Barbara's second go

Even holding the die felt strange to Barbara. Her hands, albeit the same size as before, were much more collaborative. Her movements smoother, and less draining. As our bodies gradually age, the day-to-day effects are impossible to notice, but suddenly having the clock turned back on you several decades, that you notice quite significantly. Everything felt more vivid, her vision was clearer. Hell, even colors seemed more vibrant. It was borderline a sensory overload to suddenly get it all back. But more than anything, it was euphoric. Barbara felt as though she was on ****, being acutely aware of everything she could sense. One single glance at the newly turned teen would reveal what she was feeling. The look of wonder on her face, how her lips curled just slightly, not quite being able to suppress her unexpected happiness.

"Are you just gonna play with that thing, or actually play the game, mom?"

If Sabrina had been comfortable with disrespecting her mother previously, she was definitely more comfortable now. Of course the girl in front of her was still her mother, she just had a much harder time viewing her as such right now. She looked more like the book-smart type.
A real goodie two-shoes Sabrina would LOVE to make life tough for in school.

"Oh. Yea. I'll play!"

The eagerness in her voice hardly came as a surprise considering the magnitude of the boon bestowed upon her by the previous card. But, unlike Camila, her sole motivation to play wasn't for the sake of improving anything, though it most certainly would be most welcome if the game had any further positive cards up it's sleeve..

A swift throw from her young, eager hands signaled the initiation of Barbara's second turn. Only a moment after, she was met with a disappointing two. The implications of her roll were however worse than the roll itself. Her measly throw meant that a juicy red card was awaiting her, the type of card that'd mess with her mind, if her understanding of the game was correct. She was up for some improvements, but she'd be hard-pressed to admit if there were any improvements to be made to her mind. Nevertheless, she powered on, grabbing herself a scary, crimson card of the mind.

With your years returned, it'd be a shame to waste them once more
In order to prevent this, we shall grant you the means to not repeat what you did before.
This time around, you better enjoy your youth to the max
Don't worry, it's not a lot, just enough to help you relax.

Do you continue or chicken out?

And so returned that familiar tension which followed while everyone went silent, trying their hardest to decipher the poem. More than any other, Barbara was hard at work, thinking about the various ways to interpret the text. Judging by the wording, she was pretty set on continuing either way, but there was another thing weighing on her mind. Looking down at the gameboard, Barbara was eying the golden die. She had until next turn to decide whether she wanted to use it or not. Either way, she had time to ponder whilst the others were busy with their own turns.

"I'll continue. I could probably use some help with relaxation anyway, haha.."

From the corner of her eye, Barbara could barely make out a snicker from Sabrina, who apparently found it very amusing that her own mother would admit to such a thing. Her observation did however not linger in her mind for long as a swift, calming wave washed over it. Once the soothing waves receded back into the deepest part of her mind, she felt different. Carefree. Their situation didn't feel as grave, but not in the sense that Caitlyn experienced it. Her attitude wasn't that of apathy. She wasn't dissociation or disinterested, she just wasn't concerned. Like things would turn out alright either way.

Why not enjoy it? After all, how many people get to experience something like this in their lifetime?

Her whole body language shifted, accompanied by a change in expression. Though she'd certainly seemed to be enjoying herself a little before, she most definitely did now, making zero effort to hide how comfortable she was in her position.

"Uhm, you good, mom?"

"Of course! I just feel ..relieved, calm, y'know?"

Sabrina damn near shuddered at hearing her own mom say "y'know". Even Caitlyn despite her current state seemed to react.

"But never mind me! Who's next, again? I forgot. Either way, let's keep playing!"

Her eagerness was off-putting to say the least, but she had a point, they wouldn't finish anytime soon if they didn't play.

Hello!
As usual, additional chapters have already become available on my Patreon. (https://www.patreon.com/Felixfalck). Head on over there if you want to read the chapters that are yet to go public!