Gemotions

The sterile white walls of the research lab, her previous domain, felt like a distant, comforting memory to Emily. Now, she sat in a cramped cubicle in the HR department, surrounded by the incessant clatter of keyboards and ringing phones. She felt a deep unease.

She picked at the corner of a sticky note, shredding it into tiny, useless pieces. Her fingers, usually stained with ink from meticulous notes, trembled slightly. This move had seemed promising, or at least, that’s what she’d tried to convince herself. But the forced camaraderie and endless meetings left her feeling empty.

She glanced at the motivational poster plastered on the wall, its bright colours a stark contrast to her internal landscape. The poster's message felt hollow, a saccharine platitude. She closed her eyes for a moment, wishing she could simply disappear.