Gemotions

The silence in the room was deafening. Amelia sat, the test results lying facedown on the coffee table. Her aunt, bless her heart, had tried to ease the shock. "Well, dear," she had said, "everyone finds something in their DNA they weren't expecting." But Amelia felt something entirely different.

She hadn't told anyone yet. She couldn't. Not her friends, not her boyfriend, not even her pet cat. She tried to picture her parents. The familiar faces, the familiar mannerisms... were they not really hers? She felt the air press down on her, constricting her chest.

She picked up the remote and flicked on the television, but the images blurred before her eyes. The house, usually a sanctuary, now felt like a prison. She had to get out, she realized. Now.