The sky was dark but full of sparkling stars. Coraline shivered as the crisp night air came through her window. She pulled the blanket around her tighter & leaned into her window seat to look closer outside. Her mind wandered to that night. The night when the beldam was vanquished. This memory came into her mind often. She felt uneasy being in the pink palace knowing somewhere deep in another world the women waited, in a weak state ,until Coraline came back. As Coraline leaned into the window she felt a cold metal hand push hard on the middle of her back pushing her into the dark of the night. Red was the last thing she could see before everything was black.
"Coraline! Wybies here! Get up! Your running late!"
Coraline shot up in her bed & felt her arms, legs & face. Nope no cuts. Coraline rushed to get dressed for school.
Wybie sat at the jones' dinner table waiting for Coraline to come down. Coralines mother yelled up the stairs again. Coraline was down seconds after. He couldn't help smile at the sight of her. They've know each other 4 years now & he still can't control the surge if happiness he feels in the presence of the bossy 15 year old girl. Coraline greeted wybie with the usual punch to the arm.. But This morning it was softer then normal.
The whole ride to school on Wybies motor bike was very quite. Coraline just held Wybies waist tighter then ever while snuggling to him. When they reached school Wybie stopped Coraline short.
"Are you okay, Coraline?"
"It's the dreams again." She whispered.
Wybie hugged her. Knowing how awful they were. The dreams had started not long after the key had been hidden leaving the wicked beldam Locked away. Wybie has stopped asking what happened in the dreams long ago. He knew. They were all the same, Coraline loses to the beldam.
Coraline graciously took the hug. She wouldn't let go. The dreams were really starting to take a toll on her mentally & physically. She couldn't remember the last time shed slept a nice dreamless sleep.
"Common, were gonna be late." Wybie pulled away just to take Coralines hand. Even with everything going on coraline couldn't help but be surprised with Wybies confidence.
School seemed to drag by. Which it always did. The gray on every student there didn't help either. Everything about school was horrible. Luckly it was Friday. So a weekend away & with wybie was just what she needed. As the last bell rang wybie was right at Coralines side. He seemed to put away his awkwardness as he rubbed Coralines back & whispered In Her ear.
"Jonsey?"
"Yeah?" Coraline didn't even look up.
"How bout we do something fun tonight , getcha away from the pink palace?" He gave him a crocked smile.
They had reached Wybies motor bike when coraline answered.
"That would be perfect." Coraline sighed with relief. She hadn't realized how much she was dreading going back to the pink palace until wybie mentioned it.
The ride from school was quite. Coraline layed her head on Wybies shoulder. She seemed so down & unlike her self. It almost made wybie scared. Was there more to the dreams then he knew?
Instead of taking Coraline home they decided to go to the well.
They had just got off the motor bike when cat appeared meowing happily at the sight of them. Coraline greeted him with a ear scratch. The trio walked walked to the edge of the woods. The kids layed their back packs down & they headed off.
After a long walk in silence they got to one of their favorite spots where the trees cleared into a meadow & a small creek ran threw the middle. Wybie wiped off dirt on a near by rock & motioned for coraline to sit. She smiled at the sweet gesture. Wybie is starting to act so much more normal with me! Coraline thought.