Raised by a single mother, Harissa's abilities started to manifest themselves shortly after her 17th birthday. Her mother, who is not a doppelganger, revealed Harissa was the result of a one-night stand with a charming actor from a traveling theatre company (Calico). Harissa ran away from home, sought him out and joined the troupe. She was desperate for a sense of belonging in a world that shuns the shapeshifting sort.