Return To The 'Other World'
Chapter 1
"It Might Be Fun"
[[OC- This story was created by two Coraline Roleplayers. Me, as a Coraline Jones, and a good friend of mine, as a Wybourne Lovat. We do not own CORALINE. CORALINE is owned by Neil Gaiman, LAIKA, Henry Selick, and all other respected owners.]]
There wasn't a single day that this neighbor kid found himself riding along by the Pink Palace. Now that he and Coraline had set things straight with his grandmother about what all had happened, the old lady finally began letting him visit his little blue haired friend. His motor bike also took him by the well, frequently. Perhaps his curiosity was more than enough to lead him there, wondering what all really happened behind that little door Coraline had once shown him when explaining about this 'Other World.' Of course, at that time, Wybie didn't believe her. It wasn't until after his grandmother had shown him a picture of her and her twin sister that had gone missing, did Wybie finally believe Coraline. Stalking her to the well, it was only further proven that he had been wrong to call her crazy after she was so randomly attacked by some kind of metal hand.
Now, Wybie sat on his little bike, the mask he usually wore sat on his head but was pulled back to reveal his face. He looked up, silently, at the door to the Pink Palace, the door that would lead him into Coraline's apartment. He knew they weren't the greatest of friends, but perhaps with their history, she'd be willing to come and give him some company. However much he wanted to walk up those steps and ask though, he couldn't bring himself to get off the bike. Instead, he looked around searching for some kind of excuse to give her, so it didn't look like he needed the company.
Coraline sat on the left side of her bed; the side that faced the window which shows the outside world. Looking out of the window, her brown hues gleamed in the sunlight. Yes, sunlight. Surprisingly, today, the area around the Pink Palace was engulfed in the light of the sun, which was usually hidden behind ominous, hovering clouds. Taking a deep breath, and releasing her breath a few seconds later into a small smile, Coraline began to think of what she had gone though. The new move. The, 'Other World.' All of the seemingly crazy, unbelieveable things that she had witnessed and exprerienced. Now knowing, that in the end, Coraline wouldn't have been able to defeat the Other Mother without the help of a good friend. Wybourne Lovat. Sure, he could be annoying at times, and could be a bit cocky, but he wasn't as bad as she had thought he was when he and Coraline had first met.
Now that things were cleared up with Wybie's grandmother, Coraline was just relieved to know that all of the amazing, crazy nightmare, was now over. Well, today was a new day, and Coraline wasn't going to waste the hours remembering past events, and pondering future events. She wanted to go outside, and go explore, like she usually does. It's just the way she is. She couldn't help it, and she didn't deny it. Coraline loved it. Standing, she walked to her nightstand, and grabbed her orange and green gloves. She grabbed and put on her yellow raincoat, and exited her room. Heading for the front door of the house, she called out to her mother and father, who today were working on their individual computers on next year's gardening catilogs. "Mom! Dad! I'm going out for a while! I'll be back soon! I won't be late, promise!"
Waiting for a response from her parents at the main door, Coraline heard nothing. Her parents were VERY busy with their new yearly Gardening Catologs. Or so they say. Shrugging her shoulders and rolling her eyes, she opened the door, and walked out to the front porch. She raised her arms, and stretched, taking in the warm afternoon air surrounding her. Coraline smiled as she lowered her arms back to her sides. Looking ahead of her, she had suddenly seen Wybie coincidentally there in front of the Pink Palace. Raising her left eyebrow, she called out in surprise, chuckling a bit as she did.
"Hehe, Wybie? What are YOU doing out here? And in front of my house? What? Looking for me?" She responded, leaving a small, interested smile upon her face, and placing her hands onto to the sides of her body. Caught. Surprised when Coraline left her house, Wybie looked up to see her and then immediately looked around. "Huh? What?" He glanced up at the house and then stuttered when beginning the next sentence, though he case was lost."I wasn't looking for you."
Wybie smiled when he'd seen the very familiar cat sit itself on the porch of the Pink Palace, giving him plenty of an excuse to be there. "I was looking for the cat. Thought I'd run by here and see if he'd come by." From his sudden, stuttered reply, Coraline's smile slowly faded from her face; the creases of her smile forming back to nothing but a straight mouth and a blank stare. "Of course you weren't Wybie." She replied back with a somewhat annoyed tone. Strange enough, the cat seemed to hang around the Pink Palace more than where Wybie lived. He still came by for food and attention, but for the most part, Wybie was convinced this cat was still wild. Even if he did sleep inside now, and wander around the same people as some tame house pet may have.
