His Story || Book 1

chapter six

Edited

Your pov

“Wybie...Wyborn…?” 

I laid on my bed, arms spread across the sheets in thought. That was one of the things I’ve been doing a lot since Coraline showed up. I was deep in thought when my door clicked and opened from the outside.

"Coraline's gone home, so Mrs. Jones said I could come get you for dinner." I opened my eyes and looked at the figure by the door. I immediately sat up.

It was Wyborn...Wybie?

"I'm not actually supposed to speak, so don't tell her, please." 

I just sat there. I could feel that he was only a sand puppet, but I knew he would have all the same characteristics as the real one would.

"You're..."

"Wybie, some kid Coraline doesn't like," he said. He even sounded like him, it was uncanny.

After he spoke, he closed his mouth, smiled, then left. I stood in my place, still shook from what just occurred. That was when I heard Mother calling my name. I snapped back into reality and walked to the kitchen. 

"Good job on staying in your room, I didn't hear a sound from you." She said as she leaned against the kitchen counter. I saw the other father and the wybie from before standing in the corner of the room. She turned her head to the direction I was looking.

"Oh, this is Wybie, Coraline's friend. I think she might have a little crush on him, from what I’ve seen. I might make him speak next time she's here." she spoke. I still stared at him. He stared back, though with a wide smile on his face.

"He's standing straight...he should be slouching a bit." I said without thinking.

"And how...would you know that?" 

I quickly looked at mother "Well...because...humans slouch...they don't stand that straight..." I gave a nervous chuckle and was thankful when she agreed.

"Yes...Wybie, slouch, we want everything to be perfect. Thank you, (y/n)." 

Relieved, I smiled and turned my attention to the food on the table. Whilst she adjusted her clothing, I walked over to the sink. 

"Can...can I have some of this, please?" I asked. The food on the table was the leftovers from the dinner Coraline had.

"Mhh? Oh, sure, just, don't eat the cake." I looked at the uncut cake with the wording 'welcome home' written on with icing. I already knew why she didn't want me eating it.

It had some sort of powder in the mix, a powder that mother has used in many of her cakes on many of her victims. It's a type of powder she created to help make them want to stay here more than they already do. It gives them that push to sew the buttons in, but if either Mother or I eat it, we would basically be poisoned and want to rip our buttons out.

I moved the cake out of the way and grabbed one of the bowls of mashed potatoes and gravy. I sat down at the long dining table and began to eat while Mother was washing the dishes.

I felt like someone was watching me, so, out of instinct, I turned my head. I saw that the other Wybie was the one that was watching me. 

I slowly put another spoon of the mashed potatoes in my mouth and picked up a small cut mushroom from another bowl. I swallowed my food and looked at my mother to see if she was watching me. 

She wasn't.

I turned back to him.. The other Father was slumping down onto the ground, singing his songs to himself quietly, but the other Wybie was still full on staring at me.

I bit the inside of my cheek, then threw the mushroom right at him. 

What surprised me is that he caught it. He caught it with his hand, without flinching or even moving any part of his body. He kept his smile and turned his head to the side.

I turned myself back to the bowl on the table, creeped out and also very afraid of the fact that he has free will. First talking, and now catching things? The other father, and any other siblings Mother has created ever, have never moved when I threw stuff at them, annoyed them, poked them, or even pushed them down. I've seen the other father sometimes do it, but only him. Mother always uses him as the 'other father', so it makes sense that by now he would have a small amount of free will, but this guy...

I felt him still staring at me. I stood up and pushed my chair in, not taking another glance at the guy. 

"Thank you for the food, Mother..." I left swiftly before she could even react.