Gemotions

The silence of the library was suddenly oppressive. Sarah felt a pressure building behind her eyes. The letter, discovered in a tattered copy of *Pride and Prejudice*, lay open on the table before her, its words a cruel puzzle.

Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat. She ran her hands through her hair, tangling the strands. She couldn't focus, couldn't think. The words swam before her, an impenetrable wall of confusion.

She felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. She pushed the book away, the gesture almost violent. She needed to escape, to breathe. She rose from her chair, her legs unsteady. She needed to be somewhere else, anywhere else.