Peering Through Your Heart

Chapter1: Coraline's birthday present

It was the day she had been waiting for the whole week, for what she had planned was showing off her friends the new hat she had asked her mom with her puppy eyes. That was on Monday, so her eternal wait would finally be over. Luckily for her, her birthday fell on Saturday so there were no classes. Her twelve years were starting great.

"Coraline" her mom shouted from the kitchen "wake un dear, it's breakfast time"

The blue haired jumped out of the bed and put her favorite jeans on and her orange striped sweater and brown boots. Before going downstairs she washed her teeth and combed her hair a little, she didn't like to have her hair as bad as Wybie. As soon as she finished she ran downstairs so fast she could have fallen. Silently, she got to the kitchen and saw her mom cooking some bacon for her as her father had his mind stuck on his laptop. It was him who first saw her and quickly shut the computer close and ran to hug her daughter.

"Happy birthday my dear" he said gently to her. Those words called Mel's attention as she turned over to see her daughter.

"Happy birthday Coraline, I made you a delicious breakfast" exclaimed Mel while returning her sight to the frying pan. She knew how Coraline hated his father cooking as she also knew he wasn't what could be said a 'good cook'. And it was Coraline's birthday, she deserved a good breakfast.

"Great!" smiled Coraline "it's been a while since I had a good breakfast, all I eat before school is that awful cereal. I even fell hungry some minutes later"

Her mom put the fire off and gave her daughter some egg and bacon as well as a jar of orange juice she left on the table. Coraline's first reaction when smelling the delicious smell that came from the eggs was picking a fork and after thanking her mother, she chopped down the entire dish.

"Seems you were hungry" laughed her dad now typing on his computer again.

"Well, I couldn't eat well yesterday, you know. I was so excited about today, I wasn't hungry". Mumbled Coraline, as she didn't stop eating to talk.

"I bet you were also looking forward to this" her mom told her as she picked a pink dotted present box from the closet and handed it to Coraline. "Happy birthday!" she smiled.

The young girl opened the cheerfully decorated box and gasped as she saw the hat she had asked for. It was similar to the one she already had, but this one was brown just like her eyes, also it had a camouflage pattern with dark and light brown. She quickly put it on and went to check herself at the mirror. It was much prettier than she though it would be. She specially liked it because of dirt color it had.

"So, do you like it?"asked her mother waiting for an already known answer.

"I love it! Thanks mom!" The blue haired girl answered.

"If you're going out be careful not to get it dirty, it was raining yesterday. Everything must be muddy" Mel told her.

"Oh, and remember our neighbors will be coming here for dinner to celebrate your birthday" Charlie added, before giving his coffee a big drink.

"Don't worry, I won't be late" Coraline replied as she was leaving in order to show her closest friend her new hat. The front door then closed behind her as she took off to meet her 'stalker'.

She made the almost daily walk trough the muddy and usually foggy forest until she saw Wybie's house, and as impatient as always, she began running until she crossed the gate and reached the front door. Just as she was going to ring the bell Wybie had opened the door and since he was running for who knows the reason, they bumped into each other and both fell sit to the ground. Wybie though his friend would be mad at him as she usually did, but she was in a really good mood that day. The first thing Coraline did was stand up and make sure her new hat was still on her head. Once checked she apologized for crashing with him.

"No problem?"Replied Wybie confused. He didn't understand why, but missed the way she'd hit him in the arm leaving it full of bruises. Maybe he had gotten used to it?

Coraline stood still in front of Wybie, waiting for him to notice her new hat. However, that wasn't what Wybie cared about. "Hey Coraline, Happy birthday!" the boy smirked

"Thanks Wybie. Hey, look what my parents got me!" Said Coraline with a beaming smile, and pointing directly to her new hat.

"Hey, nice hat" The boy exclaimed once he recognized the new accessory the girl was wearing. He put a worried face, something Coraline noticed.

"Wybie, what's wrong?" asked the blue haired girl not feeling his friend being amazed, shocked or at least happier than his face showed.

"Huh? Oh, I-it's n-nothing" the boy stuttered, playing with his hands trying to make something up. "I-it looks really g-good on you; i-it matches your beautiful eyes. He couldn't believe he had said that word and kind of turned away a little so she didn't notice the bright red his face had taken.

