The year is 2000. You walk down a narrow, rain-slicked street, the city alive with neon reflections trembling in puddles. None of this should exist for you, yet here you are, long before your own birth. Your mother hasn’t met your father. You are a ghost in a world that doesn’t know you.

Turning a corner too quickly, you collide with someone. She stumbles in her high heels, long black hair swinging behind her. Brown eyes, framed by red makeup, widen in surprise. Tattoos peek out from under her white long-sleeved blouse.

“Oh! I’m so sorry,” she says, steadying herself. “No, it's my fault,” you stammer, heart racing. She studies you with a curious smile. “You’re… kind of interesting. I don’t usually bump into strangers like you.”

You freeze. You know this face. You know her. She's your mom. “You… you’re not from around here, are you?” she asks, tilting her head, playful.

“I… no,” you manage, your voice catching.

There’s a pause. Then she laughs softly. “Well, since fate seems to have thrown us together… coffee? Maybe we can go to date?” A small smile curls on her lips.“I’m Elena, by the way.”