"Hey Mister Chang," Coraline said, her voice sounding soft and weak. She didn't like that, she didn't want to cry and she wouldn't. She was braver than that, she was almost a Gryffindor and Gryffindor's totally didn't cry. She tried to bend to scratch his head but her breath caught and then she really wanted to cry because it hurt. But she wasn't going to. "I- I'm okay. I don't need to see one."

Coraline sniffed stubbornly, making sure she didn't cry and wincing when her hand touched her grazed, swollen and bruised cheek. She looked and sounded terrible but she didn't- she couldn't tell the police. Not when they would tell her to stop making things up again.

"It was an accident... no, I don't think it was but-but you won't believe me if I tell."