Gemotions

The relentless thrum of the train was making Maya feel ill, the steady rhythm vibrating through her bones. The close proximity of the other passengers, their intrusive smells and loud conversations, felt suffocating. She hunched deeper into her coat, wishing she could disappear.

Across the aisle, a young woman was fiddling with her bracelet. She held it up, displaying a small medical symbol. Maya was stricken. The woman’s skin was paper-thin. Her eyes darted around the cabin. She looked at Maya, and, with a subtle head nod, suggested, ‘I know.’

Maya felt a rush of… recognition. And then, a wave of… something else.