
Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/5703907.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Rape/Non-Con, Underage, Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Major_Character
      Death
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Gravity_Falls
  Relationship:
      Bill_Cipher/Dipper_Pines, Minor_or_Background_Relationship(s), Other
      Relationship_Tags_to_Be_Added, Ambiguous_or_Implied_Relationship(s),
      Wendy_Corduroy/Pyronica
  Character:
      Dipper_Pines, Mabel_Pines, Bill_Cipher, Grunkle_Stan_|_Stanley_"Stanford"
      Pines, The_Author_|_Original_Stanford_Pines, Rachel_Pines_|_Mom_Pines_
      (OC), Jonathan_Pines_|_Dad_Pines_(OC), Wendy_Corduroy, Jesus_"Soos"
      Alzamirano_Ramirez, Fiddleford_H._McGucket, 8_Ball_(Gravity_Falls), Teeth
      (Gravity_Falls), Pyronica_(Gravity_Falls), Pacifier_(Gravity_Falls),
      Kryptos_(Gravity_Falls), Keyhole_(Gravity_Falls), Xanthar_(Gravity
      Falls), Amorphous_Shape_(Gravity_Falls), Hectorgon_(Gravity_Falls)
  Additional Tags:
      Dark_Fantasy, Divorce, Emotional_Manipulation, Possessive_Behavior,
      Obsessive_Behavior, Protective!Mabel, Non-Consensual_Touching,
      Hallucinations, Accidents, Alternate_Universe, mention_of_miscarriage,
      Past_Alcohol_Abuse/Alcoholism, Past_Infidelity, Secrets, Soulmates,
      Twisted_love, Twisted_Romance, Past_Relationship(s), Some_moments_are_of
      the_canon, Bill_really_loves_Dipper_but..., He_is_a_demon_he_doesn't_know
      how_to_be_with_a_human, Stan_and_Ford_are_Rachel's_uncles, The_Pines
      family_will_be_fine_physically..._I_can't_say_emotionally, This_Is_Why_We
      Can't_Have_Nice_Things, Triangle_Bill_Cipher, Human_Bill_Cipher, Object
      Head_Bill_Cipher, We_all_need_Wendy_in_our_lives, Hidden_History,
      Bittersweet_Ending
  Stats:
      Published: 2016-01-12 Updated: 2018-02-13 Chapters: 13/31 Words: 81162
****** Come Back to Me ******
by iPrincezzInuyoukai
Summary
     After the divorce of their parents, Dipper, Mabel, and his mother,
     Rachel, move to the tourist attraction called Mystery Shack, which is
     run by his mother's uncle, in a rustic and almost normal town called
     Gravity Falls. In that charming town the twins will meet friendly and
     fun people.
     However, in the nearby forest there is something inside it, and it
     has been waiting for a long time.
     What seemed like a good opportunity for the Pines family will end in
     a horrific nightmare.
***** Chapter 1 *****
Chapter Notes
     Hello! Yes, I am... And with a new story... I have no remedy. As you
     can see in tags, this story is an AU and will be dark, something I
     decided to put the definitive rating of this fanfic is my attempt at
     something very dark, more than 'Haunted'. I have read several stories
     with a similar plot and I also want to try, all of them have
     influenced me to make this story. Also I have two notes concerning
     this story:
     I have other stories to update and complete, so I'll update this
     story every month, and I have written a few scenes but not come to
     light until I have more free time. What day? I keep thinking about
     that.
     Another thing is the plot. Now I have the plot, I have some chapters
     already written, I have even written the ending, but missing some
     scenes for which this story is at least 12 to 15 chapters. So if you
     would be kind enough to let me headcanons, suggestions, ideas, songs,
     etc. All are welcome.
     Reason why Dipper and Mabel have the surname of their mother, is
     partly why in this AU, the person with more economy in a marriage,
     the children take their name. Rachel and Jonathan are the names of
     the parents, I really like those names.
     You can always contact me on Tumblr: Here
     Also some of my future stories: Here
     Edit: 15 - Friday - July - 2016
            There was a time, I used to look into my father's eyes
              In a happy home, I was a king I had a golden throne
             Those days are gone, now the memories are on the wall
              I hear the sounds from the places where I was born
                      I still remember how it all changed
                                My father said
                    Don't you worry, don't you worry child
                        See heaven's got a plan for you
                     Don't you worry, don't you worry now
        ~ Don't You Worry Child by Swedish House Mafia & John Martin ~
Crash.
Dipper covered his ears with his pillow, trying not to hear the sound of
breaking plates.
Crash.
It was impossible.
Dipper looked at the bottom bunk, his sister asleep. Dipper sometimes wondered
how Mabel could be such a heavy sleeper but was always the first to wake.
Maybe he should take a sleeping pill like his mother did on occasion.
Crash.
Dipper sighed for the millionth time. How many more nights would he have to
keep listening to his mother’s suffering?
Crash.
                                      ☽✠☾
His mother was a very strong woman in regards to her children, it's why she was
a pediatrician, but her children, her greatest strength, were also her greatest
weakness. Rachel Pines had suffered two miscarriages in the last three years.
The first was when the twins were just ten years and the second was four months
ago. That left her devastated, so she sought solace in alcohol.
Then there was his father, Jonathan. He was the manager of a computer company
and due to his work, he was rarely home. The twins knew that their father loved
them more than anything in the world. But Dipper had noticed lately that his
parents’ marriage was breaking and Mabel's optimism didn't help. Their parents
couldn't stand being in the same room for three minutes.
Mabel believed that if their parents went on a romantic vacation they could
revive “The Flame of Passion”. Dipper knew that wouldn’t happen.
And to top it off, both problems were related.
Dipper had a vague idea why his mother wanted to have another baby so badly.
He remembered the last week of school, his mother spending night after night
drinking bottles of wine, until she just fell asleep at the kitchen table.
Dipper and Mabel had to lift their mother and take her to bed. The next morning
Rachel was so embarrassed to see her children that when she gave them their
lunch money she refused to look them in the eye. When Dipper and Mabel went
home, Rachel had prepared a wonderful dinner and she looked so beautiful and
put together. She even hid all the liquor.
The family was celebrating Dipper and Mabel’s graduation from elementary
school. Soon the twins would be teenagers and they would go to high school.
It was almost the beautiful family picture. Almost.
"Are we going to eat without Dad?" Mabel asked her mother, who looked nervous
and angry.
"He must be busy. But that’s not a reason to forget his children." The last
phrase was whispered, but the children had heard it perfectly.
"Maybe we should eat without him." Mabel proposed to try to break the tense
atmosphere that had formed in an instant.
"No, wait, I'll call him." Rachel got up from the table and stood in front of
the twins for a moment. "You two wait here." She walked up the stairs and the
sound of a door closing carried down the stairs.
The twins looked at each other. It was obvious why their father wasn’t at home.
Of course, his work was very stressful but before Jonathan always had time for
twins.
"Dipper," Mabel spoke quietly. Dipper approached to her and she whispered,
"Should we eavesdrop?"
"I was thinking about that." He commented softly, "But I’ll go. You’re rather
noisy when it's bad news."
"I've never been noisy!" She cried out. Dipper rolled his eyes at her.
He got up from his seat and took off his shoes to avoid making noise. It wasn't
the first time he listened in on other people's conversations. He walked up the
stairs and reached the door to his parents’ room. Fortunately, the door was
ajar. Dipper peeked through the small slit and saw his mother pacing in front
of the window, visibly upset and with tears welling up in her eyes, the phone
in her hand.
"Aren't you coming home?" The other person on the line was his father and
judging by their voices, they were arguing. "We are celebrating the twins’
graduation!" Rachel slightly raised her voice, but not loud enough for the
children have heard downstairs. "So you forgot!... Don't say 'Sorry'! Where are
you now?... At work? I'm not stupid! I can hear laughter!... No! Don't you dare
hang up... Jonathan!"
Dipper had heard enough to understand that his father wasn't coming back
tonight.
"You're with her, aren't you?"
Nor the next night.
Dipper stood up and ran to the dining room. Mabel had a lock of hair in her
mouth, stress evident on her face. But Dipper couldn't speak freely without
fear. Their mother could arrive at any moment. He put on his shoes and sat down
again at her side, a sign to let her know that they would talk later.
The door slammed and their mother went down the stairs, entering the dining
room. Instead of sitting, Rachel began to put food on her children’s plates.
"What about Dad?" Dipper asked nervously, sure that his voice cracked.
Rachel looked at him and forced herself to smile. "He's a little busy, it seems
that something important popped up at work. But he sends his congratulations
and when he has some free time we’ll all go to the movies. "
Even Mabel couldn't deny that excuse sounded fake, like something out of a bad
movie. All they could do was nod and smile at their mother. Then they began to
eat the delicious food. No one spoke all through dinner.
Since it was the last day of school and they got good grades, Rachel allowed
them to stay up late. They wished their mother goodnight as she left to go to
bed and likely take a sleeping pill. The twins began a marathon of the noisiest
action movies. But their attention was directed elsewhere.
Dipper told Mabel about the conversation that their parents had. Mabel's face
was becoming increasingly sad and hopeless as the details were revealed.
"Can we fix it?" The older twin asked. Dipper shook his head. Mabel climbed up
into Dipper's bed and joined her twin. They shared a bunk bed. Dipper had the
top bunk, Mabel had chosen the bottom bunk. "I think it was inevitable..."
Mabel whispered.
Dipper fell to her side "Yes, you're right." He agreed. The twins held hands,
not wanting to be separated by a divorce. They wanted to be together, no matter
what happened.
Their father came home three days after the summer holidays began. Obviously,
their mother withdrew into her room. He brought gifts, perhaps out of guilt,
the twins thought. Jonathan no longer slept in the house and slowly all traces
of him began to disappear. His seat at the table, his clothes, his photos. He
came occasionally to see them and speak with Rachel. When he went to his new
apartment, she locked herself in her room. Neither of them wanted the problem
to affect Dipper and Mabel, though it was obvious that the children understood
what was happening to their family.
Jonathan returned but with a yellow envelope. He didn't come to see Dipper and
Mabel though. He came over to see Rachel. He handed the envelope to her and he
left without a word. The brown-haired woman opened the envelope and read the
paper. She ordered pizza at home, the largest size, and as the food was being
delivered, Rachel sent her children to their room. Dipper and Mabel knew what
the envelope contained. Their fears were made real.
The divorce papers had arrived.
                                      ☽✠☾
Dipper opened his eyes, He didn't know at what time he fell asleep. Perhaps
thinking about all the stuff going on was tiring. To his surprise, Mabel slept
soundly. Dipper smiled to see his sister and thought, At least one of us
doesn't need a psychologist.
The younger twin jumped down from his mattress and left the room. He made sure
to wear shoes. He was not eager to step in broken glass barefoot. Dipper
entered the kitchen and was surprised when the floor was clear, as if nothing
ever happened.
"Dipper?" The boy turned his body and his mother was entering the kitchen. She
had her hair up in a bun, still in her pajamas. Her eyes were red and puffy.
"Why are you up so early? It’s 7:30."
"I-I was hungry." He stuttered.
"Oh, sorry, I haven't made breakfast, but we have cereal and milk." She gave
him a tired smile. Dipper saw his mother move to the cupboard and open the
small white door. His eyes moved to the papers that were on the table.
Carefully the boy took the papers and read them. At the end were the names of
his parents and below them, their signatures.
Rachel took the box and shook it, proving there was still a little cereal,
"Looks like you got lucky, there is still a little left. I think I should go to
the supermarket an-" Rachel stopped at the sight of her son reading the papers.
Their eyes met.
Dipper looked away. "So it’s decided."
Rachel felt a stab in her heart to listen to her child talk like that. "Yes,
sorry for not discussing with you two. But I know you already have noticed.
Your father and I just can't continue together. Jonathan- he gave me full
custody"
"I... See." Dipper said, avoiding eye contact. She tried not to show how much
this hurt her.
"I-" Rachel sighed a little. "I have also planned to leave the house."
At the mention of leaving, Dipper spoke. "What are you talking about?"
"This house is your father’s, and although he says he'll never leave you
helpless, I think he will want to continue his life at some point. I don't know
if you can understand, can you?"
Dipper shrugged, "I think so."
The Other Woman.
"It will be very difficult for you to move, after all the good memories we had
in California." She continued.
Excluding school, yes, Dipper had fond memories. "And where shall we go?"
Dipper asked walking towards the cupboard to get a bowl then heading to the
fridge for the milk.
Rachel looked at Dipper for a moment and her lips parted, "Remember when we
spent Christmas with my uncles Stan and Ford?" Dipper nodded to his mother
while he ate. "Well, we’re moving to Gravity Falls."
***** Chapter 2 *****
Chapter Summary
     Dipper has an old memory of the first and only time his family came
     to visit the town. The family finally reached their new home and meet
     interesting people.
Chapter Notes
     I went back to school! And it's... as painful as I remembered, ouch,
     everything hurts. Longer than the previous chapter, we must speed
     things up for the arrival of our favorite character, how do you think
     Dipper and Bill know? I'm not very good with the titles, so I'll try
     to improve, but I think most will be song titles or something. I'm
     sucks in naming, you'll never leave me baptize a child... the small
     human could suffer from bullying because of horrible name, just look
     at the name of this fanfic.
     I understand the foreshadowing, but I suck at doing that so maybe
     try... and shall fail miserably.
     By the way, I'm not of the United States, so I don't know how many
     hours of travel are from California to Oregon, so I decided to do
     some research on Google Maps and apparently are five hours by car. I
     don't know if the information is correct.
     I have no page limit, I write as far as I think it is necessary. So
     some chapters will be extremely short, very short, short, long, very
     long, extremely long. And with my back to school (most of my subjects
     are math) updates will be irregular, but I'll try to update every
     month... Plus I will be writing between classes, wow, I'm a great
     student.
     I should have said before, this story is inspired of Wonderland by
     Inumaru12, there are several more that should be appointed mainly was
     this that gave the green light for my imagination to write it... It's
     a good story and I recommend, is on hiatus but believe me is worth
     reading... Please come back! Everything I love is on hiatus!
     I already thought best in the plot that this story will take and some
     tags are removed and others added... You guys are warned. Thanks to
     those who left comments, bookmarked and kudos in this story. Feedback
     is also appreciated.
     Update: Thursday - 04 - February - 2016
     Edit: Friday - 15 - July - 2016
     You can always contact me on Tumblr: Here
     Also some of my future stories: Here
              There’s something more to this that we have missed
        Things around here are suspicious, Who can we put our trust in?
          What have they all been hiding? Secrets that lie in shadow
             How much do they all know? A place so full of mystery
                        Is just a puzzle to be solved.
                       There are things you should know
               That I can't show, it is better if you don't know
          I'm not trying to deceive you just want to keep you safe so
        Please trust in what I'm saying, They're coming; keep running!
        Someday you'll understand but remember, don't look back at all
                       ~ Gravity Falls by Lizz & Emery ~
Small white snowflakes fell outside the cabin where his family was staying to
celebrate Christmas with his mother's uncles. Little Dipper, only five years
old, looked at his family. They were all gathered in the living room. His
parents looked happy at the time. They hugged and sometimes his father caught
his mother under the mistletoe. Then he saw Mabel. She was radiant as always,
showing off her red dress with a white trim. She said she was Santa Claus and
Dipper was going to be her faithful gift giving companion tomorrow.
Then two others entered the picture: Stanley and Stanford Pines, twin brothers
and Rachel’s uncles. Rachel told the children her father, Shermie Pines, sent
her to Gravity Falls, Oregon every summer to work at the Mystery Shack.
Stanley Pines was the owner of this cabin which doubled as a tourist trap
decorated with objects and creatures of “supernatural” origin. His mother told
him when Stanley was younger he used to travel through North and South America.
Stan was a con artist so the kids soon concluded that these attractions were
likely false.
Stanford Pines was the older twin. When he was younger he was one of the
greatest scientists and inventors the world had ever seen. In his older age, he
was retired from the world of science. Dipper identified with his Grunkle Ford.
They shared the same interests such as board games and the paranormal. Both
shared a similar feature, something that made them both unusual. Stanford had
six fingers and Dipper had a curious birthmark in the shape of the Big Dipper.
"Dipper." A gentle voice said. The boy awoke from his thoughts when
listening the voice of his mother. How long was he asleep? With small steps,
Dipper came to stand beside his mother. "My naughty child, you shouldn't be so
close to the window or you’ll catch a cold." She scolded softly. Dipper
grimaced at the mention of being sick. He’d always been susceptible to the cold
weather, constantly wrapped in sweaters upon sweaters, all designed by Mabel.
It was as if his older sister had stolen all the vitality when they were in the
womb.
"Bro-Bro, your nose is getting red, like the song." Mabel teased, hugging him
from behind. Dipper felt like he was lifted a few centimeters from the ground.
Yep, she had definitely taken the strength.
"Mabel, don’t bother your brother." His father spoke as he sat near them. Like
most young children, he believed his parents and family would be together
forever. The thought of divorce never crossed his childlike mind.
Stanley called from the kitchen to let them know the food was ready and that
they could come to the kitchen. The family got up from the couch and walked to
where they could smell the exquisite meal. If there was one thing Stan could
boast it was his skill in the kitchen.
Christmas dinner was quiet at first but Stan and Mabel’s antics soon filled the
table with laughter and conversation. Stanford asked how school was going and
Dipper spoke almost candidly, leaving out the incidents of bullying from other
children. Jonathan had received a call from his parents wishing him a happy
Christmas, and the man extended the phone to the twins so they talk to their
grandparents.
When everyone had finished dinner, the guests went to the room which Rachel had
taken during her childhood summers. Stan's room was on the other side of the
second floor and Ford's room was on the first floor. There was an attic but the
children couldn't go there because of all merchandise stored in there. The room
they were in was small but had a bed big enough to fit two adults and two small
children.
Mabel was the last to sleep. She was guarding the house and the presents
everyone had put so much effort into buying and wrapping. The night went
smoothly. All was quiet and everyone slept peacefully. Dipper could hear hail
hitting the windows, as if something wanted to come in. At the thought the boy
hugged his sister, who even in her sleep, returned the hug.
Dipper opened his eyes and noticed it was already morning. White light with
soft golden tones seeped into the room through the window. The child sat up to
look around, surprised he was the first to wake up. Mabel slept soundly for a
kid who stayed up late to guard the house. The child crawled, careful not to
wake his family as he got out of bed. He dressed himself in blue pants, a red
shirt and a green sweater. Satisfied, Dipper left the room.
When the child came into the living room, the gifts were exactly where they
were the night before. Mabel had done a great job of guarding . Dipper laughed
at the thought and looked around. Apparently neither of his Grunkles were awake
either. He looked out the window where a white blanket of snow covered the
entire forest floor. The trees were adorned with white frosting, making it
difficult to see the green needles on the pine trees.
A growl from his stomach made Dipper forget the outside and head to the kitchen
to get something to eat. Luckily for him his mother kept the cookies in reach
but unfortunately there was no milk. Dipper sighed and took six cookies to eat,
going back into the living room.
He turned on the television but nothing caught the child’s eye. Dipper turned
off the TV wondering what to do while he waited for everyone else to wake up.
Getting up so early was boring. Now he understood why Mabel always woke others
up.
Then his eyes went back to the outside, back to the woods. Now that he thought
about it, they hadn’t left the Shack. Since his family arrived, he and Mabel
were always inside the cabin. They only went to the town if they were
accompanied by their parents or Grunkles.
Dipper got off the couch and dressed warmly, hoping it would protect him from
the winter chill. He opened the kitchen door to go out and met the white mantle
that spread throughout the town. A cold winter wind hit him in the face and
Dipper almost wanted to go back inside. Almost. If he went back in he would
continue to be bored. When the wind passed, the boy stepped out of the house,
forgetting to close the door.
Everything looked beautiful and serene. He quietly stepped into the snow,
almost not wanting to ruin it. He felt the snow crunch under his boots and he
squatted down to touch the snow. As he thought, the snow was cold and wet. He
wanted to start a snow ball fight but Mabel was still asleep. Maybe when she
woke up Dipper could challenge her to snowy battle.
The little boy started to walk around the cabin. It was so quiet and peaceful
in Gravity Falls, so different from the busy and loud California atmosphere.
Towns and cities were very different and for a moment he thought about asking
to stay for just a few more days. Perhaps when his parents woke, he could ask
them if they could visit more often.
With so much snow around him, Dipper dropped to the ground and rolled around,
leaving snow angels in his wake. When Dipper got tired of lying in the snow he
began to build snowmen, not as tall as his parents but still quite tall for one
little kid. At the moment he wished Mabel would wake up so they could build a
snowman as tall as Grunkle Stan.
It was very strange that everyone was still asleep and he was awake. He didn’t
know how long he had been out. Maybe he should wake everyone else up.
Tink.
Dipper was walking back to the cabin when he heard that little sound. What was
that? A bell? But bells were louder, most sonorous. This sound was almost like
a jingle bell.
Tink.
Where did the sound come from? It didn’t seem like it came from the town so it
must have come from the forest. Dipper turned around to see the forest, snow
stretching out of sight and covering the pine trees in white frost. Dipper
walked closer to the forest, now standing a couple meters from the border.
Tink.
There was that sound again and it definitely came from the forest. Dipper
squinted, trying to sharpen his eyes, trying to find the source of the jingle
bell.
Tink.
The sound returned, but quieter, as if that were moving away. Dipper was
curious. The boy didn't know of any animals that made that sound. Maybe it was
a rattlesnake? He shook his head. It was the middle of winter and besides,
rattlesnakes were not native to Oregon.
Tink.
Dipper began walking into the woods. There was something in there that produced
this sound and whatever it was, it had to be good to make such a lovely sound.
There was something in the woods, something interesting. It sparked his
innocent curiosity and he was determined to find the source of the sound.
Tink.
A golden light glowed through the trees. Dipper's body stopped before the
limits of the forest, right in front of the first line of trees that surrounded
the forest and the cabin. Was it safe to go to the forest? The glow shone again
and Dipper moved his little foot to take a step and enter the forest.
"Dipper!" Someone yelled his name and the child stopped, turning to see
Stanford running towards him, "What are you doing here?" Although Ford didn't
look upset or angry, Dipper could say his great uncle was irritated by his
tone.
"I- I tho-thought I h-heard so-so-something." Dipper stuttered, fearing Ford
was angry. His thoughts were silenced when his little hand was taken by Ford's
rough hand and started walking back the Shack.
"Listen, Dipper, a kid like you shouldn't go into the forest. There are wild
animals. I know you're curious but for now, don't go near the forest." Ford
lectured. That was all the warning Dipper got. He moved his head slightly to
see the forest and if possible the golden glow, but now there was nothing, it
was as if he had dreamed the whole thing.
The interior of the home was warm and Dipper's cheeks felt like they would melt
when the warmth met him. Ford closed the door with a slight slam. Stan, Mabel
and his parents were in the living room. Dipper looked up to see the clock. It
was nine o'clock. He had been outside for two hours? It only felt like a few
minutes!
Ford had a stern look on his face, as if Dipper had done something very bad,
although Ford has said he hadn’t. Mabel approached him and for a moment Dipper
wished he had woken Mabel but it was too late to think about what he should’ve
done.
Then, the whole family gathered to open their gifts.
Dipper and Mabel had given their mother an agenda for next year and their
father a picture frame containing a picture of them on their last vacation.
Jonathan and Rachel gave the children their gifts. Mabel received a very large
pink sweater with a colorful shooting star embroidered in the middle. Dipper
opened his gift and found a digital black wristwatch. Dipper pressed the little
button and golden numbers appeared. The children thanked their parents and rose
to embrace them.
The Stans returned with two packages, poorly wrapped, and gave one to each of
the twins. Mabel opened hers to find a grappling hook. Their parents arched an
eyebrow about it and they looked at Dipper, hoping he would receive a more or
less normal gift. Mabel was very excited about hers. The younger twin lifted
the lid off the box and found a trucker hat, blue and white with a blue pine
tree smack in the center. It was a bit large on his head but he would grow into
it.
"Thanks." The twins spoke in unison.
"Don’t mention it. I bought too much merchandise." Stan said, trying to mask
his emotions.
Mabel spent the afternoon practicing her aim with her grappling hook, outside
at Stan's suggestion. He hoped maybe she would hurt the irritating goat who
lived near the shack. Dipper sat on the porch watching his sister. Mabel
invited him to practice but he refused. This wasn't for him.
The child looked once more toward the forest and sighed in frustration. Ford
was angry with him, though his Grunkle didn't say out loud. Ford had been
avoiding Dipper since he brought the boy back. And no matter how many questions
Dipper asked, the older man remained silent.
The afternoon slowly descended over the town and Jonathan went outside to tell
children it was time for dinner. The twins took their plates of food and
watched some cartoons, the adults talking about boring adult manners in the
kitchen. When bedtime came Dipper and Mabel walked behind their parents, headed
to bed. But the child noticed as a slight crack of light illuminating a part of
the hall, coming from Ford’s room.
"I think I forgot something, I catch up later." Dipper told his parents as he
descended the stairs and ducked behind the stairs, pretending to go to the
kitchen. He peeked out and saw his family was gone. He came out from his hiding
place and walked down the hall. Ford's room was ajar and Dipper sat to one
side, sitting incredibly still and silent.
"He was about to enter the forest, Stan." It was Ford's voice.
"But you stopped him so stop being so hard on yourself. Nothing bad happened
and even so, he’s only five years old. He’ll forget soon. Also, that thing out
there is in the deepest part." A second voice. It was Stan.
"But I don't want what happened to Fiddleford to happen to Dipper." Ford said.
If Dipper had hoped the conversation would reassure him, he was dead wrong.
That conversation made him feel worse. Had he done something so bad that he
made his Great Uncle feel so upset? Dipper carefully rose from his seat and
walked slowly up the stairs and into the room he shared with his immediate
family. Mabel was still awake but he wasn’t sure he could talk to her about
what had happened. Maybe it wasn't so important and eventually he’d forget.
Right?
Right.
Two days after Christmas the family packed their bags and went to the bus
station to go home. The Stans said goodbye to the twins and the parents,
wishing them a good trip and a happy new year.
Dipper got on the bus and turned his gaze to see his relatives and Gravity
Falls. That was the first and only time he saw the place. After the strange
event, his family didn't return to Gravity Falls.
                                      ☽✠☾
Dipper's head struck the window of the bus. The boy instantly woke up, gently
rubbing the newly formed bump on his head.
"Dipping Sauce, you’re awake!" Mabel moved to his side, leaving whatever she
was doing before his awakening, "Don't ever leave me alone like that again.
Those were the worst and most boring hours of my life. I can’t even knit
because my knitting needles are in the luggage with everything else."
Dipper rolled his eyes and continued to listen to his sister. Or at least, he
tried. His thoughts kept drifting to their new home in Gravity Falls.
It was long ago his family had visited the picturesque town. They only came the
one time and after that, the Stans came to see them in California. Dipper
couldn’t really remember why they didn’t return. It was something related to-
wait. Dipper felt confused. He was dreaming about- wait, what was he dreaming
about?
"Dipper!" Mabel shouted excitedly as her whole body bore down on his. The girl
looked out the window, her nose touching the glass surface, "We’re here! We’re
here!"
Dipper grunted in pain. He carefully removed his legs from under Mabel and
slightly turned his head. He saw the green wooden sign which proudly proclaimed
in brown letters: Welcome to Gravity Falls.
"Mom we’re here!" Mabel shouted the front seat passenger, "Mo-!" Mabel was
silenced by Dipper's hand over her mouth.
"Shut up, Mabel. You don't want to wake everyone, right?" Wake anyone? There
were only another five people on the bus, and that was including the shuttle
driver. Wasn’t it tourist season? Dipper felt a tongue slide across his hand.
"Ugh, Mabel that's disgusting and unsanitary." Dipper removed his hand from the
girl's mouth and wiped it on his vest.
"No, it's not. It’s a new boxing technique, Dipdop." She laughed, punching the
air in front of her.
The bus entered the town and the twins took everything in eagerly. Everything
was still pretty much the same. The town had two new buildings though, a
theatre, and a mall.
Rachel woke up as the bus stopped at the bus station. She hadn't slept for
several days. The passengers began to descend and take their belongings. Dipper
and Mabel helped their mother with the luggage, well mostly Mabel. She was
still the stronger twin, something that Dipper was only a little sour about.
The brunette looked in both directions, waiting for something or someone. She
glanced at her wristwatch, "I thought they’d be here by now." She bit the
inside of her cheek, "Maybe Stan forgot. I wouldn't be surprised. You know he
was even late for his own wedding?" Rachel let out a slight laugh. The twins
smiled at her laughter. Their mother smiled often but as of late she rarely
laughed about something.
Sometimes he forgot one of the reasons for the move were for his mother’s
recovery.
"Should we walk to the Mystery Shack?" Mabel asked. Rachel nodded. The trio
sighed and grabbed their luggage. They began to make their way toward the
Mystery Shack.
Mabel kept chatting to her brother about mysteries. Dipper was a big fan of
conspiracy theories, supernatural mysteries, aliens, etc. Everything which
people don't consider ordinary or normal. And the Mystery Shack, true or false,
had something mysterious in each of its exhibitions.
The luggage was too heavy, or so he felt. Mabel and his mother didn’t complain
about the weight. Fortunately, they only brought what was necessary. Furniture
and other things were left at home in California. In only a week and a half,
they would turn 13 and start high school. Dipper stumbled into a boy, much
taller than him.
"Sorry." Dipper apologized.
The guy he stumbled into was a teenager, maybe two or three years older than
him. He had long blonde hair and wore a red shirt and black shorts. He was
accompanied by another couple of teenagers, a man and a woman. Both had darker
skin than the first boy. The other boy wore a green and white cap, black shirt
and blue jeans. The girl had short purple hair with a pink strand, her eyes
locked on her phone. She wore a purple sweater, a skirt and lilac leggings.
"Don't worry, kid." The blond boy said, walking away with the other teenagers.
"It's good to see young people with good manners." His mother said after the
boy left. Dipper took one look at the three teens and turned to walk beside his
mother and Mabel.
"I can’t wait to go to high school and make new friends. Maybe I can meet my
perfect guy." Dipper could swear he saw her eyes shine. He smiled slightly,
Mabel was a hopeless romantic and as a result, she tended to have her heart
broken very often.
On the way to the Shack, they noticed several people setting up food stalls and
rides.
"What’s happening here?" Dipper asked.
"We arrived at the perfect time. It’s the Gravity Falls Summer Fair." Their
mother smiled down at them.
The children looked all around themselves, trying to take everything in. There
was a roller coaster with large colored lights, a Ferris Wheel that stretched
high into the sky, a golden tent with black lines, silly games such as target
shooting where children had the opportunity to win a prize, and a House of
Terror, which the twins could easily see was poorly made and definitely fake.
After passing the fair, they finally reached the Mystery Shack. Dipper noticed
the letter S from the sign was on the ground. Wasn’t anyone going to repair it?
He looked to the vast forest that stretched beyond the town. It looked so
natural, so powerful, so mysterious. He felt a pull in his chest, a pull
towards the forest. He made a mental note to explore later.
The door opened and a group of tourists left the shack. Everyone had bags
stuffed with various merchandise, the name of the establishment written on the
sides of the bags. People who have just been scammed, Dipper thought.
An old man, perhaps in his sixties, appeared behind the tour group. He wore
glasses and an eye patch, a black jacket, black pants, and held a cane with a
billiard 8-ball on top. He wore a red fez on his head. It had a Pac-Man like
figure printed in gold and a black tassel.
"Grunkle Stan!" The old man heard children's voices and pulled his view from
the wad of cash in his hand. He looked at the two children and the woman who
accompanied them.
"Rachel? Kids?" Stanley Pines' face twisted in confusion, "But it's Saturday!
You’re supposed to arrive tomorrow evening."
"That poor excuse will not save you." Rachel spoke as she climbed the steps and
embraced the old man, "Where is Uncle Ford?"
"I think he’s in his room with his chemistry set. You know how he is with his
nerd stuff." Stan said with a dismissive wave.
"Nerd stuff." Mabel whispered softly Dipper.
Stan looked at the pair of twins, "Wow, I didn't think you would grow so fast.
The last time I saw one of you was in diapers."
"Grunkle Stan that’s a lie." Dipper said, rolling his eyes and smirking.
"I see someone has attitude, I like that kiddo. I see you're still wearing the
cap what we give you. Mabel, darling, do you have your grappling hook?"
"It’s always with me." Mabel gave a light tap to her suitcase.
Stan took Rachel's luggage, "Come inside. Unless you want to sleep outside with
the wolves." Stan wouldn't leave them outside, right? The twins didn't need to
test that theory. They quickly took their luggage and went into their new home.
The Shack was very different from the last time they came. Stan had added more
exhibits for tourists and had higher prices.
"Soos!" Stan yelled, pocketing his money.
"I'm coming Mr. Pines!" A voice was heard coming from the second floor.
Steps descending the stairs echoed in through the door and soon a man appeared,
most likely in his early twenties. He wore a green shirt with a question mark
symbol, beige pants and a brown cap. The man smiled and his front teeth
protruded from his lips, making him look like a giant squirrel.
"Kids, Rachel, this is Soos. He’s my handyman." Stan introduced the man. Well,
at least Dipper knew who to talk about the letter S sitting on the lawn.
"Heya Stan's Family." Soos greeted them, extending his hand toward his mother.
"Anything you need, I'm willing to help."
"Soos, the toilet is clogged." Stan said as he took off his black coat and
sash.
Stan looked Soos and turned to his family and said, "Anything." As he said
this, the friendly man left with his toolbox to fix the toilet.
"Soos seems like a good guy." Mabel said.
"How long has he worked here?" Dipper asked.
"Six years. He fixed the golf cart so I hired him." Stan replied.
"Only for that?" Dipper asked incredulously.
"What else do you want? I don't have time for an interview, I’m a busy guy.
Ford! Get your as-butt out of your room! Rachel and the kids are here!” Stan
shouted, carefully watching his sailor mouth. He looked to the small group.
“Sometimes I have to remind him that there is a life outside his room. And make
sure he eats and gets some sleep.”
"Tell me about it." Mabel looked Dipper. Dipper’s cheeks reddened and he looked
at his shoes.
"Business seems to be going well." Rachel spoke, examining the new exhibits.
"Well, I can't deny that Rachel. Hey! I have an idea, how about if Dipper and
Mabel work in the here?" The twins looked at their Grunkle and their mother. "I
think it would be good for them."
"That’s not a bad idea." Their mother smiled, looking at her children. They
nodded in agreement. A job meant money. Money meant some form of independence,
at least, as much as a teen could get.
"You already know Soos and on Monday you’ll meet Wendy. She is in charge of the
cash register and is around the kids’ age, more or less. You might even meet
her today if registration for school doesn’t take too long.”
"Okay, where are my favorites twins?" A voice shouted. An exact replica of Stan
had appeared except he wore a brown coat, a red turtleneck sweater, and black
trousers. Both men wore glasses and had thick gray hair.
"Grunkle Ford!" The twins shouted and ran to hug their uncle.
"Your finger is still adorable!" Mabel was always delighted with Ford's sixth
finger, as with Dipper's birthmark. When she was younger she looked for a
special mark on her body, envious of their curious traits.
"You never change Mabel. Rachel, I’d hug you but my hands are busy with your
children." Ford smiled at her.
"I'll wait my turn." Rachel smirked. Ford was separated of the twins and looked
at Stan. They looked at each other and nodded, a silent agreement to talk to
their niece.
"What’s up? I forgot my jacket." A young woman's voice was heard at the door.
Dipper saw a girl with lovely red hair and milky white skin. She wore a green
flannel, blue jeans, lumberjack boots and a winter hat with ear flaps. She was
without a doubt the prettiest girl he had ever seen. "Oh dude, I’m seeing
double." The redhead spoke.
"Wendy, this is my niece Rachel and these are her children, Dipper and Mabel."
Stan said, gesturing to the trio.
