So please Read and Review (R&R), it would be appreciated. I've had more fans with this story than anything else :D I'm happy. But yeah, FINALLY...chapter two.
So I'm working on other stories now, and this one wont be updated for QUITE a while...so please don't be impatient...why not check out the other stories I've got?
So Coraline doesn't belong to me, and...other characters besides the Coraline characters do. SO yeah...ENJOY! And remember, Curiousity killed the cat.
Chapter Two: The Plan…
It took some time for Coraline to get used to Wybourne not calling her JONSEY anymore…
He could never pronounce her name right, so he called her Jonesy, but the more they hung out, the more Coraline corrected him...and the more Wybourne got used to it and the nickname faded away.
Coraline zoned in, and heard Wybourne freaking out to himself.
"I can't believe you really want to do this, Coraline…I just c-can't believe it… it's, it's… wow. You know? Wow…"
Coraline watched the male pace back and forth near the well. She thought that if he continued to do that, he'd miss a step and soon fall. She knew she would save him, but she was also a bit worried since the mud could be slippery.
"Wybie, it'll be fine, trust me."
"Trust you?" Wybourne span around from his own mind and was soon back into reality. He glared at her, but she wasn't used to his angry expressions, so it was a goofy glare to Coraline. But to Wybourne, it was serious and he meant it. "Trust you? What do you MEAN by 'trust you'?!" He huffed in annoyance, and Coraline was surprised. She said nothing, and that gave Wybourne time to think about what he had said. He continued to pace, and then he remembered last year how he came back for the doll he gave Coraline. That was the day she explained everything that was happening, but he didn't listen.
She told him EVERYTHING, EXACTLY everything, he thought she was crazy and ran away. He thought she was crazy, and he was proved wrong when he went for a ride on his bike late. He snuck out his grandmother's house, like he always did to get some air, and heard Coraline's screaming. He was proved wrong that night when he saved her, he was proved very wrong…
He looked back to Coraline and sighed "Sorry about the random outburst, Coraline."
She smiled and bowed her head once, accepting the apology.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to try and go back, I mean…I never got to see this 'other world' anyway, it'd be cool if it still existed." He turned his body and started to pace again, letting his dark fingers roll against each other. He slumped like always, and his speech lowered to a mumble.
Coraline continued to watch, soon getting bored, and she lifted from the mud "Wybie, we'll be prepared, so this time there's no way she's gonna trick me." She placed her hands on the sides of her shirt, before realizing they were covered in mud and she lowered them "We'll have each other's back too, Wybie…stop worrying so much," She laughed under her breath "You know, it's kinda weird, you worrying about everything even though you ride your motor bike off road as if it's safe…"
Wybourne gasped "It's not?!"
Coraline laughed, and she rolled her eyes as she wiped her hands on her pants. The black cat; that they both had forgotten about, was looking down into the well with a glare. As if he knew what was going to happen, as if he knew the future. Coraline looked down at him, and Wybourne did the same. They both paused, and Wybourne looked back up to Coraline "He's worried…"
That was right; Wybourne had the strange ability to understand the language of cats…or at least, this particular cat. Ever since she met Wybourne with the stray, he spoke about what the cat talks to him about when she's not around, as if he really talks. In the real world, the world she is in now, the cat didn't speak to her…and normally cats wouldn't, but since anything was possible (she found this out), that meant that the cat simply didn't talk to HER and only to Wybourne…in the other world, the cat spoke to HER and not Wybourne…since the other Wybourne was silent…
She then thought about the other Wybie. Was he fixed back up? She still had the rose she was given from him in her room somewhere.
Wybourne snapped her out of it, and she blinked. Wybourne continued "He thinks it's a bad idea…"
"Well, he's just a cat."
The black cat glared at her, and immediately turned right around, hissed, and walked slowly away down the path. Wybourne and Coraline watched as the cat soon disappeared, and then Wybourne tilted his head to the side. Coraline looked at him, then she looked back at the road before her and did the same. She smirked, then when Wybourne lifted his head back up, she did as well.
