Gemotions

The world seemed to shrink, the walls of the office closing in on Maya. She sat rigid, the professor’s gaze a heavy weight upon her. Her carefully constructed facade of composure crumbled. The accusation was a punch to the gut. All that work, all that effort, dismissed in a single, damning sentence.

She stared down at her trembling hands, willing them to stop shaking. The chair felt hard and unforgiving beneath her. This couldn't be happening. She thought back to the library, to the endless hours spent poring over books, to the meticulous note-taking. What could she possibly have done wrong?

A wave of dizziness washed over her. The room began to spin. She pressed her fingertips to her temples, trying to ground herself, to find a point of stability in the swirling chaos of her thoughts. This was a nightmare. A terrible, unfair nightmare.