glutamate - stranger things [ON HOLD]

i. sunny days & playing games

IT WAS A SUNNY DAY IN HAWKINS, INDIANA.

It was the perfect day to visit the park - and that's exactly what they did. Helena and Katrine Peterson sat side-by-side, lightly swinging back and forth, watching the world pass by.

"You know what would be fun?" The six-year-old asked, looking up joyfully at her older sister. Instead of waiting for an answer, she continued anyway, "If we had a competition - who could swing the highest."

"Kat, I've already said 'no'. You might hurt yourself." Helena sighed, looking down at the younger Peterson girl.

"I don't think you're telling the truth, Hel." Katrine voiced her opinion, causing the older girl to raise an eyebrow. "I think you're just scared that I'm going to win and not you."

"No, I'm not. I would totally win." Lena argued.

"I don't think so," Kat stated.

"I would."

"Nuh-uh."

"Yes, I would."

"Let's play then!" Katrine insisted, knowing that she was going to win the argument - she always did.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because-"

"You scared?"

"No-"

"Play then!"

"Fine!" Helena reluctantly agreed, throwing her hands in the air and sighing. "We'll play your stupid game!"

"If it's stupid then why do you want to win so much?" Kat asked, loving how annoyed her sister was becoming.

"I don't want to win! I just know I will!" The older girl adamantly denied it, shaking her head quickly. "I- Let's just play the game." She concluded, pushing off the ground and gaining more momentum in her swings.

Copying her sister's actions Katrine giggled as they swung together, both trying to go higher than the other. Soon, they came to the agreement that it was a tie, and that they would decide who won by seeing how far they could jump off the swings.

Now this game was probably more dangerous than the last, but Helena agreed anyway, knowing that Katrine would have found a way to persuade her anyway.

The younger girl went first, jumping a small distance from the swings and wobbling slightly in her landing. She placed a stone where she stood, walking back over to her seat and staring up at Helena, who was still moving back and forth.

Lena jumped as well, going further than Kat, but ended up landing awkwardly and falling to the floor. She let out a quiet 'oof' sound, struggling to push herself up and rise to her feet.

The girl reached up to her neck, but when she didn't feel her necklace, she started to panic. She got back down to the floor, searching quickly through the grass, eventually finding it and sighing in relief.