"Hey. I’m Wendy Corduroy, the master of the register. Got any questions?" That
girl had a lovely, laid back attitude. Mabel raised her hand, "Yes?"
"Do you have a boyfriend?" Mabel blurted out.
"Mabel!" Dipper and Rachel scolded the girl.
Wendy closed her eyes and laughed. Her laugh was beautiful, "You’re hilarious!
I like you." Wendy glanced at the male twin. "What about you, buddy? You got
any questions?"
But before Dipper could even contemplate saying a word, Stan interrupted. "Okay
kids, move this Q and A upstairs. Wendy, do you mind taking them to the attic?"
"Rachel, your room is still in the same place, but we need to talk to you."
Ford whispered the last part.
"Come with me dudes, I know this place like the back of my hand." Wendy took
her jacket and helped the twins with their luggage. They followed Wendy through
the kitchen and the living room, down the hall, and past Ford's room. Dipper
was glad to see not much had changed since their visit as children. The three
climbed the stairs to the second floor, where the bathroom, Stan's room, and
their mother's room were located. Then they saw the stairs leading to the attic
and walked up the stairs.
"Now I understand why we moved everything to the basement. I thought Stan was
just making us suffer for not having tourists." Wendy commented, leading the
way.
"But there’s a fair. Doesn’t that usually mean tourists?" Dipper asked, trying
to keep his nerves hidden.
"Usually but the Gravity Falls Summer Fair is a completely different ball game.
Besides, it doesn’t start until tomorrow. Maybe we can go, my treat." Wendy
said, looking behind her to the twins.
"Really?" The twins asked, clearly excited.
"Of course. Well, here’s your new digs. I gotta go. I’ve got friends to hang
with, work to avoid."
"Can we go with you?" Dipper asked hastily. Both girls arched an eyebrow. "I
mean-" He coughed again trying to sound normal, "To get to know the town. It
would be easier if you and your friends give us a tour."
Wendy smiled, "Yeah, that’s a good idea. Let’s move all the luggage up here and
go. They’re probably at Greasy’s Diner.”
When Wendy returned her gaze to the steps, Mabel turned to look at her brother.
They didn't need words to communicate, and in Mabel's eyes, Dipper could
understand a clear "We'll talk later" look. He really was in trouble now. She’d
never let him live this down.
The third floor was cleaner than any of the other two lower floors, partly
because there was nothing but four walls and a small window seat under a window
with colorful mosaics. In the center of the window, there was a triangle with
an eye in the center. Wait, Dipper had seen a carpet with this pattern in the
Shack. Were they related? Maybe they were bought in the same flea market?
Either way, the seat looked like a comfortable place to sit and read, something
Dipper did very well.
Wendy opened the door that would lead to their bedroom. The twins were
speechless. Maybe this wasn't like their room in Piedmont but at least nobody
had separated them. Two beds were on opposite sides, a bedside table in the
middle of the wall, a triangular window letting in the light of day. Dipper
could see through the window the endless forest.
"It may not be much, but believe me, those old dudes did their best to make you
feel comfortable." Wendy smiled.
"Thank you!" Mabel screamed and ran to her bed. She immediately started jumping
on the mattress, shouting thank you.
"You should thank the Stans." Wendy left the suitcases on the floor "I gotta go
so let’s get going kids.”
"Technically we are pre-teens." Dipper corrected, "We’ll be thirteen at the end
of summer."
"Then we have a reason to celebrate and get a discount." Wendy smirked. The
older girl left the room, followed by the twins. The bags were left on the
floor. There’d be plenty of time to accommodate to their new room but now it
was time to make friends. The three walked down the stairs and went to the
kitchen. Rachel was sitting with her back to them. Stan and Ford both wore
serious expressions on their faces.
"Mom, we're going out with Wendy." Dipper told his mother. The woman barely
turned to him.
"Huh? Yeah, sure - Just don't co-come back too late." She stuttered. He blinked
in shock. His mother rarely stuttered and when she did it was because she
wanted to cry. He hoped it was the nostalgia of returning here or something.
The three left the house, taking the path his family had taken earlier. They
went through the roadside stands people were setting up. They couldn't wait for
tomorrow. Upon entering the town, they tried not to lose Wendy. They didn't
know the town very well and the redhead was pointing out various local
establishments. Wendy guided them to a very peculiar restaurant. The place
looked like a large log. Large letters spelled out Greasy's Diner.
"Hey, dudes!" The redhead greeted five people her age, sitting in a booth.
Dipper recognized three of them, including the blonde who he had crashed into.
The other two were a gothic guy and a chubby guy with a nervous look in his
eyes.
"I know you. You're the kid I ran into." The young man said, immediately
recognizing Dipper.
"Yeah, sorry about this morning." Dipper said sheepishly.
"It’s not a big deal. You’re just lucky it wasn't Robbie." The blonde smiled.
"Dipper, Mabel, they are my friends. Lee," Wendy pointed to the blonde, "Nate,"
the darker boy, "Tambry," the girl on her phone, "The guy who once ate a run
over waffle for fifty cents is Thompson," the chubby boy, "and the wannabe Pete
Wentz is Robbie." the gothic boy.
"Are you babysitting?" The wannabe Pete Wentz asked. The blonde boy and the
dark boy were chanting for Thompson to lick some honey on the wall.
"Shut up Robbie. They’re new to town. They’re Stan’s niece’s kids. So I present
to you yet another set of Pines twins." Wendy sat down, patting the spot next
to her for Dipper and Mabel. They eagerly took the seat next to her. The young
people stared at the twins.
"Incredible, more twins." Lee said, attention diverting back to Thompson, who
had his tongue stuck to the wall.
"So, um, I’m Dipper." He introduced himself, hoping not to make a fool of
himself and ruin his chance at making friends.
"And this beautiful girl right here is Mabel." Mabel grinned. Dipper smiled.
Mabel would charm them. She’d be fine.
"They’re gonna be official teens soon so be nice you guys." Wendy said.
"Welcome to the club kids." Tambry congratulated flatly, eyes never leaving her
phone.
"Lazy Susan" Thompson called, somehow managing to get his tongue off the wall.
The restaurant owner was a woman, perhaps younger than Stan. She had lavender
hair and wore a waitress outfit with a white apron. Her nails were a bright red
and her left eye drooped. Dipper hoped it was natural.
"What I can do for you sweeties?" The woman asked, pencil and paper at the
ready.
"So it’s our friends’ birthday." Wendy spoke pointing to the twins. Robbie
snorted. "We’d like the special. Thompson’s paying.”
"Oh, guys - " The chubby teenager whined softly.
“Comin’ right up. Wink!" The lady raised her eyelid from top to bottom to mimic
a wink. She wrote in her notepad and walked to the kitchen.
While they waited for the food, Dipper and Mabel engaged in conversation with
group of teens. Robbie seemed more focused on trying to get Wendy's attention
than welcoming the twins. Dipper frowned at that. The food arrived at their
seats. There was even a small cake with a happy birthday message written on the
surface.
Maybe it wasn't his birthday but this was better. Everyone was being very
friendly and he was surrounded by all these cool kids, especially Wendy.
"The twins just moved here so I think we should give them a tour." Wendy spoke,
shaking her fork from side to side.
"We can show them the way home." Robbie said sarcastically, "I will not be
babysitting."
"Robbie, why are you so boring? Ya see, this is why W-" Lee started to say
something but was interrupted by a kick. Tambry laughed.
When everyone finished eating and thanked Lazy Susan, the woman gave Thompson
the bill. Although it wasn’t ridiculously expensive, Thompson couldn't help but
let out a whimper as he pulled out his wallet.
Outside, the group gathered around Thompson's car. Dipper tried to climb into
the passenger seat but Robbie's hand slapped him aside as he took shotgun. The
twins climbed into the rear of the vehicle. Thompson started the car and the
group began to direct their makeshift chauffeur around town.
There were several interesting places in the picturesque town. The mall was the
first stop. It had an arcade, laser tag, and a wide variety of stores. Then
they passed by a used car dealership. The cemetery was the next stop. Here they
learned that Robbie’s parents ran the funeral home next to the cemetery. Dipper
didn't want to know what kind of parents could have raised the older boy. They
also showed the kids where the schools were. Mabel shouted excitedly and the
group sighed dejectedly. The history museum and library were Dipper's personal
favorites. The town had a fancy restaurant located at the top of a hill and a
mansion on top of another hill. The second hill was farther from town but
everyone could see it.
At the end of the route, the vehicle stopped almost outside Gravity Falls’
limits. An abandoned store sat in disrepair. Large letters spelled out the name
Dusk 2 Dawn. The whole shop was surrounded by fences and a sign that hung in
front of them said “No trespassing”.
"What are we doing here?" Dipper asked once everyone left the vehicle.
"Not much, we just came by to try and resurrect the dead." Nate teased.
"Shut up. You’ll scare Doofus and Girl Doofus." Robbie smirked. The twins
frowned at the horrid nicknames. The more they knew Robbie, the less they liked
him.
"Don't worry guys," Wendy intervened "Two people died in there but that was
ages ago."
Dipper focused his eyes on the store. "It must be infested with ghosts." He
grinned widely. The excitement was born.
"Maybe. Blubs says he gets very annoying calls from the site." Wendy replied.
"Their souls don't rest in peace, and they’ll make sure that we won’t live in
peace." Tambry spoke. Everyone turned to stare at her. it was very rare for her
to say more than five words in a sentence.
"I have an idea. Maybe they’ll rest if we give them a sacrifice." Robbie said,
unexpectedly happy, "Kid, you seemed pretty excited about ghosts."
"Maybe Dipper can contact them." Lee continued Robbie's joke. Wendy rolled her
eyes at the boys’ antics. They weren’t going to do anything to these kids, not
with her around anyway.
Dipper swallowed hard and looked at the group. Everyone was chanting his name
and egging him on. He wasn’t a coward but he had seen too many horror movies to
know how this would end. And man, this was not going to end well.
Dipper turned to teenagers. Wendy and Mabel shook their heads. But he didn’t
have a choice, right? He didn't want to look like a coward in front of Wendy.
She liked him. "Hey, how about we don’t tempt the fates? Besides, couldn’t we
get in some pretty serious trouble with the police?"
“Dipper, are you chicken?” Robbie asked in a haughty voice.
"No way!" Dipper shouted angrily. This jerk really pissed him off, acting all
high and mighty.
No one paid attention to the few sparks that jumped from the utility pole.
Nobody knew what happened at the time and thus gave a number of reasons for the
sparks. Perhaps the wind? Or maybe the utility pole was too old?
"Face it kid, you’re afraid." Robbie continued. Dipper squinted. He wasn’t
going to be bullied. Not again. Enough was enough.
Suddenly, the utility pole fell on the fence. The group turned their eyes to
the fallen pole. A little to the left and it might have fallen on the van or
even worse, them.
"Did you see that?" Thompson asked in a frightened voice.
Tambry even looked up from her phone and took a picture.
"Wow. Ya know, I think it's a sign from the ghosts." Nate said with a nervous
laugh.
"Yeah, a sign to get out of here before the police get here." Wendy opened the
van door and climbed into the back. The others agreed, and without another
word, everyone piled into the car. Thompson gulped nervously and started up the
car, speeding away from the haunted shop.
No one spoke, not even Robbie. All were silent. Thompson took a shortcut in
case the police followed. They ended up by a lake near the forest. Before
losing sight of the store, Dipper rested his head on the window next to him.
His heart was beating a mile a minute. Thankfully he wasn’t visibly sweating
but he could feel a cold sweat run down his back. A couple of sirens could be
heard in the distance.
                                      ☽✠☾
Rachel was lying on her bed, looking at a photo album. The album contained
pictures chronicling her life, from when she was a child to her college
graduation. It traced her relationship with Jonathan, her wedding day, and even
Dipper and Mabel's ultrasound were in the album. So many memories of a
beautiful marriage, the perfect family. The brunette woman closed the album.
She didn't need to live in the past. She recalled her conversation with her
uncles.
"We want talk to you." Ford said as he put a glass of water in front of her.
Rachel bit her inner cheek. "So you know."
"We’ve known you since you were a girl. You were always very sensitive about
matters of the heart." Stan said.
"Your mother phoned us three days ago." Ford added.
"What did she say?" Rachel sighed.
"That it would best for you three to live in New Jersey, with her." Ford
replied.
"And what do you say?" Rachel asked nervously.
"Well, at first we thought she was right." Stan began.
"But Stan reminded me that you didn’t want to live in the city, not after what
happened with John. So we told her not to worry. We said we’d look after you
and the kids." Ford paused before speaking in a more serious tone. "In return,
we want you to promise us something." Rachel looked up from the glass of water.
She wasn’t thirsty for water but something more potent.
"Stop drinking. Get a job in the hospital or around Gravity Falls. Enough of
these fake smiles. Your children need you to be strong." Stan said gruffly.
"We won’t take your sleeping pills, but you need to start trying to sleep
naturally. Take natural sleeping aids, like melatonin." Ford suggested. Rachel
nodded vigorously. She had a lump in her throat and she felt strangely pleased
when Ford and Stan scolded her like she was a child.
Rachel looked out the window. The sky was bleeding and her children still
weren’t home. She knew she shouldn’t worry but what if something happened? She
wouldn’t be able to forgive herself.
The sound of an engine dragged her out of bed and toward the window. Dipper and
Mabel jumped out of the van. Wendy and a group of kids her age were with them.
The twins said goodbye and the van sped off back to town.
The children entered the house. Aside from nearly being crushed by a utility
pole, they had a great time. And to top it off, Wendy was going to take them to
the fair tomorrow to help them forget about what happened at the haunted
convenience store.
Dipper and Mabel were excited. One day and they already had new friends. Sure
they weren’t the same age but that hardly mattered.
"Hi, Mom." Mabel greeted her mother as she came down the stairs.
"Kids, how was your day? Did you have fun?" Rachel asked, smiling at her kids.
"Um," The twins looked nervously at each other, "Define fun." Their mother
raised an eyebrow.
"Mom, Mabel and I are very tired, so we’re gonna hit the hay. Night!" Dipper
said quickly, leaving little room for an interrogation. He took Mabel's hand
and they ran up the steps, avoiding their mother.
"Wish Stan and Ford good night for me!" Mabel called down to Rachel. The older
woman shook her head. Of course, her children were growing up and could take
care of themselves, but that didn’t stop her from worrying about the fact that
they hid things from her.
The kids rushed to the bathroom to brush their teeth and then ran to the attic.
Once they were in their new room, they began to freely talk about the day.
"Aren't we going to tell Mom what happened?" Mabel asked Dipper, who was
currently walking in circles in the middle of the room.
"No. If we do she might worry and that's the last thing I want." Dipper stopped
walking in circles and sat on his bed, only then noticing how far apart the
beds were.
"Besides, Wendy said that it was better to just forget what happened." Mabel
tried to sound positive but deep down she knew she couldn't forget.
"Yeah, you're right. We should focus on being ready for tomorrow and then, for
school." Dipper shrugged.
"Boo, we couldn't enjoy our vacation. I didn't even have a summer romance,"
Mabel grumbled and opened her suitcase to take out her pajamas. "None of our
former classmates declared me their love or said they had a crush on me."
In truth, Dipper hadn't thought of his old school. He didn't have many friends…
Ok, he didn't have any friends. But he had his sister and she was more than
enough to withstand high school or whatever came next.
"Good Night broseph." Mabel was already laying in bed, with her hundreds of
stuffed animals surrounding her. The girl closed her eyes and drifted into the
world of dreams.
"Night." Dipper responded. He stayed up a little longer. He just couldn’t fall
asleep. He was very excited for tomorrow and something told him that things
would change. It must mean everything would get better or at least, that’s what
he expected.
                                      ☽✠☾
Everything was gone, leaving a blank slate. Dipper was sure he was in the
Shack. Even without furniture, even without the exhibits, Dipper was willing to
bet this was his Grunkles’ home. When had he woken up and walked to the first
floor? Wait, where were the stairs? He looked around. He was imprisoned in four
walls. No stairs, no windows, no doors. He felt like he was trapped in a box.
His strange surroundings were leaning from right to left, as if a child was
shaking it. Dipper tried to stand firm but with nothing to hold on to, he
swayed with the box.
Then the shaking stopped and Dipper could again stand upright. He still felt a
little dizzy from all the hustle.
A crack was echoed through the room and Dipper looked up to the ceiling to find
the source of the noise. Like a doll house, the roof of the house was torn off
and thrown by some invisible force; He let out a small gasp. Without the roof
he could see the starry sky. A silky blackness extended over him and several
constellations shone brilliantly against the midnight backdrop.
The sound of lightning slammed into the child’s ears. As he looked away from
the beautiful cosmos, Dipper glanced toward the origin. Part of the sky was
tearing to form a black hole. But it didn’t suck anything in. On the contrary,
it seemed as if at any moment something was going to burst through it.
Something completely unknown. Several yellow lightning bolts surrounded the
black hole and Dipper heard the most terrifying laugh erupt from the sky. It
was loud and distorted and anything but innocent. The sound reminded him of a
predator finally cornering its prey. It came from the thing trying to come
through the hole. Dipper tried to stay calm, but as time passed, his panic
increased.
Everything happened in in a split second. The lightning stopped, the laughter
disappeared and that black hole was closer to him. Dipper could only see the
darkness beyond. Curious, he walked right up to the black hole and raised his
hand, reaching his hand out until it was almost touching the other side. Biting
his lip, he nervously stuck his hand into the hole.
A hand, longer than his and completely black, took his hand. Dipper struggled
against the hand, a few tears escaping his eyes. This hand had incredibly sharp
claws! That hand was trying to pull him to the other side, trying to get him
through the black hole. This hurt! Instinctively, Dipper looked up and his eyes
widened.
A golden eye with an electric blue iris and cat-like pupil was staring at him
from the other side of the hole, and although it didn't have a form, Dipper
could swear it was smiling.
                                      ☽✠☾
Dipper awoke with a start and a muffled cry. His throat felt dry and his body
ached as if someone had hit him. He tried to breathe calmly. He was so shaken
by his dream. Or was it a nightmare? He had no idea. Dipper looked at his wrist
and it hurt horribly. He must’ve slept on it funny.
It had felt so real... So real that it was scary. Dipper turned to Mabel. His
twin was still sleeping peacefully. She looked as if she never had nightmares
or at least he never heard her complain at night.
He massaged his neck and looked at the alarm clock. 6:18 a.m. Dipper fell back
on the mattress. It was still too early to start the day. He would try to
sleep. Maybe he could dream of something more pleasant. Like going to the fair
with Mabel and Wendy later.
With that last thought Dipper started to close his eyes and covered himself
with blankets, turning his back on the first rays of sun coming through the
triangular window.
***** Chapter 3 *****
Chapter Summary
     Dipper learns how insignificant things can cause big consequences.
Chapter Notes
     And yet I still can't decide which days I update or how to
     accommodate tags from this story... Or give names to the chapters. I
     give up.
     I thank those who let me kudos, commented and gave bookmarked, thank
     you very much and also my beta, is a classmate of mine from school,
     he knows a little more English than I do, so I hope this chapter has
     been good.
     I could have fused this chapter and the next but still need to polish
     some details. Besides that this would be super extra long.
     Feedback is appreciated.
     Update: Thursday - 10 - March - 2016
     Edit: Friday - 15 - July - 2016
     You can always contact me on Tumblr: Here
     Also some of my future stories: Here
               I don't know how to stop, Gets crazy but so what
                   You know it's what you want so give it up
                   And don't be scared of how good it feels
            Tell me how good it feels, I don't know how to stop...
                              How good it feels.
                    ~ Don't Know How to Stop by Halestorm ~
"Dipper!"
The younger twin was awakened not by Mabel's shout, but rather by the girl
jumping on his bed, while he was in it. The girl was stronger than him and in a
stroke of bad luck, she fell on his wrist. His body protested at the horrible
pain in his wrist.
"Argh Mabel," Dipper tried to remove his twin but she refused to budge from her
position above him. "Come on, get off." Dipper looked at the alarm clock. It
was nine-thirty but he still hadn't yet managed to recover from that strange
dream.
"Nope Dipdop. Now that we have a new home I have to uphold my position as the
alpha twin." She grinned at him. Dipper rolled his eyes at the term 'alpha
twin'. Mabel was not only the older sister (if only by five minutes), she was
also taller than him by a millimeter. And she never failed to remind him
whenever she had the chance.
"How many times do I have to tell you that I have zero interest in competing
with you for the title of alpha twin?" Dipper said. Mabel looked at him with
inquiring eyes, urging him to continue. "And I could never even think about
it."
At the sincerity of her brother Mabel moved away from the bed and migrated to
the bags piled up in a corner of the room. She looking for the perfect outfit
to wear at the fair. Maybe today she would meet her soul mate with whom she
would spend the rest of her life and live happily ever after with. Like in the
fairy tales her father used to read to her at night.
Her father.
"Dip-" Mabel turned to see the twin male. Dipper was out of bed and she
grimaced to see the boy pull his socks out from under the bed. "Agh. Dipper you
need to improve your hygiene habits."
"How many times do I have to tell you that laundry is a waste of time?" Dipper
groaned.
"At least do it for me. I want to make sure you will be more organized when we
get separate rooms." Mabel pleaded. Dipper looked down. Very soon they would be
too old to share a room and they’d have to separate.
The brunet crossed his arms. "I'll try, but I can’t promise anything." He
relented.
"You are the best bro-bro." She smiled, wrapping him in a hug.
Both twins opened their luggage looking for a change of clean clothes, Dipper
was nervous. Why was he nervous? Sure he’d be with Wendy but he’d also be with
his sister and all of Wendy’s older friends. He sort of wished it was a date
but he was also glad it wasn’t because right now he felt like a complete mess
of emotions and hormones. If only his father were here to talk about it.
His father.
"Mabel-" Dipper began.
"Today we’re calling Dad, remember? He gave us his new number." Mabel
interrupted, a small, fake smile on her face. They hadn't seen their father
since the man said good bye to them at the bus station, crushing them in a hug.
He also embraced their mother, but the hug was very awkward and they parted
instantly. She took the bags and boarded the bus.
Both twins finished getting dressed and ran downstairs to enter the kitchen. At
the small table sat Grunkle Ford, reading a newspaper and ready to start the
day. Rachel was drinking coffee in a small yellow cup, looking a bit more
relaxed. Then there was Grunkle Stan who was still in his red dressing gown and
preparing breakfast. They knew that the Shack was not open on Sundays and when
it was open its hours were 10 in the morning until half-past four in the
afternoon.
"Good morning." Both twins said, taking their seats.
"Morning." The adults returned.
"You guys look pretty excited. What’s happening today?" Ford asked.
"Wendy’s taking us to the fair today. She is so cool! She knows so many cool
things, like survival techniques." Mabel gushed.
"Ha! Most of these techniques come from her dad and brothers but some of those
are mine." Stan guffawed, serving the family their breakfast. "What I would
give to be young again." Mabel challenged Dipper to a syrup race.
"You look good, Mom." Dipper said without taking his eyes off Mabel.
"Well, last night I spoke with a friend of mine who could get me a job at the
hospital." She smiled at him.
"That's awesome Mom." Mabel gave a triumphant shout when her syrup had fallen
on her tongue first. "And this is another victory for the alpha twin!"
Breakfast passed without further delay. There was a strange calm Dipper hadn’t
felt since they were in California. It was so strange but at the same time so
normal. The Stans commented about what they would do, reminding the twins to
call their father.
Dipper felt Mabel's hand on his shoulder. "It's time to call Dad." She said. In
a flash, Rachel was standing up and thanking her uncles as she headed upstairs
to her room. Her children understood why she was off-put. It was a weird
situation for all of them.
Dipper and Mabel got up from their chairs and left their dishes in the sink.
They asked Stan where the phone was and went to get it. They pressed the tiny
buttons and waited patiently until they heard their father’s voice.
"Hello?" The voice greeted.
"Dad!" Mabel shouted.
"Mabel I'm not deaf." He teased.
"Sorry." Mabel blushed.
"I’ll get used to it. How are you settling in to your new home?" He asked.
"We're fine. Yesterday we met a really cool girl. Her name is Wendy and she
introduced us to her friends and they gave us a tour of the town and then-" She
was so excited that she hadn't realized what she was talking more than
necessary.
"Then?" Their father urged.
Dipper took the phone, "Then we went near the lake. It’s huge and you’re
allowed to fish."
"Fishing, eh? Well, I’ll have to make a space in my schedule and go with you
kids sometime." He replied.
"Would you do it? For real?" Mabel had taken back the phone.
"Of course! Right now I’m a bit busy with work and the move though." The man
said.
"Did you move?" Dipper asked, arching an eyebrow. Something here was not right.
"Well, I got a promotion at my job but that means I’ll be traveling more often.
Anything can happen now." His father explained. The Twins picked up on his
nervous tone. Mabel took complete control of the phone after that, with Dipper
occasionally managing to sneak in a few words here and there. He saw his mom
come down the stairs, looking through her handbag, probably looking for the
keys. His mother was a bit flighty to put it lightly. When she saw him she just
waved her hand and sent them a warm smile.
His father said goodbye and he promised to call next weekend for their
birthday. Mabel seemed happier. Sure they wanted to celebrate their birthday
with both of their parents but that might take some time. With a resigned sigh
Dipper and Mabel went up to their room. It was time to unpack.
Mabel screamed as she jumped into the purple furniture on her side, flinging
open the dresser. Some spiders moved through her hair when she landed. "Hehe,
they tickle me." She giggled.
Dipper meanwhile moved to the other side of the room. There were some shelves
to put his clean clothes on. He made a mental note to make sure to keep that
part neat so that Mabel would see he was a responsible-ish kid.
He dragged over his two suitcases and backpack. But before he could even
consider putting stuff away, he had to do some pretty intense dusting. How long
has it been since Stan properly cleaned this place? As his thoughts drifted to
dust and cleanliness he suddenly heard a small squeak come from the wall.
"What the-?" He began, confused.
Dipper placed his hand on the wall and a wooden board sank under the weight of
his hand, letting out small groans. It was like the board was loose or
something. He traced the edges of the wall until he felt a small break in the
wood paneling. He was about to make an effort to remove the wooden board-
"Dipper! I need help! Spiders want me for dinner!" Mabel cried.
Dipper pulled his attention from the loose board and went to help his sister.
She was laying on the floor, covered in spiders. "Hold on Mabel, I'll help
you." Dipper rolled his eyes at her.
                                      ☽✠☾
It took at least an hour to remove all spiders from the Mabel's body, fifteen
minutes to remove the cobwebs from her hair and twenty minutes to clean off her
clothes. Dipper could taste the freedom as he turned to his side of the room.
That is, until Mabel took him by the collar of his vest and asked him to help
her unpack, promising she’d return the favor. With all the clothes to unpack,
the children turned it into a competition of who could unpack the fastest. The
younger twin was certain he’d win and finally score a victory against the older
girl.
"Kids!" Stan's shout made them halt in their competition. They ran down the
steps, leaving the clothes scattered on the floor. Wendy was waiting for the
kids at the door. They immediately rushed to her side.
"Well Wendy, you know the rules. Just don’t do anything too illegal." Stan said
nonchalantly.
"Don't worry Mr. Pines. I have everything under control. I have three younger
brothers so I can definitely control these bandits." Wendy tousled the kids’
hair. "What time do you want them back?"
Stan scratched his back and looked at the wall clock, "By seven o'clock will be
fine."
"Yes, Sir." Wendy saluted and the twins let out a laugh. Stan wasn’t all that
amused and closed the door as the redhead and the twins drove away.
The fair was going to be great. Sure, some of the rides seemed a bit run down
but nothing would happen. Right?
First Wendy took them on the Ferris Wheel, which was just a horrifying as he
feared it would be. Mabel wouldn’t stop moving and Dipper feared she would
knock the cart right off the ride. But hey, we're talking about Mabel,
everything would be fine. Everything’s gonna be fine. Dipper repeatedly thought
to himself but he couldn't help but feel nervous about sitting next to Wendy.
Of course, she either didn't seem to notice or was just ignoring him. Dipper
hoped it was the first.
When the wheel stopped, they went to the next attraction, a carousel. Mabel
wanted to climb one farther away from them. Dipper frowned as his twin left him
alone with Wendy… Hey wait! Mabel was trying to set them up! He had to stop her
before she embarrassed him but the ride started and he had to stay in his seat.
The carousel eventually stopped and everyone got off. Wendy invited them to
eat.
"How do they even get them into this shape?" Dipper asked when he saw his
sausage-shaped question mark, complete with a small ball placed under the
figure.
"I don't know Dipper, but the question here is, will they be delicious?" Wendy
put her sausage above her near the food stall sign that said delicious.
Both began to laugh. Mustard fell on Wendy's shirt. "Boo. You wait here and
I'll get some napkins."
"How's it going?" Mabel asked, popping up from out of nowhere. She held a stick
of pink cotton candy and was nibbling at the sweet treat.
"Where were you?" Dipper asked.
"Just spying on everyone." Mabel shrugged.
"That doesn’t sound very good." Dipper replied.
"It’s all for you Dipdop. Whoa, are you smelling a crap ton of body spray?"
Mabel asked, sniffing the air.
A tall figure stepped forward. It was Robbie. "What's up losers? Have you seen
Wendy?"
"Who's asking?" Dipper faced him and crossed his arms.
"I wanted to show my new tight jeans." Robbie did a pose to show off his new
jeans then stole a bit of Mabel’s food.
"I think I saw her." Dipper glared at him and stood up a bit taller. "Near the
bottomless pit, you should go find her."
Robbie didn't appear to like the idea as his face, if possible, scowled even
more. "Maybe I will dork." That said the gothic boy walked away, pushing Dipper
roughly with his shoulder.
"He’s a moron." Mabel reassured Dipper.
"Yeah but he’s a moron with tight jeans. We gotta keep him away from Wendy."
"Don’t you worry baby brother, I'll be here helping you every step- Oh My Gosh!
A piggy!" Mabel pointed her finger at the sign saying 'Win a pig.' The female
twin ran away from Dipper, whose face contorted into a look of confusion and
wonder.
"What's wrong with Mabel?" Wendy asked as she approached. There was now a small
mustard stain on her sleeve.
Dipper just shrugged. He was never quite sure what she was doing. "Let's
follow. It might be fun." He suggested.
Meanwhile, Mabel was still running in the direction of the red arrows leading
to the pigs. When she arrived, there was a small barn. A man stood on a box.
Around him, at least twelve piglets were loafing about. All of them were very
cute. How could she choose just one? Then one caught her attention. He was the
cutest and cuddliest piggy she had ever seen. The little animal let out an
oink.
"Oh! Did you said, Mabel? Or did you say table? Mabel or table?" Mabel asked,
smiling at the pink creature. The piggy oinked again and Mabel’s happiness grew
with her smile. She heard laughter behind her. She turned her gaze to see three
girls walking together and watching her. There was a blonde girl, clearly, the
leader, and the other two girls, a redhead, and a black girl, were standing
behind her.
"Apparently someone found her soul mate." That blonde girl said cruelly. The
other two laughed at the joke. Mabel decided to ignore her. No one would rain
on her parade. Not today.
"Sir, I must win this pig!" She shouted to the man, pointing to the pig she
wanted.
"Who?" The man looked down and pointed with his cane to the pig Mabel wanted.
"You mean old fifteen pounder? Okay, I'll give him to you if you can guess how
much he weighs."
"Uh, fifteen pounds?" Mabel asked uncertainly.
The salesman opened his eyes, "Are you a witch? Well, here’s your pig." Mabel
accepted the little pink being. Dipper and Wendy were already at her side, the
other people who were close her were clapping, today was the best day of her-
"I think you'll need these." The seller was offering a fork and a knife. Mabel
gave him a nasty look. "No? Well, it's your problem."
The best day of her life.
"He’s such a nice little guy." Wendy commented as she stroked behind the small
pink ears.
"What you going to name it?" Her twin asked.
"Waddles! He’s soft and cute and he waddles when he walks." Mabel smiled. No
one could argue with the logic of Mabel. She could make the impossible
possible.
The three walked along with their new companion looking for the next
attraction.
"Oh wow look at that." Wendy pointed to a shooting game. Placed on the top
shelf was a stuffed animal that looked like a cross between a duck and a panda.
"I have no idea what it is but I want one."
Dipper saw an opportunity. "I know the trick of this game. You hit the owner
and run off with the prize."
"Grunkle Stan did when we went to the fair in California." Mabel said.
"Deluxe." Wendy was impressed.
"One please." Dipper took a bill from his pocket and gave it to the man at the
stand. The man handed him a baseball. Dipper moved his hand to find a good
angle to hit the three bottles and win the stuffed animal. Only he didn't count
on his wrist's pain returning. With a whimper of pain, he threw the ball.
Somehow the ball managed to hit its target, toppling the bottles. But then it
rebounded and ended up hitting Wendy in the eye.
"Ouch! My eye!" Wendy put her hand over her eye.
"Wendy! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean it!" Dipper apologized, the words rushing
out of his mouth.
"No, no, be cool dudes." Wendy spoke. She kept her voice calm to avoid scaring
the twins. "Does it… Does it look swollen?" Wendy asked, removing her hand from
her eye. Dipper and Mabel looked very uncomfortable as Wendy’s eye began to
swell and turn purple.
"Ice! We'll get ice for your eye!" Mabel proposed and she ran with Dipper
looking for a cold drink. Dipper found a can of Pitt Cola cool enough to help
Wendy. He turned to the place where the redhead was but what he found made his
blood boil.
Robbie was at her side, holding a snow cone to her eye.
"Thank you, Robbie." Wendy said.
"I think I was just in the right place at the right time. Hey, Wendy, you and I
have known each other a long time and we’ve spent a lot of time together, so I
wanted to ask you something. Wendy, you wanna go out with me?" Robbie asked
nervously.
Dipper wanted to scream, run towards them or simply distance the older boy from
her, but he was paralyzed. Wendy paused to think. The youngest twin wanted her
to say no.
"Yeah, why not?" She said with a shrug. That was all. With those words Dipper
felt something break inside him. It was at that disastrous moment she seemed to
notice him. "Hey Dipper, you don't have to worry about the ice. Robbie’s got
me. I'll be back in a minute just stay right here." And with that Wendy walked
away with Robbie to enter the tunnel of love.
"Hey Dipping Sauce, I found some ice. I would’ve been back sooner but Waddles
wanted to eat garbage and a mother cannot let her child eat gar- What are you
watching?" Mabel asked. Dipper didn't answer but instead raised his hand and
pointed with his finger to the tunnel of love where Wendy and Robbie were in
line. Mabel bit her lower lip.
                                      ☽✠☾
The twins didn't go back to the Shack. Dipper had promised to wait for Wendy
and the redhead was in charge, so they sat near the tunnel until the redhead
exited with her new boyfriend Robbie. Ugh. Mabel felt bitter taste at the
thought of Wendy with Robbie. But she focused on Dipper. Her twin was clearly
upset. She didn't want to see him like this, laying on the ground with a
dejected frown on his face. She couldn't be happy if someone she loved was sad.
"Doctor Waddles we have an emergency. There's a boy over here with a broken
heart." She had even gotten a doctor costume for her pig but Dipper wasn’t
looking at her or Waddles. "Come on Dipper. These are the jokes. You gotta
laugh.”
"Oh man, the stupid pain in my wrist ruined my life." Dipper looked at his
wrist.
"Oh my God. How did you get that?" Mabel examined the large, hand-shaped bruise
on Dipper's wrist, a bit of worry creeping into her voice.
Dipper didn't respond. He just shrugged at her. The mere fact that an
insignificant dream had ruined his day made him feel stupid.
"Dipper, you know can tell me anything, right? We’re twins. We’re like Ying and
Yang. We’ll always be there for each other." They were best friends and she
knew her brother better than anyone else. The secrets of her twin were her
secrets. "Today someone made fun of me and Waddles."
"Wait, who was?" Dipper said, sitting up abruptly. Mabel rolled her eyes. She
knew Dipper was overprotective but she didn't need him to fight her battles.
