Gemotions

Rain lashed against the pawn shop window, mirroring the storm brewing inside Amelia. She hadn't slept well in weeks, and the dark circles under her eyes testified to it. The fluorescent lights overhead seemed to hum with a discordant energy, amplifying the tension prickling beneath her skin. This whole thing was a waste of her afternoon, a foolish errand.

She saw it almost immediately – the delicate filigree, the single, flashing diamond. She felt the sudden urge to smash the display with her fist. Her grandmother’s ring. Sold off by her father, the man who had abandoned her.

"Let me see that one," she said, her voice a clipped whisper, refusing to acknowledge the ache in her voice. The shop owner, a man with greasy hair and suspicious eyes, slid it over.