Jackson David Allen's childhood was less than desirable.
Being the third generation of Jackson's in the distinguished Allen family, his father expected Jackson to follow in the family's business and political career path. But Jackson was not interested.
Growing up in the exclusive community of Mystic Lake, the public's perception was that the Allen's had everything but a mysterious secret haunted the Allen family. At a very young age, unusual paranormal experiences forced Jackson to be an unwilling participant in the in the ongoing mystery, changing not only his relationship with his father, but the trajectory of his own life forever.
Jackson never knew whether he was the only one in his family that had connections with another world. What he did know that his experiences upset his mother and made his father angry.
During those years the Allen's lost four of their children leaving only Jackson and his younger sister, Dana. The family was burdened with so much grief, Jackson simply retreated into himself. 
The United States  Navy and the west coast offered hope and a new life for Jackson.  So, at eighteen, after years of hiding his secret and struggling for his father's approval, he made the difficult decision to leave his mom, his sister, and the financial security of the prestigious Allen empire. He was positive life would be better because anything is better than this.