Chapter 4

"All you need to do is let me sew in some beautiful button eyes, then you will part of me forever," she explained. Coraline agreed instantly. It was worth it. Anything was worth it.

The girl tightened her grip on her new mothers hand. She was led out of the room, letting loose a giant sigh as they passed through the doorway.

An old sewing kit sat on top of the kitchen table. Coraline sat down in one of the chairs obediently, as her new, wonderful Other Mother rummaged inside the bag. A needle and thread were pulled out, along with two ink black buttons.

"Now don't worry honey, this won't hurt a bit," the women soothed as she threaded the string through the needle. Coraline was anxious, and held the bottom of her chair with a vice grip.

'It won't hurt,' she told herself, 'It's better than being back there.'

"Ready sweety?" asked her new mother. She nodded in response. The needle went in, and everything went black. After a few moments the Other Mother stepped back. "There! That's all you needed! You look beautiful Coraline!"

Coraline tried to blink, as her eyesight was blurry. She found that she could not move her eyelids, however. They had been sewn shut to place the buttons over. Instead, her vision slowly grew clearer. Things looked duller, and flat with these new eyes.

Her mother handed her a mirror and she looked at herself, the first time she had seen her true reflection since her imprisonment. Her face was thin, her hair was a mess and, most importantly, two alien button eyes stared back at her.

"Now you truly are a part of me dear. You don't know how happy this makes me!" Her mother reached over the back of her chair and hugged her gently. "You see, I told you. I win. I alwayswin." And with that sentence the house started to disinegrate.

"What's happening?" Coraline asked in fright. The walls of the house dissapeared and the trend was continuing through the floorboards.

"It's tiresome to keep this place up all the time," she replied. Coraline noted that her voice seemed a lot less interested than the moment before. The comforting arms around the teens shoulders lifted up and the Other Mother sighed. "Another game done then I suppose." She got up and started to walk into the growing white abyss.

"But wait! What about me?" Coraline called. Her only source of compassion was fading fast. This woman no longer wanted her.

'You're mine Coraline, I've won you.' Coraline shuddered as she heard the Other Mother's voice not out loud, but in her head, 'You're an old toy, one I've just grown tired of,' Coraline watched as she shrugged, 'It's on to the next game.' And with that she disappeared into the white surroundings and the whole kitchen dissappeared as well.

Tears welled up behind her eyelids as she stared at the place where the other mother had stood. Coraline had lost. This was all some terrible game of the Other Mother, and she was just another victom.

The fallen player sat dejectedly in the kitchen chair, as finally she and everything else disappeared into the Other Mother's being.

Coraline didn't wake up. Rather, her mind slowly began to come back into focus. A single thought drifted lazily, 'Where am I?'.

White.

Everything was simply white.

Coraline attempted to look down at herself, but found she had no head to move, nor a body to look at. All there was was her thoughts. She tried to say something, but in this world their was no sound.

'What is this place?', she wondered.

'I don't think it really has a name,' replied a voice. Coraline would have jumped in fright, if she had a body to do so with. A worried emotion seemed to puncture the blank abyss near her.

'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you,' said the voice again, Coraline could feel they meant it. 'I just wanted to talk to someone new for a change.'

'Am...am I in heaven?' Coraline thought to her companion. She felt them sigh.

'You are not so lucky, my friend. This is The Master's world. She's planing out her next conquest now. We're just in her blank canvas,' It explained.

'And who is your master?'

'You probably know her as your Other Mother. But she controls us now, we are just pawns to her.' Coraline understood. She was always just a pawn for the Other Mother.

'What exactly does she need us for, and who are you?' she questioned. The voice didn't respond for a while.

'I...I can't really remember who I am,' it admitted.

'I'm so sorry about that,' she said after a moment, 'I'm C-,' she stopped. She knew it started with a C. But what was the rest of it? What was her name?

'You can't remember either I see. Names are always the first to go,' it explained in a sad voice. 'It doesn't really matter here anyway. The Master will just twist us into whatever shape she needs and gives us a new name.'

'So, all of the Other People are just souls she's already won?' Coraline questioned in surprise. The already trapped souls were used to capture new victims. How efficient of the Other Mother.

'Yes, that's true. I must remind you though, to call her Master. It makes her happy that way.' Coraline silently agreed. Better to keep her happy.

'Where is the Master?' Coraline wondered.

'She's just like us, she only gives herself a body once she has her next target,' the voice explained. 'She isn't really paying attention to all of us now because she's planning.'

'How many of us are there?'

'Oh, too many to count I would think,' the voice answered. The tenor of their thought was deep with depression and Coraline didn't respond for a long time. She finally realized they had gone away, drifting back into the endless white. Coraline slowly allowed herself to be eaten up by emptiness as well, deciding to just let go of it all.

A/N: ...Wow, yes I know. Update epic fail. DX. I'm sorry it's so short, but I really needed to end it here for the next chapter, which I will (hopefully) put up soon!! Special thanks to The Capslock Savior whose comment made me write the last few sentences I had been stuck on and finally upload this! I hope you enjoy. :)