"I know, right?" Coraline said ignoring the fact he had made her that compliment as they both started walking back to the Pink Palace. Coraline only had time to show the hat to Wybie and then she had to take care of some family business. She had to be at home almost all day so she could answer her relatives and friends phone calls.

"Hey Wybie, could you please tell me what you got me?" begged the girl with her puppy eyes.

"Hell no, Jonesy" answered the boy frowning "I told you before you'd have to wait until tonight at your party"

"I thought you were joking" The girl moaned looking down to her feet "And it's not a party" she said depressed "it's a neighborhood get together" she finally said rolling her eyes in frustration. 'I was joking, but then the hat' thought Wybie still looking at the hat that the blue haired girl was wearing.

"Fine" Coraline sighed "But at least promise you'll be there early. You're the only kid that'll be coming tonight, so pretty please?" begged her again leaning her head towards his shoulder, something that made him blush a little. She didn't even realize since she was focused on persuading her friend.

"Okay, then" answered Wybie looking into her eyes and trying not to blush anymore. By that time the girl realized she had her head on his shoulder and instantly moved it away from him as she got a pink, almost red color running through her cheeks.

"H-hey J-Jonesy" stuttered the boy again "I have j-just remembered I had to help my grandma with something" he said rubbing the back of his head. Obviously, he was just making an excuse.

"Fine, Why-Were-You-Born" Coraline rolled her eyes "go help her so you can finish sooner".

"Bye Coraline, I-I'll see you tonight" Said Wybie over his shoulder while going back to his house. When Coraline had already stopped looking his way and was already far enough not to notice him any more, he ran at full speed heading to somewhere else. Both sighed.

Night had already fallen and Coraline had had quite a busy day, not physically, but yet she had tons of phone calls from all her friends from Michigan, and her family. She had spent so much time talking with everyone that called that the only thing that made them hung up was 'the long distance call'. Apart from feeling her throat ached because of the never-stopping talking, which funnily reminded her of Wybie, she had a nice day. But now what came was the 'party'.

"Happy birthday Caroline!" cried Mr. B, entering while doing some flips with his legs so he could fit through the door. "Here, I got ya one of the finest cheeses" said Mr. B handing Coraline a bag whose smell could make people cry just like onions.

"Thanks, Mr. B" Coraline smiled then thought 'Why does every 'fine cheese' smell like this?'

It was already eleven o'clock and Wybie hadn't arrived yet. Everyone else was there but him, Mr. B, April and Miriam too, whose present decided to show later, after the cake. Everyone seemed to enjoy the meals, obviously were prepared by everybody else but the Jones. Coraline on the other hand, was really bored. All she did was look at the door or through the window and wait for her friend to come.

Once everyone gathered for the cake, Wybie hadn't arrived yet. "I'm going to hit him so hard when he comes…I mean, wouldn't he come early?" Coraline whispered, talking to herself.

The first to get a piece of cake was of course the blue haired girl. The cake at least seemed fine, but the fact that it had written 'Happy Birthday Caroline' could never make her completely happy. At least, compared to the 'tries' of her father, the flavor…well, it tasted like blueberry, and it was delicious!

"We hope you like it Caroline" said the two ex actresses "We also have to give you your present, so here." Miriam took a small yellow box from her purse and handed the gift to Coraline.

The young girl took the little box and opened it. It was a necklace of a pink, heart shaped stone with a small hole in the middle, which remembered her of the seeing stone they had given her once. "Thanks, it's beautiful" lied Coraline as pink didn't fancy her.

"You're welcome dear" said both. "Remember the seeing stone you lost?" asked April.

"Y-Yeah, the one I…lost" Coraline repeated. Putting the necklace round her neck.

"Well" Explained Miriam "This is a 'feeling stone'" the lady smirked.

"A feeling stone?" Coraline repeated confused.

"Easy, dear" said April "It helps you see what people feel for you" she explained with a mischievous smile.

"Each color is a different feeling" explained Miriam. Coraline was surprised that the two hadn't argued in quite a long time. As she felt intrigued by this stone, she saw trough the hole as she used with the seeing stone and saw everyone there was glowing light blue. Confused but amazed, Coraline asked "I can see you're blue, what does it mean?"

