Gemotions

The news arrived in a hurried phone call. "Just wanted to give you a heads up..." Professor Albright had said, his voice strained. Maria felt a sense of disorientation, a feeling of being untethered.

She sat on the edge of her bed, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. The room, usually a sanctuary, felt cramped, the walls closing in. She remembered the endless hours spent in Albright's office, discussing her research, and felt an awful sense of loss.

She felt a desperate need to find something solid to hold onto. She reached for the worn, leather-bound journal on her nightstand, clutching it tightly, the familiar weight providing little comfort. The future looked bleak.

She felt a rising panic, a frantic urge to scream. The silence was suffocating.