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[curiously_cora]

"Bobo! Bobo, slow down!" Coraline yelled loudly as she chased after the illusive Bobo. Jumping over a tree root, Coraline skidded onto the boardwalk and stumbled before running straight down the path towards the beach. Coraline shouted again, watching as the golden coloured Bobo sped towards the water at a quick pace. "No, no, no, no! Don't go in

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[blondieburke]

Juliet’s walking the beach, her haven more often than not. This time she’s without the rum, barefoot in shorts, a tank top, and letting her hair blow out around her. It’s getting long now, almost down to the middle of her back, and it’s curly today from the humidity. She’s used to it, has been used to it for three years, so she doesn’t even bother to tie it back anymore

[curiously_cora]

Coraline looked at the other woman in awe. Coraline was completely uncomfortable, not scared or anything, with the crabs and especially the larger ones on the beach. They were just creepy. Their tiny beady eyes, their legs... they were just really, really creepy. Coraline had always had Sarah to chase them away but now she had another new blonde champion.

"That was so cool!" Coraline said smiling brightly. Bobo trailled after the other lady, wagging his tail and barking up at her. "Thanks, he's really... energetic. He always runs at things before thinking."

Just like her really.

[blondieburke]

Juliet sinks down to stroke the top of the puppy’s head. “Oh, it’s no problem. I knew a golden retriever once. His name is Vincent,” she smiles, remembering Walt’s dog fondly and wondering what ever happened to him. “But Vincent wasn’t a puppy when I met him, how long have you had your dog?”

It’s been a while since she’s made conversation with someone she doesn’t know on this island, let alone someone far away from her age, but she realizes she misses it, misses the ease of a conversation with another person.

[curiously_cora]

"Um, not long. Danny, he's my friend, got him for me. I have a cat too but he's from home," Coraline said grinning as Bobo thumped his tail happily in the sand. Bobo yapped at her, running around in a circle before back to Coraline. Coraline offered her hand, smiling at the lady. "I'm Coraline and this is Bobo. He's supposed to teach me about responsibility and stuff."

[blondieburke]

“Mmmm, dogs are good for teaching responsibility,” she agrees with a nod. “And Bobo seems pretty perfect for the job.”

Taking her hand, Juliet smiles warmly. “It’s very nice to meet you both. I’m Juliet.” She wonders why she’s never seen Coraline before and tilts her head to the side. “Have you been on the island long?”

[curiously_cora]

"He really is. I mean, I already have a cat but he's from home and he's really self reliant. He doesn't need me much for anything," Coraline said shaking her hand firmly. Cat still wasn't used to the puppy and kept glaring at him or slinking out the room before Bobo could chase him. "Hi Miss Juliet. Um, Three years. I was ten when I came here and I'm fourteen in... one month and twenty nine days."

[blondieburke]

Juliet tries not to look surprised at the length of time Coraline’s been on the island. Instead, she focuses on her age and decides to pull a little from her other life. “I have a son your age. His name is David.” Possibly. Maybe. Or, he could just be the delusions of a broken mind, but she figures he’s been real enough to her for fourteen years to make small talk.

“I was never allowed to have anything other than fish when I was a kid. My dad didn’t like cats and my mom claimed she was allergic to dogs,” she says with an over dramatic eye roll that any teenager could appreciate when talking about parents.

[curiously_cora]

"Really? Is he here?" Coraline asked curiously. Coraline had lots of friends but hardly any of them were her age. It would be nice to have one or two more who knew exactly what it was like to be her age on the island. "My parents didn't let me have any pets either. My mum didn't like mess. And I mean, I had Cat but he wasn't my cat. He just helped me out."

Coraline smiled at the eye roll. Coraline knew exactly what she meant about parents.

[blondieburke]

She smiles just a little bitter sweetly. Because it’s probably better for David not to be here while she goes through…whatever it is she’s going through. On the other hand, she misses him with an ache she’s sure she’s never felt before. Being separated from her son hasn’t been easy.

“No, he’s not here. I wish though, sometimes. He’d like being able to surf every day.” Something Coraline says though, strikes Juliet’s interest. “Cat was just helping you out? What do you mean?”

[curiously_cora]

"Oh, I'm sorry. It'd be really nice if he was, there's not that many people here my age. My dad, Adam, his son was at home too. He missed him all the time," Coraline said thinking about Wes the brother Coraline had never met. Coraline always imagined him like a scrawnier version of Adam but she'd never met him and she probably never would.

Coraline picked up a stick, throwing it for Bobo who bounded after it eagerly. Coraline pressed her lips together thoughtfully. Most people didn't believe in monsters so she put it in the simplest way she could. "Someone tried to kill me but Cat helped me escape. And he helped me try to find the other dead children."

[blondieburke]

The surprise on Juliet’s face is well masked. What can she say when she’s been chased by black smoke? Gesturing to the sand, she goes to sit down. “I was just going to enjoy the water and good weather for a while. Would you like to sit?” She’s intensely curious about where this girl comes from - aside from the others from her life, this Coraline had the potential to have the most interesting story.

“So, what kind of cat is Cat?” Juliet asks as she sits cross-legged in the sand. She’s not going to jump right in to ‘tell me about the dead kids’.

[curiously_cora]

"Sure," Coraline said sitting down on the sand. Bobo ran back leaping into Coraline's lap and pressing his paws one her chest as he licked her face. Coraline smiled, picking him up and putting him back down properly on her lap. Stroking his head Coraline considered her answer. "I don't know he's black and he's haughty. And he used to be able to talk but he doesn't talk here or at least he doesn't talk to me anymore."

[blondieburke]

Surprisingly (at least to her) is where Coraline describes the cat as haughty, and Juliet laughs. She covers her smile with her fingertips. "Where are you from, that a cat was taking you to dead children?" she asks curiously, her voice soft and not disbelieving at all. Just interested in the girl's story.

[curiously_cora]

"Britain? But it wasn't- we were in her home. It's sort of hard to describe. I mean, it looked like home but it wasn't. It was wrong. And he didn't take me there. I went there myself but he followed me and he helped me find them. And my parents," Coraline explained. Coraline touched the key around her neck, the constant presence of that place and felt reassured. No one was getting the key to the Mirror Room. No one was going to get hurt again. "It was a game. See, if I found the dead children then she'd let me go home with my parents. But she's a liar and a cheater. I found them but she didn't want to let me go, she wanted to make me like them."

[blondieburke]

Juliet's listening intently, focused on Coraline. "Did you ever get out? With your parents I mean, or...did you come here instead?"

For some reason this feels familiar. Not that it's exactly similar to what she's gone through, but the world that's the same but isn't hits home a little.

"Why did she want to trap you?"

[curiously_cora]

"Ahuh, we got out but so did a part of her. She tried to get me at home so I put her down a well. Well, the part of her that came after me." Coraline said simply. Coraline could talk about it matter of factly because if she thought too much about it, she got worried and tight and tense. If, she just thought about it like a story then it didn't hurt as much. "Because she eats children. She drains their energy and their love until there's nothing left of them. She wanted to sew buttons on my eyes and lock me away and kill me."