When Mel and Charlie Jones discovered a cryptic note on their daughter's bed, they wanted nothing more than for it to be some sort of sick joke. When Coraline and Wybie didn't come back, even after the sun went down, their fears only worsened. Of course, they did not heed Coraline's warning. They called the police almost immediately. Two children were missing. That's what they'd said. As the proceedings began to conduct a search, and other such things at the police station, Mel and Charlie did not sleep that night. There were two many questions left unanswered.

Wybie got stolen. What did their daughter mean by that? Why did she seem unsurprised that it happened? Why didn't she come for help right away, instead of going after him alone? Why did she say the police couldn't help? What kind of horrible circumstance could have convinced her of such a thing? Why would Mrs. Lovat know what she was talking about but they wouldn't? Was she keeping things from them? Why was she going to Mrs. Lovat if that was the case? Mrs. Jones cried for the first time in a very long time. Their daughter was missing. Their daughter's friend was missing. That incomprehensible thought rolled over their minds over and over and over again. You never think that it will happen to you. You always hear about it happening on the news but it never happens to you. It was a living nightmare.

They did visit Mrs. Lovat the morning afterwards. There was no reason not to after all. They thought about how the poor old woman must be worried sick about her grandson. The look on her face when she read the note was heartbreaking. But then, she acquired a strange, determined expression. She suddenly looked much more engrossed in her surroundings.

"Do you have any idea what Coraline meant with that last line?" Charlie finally asked.

The old woman glanced out the window for a moment. Then she sighed deeply. It looked almost painful.

"I do… I do."

She gestured to the other two to sit down and they politely obliged, seating themselves on a sofa across from her. The upholstery was slightly frayed.

"I have a couple stories to tell you. You probably won't believe them, and that's perfectly fine. Young people are so suspicious nowadays." She chuckled to herself for a moment. "And you're free to interpret this however you want. But at least hear me out."

The Jones' glanced at each other, then nodded to her.

"Wonderful. Now, sit back and relax. This might take a little while."

...

Coraline pondered a lot of things that night, in waking and in sleep. She wondered what the Beldam had done to Wybie. It felt so visceral and real just remembering it. That sensation of his cold, limp body in her hands. But his heart was beating. And She said he was alive. He was bleeding. Was it from a cut? Did he hit his head when he was captured?

Her mind wandered some more. She wondered if she would survive again. No. She quickly threw that thought out. She would survive. There was no doubt about it. And Wybie would live too. She couldn't let the Beldam harm her loved ones. Not ever.

She thought for a moment about how she had no hesitation including Wybie as part of her loved ones. Putting him under that label… it felt right. It was natural. He was more than just a friend; he was one of the closest friends she'd ever had. She would do anything for him. She would do anything to keep him happy, even when she was joking around and berating him. Because he always laughed at that too. She would get back to those happy days before she knew it.

Coraline loved him. She came to accept that far earlier that year. She was unsure whether it was platonic or romantic love, but it didn't matter to her. It was strong, powerful, and warm. That was all she really needed. She just hoped he felt as strongly as her. If- When they make it out of this alive, she thought, she'd be sure to tell him outright. It was stupid that she hadn't already.

Sleep eventually consumed the blue-haired girl, and she curled up in the moldy, cold stone floor. Her dream was vague and tiring. There was nothing but a dark sea in front of her, with waves endlessly lapping at her bare feet. As much as she wanted to move them, because the water was starting to feel uncomfortable and gross, she couldn't. Why was the water so thick and red, she wondered. She wondered. It tasted like metal as the waves covered her mouth.

She woke up with that same tang in her mouth, and realized that she bit her cheek in her sleep. She spit the blood out and pushed herself to her feet.

The mirror room was as dark and decrepit as ever, and it even seemed to have rotted over the night she spent there. Perhaps that was her making things up, or maybe it really was getting worse. Thankfully, when the eleven-year-old turned back to the exit, it was open, as if someone had cut out part of the wall like a cake. Coraline readjusted her bag and crawled out into the house.

This other world's Pink Palace had changed. It wasn't as rotten as yesterday, almost like the opposite of the mirror room's development. Walls that had once showed off curling paper and cracked wood were now replaced with the familiar pinks and purples of her REAL home. Everything looked like it did the very first time she visited Her world. Comforting, yet traumatizing. Coraline was almost impressed with how fast She had fixed things up. She ran her hands over the wallpaper as she walked down the hall, as if to verify if it was really there. Strangely enough, it still felt like wood instead of paper.

