Coraline had looked away for... maybe five seconds, max.
When she looked back, the diagram on the wall had undergone a complete transformation. What was once a series of neat lines and precisely measured curves was now a dizzying mess of skewed circles, spiraling script, and jagged runic lines.
The longer she stared, the more her skull squeezed her brain. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest. The room began to spin.
"A-ah... hh..." Her throat... it closed.
Air...
She needed air.
Lone grabbed her arm, keeping her steady... "It's okay. I got you. Just breathe..."
That... was the stupidest advice she'd ever heard.
She wanted to push him away, but... she also didn't want to fall on her face. She swallowed hard, clenched her eyes shut, and focused.
That way, she could breathe... slow... steady... breaths...
--and not because she was told to! But because she didn't want to pass out!
