Gemotions

The final edit was perfect. Maya practically skipped to the printer, her fingers itching to hold the finished essay. The research paper on the socio-economic impacts of the Industrial Revolution had taken weeks, but the payoff was imminent, the feeling of completion exhilarating. She felt a lightness, a sense of invincibility. It was only when she saw the Dean's office email in her inbox that the air seemed to thicken, a knot forming in her throat. Plagiarism. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat against the silence of the room.