Gemotions

The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the lab bench as Chloe stared at the message on her computer screen. Professor Anya Sharma, leaving. The words danced before her eyes, blurring into an incomprehensible jumble. Her hands trembled, spilling a drop of solution on the table.

She picked up a paper towel, wiping the spill with jerky motions. Her carefully planned experiment felt insignificant, pointless. Her whole future, the one she had so carefully mapped out, felt suddenly uncertain. She chewed on her lip, a nervous habit she hadn’t indulged in for months.

She felt a prickle of tears behind her eyes. She blinked rapidly, forcing them back.