Chapter Text
Coraline walked through her dusty house, the one she had moved into 5 years earlier. The memories of her experience in the Other House still haunted her nightmares, and she still couldn't be around bugs anymore, but mostly the wounds had healed. She had to have many talks with her parents, but they slowly got better at being present.
Now they had family dinner at least 4 times a week, her mom took breaks from editing to knit, which she had become obsessed with, and her dad finally got an upgrade from his stone-age computer, so he could write faster and spend more time with them. His cooking had gotten better too. Coraline’s parents still had their faults of course, but mostly she liked the fact that they were relaxed about rules. In fact, she had almost none. She technically had a curfew, but her parents both went to bed at 9 every night, and she had to be home at 12. So it was practically the easiest thing in the world to ignore.
Coraline’s middle school had sucked, just like she thought it would, but high school was turning out better. Her high school didn’t have those ugly uniforms, so she could wear what she wanted, and she actually had friends. She and Wybie hung out with some other kids who identified as ‘outcasts’. They all ignored whenever people pointed out that, since they were a group, they technically weren’t outcasts. They all liked being edgy and cool. Well, except Wybie. He was the group’s sunshine, and the others had been hesitant when Coraline insisted on bringing him along. They were best friends after all, and Coraline would never leave him in the dust. But just like she thought, he grew on them. They all started to appreciate him for the break in the grey that he was. Especially because he had a tendency to bring snacks.
Coraline spent most of her time reading scary stories, watching scary movies or shows, and exploring abandoned or creepy places with her friends. They had an unofficial group going, made up of her, who acted as the expert on all things horror, Wybie, who usually kept things from getting too scary as well as fending off hunger, Spencer, who was a total ghost nerd and constantly spouted facts about different types of hauntings, his girlfriend Vee, whose father was the chief of police and was the main reason they hadn’t been arrested for trespassing yet, and Nick, who always got way too into the backstories of whatever place they were going. Especially the gory parts. They were really fun to hang out with, along with her other few friends that weren’t into the ghost stuff.
Coraline thought about all of this as she gently ran her hand over the big wooden door that now never went anywhere. And she had checked. It was weird to look back on all of those fears and worries that brought her to that place to begin with, and how happy she was now. All of those things dissipated like mist. She smiled and headed out of the room, grabbing her coat and boots and putting them on quickly. Her mom glanced from the kitchen table for only a second, waving at her. Coraline waved back, even though her mom was focused on editing again, and headed out the door, closing it firmly behind her.
She saluted the mice that were scurrying up the stairs to Mr. B’s apartment, and scratched the cat’s ears as she passed. He hopped down off of the wall he was perched on to follow behind her slowly. Coraline started down the path that would lead her to their newest find. Wybie had offered her a ride on his motorcycle, but she declined. She liked walking. Fresh air felt good. She made it to the clearing where the old well lived, and she gave it a good glare. She never failed to do so, even after all these years.
Everyone was there, and they had quickly begun to explore the decrepit old shack, scaring each other and closely examining every sound. They had found an old locket which Spencer insisted was haunted by at least three ghosts. He took it to add to his collection of haunted objects.
They were sitting down in what seemed to be a sort of divination room, the floor was covered with moth-eaten pillows and cushions, the ceiling was painted with the night sky to view constellations, and the bookshelves were filled with very old copies of all sorts of ritualistic books and numerous packs of tarot cards.
Wybie had brought out the snacks, and everyone was eating as Nick told them about the crazy chick who used to live in the house.
“She used to perform ghost rituals all the time. Insisted she was buried with her ouija board. That's probably why this place is so full of spirits, she was mega lonely and so invited dozens of them to live here. Rumor says she was driven so mad with her love of two of them that she hanged herself to be with them. No sign of her ghost though.” He moved his hands animatedly as he talked, sparks in his eyes. The group winced.
“That’s brutal. Poor lady, being in love with someone she can never be with,” Vee said sadly. Spencer squeezed her hand and she rested her head on his shoulder.
Wybie snorted.
“I wouldn’t feel bad for her, she had a ghost harem waiting for her in the afterlife. She was living the dream.”
Everyone laughed, except Vee, who stink-eyed him while fighting back a smile. Nick stood up and rested his hand on one of the books on the nearest shelf.
“I also heard a rumor that she had a secret gateway to the Other Side. This is supposed to lead to it.” He grinned at them and took out the book. Only it didn't come out all the way. It tilted back a few inches, then stopped. He let go, and it slid back to its place, the bookshelf sliding to the side.
Vee rolled her eyes.
“That’s the most cliche thing I’ve ever seen. No creativity with this lady,” she scoffed.
Coraline was frozen in place as she saw what was behind the shelf. A large wooden door. It resembled the one in her house almost perfectly. She felt Wybie grab her hand and pull her closer to him. She felt his warmth dimly, but panic had flooded her.
“Nobody open it.” She heard Wybie’s voice say. The others questioned him. Coraline had told them all about what had happened to her when she was 11, but she got the feeling nobody truly believed her. After all, it seemed like something out of a movie. Probably one of those clay stop-motion ones. But Wybie knew, and her panic was clear on her face. Nick pulled the book again and the shelf slid back into place.
Suddenly, the world came back into focus, color flooding her again as she realized she was shaking. Wybie still held her close. The others were looking at her, their faces a combination of confused, worried, and annoyed.
“Coralie, you okay?” Nick asked. His face was the most worried, and there was no trace of annoyance, unlike the others. Coraline nodded, but she was unconvincing. Nick nodded slowly. But then Spencer spoke up.
“Why’d you freak? That door was cool, and there could’ve been weird stuff behind it.”
“Yeah! You know that Other World stuff isn’t… real… right?” Vee chimed in. Spencer and her were both looking confused and concerned, but Vee looked annoyed too. Wybie’s grip on her hand tightened.
“Shut up. It was real, I was there. And even if it wasn’t, can’t you see how freaked out she was? Is?”
Coraline shivered and stood, brushing the dust from her clothes. Wybie was right behind her as she walked away from the house, their hands still clasped. They didn’t speak for a long time. Wybie always had a sense for what she needed, and without her saying a word he handed her the extra helmet that had her name painted on it, and scooted up on his motorcycle so there was room for her.
They started on the road to her house, and Coraline watched as night fell and the moon began rising. Wybie must’ve seen it too, because he sped up. Coraline rested her head on his back, gratefulness rising in her. Wybie understood her better than anyone else.