(A/N): Go ahead. Go ahead and kill me for not updating in over a week. Or two. Or... I don't even know how long it's been, okay? I've been watching too much Youtube and reading too much fanfic and I'm trying to make the ending not suck, okay? Because no matter how good I try to write, I always think it sucks five minutes after I write it! GAAAAH!

Okay, my panic attack of rage is over. Go ahead and read.

By the way, just so that you remember since it's been so long: Remember chapter 23? Yeah. The boy she meets has purplish-blue eyes.

By the way... I was listening to an epic video while writing this. Try this (remove the spaces):

http : / / www . infinitelooper . com / ? v = yMWgyek6KDo & p = n

So, any parallels to that are unintended, but in there for a reason. I know of at least one XP

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: TRUTH

"Kid. Kid. Get up."

Coraline was jerked awake by someone shaking her. She opened her eyes to look at the person.

When she saw the boy with the purplish eyes, she recoiled slightly. She wasn't sure if she could trust him, not after he had drugged her like that.

"Yeah, it's her," he called over his shoulder. "Sorry 'bout t'needle, by t'way," he whispered to her.

"She bitin' yah?" someone asked. Coraline was pretty sure it was a girl of around the boy's age.

"Nah, not yet. I think you're safe," Purple-Eyes laughed.

Coraline sat up to see three other people walk into the room: there was a girl with long brown hair and deep blue-grey eyes, a shorter boy with sandy-blonde hair and green eyes, and a girl with red hair and tealish eyes.

"Look, kid," the red-haired girl said, "we don' have much time t'explain. If we're gonna do what we're gonna do, we're gonna do it tonight. We don' have all th'time in th'world. The only reason I'm considerin' keepin' you alive and explainin' this is because of the purposes y'could serve."

Coraline was about to ask a question when the brown-haired girl spoke.

"We're plannin' t'invade that prison and free a bunch o'the kids in there. It'd be a blow t'the Dragon's security, I can tell yah that. They'll be on us quick... but there's a chance they'd be freed."

Then the blonde continued what she had been saying. "And then we can strike again. And again. And again. And soon they're gone. We'd raid th'streets when our numbers are strong enough. And then we'd kill 'em all. Slit every single one of th'leaders' necks. And then we'd have our own world... our own free world. We'd be happy. Everyone would."

"The thin' is," the purple-eyed boy said, "we don' really know our way aroun' th' place. If you could tell us a few things, we could let yah go."

Coraline was confused. These... kids, for lack of a better word... had everything planned, and yet they didn't know their way around the place they were going to raid. Coraline was against some of their goals, but the idea of a free world...

Melanie?

Could I see her again?

"I can help you," Coraline told them. "But... there's a problem. I've only seen a little bit of the place, and I only escaped by running randomly through the place. I have a sort of... map, in my head, showing me where to go. I don't know how it works, it just tells me where I need to go."

There was silence for a little while, and then the redhead spoke up again. "We were takin' her wit' us anyway, right? Why not?"

Purple-eyes spoke up. "I can 'gree wit' that..."

"You're comin' wit' us, kid," the redhead said. "Welcome t'the team."

(A/N): Sorry if it's short. I'm writing the next stuff...

AND YOU KNOW I COULDN'T RESIST. XP

Yes, there are a few references in there, including a slightly-modified quote (for the accent), if you know where to look *coughinformationcough*

Oh, and I just added another one... hehehe...

I love references!