Gemotions

The geneticist's office was a shrine to science, with models of DNA and framed research papers. Mark, a quiet man by nature, found himself increasingly agitated. "It's truly exceptional," the doctor declared, his eyes gleaming with professional interest. “Almost unprecedented.” Mark gripped his hands, his knuckles white.

He was tired of the "exceptional" and the "unprecedented." He didn't want to be exceptional; he wanted to be normal. He wanted to blend in, to not have every doctor he visited treat him like a curiosity. He took a breath, letting it out with an audible hiss.

"So," the doctor continued, oblivious, “tell me about your… experience.” It felt like being asked to perform a circus act. Mark had lived this experience; it was not a game. He felt his face heat up, a burning sensation beginning at his jaw.