ParaNormaline

Chapter 11: Bonding Interruptions

--Coraline's POV--

Coraline was officially in panic mode. Norman wasn't waking up, and she wasn't entirely sure on how to perform CPR. She could very vaguely remember small bits of it from something she'd seen on TV, but that was about it. But that would have to do. She quickly started to push down on his stomach, hoping that she was doing it right. After a moment she groaned, realizing that it wasn't working very well. "C'mon, what else..." she murmured to herself in panic. Her eyes snapped wide open when she had an idea. She looked down at Norman, blush rushing to her cheeks. "... It's your only option, Coraline, just do it quickly and he won't even notice." She told herself. So she took a deep breath and leaned in close, nearly shaking from being so nervous. Before she did anything she remembered a few small details and plugged his nose before coming in close and doing mouth-to-mouth. She did it as carefully as she possibly could, hoping that this would work. After a few breaths she heard him cough a little and regained some hope, quickly leaning in and repeating the actions again. She released, and more coughing was heard. "One more time, you're almost there..." she mumbled to herself. So she leaned in again, but froze when she saw Norman's eyes open slowly. "Norman!" she exclaimed with a smile. "Coraline...?" he groaned in slight confusion. After a moment he blushed, his eyes widening when they realized how close they were. Coraline quickly backed off, biting her lip as her blush grew darker. "Y-you didn't look like you were breathing." She explained quickly, trying not to sound defensive. He just sort of stared at her in slight shock, still looking unsure of how he should react. "Sorry." She apologized. "Why would you be sorry? I mean..." he trailed off for a moment before continuing. "You kinda saved my life, you know... Three times now, actually." He stated. Coraline raised an eyebrow at him, smirking a little. "Three?" "Yeah. Stella, the clones, and nearly drowning." Norman counted. "You saved my life three times. I-I can't thank you enough." "It's no big deal. I can't just let you die." Coraline explained. For a moment they were smiling at each other, but then Coraline remembered what was in the lake and got up. "We have to get out of here. Now." She told him, helping him to his feet. They both looked over at the lake as they heard a long, deep growl come from the bottom. "Good idea." Norman agreed nervously as they turned and headed off once again.

"So, is your hair naturally like that?"

"Yep. It can get annoying, but I'm used to being called a porcupine by now."

Coraline couldn't help but giggle along with him for his joke. "You're not that much like a porcupine." She smiled. "Oh, yeah? I swear I nearly poked my mom's eye out with this thing." He laughed, flicking one of the lower spikes in his hair. They continued to laugh for awhile before they continued the conversation, still moving forward. "Alright then, Mr. Porcupine." She teased. They kept going, poking fun at each other as they went through. "Alright, smart guy, let's see you with some hair dye. Maybe green." She smirked. "No, thank you! I don't think I want people to think that my hair's made of grass." He giggled. "I'm sure some people already think that, Norm." Coraline told him. "Oh, why thank you." He answered sarcastically, though he still had a playful tone in his voice. "It's good to know that you think I'm a walking garden." He stroked his hair to go along with the joke, and they both nearly burst out laughing. "Alright, we might wanna lay off the hair jokes for awhile." Coraline suggested. Norman shrugged in response. "I don't mind, really." He answered. They smiled a little, Norman slowing down as he looked around. Coraline stopped as well, looking over at him. "What's wrong?" she asked. "... I think I know where we are..." he breathed. He looked over at a certain tree and walked over, putting his hand against the trunk. Suddenly it went through, making them both jump. Norman smiled after a second, looking over at Coraline. "I know how to get to the Pink Palace." He stated. "Really?!" she exclaimed, rushing over. He grabbed her hand, smirking. "Ready?" "As I'll ever be." She answered. To her surprise he ran forward and jumped into the tree, bringing her in as well. She yelped as they tumbled to the ground, groaning. "Alright... Nevermind." She corrected as she got up, dusting herself off. Norman got up as well, looking around. "... This isn't right..." he murmured, looking around at the forest around them. After a moment Coraline smiled, tackling Norman with a hug. "YOU DID IT, NORM!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Woah, I did?" he raised an eyebrow in confusion, smiling. "Yeah! I recognize this forest from back home." Coraline explained, releasing the hug. She turned around, looking straight forward. "The Pink Palace shouldn't be far from here! How'd you know where we were?" she asked, glancing back at him. Norman smiled, rubbing his arm a little. "The cat showed it to me while I was looking for you." He stated. "You went back?" she wondered. "Well, yeah. I didn't actually psychically go through it, to be honest... I was in some kind of dream-state or something..." he trailed off, trying to find a way to word it. Coraline smiled a little. "It's fine, I understand." She told him. "Now, c'mon. We gotta get home, remember?" she started to head in the direction of the Pink Palace, relieved that they had gotten this far. We're finally gonna get out of here... she thought as he started to follow her.