#paranoman

It was only when Coraline heard Dipper hang up did she pull out of the embrace.

“Was that Stan?” she asked walking into the kitchen, Wybie following her.

“Yeah” Dipper replied, staring at the ground. “The hospital wants to run a few tests tomorrow. He’s going to book a motel for Mabel and Lili.” He shook himself, smiling. “Are you settled in?”

Coraline stared at the boy, unfooled. “Aggie helped us earlier”

Dipper nodded. “I’ll call it a night then, not much for me to do, you know?”

She watched as the boy slipped past.

“Dipper” Wybie called. “If you ever want to talk.”

Coraline gritted her teeth as she heard the shoes walk up the stairs. “There may not be an enemy, Wybie, but I really want to punch something right now.”

Coraline had trouble falling asleep that night. She just stayed curled up in her sleeping bag, staring at the ceiling. Nearby she heard Wybie snoring loudly. Groaning, she turned over for the thousandth time, debating if she should wake Wybie up.

In the end, she decided to get a glass of water.

The house was silent as she creeped down the stairs. The Shack tilting and moaning in the wind, playing tricks on her imagination. She cursed herself for forgetting her phone, forced to navigate the house without a light.

Her feet touched the bottom step and a feeling of dread washed over her.

The blue haired girl felt like laughing. She had been faced to face with the worst monsters out there and she was afraid to get a glass of water? In a house with a magic barrier?

But the dread remained, becoming heavier and heavier as she drifted closer to the kitchen.

Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. Reaching out to flip on a light.

A bolt of lightning struck outside the house. The lights stayed off.

“Just my luck” She said to herself.

Keeping her hand on the wall, she steadily walked to the kitchen.

“Co-re” a broken voice called out. “Co-ra-li-ne”

She jumped.

“Co-ra-line” the voice came again followed by static.

Slowly, she turned.

There was a light coming from the living room. Flickering on and off.

Her feet moved on their own.

“Co-ra-li-ne”

She wanted to run up the stairs. Get one of the other kids.

It was just the TV.

She breathed in relief, freezing when the voice called her name again.

She looked toward the TV seeing Raz pounding on the screen.

“Raz!” She ran towards the TV. He was too pale, deathly so. His hands were too blue. His hair and clothes stuck to his thin frame. His eyes full of panic.

“Cor—line!” He pounded on the TV.

“Raz!” She yelled again, just as the TV shorted out. Leaving her in the dark house.

A nightmarish laugh echoed around the shack.

She stayed there, staring at the nothingness of the screen.

“Coraline” A honeyed voice called.

She jumped, looking around. She knew that voice.

“Coraline” The girl bolted.

“Wybie!” Coraline yelled, slamming the door.

“Wybie! wake up!” She shook the boy roughly.

“Wy-“ The boy rolled over. A ghastly grin held by two fresh stitches stared up at her. Blood still leaking around the edges.

“Wybie?” She took a step back as the boy sat up. His eyes opening to reveal two coal buttons.

“Coraline. Where are you honey?”

She couldn’t get to the door fast enough.

“Coraline?” Dipper’s voice called. “Coraline what’s wrong?” He asked, his eyes shadowed.

“Dipper” She tackled him. “Dipper it’s the Beldam. She got Wybie. We have to get out of here” Coraline started to drag him.

The smaller boy held fast. “But Coraline” He grabbed her arm. “They’re just buttons”

Bile rose in her throat, seeing the blood crusted buttons.

“Come on Coraline” Neil spoke from beside her. “They’re just buttons”

“You won’t feel a thing” Raz spoke.

“They’re just buttons” Mabel cried with pink buttons.

Coraline covered her ears.

“They’re just buttons” The Mystery Kids echoed around her. “They’re just buttons”

The kids latched on to her. Weighing her down as she screamed.

Five sharp points turned her head. “Come now dear” The Beldam chilled. “Let Mother give you your buttons”

Coraline watched the sharp sewing needle, as it inched toward her left eye.

She bolted up, hand flying toward her left eye. A slimy, sticky liquid covered it along with the feeling of pin pricks of the needle going in and out. In and out.

Coraline dashed for the bathroom.

Trembling she lifted her hand.

A brown, button-less eye stared back at her and she collapsed in relief.

“Coraline?” Norman’s voice came from the doorway.

Taking a breath, she turned, finding the boy’s normal eyes.

“Were you crying?” The boy asked.

She wiped her eyes. “I’m fine Norman. Just a sad dream”

She brushed past him.

 Neil sat on the floor, yawning. It had been a long night for the three of them. Actually, it had been a long 24 hours.

He took another sip of his Mabel Juice, watching Norman squeeze through the door. He raised an eyebrow at his friend, sensing that he was troubled.

“Coraline was in the bathroom. I think she was crying.”

Aggie looked up. “Is she alright?”

Norman shook his head. “I think she had a nightmare like the rest of us. I guess it really has been a stressful day.”

Neil frowned, remembering Norman’s soft pleads and Aggie’s sudden burst of power. He was really hoping that he wasn’t going to be the one to explain the tree.

He hadn’t gone to sleep like the rest of the kids. Staying up thinking about what he and Raz had talked about. He had spent most of the night looking at support sites before Norman’s nightmare had begun.

After assuring Norman then Aggie, they favored to research the invisible being instead of sleeping.

It was Norman who stole borrowed the journals from Dipper’s room.

Neil looked back down at Journal #3, turning the page.

A mushroom stared back at him, apparently one could rub it on their forehead to increase brain power? Neil was surprised Dipper and Ford had not tried. Or maybe they had? That would explain a lot about Ford.

The next page was different than the rest of the journal, dried blood covered the page, like the Author had gotten into a brutal fight. But the page was blank.

Neil was about to move on when something caught his eye. A white circle cutting through the browning edge of the page.

Like something had been erased.

Neil reached over grabbing a piece of paper and a sharpened pencil. Carefully he rubbed the pencil over the paper, on top of the left page.

His gut grew heavy as cursive words covered by symbols appeared.

“Bill Cipher” He made out.

Hope you enjoy. This may be the last chapter for awhile. Working on something big and going to try to have it out by October.