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[indent]Elena emerged from the clinic, the late morning sun casting the street in hues of amber and gold, though its warmth failed to thaw the glacial weight gripping her chest. She leaned back against the coarse brick wall, her fingers fumbling absently with her phone as she scrolled through her contacts. The familiar name on the glowing screen seemed to beckon, her thumb hesitating above the call button as fragments of her mother’s voice—at once tender and reproachful—echoed in her mind, stirring a complex ache of longing and apprehension.

A sigh escaped her lips as she relented, the tap of her finger initiating a connection that felt heavier than it should. Each ring reverberated in her ears, magnified by the silence around her, her pulse quickening in time with the rhythmic chime.

At last, the line clicked open.

[color=#f881ae]“Elena?”[/color] Her mother’s voice, soft but tinged with immediate worry, came through the receiver. [color=#f881ae]“¿Qué pasó? Are you alright?”[/color]

Elena tilted her head back, the coolness of the brick pressing against her crown as she brushed an errant curl from her face. [color=#f9c2bf]“Hey, Mom. Don’t freak out, but….I’m calling from the North Side.”[/color] Her voice carried a practiced nonchalance, though she winced inwardly, already anticipating the storm brewing on the other end.

[color=#f881ae]“[i]¿Qué?[/i] Elena, ¿qué haces allá?”[/color] The alarm in her mother’s tone was razor-sharp, slicing through the muted hum of the city beyond. [color=#f881ae]“I [i]told[/i] you to stay away from that side of Cloverfield. What are you thinking?”[/color]

[color=#f9c2bf]“I wasn’t planning to be here, okay?”[/color] Elena lied, her voice defensive but tinged with fatigue. She’d expected this, but it didn’t mean that she was in the mood for it.  [color=#f9c2bf]“Something came up. A family needed help, and I couldn’t just walk away.”[/color]

Her mother sighed deeply, the sound carrying a weight words could scarcely convey. [color=#f881ae]“Ay, mi hija. Always jumping into things without thinking. You have such a big corazón, but Cloverfield isn’t a city that rewards good intentions. You know this.”[/color]

Elena’s jaw tightened. [color=#f9c2bf]“I wasn’t about to let a little girl and her mom fend for themselves against… something awful. I did what you always taught me to do—help when you can.”[/color]

A silence stretched between them, punctuated only by the faint static of the call. When her mother spoke again, her voice was quieter, weighted with both love and resignation. [color=#f881ae]“And I taught you to be careful, to [i]think[/i] before you act. Cloverfield preys on people like you—people who don’t see the strings attached to every gesture, every underhanded deal.”[/color]

Elena pressed her lips together, her gaze drifting to the clinic door where Loni and Luciana were still inside. [color=#f9c2bf]“I know, mamá….”[/color]

[color=#f881ae]“And sometimes, mi vida, the right thing comes back to haunt you,”[/color] her mother continued, the sorrow in her voice unmistakable. [color=#f881ae]“Do you remember the Vargas family? They just wanted to help too. What did that bring them, hmm?”[/color] 

Elena’s stomach twisted. She did remember. The Vargas family, friends of her mother, had tried to shelter a young runaway from a powerful gang. 

Their kindness had cost them everything. 

[color=#f9c2bf]“This isn’t like that,”[/color] Elena insisted, though the conviction in her voice faltered. [color=#f9c2bf]“I’m not getting tangled up in anything. I’m just… helping.”[/color]

Another sigh, this one softer, more forgiving. [color=#f881ae]“I know your heart is in the right place, mi amor. Just promise me you’ll be careful. I can’t lose you too.”[/color]

Her mother’s words hit Elena in more ways than one.  [color=#f9c2bf]“I promise,”[/color] she said quietly. [color=#f9c2bf]“I’ll be fine, Mom. I’ll call you later, okay? I just… wanted you to know where I was.”[/color]

[color=#f881ae]“Gracias, mi cielo,”[/color] her mother replied, her voice warm but still laced with worry. [color=#f881ae]“And Elena? No olvides quién eres. Don’t let this city change you.”[/color]

A faint smile softened Elena’s face, the words resting over her like a benediction.

[color=#f9c2bf]“I won’t, mamá. Te quiero.”[/color]

[color=#f881ae]“Te quiero más,”[/color] her mother said before the line disconnected.

Elena lowered the phone, staring at the darkened screen for a moment as the echo of her mother’s voice lingered in her mind. Straightening, she pushed off the wall, her resolve steadying as she turned and stepped back into the clinic.

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