His battles on the other hand… Well, let’s just say he needed all the help he
could get.
"It wasn’t anyone important. That girl was not going to ruin my day. I just get
the best pet in the world." Mabel placed Waddles on her lap, giving him a few
pats on his head. "So don't let that silly wrist ruin your day either. There’s
still so much to do before seven and a lot can happen in a few hours." Dipper
smiled at his twin. Mabel always managed to cheer him up when no one else
seemed able to. She was the best sister and he was lucky to have her.
"Thanks, Mabel." He said sheepishly.
"You're welcome Bro-Bro. Awkward sibling hug?" Mabel asked, opening her arms.
"Awkward sibling hug." He nodded, wrapping his arms around her.
"Pat-Pat." They said simultaneously as they patted each other’s backs.
Waddles oinked at the pair. "It looks like someone else wants a hug." Mabel
teased, holding the pig out to Dipper. He patted the pig as he thought about
the new pet. He had no idea how their mother or their Grunkles would react
about the new family member, but he was sure everything would be fine. It was
Mabel. She made the impossible possible.
"Oh man, now I have to deal with that all the time." Dipper groaned, gesturing
to the couple. Wendy and Robbie were standing close together and Robbie was
holding out a caramel apple for her to try.
"I’ll fix it." Mabel winked and lightly hit the pig in the right direction.
Waddles smelled the delicious caramel apple and surged forward to his delicious
goal. He launched himself into Robbie. When he saw the pig, he screeched and
dropped the apple, stumbling backwards into a pot filled with hot water. The
water made his pants shrink and he fell to the ground in pain, grabbing his
crotch. Laughter filled the air around them. Wendy joined in the laughter. Her
cheeks were flushed and she was covering her face with her hands. The twins
joined in. The only one not paying attention to the disaster was the pig,
devouring his sweet reward.
"Alright guys, there are still three hours until I have to return you." Wendy
approached them while Robbie rose from the ground and walked toward his house,
perhaps to change the tight jeans. "Any other attractions you wanna see?”
Dipper and Mabel looked around carefully. They had already been to most of the
attractions.
"How about that?" Mabel suggested, pointing to a tent on the outskirts of the
fair. "It looks like a circus."
He looked in the direction his sister pointed. It was the same gold and black
tent they had seen the day before. How had he not noticed the obnoxious tent
earlier?
"Yeah, it looks interesting. I think it’s just starting." Dipper said when
bright golden light bulbs turned on around the marquee, drawing the attention
of the other townspeople. Wendy looked at the tent and nodded, also a little
curious about the attraction.
"Yes, it sounds fine. It can be entertaining and if it’s bad we can make fun of
them." Wendy shrugged, smirking at the twins. The twins grinned at her. Wendy
was the coolest person they knew.
"Hey!" They turned when the shooting game man called to them, or more precisely
Dipper. "Boy never picked up your prize." Oh yeah. Dipper had won. He’d
completely forgotten.
"Here’s your stuffed pet of indeterminate species." The man said, holding out
the toy. Dipper took the strange animal and with a smile, he returned to his
group.
"Take it Wendy. You suffered for this." Dipper said, handing her the stuffed
toy.
The redhead took the stuffed animal and smiled at him. "Thanks, Dipper.
Apparently, I came with the right people." Mabel winked at her brother and gave
him a thumbs up, Dipper blushed violently.
"We should get going. People are already lining up." Wendy said, pointing to
the growing line.
***** Chapter 4 *****
Chapter Summary
     A magic show is as strange as magnificent.
Chapter Notes
     Did anyone see Britain's and America's Got Talent? I used to see some
     auditions on YouTube, so some magic tricks you may know of that the
     show. I must admit, people who manages to make magic is amazing,
     sometimes I wonder if any of them went to Hogwarts.
     I still waited my letter, hope is the last to die!
     It is the funniest chapter I could have writing and surely exist. Of
     course there will be some softer but fun was this... Or perhaps
     others but that will be a long time... Hopefully not so long...
     Forgive me... Or maybe not.
     Another thing, I have no idea as a job interview for a doctor or
     nurse, a friend of mine wanted to be a nurse but she doesn't live in
     my town so I have no one else to ask... Do not judge me I'm shy.
     Update: Saturday - 16 - April - 2016
     Edit: Friday - 15 - July - 2016
See the end of the chapter for more notes
                       Hands high like a roller coaster
                           This love is taking over
                           Take us higher here we go
                                  Oh, oh, oh
                              Welcome to the show
                             Gravity we're defying
                        'Cause we were made for flying
                          We're about to lose control
                              Welcome to the show
                    ~ Welcome To The Show by Britt Nicole ~
Her children were right. The town had changed since the last time they had come
at Christmas all those years ago. She had wanted to return to see them but Ford
begged her not to come back and she couldn’t help but trust him. Stan and Ford
were the most precious father figures she had after her father died when she
was 16. Besides, they’d come visit so she didn’t see a problem with not
returning to the mysterious small town.
Right now Rachel was in the hospital. More specifically, she was nervously
sitting in the waiting room. Rachel settled some strands of her mahogany hair.
Her hair was perfectly fine but she couldn't shake the feeling that something
was wrong with her. Perhaps it was better to come at another time. No. Rachel
ignored the last thought. She had promised to improve and that’s what she was
doing. With any luck, she’d leave the hospital with a job.
She glanced at the clock on the wall of the waiting room. It was quarter past
five in the afternoon. Her twins were probably having fun right now with their
new friend. The brunette recalled the first time she had taken the twins on a
roller coaster. Dipper had been terrified, but he held Mabel's hand. He ended
up having just as much fun as his elder sister. If she didn't have this job
interview she could be with her children.
Just wait for your name. Rachel told herself. Just wait for yo-
"Rachel Pines?" a voice called out.
Fuck! She wasn't ready. She quickly stood up. In front of her was a nurse with
a clipboard in hand and a gentle smile on her face.
"Yes, it's me." Rachel said nervously
The nurse held out her hand. "Nice to meet you." Rachel took her hand and shook
it. "Come with me. The doctor's waiting right now." The nurse began to lead the
way. Both women walked down the hallway in dead silence. The lack of noise was
nearly deafening. The nurse indicated for Rachel to wait as she knocked on a
near by door.
Rachel glanced toward a glass window. Behind the glass were five rows of
bassinets. Some of the babies were sleeping peacefully, wrapped in soft cotton
white blankets. The nurses were carrying in their arms smaller ones, perhaps
they were newborns. There were two other babies in incubators. Rachel moved
closer to get a better look and she smiled nostalgically.
"They are beautiful, don't you think?" A voice said behind her. The woman
turned her head to meet an almost familiar face. She had changed after many
years. Her black hair was longer and put in a long braid. White glasses were
settled on her nose, and she was wearing lip gloss. Apparently, she had gained
a little weight but that didn't overshadow her natural beauty.
"Long time no see, Kimmy," Rachel hugged her old friend. The last time they had
seen each other was during that fateful Christmas visit. At the time, Kim Chiu
wasn’t sure if she wanted to stay in Gravity Falls. It was obvious what her
decision ended up being.
"Come into my office," Kim said, turning to lead the way. Rachel was right
behind her, making benign chit chat with her old friend. They walked down the
hall to go into an office on the left. Rachel noticed the bold, black letters
printed on the door:
                                   KIM CHIU
                                 PEDIATRICIAN
                             HOURS: 11:30 TO 18:00
She looked down, distressed and nostalgic. She remembered her old office, when
she was still stable enough to work. Jonathan and the kids would visit her
during the day and pick her up in the evening.
Her old friend sat in her chair watching her face. "It’s been awhile now hasn’t
it? I think the last time I saw you was when you came up for Christmas almost 8
years ago. They’re almost teens now right?” She took off her glasses and wiped
them on her shirt. "I am very sorry about what happened to you."
Rachel sighed nervously. "Don't worry. My family is supporting me." She gave
her a smile, one that could be normal and sincere. "How have you been? Have you
been back to Korea?"
"Well, not really. I had planned to go to see my family but in the end they
decided to come to America." Kim replied easily. She was originally from South
Korea but she moved to America with her parents when she was 9. Her father had
been offered a job in Oregon where the pay was much better. Rachel and Kim
became fast friends during Rachel’s first summer in Gravity Falls.
"You must be happy to have your whole family again." Rachel smiled.
"I am. But let’s get down to business." Kim responded. The black-haired woman
opened a desk drawer and pulled out an envelope. As she was reading, Kim
glanced toward the brunette. "I must say that I'm glad you decided to return to
work. After all, helping others was your passion." Kim continued to read the
file and looking casually to Rachel. "As you may have noticed when you saw the
newborn nursery, not many babies are born in Gravity Falls. At most 25 babies
will be born by the end of the month. So many of our nurses specialize in other
areas. Do you still remember how to give first aid?"
"Yeah, not like before but I remember the basics." Rachel nodded.
"Perfect. I am responsible for this area of the hospital and maybe I shouldn't
do this but I know and trust you. So if you want, you can start in a nursing
position tomorrow. But I also need you to help us in other sections of the
hospital. Gravity Falls is a logging area. Most of our patients are lumberjacks
who come in with injuries caused by wolves or bears.” Kim smiled at her old
friend.
"I get it." Rachel replied, "You can count on me to help. That's why I came."
Lie. Her mind muttered derisively. Regardless, she stood up to leave.
"Then I'll see you here tomorrow at eleven o'clock. You can pick up your
uniform today. Just turn right when you step outside. The same nurse who
brought you will help you." Kim got up from her seat like Rachel and the two
women shook hands. "It's good to see you again, Rachel." Ms. Pines smiled at
her and recovered some of the long lost spirit. Taking her handbag and saying
goodbye, she walked toward the door. Something caught her attention though. A
photo. It was Kim and another girl. She would be about the same age as her
twins.
"Who is she?" Rachel asked curiously. "Is this your daughter?"
Kim looked at her and chuckled. "No. She's my 2nd cousin, Candy. She’s my
cousin’s kid. She starts high school next week."
"She’s the same age as my children." She said, more to herself than to Kimmy.
The girl, Candy, looked extremely similar to Kimmy when she was a kid. "Well, I
must go. My children are at the carnival and will be home soon. I better go
help Stan make dinner."
Rachel left the office and as she walked down the hall with the nurse to
receive her uniform. They passed the incubators and she paused for a moment.
Her teeth bit her inner cheek nervously. Rachel shook her head, erasing all of
her distracting thoughts. She was going to get through this. And she was going
to come out stronger than before. She continued after the nurse down the hall.
A few moments later, with her uniform in hand, she passed the incubators. She
didn’t give them a second look this time. It was time to go home.
                                      ☽✠☾
Dipper had to admit that the tent seemed to be made of gold. He got in line
with Wendy and Mabel, ready to enter the tent and discover what was in store
for tonight. There wasn't a ticket booth so he assumed that they would charge
people once they were in the tent. He hoped the tickets wouldn’t cost a ton of
money and that they would accept pets, especially pigs. Although he could see
some children with their parents or friends of their same age, teens were in
the majority.
Suddenly, the black, starry curtain that covered the entrance opened and two
people jumped out. One would think that a magic show with a circus theme might
have two people disguised as clowns or acrobats. Instead, those two people were
not like any clowns he’d seen before. They were dressed oddly enough that in
any other setting people would be intensely suspicious.
One was so tall that he wouldn't need a chair to change a light bulb. A green
mask with two golden eights drawn on his cheeks completely covered his face.
His hair was short and it was a strange greenish color like his suit. The
trousers and shirt were of varying shades of green. The second person appeared
to be smaller, so small that Dipper and he were probably the same height. He
wore a white mask with pink edges that only covered his upper half of the face,
from the forehead to the nose hiding his eyes and showing a mouth full of big
white teeth that Dipper thought looked more like fangs. His hair was short and
in a bowl cut and his skin was a strange pink. Under a pink suit jacket, he
wore a white shirt.
"Alright," The green person spoke. His voice was distorted and somewhat hoarse.
"It's time to go in."
"Don't push." The man with big teeth said. "No one wants an accident on a night
of magic, right?"
Parents and kids alike took their wallets out of their pockets, counting the
money they had.
"Ha!" The pink man produced a laugh, "No friends. Here we don't accept money."
Dipper raised an eyebrow. Grunkle Stan had told him long ago that nothing is
free in this life. "Right, Eight Ball?"
The named shrugged and said, "Unless they have gold or something," The man
turned his head toward the line of people. "I don't think the boss wants to
have anything to do with them."
If what this man said was offensive, the others said nothing. They are weird.
Dipper thought. He was almost tempted to ask Wendy and Mabel to seek another
attraction. However, his curiosity about the tent was much stronger. The line
of people began to move and disappear inside the golden tent. Dipper, Mabel,
and Wendy were the last people to enter. The boy looked back and saw the two
odd people close the curtain.
The interior of the tent was quite interesting. The roof was just like the
curtain, only that these stars seemed to move and shine as if they were real.
Obviously, it was fake but it was an amazing optical illusion. The walls were a
golden color with scattered black triangles. They had sat in the last row of
seats and he was surprised to see the place was almost full. The chairs were
made of wood, maybe ebony, because Dipper didn't know of any other tree that
had black wood. The seats were covered with red velvet cushions, the style
clearly inspired by the Victorian era. There were six men keeping an eye on the
public, scattered around the sides of the tent. All of them wore masks and
suits like the other two. They gave off an air of influence and power, like mob
bosses.
The first man wore a strange blue suit with some images of keys embroidered on
his coat. His blue mask covered the upper half of his face with a strange
keyhole symbol on his forehead and by the way, he moved, one could conclude
that he was nervous. The second man was a little shorter than the pink man and
his attire was not as refined as the others, His brown trousers and white shirt
sleeves were torn, showing red tattoos that were scattered along his black
arms. The guy clearly never skipped a day at the gym but he still looked a bit
chubby. His black mask only covered his eyes and at each end was a horn, giving
him a pair of horns jutting from his head. A golden cross graced the center of
his mask.
Two other men were placed next to the pink man and Eight Ball. One of them was
even taller than Eight Ball. His costume was a rainbow of different shades of
purple. If he was wearing a mask, the boy couldn't be sure. Long purple hair
covered his face. He also looked abnormally strong, like the black man. There
was a much shorter man standing by his side. He wore a mask with black lines on
the edges that covered the left half of the face but left the right side naked.
His cheeks were visible and between his lips, a pair of teeth stuck out. He
wore a suit like everyone else, although it was more of a blue-gray vest with a
white shirt underneath. He fidgeted his hands nervously.
Finally, the last two men were on opposite sides of the stage. The man on the
left side wore a red suit with an orange shirt. A black bowler hat was placed
on his head and his plain red mask only covered the top half of his face. His
lips were hidden behind a large mustache which seemed to be forming a strange
smile. The man on the right had the weirdest suit. It was like a Picasso
painting had been transformed into a suit. There was a mix of oranges, blues,
purples, pinks, and greens. His epaulettes had embroidered cubes with small,
white circles in the middle. His mask, just like his suit, completely covered
him.
Dipper stopped looking as soon as he felt a twinge in his neck. He looked
around nervously, hand shooting up to his neck. Nothing had stung him, but he
felt like he was being watched.
"I'm so excited for this!" Mabel said, unable to contain herself. She and
several of the children felt the same way. Dipper wondered if his sister’s
attitude would change when she got older or if she had kids. He highly doubted
either of those options. Besides, he loved her just the way she was.
"Did you see those guys?" Wendy asked, looking at the eight men standing at
various points in the tent. "They look like gangsters or something. I wonder if
they’re bodyguards?"
Dipper nodded in agreement. He hadn’t considered that option but now he could
see it was a perfectly reasonable conclusion. The tent was richly decorated and
they didn’t even have to pay to get in. The owner just had to be obscenely
wealthy. But why show up to a hick town in the middle of nowhere?Dipper
wondered. He hoped he’d have his answer by the end of the evening.
Slowly, the lights dimmed, soon plunging the audience into darkness. Some kids
started shouting enthusiastically. Blue fire appeared on one side of the tent,
despite the absence of candles. A path of blue flames began to outline a
triangle in the middle of the stage. The triangle exploded, releasing thousands
of sapphire butterflies, which flew through the crowd of people and out the
tent. The audience applauded at the spectacular opening act. All eyes were on
the man who was on stage.
He was the most extravagant looking person Dipper had seen in his life. His
suit was completely black and his black coattails ended in the middle of his
knees. The triangular buttons on the suit were golden and inside the coat, he
wore a gold vest with a white shirt. His trousers were black and held up with a
leather belt dotted with strange blue figures and the buckle was shaped like a
triangle with one eye. He wore black gloves and a black top hat was placed
perfectly on his head. His long, waist length hair was golden and tied in a
ponytail but even so, some of the strands escaped. Although he was a little far
from the stage, Dipper could see that his skin tone was olive toned, like the
Ancient Egyptian pharaohs. The man also wore a gold mask, covering only the
eyes.
Dipper didn't take off his intense gaze of the mysterious man. Damn! This man
was ridiculously attractive and there was no doubt quite a few of the people in
the audience were already enamored by the strange gentleman. The brunet slowly
turned to see his sister. Mabel was mesmerized by this guy... Well, it was no
surprise. She was a bit boy crazy. But even Wendy had some blush on her cheeks.
"Gravity Falls," The magician spoke and his voice was strange but charming. He
spoke like a gentleman, "It's good to be back."
A few women could be heard screeching in the audience. Wow, he had won many
admirers with just a few words.
"My name's Bill Cipher and is a pleasure be with you this wonderful evening."
If Dipper was closer he would say that the mischievous smile Bill showed had
sharp, pearly fangs, like a shark. "I see there are few children, but mostly
teenagers. I hope all of you like a bit of magic." With a snap of his fingers,
five blue flames settled on his five left fingers. Gasps were heard in the
place. "Oh please, this is nothing. But don't try this at home. Fire is my
specialty," Shaking his hand, the fire disappeared and Bill returned his gaze
to the public. "Like the mind." The crowd was already applauding. "You flatter
me guys, but I'm not who should be applauded." People in the audience looked at
each other, confused by the man's words. "It's you!" Bill started walking on
stage, moving from one side to the other. "Today, someone will have the honor
of being my assistant in our first magic act."
Bill hadn't even finished speaking when hundreds of hands shot up in the air.
"Choose me!" "Please me!" "I'm here!" were the screams were heard over the
place. Most were women who wanted to be, even for a small moment, next to this
handsome man.
"Come on Bro-Bro, raise your hand!" Mabel urged, shaking her brother. Mabel
wasn't only raising her hand. She had taken off her sweater and waved it in the
air like a flag. Wendy had only raised her hand slightly. She looked neutral
about the whole thing. Dipper, apparently, was the only one who had not raised
his hand. It wasn’t because he didn't want to come forward but rather because
the thought of standing in front of so many people unnerved him.
Bill Cipher looked to the public. A little more charm on his part and all these
people would kill each other for the chance of standing by his side. What a
funny pity.
"You!" Bill shouted, pointing with his index finger to the last row. "The
redhead near the Shooting Star."
Wendy looked at both sides. Mabel's sweater had a shooting star in the center.
She pointed to herself. "Me?"
"Of course Red. Come on, take the stage." Bill looked the man in blue with keys
in his coat, "Keyhole, go get our precious guest." The man, Keyhole, nodded and
ran to Wendy.
"Mademoiselle." Extending his arm toward her, the redhead took his arm and they
walked to the stage. Keyhole left Wendy at some small stairs to climb up next
to Bill.
"Everyone give a big round of applause to our beautiful Red!" Bill exclaimed,
gesturing to Wendy. Applause, whistles, and compliments accompanied her up the
steps and onto the stage.
Bill walked in circles around her. Wendy could see that the handsome man had
golden freckles around his nose and cheeks. "Well, well, well. I haven’t seen
someone like you in a long time." Bill stopped his walking when he was behind
her. "Tell me Red, do you believe in magic?"
"To be honest, no. Not since I was a kid." Wendy shrugged.
"Oh Red, don't be so hard on yourself. You're still a child after all." That
last sentence was more like a whisper. Bill walked a little farther away from
Wendy, near the edge of the stage. "I think we all need to restore your faith
in magic, don't ya think?"
Wendy shrugged again and smirked. "Sure. Nothing wrong with trying."
"Well said. Pacifier!" Bill grinned at Wendy.
Dipper saw the black man go behind the curtains. He stepped back out with what
appeared to be a cart, a box of clear glass and inside a block of ice shaped
like a blender.
Wendy felt Bill lean on her shoulder. "Ice, ideal for you and your eye, but you
don't need it, do you?" The teenager gave a quick glance at the magician and
before she could say anything, Pacifier had left the cart in front of her. Bill
walked away from a bemused Wendy.
"All right everyone. My dear assistant here will show her strength but we will
help." The blond turned next to the teenager, "Red shall put her hand inside
the glass box and she will hold the ice block by the handle, applying the
highest possible pressure to break it. Remember when I said that the mind is
one of my specialties? Well, if we all focus on that block of ice, she’ll
successfully break it."
The audience seemed convinced, but Wendy was a bit hesitant. She was pretty
strong, not like her father but still stronger than her brothers. The girl put
her hand through an opening in the glass. She was almost surprised when her
hand touched the cold surface and lifted the heavy object.
"Problems, Red?" Bill smirked.
"No, not one." Wendy smoothly replied.
"Well, now friends let’s all help Red," Bill said to the audience. The public
didn't take their intense gaze off Wendy.
The redhead was a bit confused. Did he really think she could break this? Where
was the trick?
"Nothing yet?" Bill asked with a small laugh. Wendy rolled her eyes. "Don't
give up. An old friend told me that you can do anything if you set your mind to
it." The blond man stepped into the audience, "I know you can do better than
that. Come on, Red needs your help." Suddenly, there was a horrible sound. It
was like a shelf of glass dishware had fallen.
Dipper instinctively covered his ears. That noise bothered him, reminded him of
when his mother was sad. The ice block was broken and scattered inside the
glass. All she had in her hand was the handle.
"A strong applause for Red!" Bill beamed, pointing to Wendy. She was applauded
by everyone.
Bill came over to her, taking her hand. "It was a pleasure working with you."
He placed a soft kiss on her hand. Some girls swooned at the novel-esque
action. Wendy walked off the stage and returned to her spot, accompanied by
Keyhole.
Mabel took Wendy's hand and looked at it as if it was the Holy Grail. "Wendy,
never wash your hand again."
"Mabel!" Dipper scolded his sister.
Wendy just laughed and ruffled Mabel's hair, "If that helps you sleep at night,
sure."
Cipher looked to the public. It had only been a simple trick but it was a treat
for all of them. There were only two people who didn't fall for his illusions.
That’s fine. That wasn’t a problem. Not at all. If everything were so easy,
where would be the fun?
"Now," Bill jumped elegantly off the stage to one of the aisles between the
seats. It was as if the laws of gravity didn't apply to him. The brunet saw the
inside of the man’s coat and could’ve sworn he saw all the cosmos.
Bill looked pleased his submissive audience. He could still show cheap tricks
and they continue to believe that they were the most wonderful things in the
world.
"Well friends, for this new act, I will need another assistant-" Without delay,
everyone’s hands shot up into the air. "Oh folks. I'm sorry but this assistant
will be one of my friends." Some complaints were grumbled by the audience.
"Kryptos!" The guy who wore the gray-blue vest jumped, startled, and ran to the
side of the magician.
"Here is my good friend and I'm gonna show you a neat trick that never fails to
surprise at family gatherings." Bill winked at the audience. He held out his
palm and the man pulled some duct tape from his pocket and gave it to the
magician. "Guys, if you're going to try this..." Bill unrolled the tape and
began to stick around Kryptos' mouth, mask and skull to completely cover it.
"Do it to the family member that you hate the most." The comment garnered a few
laughs and the public watched as the man's face was completely covered with
duct tape.
Isn’t that a bit dangerous?Dipper wondered to himself.
Once he finished his work, Bill Cipher took from his pocket a complete set of
cards. "Alright girl." The blonde headed to a girl with a thick body and a
brown ponytail. "What card do you choose?" Cipher extended the cards. The girl
took one of them and gave it to the magician. The Illusionist took the card and
revealed, without saying anything, the Queen of Hearts. Turning to put the card
back into the deck of cards, the man shuffled the cards. "Now I need a number,
you can tell anyone."
"Six!" She shouted in a surprisingly deep voice. It shocked Dipper quite a bit
for that voice to come from that body.
"Ok." Cipher handed the deck to Kryptos. "Kryptos here will find the Queen of
Hearts to the sixth card. Count with me, you guys."
"One!" The audience shouted as he threw away the first deck, "Two!" All of them
counted up to the sixth card in the deck.
Kryptos took the sixth card and handed it to Bill. The blond mage turned back
to the girl. "Tell me, is this your card?"
"No." She said, a little confused.
The magician looked at the card and saw it was the King of Diamonds. The
audience booed as a joke.
"Kryptos!" Bill yelled and turned to the little man. "Incompetent!" The tanned
man hit the other man in the neck. "This is the last time you help me." Kryptos
moved his mouth, obviously trying to say something but his lips were sealed
with tape. "No, don't even try to say anything in your defense. Now the public
thinks I'm a liar."
The audience laughed. Even Dipper had to admit that the fight was funny.
Kryptos had pulled from his pocket a pair of small scissors. He took a small
portion of tape that wasn't attached to his chin and began to cut.
"And now what are you doing?" Bill groaned. The little man freed the lower half
of his face, revealing his mouth. Everyone's jaw dropped when Kryptos pulled a
card out of his mouth. Bill took the card and handed it to the girl. "And now
child, is this your card?" Bill asked again.
The girl shouted a loud "Yes!" And she showed everyone the Queen of Hearts. The
townsfolk shouted and applauded excitedly. No one knew when the man in blue had
put the card into his mouth but it wasn't as if it mattered.
"Dipper that was amazing!" Mabel squealed.
"You're easily impressed, Mabel." Dipper teased, rolling his eyes. Regardless,
he applauded softly with his twin and friend. He just hoped Mabel didn't try
this. Well, Cipher said that they shouldn't try it.
No, he said to try it on the person you hate most.Dipper froze as his thought.
What was that? His subconscious? He decided to ignore the previous thought and
turned his view to the public that was still praising Bill Cipher. The man
named Kryptos walked away. Even with the tape covering his eyes, he walked as
if he could see perfectly fine.
Bill could taste the euphoria and enthusiasm of everyone in the audience. The
night would fall soon. It was time to move up.
The townsfolk saw the illusionist go back onstage. Bill whistled to the eight
men. They saw the look of their boss and walked out behind the curtains. One of
them returned with an empty cage and a black blanket, bringing both objects to
the center stage.
"Thank you, folks. It was a pleasure to be your entertainment tonight." Bill
said to the crowd. The men left and went behind the curtain. It was only Bill
and the props onstage.
"And now, our last magic act of the night.” Bill announced. The lights began to
fade, leaving only dim stage lighting. Bill Cipher was in the middle of the
stage, waving his hand. It appeared to be engulfed in flames and the fire
suddenly vanished, leaving behind a dove, white as snow. He quickly shut it
away in the empty cage. Dipper had the urge to get a little closer to the stage
and leaned forward.
The magician left the bird in the cage. From his coat he pulled a rose, red as
blood. It was enveloped in flames, and when the fire dispersed, a goldfinch was
in Bill's hand. The public could hardly believe it. Although some people were
at the ringside, they rose from their seats to get a better look. Bill put the
little bird in the cage with the first bird.
Dipper saw the illusionist take an egg under his sleeve- How was any of this
possible? Bill hit it gently against his shoulder, creating a small break in
the shell. He then broke it with his fingers. The public astonishment grew when
a red and beautiful cardinal appeared. Blue fire appeared again but this time
it wrapped the beautiful bird. People screamed in terror. The screams quickly
turned into screams of excitement when two cardinals appeared and landed on
Bill's shoulders. Both birds stretched their scarlet wings, which gleamed like
rubies in the sun.
If there were any tricks or any of his henchmen helping him behind the scenes,
well, it was too good. So good that could be real.
The blond man reached inside the cage and put down the red birds. They were
placed next to the other two. Dipper noted that they were a little bigger than
they were before Cipher had placed them inside the cage. With the black
blanket, the illusionist covered the cage and the exotic birds disappeared
under the blanket. The olive-skinned gentleman spun the cage a few times and
with both hands, he slowly took the blanket off and opened the cage to reveal a
beautiful woman.
The lady wore a red dress with slits on both sides, tall, white boots and white
gloves. Her skin was bronzed, her lips were full and deeply red. Her short hair
was shoulder length and raven black which shone like the night sky. Those
perfect lips turned up into a captivating smile, entrancing to people of any
gender.
The audience stood before such a magnificent show. Some were even crying. This
was the best magic show any of them had ever seen.
Bill held the woman’s hand and waved to his audience. "Thank you all for
coming. Hopefully, we'll meet again. Remember, reality is an illusion, the
universe is a hologram, buy gold, bye!" The lights came back on and the
curtains had closed, leaving an empty stage.
People were filing out carefully. Some of them, even Dipper, wanted to speak
with the blond gentleman. But the idea was banished from their minds rather
quickly. No one was there, not even the henchmen.
Outside the tent, evening had already fallen over the town. The sun was setting
behind the hills and the attractions had their lights on. For Dipper, it felt
like only a few minutes had passed. Time flies when you’re having fun.
"That was incredible, exciting, amazing!" Mabel was screaming at the top of her
lungs. Her face was split into a wide, euphoric grin. "I know Dipdop! You and
me! We should become magicians! Can you imagine?!"
Mabel shook her brother like a rag doll. Dipper sometimes wished he could do
the same to Mabel, but he wasn't as strong as her. "I don't know, Mabel. It
takes a long time to learn those tricks."
"Wendy you should join us." Mabel ignored her brother and turned to her friend,
"We’ll travel the world and we will be invincible."
The redhead smiled at the enthusiasm of the younger girl. "Travelling the world
is one of my dreams but I think Dipper is right. Magic tricks aren’t easy. You
have to practice. Trust me. Stan might be a good liar but he didn’t get that
way by magic. The old man would be a good opponent for this dude as far as
lying and delusion."
"We should have Stan teach us his ways." Mabel suggested, turning to her twin.
"No way." Dipper shook his head. "You're not going to ask a professional conman
for lessons about conning people."
"Come on Dipping Sauce. It's my dream!" Mabel whined insistently.
"Your dream this morning consisted of cat fists!" The younger cried out,
exasperated.
"Wendy, I'm so jealous of you. You were so close to that hot guy!" The elder
said, ignoring the other.
"Well, he is hot but he was pretty weird. He made a comment about my eye." The
freckled teen pointed at her eye. It was not as swollen but still pretty bad.
She could take care of it when she got home.
"I'm so sorry Wendy." Dipper apologized, looking at the ground sheepishly.
"It's in the past. Anyway, I now possess a mutant teddy bear. Fair price."
Wendy lifted the creature of indefinite species.
"Yeah," Mabel leaned over her brother’s back. "Besides, you didn't do it
intentionally. It was because of the pain in your wrist."
"Did you hit your wrist?" Wendy asked worriedly, looking down at his arm. "Not
today, right?"
The twins shook their heads. "It happened this morning." Dipper said.
"Can I see it?" Wendy asked. Dipper and Mabel exchanged glances between them.
In the end, the boy held out his arm toward the redhead.
Wendy examined the bruise on Dipper's arm. Wow! This looked more swollen than
her eye. No wonder his aim sucked. "When we get to the Shack, I'll fix you up."
She smiled at the twins and they let out a sigh of relief.
                                      ☽✠☾
When Wendy, Dipper, and Mabel entered the Shack it was empty. Their mother must
at the hospital. Stan was probably outside with his friends or doing something
illegal. Both options were pretty likely. Ford also wasn't home. He had said
something about visiting an old friend.
Wendy went to the kitchen followed by Dipper and Mabel. The two children sat in
their chairs watching the redhead. She put her stuffed toy in one of the chairs
next to Mabel, then she went to look at the shelves for parsley and bandages.
She placed them on the table and, taking a bowl, she began crushing the
parsley.
"What are you doing, Wendy?" Mabel asked.
"It’ll help the swelling." She replied without looking up from the bowl,
continuing her work.
"How do you know?" Mabel asked again.
"My family is great at injuring themselves." The older girl explained,
concentrated on her task.
"Did someone teach you about it?" Mabel stuck her finger in plastic bowl,
touching the crushed leaves.
"Well, my mother taught me. She was a woodcutter like my father.” She shrugged
nonchalantly.
"Wendy you are so smart!" The younger girl praised.
"I can't take all the credit. My family always keeps me busy." Wendy looked at
the green mush and sat beside Dipper. The boy watched as Wendy took his arm and
stretched it toward her. Carefully, she began to apply the leaves to the
damaged skin.
"Did you hit something?" Wendy had seen this type of bruising when her father
or brothers would get into fights but Dipper didn’t look like someone who got
into fights ever.
"Not precisely." Dipper rubbed the back of his neck nervously. How was he going
to explain that a silly dream caused it? No, not a silly dream. Something very
real. "Think you can teach us how to make this?" Dipper asked, changing the
subject. "With Mabel and Stan in one place I think it would be a good idea."
"Sure." Wendy finished rubbing the leaves on his wrist and then applied a
little to her eye. The redhead opened the package of bandages and began
wrapping Dipper's wrist. "Now, don't do much heavy lifting. Let it heal a few
days. I'm sure it’ll be fine in time for your birthday." She finished wrapping
up his wrist then noticed it was time to leave. The twins accompanied the
redhead to the door. They said goodbye to her and closed the door to go up to
the attic.
"Waddles, your new home awaits." Mabel ran with Waddles to enter the shared
room. "This is your blanket," Mabel took one of the many colorful blankets of
her bed and wrapped Waddles like a baby. "You can sleep with me. I just need to
remove some of my stuffed animals."
Dipper, from the comfort of his bed, watched his sister and her new pet. He
couldn't wait to see everyone else’s reaction to the new pet.
"Dipper! Mabel! Are you in home?" Their mother shouted from the first floor.
"It's mom." Mabel jumped down from her bed, Waddles faithfully following. "I
can't wait for you guys to meet."
"I'm going to make dinner!" Their mother's voice floated up the stairs.
"We’re up mom! We’re coming down!" Dipper yelled, getting out of his bed.
Mabel ran to the door of her room and left with the pig.
Dipper could hear a sonorous "I have a surprise for you!"
                                      ☽✠☾
Surprisingly, everyone accepted the arrival of Waddles. Stan just grumbled but
Mabel promised that she would be responsible for everything Waddles did. With a
tender look from his great niece, Stan agreed, on the condition he didn't want
the pig near his business.
Rachel also had important news. She got a position at the hospital as a nurse
in the maternity ward. Stan congratulated his precious niece. Dipper was happy
for his mother and Mabel asked her if she would wear makeup again.
"How was your day kids?" His mother asked.
Dipper let Mabel narrate all of their awesome experiences. Even the date
between Robbie and Wendy. Stan gave his point of view and they concluded that
the gothic boy was disliked by the old man. Mabel spoke in great detail about
the magic show. His mother sounded interested. Stan said that Cipher must be
some rich guy who likes to cheat the gullible.
"You do the same." Dipper pointed out.
"Yeah, but I'm the alpha fraud around here. That's my duty." Stan sniffed.
Ford came home after everyone finished dinner. Dipper stayed at the table until
his great uncle had finished. His mother had gone to bed and Stan and Mabel
went to the living room. He liked being close to Ford. He was the smartest
person the kid knew. When he asked about what happened in the arm, Dipper
replied that he had hit some furniture in the attic but Wendy took care of it.
"She's like her mother. A woman prepared for everything." Ford smiled. He’d had
been a friend of Wendy's parents when he was new to town.
"Did you visit her dad?" Dipper asked his great uncle as he helped to clear the
table.
"No." Ford replied. His answer sounded sad. Almost bitter. The old man and the
young boy finished cleaning the kitchen. Ford wish Dipper a good night and went
to his room, saying he was very tired.
