Gemotions

The elevator doors opened onto the familiar floor, but the hallway seemed to warp before her eyes. The framed pictures on the walls – the company logo, employee of the month, happy faces – were all out of focus. Her heart thudded in her chest, a relentless rhythm. She felt a growing unease, like she had misplaced something vital, something fundamental.

The interview was supposed to be today. She'd prepped for weeks. But suddenly, the questions she had rehearsed, the answers she'd polished, felt alien, lost somewhere in the back of her mind. This was it, the chance to move up, to achieve her goals. Now she wasn't sure what those goals were, let alone how to accomplish them.

She reached her office, the door handle resisting her grasp. When she finally opened it, she stood in the doorway, paralyzed. The room felt unfamiliar, not hers. She simply needed to sit.