Chapter 1: Stolen Reputation, Stolen Life

In my last life, our class president, Jamie Foster, set me up with that Reputation Drain app—the one everyone gossiped about, but nobody believed was real. I remember the way she handed it to me, all smiles, like it was just another school project. If only I’d known.

Every time I tried to help someone, it was like reality warped—people started remembering Jamie’s dirty tricks as mine, and all the good I did turned into her victories. My kindness was stolen, twisted, handed to her with a bow.

I spent weekends volunteering at the animal shelter, cleaning cages and walking dogs, but somehow it was Jamie who got all the hugs and thank-yous. She’d show up for five minutes and leave with a bouquet.

I donated my allowance to charity drives, wrote heartfelt letters, but she was the one who got featured in the city paper—her photo grinning above words I’d written. My face never made it past the editing desk.

It all came to a head when I threw myself into rush hour traffic to save a little kid. I ended up with crushed legs, a lifetime of pain, but the headlines gave Jamie all the glory.

Jamie Foster was crowned one of the city’s 'Top Ten Outstanding Teens.' It was a huge deal—local news, corporate sponsors, and a scholarship that opened doors I could only dream of.

Meanwhile, people accused me of things that sounded ripped from a tabloid: abusing orphans, beating up old folks, stealing charity money, and—God—pushing a kid into traffic just because I felt like it. The rumors snowballed, each one nastier than the last.

They called me a criminal. My childhood friend, Noah Price, was crushed by the news. My classmates turned on me, their hate burning so hot I couldn’t even recognize them anymore.

Even my parents turned their backs on me. In front of everyone, they announced they were done with me—making Jamie their honorary daughter, like it was some kind of public ceremony.

They wouldn’t listen to a word I said. They drove me to the police station themselves, telling anyone who’d listen that I deserved to pay for my sins. Like it was some twisted family road trip.

Jamie, with her syrupy voice, leaned in and whispered the truth—just for me. She wanted me to know exactly how she’d destroyed me.

I died in prison, alone. An infection ate me up from the inside, and nobody cared enough to treat it. I never got to clear my name. I never got to tell my story.