Gemotions

Brenda slammed the book shut, the cover slapping against the glossy pages with a satisfying thud. Her jaw clenched. A chill ran down her spine, not from the sudden draft in the library, but from the unsettling feeling that someone had been rifling through her life. The biography, “Brenda Blackwood: A Life of Unseen Strength,” was a blatant fabrication. The details, oh, they were there, superficially accurate, yet twisted and distorted into a narrative she barely recognized. She could feel a twitch in her left eye.

She tossed the offending tome onto the mahogany table. The librarian, a young woman with overly-enthusiastic eyebrows, rushed over. “Everything alright, ma’am?” Brenda forced a smile. "Fine, just… a bit surprised," she managed, her voice tight. The smile felt brittle, strained. She needed air.