Elissa stagger-crawls to the chair, rainbow colours swirling around her. It feels like she’s in a TV ad for Skittles, or some crazy cartoon. She places her chin on the seat, persuades her legs to scissor out ... She clambers on to the chair. It’s an effort to keep her head up, and when it nods against her chest for the third time in as many seconds, she bursts out laughing.
S.Lloyd "Memory Wood"
Do not understand, what Elissa wants her legs to do. Move them apart? But, if so, why do you need your legs apart while trying to sit? She "clambers on to the chair", so does it mean that she puts her knees on it? It makes no sense to me :(