Gemotions

The newspaper lay open on the kitchen table, the coffee stain next to it a blurry testament to a rushed morning. Sarah’s eyes scanned the page, stopping abruptly at the familiar font, the familiar story. Her application essay. It was… printed there. A sense of disorientation washed over her. She gripped the edge of the table, her knuckles white.

She felt a tremor in her hands, and the coffee mug next to her rattled. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. Her pulse hammered in her ears, a frantic drumbeat against the silence of the room. She felt the urge to flee, to disappear.

“Mom? What’s wrong?” her younger brother called from the other room. Sarah forced a smile, pushing the newspaper away, but the words remained etched in her memory.