Gemotions

The librarian’s cough echoed in Amelia’s ears, each sound a jarring interruption to the internal tempest. She sat hunched over her laptop, her fingers flying over the keyboard, but the words blurring before her eyes. The email’s message, concise and final, repeated itself in her mind. Her gaze darted around the room, taking in every detail – the worn spines of the books, the flickering fluorescent lights, the hushed whispers of other students. She felt a knot tighten in her stomach, a feeling like she needed to be in several places at once.