"I'm glad you decided to join me for breakfast, love."

Coraline spun around and was faced with the Beldam cooking pancakes on the kitchen stovetop. She was in the stage between spider and "normal." Her clothes were still in tatters from before, but She had human skin again. "Human." Coraline swallowed her fear, held back her tears, and stepped into the kitchen.

"I'm not going to eat whatever you're making. And I'm not going to stop looking for him." Coraline hung back at the doorway and stared at the floor. "We're going to get out of here, you know. I did it once, I can do it again," she sneered.

"Oh. You're being awfully feisty for someone who has a life in her hands." She paused for a moment.

"You ran away from home once, but now I know all your tricks. So there's nothing to stop you from staying here… for the rest of our lives."

Somehow, Coraline felt as if she'd heard that line before. It didn't make it any less upsetting to hear though.

"And besides, even if you do find him, good luck waking him up. He's practically in a coma at this point."

"Hmmph. I'm guessing you're not gonna give me a clue like you did last time?" Coraline shifted her feet around.

"Unfortunately, I'm not really in the mood for games right now. You might have better luck if you get me in a good mood." She smiled in Coraline's general direction. "Be a good girl and I might indulge you a bit." The Beldam then twisted around seamlessly and placed a plate of pancakes at the table.

"...If I eat those… will you give me a hint?"

She grimaced for a moment, then burst out laughing. Coraline despised how similar it was to her real mother's jovial laughter. "Ahahahaha! Ahh… I don't see why not my doll! After all, you won't find him even with a hint."

Coraline slowly eased herself into the fold up chair at the table and gazed emptily at the pancakes. They looked significantly more appetizing than the potatoes from before. However, when she bit into them, they tasted like cardboard.

"Mnnn… what is this..?" she muttered under her breath.

"Hm?"

"I- Uh…" Coraline set her fork down and looked around the room, in search of more oddities. Raking her eyes through the kitchen revealed a few things. The glass on the window looked dry as a bone, despite the fact that it appeared to be raining. Continuing that fact, the raindrops appeared not to produce sound. There was no pitter patter echoing from the rooftops. Then there was the texture of the table. It looked just like her own back at home, but pressing her hand to it produced the sensation of antique, rotting wood and a few splinters. Finally, there was a strange sparkle in the corner of her eye. She glanced up to the ceiling and saw what looked like a strange crack with a brilliant white glow behind it. But then she blinked and it was gone.

"Um… what's going on here?"

"Sweetheart, I need you to speak more clearly."

"It's just that... nothing- Nothing here feels right. Like, actually FEELS right. The texture doesn't feel like what it looks like."

"Well, I wouldn't know much about how things look, thanks to you. But I think everything feels the same."

Coraline resisted the urge to groan in irritation. Of course She wouldn't help her understand. The girl poked her fork at the pancakes again.

"Stop playing with your food! I thought you wanted a hint."

Coraline's stomach churned at the idea. She seriously had to eat all this crap if she wanted a clue. For a moment, she seriously considered giving up and just trying to figure out the puzzle on her own. But no. NO. She mentally scolded herself. Wybie's life was on the line! She had to take every opportunity she was given. Eating this garbage was nothing compared to the prospect of never seeing him again. The hole in her heart couldn't be exchanged for some nasty breakfast food.

It was like ash in her mouth. It was like it was TRYING to choke her.

"Here…" she slid the plate across the table. "I… I'm finished." Somehow, the aftertaste was even worse than the normal taste.

"Hmm. Excellent." She drifted over to the sink and began to rinse the plate. The Beldam always hummed the same song.

"S- so, are you gonna give me a clue?"

"Ah, yes. Of course." She tapped her finger against the metal inside the sink in consideration. "He's on the third floor."

"But we don't have a third floor."

"Hm. What a shame. I guess he isn't anywhere at all then."

Then she was gone. Coraline sighed in both resignation and exhaustion. She forgot how much of a pain the Beldam was. As she slid out of her seat and slung her bag over her shoulder once again, she heard Her say something from behind her.

"If you want to go exploring, I highly suggest resting in your room first. I doubt the mirror was very comfortable last night."

Coraline waited a few more moments to see if She would say anything else, but nothing came.

"Tch. Took you long enough. Jeez."

The Beldam did have a point though. Coraline wouldn't call last night's rest peaceful by any means. Her back ached like an old man and she could practically feel the bags under her eyes weighing her down. She might not take a nap, but a little rest couldn't hurt. Forcing herself up the stairs and back into her room took more effort than she liked.

