The Beldam is Back

Chapter 7

Coraline was still slowly walking to the house. She was taking in the complete same world, but in a different place. She was really worried about Wybie. She didn't know what she would do if he was hurt. There wouldn't be anyone at school who would support her, maybe apart from the teachers, as Coraline didn't have any other friends.
Wybie was all she needed.

She finally made her way to the Pink Palace Apartments and carefully made her way up the few stairs. She was careful to not make any sound, that might alert the Other Mother to her presence.

She carefully made her way into the house, through an open window. She didn't use the door, because she was afraid that the sound of a door creaking might be incredibly loud.
She crept to the room that the fight with the Beldam was in last time. She carefully opened the door and saw Wybie strapped to a chair.

All pretence of keeping silent had gone. She raced over to Wybie and gave him a hug. Wybie looked up at Coraline and immediately a smile came on his face.

The friends were reunited.

Suddenly they both heard a creak. The Beldam slowly stood up and rose to greet Coraline. She held a doll in her hand that looked suspiciously like Wybie.

Coraline stood, bravely. She wasn't going to get scared again.

Wybie heard another creak. He whispered to Coraline, "My grandma is with the Beldam."

Coraline gasped. Out of all the people, the one who believed her was on the Beldam's side.

Coraline grabbed the cat out of her satchel and told him to free Wybie. The cat leapt on to Wybie's lap and told him to be quiet. Wybie took everything he had not to scream. The cat that came to his house for scraps was talking to him! But, then again, Coraline had told him about this. He should have believed her.

Coraline grabbed the stone out of her pocket and showed it to the Other Mother, who tried to snatch it out of Coraline's hand, before she closed her fingers over the precious sweet stone.

Coraline had an idea of how to defeat the Other Mother.

Wybie was freed and he grabbed Coraline's other hand. They stood strong, with the cat balanced on Wybie's shoulder.

Then suddenly, the Other Mother brought out a pin and tapped it on the doll's shoulder. Wybie shrugged, uncomfortable. The Beldam dug the pin into the doll's shoulder and immediately Wybie fell to the floor, clutching his shoulder.

He was trying not to cry, but tears escaped anyway.

Coraline helped Wybie up, but Wybie was still moaning from the pain. The cat hissed. Coraline understood what the doll was now. She had seen them in movies, but she didn't think they were actually real.

Coraline knew that she wouldn't be able to get back and leave the doll behind, without harming Wybie in the process.

She decided to try a trick. "Can I please have a look at that?", feigning surprise and confusion. But the Other Mother saw right through it. She snatched the doll from Coraline's reach and laughed, evilly.

Coraline cried inside. She knew that this was helpless, but she was glad that she had gotten Wybie back.

Coraline struggled to come up with ideas, but the cat took it into his own han... paws. He slipped off Wybie and crawled stealthily behind the Other Mother before jumping up and snatching it from the Beldam's grasp, careful not to put his pointy teeth anywhere that might hurt Wybie.

Coraline and Wybie took the time to run, as fast as they could, out of the Pink Palace apartments and away from the Beldam.