Chapter 12: Secrets
Coraline's mind hadn't stopped racing since she and the other kids left the mansion. Her feet seemed move on their own accord as she made her way down the street without even looking up to see if the other kids were following her.
Coraline didn't understand, how was She back? Coraline hid the key in a place where She would never find it. And now, even miles away from the Pink Palace, the Other Mother had hunted her down. How? And why wait for so long? None of this made sense, and yet, it felt… inevitable.
There was a part of her that always knew this was going to happen. The Other Mother was going to dig her sharp claws back into Coraline's life and rip everything apart. She had always suspected that her hard earned victory had been nothing but a momentary reprieve.
Coraline's eyes blurred and she attempted to blink away the newly formed tears. It didn't matter how scared she was. She didn't have time to cry. She had to stay sharp and ready for when the Other Mother came for her. She was not going to lose.
"Coraline," Wybie whispered from behind her, making her to jump. "What was that about? Is She coming back?" The fear in his voice reflected her own and the tightness in her chest grew.
Coraline ignored his question. Instead, she chose to stop in the middle of the street and turn to face the other kids.
"So, where are the Cardinals living now?" she asked in the strongest voice she could manage. "Do you guys know?" She asked the twins.
The other kids stopped as well, and the looks they were giving her caused her stomach to twist.
They were going to ask. She knew they would. Coraline hadn't given them a chance to do so yet. As soon as they had promised Luis that they would convince his parents to come and talk with him, Coraline had left the mansion as quickly as she could in order to avoid their questioning eyes.
She didn't want to talk about the Other Mother with these kids. One, it wasn't any of their business, and two, there was something about these kids that didn't make sense. She wasn't able to pinpoint what it was until she watched them all rushed up the stairs into the attic without hesitation, knowing full well that a dangerous ghost could be waiting for them. Most kids… normal kids… would've been headed in the opposite direction.
The other kids had said that they had never experienced anything paranormal, but only now could she see how obvious of a lie that had been.
Even now, Coraline could see the difference between how most kids, even most adults, would have reacted to a paranormal experience and how these kids were reacting. Most people would be overwhelmed and jittery after a dangerous encounter with a ghost, but these kids looked completely unshaken. Even Neil, who Coraline had pegged as someone who was scared easily, looked unperturbed as he walked beside Norman, giving concerned glances every few seconds.
Then there was Dipper, who had been so adimate that ghosts didn't exist, but then had talked back to the spector as if this were a daily occurrence. Mabel had been even more nonchalant about the situation to the point where Coraline wondered if the girl even understood how much danger they had been in, but then she and Dipper would share a short but meaningful look, and it became clear that she not only understood as much as her brother, but the two of them were hiding something.
Lastly, there was Raz and Lili, who instead of looking shaken, wore thoughtful, serious expressions on their faces as they examined Coraline intensely. She could tell they were trying to piece everything together.
Wybie was the only one who looked rattled, but Coraline really couldn't blame him. This was his first real paranormal experience. Sure, he had saved her from the Other Mother's severed hand, which had been attacking her, and helped her seal away the Other Mother by throwing both her hand and the key down a deep well. However, that had been nothing compared to seeing a real life poltergeist. Wybie liked to live in the world of science where everything made sense to him. Paranormal stuff wasn't his usual thing.
"Hold on a moment," Lili said, making no attempt to hide her irritation. "I think you owe us an explanation."
Coraline bristled, but she was prepared for this.
"No, what we have to do is get to the Cardinal's house before it gets too late," she insisted. "We need to tell them about Luis."
Lili placed her hands on her hips. "Who is this Other Mother?" Lili demanded, getting straight to the point. "You said she tried to kill you and now she's… manipulating Luis? But this is all a trap to get to you? What's going on?"
Coraline sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Look, you all heard what I said to Luis. There's nothing more to discuss, and it's none of your business. I don't want anyone else involved, okay?"
"No, not okay!" Lili snapped. "This Other Mother sounds like a dangerous creature, and if she was able to twist Luis's memories and emotions, or whatever you said, then who knows what else she can do? You need to tell us what you know."
Coraline growled and stepped forward, but Lili easily held her own against the taller girl.
"I don't need to do anything," Coraline said between clenched teeth. "That creature is after me, not you guys. This. Is. None. Of. Your. Business."
"And what if it does come after us?" Lili asks, jestering to the rest of the group. "Or what happens when it comes after you again? What are you going to do on your own?"
Coraline could feel the other kids staring at them, but she didn't care. If she shut Lili down then maybe the other's wouldn't ask. "I beat her once I can beat her again! I don't need some little kids thinking they can help."
"Kids?" Lili growled. "We're only a few years younger than you and I can guarantee you that Raz and I can handle a hundred times more than what you can, especially since the mere mention of this creature makes you cry."
Coraline could feel face heat up as she glared at the smaller girl.
"I didn't cry," Coraline denied fiercely. "And the fact that you think you can handle Her so easily is exactly why I'm not telling you!"
"You don't know what I can handle-"
"Lili, Coraline, please stop," Raz broke in. "This fighting isn't getting us anywhere."
"You don't get to talk!" Coraline snapped, rounding on Raz. "It was your fault Luis heard my name! Now he might tell Her where I am!"
"You can't seriously blame Raz for that!" Lili yelled. "You're the one that lied to us from the beginning and told us you had never seen anything supernatural before. If you had just told us about the Other Mother beforehand we could have been prepared-"
"Oh, don't act so innocent," Coraline said with a sneer. "You and your boyfriend practically ran up to that ghost. No one deals with the supernatural that easily their first time. How about you tell us about that, Lili?" Coraline accused. "You want me to confess what I'm hiding? Well, why don't you go first?"
Lili continued to glare.
Coraline smirked triumphantly. "Thought so."
"Coraline, hold on a minute," Dipper said. "Lili has a point. We have a right to know what's going on with this Other Mother creature. This isn't just about you, it's about everyone's safety. If it comes after us, then don't we deserve to know about it? And even if it just comes after you, we can help."
"Yeah, we want to help," Neil encouraged. "Just like we're helping Luis."
Coraline paused for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. "Listen," Coraline said slowly. "You guys can yell at me all you want, but I'm not telling you anything more. You don't need to know about this because you don't need to be involved," she stated firmly. "Now come on, we have to get to the Cardinal's home before it gets too late." With one last glare at Lili, the Coraline turned and stormed away.
"Jonesy, wait a minute!" Wybie called after her.
"Wait… Wybie, do you know anything about this?" Dipper asked the boy, causing him to freeze and turn around slowly.
Coraline thought about turning around and instructing Wybie not to tell them anything, but she knew if she tried to speak again, she wasn't sure if she would yell or if she would cry. She just needed some space and time to think. If Motormouth wanted to tell them, then fine, he could do whatever he wanted.
"Can you tell us about this creature?" Raz asked.
There was a long pause and then: "S-sorry guys, I can't," Wybie said sheepishly.
Lili's eyes narrowed. "So... you do know something?"
Wybie sighed. "Guys, I really can't. I'm sorry."
The next thing Coraline heard from behind her was the sound of fast-paced footsteps coming towards her and Wybie's voice shouting: "Jonesy, wait up!"
She slowed down enough to allow him to catch up.
Hey guys, it's another short chapter but to make up for it the next one should be out in no more than two days (it's already mostly done, I just need to do a few last minute edits). Now that I'm over the hardest part of Act 1 (which were those Luis scenes) the rest of act 1 should be a lot easier for me to get out to you quickly.