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THE doctors were afraid that Coraline was going to "hurt herself," even when she said that if she wanted to commit suicide, she would've done it months ago. Francesca Avery had never seen one of her daughter's visions before her very eyes. Once it finally happened, she convinced herself it something other than the obvious: depression, a schizophrenic break, hallucinations, and of course, an overdose. Francesca was never content in reality. She never wanted to believe the evident truth, and Coraline couldn't blame her. The truth was scary.
So she had to miss a few days of school. No big deal. With the help of her friends, her absence was played off as a stomach bug. No one would ever know the truth of her visit, or why the nurses wouldn't let her fucking out of her patient room. Within a few days, everything was back to normal. At least, physically it was. Mentally – well, that was a different story.
Water glided down the first floor windows in the Avery household, fresh from a shower that had just passed over town. It was nine o'clock on Halloween night. Coraline had her first day back at school since the hospital visit, and she still managed to make it back home early to cook dinner, all thanks to Eloise giving her a ride. Her mother, on the other hand, worked late, and finally walked through the door at eight thirty. They didn't even hand out candy this year to the kids, and instead, Coraline left a bowl of Reese's and Butterfingers outside. She had made spaghetti and homemade sauce in the meantime, which was Francesca's favorite. The meal had gotten cold.
After having to microwave both their plates, the mother and daughter finally sat down for dinner. Both were silent, and Coraline felt that she, personally, had the right to be. She swirled the sauce around her plate, playing with the spaghetti that just wouldn't stay on her fork. The scents of garlic and spices filled the air, yet she didn't feel hungry. She was just angry.
Francesca wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin. "Thank you for making dinner again, Cora." She said, causing her daughter to roll her eyes when she looked away. "Did you hand out candy earlier?"
Coraline shook her head. "I was busy making dinner."
Francesca shoved a spoonful of spaghetti into her mouth. "How was your first day back at school since ..." She paused. "The thing."
Coraline lifted her grey eyes. "Okay, I guess."
"Did anyone find out why you were gone?"
"Nope," she replied, popping the P.
Francesca took a long sip from her glass of wine. She had poured it to the edge of the glass before they sat down and it was already half gone. Licking her lips, she asked, "Did you see that boy again today? The Satanist one?"
Coraline swallowed. "No, I –" She bit the inside of her cheek. "I got a ride home with Eloise today. I haven't seen him for a while."
"That's probably for the best. Wouldn't you agree?" Francesca lifted her hands in surrender once her daughter cast her a judgmental glance. "Hey, I'm not trying to dictate your life. Just making a suggestion." She swirled the wine around in her glass. "But God, Cora. You should've seen him when he came to the hospital that night. The kid got past fucking security and broke into your room!"
