With no living relatives, Rosette and Joshua spent the majority of their childhood living at Seventh Bell Orphanage in Michigan. There, they lived with other orphans under the care of Mrs. Gene. Rosette was quite popular among the children, boys shying away from her no-nonsense attitude and the other girls looking up to her for inspiration. Joshua spent most of his time indoors because of his illness and as a result, didn't really form as close a bond with the other kids. In fact, the other kids found themselves a bit nervous around Joshua because of his healing powers.
During their stay at the orphanage, Joshua was visited often by Ewan Remington who was very interested in Joshua's special abilities. It was Minister Remington's intention to bring Joshua under the care of the Magdalan Order so that he may be protected from those who wanted to use him and his abilities for evil purposes. Rosette saw Remington as a threat; not wanting to be separated from her beloved brother, she would often take Joshua away from the orphanage on the days that Remington was to visit.
On one such day, Rosette and Joshua ran off to a small clearing in a nearby forest. Amidst laughter and teasing, the two of them stumbled over a hole covered by grass and fell into a sewer. Looking for a way out, Rosette and Joshua came across a large door which only opened after Joshua touched it, breaking the seal that kept it locked. Curiosity getting the better of them, they entered the room beyond and discovered a coffin being guarded by a demon who introduced himself as Chrno. Before he can tell them to leave, he collapses and Rosette, misunderstanding his lack of power for an empty stomach, offers him some cookies and candies she had been carrying with him. Joshua then proceeded to fawn over Chrno, so amazed that "demons" really existed. This shocked Chrno, who had expected the two children to be afraid of him.
Soon, it became a regular thing for Rosette and Joshua to leave the orphanage and visit Chrno. The siblings would bring snacks for Chrno and Chrno would tell them stories about things they had never heard of. A close bond grew between the three of them until one day when Joshua decides, on his own, to go along with Remington and join the Magdalan Order. Rosette, devastated, goes to tell Chrno of Joshua's decision. As she tells Chrno, Joshua reveals to Remington that he wants to get stronger so that Rosette doesn't have to worry so much about him. However... things didn't go according to plan.
Aion, an old "friend" of Chrno's, revealed himself to both Chrno and Rosette. He asked Chrno to join him once again... if he did, his horns would be returned to him. Chrno promptly refused and Aion, already expecting such, tells Chrno that he already found someone who was interested in the horns... Chrno and Rosette rush back to the orphanage as fast as possible.
Joshua, in the meantime, was suffering from having Chrno's horns attached to his head. Bleeding and in severe pain, Joshua's screams attracted Mrs. Gene and the other orphans to his room... As he answered the door, Joshua began to hear the thoughts of the other children who were afraid for their lives and afraid of Joshua himself. Joshua, unable to control his disappointment and newfound power, began to turn everyone and everything around him to stone. Rosette, arriving just as the entire orphanage is frozen in time, tried to reason with Joshua but to no avail. Joshua does regain his sanity for a moment, realising he's done a terrible thing... but he cannot cope with it mentally and his power becomes unstable.
Chrno, knowing what was about to happen, whisks Rosette away using all of his strength. He tells Rosette that he is sorry; without his horns or a contract, he is helpless to stop Aion and save Joshua. Rosette realises that Chrno is suffering too and asks him what a contract is. Chrno explains that a contract is made between a demon and a human, allowing the demon to regain his power by shortening the human's lifespan. Chrno warns Rosette that if she made a contract with him, her life would be short and full of suffering but Rosette, remembering the fun times and how much she wanted to protect Joshua, she tells him that she will make a contract to help him so that one day, the three of them will be able to be together again.
Shortly after this incident, Minister Remington showed up and took both Rosette and Chrno to the New York branch of the Magdalan Order, becoming their guardian and offering Rosette advice and help in becoming stronger and in finding Joshua's whereabouts.