Coraline wondered. Why else would Wybie be here? Was there some specific reason? Well, what do you know? It turns out there was after all. Coraline intently listened to what Wybie had explained was the reason she had seen him intently sitting upon his bike. Because of the cat. Ohh, that darn cat. So helpful, and somewhat magical. Coraline still didn't believe that she had talked to the cat in the 'Other World' when she had thought about it. Looks like this cat was causing interest between the two kids.
The young boy got off his bike, the mask in his hands now as he fiddled around with it, giving his hands something to do when he walked his way over to Coraline and the Cat. Coraline had watched as Wybie had descended off of his bike, and walked up to her. One hand released the mask and reached up behind his neck to scratch the back of his head, as he looked away. "But since you're out here, want to come beetle hunting with me?" A very happy smile came across his face, instantly filled with the hope that she'd accept the offer, though in the back of his mind he'd figured she'd decline. It was a boy's activity after all- why would a girl want to go looking for beetles? Much less, he hadn't really been very specific with what kind of beetles they'd be searching. Perhaps he was afraid to go too far with the offer. He didn't give her time to answer, because he continued right away. "You don't have to."
Wybie shrugged, looking back at her and then at the cat. "I can go by myself, or maybe the cat might come along." Looking upon him, Wybie was still the stuttery, different one. Coraline didn't mind that. That's just what made him interesting. Upon hearing his offer of, 'Beetle Hunting,' a confused, kind of grossed out expression appeared on her face. She looked over to her right, and upwards in thought, looking up to the cat above. Should she? Well . . Coraline really never had much time to bond with Wybie before or even during the 'Other World' visitations. She supposed this would be a good time for them to even start learning more about each other. Besides, the last time when Coraline had seen Wybie hunt for these wierd, slimy slugs, it actually looked kind of fun. Lowering her head downwards to the ground, she sighed softly. Coraline raised her head back upwards, looking at Wybie directly with a small, confident smile. "Wybie, sure. I'll go beetle hunting with you. Why not? The cat can come along too. It might be fun."
Surprise took over Wybie's expression before going back to that exceedingly happy smile when Coraline accepted. He began talking back, immediately. "Great!" As soon as he'd said that word, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a large metal tong, handing it over to Coraline, because he knew she would most likely not want to pick up a bug with her hands. He, of course also had a camera with him, for picture taking once they'd found a good one. "We're going tree beetle hunting." The smile remained, as he spoke, giving Coraline the tongs. "Those big green and brown ones, ya' know?"
"U-Uhhh . ." Coraline looked out to the long metal tongs Wybie held out in front of her. She somewhat hesitantly raised her right hand from the right side of her body, and reached outward to the tongs ahead. As she had taken a soft grasp upon the tongs, she spoke out. "Tree beetles huh?" Coraline tightened her grasp on the tongs she now held to get a firm grip on them. Once tight enough, she had pulled her arm back to her being, raising the tongs up to her face to examine them.
Wybie tried his best to give an estimate size of the beetles with his hands, and hold the camera at the same time, but over exaggerated in the end. He gave up, figuring she'd get to see one anyway. Thankfully, the day was very clear, no mist in sight, so Wybie didn't plan on using the scope on his mask. He removed that from the mask and placed it in a pocket, before adjusting the mask to remain sitting on the top of his head. He planned on using it later. When Coraline had began hearing Wybie speak about the kind of beetle they would both be searching for, she studied the tongs, turning them left and right to get a confirmed glimpse, she recongnized these tongs being the ones that Wybie originally used when he was hunting for slugs.
Smiling softly, Coraline opened and closed the tongs; just to be sure they worked properly. She lowered them back down to the right side of her being, now giving Wybie her full attention, who had began to finish up his description of size and looks. "Let's go, Jonesy." Wybie turned, partially towards his bike, and to the trees decorating Coraline's yard, stopping only to see the Cat and to gesture for the feline to follow. The cat jumped down from the house and made his way over to the two, eventually finding his way to jump up on Wybie's shoulder to look around.
