Coraline Sequel - Horrors at Night

Bad Children

Coraline ran to her parents' room. She didn't know where else to turn. She was afriad to discover the little door of the drawing room open, on its hinges, alone. Nothing could vanquish the frantic beating of her heart as she thought of the Other Mother crawling into her bedroom, red painted fingernails tap - tap - tapping along the wall, reaching, grasping, for Coraline's face to sew on black buttons...

Coraline flung open the door of her parent's room, only to discover that they were not inside.

Of course, she said to herself. They've gone to help the Jenkins'.

Coraline took a deep breath. She would have to face the drawing room alone. She debated whether or not to call Wybie - yes, he would help. But it would also waste time.

Coraline ran into the drawing room. All looked in place. Her gaze snatched onto the open door, and she stumbled towards it on her hands and knees in anticipation.

I cold surge of blood rushed from her face as Coraline planted a hand on the solid, brick wall blocking her from reaching Alice.

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Alice jumped, frightened. She surveryed the lady holding a small bundle of blue blankets that wriggled frequently. The woman was very pale, as if she had never seen the sun, but her lips were a dark ruby red and curved into a crooked smile. Her hair was dark, a very dark chocolate colour that neither of her parents had. It rather looked like Coraline's hair.

The last thing Alice expected was the lady having no eyes. In their place, two crooked and mismatched buttons lay with black cloth streaming down her cheek like rivers.

"Who- who are you?" Alice stammered.The woman laughed - friendly, or scary? Alice wondered.

 "Why, I am your Other Mother silly, didn't you recognise me? And this, this is your baby brother, Wybourne!"

"Wybourne?" Alice crinkled her nose at the sound of the nane. It sounded... familiar.

"But that sounds like-"

"Nothing you've ever heard of before, right?" said the Other Mother, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"My Other Mother?"" Alice asked, head swarming with questions.

"Yes dear," the lady put her spidery hand on the small of Alice's bacl. She shived uncomfortably.

"Now, go to the kitchen! Indulge in all the cakes I have made especially for you, pumpkin."

Alice turned to face her  Other Mother, but she had vanished. Even when she peeked around the corner of the other rooms, the lady was nowhere to be found.

Alice shrugged. Baked goods always appealed to her. That was something her mother did - baked. It was always "make your own cookies" or "get your father to buy something for you from the store." Maybe now Alice would have a mother who did exactly as she wanted.