Gemotions

The coffee cup trembled in Amelia's hand, sloshing lukewarm liquid over the rim. She was in a public cafe, the bustling sounds of conversation and clinking silverware fading into a dull roar. The article in front of her detailed the accusations against her idol, Silas Blackwood – his most recent novel, it was claimed, was a blatant rip-off of a short story Amelia had written and uploaded to her long-abandoned blog years ago.

Amelia’s eyes darted back and forth between the article and her laptop, where the blog still existed, frozen in time. The words on the screen swam before her. She kept touching the screen, as if she could make it all disappear. A strange buzzing filled her ears, as though she had suddenly developed tinnitus. The world seemed to shrink around her.

She tasted metal in her mouth.