Viola lives with her father, described by Ellen as "a close family of two". Viola once stumbled into the house in which she met Ellen. They became very close "friends," although Viola was not aware that Ellen was a witch.
On the day that Ellen announced that she was going to die and that she was a witch, Viola accepted to switch bodies for a day without knowing that it was actually to "take her place". Once they switched, Viola was in shock to find that the body was falling apart.