Gemotions

The harsh fluorescent lights of the pawn shop seemed to amplify the throbbing in Emily’s temples. She’d been avoiding this place for weeks, but curiosity – and something else, something she couldn’t quite name – had finally drawn her in. She spotted it immediately: a heavy gold band, the ruby at its center catching the light like a drop of blood. It was the ring her grandmother, the matriarch of the family, had worn until the day she died. Her cousin, the favorite, would surely inherit it.

A coldness seeped into her bones. Her grandmother had always favored the other girl. Emily felt the familiar sting of it now, the old resentments rising like bile. Why her? Why always her?

She watched the shopkeeper, a man with a bored expression, wipe down the glass case. He probably didn't know the story behind this bauble. That ring held memories, not just monetary value. She wondered about the woman who pawned it, wondering if she was as unattached to the ring as she seemed.