Selena's Secret
Chapter 1
Selena was known for being the best exotic dancer on the whole island. Night after night, she performed her belly dancing and hip swaying numbers for the crowds in the Sundae Inn. After every show, she was awarded a bouquet of flowers from Jake, who owned and operated the Inn. Selena would then retire to the hotel room she rented out upstairs and go to sleep. But occasionally, her secret lover Luke would pay a visit after work, and the two would wind up going to the forest for a night under the stars. It just so happens that one of those nights would end up being the biggest mistake of Selena's life.
Selena was rehearsing for her upcoming show on the dock. The sapphire blue ocean's waves crashing on shore seemed to keep her in rhythm. Selena would occasionally see the small strip of island known as Toucan Island. The island was where she was born and raised. But, due to the disapproval of her exotic dancing from her parents, she was forced to flee to Waffle Island. Selena's thoughts would get the best of her, and she would have to stop the dance and walk the beach. This time, however, her thoughts were focused primarily on Luke and their night of love they shared a couple of nights before. Selena couldn't help but smile when she thought of him and his quirky, stuck up attitude that drew her so close to him.
Selena finished up her last dance and headed back to the Inn to prepare for the show. She breathed heavily; taking in the crisp fall air and feeling the cool breeze touch her skin. Once she arrived at the Sundae Inn, it was near 5:00 pm. Yolanda was finishing up the dishes in the small kitchen, and Chase was cleaning the tables. Selena gently smiled at him, nodded, and headed up the stairs. Chase's heart skipped a beat as his eyes followed her body. Yolanda called out, "Chase! Where the heck is Maya?! She should be helping you!" Chase, snapping out of his fantasy, replied loudly, "Maya hasn't been coming to the Inn for days!" Yolanda shook her head in annoyance and wiped her hands on a rag.
She exited the kitchen and motioned for Chase to leave, snapping her head to the door. "Come on, kid. We've got to eat too!" Chase nodded in agreement and followed close behind Yolanda as they left the Inn.
Selena slipped into her traditional outfit for the show. It was a dark pink top with a matching mini skit. The whole two piece outfit was decked out in gold trimming and beads. She shuffled around to make sure the costume was on correctly. Once she was convinced it was tight, she started stretching and warming up. A knock interrupted her routine. Jake's muffled voice could be heard from behind the door, "Five minutes, Selena! Don't be late!" Selena shouted back, "Got it, Jake!"
Five minutes had passed and Selena swung open the door. She heard the music begin to play from down stairs. She hopped down the stairs and onto the tiny stage that was set up. Selena, while dancing, scanned the crowd. She saw the usual old men: Hamilton, Ramsay, Cain, and Pascal. She also saw some younger guys: Julius, Owen, and Jin. Her heart sunk when she realized that Luke had not shown up. Although she tried to stay positive, the dancing performed showed otherwise. Instead of the fast beats that Selena usually performed, she slowed it down and danced a more monotone way. By the end of her show, she escaped up to her hotel room and locked herself in. Why was she experiencing such a sadness?
Two weeks had passed, and Selena sensed something wasn't right. When she tried performing her dances, her whole body seemed to ache. After seeing Luke a few times, she finally brought it up to him. They lay in the forest, watching the clouds and eating boiled spinach. (Luke's favorite meal) Selena sat up and twirled her thumbs. Luke noticed her distraught attitude and asked, "Selena? Is something wrong?"
Selena craned her head to him and shakily replied, "I-I-I'm not sure… I can't perform some of my r-r-r-routines." Luke smiled and pushed himself up and wrapped his arms around her. He cooed, "It's fine Selena! You just need to rehearse more! Is that all? Just some silly dance nerves?!" Selena nodded, resting her head on his shoulder. The leaves swished against each other, making a calm and pleasant shhhh. A cool breeze swirled around the couple, making both of them shiver. Selena giggled and whispered, "I hope it's all right."
A few days carried on, and Selena found her dances more and more difficult to perform. Finally, she made the decision to go to Dr. Jin. It was a Tuesday morning, and winter was approaching. There was a light frost on the ground, and it cracked as Selena trudged her way to the clinic. The sliding doors flung open, and Selena stepped into the warm room. Irene was standing behind the counter, counting and sorting pills.
"Good day. Please take this and wait for the doctor. He should be out shortly." Irene presented Selena a clipboard with a questionnaire of why she was at the doctor. She scribbled all her symptoms and problems, handed back the papers, and waited. What seemed like hours actually was around ten minutes. Finally, Jin appeared, walking out of his office with Owen. "Now remember," Jin's monotone voice boomed, "eat lots of healthy foods and don't stay in those mines too long!" He patted Owen on the back and turned to face Selena.
"You may come back now." He said. The two made their way back to his office. Jin reclined back in his chair, reading the papers Selena had filled out. The expression on his face looked puzzled. He set down the papers and leaned forward, getting up close to Selena, who sat across from him. He finally said, "Well, Selena, I hear you can't dance?! You're performances are beautiful!" Selena blushed and looked away. She mumbled, "What's wrong with me, doctor?"
Jin scratched his head and replied, "Well, your stomach hurts you, you aren't flexible, and you have strange tendencies to eat strange foods… Selena, isn't it obvious?! You're pregnant."
The words that Jin just said swarmed like angry bees in Selena's head. Her face turned white as a cloud and she sweat profusely. Her hands began to shake and her eyes darted around. Jin smiled and extended his hand, "Congratulations!" Selena bounced up, knocking the chair back, and yelled, "I can't be pregnant?! This must be some mistake! There must be some influenza running around?! Pregnant?! Is that what you diagnose everything with?!" Jin stood up and tried to calm her. Selena pushed his hands away and continued her rant, "Have a sore throat?! Pregnant. Headache is bothering you? Pregnant. Pregnant… pregnant…" Her voice trailed off as she slowly sat back down. She buried her head in her hands. Jin knelt next to her and whispered, "Do you know who the father is?" Selena wept and wiped her eyes. She nodded and grabbed a tissue off Jin's desk.
After a few minutes, Selena collected herself. She stood up, thanked Jin, and exited the clinic. She darted back to her hotel room and locked the door. Selena sunk into a chair and took in the silence. Her mind volleyed thoughts back and forth. Will Luke help take care of it? What will Mom think? Pop will be so angry! A child before marriage, what will people say? You'll be deemed as a slut. Your career is over, Selena. You couldn't have waited?! What were you thinking?
And for the first time, Selena cancelled a show.