Gemotions

The church pew felt hard beneath Amelia. Across the aisle, her father, a pillar of the community, was beaming, as if a weight had lifted. She felt the opposite. Her younger brother, Daniel, was now a Mormon.

She fidgeted, running a hand over the worn fabric of her skirt. The sermon droned on, but Amelia couldn't focus. She kept seeing Daniel's face, radiant with newfound conviction, and then her mother’s, a look of bewildered joy.

She pressed her lips together, feeling a prickle of tears behind her eyes. This would change everything. The family gatherings, the shared traditions… would they still be the same? She gripped the edge of the pew, knuckles white, a cold dread washing over her.