Gemotions

The email sat in Amelia’s inbox, unread, for an hour. Her fingers trembled as she finally opened it. Her eyes scanned the familiar format, the names listed alphabetically. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic bird trapped in a cage. Her name wasn't there.

She felt a sudden shortness of breath, a tightening in her chest. She had poured her heart and soul into the tryouts, sacrificed everything for this. The air in her apartment seemed thick, heavy, making it difficult to breathe.

She reread the email, each word a cold, sharp stab. The world around her seemed to shrink, her vision blurring at the edges. She wanted to scream, to shatter something, anything. But instead, she just sat there, frozen.