Gemotions

The email from Professor Davies had a subject line that read "Important Announcement." Amelia, halfway through her lukewarm instant coffee, nearly choked. Her fingers fumbled as she clicked it open. She reread the first sentence, then the second. Her jaw went slack. The mug slipped from her grasp, the ceramic clinking against the hardwood floor. It didn't break, but the sound was loud enough to bring her cat, Mittens, bolting from the other room. "No, no, no," she muttered under her breath, a tremor in her voice.

She felt a dizzying sensation, like the elevator was dropping out from under her feet. Her research, the countless hours spent in the lab, the future she had envisioned... it all felt suddenly unsteady. She knew she'd need to have a conversation, a serious one. But she couldn't summon the energy to even pick up the scattered coffee grounds.