Gemotions

He grabbed the magazine from the newsstand, his heart pounding. There it was: *"The Evolution of the Modern Novel," by Professor Alistair Finch.* The professor, his mentor, had taken his work. He felt a bitter, icy wave wash over him, leaving him cold.

Thomas spent the next few weeks visiting the university library. He’d become a nuisance, asking obscure questions, pointing out tiny flaws in Professor Finch's other research, subtly undermining his authority. He would make sure the world understood that the professor wasn't as clever as he seemed.

At every opportunity, he made sure to say the Professor's ideas were derivative.