Gemotions

The room’s temperature felt stifling, and the noise amplified the tension already building inside her. She hadn't slept well the night before, and her head pounded with a dull ache. She felt a profound sense of… something. She looked at the faces around her, their smiles fixed and a little too bright.

She focused on her parents, their figures silhouetted against the bright lights. They looked smaller, somehow, less formidable than she remembered. She felt a longing, a deep yearning for a time that was gone.

She swallowed hard, her throat tight. She looked down at the notes in her hand, the words blurring before her eyes. The task ahead felt monumental, and she had little fuel to offer. She took a long, shaky breath, and began to speak.