"Elena, it's your birthday today isn't it?" She wanted to flinch at Wilhelmina's innocent question over dinner and from Lucy's expression she'd been dreading this question all day too.

"Yes, sweet sixteen. I can get a job now." If she could find one. Or she could sign consent for Lucy to sell her into indenture slavery.

"Then why didn't we have a party for you? Or a cake? And why didn't you get any presents?" Lucy looked guilty at their sister's innocent question, but Elena knew what their situation was already.

"Adults don't need those things Mina, and I did get presents, just not the sort you can see. You promised to clear the table and do the washing up for me tonight, remember? That's a sort of present." Elena smiled, putting the best face on it that she could; even though she did wish Lucy had been able to get her something she knew the state of their finances and she wanted to protect Wilhelmina from that knowledge for as long as she could.

"Is it Elena?" Wilhelmina looked at Elena wide-eyed and a little anxious and she looked at Lucy too. "That's really a sort of present Lucy?"

"Yes Mina, it's a sort of present." Elena didn't like the forced cheer in her sister's voice, but Wilhelmina didn't seem to realise it was an act. "The sort adults like because it shows that you're willing to put time and effort into your gift, not just money."

"Oh, right." Wilhelmina didn't say anything else for the rest of the meal, and when they'd finished Lucy led Elena into the living room while their sister was busy clearing the table and washing up.

"I'm sorry I couldn't afford to get you any sort of gifts, but..."

"The best terms you could get for paying off Mom's hospital costs and funeral expenses doesn't leave you with enough for anything but necessities, I know." Lucy bit her lip and glanced away unhappily; Elena knew that her sister had wanted to keep her safe, to make sure that she wouldn't have to worry about money the way Lucy had after their father had died, but it wasn't going to happen.

"Do you have any word on a job yet?" Elena wished she could say yes, tell her sister that she could help pay the bills, that she could give Lucy the assistance that would ease her fear in a normal way, but she couldn't.

"No, nothing that would even cover the grocery bill, nothing respectable anyway. But...I had another idea."

"Another idea?" Lucy looked directly at Elena then, taking hold of her wrists in a commanding grip. "Elena, if you can't find anything legitimate we'll find another way for you to help. Take whatever job would pay best, and try to get extra qualifications, if you can without paying too much. I don't want you to do anything you're not comfortable with."

"You think...no, I wasn't talking about accepting one of those offers." Rich men almost never used whores anyway and Elena refused to sell herself that way.

"What then? I...don't want you to get into my line of work, but...Hayll Security does have an opening for an admin assistant. I can ask if Dirk's willing to give you a try." It would probably pay well enough that Lucy wouldn't have to worry about the grocery bills at least, but Elena knew the problem with Lucy's job; while her work was fairly well paid, at least in comparison to the sort of job Elena could get, it was incredibly risky, and if she was hurt...they'd lose the house more likely than not. Elena took a deep breath, steadying herself for the request she was about to make.

"I want you to sell me into indenture slavery." Lucy's hands tightened on Elena's wrists, and she resisted the urge to pull away, knowing that would only make it worse, that her sister would automatically grip tighter.

"What? I can't!" Lucy sounded horrified, and Elena knew what she was thinking, but she'd done research on this, enough to know what she'd be letting herself in for. "Why would you ask me to do something like that?"

"Because it's the best option." Lucy's grip loosened slowly as Elena talked. "If I sign consent for you to sell me then we can specify what sort of duties I can be trained for and given. A twenty year clerical/admin indenture, with the option for accounting training would let you pay off either the mortgage or Mom's hospital costs and funeral expenses. I'll come out of it with a lot of experience, and guaranteed good references, and maybe I'll get additional IT training as well. It's usually Cetra who own slaves, and that might give me some sort of connections I can use to help you or Mina." And if she was lucky and saved whatever allowance her owners gave her, if they gave her one, or her owner at the time kept her after her indenture ran out she'd have money as well to set herself up if she couldn't come back to her family.

"Elena...I took that apprenticeship after Dad died so you wouldn't have to do something like this, so that you and Mina would have a chance at a better life."

"And I'm doing this so that Mina can have a better life. She wants to be a doctor; at least at the moment she does, and she's smart enough to do it too. I know human doctors don't command the sort of salaries or respect Cetra do, but it's a lot better than most of the jobs around here. And she won't get to become a doctor if we don't find a way out from under our debt. How long will it take you to pay off the mortgage and the rest of our debt if I don't do this? And if we can get rid of enough of our debt you'll be able to support her through med school, or law school if she decides on that instead."

"Elena..." She could see that Lucy was really upset by her suggestion, and her sister hadn't been thinking about this for a while the way Elena had. "I've heard that Cetra and rich men think they've got the right to fuck any slave they own."

"Technically yes they do; but generally they don't bother with office staff. And I'm not that pretty." Elena forced herself to shrug; rape was a risk for any woman, it was just that slaves were more vulnerable, but among slaves it was household slaves who were most at risk. "Please Lucy, just promise me that you'll seriously consider it. I've got some work lined up for the next month, but it really doesn't pay that well and it's just part time. After that I want you to either agree, or give me better reasons not to do this."

"I'll ask Dirk if he'll give you a chance, and if that doesn't pan out..."

"Thank you Lucy." Elena gave her sister an impulsive hug and kiss before she left the room.