Gemotions

The diagnosis echoed in her ears: "Congenital Hyperalgesia." She found herself staring at the young girl across the room, who was also the patient. The same diagnosis. The same heightened sensitivity to pain.

The girl's hands were fidgeting. She was picking at a loose thread on her jeans. She flinched as if she'd been pricked. The realization hit Clara like a physical blow. The agony she felt, the constant, low-level hum of discomfort that colored her entire existence, was mirrored in this stranger's posture, in the subtle tremors running through her.

She felt the tears welling up in her eyes. It was a terrifying, isolating reality, suddenly shared. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out.