is easily embarassed and usually hides her face behind her hair instead of speaking.

Talitha the Musician

Talitha joins the Tree Shores High School Marching Band on the insistence of her mother, who is also responsible for Talitha’s years of piano lessons. Because of her knowledge of piano, Talitha is recruited by the drummers to play glockenspiel, and later learns to play marimba as well. She is also recruited to be the first-year assistant music librarian. Talitha is very nervous about field performances with the band, but Jessica’s enthusiasm helps encourage her.

She carries at least one, and frequently more than one book with her at all times. Talitha prefers to read, especially at lunch or at times when she is likely to meet other people, mainly to avoid meeting other people. Talitha’s favorite stories are those of astronauts and explorers: anyone likely to have traveled great distances in search of adventure.

Talitha the Scholar

Talitha’s reading comprehension is incredible, and she absorbs detail effortlessly. When tested for her IQ in elementary school, she achieved a perfect score, which baffled the proctors, since there was no official way to measure such a score.

Talitha is often frustrated by the lack of challenge in even the advanced classes available to her in high school, and would very much like to begin attending college classes as soon as she can. She was given a computer by her parents to help her with her high school classes. In a matter of days, Talitha had completely reprogrammed the machine with a variety of utilities for calculus, geometry, astronomical charts, geological maps and an entire botanical reference library to catalog her collection of leaves and flowers from her many hiking trips.

When she is feeling sad, Talitha usually tries to imagine being far away. As a result, she has always been fascinated by travel and transportation, especially sailing ships and gliders. In addition to her powerful astronomical telescope, one of Talitha’s favorite possessions is a model of a 17th century sailing ship she got from the Tree Shores Sports and Crafts fair. She thinks the sea and the sky are quiet places where there are no people who can make her feel shy, embarrassed or depressed.

Talitha lives with her mother and father on the north shore of Tree Shores Lake, known by most of the kids at the high school as the “rich” neighborhood.