Gemotions

The air in the library was thick with the scent of old paper and dust. Laura was trapped behind a desk, surrounded by books she couldn't bring herself to read. She stared at the computer screen, the words blurring before her eyes. The silence, normally comforting, was now suffocating. She felt a deep sense of inertia, an inability to concentrate.

She idly clicked on a real estate website, the colors a distraction from the beige walls. There it was, listed on the market: 34 Oak Street. Her childhood home. Seeing it, a strange unease ran through her. The need to break free, to *escape* this feeling, was suddenly acute. She closed the laptop with a snap, suddenly craving fresh air.