Coraline (Witches of East End) ON HOLD

Chapter 5

"It's not fair, you know," Freya said, looking over at Coraline.

"What isn't?" Coraline asked.

"You showing up here. At first it was like my mom hated you, and now she's defending you, protecting you."

Coraline sighed and walked around the kitchen island to Freya.

"She's protecting YOU from ME."

"What do you mean? You won't hurt me."

"No, I won't hurt you," Coraline said with a chuckle. "Aunt Joanna just doesn't trust me. I don't blame her. I've killed people. Many people."

Freya's eyes doubled in size at her cousins confession. She couldn't decide whether or not Cora was being serious. She chuckled nervously and backed over to the refrigerator.

This made Coraline laugh, and Freya noticed how she threw her head back and how her icy blue eyes twinkled in the light.

Coraline reminded Freya of a younger Wendy, which made sense since she is Wendy's daughter. Very beautiful, very straight forward, and very honest. And although it kind of scared Freya that her cousin had killed people, she also felt like if there was anyone she could trust in this whole world, it would be her.

"Freya, I had no control over my actions then. I had no emotion. It's just the kind of person I was in Asgard," Coraline tried to explain.

Freya put her hand up and shook her head.

With a smile she looked into Coraline's eyes, and instantly, Cora knew that she could trust Freya too.

Both girls started walking towards each other and they stood in the kitchen in a tight and warm embrace.

"Nice to know that you and your cousin can get along."

Coraline sighed after hearing her mother's words in her head.

She backed away from Freya and raised her voice just enough that it would carry throughout the house.

"Are you going to make a habit out of putting your thoughts into my head?" Coraline asked innocently.

"Yes!" Wendy yelled from her bedroom.
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It was about 11pm when Ingrid woke. She thought she heard the front door open downstairs. Letting her curiosity get the better of her, she grabbed her robe off the back of the door and quietly shuffled to the end of the hallway, then to the top of the steps.

She peered over the railing to look at the front door and saw her aunt Wendy standing there in front of it. Just standing there, facing the door. She heard the floor creak behind her, and felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Ingrid, go back to your room. I'll go see what's going on with my mom, okay?" Coraline said.

Ingrid nodded and looked back to Wendy before walking away.

Cora took a deep breath and descended the stairs. Every step she took, the stair case would make a new sound.

Once she reached the bottom, the was just a few feet from her mother. Wendy continued to stare at the door.

"Mom... " Cora whispered, as she reached out to touch her.

"Coraline! Wait!"

Cora's head snapped up to the top of the stairs, where Wendy had just called her name. Cora's jaw dropped at the sight of her mother at the top of the stairs, realizing only then that if her mother was upstairs, who was the woman just a few feet away from her?

As Coraline took a few steps back away from the door, the woman turned around.

She looked exactly like Wendy, except her eyes were glowing and hate filled them. Cora could feel the evil rolling off of the woman. In seconds she was just inches away from Cora's face.

She started screaming.

It was loud, and high pitched. It was like nothing Cora had ever heard before.

She covered her ears with her hands and dropped to her knees. Her body ached all over, and the screams from this woman had her almost in tears. Her ears started to bleed, and finally the woman stopped.

Before disappearing she looked straight down at Coraline and whispered.

"You can't save them now. Their blood will be on your hands."

Cora tried to take a deep breath, but let out a groan instead. She was on the floor, barely able to breathe, barely able to move. Wendy rushed to her side, and took her head in her lap.

"Oh God. What the hell was that?" Wendy asked, as she held her daughter. "It's okay baby, everything is going to be okay."