Charley’s mother was a single mom. Maggie had three children to three different men, one child (the first) was a miscarriage. She never intended to get pregnant, all three times, it just kind of happened. She wasn’t a first rate mother, either. Maggie was Bipolar, and rarely (if ever) took her medication. She was neglectful of her children, and Patrick (Charley’s older brother) ended up having to take care of his little sister most of the time.

Growing up, Charley always looked up to her older brother, Patrick, who often took care of her, made sure she had a lunch, and got to school, etc. Charley was very friendly and very outgoing. She was average in academic subjects, but excelled in arts, especially acting. She starred in one of her high school musicals, which her mother "forgot" to come to see. Patrick came, and brought Charley a big bouquette of yellow roses.

But Charley wasn't all innocent. When she got to middle school, Charley discovered make up and boys. She loved the attention she got for her feminine curves (once she’d matured) and by the time she was fourteen, she’d lost her virginity. By the time she was seventeen, Charley had developed a taste for the forbidden. She slept with her high school economics teacher, later getting him fired when a friend’s mother found out and reported the incident after Charley was bragging.

Patrick attended medical school, having to rely almost entirely on his good grades for financial support. He was able to get support from a local hospital to obtain his doctorate, and is just now finishing off paying his debt. Shortly after Charley graduated from High School, Patrick got a job offer at St. John's, in New Haven, CT. Charley was devistated, and threatened to kill herself if Patrick left her behind with her mother. Eventually, however, he managed to placate her, and agreed to help put his little sister through college while he was away.

Charley went to a local college where she got her associate’s degree in cosmetology, which she never developed further. Instead she tried to pursue acting. While in college, Charley slept with several professors, as well as her doctor (who later refused to continue being her doctor), and even attempted to seduce a lapsed Catholic priest (she was only moderately successful).

Charley lived in her own little flat for a long time, not wanting to stay with Maggie. She brought home lots of boys and had a good time. However, Charley had also been going through “dark” times. When she got upset, which was often, she would become desperate and suicidal. She often called her brother in the middle of the night, telling him how she wanted to kill herself. Patrick would stay on the phone with her as long as necessary, but it was beginning to take a toll on his work, so he invited Charley to come live with him in New Haven. Charley jumped at the opportunity to start over.

In New Haven, Charley got a waitressing job. Within a month, she’d slept with her boss, and was working on one of Patrick's co-workers (which he was not happy about). In between she went through spending binges, talked constantly, and some depressive stages. Her moods were cycling so rapidly she could barely keep up with herself. Patrick had her seeing a therapist, but Charley threw fits each time she was asked to go. Finally, one night while John was working late, Charley took a razor to her wrists. Patrick found her bleeding in the bathtub, and she was rushed to the hospital.

Shortly thereafter, Patrick told her she was being admitted to Cherry Hollow. Charley pitched a fit and attacked him, but then became a whimpering, sniveling girl. He drove her to the institution and she begrudgingly signed herself in.