Dipper walked into the living room. Stan and Mabel sat on the couch, fighting
over the program what they should watch. His Grunkle wanted to watch Fight
Babies while his sister wanted to watch Why You Ackin’ So Cray-Cray? They asked
Dipper for his opinion but honestly, he just wanted to watch Ghost Harassers.In
the end, Mabel won and the three watched at least five episodes of the TV show.
Dipper thought they were scripted. Even Cipher's magic show had seemed more
real. Soon, Mabel yawned and that was enough for Stan to send them to sleep.
The old conman said he wanted them awake before nine thirty. Tomorrow would be
a very hard day of work.
The Pines twins went upstairs, followed by Waddles. The little pig followed
Mabel wherever she went. They brushed their teeth and changed into their
comfortable pajamas.
"Goodnight Dip." Mabel said between yawns and embraced her beloved Waddles.
"Night Mabes." Dipper said, turning off the lights.
Silence fell in the room and Dipper didn't want to sleep. He didn't feel tired.
He rubbed his wrist, surprised that it didn’t hurt as much as earlier in the
day. Wendy was very good at natural medicine. He looked at the shelf that was
at the end of the room. He was still curious about the wall. With a flashlight
in hand, he made sure Mabel was asleep. Dipper rose from his bed and walked,
trying to make as little noise as possible.
Once he was in front of the wooden wall, he turned to touch the surface of the
wall, sliding his hands to feel for a hollow space. When he managed to find it,
he proceeded to carefully remove the wooden plank, leaving a hole the size of
an owl on the wall. Dipper stood on his tiptoes to see inside. Inside the hole
in the wall, dust and cobwebs covering them, sat three books with red covers.
Chapter End Notes
     Ha! Three for the price of one. Oh wait! Remember? This is an
     alternate universe. Also the Journals. I have changed and altered
     some other things to match with the story. What are they? Well then,
     I'll tell you the most important:
     Bill and Ford never had contact so there is no portal nor research
     about the Dream Demon. So Dipper has no idea who will be dealing.
     I'm a bad mother, I let my baby unprotected.
     Yeah, you're also thinking, Bill is in our world with their friends,
     why? Oh I can't say but you will discover it and I will be very happy
     when that happens... A spoiler? Read the tagged!
     I feel I didn't do much justice describing acts of magic so here is
     the link so that you can appreciate with your own eyes.
      
     MAGIC!!!
      
     About the ointment Wendy prepared, I found it in my grandmother's
     recipe for shock. The principal is always apple cider vinegar, I have
     no idea why but it is what was written.
     Thank you very much for reading and hope to see you around here and
     my other stories.
     You can always contact me on Tumblr: Here
     Also some of my future stories: Here
***** Chapter 5 *****
Chapter Summary
     Dipper and Mabel celebrated their thirteenth birthday, officially
     they are teenagers, ready to devour the world.
Chapter Notes
     Yep, more tags were added and accommodated, at least I'm learning how
     to tag, that's something.
     Anyway, I just want to say that I am planning more fanfics and
     original stories later I will create a page on my Tumblr for details.
     Thanks for commenting, give kudos and bookmarked, I very much
     appreciated.
     Needless to say, I leave a great clue for the plot of this story in
     this chapter, I think.
     Update: Tuesday - 24 - May - 2016
     Edit: Friday - 15 - July - 2016
See the end of the chapter for more notes
                    All we need in this world is some love
   There's a thin line between the dark side and the light side baby tonight
                It's a struggle gotta rumble, tryin' to find it
         But if I had you, that would be the only thing I'd ever need
      Yeah if I had you, then money fame and fortune never could compete
             If I had you, life would be a party, it'd be ecstasy
                               Yeah if I had you
                       ~ If I Had You by Adam Lambert ~
“Is it alright here?” Soos asked as he continued putting up balloons in the
Shack's windows, preparing for the party tonight. Today was the day, the great
day when the Pines twins would finally become teenagers, ready for a new
chapter of their lives to start.
A week had flown by and that’s all they needed to get used to the town.
Everything was much easier now that the place felt like a real home. It’d been
a week since they started working in the Mystery Shack. It wasn't such a bad
job. It was fun watching their Grunkle dupe brainless tourists. Dipper had to
admit that the fraud had a certain charisma and charm which proved to be
immensely useful in his line of work.
Ford and his mother weren't home much. They joined the group for breakfast in
the mornings and left immediately to go about their business. Rachel would head
for the hospital and Ford would go to visit his old friend, Fiddleford.
“I think you have to place it a little higher. What if a window breaks and the
balloons explode?” Mabel said, making an explosion noise.
“Nobody is going to break anything in my house,” Stan entered the room with a
Pitt Cola in hand. “If any of you hooligans think you can come and do whatever
you want in my house, you are very wrong.”
“But Grunkle Stan, how are we going to have a party if we don't have some crazy
fun?” Mabel whined.
“Crazy fun? You’re thirteen, Mabel. Wait until college.” Stan sipped his drink
as he remembered Sixer's prom.
“Times are changing, Mr. Pines.” Soos said, coming down from the windows with a
row of balloons.
Stan rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I'm only allowing this because the
entrance fee is $15.” Dipper rolled his eyes. If that was just the price of
admission, he didn't want to find out how much the exit fee was.
“Hey Dipper!” A familiar voice greeted.
The brunet turned to Wendy. The redhead had a spray can of foam in her hand.
She placed it behind her head. She looked to Dipper and made a motion of
zipping her mouth closed and tossing the key. The boy nodded and copied the
motion.
“Mr. Pines I don't feel good. I think I'm gonna thr- Blargh” Wendy pressed the
button on the can, letting the foam out as she pretended to vomit. Soos and the
twins laughed at Wendy's antics. Stan just frowned and folded his arms. Dipper
grabbed another can of foam.
“Wendy, what did we eat?” He pressed his can of foam and simulating fake vomit.
Wendy and Dipper started messing around, throwing foam between them. Mabel
quickly joined the fun.
Dipper had realized earlier that week that he felt something for the redhead.
He could feel his cheeks heat and his stomach twist when he thought of her. At
first he thought it was a passing feeling but the feeling only grew. He was
upset about her relationship with Robbie. Maybe he had no chance with Wendy,
but it bothered him greatly that they were dating. His friend deserved someone
better.
“God, I'm too old for this. More foolishness and you're fired.” Stan left the
room, leaving the four people to decorate the room.
“The good news is that we live here.” Dipper joked, earning a few smiles.
As the twins didn't know anyone in town, Wendy and her friends, including Soos,
were in charge of distributing the invitations all over town. The invites
announced that a big party in honor of the twins’ 13th birthday would be taking
place and it would be held at the Mystery Shack at half past seven p.m. There
would be music, food and fun guaranteed. Mabel was commissioned to create the
invitations. Art was her specialty.
“This promises to be an unforgettable night.” Mabel said, imagining the fun she
would have. She would meet her future friends and, hopefully, her (preferably
very handsome) soul mate.
“The parties are super rad in Gravity Falls.” Soos said, coming down the
stairs. “I wish Melody was still in Gravity Falls.”
Melody was Soos' girlfriend of the past four years. She lived in Portland and
was studying gastronomy. She came to town for the summer but this year she
found work in the city so she couldn’t come back. The twins knew the two still
kept in contact with video chat and such. Mabel begged Soos to let her be the
wedding planner when the time came.
“Dipper!” Stan shouted from the other room, “Take out the trash! I don't want
to see any more raccoons hanging in my kitchen.”
Dipper huffed and left the room, leaving Wendy and Soos to continue talking
with Mabel about the party. He went into the kitchen and grabbed a broom,
shooing away the vermin. He then grabbed the two bags and headed outside.
He wondered what gifts they’d get from their families. His father had called
earlier, congratulating them on their birthday and apologizing for not being
with them. Dipper let Mabel do the talking. Jonathan promised that soon he
would have free space on his schedule to go to Oregon for at least a few days.
The twins loved that idea. Jonathan said goodbye and promised to call back
within two Saturdays. They said 'See you soon' and hung up.
Dipper went outside and around the back. He lifted the lid of the garbage can
and deposited both bags into the bin, careful to put the lid back on. Stan
didn't want any more raccoons or owls near the Shack.
“Finished.” Dipper said as he wiped his hands on his jeans. His eyes fell on
the forest. The forest, according to the stranger’s journals, contained
mysteries among its branches, among its trees, among its roots and even among
its leaves.
A week ago Dipper found three strange books with red covers. There was no title
or author mentioned. The pages were yellowed and some were ripped. They all had
burn marks but the books had not sustained any major damage. Maybe someone
decided to destroy them but backed out at the last moment. The question was why
were they at his house? Who had hidden them? Dipper had suspected Stan and
Ford, but the book seemed too fanciful and fantastic to come from Stan's
disbelieving mind (although many of these creatures could serve as attractions
in the Shack) or Ford's scientific mind.
Most nights Dipper spent lying awake, reading and trying to decipher the faint
words. The years had taken their toll on the ink, which had begun to fade.
However, he was a very skilled reader and his brain quickly formed the words in
his mind. The journals contained all kinds of fantastic creatures. Gnomes,
mermaids, unicorns, multibears, witches, fairies, werewolves, seemingly
everything. All creatures that might exist were here in the palm of his hand.
Of course, he thought it might just be a work of fiction and he would continue
to believe that until he saw something from these mysterious journals in real
life.
No, Dipper hadn’t told anyone about the three journals that he had found. It
was almost impossible to believe. Hell, he even doubted that this was real.
Maybe Mabel would believe him but he didn’t want to risk breaking her heart if
none of these beings existed.
Being so close to the forest, he felt a slight sense of deja vu, he-
“Dipdop!” He heard his twin yell. Dipper forgot his old thoughts and ran back
into the Shack to see what else Mabel needed.
“I'm coming Mabel!” Dipper shouted back, running inside and slamming the door
behind him. He didn’t notice the shadow moving through the trees and moving
deep into the forest.
                                      ☽✠☾
The party was a complete success! The townspeople danced and indulged heavily
in the food around them. They’d have to leave to buy more food at this rate.
Stan, or rather Mabel, had assigned jobs to each of them. Soos was responsible
for acting as the DJ of the party, combining a thousand and one of the best
songs of the year. Mabel would verify that everyone was having fun and everyone
was going “60 smiles an hour”. Wendy and Dipper had been assigned to collect
the tickets. The cash box was filled within minutes. Meanwhile, Stan would just
make sure he could still dance.
Dipper was happy to be with Wendy. Of course he frowned when Robbie and her
friends appeared and the wanna-be emo started flirting with the redhead. All
sense of bitterness disappeared when Wendy charged Robbie double the price of
admission, saying it was his duty as her boyfriend to pay for her ticket.
Robbie couldn't help but pay the ticket and enter the Shack, grumbling to
himself.
Mabel hadn't stopped dancing with every cute guy she found, whether they wanted
to or not. But now, she needed a very cold drink to cool her off. She took a
plastic cup and filled it with orange soda, sitting on one of the many chairs.
Looking around, she could see Dipper and Wendy talking outside. Awww. Her
brother was growing up so fast. She giggled at the thought.
Something caught her eye and she turned to her left. The muscular girl sitting
beside her had an iguana on her shoulder. There was another girl sitting next
to her. She was much smaller in comparison to the other girl and had forks
taped to her fingers.
“Hi! My name is Mabel. I couldn't help but notice that your iguana is very
cute.” Mabel said, her smile growing. She loved meeting new people.
“Hello, her name is Grenda Jr. My name is Grenda and she's Candy.” The muscular
girl said in a deep voice, a smile gracing her face.
“Hello.” The other girl said softly, adjusting her glasses.
“Wait, I think you've seen before...” Mabel said, her finger on her mouth and a
thoughtful look on her face. She suddenly snapped her fingers in recognition.
“Of course! You were in the Cipher Show! You're the girl from the card trick.
You had the Queen of Hearts!”
“Did you see me?” Grenda said, blushing a bit.
“I told you, you are popular, Grenda.” Candy patted her on her shoulder. “Did
you go to his other shows?” Candy asked.
“No. Stan needed us working so we couldn’t go back.” Mabel sighed, a bit
disappointed. All the tourists kept commenting on that impossibly fascinating,
impossibly attractive man.
“But no one is more handsome than-” Candy glanced at Grenda then at Mabel.
Mabel held her breath. Were they were going to say what she thought they were
going to say? There was only one way to find out.
“Sev’ral Timez!” The three girls shouted in unison.
“Oh my God! Are you guys fans of Sev'ral Timez?” Mabel squealed.
“We are more than fans!” Grenda shouted. Candy and Grenda began to talk about
how much they loved the 90s-esque boy band. A big smile erupted on Mabel’s
place. I have found my people.She thought to herself.
A laugh made Grenda and Candy tense up. Mabel turned to the person who laughed.
She was a blond girl with two girls walking behind her. Mabel instantly
recognized her as the girl who had teased her the day she won Waddles.
“Who is she?” Mabel asked.
“She's Pacifica Northwest. She is the richest and most popular girl in Gravity
Falls.” Candy said, somewhat intimidated by the presence of the blonde.
“I heard that her hair is insured for over $10,000.” Grenda whispered.
“I bet I can be her friend if we talk.” The twin said confidently. She started
walking toward the group of three but she was stopped by Grenda’s strong grip
on her arm.
“Don't do it, Mabel. People like us will never be part of her clique.” Candy
urged.
“Girls, she is a girl like us.” The brunette smiled at her new friends,
shrugging off Grenda’s arm and walking up to Pacifica.
“Hi, I'm Mabel.” She smiled brightly, stretching out a hand to shake.
“Mabel? That sounds like a boring old lady name.” Pacifica said, rolling her
eyes and not taking the hand in front of her.
“I'll take that as a compliment.” Mabel said, putting down her hand. The smile
never left her face.
“And who cares?” The red-haired girl asked.
“Well, I wanted to know if you want to sit and hang out with us.” The brunette
explained, gesturing to her friends.
“With who? Freaky fork girl and Lizard Lady? No thanks.” The blonde girl
flipped her hair over her shoulder as she spoke. The cruel nicknames drew
laughter from her friends.
“Oh come on, we can all be friends, right?” Mabel asked, getting a little
nervous.
The three girls looked at each other and started laughing. What was the joke?
Mabel thought.
“Look girl, we don't have time to get together with people of your-" Pacifica
took one look up and down Mabel, silently evaluating her "-social class-”
“Oh, I have an idea!” Mabel interrupted, irritating the blonde girl. “Let’s
have a singing competition!”
The smile on Pacifica's face appeared again. “Okay. I’ll see you on stage metal
mouth.” She and her group immediately left, leaving Mabel alone. Candy and
Grenda came to stand by their new friend.
“She’s going down.” Mabel said with a smile.
Wendy and Dipper were talking as everyone partied inside. She talked about how
her family celebrated the holidays. At Christmas they skipped presents and went
out into the woods for apocalypse training. On birthdays, Manly Dan gave the
younger children boxing gloves and gave Wendy an ax. The teenager said it was
her favorite ax but her most valuable possession was the hat she wore. It had
been her father’s and his father’s before that and so on and so forth. Dipper
was curious about why she was seemingly the first girl to get the hat but kept
his mouth shut at the risk of offending Wendy.
Cheers and applause leaked out of the Shack. Both turned their gaze to the
Shack. Mabel and a blonde girl was on stage, apparently having a karaoke
competition. Dipper smirked. There was no way that the blonde could beat his
sister. Mabel had been singing her lungs out before she had teeth. His mother
joked that she learned to sing before she learned to talk.
“It sounds like Mabel’s going to beat that girl.” He said, turning to Wendy
briefly before returning his attention to the competition. Wendy was silent.
Dipper could hear the crowd shouting his sister’s name far more loudly than the
name of the other girl.
“I don't think anyone else is going to come.” Wendy looked back to the Shack.
“Do you want to come in?”
“Eh. I-I don't think so. What if Stan comes?” He said nervously. In all
honesty, he wanted to go in and support his sister and hang out with Wendy. But
Robbie was in there and then they’d start flirting and he was so not in the
mood for that whole mess.
Wendy shrugged. “Okay, but if you change your mind you can find me near the
snack table. Cool?”
“Yeah, maybe in a few minutes.” He smiled at her. Wendy entered the Shack and
Dipper was left alone. But it was for the better. He could take another look at
the journal. He quickly pulled it from his vest, looking around to make sure no
one saw him.
Dipper was looking through the third journal. He suspected that this was the
last journal since half of the pages were blank and the last entry was in 1980-
something. The last creature that the author recorded was a head the size of an
island. In one corner he could distinguish the word 'Eye-Bats'. The boy scoured
though the journals but found no other mention of Eye-Bats.
Another shout floated outside. Dipper turned to look and saw Mabel jumping into
the audience and crowd surfing. He smirked. That blonde girl definitely didn’t
stand a chance. He looked between the journal and his sister. Biting his bottom
lip, he put the journal to his vest and locked the cash box, hiding it under
the porch. The brunet opened the door and went to join his birthday party.
He yet again did not notice a shadow at the forest’s edge, watching his every
move. After he went inside, the shadow’s eyes turned red and quickly flashed
through several images. A few white fangs flashed in the dark forest, grinning
as it thought of the perfect idea.
                                      ☽✠☾
“Dipper!” Mabel hugged her brother, surprising him. “Did you see me? Did you
hear my beautiful voice? Everyone loved it!”
“Yes, Mabel, I know. Who's not going to love your voice? You are the best
singer I know.” He beamed at her.
“Awwww Dipping Sauce! What did I do to deserve a twin like you?” She declared
dramatically, leaning on him as she pretended to faint. The younger twin rolled
his eyes and smirked at her. She really needed to stop watching old soap operas
with Stan.
“Hey, have you seen Wendy?” Dipper asked, eyes searching the crowd.
“No, why?” Mabel quirked an eyebrow.
“She told me she would be near the snack table.” He started biting at his
bottom lip again as his overly anxious mind thought up a dozen scenarios. What
if she was with Robbie? What if they were flirting? What if they were making
fun of him? What if they were kissing? What if-!
“Bro-bro, calm down. I can feel your paranoid anxiety from here. She probably
just went to the bathroom.” She said, oozing a confidence he could never hope
to achieve. Dipper nodded and turned to go look but then he hit a teen. The
older kid was holding a soda and lost his grip, pouring all the liquid on
Dipper's shirt.
“Oops, sorry dude.” The kid said, actually looking a bit guilty and darting
away as fast as possible. Dipper groaned and walked away from the crowd. At
least he was at home. He went up the steps and went to his room to find a clean
shirt. He found one and took off the other shirt. He threw his soda-covered
shirt into the dirty clothes basket, which had already exceeded its limits. No
surprises there. He hated doing laundry.
Once he was clean again he left his room and walked down the stairs. Soon he’d
be back downstairs at the dance and he’d look for Wendy and-
“Heya Dipper.” A familiar voice greeted him. Dipper turned his head to see who
spoke. Wendy was in front of him, leaning against the wall.
“Wendy, what are you doing here?” He asked, walking over to her.
“Well I was invited to your birthday party genius. I’m waiting for Tambry to
get done in there. I'm glad you decided to come in. It’s dead out there
anyway.” Wendy smiled at him, like she was genuinely happy to see him.
“Yeah, well, I decided to watch Mabel. And then I looked for you but you
weren't by the snack table.” He said, looking at his feet.
“I was until Tambry had to pee. And you know girls. We go to the bathroom in
packs.” She joked, nudging his shoulder lightly. It was silent for a few beats
before Dipper spoke.
“So… Wendy, can I ask you a question?”
“You just did.” She smirked.
Oh, right. “Uh, yeah. I’m not trying to offend you-” Wendy gave him a strange
look, “- it's just curiosity.”
Wendy crossed her arms, taking a relaxed attitude. “Sure friend, ask away.”
Dipper coughed a few times to clear his throat as he wondered how to ask the
question. “Well you told me that you inherited the hat from your father and uh,
he inherited from his father and umm-”
Wendy knew where Dipper's babbling was headed and interrupted him with a small
laugh. "Dipper, that’s definitely not even a little offensive. One of my
younger brothers was going to get the hat. But when I was younger I was
somewhat, well, rebellious.” Wendy recalled some moments of her childhood with
Tambry, the fights she got into. “My dad gave me his hat to help me feel
confident.”
Confident? Dipper thought.
Wendy took out her wallet from her flannel shirt and looked for the photo she
kept hidden but adored. “These are my brothers, John, Michael, and Peter.”
Wendy showed Dipper the old photo. There were three boys, all shorter and
younger than her. She hid her face with her thumb. “And this is me.” Wendy
moved her thumb up to reveal her face.
Dipper had to try really hard not to burst out into laughter but a few snorts
escaped anyway. Wendy was horrible. She was unnaturally skinny and had braces.
Her red hair was short and in pigtails.
“Oh wow, you look so awful! Sorry, sorry.” He quickly apologized.
“I had a lot of self-esteem issues because of my appearance, so my dad gave me
his hat and told me that it would give me the strength of all those who had
worn it before me. Poetic, don't you think?” She smiled at him. Dipper nodded,
glancing between the younger and older Wendy. Who would’ve thought?
“Now, I told my dark past. Do you have anything to offer?” She arched an
eyebrow at him, a mischievous smile on her face.
Oh no. “H-hey, I have nothing to say.” He stuttered, his nervousness plain on
his face.
“Come on Dipper. I won’t tell anyone.” She pretended to zip her mouth and throw
away the key, a motion he had begun to trust and associate with the older girl.
“Alright.” He took a deep breath and took off his cap. “Dipper is my nickname
because of my birthmark.” He spoke quickly as he moved his hair aside, holding
his breath and waiting for her reaction.
Wendy blinked at him and it took her a second to process what he said. She
looked at Dipper’s forehead. The child had the Big Dipper on his forehead. “The
Big Dipper. That’s where you got your nickname. I thought your parents just
hated you or something.” She joked.
“Actually my name is Mizar.” He continued, his cheeks going red.
“Like the star?” She asked.
“Yeah but everyone just calls me Dipper. Mizar is a bit of a silly name.” He
rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, looking away.
“It’s not but okay. Whatever floats your boat. Well, apparently we both have
weird birthmarks.” Wendy turned around and swept her hair to the side, bending
down so the smaller teen could see it. “Come closer and check it out.”
Dipper walked up to her and looked at her neck. He saw a weird birthmark on the
back of her neck. It wasn't a constellation like his. It almost looked like a
heart surrounded by flames. It even looked like it was a few different shades.
Wendy released her hair and faced Dipper. “What do you think? Interesting
right?” She grinned.
“I’ve never seen a mark like that.” He replied.
“I think I might get it tattooed on my arm when I’m 18.” She said, rubbing the
spot where her birthmark laid.
“At least your birthmark is better than mine.” He smiled.
“Well, I'll take that as a compliment.” Wendy ruffled Dipper's hair.
The bathroom door opened and Tambry left the room, eyes, and hands still on the
phone.
“Even in the bathroom, you can't let go of that thing, Tambers.” Wendy teased.
“Don't call me Tambers.” The gothic girl gave her a murderous look then darted
her eyes back to the screen in her hands. The three walked back to the dance
floor.
“Do you wanna dance?” Wendy asked Dipper.
“Eh, no, I don't think so. I have two left feet.” He confessed. He did not want
to embarrass himself in front of Wendy. The redhead shrugged and turned to her
boyfriend.
“So, how are things going, Romeo?” Mabel appeared from nowhere.
“Mabel, enough, I don't like Wendy like that.” He lied, rolling his eyes.
“Sure, and I'll have a barrel of candy before the party ends.” She teased. The
music continued its pace, then began a slow song, clearly made for dancing with
a significant other.
“Oh, let me go get my friends. Maybe you can dance with one of them.” Mabel
crooned and ran into the crowd of people. Dipper decided to step aside. He
didn't want to know what kind of friends his sister had. Although Mabel claimed
to be an expert matchmaker, her skills were less than reliable. The static from
the microphone interrupted the music and the dancing couples.
“Umm,” Soos' voice sounded from the speakers, producing some resonance that
made everyone cover themselves their ears for a moment. “To the owner of the
black dirt bike, I wanna tell you your bike is currently being stolen.”
“What?!” Dipper recognized Robbie's voice and the older boy dashed out of the
building to retrieve his bike. Well, whoever it was, Dipper was grateful. The
music came back on but this time it was more upbeat, encouraging everyone to
dance. Dipper sat in a chair, watching the clock. It was half past nine. It
wouldn’t be long now until his mother and Ford would return and then everyone
would go home.
“Dipper!” Mabel's shout caught his attention. He looked up to see his twin was
dancing with other two girls. Something about the girls seemed peculiar. “I
have friends!” Dipper smiled and shook his head. Of course Mabel would be
friends with them. He gave her a thumbs up and smiled, staying in his chair.
Parties really weren’t his thing.
                                      ☽✠☾
The party ended around half past ten, with Stan actually making a profit from
the entry fees. The only ones left to celebrate with the Pines family were
Wendy, Soos, Candy and Grenda. Mabel’s new friends had stayed because the three
girls had decided to have a sleepover. Rachel had bought a small cake with
candles shaped like the number thirteen. She lit the candles and Stan turned
out the lights in the kitchen.
“Blow out the candles and make a wish.” Stan encouraged. The twins closed their
eyes, at a loss as to what to wish for. They blew out their candles and Stan
turned the lights back on.
“Happy Birthday kids!” The people around them cheered. The twins hugged their
family and new friends. Stan cut the cake and passing out slices of cake,
saving himself the biggest piece.
The twins opened their gifts. Stan had given them both more leftover
merchandise from the Shack. They both got snow globes with the Mystery Shack
inside. Ford gave Dipper a case with inscribed pens and Mabel got a new beauty
kit. Rachel gave her son a blue backpack and her daughter a scrapbook to record
the first year of high school.
Wendy and Soos parted at around midnight. Tomorrow was Sunday so the Shack
wouldn’t be open and the twins would have the whole day to prepare for high
school. Candy and Grenda were going to help them prepare as best as they could.
Stan wish them a good night and went up to his room to rest, like Ford and
Rachel. Mabel and Dipper went up to the attic. Mabel grabbed her pajamas and
some blankets. The girls would have their sleepover in the living room.
“Good night, Dipper.” Mabel said to her brother and left the room to join her
two new best friends. Mabel hadn't even reached the first floor but Dipper
could hear the cheers of the girls.
“Good night, Mabel.” He said, even though he knew his twin would not hear him.
Dipper undressed and changed into his pajamas. He crawled into bed and lifted
his pillow to reveal the other two journals. Dipper had finished reading them
but it was always entertaining to go back to check some of the creatures.
Not only had the author had been in Gravity Falls but he also traveled to other
parts of the world. There were legends from several countries, mainly in the
first two journals. Dipper assumed that the author began living in Gravity
Falls when he began the third journal.
Dipper finished re-reading the second journal and check his wristwatch. It was
half-past one in the morning. Time was flying by too quickly in Gravity Falls.
At this rate he would soon be fourteen. He hadn't even realized the girls had
stopped laughing and yelling. The brunet closed the journal and put it back
under his pillow. He still had to think about where to keep them... If he even
wanted to keep them.
He yawned and turned off the flashlight. All he could hear was the chirping of
crickets and all he could see was the light of the silvery moon coming through
his window. With that last thought, Dipper Pines fell asleep.
                                      ☽✠☾
He was so tired he could barely open his eyes. He would try and they would
close again almost immediately, robbing him of his vision. He had no idea where
he was. He only knew that he could barely move. Where was he? His nose caught a
fresh scent, without any trace of pollution. Very close to him, he could hear
the sound of water running freely. His body was lying in the grass. At least,
it felt like grass. A soft sound was heard around, almost like a flute. A
beautiful and relaxing melody.
He felt something running over his hair. At first he was afraid but the touch
was gentle. Dipper couldn't help but relax. A warm feeling swelled in his chest
and stomach. He felt something touch his wrist, near where he was still
slightly bruised. After Wendy had smeared it with the ointment, the bruise had
stopped hurting and the inflammation had gone away. It still had some purple
color but it was clearly healing nicely. Something touched his wrist and began
to massage it. Dipper again felt relaxed and the air around him began to smell
sweet. A very heady aroma.
“...ry.”
Dipper heard someone mutter. He tried to open his eyes but the hand in his hair
was placed over them, preventing him from getting up and open his eyes. Dipper
didn't resist and the limb let go. It resumed stroking his hair. He let the
sweet smell flooded his nostrils and the sound of the flute filled his head.
Just for a moment though, Dipper could swear he felt something on his forehead.
It almost felt like a brick was rubbed over his forehead.
Chapter End Notes
     Well? Yes, it is short and the next two will be equally short but
     will be worth it I promise.
     I found the song with a fan lyric, and believe me I do like a lot,
     here I leave the link.
     I bet now everyone should have an idea of what's going on.
     Thank you very much for reading and see you until next month.
     You can always contact me on Tumblr: Here
     Also some of my future stories: Here
***** Chapter 6 *****
Chapter Summary
     First days of school and Mabel just got a very strange date.
Chapter Notes
     Surely you must be wondering where I was, not my friends I was not
     nowhere more than in my house. Yes, I promised that each month I will
     update but I come with great news is that now I have a beta for this
     story, a big clap for @queersailorscout, I love every Done editing
     did with the previous chapters so I recommend you read the previous
     chapters and appreciate their hard work. Am I sounding somewhat
     cheesy, no? Well then just give me your opinion.
     Warning: The end of this chapter contains violence. Yes, I'm tagging
     because although not very hard I see with the obligation to warn.
     Update: Sunday - 21 - August - 2016
See the end of the chapter for more notes
                    Cause love's such an old-fashioned word
                          And love dares you to care
                    For the people on the edge of the night
                     And love dares you to change our ways
                           Of caring about ourselves
                            This is our last dance.
       ~ Under Pressure cover by My Chemical Romance original by Queen ~
Butterflies fluttered in Dipper’s stomach as the red convertible approached the
brown building away from the town. The Gravity Falls High School.
Dipper knew that probably all the year 7 students felt like him. Well, everyone
except Mabel. His twin was always excited to go to school and she already had
friends. She even held on to hope that she would find her soul mate this year.
To her, life was like a movie. But didn’t she understand that movies were all
lighting and effects and makeup and actors, not real situations real people
encounter? But, like always, those details didn’t concern her. Dipper was just
glad that Candy and Grenda had made them a (surprisingly accurate) model of the
school. It was absolutely huge. The model had also been color coded for a
secret “girl reason”, with some areas of the school being colored pink. He
really didn’t want to find out why.
The red convertible stopped in front of the school. The twins got out and said
bye to Stan.
“If the police talk to you, just say you haven’t seen me in awhile.” Stan said,
his eyes shifting. And with that, El Diablo hurried back to the town. Before
leaving for school, Dipper and Mabel said goodbye to their mother and Ford.
Both gave them some pretty good advice, like be kind to the teachers, get good
grades, etc. But strangely enough, Stan's warning was the only thing echoing in
their heads.
The interior of the building was just as huge as the girls’ model had made it
out to be. Students and teachers milled about, getting ready for the start of
another school year. Candy and Grenda came running toward them, the larger girl
accidentally knocking down a much taller kid. Mabel was happy to see them and
Dipper stepped aside, watching the girls squeal and hug with a look of
discomfort on his face. Both girls led them to the administrative office where
they would pick up their schedules. Due to their late arrival in Gravity Falls,
they had missed formal registration. The twins thanked the woman in the office
and looked at their schedules. Mabel shared each subject with Candy and/or
Grenda, but she only shared Biology and Lunch with her brother. They had always
shared all the same classes. They really were growing up and separating it
seemed. They held each other’s hands and squeezed. Dipper looked at his
wristwatch. It was 7:45. Classes would be starting soon,
After he left the group of girls, Dipper headed for his first class of the day.
Inside were several kids his age, talking among themselves. They were separated
into groups already. Some read, others listened to music on expensive looking
headphones, a few were already sleeping and a group in the back was gathered
around a cell phone. Dipper walked among the rows of desks, choosing the seat
that was vacated and was next to the window.
He decided to take another look at his schedule. Every day would begin with
Algebra, followed by English. Tuesday and Thursday would be Physical Education
while the other three days would be History, then there would be an hour for
lunch, and he would resume classes and take Ethics Education, Geography and
Biology. The last period on Fridays was reserved for extracurricular
activities. Wendy had told them that extracurricular classes were divided into
arts and sports. The redhead was in soccer. Robbie and Tambry were in the
poetry club. Lee, Nate, and Thompson was in the drama club, but they only
joined to get away with eating in class.
What was he going to do? Maybe he should join the marching band. He knew how to
play the sousaphone. Knowing Mabel, she would probably do something artistic,
although his twin would gladly join every extracurricular. Wendy also mentioned
that at the end of the first day, all the students and faculty members would
gather in the auditorium and listen to the principal’s start of year speech.
The school bell rang throughout the building and a plump woman came in. Her
hair was brown and she wore a red dress with black polka dots. The teacher
asked the students to introduce themselves to the class.
He almost forgot about that. All the teachers would do this and it’d take up
probably the whole period. Dipper watched his classmates’ introductions as the
teacher went in alphabetical order. Mabel always loved this part of the day.
Him on the other hand…
“Mi-” He heard the teacher begin to pronounce his real name and quickly cut her
off, introducing himself as Dipper. He just mentioned his age, said he liked to
read and quickly sat back down. He didn’t say as much as the others did. Many
of them had mentioned if they had pets, their favorite color, favorite food,
etc.
I'm Dipper Pines, I’m thirteen, and I like to read for hours. That simple
sentence would hopefully carefully carry him through the day.
All teachers had also introduced themselves, telling them about where they got
their degrees and about their families. Some of the teachers had seemed overall
apathetic to their chosen career while most of them were clearly excited to be
teaching.
When his last class before lunch ended, the Pines boy left the classroom and
headed down the hall to go to lunch. His sister would probably gush about all
her new classes and the cute boys. Being the person she was though, she would
be disturbed by his lack of friends and would probably end up dragging him
around at some point to introduce him to people.
Three guys came running down the hall, catching his attention. What were they
running from? Dipper then recalled that this was one of the areas that were
colored pink in Grenda's model. He stepped aside just in time. A pack of very
large football players started charging down the hall, whooping and yelling.
Dipper held his breath and waited for them all to pass. When they were gone, he
let out a sigh. It was going to be a long year.
The cafeteria was apparently the only thing that real life and Hollywood had in
common. Dipper looked around at the different groups as he got his food, biting
his bottom lip. There were so many groups and he was having a hard time finding
Mabel. Finally, he spotted his twin, who was waving and pointing to an empty
seat at her table. He walked over and sat next to his sister, listening to her
and her friends talk.
As he had predicted, Mabel and the other two girls were talking about how
awesome school was so far. Dipper also found out that the areas painted pink in
the model indicated where handsome guys walked during lunch and passing time.
Dipper would have preferred not to know. The bell rang and everyone in the
cafeteria headed off to their next class. Dipper said goodbye to his sister and
promised to sit next to her in Biology.
The classes all followed the same basic outline. Introductions, blablabla,
explanation, blablabla, rules, blablabla, goodbye.
When Dipper got to Biology, he immediately sat next to his sister. She beamed
at him and he gave her a half-hearted smile. The teacher arrived and began the
introductions. When the teacher mentioned their last name, Mabel was first. It
appeared he was right and Mabel talked about everything she loved when she
introduced herself, amusing a few of the students. Unlike the other bored
students, Mabel proved to be all a spark of joy. The bell rang and their
Biology teacher led them to the auditorium.
Dipper saw his teachers sitting in the front with all the other teachers. All
of the students were with their respective years. The year 7 students were in
the first section. Wendy waved her hand as she saw them. She was in the back of
the year 10 section with her friends. Dipper waved back.
The principal was an older man, probably a little older than Ford and Stan. He
talked about how excited he was to start this school year and how he was eager
to watch the children grow into exemplary students and adults. Dipper was one
of the few students who listened to the man’s speech.
