Gemotions

The fluorescent lights hummed, a monotonous drone that seemed to vibrate through Amelia's very bones. Her eyelids felt weighted, as if someone had placed small, lead bricks on them. She propped her chin on her hand, the heel digging into her cheek, and blinked slowly, trying to force her eyes to focus on the spreadsheet before her. The numbers blurred and swam, mocking her efforts. The email notification, a sharp ping, startled her, making her jump. She clicked on it with a sluggish click of her mouse. “Important Announcement: Company Acquisition.”

Her stomach lurched. The coffee from this morning had long since worn off. Maybe she should go get another cup, but the thought of getting up and moving felt like scaling a mountain. The words on the screen swam, the implications of the announcement slowly dawning on her. Acquisition… did that mean layoffs?