Falling

The Pop Sisters were walking over a bridge when it happened. The titanically tall, enormously long and needlessly huge monument separated two halves of the park over a lake far down below- not quite for any thematic reason, rather, it was probably a remnant of whatever even worse place got bought out to put this disappointment here.

“P-please talk to me. It’s… getting late. Don’t you want to start making our way home?” Frankie’s nerves tied themselves into knots coping with the inexplicable, palpable fear that had been covertly developing within her stomach and up her spine. Like her syllables were stepping on glass, she paused, having to work up her confidence to speak again. “…I know… this… didn’t go so well… and it, it freaking sucks we had that kind of luck… now of all times… but- uh- maybe that means we should just try again some other day.”

Progressing forward like a school of fish, the crowd kept the two of them walking.

Katie was constantly moving her lips like she was saying something, though if she was, Frankie couldn’t hear. It wasn’t until she let those words out that she understood her.

“No, I don’t really want that.”

Katie never really sounded much like a kid. She had a young heart, but she was young, and Frankie was always jealous of that part of her as someone who felt old and jaded far, far beyond her years, and with no more trauma than her sister had experienced. But now, she envied her rambling sibling less than anyone in the world. She imagined even whatever breakdown Kidney was having right now couldn’t be much compared to what Katie had become now- an infant, cold and upset, hungry for some food or present she would never live long enough to get. She wanted to hug her, but knew nothing would be able to help.

“What… do you want?” She humbly asked, the pitch of her voice heightening to match the girl’s tone. When she responded, she didn’t seem angry at her, at least.

“I think I’m fine, really?”

Frankie’s eyes wavered, but inversely, she couldn’t stop looking at the downturned expression of her sister- what she saw was a cold and desperate acceptance. Something in it was worse now. Something had become even worse.

“That’s… good, but… you don’t look fine. Do you mean you just… don’t… want anything…?”

Katie nodded so subtly you would’ve needed a microscope to see it. Frankie waited five seconds in silence before she dared to speak again.

“Then can we go home?”

Katie shook her head firmly.

“I don’t want that either.”

Frankie’s lips jostled sideways but she wouldn’t let herself cry. She had become so frustrated in her sister- no, more frustrated in the situation. Why were they doing this? It had only been a day, but it still felt like they were just wasting their time in pointless suffering. Katie was worse off for her time here, Cheryl and the parents were probably worried sick, and-

And Katie was standing on the guard rail.

The crowd cleared, something like a force field of people surrounding the sight of the two girls as gasps and screams broke out from the army of families and tourists. Katie stood looking down at the water, the fear paling in comparison to that of the descending theme planet above. Only a small portion of her shoes even touched solid ground as the rest of her hung excitingly in the air, wavering as it almost felt like a single errant breeze could send her careening down into the impact awaiting her below.