A part of her wanted to shut the open window. It was still cold out from the rainstorm, although no drops were leaking in yet. But the chill was calming in a way. It felt as if a cool cloth was laying over her head during a bout of fever. Coraline slid her bag under the bed. She then sidled up to the cushions surrounding the window and curled up with a pillow in her arms.

"You two really have everyone in such a fuss back home."

Coraline's entire body straightened up like a ruler and she whipped her head around to face that familiar voice. He rested on the windowsill, calm as ever. The Cat.

"AAGH- I- Holy crap don't scare me like that!"

The Cat simply squinted at her and flicked an ear.

"Wh… what are you doing here?"

"What do you think? I'm here to help. Again." That last line had a rather bitter air to it. "You two have been missing for about a day now, and all the adults you left behind are in a complete wreck. Honestly, have you no consideration? And what on EARTH was that note of yours? Was that seriously the best you could do? Pinning the explanation on poor Mrs. Lovat, how shameful indeed."

Coraline puffed out something between an irritated sigh and a snicker. He hadn't changed a bit since her last visit. He was just as high and mighty in the real world but his ability to speak always exacerbated it. "I thought you were supposed to help me."

The Cat hopped inside the room and Coraline shut the window. "Yes, yes of course."

"How did you even get here? I thought you said the ways between were closed last time we were here?"

"That was last time."

Helpful.

"Right… So they're open now? I mean, can you teleport like you used to or can you only go to and from here and there?"

"The latter, unfortunately. I'm almost as restricted as normal cats."

Normal cats..? What did that…

"Anyway, even if I could teleport, she would be able to sense it. She already could before but now that we've blinded her... Well, you know how they say that blind people's other senses are enhanced. It would not end well for me."

"Interesting." Coraline pressed a finger to her chin in thought, and the Cat hopped into her bed to knead the blanket. "So, did you know about the well and the door being the same?"

The Cat looked away. When he spoke, his tone was icy. "Yes. Well, I had my theories at least. But I wasn't sure until now."

"I just wonder why She didn't use the key to get us as soon as we threw it back down."

"Hmmph. In all likelihood it shattered on impact," he replied bitterly. Coraline wondered what he was all fussed about. "You ask too many questions, girl."

"I'm just tryna make sure we're all caught up. Jeez. What're you being so sour for anyways?"

"Don't."

Coraline paused for a moment. She had never heard him so genuinely upset.

"It's just… God…" Coraline didn't know Cat could be emotional enough to have his voice crack. "I thought… I thought we won. I thought I won. I really, really wanted to believe She was gone, and that after all my failures, I'd finally saved someone. I thought I finally saved you two."

Coraline sat down next to Cat and gently pet him.

"I've been here for so, so long. I've watched all three of those kids get ensnared by that witch. I really thought…"

"Y- you've been here since the first girl?"

"Yes. Yes I have."

A pit burrowed it's way into Coraline's stomach. What a miserable existence that must be.

After a few more pets, the Cat slinked away from her hand and flicked his ears. He closed his eyes for a moment, then gave his attention to Coraline once again. She took this as an indication to speak.

"I… I saw a few strange things a bit ago. Or felt, I guess. Um, first of all, everything looks like it did back home again, but it still FEELS like what it was earlier when I touched it. And that rain doesn't seem like it's actually there." The Cat waited for her to keep going. "A- also, I saw a weird crack with light behind it, but I'm not sure if it was real or not. It disappeared right after I saw it."

The Cat nodded and remained silent for a few more seconds. Then he began to speak.

"If I had to offer an explanation for the first conundrum, it's that She's trying to make things look normal again. Unfortunately, She's either too weak to make the textures align or She simply can't work that fast. So it's not like things are really fixed, it's simply an illusion placed over the whole house until She finishes Her job."

"Makes sense. About as much as any of this I guess."

"As for the other… I have no idea. I'd have to wait and see it for myself."

Coraline nodded blearily. Her exhaustion really was catching up to her. The girl lay down on her bed and fidgeted with the blanket for a moment. The Cat shot a bewildered look at her.

"Mmm… what? Can't a girl get some sleep around here..?"

"Er… you're still wearing your boots."

Oh. Coraline half heartedly kicked her yellow rain boots off and unzipped her purple coat. The house was so cold that she hadn't even noticed she was still wearing her winter clothes. She tied the coat around her waist and flopped back down on the mattress.

"There. Happy?"

