Gemotions

The weight of the accusation felt almost...light. Amelia couldn't help but smile, a genuine, unbidden curve of her lips. She traced circles on the cold metal of the desk with her fingertip. The world around her seemed to warp slightly, the fluorescent lights humming in a way she'd never noticed before.

She imagined herself as a detective in a noir film, a cigarette dangling from her mouth (even though she'd never smoked). "Plagiarism," she murmured, the word tasting like a forbidden treat. A thrill ran down her spine. "How intriguing."

She studied the accusing document, her eyes darting across the page as though hunting for a hidden message. It was all so silly and so wonderfully…unexpected. She clasped her hands together, a sudden impulse to hum a lighthearted tune.