The chapters are shorter now...because I like the suspense and stuff, I guess. Shorter doesn't always mean crappy. Sometimes it's better that way.

Not everything is what it seems
It's never just one meaning
When life starts making sense
The world is upside down again

-Go Figure, Everlife

Wybie Lovat had finally been forced awake, and had the scratch marks to prove the effort it had taken to achieve this feat.

"All right Cat," the boy yawned, "what is it?"

Cat just jumped in Wybie's lap, still holding the locket in his teeth. Placing his paws on Wybie's chest, the feline practically shoved it in his face.

"Coraline's locket…" Wybie murmured, taking it out of Cat's teeth, "why'd you bring me this?"

Cat just pawed at it once more, a low meow emanating from him.

"Open it?" Wybie had no idea how he could so clearly understand Cat's actions, "okay…"

As soon as Wybie open the locket, he swore his heart just stopped.

In the panel of the locket where one would normally place a picture. There was a blurry, blue-toned image, a moving image that depicted Wybie's worst fear. Sebastian was with Coraline, and he didn't look so friendly anymore. All Wybie could make out was that Sebastian had grown into some monstrous form, and that he had hurt Coraline, judging by the way she was holding her arm.

Rage rose like bile in his throat, and Wybie's grip on the locket tightened. When he finally tore his gaze away, he noticed the other panel of the locket, a plain silver plate that was engraved with smaller words that Wybie could barely make out.

Remember the story of Snow White.

Before he could figure what that was supposed to mean, cat tugged on his shirt urgently, pulling his attention away from the locket completely. Cat bounded out of Wybie's room and downstairs, and he could guess that Cat wanted Wybie to follow him. Grabbing his jacket, Wybie raced out after his cat, which seemed to be heading to Coraline's house.

Wybie seemed to realize that Cat's plan was flawed when his pet finally stopped in front of the Pink Palace. Cat paced around the front door of Coraline's apartment, as though waiting for Wybie to move.

"It's midnight! How am I supposed to get in there?" Wybie hissed at Cat, who hopped up to the roof, snuck in through an open window and, after a moment, unlocked the front door.

Wybie just stared wide eyed at Cat, "I knew you were pretty smart for a cat but…" he couldn't find anymore words.

Cat hissed impatiently, and Wybie, coming to his senses, followed him into the house, hoping no one would see him and call the police. Cat led him into the living room, and growled at something as soon as he did. Looking around to see what cat was staring at, Wybie saw the small door that Coraline had told him about not too long ago. What frightened him was that it was open a crack, and a shiny black key was in the lock.

Wybie froze, the memories of all the stories Coraline told her after he had saved her coming back in a flash. The place behind that door was horrible, she had said, dangerous. Now he was supposed to go get her…?

Wybie's eyes became determined. Stuffing to black locket into his jacket pocket, he knelt down, opening the door completely. Shivering as he saw a long, glowing tunnel thick with spider webs and bugs, he closed his eyes and braced himself for what he was about to do.

"I wouldn't do this for anyone but you, Coraline."

And with that, Wybie Lovat vanished into the terrifying portal.

Sebastian was growing frustrated.

"You don't know when to quit, do you?" He snarled. No matter how hard he hit Coraline, no matter what he did, she would not admit any sort of defeat. Her defiant glare was still in place, and, though he knew very well that she was frightened, she wasn't letting him win.

Sebastian liked to win. He needed to win. This girl didn't know what she was getting into.

Coraline held her arm in pain, but her glare didn't waver. The last time Sebastian had wrenched her from the ground he'd done something to her shoulder, not that she'd complain.

"Little girl, this isn't amusing," Sebastian's distorted voice growled, and she was once again reminded of how he had changed. His human form had been reduced to nothing, his now giant, skeletal appearance the only thing left. The Other Mother had looked like a spider, but Sebastian resembled a serpentine monster.

Coraline hated snakes.

"Maybe I should take a different approach…" Sebastian grinned, showing Coraline a mouth full of fangs. Diving towards her, Sebastian's snake-like form coiled around her, completely constricting her. Coraline gasped, which was the wrong thing to do as she found there was no other chance for her to get oxygen. Sebastian squeezed tighter, pleased that he was making progress. Coraline's face, once pale and bloodless, was beginning to turn as blue as her hair. Sebastian ginned that sickly grin once more. Just another minute would do it, he thought. Mother would be very, very pleased.

The only thing Coraline could register now was her inability to breathe, the pounding of her head as Sebastian squeezed tighter and tighter, and so you can imagine her surprise when the constricting stopped suddenly, and Sebastian let out a growl of rage. Turning, Coraline saw only one thing before everything went black.

"Let her go!" Wybie Lovat was here to save her.