Stars and Scars (Platinum Security: Shadows of LA)

Chapter 1: Charlotte

Most people shut off their alarm and shuffle into the bathroom to begin their daily grooming in private. I'm not most people.

Everybody wants to be an influencer. Money for nothing! Never have to work a day in your life! It's so easy when you're naturally beautiful.

I yawn, jaw-crackingly huge as I swing my legs over the side of the bed. The sun has yet to kiss the LA basin, and won't for a couple of hours yet. I've lived in Los Angeles my entire life, but I used to rise with the sun. Now, my day begins at 4:30 AM, just like every day.

I answer the call of nature and then stare at myself in the mirror. Before I start creating content, I have to make myself somewhat presentable. I use a cold compress to take swelling down in my face, then pull my unruly black hair back into a tight bun.

Nobody on the internet can smell my breath, but I go ahead and brush my teeth anyway. After that I tie a knot at the waist of my tank top to make it sleek and tight. Only when I'm done with all of my preparations do I turn on the ring light and begin filming.

"Good morning! It's a little past 4:30 in Charlottesville, so my brain's still a little foggy. That's why I'm glad that Globaline's new cosmetics line is so easy to use. I'm going to start with a basic foundation..."

I smooth the beige powder over my cheeks, then use a brush to blend it.

"As you can see, those blemishes are going bye-bye. I plan on getting more sun this summer, so I'll have to update my shade. But don't worry, Globaline makes it easy with their skin-tone matching app."

I finish my pre-workout skincare routine, making sure to hit all of my endorsements. No one can see the checklist I keep off-camera. Endorsements are the way I keep the lights on for me and my family. I think most of my 2.3 million followers understand the hustle.

After my skincare routine, it's time for a workout. I head down the hall, flanked by a view of the pre-dawn cityscape. I wonder how many other points of light belong to people starting their work day, just like me.

At the end of the hall, I hang a left and enter my home gym. Thanks to product placement deals, I have all of the latest, highest tech equipment. My exercise bike has more computing power than the rocket ship the first astronauts took to the moon. My scale will tell me everything from my weight to my ambient skin temperature and likely cholesterol levels.

The fitness regime is crucial. Everyone knows the internet is without mercy or pity. Have an extra croissant and everyone will call you a whale.

I flip on the lights, check my image on the monitor, and mount the elliptical machine. Once I start recording, my smile comes back like magic.

"Hey, what up my peeps? It's exercise time in Charlottesville. Thanks to my XFitt 2500 elliptical machine, I don't have to sacrifice comfort for results. The gyroscopic balancing and extra-responsive controls mean I'm always in charge of my workout."

I set the elliptical to about seventy percent of my max output. I still need to be able to talk, after all.

"You can easily adjust the settings with a flick of a switch, or by voice, like this: Xfitt, increase angle by 4 percent."

The arms adjust with a mechanical whirr and I beam a smile at the camera.

"It really is just that easy. Oh, and I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone who voted for me in the LA's Points of Brightness awards. I'm super stoked to be a recipient thanks to my work with the UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital."

A sheen of sweat glistens on my forehead, but it's not creating too much of a glare. I check my filters and make sure everything looks good. Unlike my skincare routine, I'm livestreaming the workout so everything has to be perfect.