A circus, in the middle of the forest. What else was waiting for her? Coraline felt a shiver up her spine as she accompanied Alice. The blonde was greeted by faceless children that almost made Coraline scream. Yet, this was impossible, a man in red hair matching eye, black eye patch dressed as a jester came to greet them with a friendly smile. It was just like the one the other mother had. Coraline frowned, on her guard, doing her best not to shake.
"Alice, how lovely to see you here. And I see these are the outsiders." said the man pleasantly.
"Yes, White Joker, Coraline, and Cat. We do not have much time, can you make it winter?"
"Make it winter?" Coraline was clearly confused, and Cat was curious about this Alice, isn't this world in autumn?"
"Oh, dear girl, no," said Joker laughing "Here, time is randomized, and seasons are controlled by me. Each territory is one season. Only in the time of Joker Season can this happen"
"Interesting..." said Cat, but Joker seemed not to be freaked out by this.
"Ugh! will you hurry up?! We don't have time for this you bitch!" yelled a similar voice coming from his hip. Coraline covered her mouth, rather astonished at the foul language. Her parents, no matter how angry they were, never swore in her presence.
"Now, now Joker, calm down," said White. "I'm sorry miss. Please, try to ignore his mouth. He doesn't know how to speak without cussing"
"They both are called Joker?" wondered Coraline as Alice shrugged and nodded.
"White is the jester, Black is the warden. Nice and rude."
"You stupid bitch! We both are Joker! Stop calling us those fucking crappy names" yelled the mask making Coraline frown.
"I understand, humans usually like to name things to be able to differentiate. We do not need such things" remarked Cat. "We could say, they are two parts of the same brain."
"Wait! the same person in two bodies!?" exclaimed the bluenette unable to believe her friend.
"Well, yes, that is correct. As a reward for this, dear Cat, we shall let you go to winter" said White with a smile.
Suddenly they appeared at the tower, they heard yelling and shouting from within. The place was filled with green and the freezing cold made Coraline slightly thankful for her raincoat. Alice quickly made both of them get in and close the doors. Cat had let himself be carried to be warm. Slowly the blonde guided them through the place till she found what she searched for. There in the middle of the room was a stressed man holding a clock. He sat in a desk, his eyes covered by glasses and dressed in navy blue.
He looked kind of like her...Coraline remembered that her grandmother used to talk about tragedies of the family, how only a few managed to remain. Yet, in 1800's the first Jones, a woman, had to run away due to her having a child out of wedlock. The daughter of the azure race...honestly, she believed it to be a fairytale, but here she was, staring at the one that used to be in the family tree painted in her grandmother's house. Yet...where was the sister?
"ALEEZ HELP ME! CHAY VANTS TO MAIK ME VORGHK ACHAIN!" A man with silver hair and an eye patch practically tackled Alice to the ground interrupting Coraline's musings.
Alice quickly shoved the man off of her, "Nightmare, you're scaring Coraline and Cat!"
"Please, do not make such a ruckus, I need to work," said the man in blue.
The man pouted, "I'm zorhy, heghmit, tut I pon't vant to vork...vait a minoot, pip you zay a ket?! I love zem! Put, I vill zacghifice my dezigherh to make Chay piztghactet!" The three outsiders raised a brow at that. Coraline knew what was coming, also, was this man from the same place as Mr. Bobinsky?His accent was equally hard to understand.
Cat hissed, "It's very rude to talk about your guests in third person while they are present!"
"And also to ignore my request for you to leave," said the man "As this dimwit hasn't told you, my name is Julius Monrey"
"Ah! Zis ket can talk?!" Nightmare stared at the cat in Coraline's arms in wonder. Obviously completely ignoring Julius' request.
Alice sighed tiredly as she massaged her forehead, "Nightmare, you can read minds. This is Wonderland, right? It's normal for unexpected things to happen." Coraline looked up a man looking annoyed.
He had short dark-blue hair, almost black, and a tattoo of a lizard on his neck. The man glared at the silver-haired man, angered, "Lord Nightmare, please stop slacking off."
Julius nodded, "And please stop shouting! I'll never finish my work!"
Nightmare gave them the same pouting face, "Put look! I'm grheeting Ze neuv outziters!"
Coraline scrunched her nose and waved one of her hands, "Hey buddy, don't drag me into this!"
Cat hissed, "And you just want to use me as a distraction because I'm a CAT!"
The two bluenettes couldn't help but look at each other and nodding. "Hey, Zat's meen!"
Coraline stared at the apparently crazy man, who yelled that out of nowhere. Julius stood up as he pulled a dark cloth out of his pocket and tied it around Nightmare's mouth, then dragged the struggling man away.
The other one smiled at Coraline and Cat, "I'm sorry about that, but...who are you?"
Alice pointed to each, "This is Coraline Jones and Cat. Cat, Coraline, this is Gray Ringmarc. Nightmare's subordinate"
Gray smiled warmly and Coraline felt slightly more at ease, "It's nice to meet you two."
