Selena lay on the soft mattress of her bedroom, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. It had been a long and difficult road, but she had finally found a way to make ends meet.
Finding legitimate paying work had been impossible at 13, but Selena was nothing if not resourceful now. She had decades of experience in different jobs, even in the Hub.
She improvised, using her skills and resources to create her businesses. She had posted a notice in the laundry room of the apartment building across the street, offering first errands to the residents and laundry services afterward, based on Liam Reinhold's Rhine and TaskBunny in the future.
For now, it was laundry services and a run to the store. She could do income taxes; nobody wanted a child to file tax returns for them. Gardening was too labor-intensive, and she was prone to convulsions in the heat before she outgrew them in her twenties. They were simple ideas, but they proved to be a hit.
Selena had invested in the necessary supplies, using the delivery fee and any tips from her delivery service to purchase hypoallergenic laundry soap, fabric softener, dryer sheets, and other essentials. She had even created order forms at the library, using their computers to design and print out the forms for each business.
As she lay on her bed, Selena felt a sense of pride and accomplishment. She had taken control of her life, using her skills and resources to create a better future for herself. And it had paid off - her room and the house were clean, and James had even given her a small allowance unexpectedly.
She invested it into buying small things to improve the space, and dug a vast garden in the overgrown backyard with James. She sewed a bunch of early summer seeds.
Selena's thoughts turned to her family, and she felt immensely grateful to them. As absent as they were, she could not fail to see what they gave up for them to just eat.
James and her mother, Molly, were supportive and understanding in their ways, even when things seemed bleak. They had inspired her to keep going, to keep pushing forward. Selena because, at that point, they needed help. She saw her past self reflected in them. She would help these kids get on the right path.
Molly, her mother, was a complex and multifaceted woman. By day, she worked as a waitress, charming customers with her bright smile and quick wit. By night, she had transformed into a sultry stripper at a local club, her long blonde hair and long legs captivating the attention of the patrons.
She used to look down on her mother until she had to strip to pay the bills when she ended up with Josiah Barnes in her past life. She learned to respect sex workers as she went through life.
Now she had a chance to make Molly's life easier. Molly sacrificed for her, even on the pole she was earning to feed and clothe her.
Despite her tough exterior, Molly had a huge soft spot for her. She loved her dearly, but she couldn't help but wonder how she had not inherited her goddess-like features.
With her jet-black hair, deep brown almond-shaped eyes, thin nose, long eyelashes, full arched brows, pouty lips, and a light smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose. She would grow up to be a very beautiful woman. But she looked nothing like her walking wet dream of a mother.
Molly had full sandy blonde hair, sultry set eyes, high cheekbones, long legs, big breasts, big doe eyes and an incredible body. Molly often joked that Selena must have inherited her looks from her biological father, whoever that was.
James, Molly's partner, came into their lives when Selena was just two years old, and he had always been a loving presence in their lives. If only she could have been his. But Selena's curiosity about her biological father had always lingered, fueled by the mystery surrounding her own identity.
As Selena grew older, she began to wonder more and more about her heritage. Was she half-indigenous, half-Latin, Italian, part-Arab or half-Asian? Molly would never tell her about her father. The possibilities swirled in her mind, leaving her feeling uncertain and disconnected from her own roots.
Selena looked in the mirror, the excess weight from the medication was sloughing off from all the activity and healthy eating. She was short, she had jet-black hair, full, long and thick black eyelashes, pale skin with a gold tone, brown eyes like Molly's, full pouty lips and freckles.
On her wrist sat a birthmark that was shaped exactly like a crescent moon with four star-like marks around it. She certainly was exotically beautiful, but not the car stopping drop-dead gorgeous her mother was.
In the future, DNA testing will become public, and Selena will finally have the chance to uncover the secrets of her ancestry. She did not need to know who her dad was. He could be a piece shit, knowing Molly. Especially if she did not want to ever talk about him. But for now, she was left to ponder the mystery of her identity and the enigmatic figure of her biological father.
Molly, sensing Selena's curiosity about the past, would sometimes try to reassure her. "You're my daughter, Selena, no matter what. Who cares who donated the sperm? You got us," she would say, her voice filled with love and conviction. But Selena couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to her story, more to her identity than she currently knew.
She would have to put her DNA in multiple services like GENEmatch, 46andYou, Ncestry, and GED to figure it out.
A.A.'s gentle voice interrupted Selena's thoughts, "Selena, the washing and dryer are almost done with their respective cycles. Please prepare to put in the next load."
"Thank you A.A." Selena relayed in her mind, already moving towards the laundry room. A.A.'s advanced tracking system allowed it to monitor the laundry by piece and respective owner, according to the mesh bag it arrived in.
This enabled Selena to efficiently separate and wash whites, colors, darks, and delicates for each household. A.A could discern multiple households' worth of laundry, so Selena worked efficiently.
As she loaded the next batch of laundry, a bunch of dark-colored laundry. She poured in the correct detergent for the clothes.
Selena's mind turned to the task of delivering the clean and folded laundry to Molly and James' room. She made her way upstairs, a neat stack of clean clothes in her arms.
Molly was getting ready for her shift at the Lusty Lion when she heard the knock on the door. " Come in," Molly answered.
Selena entered and placed the load of laundry on the bed. The perfectly folded basket stuck out in the semi-chaotic state of the room.
Selena had time, so she started to tidy the room after putting away the clothes. She picked up all the dirty laundry and threw it in the hamper.
"Ooh, that's loose, it'll fall off. "Here, let me help." Selena offered to help her alter her costume.
Molly looked as her young daughter grabbed the sewing kit. Her daughter had lost her childishness so abruptly.
Selena quickly threaded a needle and started to fix the top to get her mother's sexy get up, into tip-top shape.
Molly grinned at her daughter. "Thank you, baby girl." Two weeks ago, she avoided her bedroom when she was getting ready for work and locked her bedroom door in shame. The first day of her change in demeanor started when she came in after her shift. Selena was waiting for her. She didn't drink that night.
It was hard as the shakes took over and James brought her a small shot in the morning. But she was doing it, she had reduced the amount she was drinking. She was going to go to the program, but she never had the time. She sensed that her daughter had caught on.
As they worked, Molly asked Selena for advice on her makeup. She was hoping for a childish response to her beauty like in the past. Selena bit her lip hesitating. The cosmetics Molly used were cheap and bad for her skin in the long run.
A.A., sensing Selena's hesitation, chimed in, "Selena, remember the Robbi Red makeup theory book in the public library? That is your excuse."
Selena, feeling a surge of confidence, explained, " I read at the library that these are not the best for your skin. When I start to earn money, we will both be living large at the makeup counter."
She began to explain the principles of color matching and skin tone, using the theories from the book to guide her advice. Selena began to apply her makeup in a sultry smokey eye. Molly listened intently, nodding along as Selena spoke, humoring her until she looked into the mirror with a gasp.
Selena confidently said, "Thank you, Robbi Red Makeup Bible, huh? I will be a pro by the time I get to high school."
Molly's jaw dropped when she heard the next words come out of her mouth," Selena, you are only 13 baby, you have got plenty of time to grow up," Molly said.
Selena frowned in front of her. She would indeed fit in this time or even look better or rule St. Theresa's with her years of swagger and makeup skills. "Let me prove to you that I am going to be mature enough to wear makeup and set your mind at ease, Mom."