Gemotions

The humidity clung to Ethan's skin like a shroud as he leaned against the porch railing. The air hung thick and heavy, the cicadas' incessant chirping amplifying the turmoil inside. A letter had come earlier, a solicitor's official notice, that informed him that he had a sibling, a sister named Chloe. His stomach had lurched when he read the words.

He pulled his baseball cap lower, shielding his eyes from the afternoon sun. He wanted to sit still, but his legs wouldn’t allow it. The porch seemed to shrink around him, the space suffocating. The revelation had unleashed a torrent of conflicting emotions: confusion, anger, and a bizarre, unsettling curiosity.

He needed to *move*, to find a place where he could think, a place where the weight on his chest would ease. He took a deep, shaky breath, the humid air doing little to soothe him.