She looked at him "So, Wybie, I know you own more of these…gadget thingy's that we might need…most definitely."
Wybourne frowned "S-So what? Doesn't meant that we can use them…most of the old stuff belongs to my grandma, and if she finds out I took her stuff, I'll be grounded forever."
Coraline sighed, and she kneeled back down into the mud, struggling to pull the heavy wooden cover back on top of the well. Wybourne tilted his head again "What are you doing?"
"Putting the top back on."
"Why?"
She looked back up at Wybourne with a puppy eyed look. The look was so mesmerizing; Wybourne thought he would fall into the well. Coraline replied as she stared into the male's eyes "Because…my bestest friend in the whole world won't come with me…"
Wybourne crossed his arms and looked away.
Coraline glared, and she got up to her feet and growled "Fine then! I guess I'll be going by myself, AGAIN! Typical, you're too scared to do anything!" She turned around and began to march off "Seriously! Why do I even bother!? The other Wybie would have come with me! Wybie is just a scaredy cat!"
Wybourne watched as the girl steamed and walking off with her arms tight at her sides. Her hands were in fists as she marched off, and Wybourne couldn't help but smirk. He rushed up to her side, and she huffed angrily, trying to ignore him. Wybourne continued to smile "Fine, I'll get some things…but that doesn't mean you won't be bringing your own stuff." Coraline's bad mood suddenly became a good one, and she immediately grabbed Wybourne's arm and hugged it happily "Thanks! You won't regret this! Trust me!"
Wybourne rolled his eyes, slightly embarrassed from Coraline touching his arm in a way that had never happened to him before. That and he wasn't used to her reacting this way, when she was angry she would abuse him with fits of rage and violence. This was a side of her he seemed to enjoy. "We better be careful, though."
Coraline nodded fast, and the two were headed to the girl's house. It was getting dark, and Coraline knew her mother would be home by the time they reached the Pink Palace. Wybourne was also ready to get home. As they walked, the two planned their meeting to be at three in the morning, where they would bring everything they found with them to dive into the well.
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Coraline sat in her room on the window bench as she stared off into the night. She had changed into her pajamas; they were a navy blue with white polka dots all over. She had on pants with a long sleeved button top. Somehow, he mother found out about her problem at school, and she was grounded for a week…no going outside after school, no hanging out with her friends, no Wybourne, she could do nothing but sit in her room and roam around lifelessly.
Coraline sighed and looked at her digital clock near her bed on the nightstand. It was two fifteen. She couldn't sleep; she woke up at one…something. She was too excited. There was a small backpack behind her; filled with things she believed were needed. She was wearing her swimsuit underneath her pajamas for when they dove into the well, but in the bag she had her water goggles and flippers for when she went to the pool in her old state. She continued to stare out into the day. It was dark out, of course, so it was more of a night rather than a day. Though since it technically was morning-
She gasped when a dark movement leaped against her window. With a thud, the thing backed away and started to poke at the window. Coraline breathed in deeply and calmed herself, finally realizing it was the stray. She glared at him, and he glared back. She opened the window, and the cat immediately leaped inside and started to clean himself on her lap.
Coraline smiled, and then she looked back at the clock. It was now two thirty-five. She groaned.
The cat noticed, and he mewed to her before walking to her bed and leaping on top of it.
"Maybe I should look over the things I'm bringing…" Coraline suggested as she glanced over at the cat. She then shook her head and changed her mind. She was ready, but she wanted to wait until she knew it was time to go. She wondered if she should just go and meet Wybourne there.