“I wish you all the best this year. I hope you will all look back fondly on
your days here.” The principal finished. All of the students and faculty
applauded. They all exited the auditorium and left the school. Dipper, Mabel,
Candy, and Grenda walked together to where the forest began and the two girls
said goodbye to the twins to go to town.
With school back in session, not as many people would want to go to the Shack
for tours during the week. So the Mystery Shack would be open on weekends, with
the merchandise at its normal, ridiculous price. Monday through Friday, the
Shack would be open at irregular hours, but Stan always said that if tourists
paid, he would give tours at four in the morning.
“How did it go?” Ford asked, looking up from his book. The twins were surprised
to see him. He must not have gone to see Fiddleford today.
Before Dipper could speak, Mabel had already run to their great uncle, talking
a mile a minute, “It was wonderful Grunkle Ford! My friends were so nice and
everyone was so friendly. There are so many cute boys!” Oh great. That meant
Mabel was probably going to ask out every guy that caught her fancy. Dipper
feared for his sister. Mabel was too innocent sometimes.
“Mabel that is fantastic! What about you, Dipper? How was you first day?” The
man turned to the young boy.
“Umm…It was uh… Alright.” He stuttered out.
Ford smiled and Mabel laughed, “Dipping Dot, you gotta learn how to lie!”
“No! It really was just fine!” Dipper felt his cheeks flush. “It's the first
day of school. Everyone knows that the first day is just introductions and all
that boring crap.”
“Sure Dipdop. Whatever helps you sleep tonight.” The older twin teased.
Dipper rolled his eyes, “Where’s Stan?”
“In town, grocery shopping.” Ford replied, returning his gaze to the book.
The twins went up to the attic. The good thing about the first day of school is
that there was no homework. They dropped their backpacks on their beds.
“Hey Dip, I'm going out with Candy and Grenda in three hours.” Mabel said.
Waddles woke from his nap, crawling out from under Mabel’s bed.
“Like a good little brother, I’m gonna ask what you’re doing and then regret
asking.” He grinned at her.
“We’re gonna to the park. And then to Candy's house for, you know, girl stuff.”
She smiled, her cheeks a little red.
“Yep, I regret asking.” He said, earning a small shove from his twin.
“We should get something to eat.” Mabel suggested, “That school food was
horrible. Absolutely no sprinkles.”
“I agree with you on that, but I’m not hungry.” He said, sitting on his bed.
“Boo. If you don't eat, you’ll never grow up. You'll always be my little bro-
bro by one millimeter.” She teased him lightly.
“I bet I'll be taller than you when the school year ends.” Dipper challenged
her.
“Ha! Are you seriously going to make a bet on that with me? I would like to see
mom and dad’s face. Or better yet, we can make Stan be our witness.” Mabel
grinned at him.
“If you get his permission, go for it.” He said, not backing down. Mabel left
the room, followed by Waddles and left Dipper alone. Alone with the Journals.
Raising his pillow, he saw the three red books. He decided the best way to keep
the Journals safe was to keep his side of the room clean so his mom or sister
wouldn’t try to clean his side and find them. Dipper still thought about saying
something about these books. He really wanted to tell Mabel...
But for the moment he could wait.
                                      ☽✠☾
Friday. Finally, the blessed day that kids waited all week for.
As it was the first week of school, extracurricular activities had not yet
started. The school wanted to give the year 7 students a chance to think about
which activity they wanted to commit to for the year.
His Geography teacher had given them a few pages to read and write a summary
about the assigned section. The teacher had been kind enough to give them time
in class to complete the assignment. Dipper was the first to finish reading the
pages and he managed to finish the summary with a few minutes to spare. He
handed in the assignment and waited the final bell of the day.
His twin came out of her classroom, next to Candy, when the school bell
announced the end of the class. She met him by his last class. “Dipdop, I’m
going with Candy to Grenda's house. I promise I’ll be back in an hour.” Mabel
said, using her puppy eyes. The younger twin couldn’t resist his sister’s puppy
eyes.
“Alright.” He sighed, giving her a small smile. She was so determined to go on
a date with some random guy. So Dipper walked home alone. When he got back, no
one was home. Stan was out doing God knows what. Ford had left early and wasn’t
returning until late in the evening, and his mother was at the hospital.
Dipper went into the Shack and went up to his room. The pig oinked at him from
under Mabel’s bed. Ok, he wasn’t alone if he had Waddles. To be honest, the day
Mabel brought the pig home, he thought that Stan and his mom would say no.
Dipper wondered what would happen if he got a pet. Knowing Stan, he would
refuse and complain about having another mouth to feed.
The best way to relax was to read. So he raised his pillow and pulled out
Journal 3. It was the one with the most information about Gravity Falls.
Whether that is true or false, it was definitely entertaining. Dipper went
downstairs and sat on the couch, settling in and putting the book in his lap.
He was so engrossed in his reading that he hadn't noticed the presence behind
him.
“What are you reading Kiddo?” Stan asked, holding a can of Pitt Cola.
Dipper almost screamed when Stan came up behind him. He may not have screamed
but he fell off the couch. Quickly, he slid the book under the sofa and picked
up a magazine.
“Uh, I- I was just catching up on ‘Gold Chains for Old Men Magazine’?” He
asked, a bit frazzled. He mentally slapped himself. Smooth move Dipper.
“That’s a good issue.” Stan commented, sipping his drink. It was weird that a
kid would read that particular magazine. But then again, there wasn’t a whole
lot for kids to do around here, in this town- The door abruptly slammed open
and shut.
“Hi family!” Mabel shouted, jumping into the room. She was positively beaming.
“You will not believe this! Guess who has a date?”
“Wait, what?” Dipper raised an eyebrow, standing up. “In the hour you were gone
you got a boyfriend?”
“What can I say? I'm just irresistible~” She gushed, flailing her arms.
“That's debatable.” Stan commented.
“He should be here soon-” The doorbell rang and Mabel squealed, running towards
the doorway. She returned with a slightly older teenager. He wore a black
hoodie and black pants. A few brown locks covered one of his eyes. “Family,
here's my date.”
“Hey, 'Sup?” The mysterious teen greeted. His voice was hoarse, almost forced.
“Hey.” Stan and Dipper replied.
“So, what's your name?” Dipper asked, a hint of suspicion in his voice.
“Uh. Normal-man!” The teen stuttered.
“He means Norman.” Mabel said dreamily. She was oblivious.
“Wait.” Dipper noticed something strange on his face, something red. “Are you
bleeding, Norman?”
“It's… Umm… Jam” He responded quickly.
“No way. I love jam! Look at this! Don’t wait up guys!” Mabel took Norman’s arm
and they started walking away, but not before Norman stumbled into a few
things. Dipper had a strange feeling about this- Guy.
He got up and went back to his room, discreetly grabbing the Journal when Stan
went to get another soda. The younger twin took the other two journals out from
under his pillow and left the room to go to the comfy window seat in the other
room. He set the Journals in front of him and started going through them,
trying to find something to confirm his suspicions about Mabel’s new boyfriend.
The first Journal, nothing. Second, not even a hint. Apparently, the third
Journal would be the most helpful in this situation.
“Let's see what you are.” He muttered to himself, flipping through the pages.
Maybe he was just being paranoid, thinking that Norman was a strange paranormal
creature. But he behaved strangely and besides, he was Mabel’s twin. He had to
protect her.
Dipper found a page with a drawing that looked a lot like Norman. He started
reading out loud, “Known for their pale skin and bad attitudes these creatures
are often mistaken for... Teenagers?! Beware Gravity Falls' nefarious- ” Dipper
turned the page and his eyes widened in horror when he read the name. “Zombie!”
Dipper looked out the window. Norman and Mabel stood outside. His twin was
sitting on a bench and Norman walked toward her with his arms stretched toward
her.
“Mabel!” He shouted, pounding on the window.
Norman took his sister by the shoulders. He was about to run out to help his
sister when Norman dropped a necklace of flowers on her. That- That was not
what he expected.
“Is my sister really dating a zombie, or am I just going nuts?” He asked
himself, slouching in his seat.
“It's a dilemma, to be sure.” Soos said, suddenly standing beside him.
“Soos! How long have you been there?” He yelped, a little nervous. He quickly
tucked the Journals behind his back.
"Long enough to hear you talking to yourself about zombies." The handyman was
standing on a ladder, changing a light bulb. Unlike Wendy, who only came in on
weekends now, Soos was at the Shack all week.
“So you heard me? Soos, you've seen Mabel's boyfriend. He's gotta be a zombie,
right?” He asked.
“Well, how many brains you have seen him eat?” The older man countered.
True. “Zero.” He sighed dejectedly.
“Look, dude, I believe you. I'm always noticing weird stuff in this town. Like
the mailman? Pretty sure that dude's a werewolf. But you gotta have evidence.
Otherwise, people are gonna think you’re a major league cuckoo clock.” Soos
said, emphasizing his point by twirling his finger next to his head.
“Soos, as always, you're right.” Dipper smiled at him.
“My wisdom is both a blessing and a curse.” He nodded.
“Soos!” Stan shouted, “The portable toilets are clogged again!”
“I am needed elsewhere.” He said, twisting his cap around and leaving.
During the next three hours, Dipper spied on Mabel's date. Norman would give
signs of looking like a zombie but at the instant, Mabel appeared, he acted
like a normal teenager. It was rather frustrating to see his sister flirting
with the guy. Frustrating and embarrassing when she gave him the look that all
the girls gave the object of their affections in the corny movies.
“Mabel?” Dipper asked, entering his room.
Mabel had returned 15 minutes ago to get ready for her afternoon date. Dipper
had been following them all day. Even if Norman wasn't a zombie, he at least
wanted to let her know that he was suspicious.
“Dipper the date was wonderful and look what Norman did!” Mabel grinned,
proudly showing off a purple mark on her cheek.
“What is that?!” Dipper screamed. Norman bit Mabel!
“Got ya! It was the leaf blower.” She confessed.
Mabel wanted her first kiss to be with Norman so she wanted to practice.
Unfortunately, things didn't turn out quite right.
“Mabel you have to listen. It's about your boyfriend.” Dipper started.
“I know. He's great!” Mabel gushed.
“He’s not human.” Dipper said flatly.
“Are you trying to tell me that he's a vampire? That would be so awesome!” Oh
great. Now Mabel was even more excited for her date. Dipper face palmed.
“No. Listen to me” Dipper pulled out the Journal of his vest, “A few days ago I
found this strange book that says that Gravity Falls is not normal. And I don’t
think Norman is normal. Check it out! Sha-bam!” Dipper said, opening the book
up for Mabel.
“Ah! Gnomes!” Mabel shouted.
“Oh. Wrong page.” Dipper switched the page. “Sha-bam!”
“Zombie? Dipper that's not funny.” She pouted at him.
“I’m not joking! It all adds up. He never blinks! Have you noticed that?” He
said, trying to reason with her.
“Maybe he’s blinking when you’re blinking.” Mabel shrugged, trying to calm her
younger brother. It was unusual for Dipper to be so overprotective. That was
her job. His conspiracies on the other hand…
“He's gonna eat your brain!” He yelled, shaking her.
Mabel had had enough.
“Dipper, listen to me. Norman and I are going on a date-” Mabel poked him in
the chest, driving him back toward the door. “I'm gonna be adorable, and he's
gonna be dreamy and I am not gonna let you ruin it with one of your crazy
conspiracies!” Dipper was shoved out of their shared room and before he could
react, Mabel slammed the door in his face.
                                      ☽✠☾
Dipper was now in the living room, checking the videos he had taken of Mabel
and Norman. But he had yet to find any evidence to prove his point.
“Maybe Mabel's right.” His twin had gone with Norman a few minutes ago to their
afternoon date. “Maybe I'm just being paranoid. I don’t even know if the stuff
in the journal is true. Maybe I should just st- Wait!” His eye caught something
and he quickly hit the rewind button. Norman and Mabel were holding each other
when suddenly Norman dropped his hand. Normal people don’t randomly drop limbs!
“I was right! I was right! Mabel!” He shouted, tipping the recliner too far and
falling out. He quickly recovered and ran outside. He had to save Mabel.
Dipper looked for his Grunkle Stan but couldn’t find him. He did however, find
the keys to the golf cart. The boy shoved the key in the ignition and was about
to start driving when he saw Soos running toward him.
“Hey, dude!” Soos called him, stopping to stand next to him. “This is for
zombies.” Soos handed him a shovel.
“Thanks, Soos.” He said, taking the shovel and putting it in the back.
“And this is if you see a piñata.” Soos handed him a baseball bat.
“Em… Thanks?” Dipper took it. With that, he backed out of the yard and headed
for the forest.
                                      ☽✠☾
Mabel was excited. Today she had met the boy of her dreams. It was a pity that
her brother didn't share her enthusiasm. Oh well. Someday Dipper would find his
true love and then he’d understand.
Norman had brought her to the edge of the forest. The teenager said he had
something very important to tell her. This was so exciting! It was following
the plot of every romance novel she’d ever read. The mysterious boy takes the
girl to a special spot to tell her a secret. A secret that would unite both for
a lifetime!
“Mabel, you're a very sweet girl and I like you. We have so much in common.”
Norman turned around, it was time to act. Just like they practiced. “But I’ve
got something to tell you.”
Bingo! “Oh, Norman. You can tell me anything.” Please be a vampire. Please be a
vampire.
“Alright.” Norman's hand went to the zipper of his jacket, “Just, be cool. Keep
an open mind.”
Mabel was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet, waiting excitedly for
him to tell her he was-
“Surprise!” Norman’s voice was different. Mabel’s eyes widened.
One on top of another. Fifteen in total. Small bodies. Graying beards. Blue
overalls. Pointy hats.
Norman was-
NORMAN WAS-!
“Is this weird? Is this too weird? Do you need to sit down?” The top gnome
asked.
“Uhhhhh…” She was in complete shock.
“So, we’re gnomes. Get that out of the way. And we’ve been looking for a queen!
My name is Jeff. These are Steve, Tony, John and- Sorry I always forget your
name.” Jeff continued talking. He looked down at the gnomes that made up his
feet. One looked put together while the other looked frazzled.
“Schmebulock.” The frazzled one said.
Jeff snapped his fingers, “Schmebulock!”
Her lovely pink bubble was falling apart. She’d really been hoping for a
vampire or a werewolf or at least the zombie. Not a bunch of gnomes stacked on
top of each other. The girl sat down on a tree stump and dragged her hand down
her face. Dipper would never let her hear the end of it.
“Uh, guys. I’m flattered but I’m a girl and you’re gnomes and it’s like, what?
Yikes.” She shrugged, rolling her eyes and awkwardly scratching the back of her
neck.
The gnome at the top of the gnome tower looked at his companions, asking with
his eyes, the others nodded their heads.
“We understand Mabel. We’ll never forget you.” He said. Mabel smiled at him.
“Because we’re gonna kidnap you.”
“What?!” She asked, confused. The gnomes then lunged at her, their teeth bared.
The young girl screamed into the forest, trying to defend herself.
                                      ☽✠☾
Dipper had a feeling that Norman had taken Mabel to the forest. According to
the Journal, the creatures avoided all contact with civilization. Dipper could
understand that. It was better to be only legends to be guinea pigs in
scientific laboratories. That leads him to wonder even more about the origins
of the Journal and its Author.
He heard the sound of his sister screeching. “Hold on Mabel!” Dipper pressed
down on the accelerator, going deeper into the forest. He sped down a small
hillside and stopped the golf cart. He jumped out of the cart, clutching the
shovel to go rescue his sister from the zom-
Dipper stopped when he saw his sister, tied down on the forest floor. She was
surrounded by hundreds of little men.
“What?” Dipper asked, drawing out the vowel sound. Man, he was confused. He
expected to see a zombie not a bunch of- Leprechauns?
“Dipper!” Mabel cried out. She had never been so happy to see her twin. “Norman
turned out to be a lot of gnomes! Ouch! Hair! Hair!”
“Gnomes? Oh, wrong creature.” Dipper placed the shovel between his arm and
pulled out the Journal of his vest, looking for the page that has information
about small woodsmen. “Gnomes: Little men of the Gravity Falls Forest.
Weaknesses: unknown. Strengths: claws and sharp fangs.”
“The more you struggle the more awkward this will be!” The gnome leader
addressed the other colleagues of his tribe, “Tie her legs- Steve- Okay, let’s
get started here.”
“Hey! Let go of my sister!” Dipper shoved his way forward, yielding his shovel.
“Oh boy, you see, this is just a misunderstanding. You see, your sister is not
in danger. She’s just marrying all one thousand of us and becoming our Queen
for all eternity.” Jeff smiled, explaining the situation slowly.
“Isn’t she a little young for you guys?” The boy countered, trying to defuse
the situation.
Jeff started laughing, “What does a human child know of our traditions? Besides
your sister has decided to stay, isn’t that right honey?”
“You guys are butt-faces!” Mabel shouted but her mouth was quickly covered by
gnomes’ small hands.
“You’re not getting away with this.” Dipper stared at Jeff.
“Do you want to interfere with the wedding? You underestimate us! You have no
idea what we're capable of. The gnomes are a powerful rac-”
Dipper, however, ignored him. With the shovel, he scooped Jeff up and chucked
him to the side. He ran to Mabel and scared off the other gnomes. He then used
the shovel to slice threw the thin strings keeping his twin down. The boy
grabbed his twin’s hand and ran back to the golf cart. When they were both
inside, he started up the engine and sped off.
“He's getting away with our queen! Gnomes of the forest: Assemble!” Jeff cried
out. The gnomes quickly began to assemble themselves to form a new, more
terrifying creature.
“Hurry, before they come after us!” Mabel yelled.
“I wouldn't worry about it. See their little legs? Those suckers are tiny.”
Dipper said flippantly. Right as he said that, a large log flew over them and
blocked their path. The cart screeched to a halt and the twins turned around.
They saw a huge gnome that appeared to be made of hundreds of gnomes.
“Our goal is the Queen!” Jeff shouted from the top of the monster. The gigantic
gnome roared, jumping the twins into action. Dipper pressed the pedal and drove
even faster at Mabel’s insistence.
The gnomes at the shoulders took their companions and shot them toward the car
like arrows. Some gnomes broke the roof and others were trying to take Mabel.
But the girl could throw a mean punch and managed to throw them off. She knew
boxing lessons had been a great idea.
Some started to go for Dipper, trying to distract him. The Journal had been
right. The gnomes had incredibly sharp teeth. One of the little men bit his
shoulder and it felt like he was being stabbed with knitting needles.
“I'll save you Dipper!” Mabel hit the gnome, and by extension, her brother,
eventually knocking the gnome loose.
“Thanks, Mabel.” Dipper slurred, a bit dizzy from the abuse.
But when they turned around, the monster was just as huge and horrible. Its
roar rang through the air violently. They turned forward, nearing the edge of
the forest. The border was just ahead, the Mystery Shack looming in the
distance. The gnomes raised their collective fists and hit the ground. The
movement caused the cart to lose control and skid across the ground. The cart
flipped over and the twins tumbled out onto the ground near the Shack.
The monster emerged from the woods and walked toward the twins, roaring
fiercely. Dipper took the shovel that had fallen near him and threw it at the
gnomes. It went right through the thing’s hand, not even stalling it. Dipper
shoved Mabel behind him, taking a protective stance as they walked backwards.
“It's the end of the line, kids! Mabel, marry us before we do something crazy!”
Jeff yelled at the girl.
“There must be something in the Journal.” Dipper pulled the book out from his
vest. His twin put her hand on his arm and turned to him
“I gotta do it.” She said.
“What?! Mabel, there has to be another way!” He pleaded.
“Dipper trust me.” She whispered softly.
“What?” He looked at his twin.
“Dipper, just this once, trust me.” She whispered again. Dipper knew his
sister. He trusted her. So he nodded and put away the Journal.
Mabel walked to stand before Jeff and the other gnomes. “All right, Jeff. I'll
marry you.”
“Hot dog! Help me down there, Jason-” Jeff began to descend from the tower of
gnomes, “Sorry John.” Of course, he ended up stepping on some gnomes. After a
few moments, Jeff was finally in the ground. Mabel extended her ring finger and
the gnome brought out a large diamond ring. He quickly slid the ring on her
small finger.
“Bada-bing, bada-bam! Now let's get you back into the forest-!” Jeff started.
“You may now kiss the bride!” Mabel interrupted, gazing at the ring. Jeff
stopped his walking and turned back to Mabel. The girl was kneeling down next
to the gnome.
“Well, don’t mind if I do.” Jeff closed his eyes and leaned in for a kiss. But
he didn’t get a kiss. Before he knew it, he was being sucked into a leaf
blower, Mabel expertly wielding it in front of her.
“That's for lying to me!” Mabel shouted angrily. She increased the power level
in the leaf blower. “That's for breaking my heart!” Mabel pointed in the
direction of the monster. “And this is for messing with my brother!” She turned
to her brother. “Do you wanna do the honors?”
Dipper grinned and nodded. “On three! One, two…” The last number was drowned
out by the sound of Jeff being launched into the gnomes, collapsing the
creature. The gnomes high tailed it into the forest, Jeff shouting something
about revenge.
“Mabel that was amazing!” Dipper gushed.
“Yes, that's me, Mabel The Amazing.” Mabel smiled at him and both twins
laughed. “Forgive me for not believing in you, Dipper.”
“Apology accepted. It’s kinda my fault anyway.” He shrugged.
“Dipper, you tried to warn me. It’s just a shame my first boyfriend turned out
to be a bunch of gnomes.” She facepalmed.
“Look at the bright side. Maybe this one will be a vampire.” Dipper nudged his
sister.
“Aw Dipper, you’re just saying that.” Mabel looked at her twin’s vest. “What
are you gonna do with the book?”
“I don't know. They’re pretty cool and they’re missing some parts.” He said.
“You should keep them. Maybe help finish it.” She suggested.
“Should I?” Dipper looked at the Journal and nodded to himself. He already
learned the gnomes had a weakness. Maybe he could learn more. “Thank you,
Mabel.”
“Awkward sibling hug?” Mabel raised her arms.
“Awkward sibling hug.” He embraced her.
“Pat. Pat.” They said simultaneously.
“Ouch.” Dipper winced in pain.
“It is where the gnome bit you?” Mabel asked, looking over him in worry.
“Yeah. It’s like my shoulder’s a pin cushion.” He looked to his shoulder.
“Let's go inside. I stocked the first aid kit with glittery band aids!” She
smiled at him and grabbed his hand, running into the house.
Mabel had to climb up onto the counter in the bathroom to reach the first aid
kit. Dipper pulled off his shirt and took a better look at the tiny holes in
his shoulder. She carefully disinfected the small bites and then started
applying the glitter covered band aids.
“We should ask Wendy for her ointment. If this is gonna happen whenever we go
in the woods, we’re gonna need it.” Mabel said.
“We can ask her this weekend.” Dipper replied. The older twin nodded and
continued sticking band-aids on his shoulder.
It was a little strange for Dipper to be the injured one. Mabel was a very
energetic girl and Dipper was usually the one patching her up.
“I’m home! Is anyone here?” Rachel yelled, walking up the stairs. The twins
looked at each other and Dipper quickly threw his shirt on as their mother’s
footsteps approached. Their mother peeked in through the open bathroom door.
“Kids, what are you doing in here? And why does it smell like wet animals in
here?”
“I fell playing in the woods!” Mabel said. It would be a lot easier to believe
she was rough housing in the woods.
“Honey, you need to be more careful. Did Dipper fix you up?” Their mother
asked.
“Yeah. We’re all squared away here.” He smiled up at her.
“Alright. I’m surprised Ford and Stan aren’t back. Soos is still here but he’s
listening to some music. I don’t think he noticed that I came in.” Well, that
explained why no one came out when the gnomes were stomping around outside.
“I’m gonna make dinner. Any special requests?”
“Steak!” Mabel shouted excitedly, “The carnivorous Mabel wants steak!”
Mabel and Rachel left the bathroom, leaving Dipper to pick up the mess. After
cleaning the mess, he looked out the window and into the forest.
The three Journals had so much information and he was more than ready to
discover all the secrets Gravity Falls held.
                                      ☽✠☾
“We were so close to having a new Queen!” Jeff shouted angrily to his comrades.
All the gnomes started shouting angrily.
“That girl was ours!”
“It's because of her brother!”
“We should kidnap him to draw her out!”
At the other gnomes seemed to like the idea. They were nodding and chattering
excitedly.
Jeff scratched his chin, considering the proposal, “Yes, I like it! Alright,
gang! Let’s make a game plan and get this party started.” Several gnomes
gathered together, presumably the brains of the operation. They were ready to
recover their Queen.
“Great idea! But there’s one part about your plan I just can’t condone.” A high
pitched voice echoed around the small men. They shivered at the voice and
looked around. He sat in one of the trees. He was leaning back on the trunk,
staring down the group with one big electric blue eye sticking out of a pyramid
head.
“What part don’t you like?” Jeff asked nervously.
Elegantly, the being jumped down from the tree and landed in front of them. He
summoned a cane out of thin air and started swinging it around. He walked
through the small crowd and the gnomes stepped out of his way, avoiding the
cane. “You are planning to use a certain person.”
“Yeah, the brother of our future queen.” One of the gnomes told the man.
“Jeff.” The demon sang, his voice sinking dangerously.
Jeff visibly tensed. “Yes, Lord Cipher?” Jeff took a step toward the figure.
“I'm surprised at you. You’re so dedicated to our traditions and rules.” The
silhouette walked around Jeff, “But it looks like you've forgotten something.”
Jeff swallowed. What did he forget? “Lord Cipher, can you speak more
precisely?” The gnomes were shocked back as soon as the electric blue eye
changed to a reddish brown color and the golden bricks darkened.
“You’re using what is mine. You plan to use my Soulmate!” The sharp fangs
gleamed like ivory daggers in the light of the full moon that illuminated the
forest of Gravity Falls.
“Our queen?” Oh no, oh no. Jeff thought fearfully. He was so screwed this time.
“No you ridiculous gnome! The boy, he's mine, I claimed him long ago! Could it
be that you didn't recognize my smell on him?” Cipher growled.
“I beg your pardon Lord Cipher. I swear that we will not touch the boy!” Jeff
pleaded.
“I hope so.” Jeff sighed in relief and turned to return to his tribe. But
Cipher spoke again. “Jeff,” The gnome stopped, trembling with fear. “Where do
you think you are going?”
“… Lord Cipher, I-” Jeff began.
“I’m not done with you and your small village.” Cipher said, wagging a finger.
“But we promised not to hurt the child.” Steve spoke up.
“I know, but you just promised that right now.” The bricks and eye returned to
its own natural color, although Cipher didn't return to his normal humor. “Not
when you fools touched what’s mine, hurt my Soulmate.”
The gnomes gasped and gulped, almost choking and dying right there. Considering
their current situation, that would’ve been much better than staying alive
right now.
“Now, you flea-bitten squirrel freaks, tell me who injured him.” The demon
glared at the group. What Cipher wanted was an insult to them. They couldn't
betray each other. Not that he cared.
A blaze of blue fire surrounded the gnomes. Cipher walked through the flames.
“If you don't tell me right now I will start to burn you all one by one until
someone has the guts to turn that miserable sack in.” The fire was getting
closer and closer to them, trapping them in an even smaller space. Some sparks
jumped up, threatening and painful to the touch.
“Tony!” One of the gnomes shouted when he felt the searing heat hitting his
face. “Sorry guys! I don't want to die!” The young gnome fell to his knees
crying for forgiveness. The other gnomes were crying. They understood how
terrifying Cipher’s games were.
“That was a noble act on your part.” Cipher chuckled. “But, back to the matter
at hand.” The triangular headed man put on a smile. He extended a hand toward
the crowd of gnomes in the air and summoned Tony, holding him tightly. Tony's
frightened eyes met the eye in that pyramidal face.
“Now listen to this!” Cipher raised his voice, forcing it to distort and echo.
“Everyone in this forest!”
The gnomes watched as other figures moved through the trees. Bill Cipher's
friends. The other demons. They were sure that other forest creatures could
hear Cipher's altered voice.
“I've waited more than thirteen years for this day and I will not let your
carelessness ruin this!” All witnessed the terrifying speech, the terrifying
warning. “And - ” Cipher gave a complete turn on his feet, focusing his gaze on
the gnomes, “If any of you come to look for problems-”
Cipher turned to the gnome in his hand. Tony looked like a little rabbit, a
rabbit caught in the jaws of a wolf.
“Things will not end well.”
The hands that caught Tony asphyxiated him, the demon's singular hand was big
enough to squeeze hard on the gnome's body. All the gnomes looked on in horror
at the atrocious act.
Tony screamed, still trying to escape.
“For either of us.”
Tony’s screams increased in volume and as his air depleted, the sound became
quieter and quieter until his mouth was open in a silent scream. His body was
crushed in an instant. The gnomes screeched in horror as the blood of their
companion fell on them like rain. All that remained of poor Tony was scattered
between Cipher's black gloved claws. Guts, organs, heart, bones, flesh...
Everything that was once Tony was now just a bloody mess. The other demons'
laughter filled the void of the night.
Cipher looked up, his golden bricks covered in Tony’s blood. “What? Do you
wanna meet the same end as Tony? Get out now!”
The other gnomes fled as fast as their legs could carry them. They ran from the
carnage and threat of death. Perhaps it would be better to keep their old queen
and wait for next year to get another queen. Next year may be less problematic.
If everything went done according to plan, next year would be better. For all
of them.
Cipher stood in place, the gnome intestines still in his hands. Oh well, how
could he waste such a delicious snack before taking and fully testing the
exquisite and succulent dessert?
Chapter End Notes
     I don't have a good idea about how classes work in USA, I'm from
     Mexico and when I was in high school my classes started at 7:50,
     taking recess from 10:00 to 10:30 and my classes ended at 14:20,
     taking a total of seven subjects a day, except for a few days which
     were complementary subjects, I was in computers, had four activities
     in my old school, sports activities were free choice (I hate sports
     so I didn't choose any) is why I relied on my old class schedules. It
     was just to clarify.
     So... Well we had some Bill... That I think, is more an Object Head,
     but he can use Object Head, Triangle or Human form, and to clear
     doubts, yes, the Object Head!Bill has a mouth and fangs. I hope this
     will offset the wait as the next chapter we will have the first
     official meeting between them... And then the problems begin *Insert
     evil laugh here.* Just in case you are wondering, this is a sort of
     Soulmate AU, but you will know in the future chapters... That's why I
     told you read the tags
     This introduction took a long time... Half-year?
     Another thing I'm going to tell you is that I'm return to the college
     tomorrow so this will be slow now. The painful thing is also I have
     new stories which will be out in the next year so I hope you still
     with me and my nonsense stories.
     You can always contact me on Tumblr: Here
     Also some of my future stories: Here
     Thank you very much for reading, let kudos or comments, I'd love to
     know what you think.
***** Chapter 7 *****
Chapter Summary
     Dipper knows the creature that will change his life in a drastic way.
Chapter Notes
     Is anyone still here waiting for an update? None? Okay...
     BILL! BILL! BILL! BILL! BILL!
     Update: August/13/2017
See the end of the chapter for more notes
                     Step right up, ladies and gentlemen!
                                 Come and see
                        Things your eyes won't believe!
                           Some say they are aliens
                          Some say they are stranger
                      Some say they aren't of this world
                      We will not conform to the masses,
                 Whether they scorn or whether they attack us
                              Come one, come all,
                           Welcome to the freakshow!
                           ~ Freakshow by Skillet ~
Dipper checked his backpack and then to the list of what he should carrying in
his first exploration to the forest. It was the fifth time he got and pulled
out all his stuff of the blue backpack only to check that everything was in
place.
“Let see.” The brown-haired teen took his pencil and notebook for a final
check, “Backpack,” He saw the object referred, “Check.” And with his pencil
marked a cross next to the name of the object, “Water, check. Cheese sandwich,
check. Compass, check. Pencil and pen, check. Hat,” Dipper settled his hat on
his head, “Check. Journal,” Looking to his vest, and patting he felt the cover
of the Journal #3, it was the only thing he needed close, “Check.” That and –
“Swiss knife, check.” He still didn't know what might happen in the forest.
The Friday after they had been fighting that weird tribe of gnomes Dipper had
decided to investigate further the mysteries of Gravity Falls and thus complete
the work that The Author of the Journals had forgotten. Of course he still
wondered what had happened to that person but he didn't want to think the
worst. At least not yet.
In fact, it was dangerous for a thirteen-years-old interned in a forest where a
strange book had written that the supernatural resided inside. But if it were
really as dangerous as he supposed, because none of these creatures had shown
before the town? Fine, he knew that most of the townsfolk were somewhat blind
to this phenomenon, the gnomes was an example with Soos and his headphones, but
only The Author had noticed these creatures around the world and decided to
investigate them. That only showed how clever and cunning that this person had
been – Or is?
Also, if something weird or dangerous happened in this town his family or
friends would say him. Obviously, it's not as if he were to be closer to most
dangerous creatures that the Journal described; Pfft, of course not! He had
been reading too many times the last Journal to know the forest without even
having entered yet.
A person who he would have liked to bring along would be Mabel, they always had
imaginary adventures in California when they were toddlers and the problems
weren't so huge. And now there was the opportunity to have a real adventure his
twin had preferred hanging out with Candy and Grenda. It's not as if he had
felt rejected or something, after all both still could continue to rely
themselves.
And therefore this was the perfect excuse to go out with his sister, without
being questioned about being alone, and then everyone could go to their
respective issues. Mabel with her friends and he into the woods.
“Hey DipDop.” Mabel walked into the room of both, drying her wet hair, she was
the people who always took a shower before leaving somewhere with her friends,
he preferred to bathe after arriving from somewhere in the forest. “Are you
ready?”
“Almost. Do you think this is enough?” Dipper asked returning his gaze to the
list in his notebook.
“Dipper, your brain is more than enough. Can you help me comb my hair?” Mabel
extended the comb to her brother, Dipper always helped her comb her curly hair.
She remembers when she proposed to her brother to grow his hair and then she
cut off hers, and both change of roles for one day only to know that their
parents could identify them. It would have been an excellent prank. Had it not
been for their mother's warning to write their names on the forehead with a
permanent marker.
Dipper took the comb and she turned her back to her brother so he could help
her, forgetting that way the nerves that he still had to enter the forest.
Seven minutes later and both twins were ready to go to their respective
businesses. Though, first was the breakfast, the most important part of the
day. Their father used to say them that if they wanted their day was good,
breakfast was fundamental, and it was something that their mother agree.
To Dipper's luck, only Ford asked what they would do on a Sunday; Mabel was
much better lying more naturally than her brother, and clearly thinking fast
answers as when Stan asked why the boy had only a backpack if they were going
for a walk with Candy and Grenda.
“We're teens, Grunkle Stan,” Mabel gave a wink to her brother, “We're always
hungry.”
Once breakfast was over and the twins said goodbye to their mother and their
Grunkles; Rachel and Stan would be in the house, the Shack didn't open and the
nurse was free on Sundays, while Ford would go out and return as quickly as
possible. Mabel noticed as Stan rolled his eyes.
The twins left the Shack and began walking toward the town, stopping halfway.
The forest and the town at equal distances.
“Here at six, don't forget.” Dipper remembered his sister when he adjusted his
watch, noting that it was noon.
“And don't be late, Dip Dop.” Mabel adjusted her cell phone alarm, a gift sent
by their father, Dipper had preferred to leave his cellphone, he didn't want to
break or lose it in the woods, “And don't forget your promise, bro-bro.”
Dipper rolled his eyes. “Yes, I know, if I see a vampire I'll talk wonders of
you.”
“That's my little brother.” Mabel gave a light tap on his shoulder and started
walking, stopping and turning before Dipper entered the forest, “Dipper,” Her
brother turned to her as his name came from her lips, “Be very careful in
there.”
Dipper nodded and proceeded to walk up into the woods and getting lost from
Mabel's sight.
