Gemotions

Clara felt a knot of pure panic tighten in her stomach. She stared at the sheet of paper, the damning evidence laid out before her. Her breath became shallow, as if the room was devoid of oxygen. The sound of her own heartbeat was pounding in her ears.

"I... I don't know how this happened," she said, her voice barely audible. Her hands were shaking so badly she could barely hold the paper. She bit her lip, tasting the metallic tang of blood. She felt a burning sensation in her eyes, a prelude to tears she desperately wanted to hold back.

The professor’s expression was unreadable. Clara felt exposed, judged, and she wanted to become invisible. The floor, she thought, looked like a good place to hide. She felt like crawling under the desk.