When Mariela was a newborn her mother left her and her father raised her by himself until she was about five years old. He did what he could for his little girl, put her in dance classes, made sure she could read and write before she started school. Mariela was a daddy's girl and clung to her father right up until the moment that her father disappointed her. Actually, truth be told, she was a little bit proud with what her father tried to do. Because you see, her father found out the driver that killed his brother was in prison and so he put a hit on the man's life. Unfortunately for him, he got caught before the hit went through, and he ended up in prison right beside the man who killed his brother.
Six year old Mariela went to live with her grandparents and her cousins and vowed to do better than her father did. She would not get caught if she had to ever protect someone she loved.
The boys, her cousins, tried to keep her under control as best they could, and it mostly worked. Mariela threw herself into making sure she had a better life than her grandparents could give her, for all they tried to.
When she was ten her step cousin Penelope came back into their lives, having disappeared right after losing her own parents. Penelope and Mariela were like sisters from the moment they reconnected.
As a young teenager Mariela dated like anyone her age did, but nothing seriously. She had goals and strived to go far in life. Until she turned 18, right after graduating high school. She was at a night club with her friends, celebrating their graduation when she was kidnapped. She was tortured and bitten and even sexually assualted.
Thank goodness for her cousin and her team who eventually found her, right before she was about to be killed. But unfortunately the trauma of it all was still there. For the past two years she has been in therapy but it has not helped all that much. She is still getting over it all when she finds herself on another planet all alone.