Gemotions

Maya’s palms were slick with perspiration as she read the email again, the words somehow morphing with each rereading. *Due to unforeseen financial constraints…* The words spun around her, a dizzying carousel of doom. Her carefully planned life, her ambition to become a marine biologist, felt like a house of cards ready to crumble.

She slammed the laptop lid closed, then opened it back up again. The notification bar at the top of the screen blinked, taunting. She started to breathe rapidly, her chest feeling tight. It felt like someone had just put a lead weight right in the middle of her.

She tried to focus on her textbook, but the words swam before her eyes. Every sentence felt like a fresh blow. She went to the window, watching the rain streak down the glass. The grey of the sky seemed to seep into her very bones.