Gemotions

The email sat in Amelia’s inbox, glowing with an obnoxious digital light. She blinked, rereading the subject line: “Departure Announcement.” Her stomach clenched. A wave of nausea, like the slow roll of a tide, swept over her. Dr. Chen. Leaving? This couldn’t be right. She’d spent the last eighteen months, practically living in his lab, soaking up his knowledge. Now, gone?

She pushed her chair back from the desk, the cheap plastic screeching against the linoleum. Her breath hitched. The air suddenly felt thin, difficult to draw in. She needed space. Quickly, she fumbled for her keys, grabbed her bag, and fled the confines of her cramped office, the announcement still a phantom limb of dread on her mind.