Gemotions

The request hung in the air, thick and suffocating like the humidity that had settled over the street. Amelia felt a heat rise in her chest, a burning sensation that spread to her cheeks. She crossed her arms, a defensive maneuver, as she stared at the man.

"It's a hazard, you know," Mr. Davies was saying, his voice a low, placating murmur. Her vision narrowed.

The hazard was *his* problem, not hers! She hated the way he was looking at her, as if she were a simpleton. She would show him a hazard. She would show him.

Amelia’s back was stiff as a board. She would never let him cut down this tree.