Gemotions

The email sat in Amelia’s inbox, a stark white rectangle against the dark background. She’d been staring at it for a good hour, the cursor blinking mockingly as she avoided opening it. Her stomach felt like a lead weight. Finally, she clicked. The words swam before her eyes: *Congratulations, your article has been published in… under the name of Dr. Eleanor Vance.* Eleanor Vance. Amelia’s mentor. Someone she admired. Someone who had, apparently, stolen her work.

She fumbled for her phone, her fingers clumsy on the screen. The urge to just disappear, to crawl into a hole and never come out, was almost overwhelming. She wanted to call her best friend, Sarah, but she couldn't. Not yet. She needed to process this alone, wallow in the bitter taste rising in her throat, before admitting the truth: she'd been completely exposed.