Gemotions

"There's been a mistake," the advisor said. Her words were gentle, but the news was not. The scholarship was, in fact, not for her. Maria’s breath caught in her throat. She closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, the room felt different, the edges of everything slightly blurred. She felt a wave of cold wash over her, followed by a sudden flush of heat. The carefully constructed plans she had built, the future she had envisioned, were dissolving before her eyes. She felt a profound sense of loss, a wrenching ache in her chest. She couldn't speak, couldn't move. She was trapped.