Coraline's Twin

Chapter 13: The Ghosts Eyes

Coraline's (P.O.V)

I walk into the kitchen to find the Beldam making breakfast and humming to herself.
"Be strong, Coraline." I say softly to myself before sitting down at the table.
My eyes drifted to the centre of the table, where the button box lay, I felt a drip of sweat drip down my face.

"Why don't we play ... a game? I know you like them." I ask trying to be cool.
"Everybody likes games." She replied over her shoulder.
"Uh huh." I say, nodding my head.
"What kind of game would it be?"

"An exploring game ... a finding things game." I reply.
I could see her fingers drumming on the bench top in excitement. "And what is it you'd be finding, Coraline?"

I hesitate before saying my answer. "My real family."
"Too easy." The Beldam said.
"And the eyes of the ghost children." I add.
She smiled. "Huh."

She took an omelet to me and slid it onto my plate. "And what if you don't find them?" She asked.
"If I lose, I'll stay here with you forever and let you love me. And I'll let you sew buttons into my eyes." I say.
"Hmmm... And if you somehow win this game?" She asked casually.
"Then you let me go. You let everyone go, my real father and mother, my sister, the dead children, everyone you've trapped here." I say.

She smiled a not-in-a-million-years smile. "Deal."
She held out her hand for me to shake.
"Not until you give me a clue." I say.
She lets out an annoyed huff. "Oh, right... In each of three wonders I've made just for you, a ghost's eye is lost in plain sight." She recites.
"And for my family?"

Standing behind me, she smirks and tapped her button eyes.
"Fine don't tell me." I say turning away before sighing and extending my hand. "It's a deal."

I turn but blink a few times, she was gone. I sigh and look into the sink.
"What does she mean, wonders?" I ask myself before looking out of the window.
I squint and see the lit up garden.
"Hmmmm...."

Carol's (P.O.V)

I was bored, I heard Coraline came back to the world to find our parents and me along with the ghost children's eyes.
"How does it look?" I heard other me ask.
I look up and saw what she sewed, it was a light blue dress with sunflower embroidery.

"Wow...that's incredible." I say, staring at the embroidery.
"Thanks." She said.
"Um....other me?" I ask hesitantly.
"Yeah?" She said.
"What will you do, like when Coraline's here?" I ask. "Will you harm her?"

"No I won't harm her, I'll just hand over the necklace. She looks as though she needs you, who would keep twins away from each other?" Other me replied.
I let out a sigh of relief. "Will she be able to see and hear me, once you give her the necklace?"

"I'm not sure if she'll see you, but whoever wears the necklace will be able to hear each other."
"Oh, ok...can we look out of the window?" I ask. "It has a very nice view of the house."
"Sure."

Other me walked over to the window and held up the necklace so I could be able to see more easily. I looked out of the small window and could see Coraline fall out of the upstairs apartment and crash into the railing, which made the balcony tear away from the house.
"Coraline! No!" I yell, watching helplessly as she fell down. I look away from the window and wrapped my hands around my knees.

Coraline's (P.O.V)

I opened my eyes and looked around for the rat with the third ghost's eye, I had managed to get the first two eyes from the garden and the theatre. I couldn't see it anywhere, the button eclipse slowly moving to the end of it.

"Oh God, I've lost the game, I've lost everything...I'm sorry Carol." I say hugging my knees.

I heard a flop and lifted my head, I saw the rat that had the third ghost eye lying dead in the ground. The eclipse paused. I heard a meow and looked up some more, I saw the black cat with the third ghost eye.

"I think I mentioned that I don't like rats at the best of times." He said.
I smile. "I think you might have said something like that." I say, recounting the first time I found that he could talk.

"It looked like you needed this one, however." He said, batting the ball to me.
"Thanks." I smile and pick it up, placing it into my bag. But the world around us turned to an ash grey. "I'm heading inside. I still have to find my family."

Suddenly I saw flakes of what looked like grey paint, falling, I look up to see the moon was gone and everything around us was falling apart.
I open my bag. "Come on, quickly!" I say to the cat, who jumped into my bag.

I ran towards the house and up the steps that were falling apart before opening the door and slamming it behind me. I look around and see that everything in the house was still in perfect shape.
'Come to the attic when you come back.' I remembered from when I was escaping this place.

I walk up the stairs and up to the attic to see Carol with button eyes.
"Carol!" I yell happily and swung my arms around her, hugging her.
"I-I'm not Carol." She said, I froze.
"T-then who are you?" I ask, unwrapping my arms.

"I'm the other version of her, the Beldam only wanted you to come over, not your twin as well." Other Carol said.
"Then where is Carol?" I ask.
She took off a purple butterfly necklace and held it out to me. "She's in here, the Beldam trapped her in there."

She dropped it into my hand where the room turned ash grey and she froze with a small smile on her face. I put the necklace around my neck before hearing Carol's voice.
"Coraline! I'm so glad to see you!" She said happily.
"Did she trap you in the necklace?" I ask.

"Yes she did, but other me and I got on well." She said.
"How can you get out?" I ask.
"Once we're out of this world." She said.
"I'm sorry for not listening to you, you were right about this world." I apologised as I climbed out of the attic to get to the lounge.
"Don't worry, let's just get out of here."

I walked down the hallway and down the stairs to the lounge room. I walk in where the bug furniture looked all worn and was twitching uncontrollably.
"So, you're back..."