Gemotions

The world seemed to tilt on its axis for Chloe. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat against the silence of her room. The accusations against Arthur Finch, the author whose work had shaped her adolescence, hung in the air like a noxious fume. She tried to deny it, to rationalize it, but the evidence was overwhelming.

She felt a strange disconnect from her body, as though she were watching herself from outside. She couldn't quite believe this was happening. She rubbed her arms, trying to will away the shivers that wracked her frame.

She went to her bookshelf, her eyes scanning the familiar spines of Finch's novels. They were supposed to be safe, reliable. She closed her eyes for a moment, then, with a shaky hand, reached for the first book.