The girl didn't move from her place until she couldn't see her brother or hear
his footsteps echoing against the fallen branches of trees. She wanted to go
with him and let her friends but they had already made big plans to go to the
mall. Mabel shook her head, erasing this strange feeling inside her, “It's
nothing, Mabes,” She told herself and started walking toward the town, “It's
nothing.”
She hoped that feeling soon disappeared.
                                      ☽✠☾
It had been minutes since Dipper saw his sister and had entered the forest. He
hadn't seen any creature yet, it must be obvious, none of them would like to
live near such a polluted environment, it's why the Shack was a good place to
live, no annoying neighbors, or trash on the streets. The Journal described
that the most docile creatures lived near the town and that was the place where
he was going.
If he didn't remember wrong, Dipper could ensure that around here the tribe of
gnomes was, he even seemed to have seen one of the little men ,although there
may have been something else. If so, then he was on the right track.
Making sure nothing was in his way, Dipper pulled from his vest the Journal and
opened it in one of the many pages, the page he was looking for was the one
that contained information about gnomes and just where the word 'Weakness: '
was written, beside it Dipper wrote 'Leaf Blower' was thanks to Mabel that he
had found this weakness and that he had been able to decide what he wanted to
do with the Journal in his possession. If today he could make a good research
then the next step could be the transcription of the other two to make it only
one. He could even create categories about how to distribute the new Journal.
If only he could publish this work as his own when he was older, though he
didn't know whether The Author was alive and perhaps recognize their work.
Dipper still had many questions about the person who had written the Journals.
Or if even maybe it was a supernatural creature. But there was no name, no any
indication to conclude who it was. Only dates and of course the last record was
in the Journal that he had now.
Dipper check his wristwatch, golden numbers showed thirteen and seven. He had
been walking for almost an hour and rambled about what he wanted to do in the
future.
He would have liked even find the gnomes. Yes, they aren't very friendly
creatures and he didn't brought with him a leaf blower but at least he could
ask for a conversation with them and also because they wanted a new Queen,
specifically Mabel. Because she was very sweet and kind to everyone? Perhaps
even they could help him find other creatures.
Dipper closed the Journal and kept walking. According to the Journal was a
crooked tree and taking the right side he could get to see a Blodau Nest.
Almost every one of the illustrations of habitats or creatures in the book had
been made with ink, and there were very few photographs glued to the pages,
most of them were in black and white and were about traces of the existence of
the creature.
It wasn't surprising that The Author had decided to draw the creatures rather
than take their photograph. If his experience with some movies and books of
fantasy and science fiction served as something, things got really bad when you
took a picture of a creature, even if it's the weakest and most innocent fairy.
The crooked tree was near him, so Dipper quickened his pace to reach the tree,
so far everything was fine, there has been nothing bad to make him come back
and even if there was something he was too curious for his own good.
Taking the right side of the tree Dipper kept walking, he was so close to
reaching his first destination.
Rustle.
Dipper stopped his walk. What was that? That was a creak, but it was one so
slight.
Rustle.
There it was again. This felt so strangely familiar. Like a deja-vu. Dipper
looked in several directions around him, looking for that sound source but
there was nothing.
Rustle.
This time had heard close to him. Dipper looked up if there was nothing around
him must be above him.
In one of the branches of the pine trees, a small silhouette jumping between
the leaves was carrying on its back a strawberry, that being had gripped it
between their hands which Dipper could viewed tiny claws, like a sewing needle,
the creature was like a human the size of a palm, the forehead was too broad
and it had small eyes, its dress was a red flower with white sides and its hair
looked like a bud, under the strawberry was a pair of pale wings. The palm-
sized creature was hopping between the leaves and branches of the tree.
Dipper's hazel eyes widened in surprise and his smile grew when he saw his
first creature. He had managed to see a Blodau. Without wasting time Dipper ran
following the Blodau, without making noise since the Journal had written that
Blodau are quiet beings, but when something bothered them, it was time to run –
Apparently the most docile and kind creatures were the most dangerous – So he
would try to be calm but the thrill to seeing another supernatural creature and
discover that everything in the Journal was true, kept him smiling as if it was
the best news someone could tell him.
The Blodau came to one of the trees, stopping at the branch and looking around,
its eyes caught the young human child that was following it. The Blodau
narrowed its eyes and returning to its normal look, that was sure that the
child hadn't seen it, the Blodau jumped off the tree, spreading its wings to
help it cushion the fall, to disappear behind a large bush.
Dipper watched the Blodau jump off the branch and fall behind the bush.
Carefully the teenager took the Journal and look for the page of Blodaus. When
he finally found it quickly read all the information necessary to observe the
Blodaus.
Blodaus.
Tiny relatives of fairies. Unlike their relatives, not all the Blodau clan are
so graceful, but they can be just as kindly if they are treated politely and
patience. They love eating_fruits and it seems some meat of small animals,
apparently they don't like being observed while eating so it's hard to say if
they have fangs. They can only fly without any extra weight more than them.
Don't be fooled they can be very strong as I've seen how they were jumping
between the branches with a frog on their back.
Apparently their hierarchy is based on their age_range, which can be seen
through their hairstyles, which serves as camouflage posing like flowers of the
region, when they are young their hairstyle looks like a bud and being in an
adult stage the bud opens to bloom, and finally at the old age the blossom
closes again and look like a wilted flower...
I must be careful from now on when mowing my lawn, because they like to live
among flowers, though they prefer to live under them.
Dipper closed the Journal and approaching looked over the bush. And once again
the Journal had won, behind the bush was a small group of flowers but the
peculiar thing was that some flowers moved and seemed to levitate. Dipper made
a mental note to add the page that the wings of blodaus move like the wings of
a hummingbird.
One of the blodaus, its floral dress was purple with pink spots – It seems they
like the bright and lively colors, Dipper thought – Had seen him but ignored
him and kept levitating. Dipper wondered what they were doing. Near the flower
cluster was a fallen log so he decided to go sit and from there to observe
without disturbing the Blodaus.
A group flew quickly to another group who arrived with more fruits and Dipper
could see a dead mouse among the food. He concluded that there must be some
sort of food storage, something like ants. Not be long before the summer comes
to end and then the autumn would be here. The blodaus who had just arrived were
helped by their partners and disappeared into the small field of flowers, maybe
they had a secret tunnel beneath the flowers.
Dipper decided that this was a good time to start adding new notes and decide
what the next creature he would seek. Writing down quickly on the page his new
discovery and looking for some new curiosity Dipper had noticed his watch that
marked 14:18. Dipper grimaced in disappointment, “At this pace I'll only be
able to find two.” Maybe if he had come with Mabel this would have been easier
but his twin was kind noisy and when she saw these fairy-like people she
wouldn't hesitate to go running and try to embrace any of them, no matter how
many times Dipper told her not.
Speaking of his twin Dipper wondered what would now be his sister do. Maybe she
and her friends would be in their own hunt for pretty boys. He had also asked
what his family was doing. He was sure Stan was in his underwear and in the
living home watching the fights or soap operas, soap operas was more credible;
Their mother was perhaps reading a book or taking their dirty clothes to wash;
Ford may have gone to visit his friend Fiddelford or maybe not and he's with
Stan watching soap operas. His friends also appeared in his head, Soos said
Sundays were the days he spoke with Melody, and Wendy, well Dipper preferred
her to be with her friends or her family but except with Robbie, alone.
The sound of a slight blow made him wake up from his reverie. Dipper glanced
toward the blodaus, a berry had fallen to a young blodau. The floral creature
had two berries on its back, surely the blodau wanted to finish its work
quickly. Dipper got up from his seat, leaving the Journal, and walked to the
blodau, under the watchful eye of the entire colony. Dipper recalled that the
Journal had been written that they liked to be treated gently, so he got the
berry up from the ground and carefully withdrew the dust that could have
covered it and extended it to the blodau.
The fairy creature wandered its gaze between the berry, the human boy, and
their companions. Eventually the blodau approached Dipper and took the berry
with both hands, Dipper heard a faint murmur and assumed it was a “Thank you.”
The blodau returned to the group and they went among the flowers while the
others blodau watched the human and for some reason Dipper didn't feel
uncomfortable with the looks of these small entities. It wasn't like when he
went to school and had to go to the blackboard feeling the stares of his
classmates on him.
Dipper walked back to the fallen trunk to take the Journal and put it back in
his vest. It was time to find another creature.
A blue glow shone fiercely beside him and when Dipper looked up it had
completely disappeared. Did he'd imagined it? Without knowing why he turned
around back, expecting to see the blodaus, however these had disappeared,
Dipper saw the flowers moved quickly so the blodaus had just hiding, of what?
Again, the blue glow lit up behind him and he turned around quickly only to see
that gleam was a blue flame. A strange and striking blue flame. This
disappeared like smoke and Dipper ran to where it was before. There was
nothing, there wasn't even grass or branches burned, perhaps that blue flame
was levitating. Now everything seemed to be possible.
Another blue glow appeared in the forest and Dipper was able to observe it
better. It was blue fire and it was levitating. Dipper began walking toward the
blue fire and it disappeared again to appear away from him. It was as if the
fire was guiding him somewhere.
Dipper remembered reading something about the blue fire. Some book mentioned
that the blue fire appeared in places where there were hidden treasures, other
called it Will-o'-the-wisp and said it was a living creature or part of one.
His excitement came back when he remembered that none of the three Journals had
something related to this type of fire. Dipper could finally have his first
record in the Journal and could find any connection between the old records.
Following every trace of blue fire disappearing and appearing Dipper hadn't
noticed those eyes watching every move he made.
Dipper had even thought of this as a game, as in California years ago when he
and Mabel were jumping in puddles of water. The fire disappeared just as Dipper
gave the last jump, “This was fun.” The brown-haired teen looked around
expecting to see where the next flame appear but never appeared. “It must have
been the end of the road.”
Looking better around him he realized that he had reached a clearing. Quiet and
serene. He could hear a stream of water near him. “Curios.” Dipper spoke while
walking in the clearing, “I feel I've been here.”
And indeed this feeling became increasingly strange and familiar. An air flow
shot through him and Dipper instinctively covered his arms with his hands. It
was as if a winter blizzard had hit him directly and he was waiting for
something to take his hand, something rough.
Crack.
Dipper turned around, hoping that some blodau had caused the sound though there
was nobody around.
Crack.
Who was causing the noise? Had anyone else here?
Oh hell, he had entered the deepest part of the forest, hadn't he? He shouldn't
have followed that blue fire, perhaps had only been a trick of some creature to
draw him up here and devour him.
Crack.
What if this creature is not something supernatural? What if it is a wolf? Or a
bear?
Crack.
The noise began to approach where he was, and there was nowhere to hide. The
bushes weren't big enough to hide behind or inside them. The trees were too
high and yet he didn't have the agility to climb one of them. He was lost.
Without wanting to remember kindergarten or embarrassing moments of his
childhood, he was just a lamb.
Crack.
He could only be brave, he had his swiss knife. With luck and maybe he could
run at full speed. However, even though he could hear the cracks very close to
him, nothing had appeared and pounced on him. Maybe it wasn't necessarily a bad
thing, perhaps could be some hunter or woodsman, he could pretend he was lost
by accident, after all he is Stan's nephew, some scammer must have been
inherited to him. Mabel couldn't be the only one who could have it all!
“Hello?” He got no answer and contemplated the idea of walking away from the
clearing to return near the nest of blodaus. Perhaps what has been near the
place had turned away. Perhaps that hadn't seen him.
When Dipper was going to being about to take a step to begin his return,
something stopped him.
Three blue flames were back in front of him, but he could feel something
different about this. It was much bigger and brighter than the previous flames.
The blue flame could be mistaken for some kind of sapphire. To his left another
flame of same size and intensity appeared, and his right another was shining.
Its intensity was so strong that all clearing began to be colored cerulean.
The three campfires of blue fire transformed into a straight line, joining and
forming a triangle; Dipper only then realized that he was in the midst of that
figure created by the fire. The triangle of fire began to rise into the air
being suspended in the sky, leaving him below that figure. Electric rays began
to form in the middle of the triangle, it was as if the center was tearing in
thousands of parts.
Dipper saw that in the center of the triangle could see a starry mantle, where
he had seen this before? He felt this had already lived.
Electricity streams began to open more that opening in the center of the
triangle, it was as if something were to leave.
Does this had ever happened before? Does The Author have anything about this?
They were questions Dipper wanted them to be answered, he wanted to get the
Journal and find something of this phenomenon but he simply couldn't take his
eyes from the spectacle. All this became so familiar.
“HAHA͠HAHA̧H͡A̸HA̸!”
A laugh was heard all over the place and Dipper recoiled from what was going
out. That laugh , Dipper thought, I've heard it before. Instinctively, he put
his hand to his wrist, which just had a slight stain of what once was a bruise.
Something was going to emerge from this opening.
A burst of light made Dipper fall to the forest floor and left him blind for a
moment before covering his eyes to prevent any further damage to his sight; A
wave of black and white surrounded the forest, becoming sepia, and finally
returning to their original colors.
“My! A pleasure to see you again, Pine Tree!”
Dipper opened his eyes, slowly at first seeing all somewhat fuzzy and only one
golden triangular patch was the first thing he saw, rubbing his eyes to clear
his vision gradually everything became clearer, “What – ?” Dipper couldn't find
the words to express what he was seeing... Okay he could express it in one
word: Triangle.
The creature in front of him was a triangle , a floating triangle, an eye in
the middle of the geometric figure, the pupil was an electric blue like the
fire that brought him here, the triangle seemed to be made of golden bricks,
two black arms and legs, the left hand holding a black cane which spinning
around its arm, a black bow tie was in the middle, below the eye.
“So? You don't say anything?” That triangle asked, floating near and around
him.
Dipper simply didn't have the right words to talk right now, this was all
strange. The Author had never mentioned anything about floating geometric
figures! “Who are you?” Dipper had the feeling he had heard that voice before,
the way in which the triangle was talking was known.
The triangle's eye narrowed and the geometric figure burst out laughing, the
hand dropped the cane, which floated itself, and the triangle's arm went to its
eye to wipe an imaginary tear. “Pine Tree, you are funny.” The triangle again
approach him, “Don't tell me you already forgot me, do you?”
There was something in its voice that made his skin crawl, the triangle looked
friendly, cute even, but its voice just didn't match the current emotion.
“Sorry.” Dipper stood firm, if there was one thing he learned from his boxing
lessons with Stan was never to straighten up to the time of facing a hostile
being, had to appear confident, even when you were frightened. “You are
familiar – I think so. Your voice – ”
The triangle snapped its fingers, “It was two weeks ago, in a golden tent under
a night sky before thousands of eyes.”
Dipper gasped, “It can't be.”
The golden triangle turned away from him again high up in the air, “Name's Bill
Cipher. Nice to meet cha!”
Bill Cipher. The magician and owner of Cipher Show that he, his sister, and
Wendy had seen two weeks earlier. “How– ?” Dipper muttered to himself.
“It's a human disguise.”
“What?”
The triangle, Bill Cipher, smiled or so he seemed to do, “I'm a
interdimensional being, that means I have traveled a lot of universes, I have
unlimited power that I can manipulate at will, and change my shape is one of
the many things I can do. And believe me, I can do a lot of things.” The
triangle's eye shined a cerulean blue.
Dipper realized something, he had made contact with a creature that wasn't of
their world, with a creature that was from another dimension! “No way!” Dipper
shouted excited at the watchful eye of Bill.
“I see you're finally accepting and to prove that I'm not lying, within three
seconds you will shout.”
The emotional state of the child disappeared to hear Bill's words, “How you kn-
? AH!”
Obviously his scream was nothing manly but who wouldn't scream at seeing such
creatures leave behind a tree and among the treetops!
It was a strange kind of teeth with feet and arms, too low almost like his
height, to its side was a monster, gigantic being almost humanoid, with green
skin and at first glance appeared to be scratchy, that was hunched, a couple of
fangs jutting from the lower lip, and the two eyes were perfectly circular with
the exception that instead of pupils were a pair of eights those that were in
the midst.
Four creatures came down from the treetops, they seemed to be just lower than
the teeth, one of which was entirely light blue with a slit in its long
forehead; The other was a rhombus with one eye, much smaller than Bill's; There
was a kind of small square, Dipper stepped back to see how this unfolded
revealing several eyes, and be a kind of origami; The last one was a kind of
red octagon with mustache, a blue tie, and a bowler hat.
Other monsters appeared behind the trees. One of them was a gigantic being
appeared to be a kind of bread in purple, the way its stand on their hands and
hind legs reminded Dipper of an ape, that had a cone hat as if to go somewhere
birthday, over the purple monster was another creature for its appearance
Dipper could judge it like a rude dude, it was small, fat, gray, with a tattoo
on its forehead, and a pair of horns, on its stomach was a kind of pacifier.
The last monster caught Dipper's attention, was the only one with feminine
characteristics and could almost be human if not for the single eye in the
middle of her face, full lips, a pair of horns, and be wrapped in pink fire.
“Pine Tree – ” Bill Cipher floated back to him.
“Pine Tree?” Bill pointed at the figure was printed on his trucker cap. “Oh,
true. But my name is Dipper.”
Bill rolled his eye, does Dipper thinks he can fool him? Adorable , he's a
being with infinite power and knowledge, “We are beings of an ancient
dimension, our abilities are nothing of this world. But if you want proof of
that, well – Henchmaniacs, show Little Pine Tree what we can do.”
Snap after snap was heard at the meeting place and where once were the monsters
were now common human, Dipper recognized all of them as people who were in the
magic show, they even still wore the same suits but without masks and what
captured Dipper's attention, were the eyes. The eyes of all they weren't
normal, some had one eye with black sclera and the pupil being of another
color, others had both sclerotic being completely black or white, without
pupil.
“Convinced? See it to believe it.” Dipper heard a voice above him and looking
up he saw the magician sitting in one of the branches of the tree watching the
show, the left sclera were black with electric blue pupil highlighting in the
middle of the eye, “And we can keep giving more and more shows, that if you
want.”
Another snap and the humans returned to their forms of monsters.
“Wow.” He wasn't dreaming, he hadn't passed out and this was a cruel dream,
this was real. Dipper jumped to felt a hand on his shoulder, it was Bill's,
again the demon was too close for his comfort.
“Now you start to believe in us, let me introduce you to my Henchmaniacs,”
Dipper was dragged while Bill floated beside him, causing both came to the
other beings, “Teeth, Eight Ball - ”
The man at the entrance, Dipper thought.
Bill pointed to the four beings who came down from the treetops, “Keyhole,
Kryptos, Hectorgon and Amorphous Shape, those are The Being Whose Name Must
Never Be Said - ” The purple creature obviously didn't like the presentation as
it shook violently causing the monster on its back fell to the ground, “What
the heck, his name is Xanthar, who is on the ground is Pacifier, and she is
Pyronica.”
It was amazing how many strange and peculiar names he had heard in seconds and
incredible as he had managed to register them all in his brain. “Wait,”
Everything was so fascinating and great, he was talking with beings from
another world, he must do something about this, “Why are you here?”
“Didn't I just say it?” Bill spoke, “It's because we like to travel. The Earth
– Is interesting in many ways.”
“Really? I didn't know that.”
“Pine Tree, you don't know many things, it's not your fault.” It'severyone
else'sfault, he thought furiously, but quickly had to calm down before the
golden disappeared and went red. Nobody wanted a scene like the other night.
So this is like a vacation for them, “Another question, is it possible for us,
humans, to travel between dimensions?” A silence invaded the place and the
monsters saw him as if he were well, strange, but the silence didn't last long
as they burst into laughter. Dipper's cheeks flushed heavily, “Did I asked
something funny?”
“Brat,” The creature called Pacifier spoke, “The whole question is funny.”
“Not offending, little kid,” Pyronica approached him but not daring to touch
him, “I don't think the humans are able to understand what we do.”
It's official, he can never understand these creatures and perhaps he made a
complete laughingstock for them.
“Don't worry, Pine Tree,” Bill approached him, “In the future, things can
change.” They can be as before.
Dipper nodded and returned his gaze to the Journal hidden in his vest, he must
log this event? Maybe he must ask permission of these creatures, “Uh – Since
how long do you do this?”
Unlike the first silence that had surrounded them, a second wave of silence
came, though Dipper could feel that something was off here, they don't mocked
but smiled, and yet they looked very serious about this question.
“Why do you want to know that?” Eight Ball asked.
If Dipper was a coward he had fled because the tone in which the green creature
had spoken sent to him chills. “I – ” Dipper pulled the Journal out from his
vest, showing the red cover and the number three he had written, “I found this
Journal a few days ago and contains information on phenomena that not everyone
can understand, everything that is unknown to us.” Knowing that he had
completely the attention of all he kept talking, “At first I thought all this
was imaginary but before yesterday my sister and I fight against gnomes – ”
The Henchmaniacs had to look to their boss, they breathed a sigh of relief to
see him calmly, they had to return to their composure, it was fortunate that
this child wouldn't have noticed.
“ – Then I understood that this was all real. Three Journals, except that none
of them talks about portals, travel to other worlds, or have registered
creatures like you.”
“That explains why you were in this forest. We had never before seen a child
wandering alone in this forest.” Pacifier spoke, looking out of the corner of
his eye to Bill.
“It might be interesting everything this forest hides.” Dipper said as he
watched the Journal.
If only the Pine Tree knew, Bill thought, but he couldn't risk anything, yet,
however he wouldn't waste an opportunity. “Pine Tree, I am a being of pure
energy without weaknesses, I have infinite knowledge. How about if instead of
writing about us, I'll help you to finish that Journal.”
Now that triangle no longer looked as annoying as before, “Do you want help
me?”
“I think it will be fun to see how you interact with all our friends in this
forest.” Bill floated back to him, dropping his arm around his shoulder and
bringing his eye toward Dipper's face, “Also you don't get hurt if we are to
you side. Just promise you won't tell anyone.”
He could study and observe the creatures of the forest. He could walk in the
woods without getting hurt or afraid of being hurt or eaten. He just had to
keep this secret. “Can I trust that everything will be fine?”
“Pine Tree, you can trust us, we are friends now.” Bill's eye showed the
expressions of the triangle, it was obvious that he was excited about this.
After all this guy named Pacifier had said that not many humans came to the
forest, at least the deepest.
Those monsters want to be his friends... He never had friends who seem
interested in the same as him. All the children in his former school in
California thought he was a freak or weird because he liked the supernatural or
books than play sports. He hadn't even speak to one of his classmates from
their current school here in Gravity Falls. Candy and Grenda were Mabel's'
friends and though he had his sister, he knew his twin supported him but she
wasn't totally interested unless it was some pretty creature.
But Bill Cipher and The Henchmaniacs wanted to be his friends and he just had
to trust them. A warm feeling settled in his chest. “All right.” Dipper finally
said.
The Henchmaniacs smiled at the answer, after all this is how things should be.
“It's a deal, Pine Tree.”
Dipper stepped back when the blue fire reappeared surrounding Bill's hand. The
human boy was slightly hesitant about this, but at least now knew it was Bill
who had caused the blue fire when he was coming here. Dipper shook his hand,
“It's a deal.”
Dipper gave a quick glance at his wristwatch, 16:00 were present in the golden
numbers, he still had two hours still to go in the forest before meeting with
his sister to go home.
“So Pine Tree – ” Bill spoke capturing Pine Tree's attention and making him
forget his old thinking, “What do you want to see?”
Oh where to start... Dipper opened the Journal and approached Bill, “I wonder
if this duck with face in his stomach is now here, here it says they migrate
south when they feel cold and wanted to check it now that it's still warm by
Oregon – ”
The triangular demon had his gaze focused on Pine Tree. After nearly a thousand
years and he finally had his child at his side – No, not yet. His Pine Tree
still remained bound to his family. Agh! If this were like in the old days,
there would be no impediment to take him right now, but it was because of these
stupid sacks of meat. All this disaster was what changed the lives of many. And
not just his.
Bill Cipher closed his eye and letting out a heavy sigh. There was still time.
It wasn't too late. All he had to do was have his child at his side. He just
had to fix some things and everything will be perfect.
“Boss,” Keyhole approached him, whispering for fear that the child could hear
him, “We have to – “
Bill opened and narrowed his eye. Keyhole and Hectorgon looked at him
impatiently. “Fine. Just don't make a mess around here.” Bill waved his hand
indicating the two Henchmaniacs they could withdraw and he return his gaze to
Pine Tree. The boy looked adorable when he was excited about something, that
was the expression he always wanted to see in him.
And nobody was going to take Pine Tree away from him.
Nobody.
                                      ☽✠☾
He awoke with a start and about to fall out of his bed. His throat ached and
was dry, he hoped not have screamed, the least he wanted was to worry his
family. Sweat ran through his face and sliding on his neck to follow its way to
his body. Even if the weather was fresh and warm he couldn't help but feel
chills. His whole body was shaking.
He looked at the other side of the bed. It was empty. He glanced down kind of
sad but it was better that way. He didn't want to scare him with another panic
attack. No, he didn't want he saw him this way.
Carefully he rose from the bed, taking his robe and covering his body which was
only in his underwear. Walking to the table on it was his medicine and a glass
of water. Directing his gaze to the clock on the wall marking 17:30 and the
sunset at the window could be seen.
Why if the day looked so beautiful, he just couldn't enjoy this day with his
family?
Why he had to feel this sinking in his stomach telling him that something
horrible was coming?
Why he still felt that fear after so many years?
That fear never go and he had the feeling that something is going to happen.
Something really horrible.
Fiddleford could feel it.
Chapter End Notes
     I know it's been so long, and I'm very sorry for the delay *someone
     is shouting 'one year!'* some things happened with me and this fanfic
     and the next chapters that I didn't know how to deal with, so that's
     why I focused my attention on other fanfics.
     When this fanfic starts I see the idea as a one-shot, then it was
     transformed into three chapters, then into ten, and finally there are
     31 chapters that this story will have... I don't want to ruin more
     the plot OTL I lost contact with my beta... Though, I'm still working
     on it. So I understand if you saw some grammatical errors in the
     story.
     Besides you are asking yourself, why you updated more stories? It's
     my birthday, and I thought of this as a way to celebrate it. Also
     that next week I returned to start a new semester in college so I
     take advantage of my summer in writing several chapters for my
     stories that are still missing to update, including this one.
     Now that everyone has heard me and read the new chapter, what do you
     think? Do you want to continue reading the story? Do you still find
     it exciting? What Bill is up to is good or bad? Will Dipper see the
     signals in time? What does McGucket have to do with all this? Will
     the mystery be solved?
     Let me know what you think, leave a comment or a kudo, or bookmark
     this story. See you soon!
     p.s: Blodau it's a kind of fairy i just invented based on the fairy
     who came out in the 'Spiderwick' movie. Blodau it is a welsh word
     meaning flower.
     You can always contact me on Tumblr: Here
     Also some of my future stories: Here
***** Chapter 8 *****
Chapter Summary
     Dipper and Mabel spend a weekend with their father.
Chapter Notes
     Floods, hurricanes, forest fires, storms, earthquakes... It's the end
     of the world as we know it.
     I had the worst fright of my life almost a week ago. In Chiapas,
     Mexico, an earthquake occurred that terrified most of the country. I
     couldn't sleep that night, the lights went out, hubeiron lights in
     the sky, the internet and wifi were cut off from service, my sisters
     and I were in shook. Honestly, in all my life I have felt light
     tremors but never an earthquake.
     Fortunately, at least here, wasn't a major damage, but that day no
     one wanted to sleep and even here everyone is still a little nervous,
     especially where the epicenter was, as news comes that there are
     still slight tremors, in fact today in the afternoon I felt one where
     I live.
     Luckily in a few hours I will go to school to distract myself because
     classes have been suspended since Friday. So for the moment I was
     editing and writing more chapters to distract me and to get tired and
     finally to sleep. I regret that you have to listen to such news, but
     I hope this good news makes you happy: Possibly I will come back to
     update this story every month.
     I hope you like this new chapter.
     Update: Sep/13/2017
See the end of the chapter for more notes
      Come home to me, I won’t be grateful but I will not leave your side
              And I’ll be the anger you have always known it’s me
             So now you’ve won, just let the water fill your lungs
             I’ll watch and pray cos everybody has to die someday
                          ~ Anchor by Birdeatsbaby ~
Dipper and Mabel were excited. They couldn't wait for the school bell rings to
get home as quickly. Why? Their father came to visit them for the weekend. Last
week when Grunkle Ford picked up the phone and asked the twins to come down.
Mabel was knitting the tenth sweater while Dipper was writing the first pages
of the first Journal to new ones, after all the wonderful things he saw in the
forest was an opportunity that he must seize.
Jonathan had said his teamwork would go to Portland for a business meeting and
that he could spend the Friday and Saturday with them. That was great news,
after so long not to see their father. Then Jonathan asked to speak to Rachel,
it was Sunday afternoon so she was free of her work. Although the twins had
wanted to know was what their parents spoke, Stan called them from the living
room to watch TV. Dipper however excused himself, saying he had homework to do.
Obviously it was a lie, he always did his homework on time, even when missing
days for delivery it.
He retired to his room, walking near where his mother was on the phone, trying
to go unnoticed. Rachel had her eyes closed while massaged her temple, his
mother did that when she was in a bad mood, she was easy to read. Dipper
wondered if he had to do something but he didn't know what.
The twins had made plans to go with their father on Friday to go eat at
Greasy's and then go see a movie at the cinema and on Saturday they would go
fishing, as he had promised. Dipper hoped to have a time and then go to visit
Bill and The Henchmaniacs, as they liked to be called. Though he had the whole
Sunday to go to the forest and continue learning the creatures that lived in
the place. This time he wanted to find the creatures called Manotaurs.
Dipper saw his wristwatch, it was only seven minutes to get out of school. At
Mabel's request Dipper had decided to join the marching band, he wasn't the
only with a saxophone, one of them was a girl of the same grade and other two
were in second grade. Meanwhile Mabel had decided to join the arts club, Candy
was in the chemistry club and Grenda had joined the soccer club.
The bell finally rang and the students breathed a sigh of relief. The weekend
waiting for them.
Dipper settled his saxophone and walked toward the exit of the school where he
would wait for his sister, his club practiced outside the school. He easily
recognized Mabel's laughter, she was accompanied by Candy and Grenda, though a
older boy was talking to her. Apparently this guy was also in the arts club,
the sleeves of his shirt had different shades of paint.
Mabel was very easy to socialize, not only Candy and Grenda were her friends,
apparently everyone in the classroom enjoyed talking to her. Meanwhile he
preferred to make notes to do when the weekend come and had to go to the
forest. He just couldn't hold a conversation with any of them but when it comes
to homework or school matters.
Mabel approached him after the boy had said goodbye to her. “Ready to go home?”
Dipper nodded and they parted from Candy and Grenda to go to the Shack. “Who
was that guy?” Dipper asked when they were just him and his sister. If he asked
at home both ran the risk of Stan and Ford will hear them. They won't admit it
but they were kind of jealous.
“His name's Anthony, he's a junior year, and is on the Student Council and even
though he's not a vampire and I've made sure that he's not a gnome – ” Dipper
chuckled, “He's almost the boy of my dreams.”
“Almost?” Dipper raised an eyebrow.
“He loves bacon! I can't love a guy who could hurt Waddles in any time.”
Sure. Mabel wouldn't fall for someone who hurt her loved ones. Typical of
Mabel, maybe she was a bit Crazy Boy, but she knew what is the most important
thing in her life.
“Do you think I have time to go to the forest tomorrow after seeing Dad?”
“Hmmm, I don't think so, we'll go fishing and that takes hours. Maybe when we
get back will be almost dark.”
Okay, then Sunday. He would apologize to Bill for not having gone to the woods.
Maybe if he gave him something, the golden triangle wouldn't be upset with him.
As he had promised he hadn't said anything about what happened in the woods.
When his alarm went off at exactly six and Dipper withdrew to meet his sister,
Mabel asked how was his first day of hunting monsters. “Everything was great.”
And albeit it was partly a white lie was also truth, he had fun being with
them. Even if these strange creatures were rather crazy, they were also very
smart... And they wanted to be his friends. That was something – Amazing. He
never would have imagined having friends who were like them.
“We arrived!” Mabel shouted at the entrance to the Shack.
Stan and Soos were in the gift shop. Their Grunkle was creating a strange
figure made of corncobs, it appeared to be a unicorn. Soos was placing a new
purple mosaics windows.
“I don't see Waddles anywhere. I want Dad to know him.” Mabel left her backpack
at the entrance of the house, ducking to find Waddles under the counter.
“He's sleeping in the yard.” Stan said.
“What?! You let Waddles out? Grunkle Stan, there are predators lurking in the
woods!”
“Hey, it's an animal, their place is to be out of the house when you ain't.”
Dipper rolled his eyes. It would be better to go for Waddles, Mabel was more
concerned with Stan discussing the disadvantages of leaving a tender, tasty pet
as Waddles outside the Shack. Out of the kitchen Waddles had a rope around his
neck, tied to the totem, he was sleeping and only when he heard the kitchen
door be opened was that he half-opened his small, lovely eyes. Fine, Waddles
wasn't so far from the Shack and the rope was long, so if in danger Waddles
could run into the kitchen. Dipper should telling that to Mabel before
continuing to fight.
Amorphous Shape, one of Bill's friends, had told him that most of the forest
animals, and the creatures, didn't approach the town in the daytime, they
prefer night to hunt their prey so Waddles was safe anyway.
“Come in, Waddles. Mabel wants to get you ready to meet our father.” The
younger twin untied the rope from his neck and Waddles ran free around. It was
better if Mabel was now preparing her little pet, Dipper had suffered firsthand
what being Mabel's test dummy. Before entering Dipper turned to see the forest.
“On Sunday.” He told himself. If only there was a way to tell his new friends
that he didn't turn up tomorrow.
Waddles and Dipper went inside the house and closed the door behind him.
Dipper never saw the two shadows lurking from the tops of the big trees.
                                      ☽✠☾
Dipper was only kind of nervous about what he would talk to his father. Mabel
was always who took the head of the talks on the phone but he had no idea what
to say.
Hi Dad, how long. The school is interesting, I joined the school band club, I
have no friends but I talk to some classmates, does that count? The forest is
much more amazing though, I discovered three mysterious Journals that revealed
a world far beyond our comprehension, magical creatures are real, and my new
friends are creatures of a different world from ours, but stop talking about
me, how is your work?
Nope. He couldn't say that, and even just thinking driving him crazy.
“Dude, cool off a bit. You'll see your father not to the electric chair.” Wendy
spoke drawing Dipper's attention.
The redhead had arrived moments earlier. Even when the school had begun, and as
he had heard that the juniors had homework for the whole day, the redhead
escaped from her homework to move to Shack. According to Wendy, the Shack was
much more fun than being in her own home or with her friends now that the twins
were living here.
“I already know it. I just – I can't think what should I say. I'm pretty sure
Mabel won't be silent.”
Wendy watched with amusement to her young friend, “Then talk to him about us.”
 Dipper gulped, “   Us   ?”
“Yes, for example, that both share a birthmark, you won a mutant plush for me
by hitting my eye, the magic show – You have much to talk about. Mabel can't
carry everything alone.”
“It's just that I'm afraid to mess up.”
Wendy clucked, “You won't mess up. You three go to eat and see a movie, right?
It's likely that today you don't talk much with you father, when you go fishing
tomorrow will be a long hours so you'll have something to discuss.” The redhead
phone began to vibrate, “Robbie,” Wendy saw the name and photo appear on the
screen, “I must answer, think about what we talked at what I return.” The
freckled girl walked away from her job.
“What am I feeling here?” Mabel appeared behind him.
Dipper was startled that he almost fell from his chair at the sudden appearance
of his sister. “Mabel don't do that, nearly you give me a heart attack.”
“Don't even dream it, Bro-Bro, today and tomorrow you are forbidden to die.”
Mabel cleared her throat, “Now let me introduce you to the amazing Waddles
Pines!” The pig was bathed, brushed, and Mabel had been responsible for place a
bow tie around his neck. “Dad will adore you, Waddles.”
Wendy came back looked kind annoyed. “Wow day. Robbie canceled me.”
