Gemotions

"Congratulations! Your essay, "The Echo of Empty Rooms," is now being showcased!" The automated email message sat glaring back at her from the computer screen. She stared at the words, her expression unreadable. She had long ago abandoned that version of herself, the one who had written those words. She opened the email.

She read through the article, a cold knot forming in her stomach. It felt… staged, like a piece of elaborate theater. She was being praised for something that now felt like a character she'd played, a performance. A wave of dizziness rolled over her. She clicked the browser shut, the screen going dark, and sighed a long, ragged, empty sound.