Gemotions

The email sat in Amelia’s inbox, unread for two days. She knew what it said. She’d seen the subject line: “Important Announcement Regarding My Future.” She pictured Professor Davies, all tweed and kind eyes, and felt a familiar clench in her stomach. Avoiding the message was her current strategy. Her research was going well, she kept telling herself. Professor Davies’ departure was irrelevant.

The library was stifling, the air thick with the scent of old paper and dust. Amelia meticulously organized her notes, a task she’d already completed twice that morning. Each index card was arranged by color, then topic, then subtopic. She felt a burning pressure behind her eyes, the kind that came right before a headache.

She slammed the book closed, the sound echoing in the silent room. "This is ridiculous," she muttered, not meaning the research, but the knot of tension in her chest. She needed to focus, to prove her advisor was wrong to leave.