Coraline's Twin

Chapter 14: Escape

Coraline's (P.O.V)

"So, you're back..." The Beldam said, her voice sounding tired and dry. I looked at her to see she had her face hidden. "And you brought vermin with you." She looked up, her face to be white, cracked and peeling. I shudder and take a step back.

"No, I...I brought a friend." I say.
She stood up, withered to the bone, with plate-like shoulders and hips with sharp needles for legs and fingers. Her true form.  She reached her long, sharp fingers to my face and placed them under my chin.

"You know I love you." She said, putting emphasis on 'love'.
"You, you have a very funny way of showing it." I retort.
She smiled and turned away for a moment before turning back with her hand outstretched.
"So, where are they? The ghost eyes and your sister?" She asked.

I take the three spheres and the butterfly necklace and start to hand them over before catching myself.
"Hold on, we aren't finished yet, are we?" I pulled my hand back and put the necklace back on.

"No, I suppose not. After all, you still need to find your old parents, don't you? Too bad you won't have this." She said before holding up the green triangle that I had lost and threw it into the fire.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw one of the spheres glow an amber light. I turn to hide the light from the Beldam.
"Be clever miss, even if you win, she'll never let you go." The sweet ghost girl said.
I look over to the locked door behind the wardrobe bug, an idea forming in my head. I put the spheres back in my bag and turn back towards the Beldam.

"I already know where you've hidden them." I say.
The Beldam looked up from the fire. "Well...tell me."
"They're behind that door." I say, pointing to it.
"Oh, they are, are they?" She said, a smile creeping up on her face. She walked over to the door and waved the wardrobe bug away, her back to me.

I heard the sound that mum made when writing on the mirror. I look around, taking a step back.
"There!" The cat said in a loud whisper, jumping out of my bag and onto the mantle, to the Detroit Zoo snow globe. I saw mum and dad trying to wipe away the frost.

"Mum! Dad!" I whisper before turning back to the Beldam who coughed up the key to the door.
"Ewww, gross." I heard Carol say.

"Go on. Open it. They'll be there, all right." I say.
She smiled a wicked smile before unlocking the door. "You're wrong Coraline. They're not there." She said opening the door.

"What are you going to do?" Carol asked me.
"Now you're going to stay here forever." The Beldam said, holding up a needle and thread.
"No. I'm.-" I say before grabbing the cat off the mantle. "Not!" I yell, throwing the cat at the Beldam.

The cat yowled as it landed on the Beldam's face, clawing at her face. I grabbed the snow globe from the mantle and stuffed into the bag.

Two buttons fell to the ground and the cat was thrown onto the wardrobe bug.
"NOOOOOOOO!" The Beldam yelled, covering where the buttons once were. "You horrible cheating girl!" She stomped her foot on the ground where it turned into a spiderweb and fell down, with me in the centre.

I saw the cat hiss and disappear through the door, and heard Carol screaming as I fell down. The Beldam laughed before dropping down, I turned and managed to get out of the way, climbing up the outside of the web.

"Noo!! Where are you? You selfish brat!!" The Beldam screeched, blindly grabbing air at the bottom of the web.
I was near the top and started to climb back into the web, but my bag got stuck. I tugged at it and managed to pull the bag off the web, but it sent a wobbling vibration down the web and to the very sensitive Beldam.

"Hahahaha..." She said before climbing up after me.
"Coraline get up to the door!" Carol yelled.
I quickly finished climbing up and grabbed the key.

"You....dare!" The Beldam started as I climbed into the tunnel, trying to close the door, but the Beldam was there in a flash. "Disobey your mother!" She finished screeching, poking her head into the tunnel.

I kicked her face and she tumbled back, letting me shut the door but her needle hand was trying to keep it open.
"Please...shut!" I yell desperately until I see six ghostly hands gripping the hands that were closing the door, letting me being able to close the door easier. There was a loud 'SNAP' and the hand fell to the ground limp.

The hands disappeared and I quickly locked the door. Suddenly a loud 'BANG' was heard on the other side of the door, the Beldam pounding on the door angrily, I ran back to the way I came in but it felt as though the door was coming closer and closer.

"DON'T LEAVE ME! DON'T LEAVE ME!!! I'LL DIE WITHOUT YOU!!!!" The Beldam screeched and yelled, pounding on the door.

I was too busy running to feel the necklace grow warmer on my neck. I was getting closer, closer, then I flung myself out of the tunnel, not hearing another thump on the floor next to me. I quickly scrabbled to the door and slammed it shut and locked it with the key. I gasped for breath before hearing.
"Coraline?"

Carol's (P.O.V)

Coraline ran through the tunnel, getting closer to the door to the real world, but the other door catching up to her. Once she was only a metre away from the door the window I was looking out from vanished and felt myself being thrown out.

I landed with a thump onto the hardwood floor, blinking I let my eyes get used to the bright light as I had been stuck in a black abyss. I heard the door slam shut and someone locking it, I lifted my head and could see Coraline panting for breath.

"Coraline?" I say nervously.
She stiffened and turned to me. "Carol?"
"Coraline!" I cry, running over to her and embracing her in a bear hug. "I've missed you so much!"

"Carol, I'm sorry!" Coraline said, hugging back before letting go and opening the bag.
"Huh? Where's the snow globe?" She asked, showing me the bag where no snow globe was.

I looked around on the ground before finding a puddle of water on the fireplace. I look up to see a broken Detroit Zoo snow globe. I nudge Coraline and point to it, we stared at it in confusion before hearing.
"Coraline! Carol! We're home!" Mum called.

Mum and dad entered the living room with snow on their clothes and head.
"Mum, dad! We missed you so much!" Coraline and I say at the same time, embracing them in a group hug.
"Missed us?" Mum said, confused.
"Huh?" I say before mum noticed the broken snow globe.

"Oh no, you broke my favorite snow globe." Mum said, looking at it.
"We didn't break it. It must've broke when you escaped." Coraline said.
"Yeah." I agree before mum spotted Coraline's knee.
"And cut your knee."

"Coraline, I asked you to count all the windows, not put your knee through them." Dad said.
"But-" Coraline starts before getting cut off by mum.
"Well, get yourselves cleaned up, we're going out tonight." Mum said, smiling.
"We have a lot to celebrate!" Dad said, waving his hands in the air.

"You're talking about... your garden catalog?" Coraline asked.
"Yeah, what else?" Mum asked.
"But look at the snow on your clothes..." I start but see the snow disappear without a trace.
"What's gotten into you two?" Mum asked walking off with dad.
We look at each other then shrug and leave the room.