Gemotions

The constant awareness was exhausting. Maya sat upright in the uncomfortable chair, every sense heightened. She watched the other patients, their casual chatter grating on her nerves, their relaxed postures alien to her. The simplest things felt like a threat.

A woman with a cascade of dark curls across her shoulders was reading a worn paperback across from her. She flipped a page, and Maya’s breath hitched. She was clutching her own tattered copy of the same book, the worn cover like a familiar friend.

She found herself staring. Her hands clenched in her lap.