Gemotions

She found herself pacing the length of her tiny apartment, the linoleum floorboards groaning with each agitated stride. The news had come over email: a curt, legally worded rejection of her patent application. Sarah reread the message, again and again, as if the words would somehow change. Her breath hitched in her throat, a frantic flutter. She needed air. Grabbing her keys, she slammed the door behind her, the sound a sharp, jarring punctuation mark to her mounting dread. The city, usually a vibrant source of energy, now felt like a suffocating cage.