Gemotions

She slammed the car door, the sound echoing unnaturally loud in the quiet cul-de-sac. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat of disbelief and… what else? She could feel a flush rising in her cheeks, her skin prickling with heat. Someone, some *thing*, had taken away the sapling she'd lovingly nurtured, the one she’d sworn would outlive her. She glared at the offending emptiness, the vacant space where her tree had once stood. The thought of that deliberate act, that casual disregard, made her temples throb. "Who...?" she muttered, the question more a challenge than an inquiry.