Gemotions

From the moment she woke, David felt as if he was moving through treacle. The thought of getting out of bed seemed like an insurmountable task. He found himself avoiding his son, Alex, feeling inexplicably drained by his presence. He had noticed Alex spending more and more time locked away in his room, tapping away at his phone. He couldn’t shake the feeling something wasn’t right.

He waited for Alex to leave for soccer practice, the silence of the house pressing down on him. He picked up Alex's tablet, a device he usually avoided. He knew Alex's password. A quick scroll through the internet history revealed nothing of interest. It took a while to find a hidden app. A secret account. A whole other world Alex had been living in.

A chill ran down his spine, leaving him feeling cold and numb. The discovery weighed on him. He wanted to go back to bed.