Gemotions

The shower ran hot, steam filling the small bathroom. The water cascaded over her, but she felt nothing. She scrubbed her skin, trying to wash away the feeling, the *wrongness*. She'd moved back in a week ago, but each morning felt like a complete reset.

Her father’s voice, a low rumble, drifted from the hallway. "Everything alright in there, honey?" She choked on the response, it felt hollow, the word alien in her mouth. She could barely remember what normal felt like.

Later, she sat at the kitchen table, watching her mother make dinner. The rhythmic clinking of pans, the familiar smells of cooking – all of it seemed choreographed, a routine she could no longer follow. She felt adrift, lost in a sea of normalcy.