Tabitha Smith was born to two people who didn't love each other very much in Hoboken, New Jersey. They tried to raise their unwanted child, mostly out of spite towards each other, but in the end, Tabitha's mom ran off with a younger man and left the dirty work to her father. Marty Smith had no doubt in his mind that he'd never amount to anything and new perfectly well that he was just a balding, beer-swilling, trailer park living, white trash loser. He also knew, after a few drinks, that it was all Tabitha's fault. Beatings were as regular as screaming matches, insults and neglect, Marty resentful of his daughter and how closely she resembled her mother. When she was 14, looking like her mother was no longer a reason to get a black eye, but an awkward boozy kiss.
And that was it. Tabitha gathered what little she had and left her father's trailer for good and has never been seen there since. To her credit, Tabitha survived on the streets longer that even she expected, avoiding the cops and living in alleyways and abandoned buildings. She had a small group of roughneck friends, could take what she wanted, live how she wanted and the world seemed clearer than ever.
Mutant powers always seem to ruin cherished moments like this. In an argument with a boyfriend and the gang, she grabbed what she thought was an empty beer can and tossed it at him, taking out the floor underneath him and causing second-degree burns to his legs with her first time bomb. No longer welcome and unable to understand her powers, Tabitha did what she did best: leave.
Certain that mutant-types had *something* to do with New York (she saw that Statue of Liberty thing!), she stowed away on the first train she could find, hoping that she could contact some sort of help when she got there... if not find fame and fortune.