It started with whispers. One person told another who told another until my name became poison. I watched as former friends avoided eye contact, how they gathered in corners when I entered rooms. The was efficient. I tried to defend my sister, tried to keep her reputation intact, but they twisted my words into admission of guilt. We became the story everyone agreed on without question.

I reached TERMINAL::ALONE after attempting to speak truth. What haunts me isn't that they believed lies, but how they participated, how everyone jumped on the train, how they smiled while doing it. The community needed villains, and we made perfect targets. I no longer recognize my reflection. Remember this warning: your social ecosystem is fragile, and the collapse, when it comes, is total. No one survives intact.