Coraline nodded to herself and slowly got up from the window "Alright. We're off." She moved around the room, slipping out of her pajamas and revealing her dark blue swimsuit. She slipped into a dark grey jacket and placed a hat on top of her head. She slowly slipped into her bright yellow boots, and then she slid her backpack on her back and opened her arms. The Cat took this chance to leap within her embrace, and she held the black stray close to her chest as she carefully opened her door and snuck down the creaking staircase. This took probably a few minutes, since each step creaked so loud that she could hear her parents groan from the annoyance. She was surprised that her mother didn't call for her father to check and see what it was, but she was thankful as well.
She made it to the front of the house, and she opened the door and stepped outside into the cool air. It wasn't chilly, windy, or hot. It felt good, and Coraline took in this moment to breathe and relax. Coraline shut the door behind her and ran off. She ran for a long moment, and then began to gasp for air with each step. She wanted to keep running so she wouldn't miss a beat. She was enjoying this sudden rush. This rebellious rush she was beginning to feel. Sneaking, hiding, adventurous rush that made her heart skip probably a million and two beats.
She reached the orchard and continued running, but now she was running in a slower pace. She was in shape, but she wasn't good enough to run a marathon. She breathed heavily and began to slow down…soon stopping for a moment. The black cat leaped from her arms and Coraline placed her now free hands on her knees to bring more air into her lungs. She then began to walk, and soon she saw Wybourne's bike.
"Wybie?" She called in a tired voice, looking around as she approached the open well. She looked inside, then she huffed and crossed her arms as she wandered next to the motorbike and leaned herself against it. It fell, with a loud thud, and Coraline whistled innocently and walked a little away from the object of Wybourne's affection.
Wybourne was nowhere to be found, but his bike was there. Did he accidentally leave it when the two walked home together? Coraline thought back to the time, and she nodded. He left the bike when trying to help Coraline get into a better mood; which was thoughtful of him to care…since if he didn't she'd beat him to a bloody pulp. She wouldn't kill him; simply beat him to the point which Wybourne would have wished he was dying…
But that option wasn't available now that she knew he cared.
Wybourne always cared; she knew that. It was Coraline who never seemed to care much about Wybourne. Or at least she never showed it. They were friends; they were best friends, closer than best friends but definitely not boyfriend girlfriend material for each other…
Coraline got out of her jacket and boots; she let her feet sink into the mud patch that was beside the well. As she let her toes wiggle, she heard movement not far off, and soon the voice called for her.
"Coraline!"
It was Wybourne, and she smiled a bit and turned her head towards him "Wybie! Took you long enough!" "Are you serious?" Wybourne asked as he approached his bike. It was on the ground in the mud, and he slowly lifted it up and started to clean it off with his gloves "You came here early? You must've been bored; I came on the dot because I was actually sleeping…"
Coraline continued to smile, before she turned her attention to the well in front of her. She let her head stare down at the deep endless abyss "By the way, I'm grounded for a week. My mom ended up finding out…"
"Shucks, sorry."
"Well, I know where I'll be everyday after school, anyway." She smirked and made a small giggle. Wybourne noted that Coraline was in her bathing suit. It was a dark color against her pale skin, but he couldn't tell what color it was from the darkness. It was as if against the dark, Coraline's arms and legs were floating close enough together to form the shape of a body. Wybourne took this time to strip himself of his long black trench coat, and he jumped out of his already large boots. He had on plain swimming trunks, Coraline couldn't tell the color when she checked…but that wasn't important-
Was Wybourne built or what?
"Anyway, we should start." Wybourne interrupted Coraline's sudden thought, as he took off his gloves and put them with his other clothes. Coraline looked back into the well for a moment before she walked lazily over to her bag and pulled out her diving gear. Wybourne pulled out a few more things. He had two pairs of goggles, gloves, plastic bags, what appeared to be a yard of rope, a hook at the end of that rope, two flashlights, and small sticks that one could use to connect to the rope so that it turns into a ladder.
Who knew how to do that? Neither of them, so the sticks were useless; but Wybourne was still prepared, so he brought them anyway.