“Is that a bad thing?” Dipper asked trying to keep his relief hidden.
“Partly. Nate and Lee will go with their girlfriends to skate so I, Thompson,
and Tambers will be the only without skating partner.”
“What made Robbie desist?” Mabel asked, “I know he doesn't have a great and fun
spirit – ”
“Well, his family take care – You know, those things that make at funerals.”
The twins winced. “Yes, exactly that.”
But what kind of parents are Robbie's? “You might want to go with us.”
“Nope I'll be fine, however talk to your father wonders of me, do you think?”
Wendy winked. If she wasn't the girl that he had a strong crush, he would have
wished that Wendy was his family, although in the future... All is possible
now, isn't it? “Tambry and me will enjoy our company with Thompson.”
The gift shop bell rang and the three turned their heads to see the customer
who had entered. But it wasn't a customer. Height of perhaps one meter seventy-
five centimeters, black jeans, a blue flannel shirt, brown shoes, black hair
combed back, and freshly shaven face, Jonathan had made an appearance.
“Dad!” The twins jumped from their seats and ran to hug their father.
The man embraced his children, he had missed them terribly. “I see you as
different from the last time.”
“By the way I want present you to you my true soul mate.” Mabel ran to take her
little pig in her arms, “His name is Waddles.”
Dipper noticed that his father also loved Waddles. Well, who didn't adore what
is Mabel's? She had only nice things. Privileges of being an adorable girl.
Jonathan ruffled his eldest daughter's hair, he had never allowed to have pets
in Piedmont, however Jonathan believed that Mabel could have a puppy or a
kitten. “What about you Dipper? How have you been?”
“Great. I joined the school band.” Dipper nervous replied.
Jonathan saw Wendy and came to greet her, “Jonathan Wires.” He extended his
hand.
“Wendy Corduroy.” The redhead greeted, “If you need to talk to someone of the
Pines – ”
“No, that's fine, anyway I had already warned I would come to pick up Dipper
and Mabel.” Jonathan returned to see his children, “Ready to go?”
Both twins nodded and saying goodbye to Wendy, they and their father left the
Shack.
Wendy was alone in the gift shop. She had to wait for Soos to leave someone
with the cash register. Mr. Pines could have a heart attack if the cash
register is left alone. She heard a car move away from the Shack. Dipper and
Mabel were happy to return to see their father. In a way she missed the
evenings where she used to go with her parents and brothers to train or eat.
Not a bad idea to propose to her family go to breakfast at Greasy's. Long ago
they didn't do something like that. Since – Her mobile vibrated again. A text
message from Robbie.
‘I just discovered that the hip bone is the strongest, is the only thing
intact.’
Wendy grimaced in disgust. Only he could say something like that. Thank God he
hadn't sent a picture. “Waddles,” Wendy spoke addressing the pig, “You have to
cover me this time.” Wendy took the pig the front desk behind the cash
register, “No big difference.”
                                      ☽✠☾
“And our birthday was the greatest party the people have seen in all year.”
“It must have been fun.”
“It was. There I met my best friends, are called Candy and Grenda. They are
awesome and we are known as The Heartbreakers.”
“It would have been great if you had come to our birthday.” Dipper spoke, his
father just smiled slightly.
"The work, my son." Jonathan stopped the car in front of Greasy's, this would
be their first stop before going to the cinema.
The three got out of the car and walked toward Greasy's. They chose the table
in front of the window, there his father could watch his car, it's not like
Gravity Falls had thieves, but lately the police officers complained that the
hydraulic were destroyed. Grunkle Stand and Grunkle Ford discussed about it.
“This place remains as before.” Jonathan commented as he sat, “Even the stains
on the wall remain in their same places.”
“You came here with Mom?” Dipper wasn't sure if bring his mother to the
conversation was a good idea.
Jonathan however didn't seem upset or uncomfortable, “Of course. The first time
I came with her to Gravity Falls this place was our first date.” Lazy Susan
handed the menus. The three just asked for something light to eat. The cinema
food would be responsible to satisfy their hunger. “I even remember at the
corner table Stan and Ford were spying on us.” Jonathan and the twins started
laughing, the twins missed those moments that previously shared with their
father. “I forget to ask, how have been the Pines?”
Lazy Susan came with a tray of three glasses, two of lemonade and the other was
orange juice, placing the two glasses of lemonade in front of Mabel and
Jonathan, orange juice was Dipper.
“You know Stan and Ford. They are always in their own world. Stan was withdrew
an device from his ankle, now he's free to enter the mall. Ford likes stay in
the house in the mornings and evenings, I think he prefers to spend more time
with his friend.” Mabel explained the current situation they lived with their
Grunkles since almost a month.
“They haven't changed a bit.”
“But Mom has changed, now she smiles more, and she is more beautiful, and even
– ” Mabel stopped at what she was going to say, ‘her depression –’, but she
even knew when it was convenient to talk, “She is thinking of dye her hair.”
“Rachel has always been beautiful with or without makeup.” Jonathan sipped his
lemonade.
 If she's so beautiful, then why you look for someone else?    Dipper bit his
tongue before he could say a word. He understood that a marriage or
relationship was   n'   t only physical attractiveness, was an emotional thing
where both people are respected and understood each other, accepting all of
them – Oh hell no, he should going to study away when Stan and Mabel saw their
soap operas, all those corny begin to stick to him.
The tray of food arrived and the three stopped talking to start eating. Once
they finished eating and Jonathan went to the cashier to pay for food, Dipper
and Mabel out of Greasy's and headed to their father's car. The next stop was
the cinema and then home. Jonathan left the establishment, entering the car
with his children. What kind of movies do teenagers see today? He used to take
them to see animated films but when all this mess with his ex-wife began he had
lost contact with the twins to the point where he was afraid to do something
wrong.
“And what movie we'll see?” Mabel asked excitedly.
Jonathan shrugged, “I was waiting for you to tell me. You are teenagers, you
two mostly have something new in your lives.”
 If you knew   , Dipper thought to himself.
“Oh!” Mabel shouted excitedly, “I already know what movie to see, ‘Pony Heist
3-D, Loaded of Gunpowder and Brilliantine!’.”
Jonathan looked at his son, Dipper nodded. Mabel and Rachel were always in
charge of choosing the films, that was something that would never change. Many
things seemed not change from his perspective.
                                      ☽✠☾
Wendy sipped her third vanilla milkshake. This was boring. Tambry kept seeing
her phone. Thompson was away from them and – Which was a shock – Talking to a
girl without stammering or being nervous, the girl also laughed! Have known
that this would be her torture she had stayed at the Shack or have gone
straight home and prevent her father break things with his huge hands.
 Her milkshake was over and Wendy rolled her eyes, if she bought another
milkshake her money would end and then she wanted to go to the bathroom.
“Tambers, do you have money?” Faced with the awful name the Gothic girl looked
up.    Well   , Wendy thought,    this was the only way to get her away for a
moment of technology.
“No. Nate and Thompson still owing me the fifteen dollars I lend them for those
rubber duckies.” Ah, rubber duckies, that was a great joke for chemistry
teacher. Tambry returned to see her cell phone. “If you're bored we can go to
my house.” She proposed.
“Nah. Even if I want to leave now, my family must be making a mess that I have
to clean morning before going to school.” Tambry nodded and continued texting.
Wendy sighed tiredly and got up from his seat, “Look after my jacket, Tambers.”
The redhead laughed at the groan of her friend, at least she had some fun.
Since Robbie's last message, her boyfriend hadn't returned to communicate.
Wendy hoped that at least he will send a message. Without wanting to think
about that bitter drink Wendy approached the station asking for milkshakes, she
waited three minutes, and then she paid for her drink.
The white light of the skating rink was slowly changed by colored lights and a
mirror ball fell in the middle of the rink. Romantic. A fall resounded near
her. Wendy turned to see the girl was talking with Thompson had fallen to the
floor. The girl had her hand against her forehead. Thompson helped her up.
“What happened?” Wendy asked, approaching Thompson and helping him to lay the
girl in a chair near the milkshakes.
“I hadn't noticed where I walked when the lights went out.” The girl explained
a bit awkward.
 Apparently the romantic side has a dangerous side   , Wendy laughed at her own
thinking. “Lucky for you that ice will ease the blow.” Wendy shook her glass of
milkshake, “Let's see how bad it looks.”
Lizzie, who was her name, had a small green stain starting to form, she hadn't
been hit as hard as Wendy in the day of the carnival. Wendy handed her
milkshake glass and placed it on the bruise.
“Leave it for a few minutes to decreased the inflammation.”
“Wendy is a genius to cure people.” Thompson intervened, “I remember in
elementary school I scrape my knee, she put potato peels on my wound the next
morning there was nothing.”
“Thompson these is basic knowledge, you do it look like magic.”
Thompson's cheeks heated. “Thank you, Wendy.” Lizzie spoke and she got up from
her seat and walked away with Thompson.
Wendy gave up, no milkshake, no boyfriend, and no conversation with Tambry,
maybe it was time to go home. “I'm leaving, Tambry.” Wendy said, taking her
jacket.
“I'll tell the boys.” Tambry spoke without raising her view of the phone.
Wendy began walking toward the exit. Maybe she would arrive in time before her
brothers make food competitions, that was more hard to clean. The redhead
looked at Lizzie and Thompson, and her milk shake, they shared the drink, heh,
Tambry was now the only single.
 She narrowed her eyes.    Curious   , Wendy thought, Lizzie's forehead had no
bruise.
                                      ☽✠☾
The film was fantastic. Sadly it was time to go home.
“It was spectacular. All the glitter falling directly toward us.”
“Now that I'm thinking I think they missed an explosion. The wedding was the
perfect place and time.” Dipper commented on the last scene.
“No, Dipper, weddings are explosive by themselves. In my wedding I ask you that
the glow falls on me and my perfect groom.” Who could argue with Mabel's logic?
The Shack could already be seen from the road. Dipper noticed that inside his
mother's room lights was on.
“Do you want to come in?” Mabel asked, when the twins got out of the car.
“I don't think so Mabes.” Jonathan answered from his driver's side, he hadn't
come down the car.
“Then we see you tomorrow.” Dipper spoke, “We can go to the lake and wait
there.”
“Are you sure?” Jonathan wasn't so convinced, “I wouldn't bother coming for
you.”
 Mabel moved her hand, “We know this place like the back of our hands, this is
our    town now,    our rules!   ”
Jonathan shook his head at Mabel's enthusiasm, “All right. I see you tomorrow
at 11:30.” And with that the car started to turn around and walk away.
 Stanford was the first to greet them, the old man had finished his dinner and
asked if they would dine    however    they were satisfied with the food in the
cinema and Greasy's. Stan was watching TV and only asked that handed    him
the ice cream, they were tired so they retired to their rooms. Going up to the
second floor of the house and into their mother's room, Rachel wish them good
night but not before asking if they had fun and if Jonathan had    asked
something. The twins were confused, Jonathan had only asked concerning them,
Rachel asked to ignore the latter.
 So he has   n'   t yet told them about her   , Rachel thought to herself. Then
it might be morning and she couldn't stand the wait, Mabel and Dipper were
everything to her.
Mabel turned on the lights in the room, waking Waddles who was already lying on
Mabel's bed and jumped to the floor when he saw both twins go to their
respective closets. The female twin chose her favorite pajamas. Dipper needed
only remove his vest and cap and he was ready to sleep. Withdrawing his pillow
Dipper extracted the third Journal. Some night reading not bother anyone if he
kept silent. Something he wasn't, Mabel had assured.
“You should rest.” Mabel proposed. “I'm tired of all this.” Mabel put a blanket
on Waddles and then she turned off the lights when Dipper pulled a small lamp.
“There is a page about the lake, I'm pretty sure that will help us tomorrow.”
Dipper opened the book, flipping through each page until he found the
information he needed. He had to organize this book in a better way.
Mabel went to bed, “Just try to sleep as soon as you finish reading. I don't
want tomorrow you have dark circles and then start eating your shirt.”
Dipper narrowed his eyes, “That will not happen again.”
Mabel turned to sleep hugging her loving Waddles.
 The only sound in the night at the Shack was the sound of the pages turning.
Dipper finally found the page containing information that could serve tomorrow.
Well maybe tomorrow he would have    slight    dark circles under the eyes.
                                      ☽✠☾
“What was I told you last night?” Mabel brushed her teeth, removing the remains
of breakfast.
“Don't stay awake late at night.” Dipper answered without much spirit, washing
his face.
“And what did you do?” Mabel narrowed her eyes while a sly smile show in her
face.
 Dipper looks at the other side of the bathroom, “   Stay awake late at night.
”
 Well, he didn't have    slight    dark circles under his eyes, knowing there
was at least    two    magnificent creatures lurking in the lake was enough to
looking at the other Journals if they are the only in the world. The closest
was in Scotland. Besides he must make sure that nothing dangerous was to happen
but wouldn't have been news about strange incidents?
Cleaned up completely, Dipper and Mabel said goodbye to their family. Stan,
Soos and Wendy would be responsible for today's Shack. They had promised to
Stan get the fattest fish for dinner.
It was early and there were several people putting their boat in the lake.
Parents and children. Grandparents and grandchildren. Couples on a date. They
were ready to spend a great family time. That led them to remember when they
went fishing with Stan and Ford in California. They ended up fighting with a
grandfather and his grandchildren after Stan and Mabel steal the bait and at
least five fish. Luckily they had Ford to appeal their side, that only gave
them seven hours behind bars, Dipper came up with a plan to escape.
 Among so many people Dipper and Mabel had failed to visualize their father. It
would be best to go buy the bait, they didn't want to end up behind bars,
again   .
 The small shop was next to the lake. Having only one window and a door with a
sign saying    Authorized Personnel   . Dipper and Mabel went up the two steps
that were on the porch of the store, there was a small bell in the window and a
cash register, with no one in sight. Mabel rang the bell but no one came.
Grunkle Stan would have a heart attack if he saw this place   , thought Dipper.
Steps resounded inside the store, approaching. The sound of a chair being
dragged to the place. An elderly man was behind the counter, a scarecrow-like
hat, some white hair on both sides of his head, a green shirt, brown coveralls,
and a long white beard, Dipper was sure Mabel would love braiding. "Good
morning little buddies." The old man's voice, though humorous and funny, was
friendly and helpful. Dipper and Mabel quickly felt confident with that old
man.
"Hi," Mabel spoke, "We need bait. What are the prices?"
"The bait bucket costs $4 and comes with a gift." The old man pulled a fish-
shaped hook that was within his beard.
Mabel's eyes began to shine and Dipper knew she was determined to have this
curious trinket. "Then it's a full bucket!" Mabel shouted excitedly. The old
man nodded and turned around jumping from the chair, which was pivotal to
prepare the bait bucket. "Maybe if we asked for an extra bucket, he give us one
second hook."
"Uh, I don't think it's appropriate." Dipper said, it was possible to buy a
second bucket but even he needed to save for future things, especially his new
project with the Journals.
"Then we will ask dad once we see him." Mabel began to sway on her feet.
The old man returned with a bucket full of worms, most still squirming. "And as
a reward for their wait – " The fish-shaped hook was delivered to Mabel,
"Tada!"
"Awesome!" Mabel waved the curious hook, the fish's eyes were moving. "Funny."
Dipper gave the money and the old man took it and put it in the cash register,
"Thank you for your purchase, come back soon."
Dipper and Mabel got back to start looking for his father, "Thank you very much
to you – Uh – " Mabel stopped "Sorry, I don't ask your name, Mister?"
"Fiddelford H. McGucket." The old man shouted in the distance, waving his hand
and returned in the store.
Dipper stopped walking, McGucket? Like Ford's friend? He – He wasn't precisely
what he thought about his great-uncle's friend. "Is he the McGucket?"
"I'm as surprised as you," Mabel returned her gaze to the store, pressing her
lips, "Though at the same time I'm not."
Dipper raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"
Mabel opened her lips to speak but was interrupted by the beep, it was the car
of his father. Jonathan got out and walked to the twins, "I see you already
bought the bait, then apparently we had distributed the work without knowing
it." Jonathan pointed toward the lake, "I just rent a boat and thought about
buying the bait."
"You may need to buy a second bucket," Mabel showed the bait fish, "This gave
me a gift."
The three walked toward the pier, Mabel came into the boat with bait bucket
swinging on her arm, Dipper was next and finally was Jonathan, igniting the
engine of the boat and into the lake for a family day.
                                      ☽✠☾
There were many reasons why she chose to be a doctor since she was just a young
girl. The white color was her favorite. The satisfaction of saving lives.
Etcetera. But if she could choose was the silence that gave her work. The
silence that helped her to think and concentrate with one motive in mind.
When she was young and lived in New Jersey, her home was always flooded with
music by her father, then she went to Oregon in the summer and the Shack was
always full of tourists and exaggerated tours Stan always said. The only peace
she had was at night where only the sounds of cars, either in New Jersey, or
the chirping of crickets, as in Oregon, where were spent reading medical books
Stanford gave her on her birthday.
Then she finally managed to get into college, unfortunately her father wasn't
with her at that time but Stan and Ford were always aware of whatever she
needed. When she met Jonathan, he was a young dreamer and excited that she
quickly felt connected to him, without realizing the two had begun to develop
feelings beyond their main friendship. Then, when both ended their college
career was that they decided to marry.
Stan was the one who walked with her as her father, even though both had played
a role as a father in her life, was Stan who was always aware of her. Then it
was their honeymoon, and once settled in Piedmont they began to exercise their
professions, it wasn't until after two and a half years of marriage Rachel had
begun to show signs of being pregnant.
 Surprise!    (Or maybe not) She would give birth to twins.
Mabel was the first to be born. She had never heard such a cry, not even when
she had witnessed other births. Jonathan had kissed her forehead saying how
precious her baby was. Then came the second contraction and Dipper, her last
child, come into the world.
There was something wrong when the doctor asked to do a Cesarean birth.
Cesarean birth? Why? When they went to see the ultrasound everything seemed
fine, the doctor even had said how healthy they looked to the naked eye. Dipper
had the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. She was sedated most of the
time, though, she felt her belly be cut to save the younger twin. The danger
passed quickly but Dipper was taken to an incubator.
Mabel was with her, but Dipper was reunited with his family after five days.
Since that day she promised not going to let anything or anyone hurt their
children.
Dipper and Mabel soon had grown up enough and she felt nostalgic about when
they were babies. She decided to have another pregnancy.
 She wished she had never thought of it. Because w   hen her sheets stained red
at that moment she knew there was something wrong with her.    She was broken.
Rachel jumped as she felt a hand touch her shoulder. “Oops, sorry.” Was Kimmy,
“I saw you so lost in your mind”
Rachel waved her hand dismissively, “No, it's fine. I tend space out.”
Kim nodded, “How are your kids? My niece is friends with them, I already told
you so?”
“Mabel said something about having the best friends.” Rachel replied with a
smile.
Kim bit her lower lip, “Maybe I'm getting into something that I don't mind if
you don't want to talk about this – ” Rachel felt curious to requested by her
boss and friend, “Candy told me that the twins' father had come to visit them
and see you so worried – ”
Rachel understood, “No, not at all, it's not annoying. I think I would rather
talk to someone else other than my family. You know, an outside opinion.”
“Well, then, how long you don't see Jonathan?” Kim asked, trying not to press
her.
“Since we said goodbye at the bus station... It's been almost a month.” From
the uncertain tone of her voice she wondered if it hadn't been a question.
“And the twins? Have they been in contact with their father?”
“Jonathan talks to them every weekend. He now lives in New York.” Rachel spoke
in a bad mood the last sentence, which Kim noted.
“I see that's what bothers you.”
“Yes.” Rachel didn't bother to hide it. She was making a great effort because
her bad mood didn't go out afloat, at least not when she was surrounded by
people.
“It is because his work was a cause of your divorce?” Kim tried to sound as
nice as possible.
Rachel sighed wearily and rubbed her temple, “Rather his excuses about work
lately sounded false and effortlessly,” Rachel looked around, they were in one
of the busiest corridors but fortunately this time there were only two of them,
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“What would you do if your ex asks for your children know their current
partner?”
Kim blinked and retired her glasses, approaching her friend, watching only two
of them are the only ones who heard the conversation, “Does Jonathan came to –
?”
“No.” Rachel interrupted, “Apparently Jonathan hasn't told them. And I think
it's likely that today he wants to talk to children about it.”
“When?”
“From Christmas to New Year's first week.”
Kim again placed her glasses, “Rachel, are you afraid that this woman steal
your children?”
“What? No! Of course not!” Rachel cried a little low, trying not altered
herself. “It's just Dipper and Mabel are everything to me, and if Jonathan
decides to start a fight – ”
“He doesn't seem to be the man to do that. Your marriage didn't end in a good
way, okay? But I know Jonathan appreciates you. He knows you're a good mother,
who would give everything for them.” Kim gave a slight pat on her back,
comforting her friend, “Nothing and nobody can take away your children,
Rachel.” Kim walked away down the hall to go to another section of the hospital
where she was needed.
Rachel saw her boss turn into the corner of the hallway. Kim is right. She is
Dipper's and Mabel's mother, she knows them better than anyone and she knows
that their children love her the same way as their father, and no one could
change that. A little quieter thanks to her small talk with Kim, Rachel
returned to her work, she still had patients who needed their help.
As she walked away from the place she never noticed the shadow in the corner of
the hall and how it vanished like smoke.
                                      ☽✠☾
“I catch one!” Mabel shouted excitedly, Jonathan approached her and they began
pulling the hook, was Mabel's first fish. And it only took them an hour to
catch it. Dipper hoped not take them another hour to the next.
So far all was well. His father was the one who had decided to talk about his
new job promotion. Sell new applications and new ideas that could arise in the
future. They had also said about start manufacturing a new computer being only
ones for schools. Dipper and Mabel remembered that their father, when everyone
lived in Piedmont, always was happy for his work. It was good to get back to
the old days, even for a short time.
“Are you still sleeping at four o'clock?” Mabel asked.
 His father had the bad habit of sleeping only a few hours when he was
determined to finish his work. Dipper apparently had inherited that bad habit.
He had also discovered that his father now lived in New York, according to him
was because of his work and promotion, but hey, are adult things he did   n'
t    yet    understand, that always said.
“Your bait doesn't catch anything yet?” Mabel asked. “You may need to increase
the number of bait.” However Mabel seemed to forget as soon as she returned to
her father's side, “Hey dad let me tell you how great and exciting is to be in
the club of arts.”
And there came, Mabel and their father were very similar, passionate about
their work. Well, he got excited just like them. But he shared with his
mother's features. Always reserved in their opinions. Being mere observers.
Speaking of observation Dipper watch over the lake in search of the legendary
Gobblewonker. A mythological creature that according to the Journal could be a
near relative of the Loch Ness monster. The Author had collected several
evidences of its existence but never a photo more than the famous photo of
Nessie. The same happens here with the Gobblewonker.
“Hey dad,” Dipper spoke taking Jonathan's and Mabel's attention, “What would
you do if you found a supernatural creature?”
Jonathan seemed to think, “There are two common reactions, run away or take a
picture, but both come with disadvantages.”
“Disadvantage?” Mabel asked curiously, as Dipper started talking about the
supernatural, the best and this becomes hunt monsters. Dipper hadn't talked
much with her about that day in the woods. All he said to her is that it was
great and that he thought he saw a fairy. She wants to see a fairy. After
unicorns, fairies are her favorite magical creature.
“If you run away, you run out of knowing what might have happened and you
mortify yourself.”The twins exclaimed an ‘Oh’, “If you decide to take a picture
it's likely to irritate the creature.”
“Then the best is draw.” Mabel said.
“True,” Jonathan stated, “But you must be very fast or you could lose it.”
 Heck, he should improve in the only skill he completely stunk, oh well, always
he had Mabel who was the artist of the family. And why not? The twins could
make sculptures and sell them to Grunkle Stan.    Well thought Dipper.   “What
if I told you that    here    is a creature of over a thousand years?” Dipper
asked.
“I would say that the town must be crazy to let us fish with something that
could hurt us.” Jonathan replied simply.
Dipper and Mabel looked at each other. Their father would have been the first
person who could tell him a secret but it was obvious that this wasn't the kind
of secrets that their father would want to know. The secret of the creatures
still is among the twins.
 Dipper decided to look into the woods, the green and brown around the lake
except for that island in the middle.    True   , Dipper recalled, he must ask
for help from Bill about that island. It was the last place that The Author
recorded, there might be a clue to their location. Besides, being a completely
normal island    outside, its true forms is a    gia– The hook started moving
restlessly.
“Dad! Dipper caught a fish!” Mabel shouted excitedly moving next to her
brother.
“Well done Dipper, now pulls the hook.” Dipper took his fishing hook, pulling
the rope but the fish refused to budge. The hook was pulled this time with more
strength Dipper by little and falls off the boat if not for Jonathan held him.
“It must be a very big fish.” Jonathan spoke.
“Oh snacks, Dipper you get the dinner of this tonight!”
 Thousands of electrical currents crossed to Dipper from his feet to the top of
the head as the hook was pulled with much more force. It was something that
told him he must release it at that moment.    This is   not   a fish   ,
Dipper muttered to himself.
The hook stopped moving for a moment. Dipper tried to catch his breath. He felt
something restless and anxious at this strange feeling. His hook again catch
something and before that will pull hard, Dipper dropped the hook.
The fishing rod fell into the lake being dragged into the depths by whatever it
has been caught.
“Sorry Dad,” Dipper apologized, “For the hook.”
Jonathan placed his hand on Dipper's shoulder, “It's just an old hook, perhaps
it would break if that fish was still pulling.” He gave a light tap, “Mabel,
you caught any fish?”
His father moved away from him to back next to Mabel, his twin showed her two
thumbs up trying to cheer him up. Dipper nodded and sat in his place, looking
in the direction his hook had been sunk, he narrowed his eyes, there was
something moving in the water, didn't look close to them, it was as if surround
the lake, trying to avoid the boats.
Carefully he approached the edge of the boat and trying to sharpen his sight he
looked under the water, just when a huge and gray silhouette swam under the
boat.
 The Gobblewonker   , Dipper    whisper   ed, looking up, his father and Mabel
obviously hadn't seen the aquatic creature. A   n    prehistoric creature –
A   nd, apparently, dangerous –    L   urked in Gravity Falls Lake, though he
wasn't one hundred percent sure    if    it was dangerous, he recalled, there
was no news about incidents. Perhaps this was just a matter of another
perspective.
The ripples in the water vanished on the other side of the island in the lake.
Dipper try to set aside that spirit of adventure that was born in him, today
was a family day and that's what he had to concentrate, he didn't know when his
father would take time off from work. There were still hours until the lake
close its access to the clients.
“Kids,” Jonathan got the attention of the twins, “I have something that I would
tell you.”
                                      ☽✠☾
The sun began to set behind the green mountains of the rustic village of
Oregon. Families or people who had come to spend an enjoyable Saturday at the
lake began to approach the shore to retreat to their homes. The boats were
pulled from the water, and people began to get into their cars. A black car was
the last to retire before the caretaker of the lake close his shop and leave to
go home.
Nothing and nobody was on the lakeshore or a boat was still in the lake, except
that silhouette that was swimming freely.
A golden glow moving among the trees of the forest that bordered on the lake.
Bill Cipher was floating across the lake, his hands were behind his back. The
triangle patiently looked toward the lake.
Suddenly the lake froze, water waves disappeared.
The silence was broken when the tranquility of the water began to emerge a
creature, as tall as pine trees, the water fell from its head, sliding from its
long neck and returning to the lake. The Gobblewonker roared. Its roar created
a strong wind that the dust spread in the air. But Bill Cipher didn't even seem
unfazed by such boldness.
“Tsk, tsk.” With his hands in front of him now, blue fire enveloped both black
tips, starting to form in a long whip like chains moving by itself tangled
around the Gobblewonker's neck.
The Gobblewonker tried to struggle but as the fire increased temperature, and
its body felt dry the creature gave up and its head fell sharply against the
forest floor.
 Bill came over to the creature, grunting sounds coming from its huge and
dangerous jaw. “Don't be angry with me, little friend. You know very well that
I    warned y'all the consequences of touching what's    mine   .”
The completely clear blue eyes focused on him, The Gobblewonker gave another
grunt.
“No, no, no. I would be unable to harm you in this way.” Bill slapped the
creature's jaw, The Gobblewonker writhed trying to break free of their chains
of blue fire, “Fight all you want, I know you cannot harm me and if you decide
to pursue me to the forest say that my friends are so fed up with the steaks
than a bit of sushi would be great for them.”
The Gobblewonker stopped squirming but still kept throwing grunts toward the
triangle.
“Now, what punishment I should use?” Bill began to float around the creature,
above its massive skull. The grunts didn't stop and The Gobblewonker opened its
jaw, proving to have a sharpened teeth, Bill quickly got an idea, a perfect
idea to kill two birds with one stone. “Oh, I already know which!”
Fear fell upon The Gobblewonker. Bill Cipher's gold become completely dark, and
that triangular shape lose its current form to become something completely
unimaginable. The Gobblewonker moved violently, not caring over blue fire
around its neck, the aquatic creature just wanted to return to the safety of
its lake.
“Do̡n̸'t ̡b҉e a̧ cryb҉a҉b͘y͜.̢ Yo̵u̕'r̛e̛ ͏no̸t g̢oi̶ng͏ to d̨ie͡ ͞a͞s͜ d̷i͜d͢
͏that s͟tupi͝d͜ g̵n͠om̛e,͜ m̴ay͘be ̧y͜o̢u ͠didn'̛t͠ ̛mean͜ t͟ơ touch̛ ͞what
is͜ m̴in̡e, bu͞t̕ ̡s͜ee҉s͢ ͝tḩi͝s ̸aş a̴ remi҉n͡der ̢– B̵e͞si̢de̢s t͜o
̸cļean ̕y͝o̧u̡r b̸lood a̷nd ͢re͟mai͜ns o̢f the l͡a҉k̢e w̶o͟u̧ld͝ ̶t̴ake ̨all
n̵igh͘t ͡a͠n҉d͝ ͠I h̴ąve͘ bet͝t̷e҉r̸ ͢th̸įn̛gs͢ ̧t̷o ̕do. Alth̨ou͟g̷h̶ I
̸must̛ ̴t͞h̢ank ̷y͘o̴ų,̕ the ͜sense̛ o̢f ̸a̶dv͢en͏t͠u̵re ͏i̧n͝ ͞Pi̢ne
͜T͟r͘e͝e͢ wil̷l͞ b͡egi̷n͝ to ͜g͡ro͡w͡ more̢ a͢nd҉ ͘m̶ore͘.” That terrible
silhouette approached The Gobblewonker, moving his arm The Gobblewonker's jaw
opened, revealing fangs.
Bill grinned, he would enjoy every second of this.
                                      ☽✠☾
They didn't have much to be back from Gravity Falls Lake. Mabel commented that
almost Dipper would bring the most gigantic and delicious dinner.
 Dipper was already in bed, reading    the Journal #2 and #3   , and
transcribing to the new Journal. No doubt that both creatures were very similar
that they could almost be family. And if so,    how    is it that the
Gobblewonker ended in America? Or if Nessie was    originally    from Scotland?
The Author had the theory that these creatures should live in places with large
amounts of water. Besides that in their travels in other countries The Author
had failed to find another similar creature, more than mere legends almost
always    shared    one thing in common.
“So this is what supposedly devoured your fishing rod?” Mabel asked, combing
her hair.
Dipper nodded, still writing on the new pages, “I should return to the lake
tomorrow, but this time I'll come on the side of the forest.” Dipper started
biting his pen, trying not to break it and the ink out and enter his mouth.
“We'll have an adventure tomorrow!” Mabel shouted excitedly, although not as
high as for her family to listen.
At this Dipper realized that he couldn't bring Mabel, was the deal he had with
Bill, he ought to talk about some terms in their deal. “Eh, Mabel – ”
“Yes bro-bro?”
“Uh… I don't think you should come with me tomorrow – ”
“What?” Mabel tilted her head, “Why?”
“Well, this could be dangerous – ”
“Oh please Dipping Sauce, I'll be fine, I think I'll be more worried about you.
Just look at you. You still have noodles arms.”
“Yes, but I think I should do it, because I am more quiet – ”
Mabel narrowed her eyes and pursed lips, “Oh, I get it, now you're not just an
explorer and monster hunter, now you're also a ninja,” Mabel got out of bed
Dipper to face her twin, Dipper feared the reaction of Mabel was – “Fine, just
promises that you'll be the best ninja monster hunter and explorer that will
make me feel very proud.” Mabel ruffled the hair of her twin, revealing his
birthmark.
 Dipper for a moment had feared that Mabel was angry at him but that    wasn't
possible, Mabel could never be angry at him. And he could never be angry at
her. “When I published my book and receive a prize you will be the first person
I will mention." Both twins laughed, "Changed the subject, we go with Dad to
New York for Christmas?”
“Of course, silly lttle kid,” Mabel jumped to her bed, Waddles tried to do the
same but the little pig just managed to stand while his head was lying on the
bed, “Dad says Mom has already accepted.” Mabel helped Waddles up to her bed,
“I'm also sure we will have fun, oh, remember me start making sweaters for
Christmas and Halloween, also for Thanksgiving – ”
Dipper rolled his eyes and left his own Journal aside, Mabel made sweaters for
every festival in the world. He gave a look at his reflection, Mabel had made a
mess with his hair, it's not as if his hair was in perfect condition. Mabel
loved to do that when they were little ones, expose his birthmark, as revenge
Dipper always mocked at her brakes.
“Good Night Dipper.”
“Night Mabel.” Dipper was covered with blankets and turned off the desk lamp.
If he wanted to go early to the forest then he must be as alert as possible. He
had many questions to ask Bill, not only with regard to the supernatural, but
for example if he could take his sister one day with him into the woods and if
he could tell him where exactly to find unicorns.
                                      ☽✠☾
The dream had finally fallen for all in the quiet town. The Mystery Shack was
in deep silence, except perhaps because the TV was on and Stan sleeping on the
couch, muttering numbers. Ford lay asleep in his room, his hand unconsciously
always moved across the bed, as if trying to catch something. Rachel slept
though occasionally she moved to find a more comfortable position.
However for the shadow sliding between the walls none of them deserved his
attention. They were just useless chess pieces he gladly would sacrifice.
Slipping to the attic the shadow entered the room from in the background
through the crack in the door. Two nearly identical beds were facing each
other, two people sleeping peacefully.
The shadow gave a quick glance to the right bed. Shooting Star and that pig
slept cuddled with each other, she dreamed of a world filled with princes,
princesses, glitter, and candy. What a pity that no one has told her that the
stories aren't cute like silly movies, and reality is cruder and immoral. Oh
well, the sooner she knows everything will be better. For him.
Bill moved to the side where Pine Tree slept so calm, without a hint of danger
stalking him, his dreams where he could see Pine Tree being recognized, and
boy, he knew the kid would be. But not here.
His eyes moved to the three Journals that lay hidden under the pillow of the
teenager and the new Journal that was now on the desktop. At the moment these
stupid books serve him to gain completely the kid's trust and then he would
have finally the boy and those stupid books wouldn't be of any use. Pine Tree
would have him and he would have his Pine Tree.
Bill smiled at the old memory of those silly humans. Oh, he had so much fun
that day.
 Dipper moved to lie on the other side, Bill formed a physical form and sat on
the edge of the bed, sharp claws went to the front of the teenager, lifting
carefully the strands of hair that hid the constellation of seven stars. Bill
shook his head, if Pine Tree    only    knew how special he is.
Bill got up and faded again becoming a shadow again and out of the triangular
window. Only he didn't go to the forest.
He had one more matter to attend to.
                                      ☽✠☾
Before returning to Portland, Jonathan drove to a stop in a café open twenty
four hours a day. Buying an espresso and three chocolate donuts, Jonathan left
the establishment and went to his car to return to Portland for the last day of
conference. Emily's tone started ringing, Jonathan turned on the video call.
