Gemotions

The spotlight found her, but it felt cold. Serena had spent years perfecting her floor routine, her graceful movements, her powerful leaps. Now, she was being asked to try the uneven bars, an event she’d only practiced a handful of times. Her heart pounded in her chest, a frantic drumbeat against the silence of the arena.

The bars seemed impossibly high. She stared at the apparatus, the metal gleaming, reflecting her own fearful gaze. The roar of the crowd felt distant, muffled. Her legs felt like lead. She remembered all the practice she had done, and it felt like it had been in another lifetime.