Gemotions

The antique shop was filled with the scent of aged paper and forgotten things. Maya adjusted her scarf, pulling it higher to cover the faint scar that ran along her jawline. Her brother, Leo, bounced ahead, his enthusiasm a stark contrast to her hesitancy. "Grandma’s will specified something for each of us," he'd announced, eyes sparkling with excitement. Now, he was already fingering a tarnished silver locket, oblivious to the way Maya’s palms began to sweat.

She trailed him, meticulously cataloging the imperfections of the dusty furniture. A chipped leg on a mahogany table, a faded floral pattern on a porcelain vase. Her gaze flitted from object to object, as though each one could reveal a hidden flaw in her own reflection.

The will, delivered in a stiff envelope, had promised a ‘treasure’ for each grandchild. Leo, with his easy charm and outgoing nature, was clearly the favorite. His inheritance: A signed first edition of *Moby Dick*, a book he'd always professed to adore. Maya’s? A small, leather-bound journal. Its pages were blank.

She felt a knot tighten in her stomach. What was the point? She knew, deep down, that she wasn't interesting enough for a legacy.