Before Calamity: Kathy was home with her two brothers and parents when robbers broke into their house. The robbers stole what they wanted and shot their parents, killing them. After that point Nathan, being the oldest, cared for his two younger siblings Kathy and Jon.
Jon was barely 18 when Epics started appearing. Life in Portland became crazy as at least one new epic appeared every day to try to gain control from the local government. Nathan and Jon thought it was too crazy in Portland and left for the safety of Newcago. Kathy stayed. Portland may be having Epic problems, but it was her home.
Finally, the government gave up and Epics gained power in Portland. After that, things stabilized and the Epics all got their own territories.
One day, Kathy was in her apartment, when robbers broke in. She ran for her dresser to get her gun when they shot her. Kathy closed her eyes, but nothing happened. When Kathy opened her eyes, she saw that the robbers were as confused as she was. Looking down she saw that the metal bullet had melted before hitting her. The robbers fired again and this time Kathy saw the bullet melt as it got close. Figuring out that she was an Epic, Kathy raised her hand hoping she had an offensive power. Flame shot from her hand and burned one of the robbers. The other robbers ran away, terrified. Kathy looked at the dead body that was still on fire. "What am I going to do with this?" she thought. Quickly, she picked up the body and threw it out the window of her apartment (that was three stories up). Kathy was scared. If anyone found out that she was Epic they would kick her out maybe even try to kill her. She had heard what her friends thought of Epics not accepting their rule, but not opposing it either. Kathy decided not to use her powers unless she absolutely had to, and designed a costume to conceal her identity in case she had to use her powers.