Gemotions

The humidity hung thick in the air, mirroring the leaden weight in Maya's chest. She had been meaning to clean her studio for a week, but the task seemed too monumental. Every muscle ached with the effort of simply existing.

Her phone vibrated insistently. A friend, Chloe, had sent a screenshot. It showed a man's bicep sporting a near-exact copy of her intricate floral design, "Ephemeral Bloom".

Her initial shock melted into a sort of numb apathy. She felt the usual flush of annoyance, but it was overlaid with a profound lack of motivation. She texted back a perfunctory "Wow", and then switched off her phone, the world shrinking back to the confines of her couch.