"Alright," Coraline nodded as she scanned his stuff with her eyes, then she slipped into her flippers and slid on her goggles. She took one of the flashlights and shined it on Wybourne's tummy "I'll go down with the rope to see what I can find, then if I come up with nothing it's up to you, got it?"
Wybourne nodded.
The flashlight revealed that, underneath the trench coat of creepiness, Wybourne WAS fit. He only ran wobbly because of his hunched back. Coraline did not hesitate to compliment "Nice, Wybie… I must say I'm surprised." She giggled and turned around before heading for the well "Looks can be deceiving…"
Wybourne had no idea what she was talking about, though when he thought about why Coraline was shining the light on his stomach, he used his arms to cover himself and he blushed "H-Hey…!"
Coraline smiled as she looked around the well. She turned her head a bit and asked "Wybie, help me bring a big rock over…" Wybie got up and wandered over towards Coraline, and when he stood beside her, he asked "Why?"
"Because I know you probably can't hold onto me for too long, or lift me back up when I'm drowning."
Wybourne hunched over and fiddled with his fingers as he looked around the area. Coraline's flashlight lead his eyes around, before Wybourne spotted a decent rock and he lead the way. Coraline followed Wybourne and when they reached the boulder, it was as tall as an adult; it was as wide as what an obese man would look like. Wybourne and Coraline stared for awhile, both having the same thoughts in mind. Could they actually push this thing? Probably not, but Coraline huffed "it wouldn't hurt to try…"
"It could if we don't be careful, Coraline…" Wybourne warned.
Coraline placed her flashlight down in the mud at the side, then she and Wybourne walked around the large rock and began to push. Both slipped from the mud beneath them, both bumped their foreheads on the rock, and both smashed their faces into the mud.
They coughed in unison as Coraline hurriedly began to wipe her face from the mud and spit out whatever had gotten in her mouth, while Wybourne seemed to take his time. There was a slug attached to his cheek, and he gently peeled it off before he set it down to let it crawl away.
"How much rope do we have?" Coraline said in a hoarse voice. Wybourne got up and rushed over to the rope, then returned with it "This much."
"Okay…" Coraline stared, then she snatched the rope from him and wrapped the end of the rope around the boulder. After she tied it securely and made sure it wouldn't come undone, she threw the loose end into the well. The two slowly walked over and saw that the rope fell into the water, and Coraline lifted it out of the water and noted that only one foot of rope was soaked.
"So…I'm gonna have to swim down and look, then come back up and climb out of the well."
Wybourne nodded in agreement.
Coraline sighed and fixed her goggles and her flippers. She got her flashlight back and sighed "Alright, let's start the plan."
Wybourne frowned and nodded again, he then followed Coraline with his eyes as the girl used the rope to get into the well. She was soon neck in water, and she then held up her flashlight and took in a deep breath before submerging under the water. Her space and air were limited, she had to flip underwater until her feet were above her and her head stared directly down the bottomless well. As she scanned the darkness with her flashlight, she saw something glimmer in the distance; what seemed to be a mile away.
Coraline wasted no time, she didn't have any. Coraline kicked her feet as fast as she could and held the flashlight far in front of her to see where she was going. As she swam, she looked at the well wall that surrounded her. She felt that she was in an old tunnel that was filled up by water centuries ago. She felt like she was some adventurous character in a movie. She continued to swim; the glimmering object came closer into view. It was all the way at the bottom, and when she reached the floor finally, it turned out to be a small silver chain. Obviously it was lost for years, the chain was rusted everywhere except one of the links that had caught sight of Coraline's flashlight.
Coraline was so amazed at the exploration, that she lost track of time. Her air supply ran low, and as she searched for the hand or even the key, she saw air bubbles escape her and she was now suffocating herself. She continued to search though, not willing to give up so easily. The air was departing from her lungs, and when she found what appeared to be a small metal finger, she gasped for air. The only problem with that was that she was under water, and her lungs filled up, and her eyes rolled back as their lids slowly shut.
