Serina's POV

6 years old – 1st Holo-diary entry

Aunty Freda told me how I came to the orphanage today. She said I was old enough to know how I got here. She told me that she found me on the steps of the orphanage as a baby, laying in a basket with a single note that had my name on it. She said she took me inside and tried to get me to stop crying. I was a very unhappy baby. I wonder why my family left me there. Did my mummy and daddy not want me? Maybe they want to keep me here so that I can be friends with everyone, and then when I am all grown up, they will come back and take me home! I hope they come find me soon, I want to know how pretty my mummy is, and how strong my daddy is. I will wait for them until they come to get me! Even if it takes a while.

9 years old

The older boys from the orphanage are making fun of me again. I went out to play with the other kids when they cornered me and called me names. They called me ugly and a loser, and that my family left me here because they didn't love me. They do this every day. I try to get them to leave me alone, but nothing works. Why do they have to make fun of me? I know I'm not like the other kids here, but they don't have to be mean to me about it. I keep asking Aunty Freda why the kids keep teasing me, but she just keeps saying that I'm "special", and that they are just jealous of me. But I know that isn't it. I don't think I'll never know why they treat me like this.

12 years old

The bullies went too far this time. They cornered me again, called me names as usual. But then… One of the guys hit me. He scratched me on my cheek with his huge claws. It hurt so much, that I started crying. They laughed at me and called me a crybaby and a wimp. Luckily Aunty Freda caught them and sent them to their rooms. She helped me back inside and put a big band aid on my scratch. She reassured me that everything was going to be okay and that the bullies wouldn't bother me anymore. I hope she is right, because I don't know how much more I can take. I've been dealing with those bullies for most of my life, and I don't want to go through that again. There is still a part of me that is hoping that my family will come to take me away from here, but I'm not sure they will ever come back.

Aunty Freda's POV

(This entry was written the day after Serina was injured)

I am worried about Serina. She has been teased by those bullies for so long, I'm surprised she has been strong enough to withstand their horrible remarks and nasty attitudes. I can't believe those boys harmed her, she did nothing wrong, so why do it? I talked to the boys about their actions, but none of them would tell me why they did it. I would kick them out of the orphanage, but that would be wrong of me. I have to take care of all the children here, even if they are bullies. I wish there was more I could do for poor little Serina, but I'm not as sharp as I used to be, I am 76 years old after all. She has always been frail and weaker than the other children, she would get sick a lot because of her weak immune system, and would be unable to complete simple tasks like carry a small pile of books due to her fragile body. I have taken her to the doctors several times to see if there was something that could be done, but they would always say the same thing. She was obviously born this way, and that I should just accept the fact that she is weaker than everyone else, because no medicine is going to help. To be honest, I am not sure what species Serina is. I have looked through several books, but none have anything about her race or where they could be if they disappeared. She has no unique features, no pointy ears or markings, no scales or fur, she is just… her. I don't know what I can do for the girl if I don't even know what she is or where she came from. I just hope she is strong enough to survive everything life throws at her.

Serina's POV

15 years old

I couldn't sleep again. This has happened for the past 2 nights, and I'm struggling. The weather has been really terrible here on Veldin, there have been huge thunder storms recently, which is rare, since it is a desert planet. It turns out that I'm scared of thunder and lightning, and ever since the storms have started, I've been unable to sleep at night. I tried hiding under my blankets, but it didn't work. Aunt Freda says I might be scared of storms because there was one when she found me at the orphanage, but I'm not really convinced. I've tried everything from drinking warm milk to counting sheep, but to no avail. It's 2:00 am right now, and the storm hasn't died down. I think I'm going to be up all night again. I don't know if I can do this anymore. My body is already weak enough as it is, and lack of sleep is not going to help. Not to mention I tried to run away from the orphanage this morning. I didn't get very far, due to my frailness, the scorching heat was too much for me and I fainted. I had woken up in my bed with Aunt Freda fussing over me, saying that running away wasn't going to help me and that I should know better. She was right, she always is. There was no way I would have made it on my own, not in my condition. I guess I was just so desperate to leave, to find my family that I thought I would be okay by myself. The scratch on my face has faded, but there is a scar there now. But… it isn't the only one. I have one on the back of my neck from where one of the bullies had tried to grab me by the throat. I didn't tell Aunt Freda about it, she would have had a fit if she found out. I didn't want her to worry about me, so I kept it a secret. Luckily, my hair is long enough to hide the scratch. I don't like keeping things from her, but I don't want her to know about it, she would be better off not knowing. I can't believe I used to think that my parents would come for me one day. It's been 15 years, and they haven't come. I've given up, they are not coming back. I was an idiot to believe they would. I don't think I'll ever be able to experience love, not now, not ever.

18 years old

(This is Serina's last Holo-diary before she meets Ratchet for the first time)

Today's the day of the Galactic Ranger tryouts. I'm not going. I've always wanted to meet them in person, but I don't see a point in going. First off, Aunt Freda wouldn't allow it, not after my attempt at running away from the orphanage when I was 15. She's been watching me like a hawk since then, and whenever I went out for a little walk, she would always accompany me. I know she is just trying to help, but it can get really annoying sometimes. Secondly, even If I did go, I would probably faint from the heat, since my body is so fragile, and I wouldn't want Aunt Freda to have another heart attack, so I think it's best if I stay here. Recently she's been trying to get me to make some friends, but I think she's going a bit overboard. Whenever the mailman would come here, she would get me to talk to him while she looked through her mail. He was nice, but I doubt we would be friends. She just doesn't want me to be lonely, but I don't mind being alone. I mean, apart from the kids at the orphanage, I've never had a friend, so being by myself isn't really a new thing to me. But, I've always wondered what it would be like to have someone to talk to, to share my interests with, and to laugh with. But I know that will never happen. Because I'm different from everyone else, I don't fit in. I don't think I ever will…

"Serina! Could you come down here please? There is someone I want you to meet!"

Aunt Freda is calling me, looks like I will have to end it here. She probably wants me to talk to some delivery guy or something. Hopefully this turns out well.

End recording.