Gemotions

The rejection letter from the prestigious art competition sat on her desk, the crisp white paper a stark reminder of her failure. Sophia glanced at it, then quickly looked away, the words blurred through a sudden mist of tears. She had worked so hard, for so long, to get to this point.

Then, she’d found out. On social media. A photo of her most recent entry, a sculpture of an embracing couple, meticulously reproduced as a tattoo on a stranger's chest. She had been robbed. Of her work, of her originality, of her momentum.

Her hands clenched into fists. She felt deflated, as if all the air had been released from her. The sting was a physical one, a tightness in her chest. She needed to be alone.