ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ'ꜱ ɴᴏᴛᴇ: wybie has been aged up to sixteen and since this is my book, i am going to change one more thing: coraline sadly does not exist since you will basically be replacing her!
remember this is a fanfic for the other wybie, not the real world one! (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)
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y/n didn't like going to sleep. she didn't know what it was, but she's been having some serious sleeping issues as of late...scratch that. she knew what it was. it was the new apartment that she and her family moved into about a month or two ago—the pink palace apartments. it's old and even though that may sound like a cool fun fact, it's a pretty ganky place to live. everything is so colorless and pale. not to mention the floorboards and doors creak something awful.
this place gave her the major creeps and even when y/n is just about to get some shuteye, she can count on one of her family members or one of the other people living in the house— since the basement is occupied by two ex-actresses, a missus spink and missus forcible whilst the attic is occupied by mr. bobinsky— to make some sort of noise that'll disturb y/n's sleep entirely.
tonight is unfortunately one of those nights. "geez..." the h/c-haired girl groaned and moved to her side, looking at the ground of her dark room. she didn't think she slept one wink this past week. and it doesn't help how the house gives her the creeps, especially at night. there's just something about it that rubbed her the wrong way.
there was only but one pro to moving to ashland, oregon and that's wybie lovat, the grandson of the old lady who owns the place. y/n doesn't know much about him other than whenever he makes his random visit to the apartment buildings, he's always accompanied by a black cat. according to him though, it wasn't his cat. just some stray that must've latched onto him and the two have been inseparable ever since. y/n doesn't mind that the thing is wild, but she definitely never plans on telling her parents that it's feral or else they'll flip out.
figured. no matter the weather, her mother and father always had to rain on someone's parade.
having enough of just sitting in her bed, listening to her intoxicating thoughts, y/n sat up from her bed and slung her feet over the mattress. she stayed like that for a moment or two before she had the strength to move her tired arm to grab her watch that rested on her bedside table. she couldn't make out the time. while she realized she could just walk over and turn on the light, she didn't want to risk waking up her parents. they're already light sleepers, much to y/n's dismay because this meant she couldn't sneak out.
squinting, the young girl was just barely able to make out that the shortest hand was pointing at the 4. that alone was more than enough to tell y/n how late it was. at this rate, she'll be up when the sun begins to rise. that's not a pleasant thought to think about. her eye bags are already pretty bad.
she doesn't want her father to point them out more than he already does.
she's, for lack of a better word, lost on what she could do to pass the time. she felt trapped, in a way. the oppressive stillness of the house at this time urged her to escape the confines of her thoughts, prompting a small walk to the far end of her classroom.
with deliberate care, she creaked open a window, allowing the chilly night air to infiltrate her sanctuary. the room, now filled with the crisp essence of the nocturnal world, painted goosebumps on her skin. despite the shivers and the frigid embrace of the night, y/n stood there, leaning against the window frame, peering into the darkness beyond.
the world outside, draped in the shadows of the early morning, unfolded in a serene symphony of silence. the quietude was broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves, a nocturnal melody that resonated with y/n's sense of solitude. the cold air nipped at her exposed skin, leaving her nose tingling, yet the beauty of the night held her captive.
it had stopped raining an hour or two, so the air smelt fresh and earthy. she took a deep breath before surveying the pink palace's ground, y/n couldn't help but marvel at the transformative power of darkness. everything seemed quieter, more serene as if the world had pressed pause to let the night unfold in its mysterious beauty. the moon cast a silvery glow over the surroundings, lending an otherworldly charm to the familiar spaces.
yet, amid the tranquility, a bittersweet realization lingered in y/n's thoughts. the same hushed beauty that wrapped the night in enchantment seemed elusive when the sun graced the town of ashland. the bustling daylight exposed a reality less picturesque, a contrast to the serene elegance of the predawn hours. again, the pink palace is a sight for sore eyes and is in need of some major renovations.
after a few moments, she leaned down and put on her shoes before a blanket, plucked from the haven of her bed, was wrapped tightly around her, a makeshift shield against the biting chill that awaited her on the rooftop.
as she approached the open window once more, the decision to climb out of her window and get up on the roof met with a swallowed lump in her throat. was this a good idea? heights had always been a problem for y/n since she's always had a fear of them. "ugh..." she bowed her head, stopping right in front of the window as she anxiously chewed on her lip.
was she really going to let her fear of heights ruin this beautiful night for her? after a few moments of going back and forth with herself, y/n reached her final answer: no, no, she wasn't. with measured steps, she carefully climbed out, the cold metal frame offering a stark contrast to the warmth of her room.
the rooftop, uneven and unfamiliar, became a precarious dance floor beneath her feet. she didn't know how mr. bobinsky gets up here so easily, she can just barely remember seeing him doing some sort of stretches up here when she and her family first got here. talk about first impressions...still, getting on the roof can't be so hard with those gangly legs of his. y/n, now driven by a quiet courage, inched upward, her pulse quickening. soon though, a chosen spot on the roof offered a seat amidst the glistening nocturnal expanse, a vantage point to escape the confines of the mundane.
now seated and cocooned in her blanket, y/n raised her eyes to the canvas of the night sky, where stars gleamed like distant beacons. she didn't even care that she was so high up. her fears paled in comparison to the few, now a backdrop for contemplation and wonder. the cold wind played with strands of her hair, prompting the teenager and tug on the ends of her blanket more, covering the bottom half of her freezing face.
"maybe it was a mistake coming up here..." y/n thought to herself. this was her first time trying something like this and in all honesty, she was surprised she didn't fall off. and that the roof didn't cave in. she wouldn't be surprised if it did though, with the pink palace apartments being 155 years old.
her mind then drifted off from herself to wybie. the two of them similarly met on a night just like this one, but far earlier. it must've been 11 at the time. that doesn't change the fact that he nearly ran her over with his bike. y/n has been trying not to hold a grudge against him for the whole thing. he apologized and the reason why he almost hit her in the first place was because she took him by surprise.
he didn't know that any new tenants rented out the main flat, especially a a family with someone around his age since wybie then told her that his grandma "doesn't rent it out to anyone who has kids". he didn't care to explain why, but y/n's sure there are a few logical reasons.
he's strange, funny, but strange. he— like most people in y/n's life— has their attention elsewhere when she's trying to talk to them, but wybie's mind seemed to go a million miles per hour, so maybe she should cut him some slack. she'd like to be his friend regardless, but y/n's afraid that will have to be something to pursue in the morning because she seriously doubts he'll be up at a time like this.
he is most likely passed out. y/n just wished she could say the same...