"We were wondering if we could stay here till we finish the game." Coraline decided to take the lead, a little more comfortable.
Gray nodded understandingly, "Of course you can. And if you see Nightmare sulking about, please try to make him work! Or at least come and get me. He always loves to slack off"
Coraline nodded, "You got it, dude."
She was already coming up with ploys to make Nightmare work. Cat could only shake his head as he saw his friends' evil smile. Alice had decided to leave, smiling slightly and mentally wishing them luck. Coraline followed Gray up the tower steps to a plush room, Cat following at her feet. The teen sat on the bed and bid Gray goodnight. Being the sucker for animals and cute things Gray couldn't help but leave a can of salmon for that existed here, Coraline had no idea.
As she heard the man's footsteps disappear outside the door, she looked down at the feasting Cat, voicing a thought haunting her mind "Cat, do you...do you think that the Other Mother can come to this world?"
Cat looked up briefly from his delicious salmon, "I doubt it, but I wouldn't be too surprised. There are many holes between her world and others; the one in your apartment may not have been the only one large enough to pass through."
Not really comforted by Cat's answer, Coraline headed over to the dresser and changed, surprised to find that the nightgown fit her perfectly. Coraline pulled the covers over herself, "Well...good night Cat."
"Good night Coraline."
The girl curled up under the comforter, "...I'm glad you're here Cat."
...
A feminine voice echoed through the colorful landscape, "Hello Coraline. Did you miss me, darling?"
Coraline snapped around to see the Other Mother, in her true form, standing too close for comfort. To the girl, it was anywhere. "What the hell are you doing here?!"
The Beldam grinned, showing off her deformed teeth, "Aww, can't a mother look after her baby?"
The teen stood terrified as she stumbled backward, "You're not my mother!"
"CHET OUT OF MY TEGHITOGHY PELDAM!" Coraline snapped her head over to see Nightmare floating just behind her, looking shockingly threatening.
The witch reached out for the girl, "I want my daughter back!"
Nightmare yanked Coraline away and Beldam screeched, as it seemed she couldn't move closer. The incubus smirked, "Zee izn't youghs to take Peldam."
The Beldam screeched as she tried to reach for the terrified girl, "I need you, Coraline! Please, come to me! Please...free me..."
Coraline gripped Nightmare's suit for dear life as the strange world around them crumbled.
"AAAHHHHHHH!" The smell of sweat and terror hung as Coraline woke, panting like a dog. Cat's head jerked up from the end of the bed, "Are you ok?"
Coraline wrapped her arms around herself, "T...The Other Mother...Nightmare saved me...she's in my dreams...how?!" Tears rolled down her cheeks as she let out an uncontrollable sob.
The door burst open as Gray, Julius, and Nightmare rushed in.
"Coghaline?! Aghe you alghight?!" Nightmare ran to the crying girl and wrapped her in a hug, which Coraline gladly returned.
She sobbed into his nightgown, "She...she...she found me..."Gray and Julius looked at each other, puzzled.
Nightmare turned to the other two, "Chay, I pelieve I've mentiont it vons or twice to you. The 'zhe' zat Coghaline is rheghfeghink to, is ze Peldam. Zhe's ze rhulegh of a zmall univerze vith a lot of powegh zat's peen pestering me for aches."
"I see, according to what Alice told me before she left, Coraline had a bad experience with that called her the Other Mother. She wanted to eat the girl, but she managed to get away, that's all she told me."
Both men nodded, wide-eyed. They couldn't believe it, 'A powerful world crosser that eats children? Such a creature exists?'
Gray rubbed his forehead, "Nightmare, for once I give you permission to slack off. But only at night, so you can protect Coraline from...from...that thing!"
Nightmare nodded, "Zat's not exactly zlacking off zough. Ze Peldam is poverful. Put...she zeemed veaker zis time." he put a hand on Coraline's shoulder, "Ton't you vorry Ms. Jones, that nazty olt vitch von't zo much as put hegh foot in zis vorld vhile I'm aghound. Ok?"
Coraline nodded and Cat crawled up to sit with her. Nightmare sighed, "I don't understand why she's so obsessed with you though...there have been children who were taken from her reach before she could ensnare them." Cat arched his back as he yawned, "Who knows why the Beldam does anything. Perhaps she's starving, perhaps she really did love Coraline. More in the sense of a person loving a dog, but love none the less. Or perhaps both."
Coraline straight armed away, "I-it doesn't' matter. She can't come while I'm awake, and Nightmare will protect me at night, right? So...it doesn't matter."
Julius brushed some of his hair out of the way, trying to find a way to change the subject. He never was good with this kind of thing."Coraline, why don't you get dressed? And Alice might come soon to take you to Treasure. I'm sure they will be pleased to have your company"
The girl hesitated before nodded and then ushered all the older people out of her room before changing. Yuck...all she had was her muddy swampers and clothes from yesterday. She didn't know how long she'd be in this world, so she supposed she'd have to find a way to get some clothes eventually. She got her hair in a presentable order, picked up Cat, and went to join Alice downstairs.