Gemotions

Thomas stared at the flickering screen, the university president’s somber face filling the projected image in the lecture hall. A coldness spread through him, but it wasn't fear. It was more akin to the feeling before a rollercoaster plunged, a breathless anticipation. He gripped the edge of the wooden desk, knuckles white, as the words “permanently closing” echoed through the room.

His breath hitched. He felt his heart skip a beat. The familiar space of the lecture hall, usually filled with the drone of professors and the rustling of papers, now seemed transformed, charged with an almost electric energy. He glanced at his classmates, their faces a chaotic mix of worry and confusion, but his own emotions were a baffling blend of panic and… something else. He felt a powerful urge to jump up, to shout, to do something, anything, to break the silence.