Journey was born in Boston in 1904. She was from a long line of musicians and took to the stage with her parents at a young age. She joined the violin section at the New England Conservatory of Music.
Journey showed great talent and could play in any style. After completing her studies and graduating with honors, she opted for a career teaching at the conservatory that trained her. There she became the president of the alumni association, with the important role of granting awards and scholarships and organizing events. It was at one of these gatherings that she would meet Zitkála-Šá, an honorary alumni, whose career fascinated her. The interest revealed itself to be mutual, and a strange friendship formed between the two women. Convinced of Atkins's talent, Zitkála-Šá invited journey to create her own interpretation of her Sun Dance opera. They collaborated on the project for four years until Zitkála-Šá's "death" in 1938, a particularly painful loss for her friend. journey was devastated, with nothing left to live for.
Zitkála-Šá had been dead for several months when one night, Journey thought she dreamed that she had seen Zitkála-Šá at her bedside. In this feverish hallucination, her mentor asked her to finish her project and perform it on stage to bring hope to her family again. Journey accepted, and before going their separate ways, her late friend took her in her arms. Atkins felt faint. She had just been Embraced. Though her first encounter with the Beast was terrifying, her fears and anxieties were washed away by her joy of being reunited with Zitkála-Šá.
Journey embraced the night the way she embraced her music, with passion. A Toreador through and through, her talent for throwing parties brought some light back to a Boston that had been so gloomy during the reign of Prince Quentin King. Her soirees were praised for their unparalleled creativity. Her guests also came for the thrill they provided, as Journey would sway from total discretion to absolute risk regarding the Masquerade.
Journey met Emem at the Court of Prince Quentin King. Enchanted by the talented dancer's sunny personality, Journey grew very close with the Rose. She did so under the critical and excessively jealous eye of Hilda, whose possessiveness was a great source of amusement to Journey. Bound to Emem heart and soul, she supported her every endeavor, from her separation with her sire to the creation of her clubs.
Whereas Quentin King's Malkavians knew how to appreciate her daredevilish side, this was no longer the case after Hazel Iversen and the Blue Bloods came to power. Faced with the austerity with which they responded to the fall of London, Journey never ceased to look for new ways to bring a little playfulness and frivolity back into the unlife.