Coraline’s parents weren’t home yet, so she microwaved herself a pizza before getting ready to leave. She felt queasy, but she didn’t want to have to eat the Other Mother’s food. She sat, looking at the fridge door. How was she going to get Wybie back? She hadn’t the slightest inkling of a plan, but the longer she stayed here trying to think of one, the longer Wybie was there. She didn’t have time. She had to find him.
Coraline walked up the stairs to her room and pulled oh her explorer’s cap and her green puffer vest. No more waiting. She was going in. she caught sight of the pictures of her and Wybie on her nightstand. She grabbed them and put them in her pocket to remind her no matter what happened that she was going there for Wybie.
Because he would’ve done the same for her.
She walked into the sitting room and crouched by the door. She was trembling. She’d prayed she’d never have to go back, but now she did. She reached out and grabbed the doorknob. She took a deep breath and pulled the door open. The portal glowed inside the tube. Coraline put on a brave face and started crawling.
“I don’t understand.” Coraline muttered “Why would he go there? He knows what happened to me there…”
“She offers people what they long for the most.” Cat’s smooth voice came from somewhere behind her “For you, it was attention, but for Wybie, I think it was something else…”
“But he saw her hand…” Coraline protested.” doesn’t he get that the other mother’s evil?”
“You humans are like that.” The cat said nonchalantly as the end of the tunnel became clear “You can never seem to learn from other’s mistakes”
Coraline stepped out of the other side of the door and into her other sitting room. It looked as it had when she first arrived there- the bug furniture wasn’t around just yet.  Coraline stood up, brushed off her jeans and looked around.
Her Other Mother was sitting on the sofa in front of her. She looked like she first had- like Coraline’s round, short mother. Coraline scowled and stood tall, holding her head high, but inside she was terrified. She’d barely escaped her last time. How was she going to make it out again? Coraline told herself not to think about that, and looked her Other Mother in the buttons defiantly.
“Why, hello Coraline” the other mother smiled “How nice of you to visit. How are you?”
“Where’s Wybie?” Coraline said bravely.
“Your little friend?” the Other Mother said slyly “Oh, I’m sure he’s out playing with the other you somewhere. I must say, I approve of him. He’s a very sweet little boy. It was like giving candy to a baby getting him here…”
“Other me?” Coraline was caught a bit off guard with that. Why was there another her?
“Oh yes,” the Other Mother smiled “She’s a sweet little thing. Very much the way I would have made you, I think. Now I’m afraid you won’t be so lucky…”
“If you’ve made another me,” Coraline asked “what do you want with me?”
“Oh, my dear little Coraline,” the Other Mother looked at her as if she had just asked something incredibly amusing “You still don’t understand? I care nothing about Wybie, I’m your mother. I want you.”
“Why me?”
“Because” the Other Mother’s voice became serious “I never lose. You may have won that round of our little game, but make no mistake. I will have you.”
“Fat chance” Coraline sounded much more confident than she felt
“Don’t be rude.” The Other Mother’s voice was sweet again “I’ve got a proposition for you, Coraline. I’m willing to let Wybie go, if you agree to stay here. If you refuse, neither of you will ever leave. How about it? Do we have a deal?” she held out her right hand, which, Coraline noted, looked as if it had been attached recently.
“No deal” Coraline said “I beat you once, I can do it again”
“We’ll see about that.” The Other Mother folded her arms “I’ll tell you what, I’ll give you an hour to think it over, and go see how much Wybie is enjoying himself. If you haven’t decided after that, well, you’ll see…”
Coraline didn’t want to let the other mother out of her sight, but she needed to find Wybie. She walked out the door and down the steps. Cat was sitting on the front porch, licking his paws and waiting for her.
“We need to find Wybie” she said
“That seems obvious” cat said dryly
Coraline looked out at the land in front of her. The forest looked more like jungle, and the hills more like mountains.
“How are we ever gonna find him in all this?” Coraline sighed
“The logical suggestion,” Cat hopped off the porch “is to walk”
Coraline would have liked a faster mode of transportation, but Cat was moving with a purpose, as though he already knew where Wybie was. She shrugged her shoulders and followed. The longer they walked, the more Coraline understood why Wybie was still here- it was a curious kid’s paradise.  Everything was slithering or crawling or flying. She could just imagine Wybie hanging from trees with his mask on observing everything, and smiled at the thought. They walked for a while, then came to a clearing. The same clearing Coraline had dreamt about. As Coraline saw Wybie’s messy head of hair, she breathed a sigh of relief. He was alright!
It was what she saw after that that made her mad.
He was sitting on a picnic blanket with what looked like a copy of her. They were eating sandwiches and talking and laughing as if nothing was wrong. For some reason, the sight of the two of them just made her blood boil. Why was he just sitting there like that? And with her? Coraline stormed up to them and punched Wybie in the arm. Hard.
