Gemotions

The announcement sat, a festering wound, on Professor Moreau's website. Emily, still in shock, reread the words, the words that would shatter her carefully constructed plans. Her legs felt wobbly. This felt wrong, somehow.

She had always envisioned her academic career intertwined with Moreau’s. His mentorship was her guiding star. She had built her research around his area of expertise. Now what? She felt a tightening in her chest, a physical manifestation of her disquiet. She had to find a new advisor, she realized, but the thought was utterly exhausting.

She avoided the lab, the sight of the equipment a painful reminder of her lost opportunity. She sat on her balcony, watching the city lights blink to life, a panorama of indifference. The beauty of the scene did not appease the anxiety churning in her gut.