Gemotions

"Well, that's just fantastic," Amelia muttered under her breath, staring at the announcement tacked to her advisor’s door. Professor Chen, her beacon of knowledge and support, was leaving. The building seemed to shrink around her, the familiar corridors suddenly feeling labyrinthine and unwelcoming.

She walked slowly back to her apartment, the city’s vibrant energy fading into a dull hum in her ears. She normally loved the bustling markets and crowded streets, but today, they felt like a taunt.

The silence of her apartment settled around her like a blanket. She skipped dinner, the thought of cooking and eating alone too draining. She found herself staring out the window, watching the streetlights illuminate the empty street below, each light a distant and unattainable spark.