Norah and Robert Madison had struggles conceiving. They had tried multiple times naturally and were in their third try of IVF treatments when they finally found out Norah was pregnant. Originally twins, it seemed as if one of the babies absorbed the other. Eventually, Everleigh was born.
She grew up in a normal household. She was an only child and her parents were both high-level executives in electronic manufacturing businesses. When she was 15, she manifested. Her ability was not something she fully understood right away, she simply though she had a natural ability to calm people. It wasn't until she saw the opposite reaction, the agitation, that she realized she even had an ability. When her parents realized something was different about her, they kept it a very closely guarded secret. Everleigh never told a soul, chosing rarely to even use her ability for fear of being seen as different.
Everleigh was pushed hard by her parents to succeed academically, and when she graduated high school, she had a scholarship to study pre-med out of state in Massachusetts. Once her undergrad was done, she started medical school there as well. Three years into med school, the bomb happened.
While her father had escaped because he was on a business trip, her mother had been working in an office building in the midst of the bomb's radius. Even though things were chaotic, Everleigh moved home and ended up finishing her med school in New York so she could be close to her father and what was still left of her birth city.
She accepted residency in a facility in New York City, and a year in she ended up registering her ability with the Linderman Act. She didn't use her ability much despite being open about things now, mostly preferring her own natural skills. She finished her residency just after her 30th birthday.
She joined a small private practice shortly after her residency, preferring to stay close to her dad in New York as he hadn't taken things well since his wife died. However, the Civil War put a damper on things. As soon as he heard people we being slaughtered, Robert Madison liquidated some of his assets and basically arranged for Everleigh to be spirited away to safety.
Everleigh wasn't really one to sit by and not do anything. Even though her father had paid to get her to safety, she began volunteering her services to those affected by the original bomb, scarred by the war, or even feeling the impact of their Evolved abilities on them psychologically.
She started to travel amongst areas where conflict was minimal, traveling with those already headed somewhere to where she was needed, assisted by those who were appreciative of her giving her services and time for free. She was essentially a psychological field medic—coming in when it was just safe enough to and helping clean up the aftermath. While a lot of the trauma people experienced stayed suppressed, she was at least able to give people the tools to survive the war. Several times she found herself caught in the midst of actual fighting, surrounded by civilians. She took the lead in keeping everyone calm and safe even in the midst of her own fear, something she considers one of her greatest accomplishments. While she stayed physically safe, no one is really spared the psychological effects of war.
Eventually, when the war was over, she returned to New York City. Her own practice was set up and she applied herself as a specialist in war trauma and Evolved issues, as well as someone who was willing to travel and make home or office visits for those with particular challenges.