Rosa Martinez

**Rosa Martinez** is a character role-played by onlyady

## **Backstory**

**Rosa Martinez** was born to teenage parents **Sofia Vera** and **Hernando** **Martinez** on the 12th of November 2001 in **Ensenada, Baja [Baxa] California**. Although **Sofia** and **Hernando** tried their hardest to be able to raise Rosa, they were deemed unfit parents and **Rosa** was removed from their care at 1 month old and placed into the foster system.

Being so young made her easy to foster out as every family wants a baby. In trying to keep her Mexican heritage with her **Rosa** was fostered out with a single mother named **Nina Romero**. Although Nina mostly spoke English as she worked with tourists that came off the cruise ships in **Ensenada**, she did teach **Rosa** basic Spanish as she grew up so that she would always feel like she fitted in with their community. Although they were not rich the foster home was full of love however, **Nina** in times of stress (usually over money) would abuse prescription medication to make herself numb. **Rosa** witnessed this on several occasions and each time **Nina** promised **Rosa** that she would stop but, when **Rosa** was 12 years old, she came home from school to find **Nina** lifeless on the floor with an empty pill bottle by her side. **Rosa’s** life changed very quickly from that point. She was thrown into a group home with only a few of her belongings and even though they tried to get someone to take her on, she was deemed to be too old for foster families and nobody wanted her.

Due to overcrowding **Rosa** was moved between group homes every few months and she never had a place to call home. She became very protective of the few items that she did have and would often get into fights if anyone tried to touch her stuff. As a result of this she did not enjoy spending anytime in the homes and would sneak out at every opportunity that she had. It was not all bad on the streets she met a homeless man by the name of **Harry Coden**. **Harry** taught **Rosa** many valuable life lessons such as how to steal, fight and stand up for herself. **Harry** treated **Rosa** like a daughter, and it was the first time that **Rosa** had ever had a father figure in her life. It was the happiest that she had been in a long time. It was not meant to last though when **Rosa** had found that **Harry’s** camp had been moved on by the police and she never saw him again. **Rosa** developed a real distrust for the police from that day, they took away the one person that ever felt like family after **Nina’s** passing.

As soon as **Rosa** turned 18, she was finally free but with no family and no real friends she found it difficult. She saved up as much money as she could pick pocketing and begging on the streets then used the small amount of money to move to **Los Santos** when she turned 19 to try and make something for herself. She rented a shoebox apartment but because she had no job experience, she found it very hard to find steady employment as nobody was willing to give her a chance and she quickly lost the apartment. Using what **Rosa** learnt on the streets with **Harry** she survived on petty crime and squatting in vacant houses so that she could have a roof over her head.