Gemotions

The email arrived on a Tuesday, subject line: “DNA Results - Important Information.” Sarah almost deleted it, chalking it up to spam. She had, after all, signed up for a genealogy kit mostly out of boredom. But something held her back, a prickling sensation at the back of her neck. She opened it. The results showed a close family match, not to her parents, but to a distant cousin. A cousin she had never met. Her hands felt suddenly cold, the room around her seemed to shrink.

She went to her mother's office, the letter clutched in her fist. Her mom, mid-sentence on a phone call, saw her and immediately ended the call. "Sarah, honey, what's wrong? You look… odd." Sarah simply held out the letter, her jaw clenched. Her mom's face drained of color as she read the words. A long silence followed. The air between them thickened.

"Where did you get this?" her mother finally asked, her voice a near whisper. Sarah didn't answer. The question felt loaded, like a trap. She felt the urge to pace, to flee. Her mother kept watching her, eyes filled with something akin to… fear? It was then that Sarah knew.