Gemotions

Maya sat hunched over her drafting table, surrounded by sketches and discarded paper. Her father was ill, her finances precarious, and the looming deadline for the magazine illustration contest felt like a crushing burden. She felt a constant ache behind her eyes, the familiar precursor to a migraine.

A client, a woman she'd only met once, messaged her. The woman wanted to commission a portrait. Maya, desperate for any work, felt a flicker of hope. She sent the woman her portfolio.

The client’s response arrived quickly. A photograph. A close-up of a forearm, a flawless replica of Maya's 'Serpent's Kiss' illustration, now a permanent fixture on the woman’s skin. Maya’s hands went numb. She stared at the image, her face a mask of bewilderment and something akin to a quiet fury.