Gemotions

The letter lay on the worn wooden table, the cream-colored envelope a cruel mockery of her dreams. Maria reread the sentence: "Your scholarship has been revoked..." Her breath hitched in her throat, a cold wave washing over her.

She had to get to the library. There had to be something she could do, some loophole, some error they'd made. The library was the only place she felt a sense of control, surrounded by the weight of knowledge.

She grabbed her backpack, the familiar weight a comfort. Her hands fumbled with the straps, her fingers clumsy and unresponsive. Each breath was a struggle, as if a vise was squeezing the air from her lungs. She had to stay strong. She had to fight.