Gemotions

She heard the opening chords and felt a sudden chill, despite the summer heat. It was “Ghostlight,” the song that defined her career, and it was being sung by a blonde, bubbly pop starlet at a charity gala. Amelia’s fingers, normally graceful, were now twisting the strap of her clutch.

She wanted to vanish, to burrow into the plush velvet of the curtain behind her. The singer's performance was a sugar-coated parody of her original, melancholy composition. The light, airy arrangement felt wrong. It was a mockery of the darkness she had woven into the lyrics. Amelia’s chest constricted, a physical manifestation of her mounting frustration. She had to walk away. She had to. She pushed through the crowd, unable to meet anyone's eye.