Chapter 4: Feels Like A Family

A week had now passed since Coraline had arrived at the theater and today, she had changed into the modest hospital gown and was laying down on a medical berth while Balan checked to see how her side had healed and he smiled at seeing the skin had healed well. "Well, looks like we can remove the stitches," he said.

"It's not going to hurt, is it?" She asked, a little worried.

His smile gentled. "I'll be gentle, little one," he promised. "You shouldn't feel a thing, but if you do, tell me at once."

She nodded and gasped in surprise as two hands covered her eyes before she giggled. "Lance," she mock groaned.

"Who, my dear?" Came Lance's voice and he sounded amused as a couple of his tendrils tickled the young girl's ears, making her giggle and scrunch up her shoulders to try and protect her ears.

Balan smiled. "Lance," he said, his tone amused. "How can I remove her stitches when you have her wriggling about so much?"

"I'm just helping her feel comfortable," the maestro of Negativity retorted back without heat, but he did stop the tickle torture, removing his hands from the child's eyes.

Coraline settled down and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and swallowing hard. "Balan?" She said.

"Yes, my dear?" He asked.

"I...I'm a little scared," she admitted.

He sat down beside her and gently squeezed her shoulder. "What are you afraid of, little one?" He asked. "Like I told you before, if you feel anything as I remove the stitches, you can tell me."

"It's not that," she said before opening her eyes. "It's...It's that."

She pointed to the sharp tool that doctors used to make surgical cuts and though she trusted Balan, something about the sharp tool made her afraid. She then gasped as she saw a scary face above her own and something sharp coming down at her and she sat up fast, breathing hard and struggling a little as both maestros caught her in their arms.

"Coraline, easy, little one," Lance soothed in her ear. "It's us."

She trembled as she stopped struggling. "What did you see, little one?" Balan asked, sensing the child had had a flashback.

She looked at them. "There was a face," she said. "But...it looked so scary."

"How was it scary?" Lance asked her.

Coraline took a deep breath, her trembling dying down a little as she leaned into the hugs they were giving her. "It was a white face," she said. "Pale white, whiter than Balan's suit." She shivered. "It was cracked, like almost as if something had smashed against it, but it didn't break. And the eyes."

She paused and Balan gently lifted up her head, his thumb brushing over her cheek. "What about the eyes, Coraline?" He asked.

"They...They were buttons," she said. "Black buttons and...the face looked so angry." She took another deep breath. "Something came down on my side, something really sharp. I think...I think whoever it was was holding knives in her hand."

"Her?" Lance repeated.

Coraline nodded. "It's a lady, but...she's scary to look at."

She looked at them and saw their faces were sympathetic. "You guys believe me, right?" She asked.

They nodded. "Coraline, we can tell when someone isn't being truthful with us," Balan said gently. "And what you told us...is far too detailed to be a lie."

"I agree with Balan," Lance said. "And I don't blame you for being a bit afraid of whatever you saw. It does sound quite frightening."

She nodded before looking at Balan, who gently stroked her head. "How about Lance covers your eyes and tells you a story while I remove your stitches?" He suggested.

She swallowed, looking afraid, but then nodded. "Okay," she said.

Lance accepted the child from his counterpart and hugged her. "You've being very brave, Coraline," he soothed as he helped her lie down again and he gently placed his hands over her eyes. "What story would you like to hear?"

She thought for a moment before shrugging. "You decide," she said. "I'm not choosy."

"Tell her about the time your Negati startled each other," Balan said with a chuckle.

"Oh, dear," Lance said with a groan. "I still don't understand how that happened."

"How what happened?" Coraline asked, intrigued. "How did they scare each other?"

The tendriled being sighed. "Well, one morning, the Tims decided to wake up early and instead of going to get Balan up first, they decided to wake up my Negati and myself," he said.

"Lance can be a little grumpy in the mornings," Balan said with a chuckle as he worked to remove the stitches on the child's side.

"Oh and you're not a little grumpy when you're surprised out of a sound sleep?" His counterpart retorted back.

The maestro of Positivity laughed. "True," he said with a nod. "Go on. Tell Coraline the rest."

"What happened when they woke you guys up?" The child asked.

"Well, they pounced on one of the Negati, who got so startled he kicked out and startled another Negati, who was kicked straight up and onto my bed, landing on my face, which caused me to wake up with a start and my tendrils lashed out, startling a few nearby Negati, who cried out and for each one that cried out, they scared the others," Lance said. "It was quite the commotion in my room before Balan, having heard the noise, came to see what had happened."

Coraline giggled. "Did the Tims do that on purpose?" She asked.

"They are a bit mischievous, but I don't think they meant to frighten their counterparts or Lance so badly," Balan replied before he nodded, finishing his task. "Alright, you're all set, little one."

Lance removed his hands from Coraline's eyes and she blinked before sitting up and taking a deep breath, feeling Balan place the end of a stethoscope to where her heart and lungs were to have a listen. He nodded and smiled. "You've made a full recovery save for your memory, my dear," he said.

She nodded before biting her lip, looking up at them both a moment later. "Do you think my family, if I have one, is really out there looking for me?" She asked.

"We're certain of it, Coraline," Lance said with a nod.

"Why don't you get dressed and Lance and I will take you to the library?" Balan suggested.

The child perked up at that as she loved to read and visiting the world that had a giant library was one of her favorite things. "I do have to return a few books I borrowed," Lance said with a nod. "Perhaps we can take you to that new ocean exhibit too?"

