Gemotions

The scent of freshly baked bread usually soothed her, but today it seemed cloying. The small, crowded bakery felt oppressive. Sarah was leaving for the army; a cross-country move. The happiness on Sarah's face was a mirror of her own growing unease.

She picked at a pastry, the flaky crumbs falling onto the table, unnoticed. She felt a strange buzzing in her ears. Each word, each detail of the move, each plan for the future, felt like a pressure on her chest.

She needed to get out, to breathe. She stood up abruptly, knocking over her chair. The noise startled her, adding to the growing sense of disorientation.