Gemotions

Eliza, a shy freshman, was in the library when she saw the campus-wide email. It was as if her entire world had been turned upside down. She clutched the worn copy of *Pride and Prejudice* she was reading, her knuckles white.

The room, usually comforting and quiet, felt oppressive, suffocating. She felt a sudden urge to run, to escape the suffocating silence. She shoved the book back onto the shelf with a forceful movement, knocking over another volume. The sound echoed unnaturally loud in the empty space.

She quickly left the library, not bothering to retrieve her backpack or her coat.