Hearing Wybie's decalre of their disperse, Coraline immediately followed walking beside him with the tongs swinging up and down beside her. "Sounds great Wybie. Looks like you want to get started already!" She noticed when she had seen the camera in his hands, and the look of intent on his face. "Let's go!" She turned her eyes to the sudden view of the Cat, who had left the premisies of the house, ran ahead of Coraline, (almost making her trip over her own feet,) and climb upon Wybie's shoulder. Roughing her eyebrows, she glared slightly at the Cat with a small, cocky smile on her face. She turned her view of the Cat to Wybie beside her, and smiled, giggling to herself.
A gloved hand lightly brushed over the Cat's head, and in return the Cat purred happily. Wybie smiled, and then looked back over to Coraline, before moving along and going towards one of the more distant trees. Once they'd gotten there, he explained himself, knowing that he was clearly the expert on these things in comparison to Coraline. He highly doubted she'd even learned from that poison oak incident before. "Tree beetles don't like to be around in congested areas. I guess it's because they don't like people." He, on the other hand, always wore those gloves. It was as if he were dressed just for the outdoor adventures, and nothing else. Letting the cat ride on his shoulders, Wybie arrived at one of the larger trees, away from the house, and stopped there to pull the mask down over his face. Switching between lenses, he looked over the tree, and then pulled the mask back, only tilting his head to the side soon after.
Coraline watched intently as she observed Wybie use his knowledge and awareness of these beetles. Using his mind, and his helpful mask, he seemed very interested in this certain tree. She had almost thought if him as some kind of weird scientist, looking for a new discovery from this world. Coraline watched as he moved the lenses on his mask to examine the tree; the same lenses that almost scared the life out of her when they had first met. "Hm." He merely said, which was amazingly little for the mouthful he usually came up with.
As he observed the tree, Coraline took a good look at it as well, looking up and down the tree for a sign of a bug, or that kind of beetle she and Wybie were looking for. She wanted to see what Wybie was seeing, and she didn't want to be out of all the exploring. Wybie circled around the tree once and then frowned. Coraline looked down the tree, turning her attention towards Wybie, whom she had heard him make a small sound of somewhat annoyance. "What's wrong Wybie? Can't find any?" She watched as he circled around the tree about once, then walk towards her until he was almost at her side. She looked over to Wybie with a small frown on her face. Ohh well.
He stepped back a few times, enough to be considered next to Coraline, and then pointed way up on the tree, far beyond their reach. "There, Jonesy. Look!" Coraline jumped a bit from his sudden pointing upwards into the tree, and claiming that he had seen a beetle; the one they were looking for. Wybie was whispering. For no reason, in fact. Or maybe it was to increase the drama for having found one so early in the game. He seemed to do that often. Looking up to see the beetle was well, a wide grin formed across Coraline's face. "Woooaaah!" She exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise and astonishment. "Wybie! That's amazing!"
Wybie stood back, holding a very proud stance for himself, once Coraline had spotted the bug and finally sounded amazed for Wybie, finding what he was looking for. Unlike the last time, when she seemed more worried about getting her own attention than to bother paying attention to what Wybie was doing. In a way, they were the same. Coraline wanted someone to listen, and Wybie wanted someone to understand and appreciate his mindless little gifts. Seeing the smile on her face, once he looked over at her, Wybie's expression softened as he realized how much fun they could have if they actually did this kind of thing together more often. But that was just a small random thought, floating aimlessly in the back of his head, because as soon as he'd remembered, he looked back up to the tree to see that beetle again, and his smile grew back to that confident one he usually wore when trying to impress someone.
The boy walked back over to the tree, and to the side, so that he could see the bug from an angle, tilting his head back to the side as he looked. "It's not that big though, I bet we could find one bigger than that if we looked further away from the area." Witnessing Wybie walk to the tree and look at the beetle in his own way, Coraline tilted her head in a position similar to Wybie's, looking at the mysterious, new beetle in a different angle. He mouth hung open slightly, showing her amazement and wonder of the insect. "Woah . . ." The bugs definitive color was blurry and was unable to see from a distance so high. She was curious to know what the insects color was, where, and when they would find more of these beetles if they did, and just the thought of all this new exploring for the afternoon just astonished Coraline to no explanation.
