Gemotions

The letter arrived in a crisp, white envelope. She held it for a moment, the paper cool against her fingertips. Then, with a practiced indifference, she ripped it open. The news was as expected. It was a bureaucratic blip, a misplaced fund. Someone else was the "proper" candidate.

She crumpled the letter in her hand and tossed it into the trash. She barely registered the action, the slight crinkle of the paper. She started toward the door, her thoughts focused on the lecture she had to prepare for. She would have to find a way to pay the bills, to scrape by. She had done it before.