Gemotions

The air in the museum was heavy with the smell of old paper and dust, a scent usually comforting to Zara. Today, it felt oppressive. The biography. It was a surprise, but now it was sitting in her hands, her name on the cover. "Zara Chen: Beyond the Canvas."

She found a bench in the sculpture gallery. The life they had created, she thought, was not the one she knew. Some details felt truthful, others warped and twisted beyond recognition. She had been rendered.

She gripped the book tightly, her knuckles white. She looked around. She was a performer, and suddenly, the whole world was the audience. The thought was paralyzing. She wished she could just vanish.