Gemotions

Eliza was backstage at a battle of the bands, fiddling with a loose guitar string when she heard it. A familiar riff, a familiar opening lyric. She froze, her hands stilling. The hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention.

She peered around the curtain. Onstage, a band she'd never seen before was belting out “Crimson Sky,” her song. They butchered the bridge, but the chorus – the one she'd agonized over for weeks – was intact.

Her mouth fell open. She leaned against the wall, trying to steady herself. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat in her chest. A wave of both fury and bewilderment washed over her. She gripped her guitar tightly.

She wanted to charge onto the stage, scream, stop them. But she was rooted to the spot, a statue of disbelief.