Gemotions

The embossed invitation felt heavy in Maya's hand, almost like a burden. Twenty years. Two decades since she last walked the halls of Northwood High. She traced the script, her fingertip pausing over the word "reunion." A knot tightened in her stomach. She hadn't kept in touch with anyone, not really. Her phone was silent, her life a carefully curated echo chamber of work and routine. A flicker of panic began at her temples.

She crumpled the paper in her fist, then smoothed it out again, the act a strange comfort. It felt impossible to go, to face those people, those memories. What would she even say? "Hi, remember me? I’m… still here, doing… things?" The thought made her skin prickle with heat.

Later that evening, she found herself staring at her reflection. The woman staring back at her was a stranger, the face lined with a weariness she couldn't quite place. She pressed her fingers against her cheekbones, feeling the faint tremor in her hand. It was a tremor that she did not like.