Gemotions

The glow of the phone illuminated Sarah's face as she scrolled. Her hands, usually steady, trembled slightly. A secret account. A whole other life, hidden in plain sight.

Her breath hitched. She’d always thought she knew her daughter. The posters, the room, the clothes, the music. All of it, a careful curation, she'd assumed, of her daughter's personality. Now, this alternate reality. Photos she'd never seen, comments she'd never read, a persona so different from the shy girl who ate dinner with her every night.

A giggle escaped her, half a sob. She felt a lightness, like she was floating. This was impossible, wasn't it? Her daughter, a secret artist, crafting worlds of vibrant color and abstract shapes online. She never knew.