Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows of the old lighthouse, mirroring the tempest in Maya's gut. Her knuckles were white, gripping the edge of the wooden table so tightly her fingers ached. Liam sat opposite her, casually sipping his tea, completely at ease.

"The tide was high, remember?" Liam said, a grin playing on his lips. Maya’s heart hammered against her ribs. She remembered the churning water, the frantic search for a lost shell.

"Yeah," she croaked, the word a mere thread of sound. She felt a prickle of gooseflesh on her arms as the memory flooded back, the overwhelming sense of dread. The feeling she wasn’t alone.

“I still think it was a seal, you know?” Liam chuckled, oblivious to the panic rising in her throat. She remembered the thing she saw, far off in the water. A black shape, a glint of an eye. She felt the urge to jump out the window and flee.