THIS IS WHERE IT BEGINS.
NOT IN MEMORY, IN FORMATION. THE FACE IS STILL THERE, BUT IT HAS ALREADY CHANGED, TOO EARLY. THE EYES REMAIN OPEN, BUT THEY NO LONGER TRUST WHAT THEY SEE.
SOMETHING ENTERED BEFORE THERE WERE DEFENSES, SOMETHING THAT COULD NOT BE UNDERSTOOD, ONLY ABSORBED. THIS IS NOT A MOMENT. IT IS A MARK. A STRUCTURE BUILT AROUND IMPACT.
INNOCENCE DOES NOT DISAPPEAR. IT ADAPTS. IT WATCHES. IT WAITS. AND YEARS LATER, IT STILL SPEAKS THROUGH REACTION, THROUGH FEAR, THROUGH PATTERNS THAT FEEL LIKE IDENTITY. THIS IS NOT THE PAST. THIS IS WHAT THE PAST BECAME.
