Gemotions

The librarian had a way of looking at you, a gaze that seemed to penetrate. It was a look that settled deep inside Amelia, causing an involuntary shiver. The librarian had called her in. The paper. The research. All of it felt tainted now.

She replayed the events of the last few weeks in her mind. Did she really use that source? Was that quote too similar? Each memory felt suspect, like a carefully constructed lie.

Her appetite vanished. Even the aroma of the cinnamon rolls she usually craved at the campus cafe made her feel nauseous. She couldn't sleep; every shadow in her room seemed to shift and morph into menacing shapes.