Gemotions

"Rina, we need you to play opposite hitter," the coach said. Rina, who had specialized as a setter, felt a jolt of shock, then a wave of some other emotion. It was like something was starting up.

That evening, she was up early and studying. She watched videos of other hitters, absorbing their techniques, their strategies. She practiced her approach, her jump, the snap of her wrist.

During her first match, she felt the burn in her muscles, the pounding of her heart. The ball, a white blur, seemed to call to her. She hit, sending it over the net with power. She was playing. She was running, and she couldn't stop smiling.