Gemotions

"Eviction," Maya muttered, the word a bitter taste in her mouth. She read it again, slowly, as if the words themselves might change meaning. The apartment, her refuge from the clamor of the world, was to be stripped away. Her hand tightened around the notice, crumpling the edges.

She spent the afternoon staring at the television, cycling through channels. Each show offered a parade of vibrant lives, friendships, and drama, all foreign concepts to her. She clicked through to the local news; the smiling faces of anchors, the cheerful reports of community events. The feeling inside her tightened.

She switched off the TV and went to the window. Outside, the world pulsed with a rhythm she couldn't match. She watched a couple laughing as they walked hand-in-hand, their connection a stark contrast to her own solitude.