T E S T S U B J E C T × s.harrignton

TWO

C H A P T E R     T W O
on the run
[ the vanishing of will byers]

TEN FLINCHED AWAKE at the sound of a branch snapping, rocking up into a crouch to protect the napping girl next to her. Her hands out in front of her ready to fight whoever or whatever was there. Her mouth dropped open slightly, eyes transfixed on the most beautiful thing she'd seen. A deer stood uncaring of the two runaways, nose sniffing along the ground. Shaking ELEVEN awake, the teenager pressed her finger to her lips before pointing towards the deer.

               ELEVEN's jaw dropped slightly, eyes wide and full of childish wonder and glee. The young girl grinned at TEN, the pair of them silently watching the deer as it went around in a world of its own. It wandered through the small opening, looking around without a care, eating the flora growing out from the ground before finally looking at the two subjects. TEN locked eyes with the magnificent creature, dark almost black eyes watching the teenagers brown ones. Something cracked in the distance, shattering the fragile peacefulness, the deer snapping its head to look towards it along with the two girls. It took off running in the opposite direction, leaving TEN and ELEVEN alone again in the opening. The girls sighed quietly, watching as the deer galloped gracefully away -- bounding over logs and roots like it was nothing. TEN found herself wishing to be like that deer, carefree and left to live in the open alone.

               Beside her, ELEVEN's stomach grumbled loudly, the younger girl clutching the thin scratchy fabric as she looked up at TEN. They needed to find food soon, TEN feeling her own stomach growling for something, anything edible. Pushing herself to a stand, TEN looked up towards the sky before sweeping her gaze to look across at the opposite way the deer had run. Perhaps the snapping twig had been a person, maybe leading the two girls towards some sort of civilisation. Reaching down, she helped ELEVEN up to stand -- the younger girls hand clutching onto TEN's. From their connection it was like TEN could feel the fear and anxiety pumping through ELEVEN, feeling the ever so subtle shake of the girl's hand.

               "Okay?" TEN asked gently, the small girl nodding without using her words. It was clear to TEN that she was the more vocal out of the two subjects, perhaps it was just in her nature more to talk against anything that displeased her. Perhaps TEN just had a more aggressive personality compared to ELEVEN, but maybe the younger girl was just scared. TEN thought about whether she could help the girl to talk.

               Together the two girls walked hand in hand through the trees, exposed feet scraping against the twigs and stones that littered the floor. Every so often, the early morning sun would glare through gaps in the canopy, burning TEN's sensitive eyes. It was strange for her to see how the natural sun light lit up the world in a yellowish tint -- compared to the harsh white from the artificial lamps in her room. She found herself pausing for a second, ELEVEN copying, and just lifting her chin slightly. The light beat down onto her face, warming it up with happiness, the gentle breeze dancing delicately against TEN's tattered and dirty skin. The feeling was nice, so nice the teenager almost found herself smiling.