Gemotions

The silence that followed the pronouncement felt oppressive, thick enough to choke on. Amelia’s breath hitched in her chest. She found herself clutching her purse so tightly her knuckles were white. Her brother, Thomas, was staring at the floor, his face pale.

The house. It was like a character in a bad novel, a plot device she never asked for. She wanted to scream, to scream at the absurdity of it all. This was not the life plan they’d envisioned.

She blinked rapidly, trying to clear the sudden, stinging tears that blurred her vision. The memories of her grandmother were surfacing, sharp and sudden, like needles.