Gemotions

The email sat in Amelia's inbox, radiating a cold, unwelcome glow. Her fingers fumbled as she clicked it open, the words blurring momentarily. "Incorrect scholarship recipient." Her stomach lurched, a sensation like a dropped elevator. She ran a hand through her already messy bun, tugging at the strands until her scalp prickled.

She reread the email, each sentence a blow. The scholarship, the lifeline that had allowed her to breathe, was not hers. A mistake. A clerical error. She scanned the room, the posters on her wall, the books on her desk, suddenly alien objects. The world tilted slightly.

“No, no, no,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. She stood abruptly, pacing the small space, the cheap linoleum cold beneath her bare feet. The library book she’d been enjoying moments ago now lay forgotten on the bed, its pages mocking her.