Gemotions

"So, it's just us now?" Maya asked, her voice barely a whisper. She looked around the sun-drenched kitchen, at the floral wallpaper, the chipped porcelain teacups on the counter. The house had always been Grandma's, a place of comforting routines and familiar smells.

Her brother, Ben, ran a hand through his hair, his usual easy grin absent. He looked utterly bewildered.

She felt a strange disconnect, as if she were watching a play, not participating in real life. Grandma's house, a burden now, a responsibility. The weight of it pressed down on her chest.

"Yeah," Ben said, his voice quiet. He picked up a teacup, turning it over in his hands. The silence between them grew thick and heavy, filled only with the faint ticking of the grandfather clock in the hallway.