Chapter One
(Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Thanks for clicking on my first fanfiction about Coraline! Yes, there will be very little mentioning about Coraline and the canon characters. I'm very sorry about that. However, I hope you still enjoy my story anyway!)
Inside was musty, crowded. I could barely move as I occasionally crossed the narrow path to the bathroom. The four hour ride on the plane was dreadful, and I was pretty sure that I wasn't the only one who thought of it that way.
A few days ago, my Mother told me that she and her boyfriend would be going on a business trip. Usually, I was pretty upset every time my affectionate small family would leave for almost a month on a trip, but this time I wasn't.
At the end of summer, I knew that I was going to Ashland, Oregon to visit my Dad and his second wife, Mary. I was elated, but also nervous at the same time. During the entire time of packing up and rushing to the airport, my stomach felt queasy with uneasiness. What if my Dad forgot about me? What if Mary doesn't like me? Who knows if their son could be a spoiled brat or not? So many negative questions bubbled in my head that I was asked by someone behind me if I was scared.
Turning around, I shook my head, laughing nervously. That was very childish of me. I was twelve, and I couldn't be acting like a five year old anymore.
I knew now that by getting a kiss on the cheek from mother meant that this was the last time that I would be seeing her until August. Eighty Six whole days to spend time with my Dad before school would start again. What will I be doing with Father? Will there be any games there?
The ride on the plane was uncomfortable- with three flight delays due to severe thunderstorms, and a fat woman who wouldn't stop complaining about the old couple seated behind her. I immediately regretted it when I said that riding on Airplanes would be awesome. Apparently, a four hour trip from Dallas to Oregon isn't as easy as I'd hoped.
Finally, the Plane landed. My chest felt tight, and my heart slowly sunk into my stomach as the giant machine landed on the slick road with a jerk.
Soon enough, I was inside of the airport, having to go through yet another hour of securing my stuff, making sure that I wasn't hiding bombs or ten thousand dollars cash. As I dragged my things around the airport, my eyes caught sight of a slender, but familiar figure. He was wearing a trench coat, along with a large hat that somehow fit well on his matted head.
Freckles speckled under the sunlight all over his face, and his blue eyes gleamed with jubilance as I ran to him. "Daddy!" I exclaimed, embracing in his warm hugs.
I clenched my eyes shut as Dad spun me around. But, I didn't care, even if people were staring at us at the moment.
After putting me down, Dad decided to rub my head.
"How's my chest nut Tina doing?" He teased, rummaging through my chest-nut colored hair. I rolled my eyes and punched him softly on the shoulder.
"I guess I'm fine." I said, "But I'm starving!"
"Well, how about I take you to something to eat on the way home?" Dad suggested, kneeling down to me.
I giggled, and then nodded. Dad grabbed my hand for the first time for six years. At first, I tensed, feeling uncomfortable about holding his hand. Then, I relaxed when I realized who I was talking to.
Dad walked me to his black SUV, talking about the events that we were going to do this summer. However, I was so wrapped up in my mind that I wasn't even paying attention to what he was saying. As soon as I hauled myself into the backseat of the truck, I realized that my adventurous summer was only beginning.
I gazed out of the window as Dad steered the wheel across the highway. Gray clouds from an earlier rain storm hovered over another area far away. The rest of the sky was blue, with white puffy clouds scuttling across the air. The roads were wet, and Dad and I had to go through some traffic.
I turned towards Dad, who was concentrating intently on the road. "Where are Mary and Joseph?" I asked.
"They're at home." Dad replied, never taking his eyes off the road. "Mary's preparing for a very special dinner. She's very talented! You will like her a lot. She's beautiful, a great mother… "She even has a talent of singing! I tried convincing her to become a singer at Hollywood, but she says that…"
I frowned at the way Dad talked about Mary. They were married, but it made me feel uncomfortable- even a little sick to that subject. When I was three, Mom and Dad went through a rough divorce. Actually, it wasn't a divorce, more like a spending time apart. During that time, he met Mary at the bar, and that was when they took off together, leaving me with my mom for eleven years.
"Daddy, why are you leaving?" I always asked, but Dad never answered. What did I know? I was only a toddler then.
Soon, it was dusk. The clouds had burned into a bright shade of pink, slowly ascending into dark grey. The weatherman had predicted clear skies for the night and tomorrow; a perfect day to probably go swimming or something.
For the entire drive, Dad went from lovey-dovey talk about Mary, to bragging about his six year old son.
"You will love him!" he said. "He's very sweet, with a cute little smile that reminds me just of you!"
By now, we were out in the country. The road was dark and gloomy without all of the crowds of noisy cars coming through. Although I liked it, it was eerily silent out on the road. My stomach wrenched all of a sudden. I wanted to get to that house- whatever it was called, just so I could go to sleep.
"You see that, Tina?" Dad snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked out of the window, and saw a huge glowing neon green sign that clearly read 'The Tasty Diner.' It was so bright that I had to cover my eyes with my hands for a few seconds before adjusting.