He said this, casting a quick glance to Coraline, and then turning and pointing again towards another tree further away. "Come on, we've got to hurry. The big ones don't like to come out at night." He lowered his voice and looked around as if projection his suspension. "Because that's when their.. predators.. come out!" Realizing what Wybie had said, her head moved back into it's regular position. Her eyes blinked multiple times, and she gasped slightly. "Wait. What?! Bigger?! There's bigger beetles than this one?! Wow! Well, what are we waiting for?! Let's go look Wybie! Hurry!"
Overjoyed with multiple emotions, Coraline instantly sprinted off of her feet, running ahead of Wybie and to further trees. She stopped at every tee, placing her hands on the moldy bark and raised herself up to the tips of her toes to look as high up into the tree as she could to spot an even bigger, better beetle than before. Wybie for once remained silent when Coraline proclaimed how amazed she was and then darted off. Wybie turned to watch her go, and then ran after her, camera in hand. Coraline did consider the danger in the back of her mind. Her and Wybie were getting a bit far from the Pink Palace, and it was getting dark, but Coraline assured herself that she and Wybie would be alright, and would be home safe and sound. As she continued looking up and around trees, she glanced over to the following boy, looking with her.
"Predators? These beetles have predators? What kind? Do you know?" They arrived at the next tree, and Wybie began answering her question, sounding very calm, as if these were very common questions to him. "Birds, owls, snakes. Larger animals that like to come down or crawl up to snap at anything that moves. Beetles are a good source of food for birds, you know." He looked down at the camera, and held it up to his eye, closing the other one. In the lens, Wybie could see the very curious blue haired girl, and once she wasn't looking, he snapped a picture, before quickly pulling the camera off towards the tree and then pulling it away from his face. "Darn." He said in sarcasm, adding in some mild sorrow for his apparent loss. "Missed it."
He looked up and over to Coraline, leaving his head somewhat tilted as he did so and gave a shrugging motion with his shoulders. "It looked like a big one, but it got away." She did not notice that Wybie was watching her with full attention, including the sudden flash of light she had seen from the corner of her eyes. After the sudden flash, she turned her head to the unsuspecting boy. Seeing his exuse for the picture, Coraline smiled softly and turned her attention away from him, and back to the trees, not knowing that the picture was taken of her. Wybie made his way to stand over by Coraline, and look at the tree she was currently at. "Found one yet?"
He answered his own question with a gasp as he looked up on the branch of that tree and spotted another beetle. "Whoa! The Titan of all Beetles!" Above them was the biggest beetle that was possibly the largest they had ever seen in their lives! Coraline had shown her surprise once again, her mouth forming into a smile of wonder, and laughter of happiness exiting her being. "Wow! That's the biggest beetle I've ever seen! It's amazing!" She turned to Wybie, happy as his surprised and interested expression was similar to her own. Once again, Wybie removed the camera from around his neck and handed it to Coraline, before running to stand beneath the branch with the beetle.
"Quick! Take a picture, will you?" Seeing Wybie suddenly turn to her and hand her the camera, asking for a photographic picture of him and the bug together, Coraline didn't decline. She took the camera into her hands, took a few steps backwards, and raised the camera. She closed one of her eyes, focusing the picture lens, getting him and the beetle together in the picture. The brunette made a face as Coraline took a picture, pretending that he was falling from the tree, since he knew the picture would not have included the ground, the lens being so small and all. Once focused, Coraline snapped the shot, getting a perfect picture.
"I got it!" She exclaimed, giggling, as she began walking back to Wybie side. Listening to Wybie speak of this beetle's potential and dangerous enemies and predators of the wild animal kingdom, Coraline had an even more reasonable reason to search for these beetles! The sun was just about to set over the mountains surrounding their home, and there was no time to waste! Besides, Coraline figured, if they didn't see one today, their entire adventure would be ruined! They needed to try as hard as the could to find another bigger better beetle before they were going to hide or before they were going to get eaten by the higher levels of the food chain.
Wybie ignored the bug once Coraline came over his way, his interests sliding now that they'd actually found the bug they were looking for. It was usually that way with everything he hunted. She had handed the camera back to the boy beside her. He took the camera back, looked over the tool, and then placed it in his jacket, as well as the tongs since Coraline didn't really use them, and it was getting dark so the chance for her to use them was slipping away. He didn't think she'd want to, anyway.
