Gemotions

The fluorescent lights of the office seemed to hum with a particularly cruel intensity today. Sarah smoothed down her skirt for what must have been the tenth time in the past hour. Across from her, a fresh-faced, impossibly cheerful young woman named Emily bounced in her chair. “So, just to clarify,” Emily chirped, “you said the data entry protocol is…?” Sarah swallowed hard, her throat suddenly dry. She pointed at the instruction manual with a shaky finger. “Page… twenty-three. It’s all there.” Her voice was barely a whisper. She wanted to disappear, to dissolve into the bland beige carpet and leave no trace.