Gemotions

The sunlight streaming through the window seemed excessively bright, causing a persistent flicker behind Clara's eyelids. The denial letter lay on the kitchen table, a stark white rectangle amidst the clutter of textbooks and half-eaten cereal. She stood frozen, unable to touch it. Her heart hammered a frantic rhythm against her ribs. Every sound, the ticking clock, the distant traffic, the creak of the old house settling, magnified in her ears. She felt a need to start cleaning; scrubbing and straightening everything in her path.