Gemotions

The world tilted. Sarah felt a strange detachment, as though she were observing herself from a great distance. Her breath came in ragged bursts, each one a struggle. Her stomach churned, a nauseating knot tightening with every second. She saw the other girls, their faces alight with excitement, the lucky few who'd made the cut. She wanted to congratulate them, but her mouth wouldn’t cooperate. Instead, she just stood there, paralyzed, a statue in the bustling gymnasium, a solitary island in a sea of elation.