— In case you want to send presents or something, I was born on June 28, 2364. Which means that it was 2384 when I was rescued from the Borg and severed from the Collective. I’m not sure what month of day that happened. You’d have to check Captain Riker’s ship log for that. But Richard celebrates the day I was first brought to Earth to have all the tech removed on September 20, 2384. It’s kinda like a new birthday. Although, I prefer to celebrate on my actual birthday. That day has more significance to me than the day I was brought to Earth. I mean, getting the tech removed was and still is a big deal, but my actual birthday reminds me of my parents and the special times that I had with them. — After I met Kel, we talked about a lot of things. She wanted to know about my childhood and what I remembered from it. I told her about the blanket that I’d had as a child, and how special that was to me. She asked a couple questions about it that I didn’t think anything of at at the time. On my first birthday with her, she gave me a present that was wrapped beautifully. When I opened it, inside was a blanket that looked very much like the one I’d had as a child. She said that she hadn’t been able to find one on the market like mine, so she’d had this one custom made for me. It was probably the most special birthday present I’ve ever gotten. That blanket is sacred to me, and I sleep with it every night — just like I did when I was a child. — My memories are kinda jacked up. I have some memories from my own childhood that I’ve managed to piece together in the past five years, but I also have memories that aren’t mine. Memories from other members of the Collective. I know these memories aren’t mine for a variety of reasons. One, I know the people and places in those memories aren’t people and places that I’ve ever met or been to. It’s hard to describe how I know they’re not mine, but I just do. I know that my life was spent on a Starfleet ship, so memories of grass and oceans couldn’t possibly be mine. Also, I was only eight years old when I was made part of the Collective, so intimate memories with other people couldn’t possibly be mine, either. I don’t know who these memories belong to, and I feel bad that I’m looking into their lives and intimate moments, but there’s nothing I can do about it except not linger on them. It’s strange to know that other people might have my memories, too. It’s just odd all around. — Richard has become like a father to me. He got me the apartment that I’m currently living in, and he set it up for me. He got me the classes I needed to learn how to cook, clean, and keep up my living space. I see him on a weekly basis, even now that I’m done with the surgeries needed to remove the Borg tech. We usually see each other on Wednesdays to have dinner and just spend some time catching up with each other. He’s a very busy and sought after doctor, but he always takes time out of his schedule for me. He was there when I lost Kel, and I can’t thank him enough for that. Between him and Ryan, I’ve actually made it through the worst parts of losing her — the first year. It’s still hard, but I’m making it day by day. Richard always makes sure to check in on me at various times throughout the week, just to see how I’m holding up. I know he’ll be disappointed when I tell him that I’m heading back out into space, but I also know that he’ll support that decision. He’s a good father like that. — I will forever be in debt to Captain Riker and his wife, Counselor Deanna Troi. It was his compassion that kept me from being killed after the Borg Cube was destroyed. He was the one who decided that I was worth saving. He could have easily had me killed to remove any last threat to his ship and crew, but he didn’t. And his wife spent a lot of time with me during those first few days and weeks, helping me to remember who I was before I became Thirteen of Twenty. It’s because of her that I remembered that I was once called Anaca, and that I had parents and a place that I called home on another starship. She helped me recall my first memories of my parents, and helped me decipher some of those memories that I couldn’t place as mine. The ones that didn’t make sense because I had never been on a planet before. I don’t know that I’ll ever see them again. I probably won’t. But they will always have a place inside me for their kindness and compassion.
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