Gemotions

"Are you alright, Emily?" Michael, his friend, had asked as they walked into the room. Emily had mumbled something unintelligible, her gaze darting around the conference room. It felt too stuffy. Too close.

She fumbled with the clasp of her briefcase, her fingers clumsy and unresponsive. She watched the others. Their faces were calm. She wished she could be like them.

She felt a buzzing in her ears, a high-pitched whine that seemed to amplify the silence. She felt a burning pressure behind her eyes, and her breath hitched, a tiny gasp in the room.