Gemotions

The email sat in Amelia’s inbox, a stark white rectangle against the muted colors of her desktop. “DNA Results Available.” She hadn’t even realized she’d been expecting anything from Ancestry. Now, the notification throbbed at her, a low pulse of anxiety starting in her chest. She clicked, and the screen filled with names, percentages, and a disconcerting map of ancestral origins. Suddenly, she couldn’t breathe.

She scrolled through the list of matches, each name a stranger, a possible relative. Then, a name jumped out, a match with a high percentage. "Elizabeth Harding." Her mother's maiden name. *Impossible.* The air in the room felt thick, oppressive. She slammed the laptop shut, the click echoing in the sudden silence.

Amelia found herself pacing her kitchen, grabbing a glass of water she didn't drink. This Elizabeth was probably a cousin, an aunt, someone she’d simply never known. Then why did her hands shake so violently as she went to call her mother? The phone rang, and rang, until the answering machine picked up. "I'll call you back, Mom," she muttered to the machine, and immediately hung up.