Coraline hugged them both, to which they returned the hugs and she headed off, quickly getting dressed in one of the outfits the two maestros had given her. The jeans were black with neon designs like Lance's tendrils and the shirt was red with gold designs. She then slipped on her socks and black sneakers before heading out to find the two in the main theater room and they smiled as she skipped up to them. "Ready, Coraline?" Balan asked.

"Ready," she said.

Both maestros each held a hand out to her and she took their hands as they headed down the hall and to the library. The revolving bookcase had been replaced by a door and Lance knocked on it, to which the owner of that particular stage answered the door and smiled, allowing them in, accepting the books from Lance. "I just got some new ones in, so feel free to look around," the purple-haired young woman said with a smile.

Coraline liked her right away as the woman was nice and when she had first met her, she got a flashback of a woman with blue skin and red hair. She didn't know why, but Balan suggested it might have been the young woman's voice that had triggered the memory, especially when the blue-haired girl admitted that whoever she saw, she felt safe with that person, not feeling fear.

The costumes of that world were there and helped Coraline reach a few books while Lance found a few and Balan spoke with the young woman for a bit before they waved goodbye and promised to return the books soon.

The ocean exhibit was also fun as Fiona showed them the new baby otters and seals that had just been born. The two maestros and the young girl had been so amazed, especially at seeing the other otters accept an orphaned otter pup into their group.

Later that night, as Coraline got ready for bed, she was deep in thought, thinking about how the others had accepted the orphaned otter so readily. It made her think about how Balan and Lance had taken her in and though they were sure she had a family, they had promised to help her and allowed her to stay with them.

She bit her lip and fell deeper into thought, picking up one of the books she had found and looking at it. It was the story of a little girl who lived with her aunts and uncles who had raised her since she was a baby. Setting the book down, the child looked in the mirror and nodded as she sat down at the vanity table. "I wonder how they'll feel about it if I ask them," she said to herself.

Gloved hands rested on her shoulders. "What has you so deep in thought, my dear?" Came Balan's voice.

Thankfully, Coraline had come to expect the two coming up behind her and she tilted her head back to smile at the ringmaster. "Just something I was wondering," she admitted.

"Oh?" He asked with a smile as he picked up a nearby brush and began brushing the child's hair gently. "And what were you wondering about?"

The child was quiet for a moment before looking up to see Lance as beside her and he looked a bit concerned. "Coraline, is everything alright?" He asked. "You didn't see that face again, did you?"

"No," she said, shaking her head before looking at him. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you seem a bit afraid to admit what you were thinking about," Lance said gently.

Coraline bit her lip and sighed. "I...I guess I'm worried about how you two will react," she admitted.

"React to what?" Balan asked, setting the brush down and resting his hands on her shoulders comfortingly.

The young girl took a deep breath before swallowing hard. "Coraline?" Lance asked gently. "I'm sure whatever it is, Balan and I will understand."

That seemed to help her gain a boost of confidence and she looked at them. "Well, I was wondering...you guys have been taking really good care of me and you took me in when you didn't even know me," she said. "You...You guys really are amazing."

They smiled at her and Balan gently nuzzled her cheek with his own. "My dear, we wouldn't have turned our backs on you even if we had known you," he said.

"Of course not," the tendriled being said. "Now, are you going to tell us what's really on your mind? Or are you going to keep stalling?"

He asked this playfully and Coraline giggled. "Why?" She teased back. "What are you going to do if I don't tell you guys?"

"Well then, we'll have to call a certain friend of ours," Balan said, catching on before reaching down and tickling the child's stomach. "The tickle monster, to be precise."

Squeaking in surprise before laughing, Coraline squirmed to get away, but Lance was quicker and both his tendrils and his hands tickled the child's feet, knees, and sides, making her laugh even harder.

"Cootchie, cootchie, coo, little one!" The maestro of Positivity cooed at her, his fingers wiggling all over the child's stomach and twirling a finger in her belly button, making her squeal.

"We've got you!" Lance cooed at her too before both saw the child's face beginning to turn red. Smiling, they both stopped and the child took some deep breaths, a few leftover giggles making themselves known before Balan scooped up the child into his arms, cradling her like a mother would a baby.

Smiling, she snuggled into his hug, sighing contently before feeling something brush over her head and she saw it was Lance's hand and he smiled at her. The smiles they gave her made her smile and she lifted up her head. "Balan? Lance? Would you guys be okay with me calling you my uncles?" She asked. "Because...well, you guys feel like a family to me."

Both maestros were surprised, but then smiled. "Coraline," Balan said, again nuzzling her cheek with his own before kissing her forehead in affection. "I would be honored if you did."

"I would too," Lance said, also kissing Coraline's forehead in affection. "And don't worry, our little niece. We'll find where your family is."

"You have our word and promise as your uncles," the ringmaster promised.

Coraline smiled and hugged them both. "Thank you, Uncle Balan. Thank you, Uncle Lance," she said.

Smiling, the two maestros hugged the child back, seeing she was about to fall asleep on them and they tucked her into bed, a Tim hopping up on the bed to rest with the child while two seahorse Negati stood guard at the door to the child's room.

Balan and Lance looked at each other and smiled. "I hope her family will allow us to be a part of her life too when we find them," Lance said softly.

"I'm sure they will," Balan said with a nod as they left the child to sleep peacefully as they retired to bed themselves.

Aww! Coraline now has two new uncles. :)

Next up: The Beldam's plan is finally revealed.

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