Willow grew up in a small town in Spagonia, living with her parents. She had no siblings and not many friends, though the ones she did have were ones that she trusted with everything. She started school at five, yadda yadda, and got good grades. When she was twelve and almost done with school a new girl moved to her town; a ferret named Peridot. They did not get along at all, with Peridot often teasing Willow about small things that didn't really matter at the moment but built up. This stressed and upset Willow a lot, and combined with headaches caused by over exposure to light she got more and more high-strung, until one time when Willow was walking home Peridot followed, making remarks about this and this, until Willow -not knowing she was an umbrakinetic and her powers awakening at that moment- lashed out instinctively at Peridot, with a little black shard landing at her feet. Peridot ran off, startled, and Willow did the same, not having any idea what she had done.
Later Peridot discovered that she herself was a photokinetic, and from that point anytime they were around their opposing abilities rubbed eachother off. Willow just tried to avoid Peridot but she wanted Willow as far gone as possible. She began spreading rumors around the town about her, reaching its peak when she was fourteen and a half, when after she was startled she accidentally hurt someone with her powers. Driven by fear the people in the drove Willow out.
After that Willow was understandably upset and depressed, wandering around, hating herself and her powers and letting grief consume her. She did odd jobs and such to get food and other things for about eight months, always afraid to go back home.