Chapter One – Going to Australia

The sun beat down on coraline's back as she planted the last of her blue tulips in the garden. She bent backwards a bit to crack her back. She had been standing out here for hours planting them, but it was worth it. She walked backwards to admire her work only to trip on something hard but a pair of hands caught her.

"Huh?" she exclaimed as she stood up expecting to be hurt. She turned around to find it was wybie who had caught her and a big rock she had tripped over.

"Lucky I was here huh Jonesy?" laughed wybie

It was five years after the "incident" with the beldam and Coraline and wybie had become such good friends maybe even more.

Coraline had grown into a beautiful sixteen year old and she had kept her hair the same length and colour. She always wore a blue hoddie and jeans and dark blue gumboots.
Wybie had become quite different in the five years it had been. He has extremely handsome and tall although he still wore his big black raincoat (he got his grandmother to add material to it every year so it would still fit him. It didn't look to good but he still loved it all the same.) He also wore dark blue jeans and big black boots with the same silver strips on them as his jacket. His hair was a little neater and shorter and his slouch had gotten a lot better.

"whatever." Coraline said as she started to walk to the house. She hated him being right. That meant she was wrong.

"Oh come on Jonesy lighten up." He said as he gave her a gentle shove.

She pushed him and he fell over but she kept walking grinning from ear to ear.

"Ow!" Said wybie as he got to his feet and went back over to her.

She stopped for a minute and wybie cringed at the thought of her turning around and hitting him in the arm for being such a sook. But instead she turned around and gave him a hug. Wait what? A hug! She hardly ever hugged him only like when she was upset or really, really happy. This was weird for him. He blushed and went so red he felt like his cheeks were about to explode.

"Uhh... what was that for?" he asked

"Because I'm sorry. I'm always so mean to you and hurt you a lot and I felt really bad" she lied as she smiled and sat on the steps outside her house.

"Um ok?" said wybie. Maybe she thought of him as more than a friend! Well he liked her more than a friend but he was way too shy to tell her. He decided to find out what she thought of him.

"Hey Cora..." he got cut off by Mel standing at the door with the phone in her hand.

"Coraline that was your aunt she rang to say that she wants you to come visit her and your cousins in Australia."

"What! NO! I'm not leaving wybie! " she said as she stood up and put her arms around wybie. He blushed and stood there not knowing what to do.

"Well you haven't seen them in seven years. I really think you should go." Mel said really trying to convince Coraline to go. She needed a break from her.

"Well I'm not going if wybie isn't!" shouted Coraline.

"Fine I'll call your aunt back and ask if he can come, wybie go and ask your grandmother if you can go, it's only for a week by the way." Said Mel. Then she turned back into the house and dialled a number.

"Common wybie lets go ask your grandma if you can come with me to Australia!" said Coraline tugging wybie behind her as she ran off towards Wybie's house.

When they got Wybie's grandmother's permission to leave, Coraline pulled wybie up to his room to start packing.

"Coraline I can do this myself you know..." said wybie very embarrassed that she was picking through his clothes searching for stuff to pack.

"Well you don't know what sort of clothes to pack so I'm helping you." She said sternly

Wybie groaned and sat on his bed watching the blue haired girl chuck his clothes all over his room.

"Do you have any shorts?" she asked

"Maybe somewhere, it's not like we need them much in Oregon though Jonesy." He said as he walked over to his closet.

"You will also need a few short sleave tops; it's going to be really hot where we're going."

"Great..." said wybie. He hated showing his skin, he was very self conscious even though he thought of himself as quite buff he just hated the thought of wearing short clothes.

"You'll look fine Wyb's."Coraline said as she stood up ready to leave.

"Anyway I'll let you pack the rest and I'll be back in an hour or so ok." She said as she smiled and walked out of his room and out of the house.

Wybie looked at the mess in his room, "I think I might need more than an hour." He said to himself.

Coraline finally finished packing her things and went down to her mother.

"So what time are we leaving?"

"10:00 in the morning. So you need to get up earlier than usual." Said her mother not even looking up from her laptop.

"OK, so hey did aunt Lilly say yes to wybie coming too?" asked Coraline grabbing an apple off the table.

"Yes, now go and bug your father or something I'm really busy right now Coraline." Said her mother as she waved in the direction of Charlie's study.

"Na, I think I'll go over to Wybie's again. Bye." Coraline said not affected by her mother's comment.

"Ok. But be back at 9:00" Said Mel.

The rest of the day went so slow for Wybie and Coraline but it was soon 9:00pm time for Coraline to go home.

When she got home her mother was still up typing away at her laptop.

"Oh Coraline, I forgot to tell you Aunt Lilly said to tell you that rose is really excited to see you."

"Rose? Oh yea my cousin, one year older than me right? Mm great I remember her... god she was so annoying. She never shut up!"

"Yea that's the one. Now go to bed so you can be up early tomorrow."

"At 9:15?" said Coraline as she gestured her watch.

"Yes, now go!" said her mother as she looked up at Coraline with a very serious look on her face.

"Fine, fine. Whatever, goodnight mum." Coraline said then she ran into her father's study and said goodnight to him as well.

The next morning was very hectic Mel was running around after Coraline trying to get her ready and Coraline was not helping. Charlie was taking her bags out to the car when Wybie turned up.

"Hey there kiddo, give me your bags and I'll put em in the trunk. Also a warning, I'd stay out of the house for a little while longer the girls are, having a little disagreement. Charlie turned to the house and cringed.

"CORALINE GET DRESSED NOW! WHERE GOING TO BE LATE TO THE AIRPORT!" Yelled Mel so loud wybie could hear her from outside, and she was in Coraline's bedroom!

"Uh good idea Mr. Jones."

Soon enough Coraline was ready and her mum was calming down.

"Wybie! Your here!" Coraline yelled as she ran down the stairs and gave wybie a hug. What was with all this hugging? Although he didn't mind one bit... it was weird of her.

"Uh yea I've been here for the past hour."

"Oh I'm so sorry! I was so lazy getting up and I couldn't find what to wear and yea... I'm SO sorry!"

"Haha don't worry, I've been talking to your dad so I wasn't bored."

"Oh god, if really am sorry, haha leaving you with my dad for an hour..." she said as she smiled and gave her dad a hug.

"He's alright." Said wybie smiling and Charlie and winking.

Coraline wondered what exactly they had been talking about, but she was too excited about going to Australia to ask.

Soon they were in the car and on the way to the airport.

When they got to the airport the kids said good bye to coraline's parents and got on their plane. The ride was so long but they soon got there and went and got their luggage at the airport in Port Hedland. They met coraline's auntie at the luggage conveyor belt. Apparently Rose and her older brother were too lazy to get up this early to come and get Coraline and Wybie so only Aunt Lilly had came.

They travelled in a car for about 20 mins and chatted all the way. They soon got to the house and both Coraline and Wybie were awestruck at the big house, it was even bigger than the pink palace. Suddenly a girl looking a little older than Coraline ran out of the house.

"CORALINE!"

"Rose..."