Gemotions

"Just another day," she muttered, staring at the screen. Maya, a struggling artist, was trying to find work. She had only enough money for rent this month. Her laptop beeped; a notification from YouTube. It was *that* song again. A cover. Another cover. A feeling of dread coiled in her stomach.

Her breath hitched. The words, *her* words, poured forth from the video, sung with a confidence she'd never possessed. She felt a burning sensation behind her eyes. The tiny apartment seemed to shrink, the walls closing in.

She slammed the laptop shut, the metallic clang echoing in the silence. She paced, her steps frantic and uneven. She felt as though the very air had become too thin to breathe.