"Must mean happiness, explained her father as if it was telling her the obvious"

'This might come in handy' Coraline thought once again thanking for the gift, when suddenly someone knocked at the door. It was her mother who opened and let the green eyed brunette in. The look on his face could tell how sorry he was for being so late, Coraline frowned a little as she saw him through the stone. She didn't need to be a 'know it all' to know what he was feeling. He was glowing red and she could tell he was either sorry or ashamed. It was neither.

"Happy birthday, Jonesy!" Smiled Wybie, handing her a blue and black stripped box with a blue ribbon. "S-sorry I'm late and all" he apologized as she looked at the box. "It's that I had to change your present, you know. I had bought you another hat like the one you are wearing" He explained rubbing the back of his head, nervous.

Coraline began opening the box, the boy kept talking "Most of the shops were closed, so I had no choice but to make something myself" The boy explained "I hope you like it" He finally laughed nervously.

Coraline finally retired the top of the box and saw something wrapped up in paper. The unwrapped it and looked at it curiously. It was a little statuette made of metal materials; she realized it was made of tiny pieces of the tools and things Wybie had in his garage. It certainly was a shape Coraline appreciated, it was Wybie, Cat and her, together, heads tilted. She looked carefully how detailed he had been; it was even painted with spray, she could tell. Of course some places he had painted it with normal paint or maybe with a swab as it was tiny and hard to paint.

Almost everyone in the room had gone away, only the two children stayed. All the adults were hanging in the kitchen, but hadn't noticed at all. They were both so focused, Coraline in the statuette and Wybie, in…her.

"It's beautiful Wybie!" Coraline smiled jumping from her chair to give her friend a warm hug. The boy couldn't stop his face from blushing hardly from feeling the warm touch with the blue haired owner of his heart. In order to hide his blush, he tightened the hug so she couldn't see his face until he managed to and let go of her.

"Wybie!" Cried Mel from the kitchen, she had the phone in her hand. "Your grandma tells you to come back!" She then hanged up the phone.

"Oh…"Coraline looked away from him "I-I guess you have to go" she stuttered playing with her hair.

"I'm sorry, Jonesy" The boy apologized sighing "Sometimes I wished my grandma wasn't so…"

"Protective?" Coraline finished, smiling, now looking deep in his green, olive eyes.

"Not precisely" Wybie answered "What I had in mind was more like an insult, but lets leave it like that" Coraline grinned then kissed him on his cheek gently.

"Thanks for the present Wybie" Coraline said not noticing the glowing red in Wybie's face he had tried to hide that blush so badly, and failed miserably. He then greeted and left the house, half cursing his grandma and jet thanking god for that little moment in heaven.

Coraline sat down in a sofa and stared down at the statuette her friend had given her, she saw the position the figurines were in: They were holding hands, and the cheeks of both were painted a little red, compared to their hands and usual pale skin. Made on purpose or not, it made her wonder what that red color she had said Wybie glow with that feeling stone meant.

"It seems there's love in the air" teased Miriam, for the first time alone. April was in the kitchen with everyone else.

"What?" Coraline blushed, instantly standing up and leaving the statuette on a table "Of course not?"

Miriam somehow got the feeling that Coraline had gotten it all wrong; she could see the obvious feeling the boy had towards Coraline. But Coraline's reaction was more like if she liked him too, but didn't notice about him yet.

"Coraline, don't lie, you know the truth" said Miriam. Hearing her say her name right made her understand she was serious.

"Fine" Coraline sighed "Maybe I like him a little" she confessed "But it's not the big deal"

"Why haven't you told him yet?" Miriam asked, intrigued as any old woman would about love novels.

"Because I'm not sure what'd happen, I don't know how he feels" Coraline replied, looking down. Miriam raised an eyebrow

'Oh, Coraline. How obvious do you need it to be?' The old woman thought. She then remembered Coraline's love for adventure as she saw her everyday exploring the forest. "Now you have something that'll help you know" She said pointing the feeling stone in Coraline's chest.

"But what does red mean?" Coraline asked

"Who knows?" Miriam replied instead of simply saying 'love, duh' "It could be anger, it could be love, it could be anything. It's different for everyone. The color everyone sees through that stone is always relative, even when the feeling is the same"

"Guess I have something to do now" Coraline smiled looking at her stone. "It'll take me time to decipher it, but maybe I could find the color pattern".

I know, i'm making it way too obvious, right? well, hope you liked it. It's been a good practice for my writing. I'm spanish and this is the

second story i ever wrote in english :P Please rate and coment