Gemotions

The curtains twitched. Sunlight sliced across the living room, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air, a miniature ballet that usually soothed Amelia. Today, it just felt...wrong. Mrs. Gable, with her sensible shoes and floral dresses, had always seemed so…ordinary. Now, Amelia knew better. Seeing the gleaming black SUV pull out of the driveway this morning, a vehicle that cost more than her entire apartment building, had sent a jolt of something through her. She felt her chest tighten as she thought about all the times she’d lent Mrs. Gable a cup of sugar, or the time she’d helped her with groceries. Was it all a show?

Amelia poured herself a glass of water, her hand trembling slightly. The ice cubes clinked together, a sharp sound in the sudden quiet of her apartment. She kept replaying the image of the car in her mind, the effortless glide of the doors closing, the way Mrs. Gable had simply smiled and waved. The unsettling feeling coiled tighter with each passing moment. She couldn’t shake the feeling she was missing something.

She found herself compulsively checking the front door lock, even though she knew it was secure.