Following the disappearance of Alex's father, John Chen, later revealed to be that he died, and the death of her mother, Wendy Chen, due to an unknown illness, and her older brother, Gabe Chen, having bailed on her, Alex grows up in the Oregon foster care system. Due to her tragedies, she develops a unique power of empathy that allows her to see a person's emotional aura. Should Alex get too close or really focus, she feels what emotion the person is feeling, also gaining the ability to read the person's thoughts.