Gemotions

The coffee cup trembled in Maria’s hand, spilling a few drops onto her already stained skirt. Her new desk was in the cubicle farm, a vast expanse of grey and beige she had only glimpsed from a distance before. She was alone, the first day of her new job. Her head swirled with the unknown.

She bit her lip, the taste of metal filling her mouth. The air in the new office felt heavy, like a humid summer day. She glanced at the clock on the wall, the slow ticking seemed to mock her. She wished she could disappear, that she could turn around and walk back to her old desk. The door to her old office felt so far away.

She had been told, repeatedly, that this was a step up, a better opportunity. She looked down at her hands, her fingers tracing the veins on her wrist. The silence pressed in on her.