Gemotions

"So, this is it," said Maya, her voice flat, as she surveyed the house. Her brother, Ethan, didn’t answer. She knew he was like this. The inherited home felt heavy, a physical weight she carried on her shoulders. Her hands were clammy, and she found herself biting the inside of her cheek.

The air hung thick with the scent of old wood and something else, something she couldn’t quite place, but that caused a strange prickling on her skin. She glanced at the overgrown garden, a tangled mess mirroring the turmoil inside her. The thought of all the decisions they had to make, all the things they had to go through, was overwhelming. She wanted to disappear.

“Let’s just get this over with,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.