Gemotions

"Did you take your medication today, dear?" His mother’s voice was gentle, almost too gentle, it was irritating. Leo flinched. He wasn’t a child. He was a grown man, and yet here he was, back in his childhood home, being treated like a broken toy. He hated the way they looked at him, their expressions a mixture of pity and concern.

He pushed the plate of food away, his appetite gone. The medication made him feel like a zombie, devoid of emotion, incapable of action. He looked around the crowded dining room, at the smiling faces, the animated conversations. He felt utterly disconnected, a spectator in his own life.

He excused himself and retreated to his room. He’d locked the door this time, and for once, he felt safe.