She became a floating pale diver…a failed mariner. She turned into a gentle statue, a mermaid who couldn't swim. She became a fly in a web, a lost and forgotten archaeologist. She became…a failure. Those were the last thoughts in her mind before she couldn't breathe any more.
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No wonder adults were always so boring and strict; they did not want their children to become dead, like Coraline was.
Or at least, that was what she thought.
Coraline coughed and spat, struggling for air as she started to take deep and heavy breaths. Coraline's eyes opened wide to stare into the face of Wybourne. The tanned skinned boy stared into her eyes like he would have never saw her again, which would have happened if it wasn't for him.
Coraline's brown eyes stared for awhile as she took deep breaths, before some water droplets began to fall on her face. She sniffled and shook her head a bit, before she slowly sat upright and cleared her throat. She scanned Wybourne, he was soaking wet with a pair of goggles around his neck.
"Did you save me?" Coraline asked softly. Wybourne shrugged his shoulders and nervously began to fiddle with his fingers.
Coraline smiled, then she frowned and lowered her head in shame "I couldn't get the key…I saw it, but I couldn't get it…"
Wybourne looked at her and cocked his head to the side, before he smiled and picked up something from the mud on the ground. Coraline looked towards him and watched as he cleaned off the item, which soon revealed to be a silver button key. Coraline immediately reached out and took a hold of it, causing Wybourne to lower his hand and look at the key as Coraline did.
The key was black when Coraline last remembered. She continued to scan and stare at it, it was a curious subject. Was the blackness of the key dirt all along? Or did something happen to make it change?
"Did you find the hand?" Coraline asked.
Wybourne arched a brow; before he shook his head "No, I only found the key…"
Coraline nodded, and then she slowly got to her feet. She almost stumbled into the well, and Wybourne immediately grabbed her free hand to pull her back. Coraline coughed a little, still tasting all the water that filled her up, before she wiggled her fingers "I'm fine."
Wybourne let go, and he waited as Coraline got re-dressed in her clothes. Wybourne then did the same, and he headed for his bike "Well, I'll see you tomorrow at school, Coraline." Coraline looked over to him as he started his bike and the lights flickered on "Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow." She sounded a little sad, or…lifeless. As if she went from the loud obnoxious girl to a suddenly shy and quiet young lady. Wybourne didn't like this, and he got up from his bike and walked over to her. His back was hunched like the usual Wybie, he looked around nervously as well, but the light of the world was beginning to come in…the sun. The sun was beginning to slip up the horizon, and Coraline swore she saw a pink on the male's tanned cheeks.
"Are you alright, Coraline? You seem…"
"Well…I DID almost die." Coraline smirked slightly. Wybourne nodded and looked away as he fiddled with his fingers "Y-Yeah…"
"Thanks." Coraline said softly.
Wybourne looked up and chewed on his lower lip "Huh?"
"Thanks for saving me."
"Umm…"
"I would have died."
"O-Oh… no problem…"
It was silent for a long time, and Wybourne cleared his throat "W-Well then, time for me to go. I'll see you at school." He turned around and rushed over to his bike. The black cat suddenly decided to show himself, and he leaped and landed on Wybourne's shoulder. Wybourne petted the bike, before he patted a finger on the cats head. He turned his own head and looked at Coraline as she stared back "At least tomorrows Friday, no school for a weekend."
Coraline gave a small smile in response. Wybourne saluted, before he got on his bike and flipped his mask over his face. He began to ride off into the distance, and Coraline stood there until his bike lights vanished, before she headed for home. She left all her belongings behind; she wasn't in the mood to pick them up.
She risked her life for something she had a feeling she would regret. The memories of her past adventure troubled her now; would it all simply happen all over again? Would it still be there? The other world? Was risking her life worth it?
The same four questions repeated over and over in her head as she treaded on home, mud boot prints followed her all the way home. She reached the patio and let the door gently creak open…before she looked towards the rising sun and made a sudden smile.
"Extra-definitely."