Coraline 2: The Return of the Other Mother

Chapter 2: The Scissors

Coraline woke up the next morning, eager to take on the day. She had almost forgotten the argument with her mom as she bounded down the stairs, excited to get breakfast, when she was met with a frosty glare.

"Morning." Her mom snapped, sipping her coffee and staring out the window. Coraline deflated, wondering how to elevate the mood. She couldn't spend her whole Christmas break trapped in an argument.

"Good morning, would it be okay if I spent the day with Wybie and Mrs. Lovat? I haven't seen them since I've gotten home." As a child Coraline wouldn't ask, she would just disappear into the woods only to come back at sunset covered in mud to her mother tapping her feet. Staying on her good side was the goal though, and Coraline was determined to make the most of the next couple of weeks.

Coraline's mom groaned lightly, clearly still irritated from their argument. She tapped on the windowsill, looking out the window into the woods. Finally, she sighed and answered, "Fine Coraline. Just please be home at a reasonable time, your father wants to try some new recipes for dinner."

Coraline's nose wrinkled at the thought of whatever concoction her father had dreamt up, and she hurriedly kissed her mom on the cheek before grabbing a bagel and running back upstairs. Coraline tossed on her favorite pair of yellow overalls and a blue long sleeve shirt, perfect for moving through the woods safely to get to Wybie's house. As she tugged on wool socks and tied the laces on her brown combat boots, Coraline wondered if things would be different now.

Wybie and her had grown up together, almost inseparable after the first summer she moved in. While they could barely remember what initially bonded them, they continued to grow closer over their shared love of weird things. While his interests lied mostly with slugs and plants, and hers with magic and fae folk, they both listened to each other's passions and learned to appreciate them.

They had spent most of their childhood in the woods, eager to play and explore. While Wybie's nervous habits and lack of filter could be frustrating, she slowly had grown to tolerate it and eventually found his deadpan humor amusing.

As they grew older, they took the same classes and studied together far into the nights, falling asleep with Cat laying between them. When the time came for them to look at colleges, Coraline had wanted to get as far from the Pink Palace as she possibly could. Wybie hadn't had the luxury, with needing to learn how to take over management of the Pink Palace as his grandma grew older. Since she had left for school, they hadn't seen or spoken much to each other in 5 months.

Coraline left the house, walking towards the path in the woods like she had millions of times before. She whistled to herself, stepping on damp leaves that held no satisfying crunch. The air was crisp, with a hollow and cold wind blowing through the trees, imitating the sounds of whispers.

Coraline continued up the path, breathing harder than usual. It had been awhile since she had gone on a brisk walk like this. The sun was tucked behind the clouds, and she pulled her heavy jacket closer as the wind continued to bellow.

The air stilled, and Coraline froze after glancing at the monstrous thing in the corner of her vision. Despite walking this path many times, seeing the old well always had a way of putting her on edge. The old well was covered in soil again, surrounded by small brown mushrooms in a perfect circle. A faery ring, Coraline carefully thought. The quiet of the trees felt eerie, and as she glanced from side to side, she again felt that someone was watching.

Before Coraline could gather the nerve to run past the well, out of the shadows burst a figure. Letting out a yelp and falling slightly to the ground, Coraline reached for the scissors she kept in her bag as a makeshift weapon. Before she could reach it, large hands grabbed at her wrist and yanked her fingers out of the satchel.