Bella sat staring at the little door. It was true, it was real, it was there; right in front of her. She tried hard to get disturbing images out of her mind; she placed her hands on both sides of her head.
Still she saw the buttons, with blood oozing from them… She saw Coralines ugly button eyes and her scruffy blue hair… She saw Coralines face, a mucked up expression, she wondered how Coraline looked…
Bella placed her hand on the door. It was colder than she expected. She ran her hands over the handle, over the little keyhole… She peeked through, all she saw was black.
She wanted to listen, she wanted Coraline to call to her, and she wanted the Beldam to scream… She still couldn't bring herself to believe all this…
She didn't hear screaming, nobody called her name… But she heard music, beautiful music.
She looked around, her parents weren't home… she was alone.
Where is it coming from? Bella thought.
Bella tried to open the door. Cora appeared, right next to her; he came out of nowhere.
'Follow me…' said Cora.
..xXx..
Wybie sat on his bed… He was still, crying silently.
Thinking of Coraline was too much; he had never told anyone about Coraline, he had never spoken the story out loud.
He felt as though he had done wrong by Coraline, but Bella needed to know… She was in danger; anything could happen to her in that house.
Wybie had meant to tell Coraline about staying back a year… Luckily he had forgotten, that brings back bad memories too… of his parents.
Wybie didn't like to think about his parents, they had died a long time ago but Wybie remembered them…
Wybie was good at remembering things.
He had a strange personality, he was eccentric, that's what Coraline would have called him; eccentric.
Wybie looked out his window, his grandma called him, he didn't pay any attention. He was looking at the pink palace, he could see Bella's bedroom window.
He wondered about Bella, she had run off in the forest… He didn't want her to have the same fate as Coraline.
Wybie wasn't sure what happened to Coraline, but he knew the Beldam had taken her and his guess was as good as anyone's…
..xXx..
Bella followed Cora to her bedroom… Cat jumped up on to the couch, just under the window seal…
'Open it…' He said… Nodding his head at one of the couches…
'What?' Bella asked.
'The lid, the cushion… Lift it up'
Bella hadn't even been aware that she could lift up those seats and store things in them… She lifted the lid.
Two black buttons…
She took the little doll in her hands…
Just like me.
The same.
Coraline…
Poor Coraline.
Bella stared at the doll, it wore the same clothes as she, it had the same long brown hair and tan skin.
Bella ran hurriedly down the stairs, doll in hand… She was going to tell Wybie everything.
