Gemotions

"Well, this is just great," I muttered, pacing the length of my tiny apartment. The air felt thick, suffocating. The air conditioner, usually a welcome reprieve from the summer heat, seemed to be blowing hot air directly into my face. A half-sister. As if my life wasn’t already complicated enough.

My fingers drummed a frantic rhythm against my thigh. I could barely stand my actual sister, the one who lived across town and constantly needed help. Now, I was supposed to welcome a new one? Someone who’d sprung from the ether, courtesy of my perpetually absent father.

I stopped abruptly, glaring at my reflection in the dusty mirror. My eyes were narrowed, my mouth a tight line. This felt like a personal affront, a deliberate act of sabotage against the fragile peace I'd managed to carve out for myself. The thought of this newcomer, this… *she*, filled me with a sudden, intense dislike.