“Ow!” he shrieked, then turned and looked at her “Jonesie?”
“What the heck do you think you’re doing?!” Coraline shouted “Do you have any idea what kind of danger you’re in?! And you’re just gonna sit back and eat lunch?”
“Well, it’s nice to see you too, Jonesie” Wybie rubbed his arm.
“Is that all you have to say?!” she yelled “I came all this way just to save you and I find you here hanging out with a cheap knockoff of me, and all you can say is ‘nice to see you?”
“Whoa, hold up,” Wybie stood up to face her defensively “What makes you so sure I need saving?”
“Other than the fact that I’ve been here before and that the Other Mother’s hand almost killed you?”
“Hey, I’m the one who stopped that thing”
“Well, you did a crappy job, because somehow, she has a hand again!”
“Well, how do you know I want to be saved?”
Coraline was stunned. Had Wybie really just said that? Did he hate it at home that much that he was willing to stay here, knowing what would happen? Coraline suddenly felt terrible. Wybie looked shocked he’d said it too. He slouched a bit more and looked at the ground, fiddling with his hands.
“S…sorry” Wybie said “You’re right. I just got caught up in it all. I was trying to figure a way out, I just…”
“I’m sorry too” Coraline said “I remember what it’s like. It gets hard to say no.”
“It’s just… Jonesie, I have parents here! A mom and dad! Like any other kid”
“You have parents at home too,” Coraline said “and I’m gonna get you out of here to find them someday. Listen, the trap’s set for me, not you. The other mother was just using you as bait. You can get outta here…”
“Well, what about you?”
“I’ve beaten her before, I can do it again. I’ll think of something…”
“No way!” Wybie looked almost offended “I’m not leaving here without you like that! Either we both get out or neither of us gets out. That’s the way it’s gonna go.” He held out his hand “Deal?”
Coraline smiled.  Wybie was really the best friend she could ever ask for. She had other friends who were cooler, or more athletic, or more popular, but never had anyone been as loyal as Wybie. She shook his hand
“Deal”
“Then we’re in this together.” Wybie smirked “Don’t you run off without me now”
“Um, excuse me…”
Coraline turned her head and came face to face with her own mirror image. Coraline could feel a shiver run down her spine. Other than the eyes and a few subtle differences, the Other Coraline looked just like her.
“What do you want?” Coraline was on the defensive. For all she knew, this Other Coraline was the other mother’s spy. The Other Coraline looked intimidated, nervous, and frightened. Her shiny black eyes made her look like a frightened deer as she cringed away from Coraline’s glare.
“Jonesie,” Wybie put a hand on her shoulder “stop that. Listen to what she has to say. She’s not like the other mother. She’s… she’s good.”
“Look, just because you’re a sucker for a pair of big goo goo eyes does not make her good” Coraline said, not even trying to lower her voice in front of the Other Coraline. The Other Bobinski had seemed good. The Other Forcible and Spink had seemed good. Her Other Father had even been good, and he had still attacked her under the Other Mother’s power. They couldn’t trust anyone here.
“I’m afraid you’re wrong this time, Coraline.” Cat’s voice fell from the trees like rain as he emerged from one, a dead rat hanging from his tail “ You can trust this one.  She has a good spirit”
Coraline scowled at cat and let out a frustrated sigh.
“Fine. Whatever” she still wasn’t sure about the Other Coraline. She made a mental note to watch her closely.
The Other Coraline looked at Wybie with her doe-button eyes and took his hands. Wybie seemed to tense up at her touch. Coraline felt herself gnashing her teeth.
“Wybie, do you really want to leave me?” she said in a piteous voice.
Wybie looked at her for a second, gulped, looked at cat, looked around him, then looked at Coraline. She felt somehow relieved when he took his hands from hers.
“Yeah, Coraline” he said “ I do. Jonesie and I have to get back home as soon as possible.”
“Oh.” The Other Coraline looked thoughtful for a moment, then plastered on a wide smile.
“Well, enough of that.” She said, her voice cheerful and sickeningly sweet “let’s play tag!”
“ ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!” Coraline yelled at the top of her lungs. This was too much. Why did the other her have to be so useless?
“Of course, not, you silly goose” the Other Coraline giggled “Now come on. I bet neither of you can catch me!”
“Um, Coraline?” Wybie looked confused “Did you hear what I said?”
“I did.” The Other Coraline giggled again “Now come on, you two! Run after me!”
She made a ‘come on’ motion with her hand and started running. Coraline was stunned. Was this version of her just retarded? This was no time for games!
“Jonesie,” Wybie tugged her sleeve and started running “ come on! She wants us to follow her!”
Coraline wanted to do no such thing. She wanted to stay right where she was and come up with a plan, but Wybie was already running after her. Coraline sighed. She had to stay with him- if they separated, they were toast. Grudgingly, she started running.