"That is where I usually eat on a Saturday night. They make the best seasoned fries in Oregon." Dad explained.
"How far is Ashland?" I asked, caring much less about the seasoned fries.
Dad checked his watch, and then glanced at me. "About a half an hour or so… If we're lucky" He replied, steering the car on the curving road.
As the car neared the Café, the building revealed itself. It was a simple glass building, with cars crowding around the lit up restaurant. A patio was displayed at the front yard, its lights beaming as if welcoming us. On the sign, there was a woman dressed in pink, along with a white apron and a hat, and she was holding a giant cheeseburger on top.
Dad opened the door for me and led me inside. A cold wind blew into me, sending a chill down my spine. It was a little quiet, except for the soft rock and roll music that echoed around the restaurant.
Four men were sitting at the counter, giving brief curious glances, but immediately went back to talking. A woman suddenly stood in front of us with a pen and notepad. Those were the only people that were there besides us.
"Welcome to The Tasty Diner, how may I serve you?" She greeted bluntly.
"My daughter and I will like a seat outside at the Patio." Dad said, smiling.
The hunched up lady took notes as if she was documenting our lives, staring at me the entire time.
"Okay, you can sit outside at the Patio. I will get a Waiter…" The old lady mumbled, gesturing us outside.
I was looking at the Menu, my brown eyes wandering at the various types of food. I put the menu down after deciding what I wanted and stared at my Dad. This will probably be the last time where I would be spending alone time with him.
"So Dad," I began, "What is Pink Palace like?"
Dad placed his menu down and looked at me. "Pink Palace is actually an apartment, a huge one indeed. My family and I live down the Basement.
"No one else currently a life at Pink Palace except for the Landlady- She's a Crabby one, but has a soft side for children- if you don't get on her bad side." He laughed at his own joke. However, I didn't even grin.
"Usually, it's cloudy in winter, but there's also plenty of sunshine in the summer." Dad continued.
"That's good." I added. Dad nodded in agreement.
Then, I remembered someone telling me earlier on the plane about the Pink Palace.
"Dad, do you believe in ghosts?" I asked.
"What makes you think I believe in that non-sense?"
I frowned at Dad's firm answer. I guess I would take it as a no. But, I continued.
"Well, someone from Oregon told me that there is a ghost that haunts Pink Palace Apartments." I explained.
Dad's eyes furrowed that face he made every time something was wrong.
"And, who told you that, exactly?" Dad asked.
I shrugged. "I don't know."
Although I could tell that Dad had relaxed, his eyes narrowed. "All that my wife and I know is that this house had been isolated for more than twenty years, except for the Landlady." Dad explained. "We rented the basement, where Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, two retired actresses, lived before they died."
I grimaced at the thought of their deaths. Were they murdered? Perhaps eaten? When Dad noticed, he rolled his eyes and said, "Calm down, Tina. They died of natural causes. There's nothing to worry about." I nodded my head, slowly relaxing.
After eating a cheeseburger, along with a huge bowl of seasoned fries, Dad and I were back on the road again.
I closed my eyes just so I wouldn't see the darkness ahead of us. I thought about what the Pink Palace apartments would look like. I imagined a pink brick building with three floors and a basement, a Crabby old lady living on the roof while we lived down the basement. To be honest, I cringed at the thought. I didn't like the idea of living at some pink crammed apartment while some landlady tries to falsely collect our money.
I opened my eyes, and nearly gasped. Right in front of me, a huge white claw waned over the horizon. Stars twinkled in the sky brighter than it ever did back in Dallas. Trees stood out black as night against the moonlight. My mouth gaped open at such a wonderful sight. When Dad noticed, he nudged me, telling me it was always like this on a clear night.
I watched the hills loop and disappear, revealing of what seemed to be a large mansion. As the vehicle neared it, the house seemed to grow bigger every second. Finally, when we reached the bottom of the hill, my mouth gaped wider in awe. On the old wooden sign, which was marked by mold, it read 'Pink Palace Apartments.' Standing on top of a small, marshy hill was a humongous mansion. Most of was colored pink, along with pastel white borders, which was tarnished over by black mold, and overgrowing vines and plants. It was at least three floors high, with a castle-like roof that pointed high up at the sky. The only thing that was totally out of place was the stairs, which led straight up to the third floor.
I gulped uneasily as I saw a woman in the distance. She was wearing sandals, a T-shirt, and shorts that went all the way below her knees. Her long black hair was tied to a ponytail, and her green eyes glinted with excitement as the car pulled into a stop. Standing beside her was a kid, very short. He was about six years old or so, and he held the biggest smile. Like me, he had chestnut hair, but it seemed as if he got his pale skin and green eyes from his mother. I immediately knew who these people were- Mary and Joseph.
The thing was, Mary looked oddly familiar. It was as if I'd seen her many times before. As I climbed out of the truck, Mary walked towards me with a smile on her face, saying, "Tina! I missed you so much!"
(A/N: Here you go! My very first chapter. I really hope you liked it, and looking foward to more chapters (:)