Octavia Red woke to the smell of burnt sage and cold coffee. Her apartment was dark, but the wall screen flickered with a ghost-white interface: — a timestamp from tomorrow.

The footage skipped. Now Octavia — on screen — was in a motel bathroom, scrubbing blood from her palms. Not acting. Breaking down. A man’s voice off-frame: “Cut. Again. But mean it this time.” Her younger self whispered: “You said this was a documentary.” The man laughed. “It is. About how far you’ll go.”

Her stomach turned to ice. She had no memory of that room, that mirror, that bruise.

On screen, a shaky first-person shot emerged: a woman’s hand reaching for a vintage Bolex camera. The frame wobbled. Then, a mirror came into view. Octavia’s face. Younger. Tear-streaked. A bruise blooming under her left eye.