Gemotions

The school talent show was underway. Young Chloe was performing "Midnight Bloom," a song Maya had written in her teens. It was a deep cut, one she’d all but forgotten.

Maya felt her face flush. Her hands started to tremble. Her jaw ached with tension. She felt suddenly exposed, as if her teenage diary had been laid bare for everyone to read.

She shifted in her seat, unable to meet the eyes of the other parents. The girl's voice, though good, lacked the specific inflection, the raw emotion she’d poured into the original. It was… unsettling. She desperately wanted to leave, but felt paralyzed.