Gemotions

The air in the library felt oppressive, the silence too loud. She sat at a table, the wallet hidden inside a book, the pages a barrier between her and the world. She’d planned to study, to lose herself in the words, but she couldn't concentrate. She kept catching her own reflection in the polished surface of the table, her face a mask of worry.

She’d found the wallet near a busy intersection, its owner probably a frantic wreck. She imagined their distress, their loss, and a strange, uncomfortable knot tightened in her stomach. She hated the feeling, the knowledge that she could potentially cause someone such pain.

She glanced at the book again, at the promise of escape, then at the wallet, the source of her current torment. A sense of unease settled over her like a dark cloud.