Gemotions

The sunlight streaming through the library window felt harsh against Elias's skin. He sat hunched over a textbook, unable to concentrate. The scholarship, a blessing that had felt like the dawn of a new era, now felt like a curse. The email arrived a week ago, detailing the error. The funds were meant for someone else, a disadvantaged student from a rural town. He thought of his privileged upbringing, the private schools, the summer vacations. A wave of nausea washed over him. He closed the book, the words swimming before his eyes. He felt adrift, like a ship without a rudder, tossed about by the invisible waves of guilt and disappointment.