Gemotions

The text message notification brought Anya to a complete standstill. “Mr. Chen is now following you.” The words blurred before her eyes. She gripped her phone so tightly her knuckles whitened. She had to get away, she thought.

She ran out of her bedroom, grabbing her jacket on the way. She needed to be outside, away from the digital ghost that now haunted her. The fresh air did little to soothe the tightness in her chest. She pictured Mr. Chen seeing her photos, reading her captions. Her carefully crafted image felt brittle, fragile.

Anya walked aimlessly through the park, her gaze darting around, as if she expected to see him watching her from behind a tree. She felt a growing compulsion to destroy her phone, her digital life. It was a compulsion she needed to fight.