Coraline and Wybie suddenly heard a Cat call above them. Looking up, both kids saw the Cat above them on a branch a few feet above them. Wybie had tilted his head again, offering a smile, before looking up at the Cat that had meowed above them from the tree. The Cat was near the unsuspecting beetle, and was looking down upon them. "Hey there Cat." Coraline calmly said. Her smile faded from her expression as she had realized the time. She didn't know what time it was, but the sun had set, and now the property of the Pink Palace was covered in darkness. Turning to Wybie in a bit of worry, she spoke. "Wybie, it's getting late. I think we should start heading back to the Pink Palace."
His smile faded when Coraline grabbed his attention saying that they should have headed back. Seeing that it was getting really dark, he was surprised his grandmother had begun calling for him to get home. Wybie needed to head back to the Pink Palace, anyway, remembering that he'd left his bike there. Wybie nodded his head, and turned to start back, speaking as he did so. "Yeah, I don't want anyone yelling accusations at me for kidnapping you or anything." He said, jokingly. "But besides that, I had some real fun today, Jonesy. We should . . Uh . . Do something else . . If you want." He gave a shrug, not really bothering to look back at Coraline as he talked.
The Cat joined them only moments later, very satisfied with himself. Coraline agreed. "Yeah! This was really fun. Actually, more than what I had thought it was gonna be. Thanks." She and Wybie walked back to the Pink Palace together, walking side by side. They both were cautious. You never know what could be on the forest floor. And, if you happened to trip and fall, there could be some serious trouble involved. Including the fact that wild animals roamed during the night.
It would only be moments later that Wybie found himself back at the Pink Palace, or rather in the yard of the Pink Palace Apartments. Successfully, they both had made it back to the Pink Palace safe and sound. His bike lay on its side now, in the middle of the yard, which caused Wybie to frown temporarily, before shaking his head. The boy wandered over to the bike to straighten it up, and then finally looked over to Coraline. "I'll uh . . See you tomorrow?" Coraline stood next to Wybie, watching him pick up his bike and prepare to leave. She had to admit, she did have a lot of fun today.
So, she couldn't wait to see him tomorrow. Coraline smiled, leaned forward to him, and embraced Wybie, hugging him softly. Before he could get another sentence in, Wybie had been wrapped in a hug by Coraline, completely taking him off guard. After a few seemingly long moments, she had released him from her embrace, and turned to leave. She walked up the steps of her house, and turned to face the boy. "Hey Wybie? If tomorrow works out good, you wanna come over for dinner? I'll ask mom and dad. They won't mind! Ask your grandmother, yeah? It will be fun! Hehe, goodnight Wybie!" With that, Coraline turned away from Wybie, opened her door, and entered her house.
He was in shock the entire time that Coraline began walking up the steps to her apartment, and then turned to speak with him. He couldn't bring himself to say anything as she spoke, not even to agree, but as she'd turned again to go in the house, Wybie finally whispered, "Yeah . . Okay." He didn't even notice how he was acting until after the door was shut, and it seemed Coraline hadn't heard him at all. That was when he snapped back to attention and shook his head. "What's gotten into you, Wybie?" He spoke in second person, before frowning and jumping onto his bike quickly. Pedaling fast enough, a motor kicked in and the bike jerked forward into a smoother ride. The Cat, however, was not on his shoulder this time, having been left behind at Coraline's again. Wybie didn't want to ask the Cat to come home with him, defeating the purpose of him calling the Cat a feral animal.
As soon as he'd gotten home, announced to his grandmother that he was home, he grabbed his food, and did his chores. Wybie went straight to bed, thinking about what they could do the next day, and how he could impress Coraline. What he didn't know was why he'd acted like such a dork when Coraline just hugged him. He was at least thankful that she hadn't seen his response. Perhaps the shock was all because he hadn't expected someone like Coraline to hug someone like himself? The question were quickly drowned out by sleep.
[[OC- Whew! Wow! This story's turning out to be really good so far! I'm pretty proud of myself and Wybie! We both hope that you please Review! (But NO FLAMES Please!) Should we continue onto Chapter 2? This is our first story, but we can guarantee that the next day with Coraline and Wybie will be VERY interesting! ^-^]]