Introduction

The family trip to the coast was supposed to be a relaxing end to summer.

But the moment I stepped back on campus, a cold dread washed over me: my dorm room lock was changed.

My roommates-Emily, Ashley, Megan-they were just... gone.

Their numbers disconnected, their social media wiped clean.

It was like they' d vanished into thin air, leaving only silence and a terrifying void where my life used to be.

Then, things got worse.

My best friend Jessica' s new roommates started screaming at the sight of me, fleeing in terror.

The university counselor looked at me with a mix of pity and fear, everyone whispering about "personal safety concerns" and "extreme reactions."

They all thought I was the monster.

I had no idea why.

I knew I hadn' t done anything, but an unbearable sense of confusion and injustice gnawed at me.

How could my friends abandon me without a word?

Why was everyone suddenly so afraid of me?

A chilling discovery would soon reveal that my friends hadn't abandoned me at all; they were closer than I could ever imagine, trying to tell me something unspeakable.