Gemotions

The news landed like a lead weight in her gut. She’d been so busy, so distracted, that she hadn't noticed the changes. Now, Mr. Carter’s request, the words "cut down the cedar," felt like a declaration of war.

She’d agreed to consider it, feeling a strange detachment as she spoke, a sense of unreality. Now, the words echoed in her mind. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms.

She ran her hand through her hair, a desperate gesture. The cedar, her sentinel, stood between her and a world she was not sure she wanted to face. She felt an overwhelming need to prevent this, this… violation. She would find a way.