The Other Coraline ran them in dozens of directions on a ridiculous journey. She ran them up hills and over brooks, up trees and under logs. Coraline was beginning to suspect that this other her was just trying to stall them and keep them from coming up with anything when the forest began to fade away. The trees started looking like the idea of trees, and then they were in a plane of never-ending whiteness.
“Where are we?” Wybie looked nervous
“The empty space…” The Other Coraline said.
“…the part she hasn’t made yet” Coraline finished.
“That’s right.” The Other Coraline said “We’re safe out here. She can’t see us or hear us, but we can’t stay too long, or she’ll wonder where we are…”
“Okay,” Wybie still seemed confused “is it too much to ask why we’re here?”
“You said you wanted to leave,” the Other Coraline’s voice sounded different here. It was lower, less girlish, more like Coraline’s actual voice “so we’re gonna think up a way to get you out of here.”
“How do we know we can trust you?” Coraline asked
“The Beldam doesn’t control us others,” the Other Coraline said “except in extreme cases. She just makes us to do and be certain things. She created me to care about Wybie, and I do. She just doesn’t realize that when you care about someone, you don’t want to keep them in a situation where they’re in danger. Besides,” the Other Coraline put on the high, girly voice again “I’m just everything she could ever want me to be, so she leaves me alone.”
Coraline looked at her mirror image with interest. She wasn’t as dumb as Coraline had thought. In fact, she seemed rather smart out here.
“Well,” Wybie looked around him at the Coralines on either side of him “what’s the plan? How are we gonna get out of here?”
“That’s the other reason I brought you out here,” the Other Coraline said “Wybie, there’s someone I want you to meet.”
Coraline saw a dark outline in the distance; the Other Coraline’s face lit up, and broke into the first genuine smile Coraline had seen. She ran past Coraline and Wybie and over to the shape.
“How are you feeling?” the Other Coraline said “I’m sorry I had to go away for so long, but I have a surprise for you…”
Coraline and Wybie walked up to the figure. Coraline heard Wybie gasp.
“Wybie,” the Other Coraline said “meet Other Wybie”
He looked different from when Coraline had last seen him- his clothes were ripped and his face was covered in ghastly scars being held together by stitches. The Other Coraline knelt down and hugged him delicately. Wybie was staring at Other Wybie with a look that was somewhere in between horror and awe. His mouth was hanging open, and his hands were shaking a bit.
“Surreal, isn’t it?” Coraline crossed her arms and smirked.
“A...at least” Wybie’s eyes were still glued to Other Wybie. Other Wybie looked at Other Coraline, and she nodded.
“He says it’s nice to finally meet you, Wybie” the Other Coraline said.
“He didn’t say anything” Wybie said
“I know, but I can hear what he thinks. He thinks very loudly since he can’t talk, and we’re made of the same stuff, so I-“
“Wait,” Wybie turned to Coraline “He can’t talk? You never told me he couldn’t talk.”
“Well, I mean,” Coraline had never told Wybie much about Other Wybie. She’d thought it’d just freak him out “When I first met you, I just wanted you to shut up for 2 seconds. So the Other Mother thought I’d like him more if he talked less….”
“He says it’s nice to see you too, Coraline,” Other Coraline said “alive” Other Wybie smiled and nodded.
“It’s nice to see you too, Wybie” Coraline said “but, how are you here? I thought the other mother destroyed you”
“Well,” Other Coraline said “she did. I found him out here one day while I was exploring. Of course, back then, he was really just scraps of fabric and sawdust. I fixed him, I sewed him back up.” She smiled and held Other Wybie’s hand. He smiled back at her. “He’s been getting stronger and stronger every day.” She turned to Wybie “Wybie, when you first got here, he started getting well so fast, I… I just thought maybe if I kept you here for a few hours he’d get well again. I know that was very selfish of me, Wybie, and I’m sorry, but he’s my best friend. All I want is for him to be well again…”
“It’s okay” Wybie said “I probably would’ve done the same thing”
The Other Coraline smiled “I’m glad. Now both of you, sit down”
Coraline and Wybie sat down in what had to be the most confusing circle Coraline had ever seen- Wybie, Coraline, Other Wybie, and Other Coraline all sat staring at each other. Other Wybie made a motion to Other Coraline and she nodded resolutely.
“Wybie, or, Other Wybie, I mean” the Other Coraline began “he’s seen what the Beldam really is. He knows things about her that even she doesn’t know. He says he thinks he has a way to stop her. A way to kill her for good.”
Coraline’s heart soared. A way to stop her? A way to live in the pink palace without worrying every day? A way to, for the first time in months, truly feel safe?
“How?” Coraline asked “How do we stop her?”
“Well, “the Other Coraline began “the Beldam isn’t a witch, or a bad dream, or a monster. The Beldam is a demon. What kills a demon?”
“Sunlight?” Wybie piped up “Silver bullets?”
The Other Coraline shook her head.
“Love”