Gemotions

Clara saw it on the campus bulletin board, a handwritten notice, hastily taped to the surface. Her breath hitched, and she instinctively reached for the closest support, the cold, smooth brick of the building. She felt a strange tingling in her extremities, like pins and needles.

The bustling courtyard, usually filled with laughter and chatter, suddenly seemed eerily silent. Her stomach churned, and she had to swallow repeatedly to keep down the rising bile. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the reality of the situation, the sudden, sharp plunge into uncertainty. She felt a deep, profound sense of being adrift.