Gemotions

The tiny apartment felt like a cage. Clara paced its confines, the linoleum cold beneath her bare feet. The eviction notice sat on the kitchen table, a mocking reminder of her failure. Her parents’ offer of a place to stay seemed reasonable at first, but now, trapped by circumstance, the silence of the house filled her with an unspoken rage.

She slammed the fridge door shut, though there was nothing left inside to be eaten. It was their fault, she thought. Everything was their fault. The lack of independence, the feeling of being watched, the constant, unspoken judgements.

Clara felt the tremor start in her fingertips, and work its way down her arm. She needed to leave.