Gemotions

She stood at the back of the venue, arms crossed, the chill of the air barely registering. The opening chords of "Echoes of Yesterday" hit her ears like a physical blow. A woman, all sparkling sequins and forced smiles, butchered her lyrics. "My" lyrics. She shifted her weight, a nervous twitch starting in her jaw. The crowd, oblivious, swayed and clapped. "Look at them," she muttered under her breath, a curl of her lip the only outward sign of her inner turmoil. "They don't even *hear* it." She wanted to scream, to stop the music, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.