The Cat didn't respond and simply curled up next to her under the blanket. Coraline considered adjusting the sheet to hide him, in case the Beldam walked in. But then she remembered She was blind, and likely wouldn't hear his breathing over her own. With that semi-reassuring thought, she let her eyes flutter shut.

…

It would be so easy for him to push his mother down the well. She was right there, standing around like a lost sheep. Her long, black hair had been let down today, and she was staring down into the watery abyss.

The boy was unsure as to who built the well. It wasn't there when they had arrived fibr years ago. And yet it had sprung up seemingly out of nowhere one day.

His mother claimed to be entranced by the thing. It enraptured her even more than the garden. Even more than the forest. Even more than the door.

The boy remembered building that door specifically for himself, and hiding it behind the furniture. It led to a small room where he kept all his most precious belongings, and where he hid when his mother was being particularly unbearable. Unfortunately, she caught him escaping to it one day. She claimed boys his age were too old for such frivolous things, before taking it as her own and storing all her excess sewing supplies in there.

He loved his mother. He loved his mother. He loved his mother. The boy repeated the notion over and over in his head, begging for it to become reality.

But even then, it was all too easy to step up behind her… reach his hands forward… and shove her down the well.

He waited until he heard the splash of water. And then he left.

He was nineteen now. He didn't need his mother anyways.

….

Coraline rubbed her eyes and shoved herself into a sitting position. She let out a yawn that caught in her throat as soon as she saw the Beldam looming over her, silently. She looked almost like her real mother now. Her hair was still a little scraggly and She was a bit too thin and pale to pass properly, but that just made it all the more unsettling. She didn't even have empty eye sockets, just puncture wounds pointing down at Coraline.

No sudden movements. If the Cat was still here, she didn't want to risk startling him awake.

"What… are you doing here?" she finally whispered under her breath.

"Just checking on you sweetheart. I see you had a good nap. You should be plenty energized to explore today. Have some fun while I prepare some more toys for you."

Her voice was dead and flat as before. Coraline thought about how She really needed to clear her throat.

"Alright."

And then she was gone again.

The Cat crawled out from under the blanket and flicked his ears.

"She doesn't leave much room to breath, now does she?"

"Yeah, she won't stop watching me in my sleep. It happened last night too."

"Heh, she's probably paranoid. Good. You should be proud you managed to wound her."

"That's one way to put it." Coraline stretched and hopped off the bed, retrieving her boots and putting them back on. "I just hope she doesn't get too in the way."

"Oh, are you scared?" The Cat did the closest approximation he could to lifting an eyebrow. "The almighty Coraline Jones afraid of a little spider."

"Don't act like you aren't scared of her too! Besides, I can't afford to act out of line now… I'm NOT risking my best friend's life."

The Cat silently padded over to her and looked out the window. It had stopped "raining" during their nap. The moonlight reflected against him, bathing his profile in white. He took in a deep breath, then began speaking without looking back at the girl.

"What would you do if you failed? If you couldn't save him?"

"I'm not gonna fail."

"But what if you do. What then?"

"I… I'd…"

For the smallest of moments, Coraline could so clearly see the boy, lying right in front of her. He was so limp, and still, and…

The two of them remained in silence. The silence buzzed incessantly in her head, foiling her attempts to calm herself. Her frame shivered and her hands subconsciously clenched down on her coat's tied up sleeves.

Hearing a small cracking sound, the Cat perked up and whipped his head around. Coraline startled and followed his line of sight.

Yet another glowing crack emerged, this time on the floor. The two of them glanced at each other and nodded, before slowly approaching. The Cat pawed at it carefully, and flinched back as soon as his pads touched it.

"What's wrong, does it hurt?"

"No no, I just-" He shook his head- "That wasn't the sensation I expected."

"Well then what is it?"

Instead of responding, Cat nudged Coraline's arm and gestured to a small piece of gravel in the corner of the room. "Could you bring that over please? I want to test something."

Coraline complied and laid the small rock cluster in front of him. After a moment's hesitation, Cat nudged the rocks into the crack and watched. The two of them heard a strange warping sound and Cat's whole body immediately perked up.

"Aha, of course! That makes sense!"

"Can you stop saying things without explanation?"

"It seems the ways between ARE opening back up. Very slowly yes, and not where they're supposed to. Oh but this is perfect! We might even be able to… I need to test this some more- I'll be back in a bit!"

The Cat leaped out the window before Coraline could even protest. "W- WAIT! Can't you at least- aaaaaand he's gone, okayyyyy."

Coraline sighed for what felt like the millionth time since she first arrived.

"Well, I guess I can take Her up on Her suggestion…"