“Hey, Jonsy,” A woman of twenty-nine, clear skin, black hair and blue eyes
appeared on the screen of the phone. “How were things with your children?”
Emily smiled looking forward to the answer.
“Everything was good, it was fun to be with them.” Jonathan replied without
taking his eyes off the road. He was always very careful when driving more when
it was night and if their children were in the car.
“What did they say?” Emily asked curiously.
“Well both agree to be the Christmas week in New York. Although I think Dipper
suspects I have another reason.”
“I know you're nervous because your children are back with you and they get to
know me, don't think you're the only one.”
Jonathan bit his inner cheek ,“Maybe I tell them you're my friend, I'm still
not sure how they will take if they find out I hung out with another woman
before divorce myself from their mother. I think they had that suspicion. I
never – ”
“Do you think she commented it to them?”
“No, Rachel is incapable of that. She could never start a conflict, she has
always believed in mutual peace.”
“It's just that since then would almost six months since you got divorced, I
don't think anything bad that they knew that their father has someone else.”
“Well... I th–”
Jonathan didn't finished speaking and hadn't been for the belt he may have hit
against the steering wheel and knocked unconscious in the middle of the road.
“Jonathan? Are you okay? What happened?”
“I impacted on something. Please don't be an animal,” Jonathan looked back, his
car had stopped moving but there was nothing behind. “Wait a moment, I'll check
it, don't hang up.” Jonathan took the phone and left the car.
Reviewing each side of your vehicle he had finally found that a tire had been
holed.
“It was one of my tires,” He spoke on the phone, looking with his eyes on the
road what may have collided with his car “I'll have to call a mechanic, I hope
there any for these hours.”
“It's okay, take care.”
 Call ended    was observed in the cell.
Jonathan had called one of his colleagues, to his luck he had sent a mechanic
who would help him. The mechanic, a rather old man, arrived in less than forty
minutes.
“Do you have any spare tire?”
“I never had an accident with the tires.”
“Typical problem.” The mechanic muttered, “Well, I'll give a spare tire just
let me know what had hole in the tire.” The mechanic bent down, complaining
about his age, and with a flashlight in hand he found the opening in the tire,
asking Jonathan hold his flashlight the mechanic put his hand to the tire,
touching something sharp and pulling with both hands when he realized it was so
tight grip.
Jonathan opened his eyes to what was in the hands of mechanic, his attention
was totally focused on that dagger. Or better said, in that fang.
Chapter End Notes
     Me: I like dropping hints that somebody is going to die.
     Me: Somebody is going to die.
     Each time we get closer to knowing what Bill is plotting, and if the
     last scene didn't give you a clue... Well, don't worry, everything
     goes according the keikaku.
     By the way I wanted to tell you that I'm going to see IT this
     Saturday with my sister, I'm excited because IT has been one of my
     favorite Stephen King's books and she liked this new Pennywise.
     I am also doing a playlist for this story, once I have it finished I
     will tell you where to find it :D I feel some of those songs will be
     a spoiler or foreshadowing :s
     As I write more chapters of this story I feel like the pages are
     diminishing... I don't know if I feel worried or relieved to not
     write so much and to overwhelm to you with so many words. What a
     conflict :v
     Anyways, thank you so much for reading this chapter, give it a kudo,
     a comment or bookmark it. It's always nice to know what you think of
     this, I deal very well with the criticism :)
     *Someone behind the scenes*: No, you don't.
     You can always contact me on Tumblr: Here
     Also some of my future stories: Here
***** Chapter 9 *****
Chapter Summary
     Bil knows more than he looks, but first he must gain the trust of a
     young constellation. And he knows exactly how.
Chapter Notes
     Another month, another chapter. Good luck on Friday the 13th.
     I think that after this chapter some other question could be solved.
     I don't want to give spoiler, I feel the tags already do that job.
     It's two o'clock where I live and have classes in a few hours. I feel
     that I value my life very much *wink wink* I am also excited since
     the new season of Voltron is released this very day and I can not
     wait until I return home to see it. Probably at night but I will try
     to avoid one or another spoiler on Tumblr.
     Update: Friday - 13 - Oct
See the end of the chapter for more notes
                             Some legends are told
                         Some turn to dust or to gold
                           But you will remember me
                           Remember me for centuries
                             And just one mistake
                              Is all it will take
                           We'll go down in history
                           Remember me for centuries
                         ~ Centuries by Fall Out Boy ~
The trees around him were getting bigger with every step he took, an indication
that he was close to his point of meeting with Bill. Dipper settled his
backpack, being careful not mistreat the candies with other stuff inside. He
just hoped that Bill and his friends would like candies, though he didn’t know
if the triangle had a mouth to eat, but he could transform into human so he
assumed it was fine. Most of the Henchmaniacs had mouths, even in their strange
ways. Perhaps those who had no visible mouths they fed in some other way. Did
they need to eat?
The wind blew gently and Dipper instinctively put his hand at his cap, which
only moved slightly revealing a portion of his forehead. Dipper settled it,
trying not to lift some strands of his hair and returned it to its original
position. Since the morning he had this strange feeling that at any moment his
birthmark would to show to everyone, and although it don't bother him that his
family saw it, Wendy and Soos were now an exception, he preferred anyone to see
his birthmark.
Footsteps were heard near him.
Dipper turned to meet one of the gnomes who had tried to kidnap Mabel few days
ago, he had finally managed to see one of the little men. “Hey!” Dipper yelled,
having the gnome's attention.
The gnome turned his head only to find that child that they were strictly
forbidden to touch again, that child by one of his companions died. His small
body quickly filled with rage and anger against the young man, but only to
remember Lord Cipher's threats he decided to run before he even considered
attacking him.
Dipper saw the gnome turn around and run on all fours like a wild animal, “Oh
c'mon, I just wanted to talk to you.” Dipper wanted to follow him but he could
get lost in the woods, he still didn't know the forest entirely, as well as
what creatures live here and if some were friendly, it's not as if the Journal
had complete information. He wasn't quite sure how to communicate with Bill
when he wasn't in the woods.
His vision darkened and Dipper felt a pair of gloved hands over his eyes and
cheeks.
“Peekaboo~”
Dipper started when he feel a warm whisper on his ear, breaking away from that
person Dipper turned to meet – “Bill?”
“Of course Pine Tree, by the way, what do you think?”
Dipper could confirm for his voice that he was Bill Cipher, also for the
triangular head. Bill had a human body, the suit was like when he saw him in
the magic show. The triangular head was the same shape as when Bill was as a
geometric figure with the exception that now he had a mouth and fangs. “But – ”
Dipper tried to pronounce.
“Pine Tree, I already told you so, I'm a being from another dimension, I have a
very voluble shape. You've seen my other forms, remember?”
"Oh, right!” Dipper said excitedly, “I'm sorry, I think I forget.”
“Hopefully you don't forget anything else.” Bill gave a slight bump on his nose
and started walking.
Dipper decided to follow him. “And do you have more shapes than the three I've
seen?”
Bill grinned, “Where it is the fun if I can't transform myself into anything.”
“Can I see more of your shapes?”
Bill clucked, “Maybe. Someday. I don't know.”
“Didn't you say you knew everything?” Dipper asked as a joke.
“And I know everything, Little Tree, though right now I would like to know
something,” Dipper looked up to see him, he had to tell Bill that he had to
call him by his name. “Why haven't you come these days?”
Dipper stopped, “I swear I have a good explanation.” He spoke trying not to
sound nervous. He even had been practicing what he would say.
Bill's cane appeared the air and he leaned over it, “I hear you.”
Dipper cleared his throat before speaking, “My father came to visit us, it's
almost a month since we haven't seen him... Since he and Mom divorced.” Dipper
said with an invisible sad expression, “I was planning to come in the afternoon
but it was already dark and Grunkle Ford had told me that forests in Oregon are
dangerous.” Dipper said.
Grunkle Ford? Bill narrowed his eyes, where he had heard that name? Of course!
Sixer ! Pine Tree is Sixer's nephew. “Well boy, that Ford never had a demon by
his side at night.” Bill said without much emotion shrugged and his cane now
was spinning on his arm. He laughed at the word demon, for centuries he wasn't
called that way.
“Demon? You mean how demons in religions?”
“No, Silly Tree.” Bill approached Dipper, his arm falling on the teenager's
shoulders, “Let me tell you something, you aren't the first human to know us
but you're the first to know what we are.” Bill noticed the rising curiosity in
Pine Tree's eyes, “When we first came to this world your species was nothing
more than simple primates. Guess who taught them everything you know.”
Dipper stepped aside, “No way!” He had heard the craziest and unthinkable
thing!
“Oh yes it is.” Bill walked away from Dipper and began to pace again, motioning
the boy to follow him. Dipper walked to be at his side, Bill's hand took his
hand, moving closer the child at his side. “We only gave them a bit of
knowledge.” Bill continued his explanation, “In exchange for a simple thing – ”
“What thing?” Dipper asked, he wanted to record every word of what Bill said,
he had to buy a tape recorder when he couldn't write.
Bill chuckled, “I'll tell you, in time. But when finally we gave our help there
was a small group that became unhappy with us, and that small group was soon
transformed into a huge crowd. And we were called in a thousand different ways.
Many of us wanted to fight but we decided to withdraw, we wouldn't behave as
they wanted.”
“You want to say – Though you helped them, they turned their backs on you?”
Somehow Bill's story sounded credible. It wouldn't be the first time someone
betrays a person who trusts and loves. “I think I feel a little ashamed to be a
human.” Dipper try to joke with Bill, though deep down he knew he was telling
the truth but tried to ignore it, now that one of the greatest secrets of
mankind had been revealed to him, He! A teenager of thirteen!
Oh my sweet Pine Tree, you are n' t any human, Bill had heard Pine Tree's
thoughts, was a lucky that he hadn't said that to the kid, that would be one of
the many secrets he would let Pine Tree discovered, “That's old story Pine
Tree, the past is in the past. Water under the bridge.”
Dipper nodded, though still not totally convinced. However, Bill didn't seem to
have any grudges against humanity, proof of that is that the demon wanted to be
his friend. He would never betray Bill. “So what you asked in return? Jewelry?
Money? Worshiping? Or maybe – ?” Dipper was interrupted when he hit against
Bill.
“Pine Tree is back!” Dipper recognized Kryptos' voice.
Dipper massaged his nose, in front of him were the Henchmaniacs.
“For a moment I thought he was afraid of us and didn't want to return.” Keyhole
spoke.
Dipper walked toward them, “Afraid of you? You guys seem to me the coolest
creatures I've met, well, so far. I just explain to Bill my reasons for not
coming,” Dipper justified himself, then he remembered that the candies that
Mabel had given him still inside his backpack. “I hope this compensates for my
absence.” Dipper retired his backpack and opening it he pulled a bag of candy
out, “I hope you like these candies.”
Bill took the bag, the now self-proclaimed demon took a candy and put it into
his mouth, handing the bag of candy to others Henchmaniacs.
“A child like you exists only once in life.” Pyronica said, her cherry lips
formed into a big smile.
“And that you don't know my sister.” At the mention of Mabel, Dipper must ask
Bill if he could bring his sister sometime to the woods, but first he had
something else to ask. “Bill,” Dipper called the creature with pyramidal face,
“Yesterday when I was with my dad fishing on the lake I saw something swimming,
the Journals mention The Gobblewonker.” Dipper pulled the Journal # 3, opening
the page that had written information about the creature, “It doesn't say much
about whether it is dangerous but since we have a deal...”
The electric blue eye twinkle like a flash, “So are you ready to meet your
first creature?”
“Technically it's the fourth creature that I see in this town,” Dipper reminded
the gnomes, the boulders, and the stomach-faced duck, “Fifth with you.” Dipper
put the Journal inside the backpack, awaiting a response from Bill.
“If that's what you want Pine Tree, then I see no reasons for which oppose.”
Bill started walking being followed by Dipper. The pyramid head demon gave a
quick glance at his Henchmaniacs and they disappeared into the depths of the
forest.
The trip to the lake was quiet, Bill noticed something in the eyes of his kid,
there was something that seemed to have distracted his soulmate, “You seem
concerned Pine Tree, do you have something bothering you? Did something is
hanging around that head of yours?”
“I wanted to ask if Mabel can come with me?” Dipper expected an affirmative
answer.
“Mabel? What is a Mabel?”
“Mabel's my older sister, my twin.” Dipper said, “She was with me and Wendy –
The girl who you chose as your assistant – She was the girl waving her sweater
– ”
“Oh, Shooting Star!”
“Yes, herself.” Dipper was glad, “So – ”
“So?” Bill arched an eyebrow.
“My sister can come with me the next week?”
Bill tilted his triangular head and continued walking at a slightly faster
pace, turning away from Dipper although the boy was trying to reach him. “Pine
Tree, how is your sister?”
How to describe Mabel, that was simple, “Mabel is friendly, childish, loves
animals, sociable – ”
Noisy.Nuisance. “Has she never said a secret, even by accident?” Bill
interrupted the annoying explanation.
Dipper made memory trying to remember if ever Mabel had said too much but no,
she was careful with the things she said, maybe sometimes she was impulsive and
her comments were mocking, but not with malice or wanting to say it. “No, she
has never revealed anything.” Even when he asked her to keep the secret of the
Journal Mabel had kept her word.
Bill slightly narrowed his eye, “She is very friendly, isn't she?”
“Yes, indeed she could befriend the whole school if she wanted.” I think she is
already friends with everyone, “But why do you ask?”
“Well, maybe in a moment of emotion or carelessness she says something about –
”
“No, Mabel wouldn't say something to impress people. She is impressive for
being herself.”
“So she is very easy to impress.”
“Well – Yes,but – ”
“Not all forest creatures like the noise and meddlers people, Pine Tree. That's
why they are hidden away from all of you.” Dipper stopped talking and Bill saw
that he was beginning to bite his inner cheek. He sighed, but not giving up, he
didn't want anyone else gotten where nobody needed them, “I would have to
consider it. Maybe your sister is a good person.”
Dipper wanted to argue Bill's perception about Mabel. Yeah, okay, she wasn't
perfect but she was concerned about the wellbeing of all, though –
“Pine Tree,” Bill spoke, taking Dipper's attention, “We are near the lake so I
suggest you hurry up if you want to know The Gobblewonker.”
Dipper quickened his step to getting back the same pace as Bill, the demon
swung his cane in his hand. He remembered that once Stan's cane fell on his
head, had hurt him enough to leave a bump but the next morning Dipper was as if
nothing had happened.
The lake had suddenly appeared out of the trees. Dipper had the urge to go
running but he wouldn't act so childish before Bill, it's not as if he cared
what the demon thought, after all, this was seen as a business and his father
had told him that when doing business he had to act very responsibly.
Dipper and Bill came out of the edge of the forest. The water was calm, nor a
boat and not a person in sight. Even the fishing shop was closed. Dipper
reminded himself tell Ford they had finally met McGucket. The night before the
twins had been so busy thinking about their father's proposal that they simply
had forgotten.
Bill walked to be the lakeshore, his cane was right on the floor. Dipper felt a
slight jolt in the earth and then heard a splash. His gaze went to the island
amid the lake, a dark stain had begun to swim from the island and headed
swiftly toward the lakeshore, to them. Instinctively, Dipper moved behind Bill.
The demon looked down to see Pine Tree, he huffed not being heard by him. Pine
Tree was protected, just that he didn't know. And Bill preferred it this way.
Dipper watched the creature swimming up to them. The lake returned to its calm
before a body emerge to the surface.
The Gobblewonker was as The Author had guessed in the Journal. It was like a
dinosaur, plesiosaur more specifically, at least what appeared to be half of
its body was on the shore and the rest was within the lake. Dipper cursed his
drawing skills, is why Mabel must also come, he needed her.
“And here we are,” Bill walked away from Dipper and walked to the side of The
Gobblewonker. The creature tensed as he felt Bill's hand over part of his neck,
“I want to introduce a fan of yours.” The eye showed a dangerous flash that
made The Gobblewonker tremble. Bill turned to see Dipper, the teenager was
still in place, like a helpless fawn without a guide. Good thing he was with
him. “Pine Tree,” Bill spoke, “Come a little closer to us. I assure you that he
is docile.”
Oh, so it's a male, Dipper wondered if maybe he had a mate. Although about what
if he was docile, Dipper had some doubts as yesterday with that strange feeling
when pulling the hook. Dipper walked, trying to appear not to be nervous or
show fear, most stories and some fairy tales say that the creatures smelled
fear. He must not prove it, after all he was the one who asked Bill know all
the secrets of the Journals.
The Gobblewonker was majestic as he saw it much closer, his long neck, his
maritime and gigantic body, his face was truly something to behold, sharp fangs
that were hidden behind the jaw, except for that small scar near his lower jaw.
Dipper felt his hand being taken by Bill's hand.
“You're not afraid, are you?” Bill scoffed, “I've already said that he won't do
anything.”
Dipper bit his inner cheek and decided to relax. Calm down, calm down, he told
himself. His hand touched part of the body, was wet and it felt strange, didn't
have scales like at first he had thought, it was like the skin of a whale,
Dipper continued touching him, trying to show The Gobblewonker that he wasn't a
threat and at the same time try to have more confidence. Apparently it worked
like the creature relaxed and let down his neck until his head was lying on the
forest floor.
The Gobblewonker was reluctant to let a human child touch him, but when he saw
Cipher beside this human – With a silent menace in his electric eyes – The
Gobblewonker had no choice but to give in to this human. His body tensed as he
felt the kid's hand over part of his back. The contact was strange and for a
moment consider returning to the lake bottom, but gradually felt calmer before
this human. The Gobblewonker remembered his mother, the way she rubbed her head
against his before coming to this place, almost two hundred years ago. That
nostalgic feeling made him lower his head to this human child.
Dipper stopped stroking The Gobblewonker's back and began stroking the top of
his head, now with both hands once he had enough confidence. The Gobblewonker
seemed very comfortable Dipper thought that he looked like a cat. “Looks so
harmless.” Dipper said turning away from the Gobblewonker and to see Bill.
“Obviously.” Bill spoke, “After all he is very young in his kind.”
“Where is his family?”
“Somewhere in this world, perhaps.” Bill walked away from Dipper, The
Gobblewonker's head stood in the middle of both, a gloved hand again touched
the head, the creature tensed, “He likes you.”
Did he had befriended The Gobblewonker? That sounds great! “Well I must say I
was frightened yesterday”
“Frightened? Of what?” Bill asked as if he did not know the answer. “Pine Tree
when you are in this forest you shouldn't be afraid,” Bill leaned closer to his
ear, whispering, “Because I'm here.”
Dipper felt a shiver running through him. What was that? “Ah – Uh – Thanks,
Bill… I'll keep that in mind.”
You will, Pine Tree, you will. “Do you want to ride on him?”
“What?!” Dipper asked, did he had heard right? It didn't seem possible what his
ears caught.
“If you want to go with him to tour the lake.” Bill repeated with a big grin on
his face.
“Well – ” Dipper rubbed his neck, “Seems like a good idea.”
Bill clapped his palms and without warning the demon appeared behind Dipper to
elevate him and drop him on the back of the creature. Dipper made a minor
complaint, though he had taking more notice was that he was on the back of a
legendary creature, he hoped that this was like in the movies or books. It was
unlikely that he fell into the water, however Dipper settled his legs in front
of him, realizing he had nothing to be clamped, his hands began to sweat and he
feared getting dizzy and fall, this time by his own fault.
“Bill, is this safe?” His voice began to sound broken.
“Of course it is.” Bill patted his back.
“And what if I fall?” He wasn't afraid of drowning, he can swim very well,
three years of swimming with Mabel had been worthwhile. He didn't mean he was
having a kind of stage fright.
“Pine Tree nothing bad will happen to you while I'm here. And if you think so –
Which I doubt that should happen,” Before this Bill saw The Gobblewonker, more
specifically to his jaw, “Trust me, Pine Tree.”
Dipper saw Bill and then to the Gobblewonker, taking a few breaths before
speaking, “All right. I trust you.”
That was all Bill needed to hear.
The Gobblewonker turned around, returning to the lake, taking care not to dive
too deep and that this human child (Pine Tree) fall into the water. Not only
because he was afraid of the damage that Cipher could inflict upon him, if not
that because this human wasn't like the others he had seen through his
centuries of remaining hidden.
Dipper felt a change in height, almost the entire body of The Gobblewonker
plunged into the water with the exception of the back (where he stood) and half
neck. Dipper must have left his backpack on the lakeshore, what if he fell and
the Journal got wet, those poor books barely had vaguely visible ink to lose
everything in an instant.
Speed also changed, it wasn't as fast but not so slow. The excitement and joy
came over him. This was impossible. He really was riding a legendary creature.
If only his family could know this. If only he could tell them. Dipper look
back, expecting to see Bill on the shore, however his pyramidal head friend had
disappeared.
“Look again Pine Tree.” Dipper heard his side.
Bill was floating beside him, only this time he had returned to his triangular
shape.
“Why changing the shape?”
“It's much more fun to be a floating triangle that a humanoid.” Bill explained,
“People do seem funny my sense of humor.”
What kind of people? Dipper thought rolling her eyes.
The island appeared in front of them and The Gobblewonker surrounded it. The
island seemed to be a mini forest with dense fog, it was as if it had its own
climate and ecosystem, surely The Gobblewonker must hide there. Dipper realized
he had not asked the most important question. “Bill,”
The aforementioned looked at the boy, “What happen? Are you still afraid of
falling?”
“No. I – How long you live in Oregon?”
“Long time.”
“How much?” Dipper crossed his legs to see Bill in front, once had enough
confidence that he wouldn't fall into the water.
“Too much. Why?”
“It's just that when I met you and saw that you knew every creature, I never
ask you if you met The Author of the three Journals.”
Oh. Oh . So it was that . “I'm afraid I have to say no.” Bill noticed a bit of
disappointment in Pine Tree's eyes. Pine Tree did n' t need to know something
that would never serve him, “It may be that this person came to this town at a
time when I had gone to other parts of the world. Or dimension.”
“The Author says that this island is a giant head and that was their last
record.” Dipper said trying to forget his latest and frustrating discovery
“The Gobblewonker has company during his stay on the lake. Though let me warn
you something about that head – ” Bill looked toward the island, “It's not as
friendly as the Gobblewonker and if it feels threatened – ”
Dipper gulped. Did Bill meant that The Author could have been – No, perhaps
not, because if so, then how is that Journals were in his house –
He decided to postpone his thoughts about the island (the disturbing new
thought) and for now enjoy this time with Bill and The Gobblewonker. There were
still many hours and much time to know each of the mysteries of Gravity Falls.
And perhaps the world. Much better, the dimensions.
The triangular demon returned to float in the air. A shadow surfing through the
trees caught his attention. Bill saw Dipper having fun with The Gobblewonker,
nothing would happen if he left for a few moments, Pine Tree wouldn't notice
it. But as he returned Pine Tree shouldn't ignore him.
As stealthy as ever, Bill moved to the lakeshore and thence into the forest.
Gravity Falls woods had always been quiet, even with the strange town
inhabiting them, they had learned to be as discreet as possible. Not appear if
it wasn't necessary. They didn't want another unfortunate incident like years
ago.
Bill suddenly felt another presence. The triangle spoke before the other
presence did. “You don't need my permission to see her.”
A chuckle was heard in the woods, soft but strong enough for him to hear it.
Pink fire sparking at the air, “I know I don't need it.”
“So?” Bill asked curiously.
“If things hadn't changed, we all would be free to take what is rightfully
ours.” The pink eye darkened for a moment. “It has been many years since I saw
a claim.” She sighed heavily, “You saw her.” The silhouette trembled at the
fresh memory, hugging herself, remembering that little girl.
“I saw her and believe me, if I wasn't bonded already, I think I would choose
her as my eternal companion.” Bill's joke made the burning body release some
sparks at him, obviously didn't hurt him. “Pyronica, is a joke, I tell it to
everyone.”
“Yeah, and then everyone wants to kill you.”
Bill snorted, “They can try and fail, remember that I'm one of the most
powerful.” Bill said showing her his cerulean blue fire, much brighter, “As you
can see, finally I have what I want.” The triangular demon looked toward the
lake, his all seeing eye showed Pine Tree having fun with The Gobblewonker, and
occasionally his kid looked toward the island, that was a matter that he must
remove from Pine Tree's mind. Bill returned to see her, “I had an opportunity
many years ago and the damn Sixer stopped him.”
Pyronica sighed, “I find it funny every time she breaks up with her boyfriends.
She's strong, so beauty, intelligent, worthy to be my soulmate.” Pyronica said,
“After all,” The pink fire demon looked at her hands, fierce and sharp claws,
ready to tear apart whatever they put in front of her, “We always have what
belongs to us.” Before leaving the demon in pink fire gave a last sentence,
“Eliminating those who oppose us.”
Bill watched the demon vanished and be left alone surrounded by pine trees.
Those memories of thousands of years ago only made his blood boil. Bill closed
his eye trying to calm down. As he had told Pine Tree, that was water under the
bridge now. Only that. Nothing more. The only thing he gave thanks to humans
was that he finally found Pine Tree after many years.
Bill disappeared to appear on the lakeshore. Pine Tree and The Gobblewonker
seemed to surround the island, now with his human much more relaxed on the back
of The Gobblewonker, reading those unnecessary Journals. First of all, Bill
must make Dipper forget the damn island and teach important stuff to leave the
Journals aside; He must get rid of some problems.
Dipper turned toward the shore. From his place Bill seemed a curious but
strange tourist attraction Grunkle Stan could use to keep his scam. Dipper
waved his hand greeting the triangular demon, Bill did the same.
Bill had noticed how quiet The Gobblewonker was next to Pine Tree; Of course,
it had to be his soulmate. The beasts were almost always nervous here, only
very few could live in peace in this useless piece of land and sea. If only the
stupid gnomes hadn't acted so impulsively, perhaps they would have their Queen,
and their partner still alive and whole.
The demon of golden bricks recalled Pyronica's words.
There were problems he had to eliminate from his way to finally have Pine Tree
for himself.
Sixer, Crescent, Shooting Star, Cross, and Blue.
                                      ☽✠☾
After a few tours, fake attractions, and merchandise at a very high and
ridiculous price, the Shack was finally quiet. Something that was average
during the week. Stan was like crazy as soon three buses stopped on this day.
Dipper was sure to have been Grunkle Ford at home the greatest scientist also
have helped.
But Dipper was now with Wendy, making jokes through the security camera
installed at the entrance to the gift shop.
The redhead had been spending much time in the Shack. Dipper and Mabel rarely
spoke to her in high school between periods and even during recess Wendy was
with her friends or training while the twins were having lunch with Candy and
Grenda.
Nate and Lee always get into trouble, which included Thompson, making her three
friends remained in detention after school. According to Wendy they wanted to
be remembered as legends as soon they graduate from high school. Tambry didn't
go out unless it had a very good explanation to leave her comfort zone and less
now that exam week was very close and her parents had threatened to take away
her cellphone. And Robbie… Well her boyfriend lately had been leaving her up in
many of theirs dates and they seemed more friends than the typical couples.
Besides in Wendy's house things got quieter since the return to classes. Her
brothers could be naughty but were also responsible as she had taught them.
Being the older sister was a 24/7 job.
“I'm Soos and yesterday I ate the last gummy worm I found it on the floor.”
Wendy mimicked the voice of her friend and co-worker, showing her great skills
of ventriloquism to the younger twin.
Dipper and Wendy laughed at Soos' confused face, the friendly handyman shrugged
and went to repair something, or sometimes if necessary, repair, repair and re-
break.
“Wendy how is it that you are so great?”
“All the geniality of my family fell on me. With great power comes great
irresponsibility.” The redhead joked.
The bell rang indicating that someone had come to buy... Or claim something
lost. It wouldn't be the first time Dipper saw a similar case where a shrewd
customer has noticed something missing when they was on their way to another
tourist attraction.
Sadly, it wasn't any excited or upset customer, it was Robbie.
Wendy had told him about her current status in her relationship with the gothic
boy. Dipper glanced at Wendy, the redhead was crossed arms and frowning. He
came up with an idea.
“Hey is this the fingerless glove store?” Dipper mimicked a terrible voice of
gothic teen, “I like things that are dumb. I'm Robbie.”
Wendy laughed slightly but Dipper had achieved his goal.
“Ha ha ha ha ha. Laugh it up, chief.” Robbie approached them, heading in a bad
mood, or possibly his typical humor, “Now, why not better you play with your
play dough and let the adults talk.”
If there was one thing Dipper hated, besides hurting his family, was to be
treated like a small child.
“So Wendy, Nate and his girlfriend are going to Lookout Point this weekend.
Maybe we should go too? ”
Wendy indignantly slapped Robbie's arm, “Are you kidding me?” The redhead was
upset, “First you stand me up last night! And instead of apologizing, you want
me to go to Lookout Point?”
Dipper moved a little uncomfortable in place, “I'll just be... Over here...”
The younger twin walked away from the rising discussion among the couple, but
curious to know what his redheaded friend and rival had to speak, he hid behind
the door, a habit that he must leave. Robbie was a jerk with Wendy, that Dipper
had concluded several days ago. And although it was too obvious that their age
difference Dipper never could make their feelings were reciprocated.
“Look, Robbie... I'm not sure this relationship's working.” Wendy continued to
speak before her future ex-boyfriend decided to talk, “Yes, we know each other
for years but only as friends.” Wendy crossed her arms. “Maybe it's best if we
take a break. Maybe I should see other people.”
Dipper couldn't believe what was happening. Wendy was considering breaking
definitively with Robbie.
Robbie's heart stopped for a moment and his throat felt dry. He didn't want to
end his relationship with Wendy, he had crush on the redhead since elementary
school, heck, maybe since kindergarten, always trying to pretend to be cool in
front of her to get her attention. Of course he had been a little busy with his
parents, the family business, school, and his band, but he tried to call her
but he just couldn't leave some things next. There was no other way, he had to
use his plan B. He just hoped it worked. “W-Whoa h-hey! Before you do anything
crazy, I – I uh... I want you to hear this.” Robbie said as he pulled a small
player and a CD from his pocket. I hope this works...
Inserting the CD into the player recorder a smooth slow tune began to be heard
in the gift shop. Dipper arched an eyebrow at the peculiar sound, he didn't
think Robbie might have composed a song ballad.
“When I think about you I feel feelings so deep I'm tossing and turning,”
Robbie began singing to the rhythm of music, “And you know I'm losing sleep,”
This was strange , thought Dipper, the lyrics, the slow pace, the soft melody,
if it was like any song that a guy would write to be forgiven, but something
here was n' t right. We're talking about Robbie! Robbie!
“And I know I'm going crazy when I look into your eyes. Just listen to this
song and you'll be hypnotai-ai-ai-zed.”
Wendy rubbed her eyes, she had acted selfish to think only about her situation
in this relationship she had never thought that maybe Robbie was too busy but
still he had time to write her a song. It's the nicest thing any of her
boyfriends had done for her. The lyrics still echoing in her head. “Y'know,
maybe I was being a little hasty.” Wendy looked down embarrassed by her earlier
attitude. “I'll give you another chance.”
“Yes!” Robbie shouted victoriously, his plan had worked, “Perfect! So you want
to leave now?”
“Yeah, why not.” Wendy shrugged her arms, “I don't think Mr. Stan mind if I
leave earlier.” Wendy moved behind the desk and the cash register.
Before Wendy opened the door to the kitchen Dipper hid behind, he didn't want
to be discovered while spying a rupture and reconciliation. Once Wendy wasn't
near Dipper came out of hiding to go face to Robbie. Here some didn't seem
right, and not only because his crush had returned with her ex.
“Alright Robbie. What the heck are you up to?” Dipper faced the Gothic and
rival boy.
Robbie snorted, hiding his hands in his pockets of his sweatshirt, with his
typical pose, “It's called romance, kid. Something you'd never understand.”
Dipper clenched teeth and fists, he was about to say something else if not for
Wendy came out the other side of the room. “Dipper, I just wanted to see you, I
go out early with Robbie, would you mind if you end my turn?”
Yes! It pisses me much that you come back with Robbie! He did something!
However despite wanting to scream he was left with no other option than to deny
and take his place behind the cash register.
Wendy raised both thumbs, “You ready?” The redhead walked beside the gothic boy
and he put his arm around the girl's shoulders, the couple left the
establishment and Dipper. “I can't believe you wrote that for me. ”
Dipper was furious and at the same time intrigued about what had happened
moments before. The young teenager sat watching as he continued looked at the
door. Robbie just sang a silly song! If all couples resolve each of their
problems with a song – ! Well, he would n' t be watching an empty gift shop
right now. His head hit the wooden furniture. Turning his face, his cheek glued
to the furniture, his brown eyes widened when he saw the player.
And what was inside.
Chapter End Notes
     And the second of three canonical scenes that will appear in this
     fanfic is now kicking my back. Why? If we already know what happens
     with the CD and the relationship between Robbie and Wendy.
     Did you think Bill was the only one with plans? The world is a
     mysterious place. The Multiverse is much more mysterious.
     "Other Relationship Tags to Be Added" is here for some reason....
     *whistle while ran away*
     I've probably left more confused. Sorry but not sorry.
     Thank you very much for reading this new chapter. Leave a comment,
     I'd love to know what you thought, or leave a kudo or bookmark it, I
     also appreciate it.
     You can always contact me on Tumblr: Here
     Also some of my future stories: Here
***** Chapter 10 *****
Chapter Summary
     Life often changes constantly. Sometimes for good. Sometimes for bad.
     And sometimes for the worse.
Chapter Notes
     Guys! We are so close to half of this story, I can't imagine their
     looks when y'all discover more secrets. Of course, in this chapter I
     leave one or another clue... I'm sorry, I'm not very good at
     foreshadowing.
     This is the moment where I start biting my nails because I want to
     add a new relationship tag, but I'll have to wait a few more days.
     What can I say? I'm trying... xD
     See you at the end!
     Update: Nov/13/2017
See the end of the chapter for more notes
                             Deep into a dying day
                    I took a step outside an innocent heart
                      Prepare to hate me fall when I may
                  This night will hurt you like never before
                            Old loves they die hard
                           Old lies they die harder
                     ~ Wish I Had An Angel by Nightwish ~
“And there's nothing.” Mabel yawned bored, she had been all afternoon helping
her brother to finish reading the fourteen books they had borrowed from the
library, she would need an extra dose of brightness and sweetness to forget so
many letters and almost no drawing. It was a shame she couldn't decorate the
sad books of the library.
Mabel turned her head to her twin. Dipper had spent days and nights obsessed
with the new relationship between Robbie and Wendy. According to Dipping Sauce,
Robbie had done something strange to Wendy's brain, Wendy was so willing to
break her relationship with him and only for a silly song the redhead had
realized that deep down she still felt something for Robbie and after all
decided to give him a second chance.
Dipper had investigated all about hypnotism or brainwashing, but no theory,
hypothesis, or concept seemed as close to what Robbie had done. If that was
mainly   his   idea.
“You're going to break another pen and you'll have blue lips.” Mabel warned,
leaving the book on the table next to her bed and going to her wardrobe to get
her pajamas.
Dipper noticed that another of his pens was already being bitten by his teeth
and a crack was beginning to show at the other end. Dipper decided to take out
the pen, he didn't want to see his sister's prophecy being realized, tomorrow
was another school day. “I know there's something hidden.” Dipper gave another
read to his notes, trying to look for something that could give him an answer.
Despite the supposed symptoms that those affected by hypnosis or brainwashing
suffered, Wendy was completely normal, the only change she suffered was to
continue in her relationship with Robbie.
When Dipper had commented on that hypnotic song with Mabel, he even showed her
the CD and listened to it – At the risk that his sister might fall under its
spell, which thankfully didn’t affect her – Mabel commented that girls always
love romantic music, especially if it's dedicated to them, as well as mocking
him by saying that he did this because he was jealous and still in love with
Wendy.
Even when his red cheeks betrayed him, Dipper denied everything by saying that
he was only concerned that Wendy was his friend and that he was worried about
her. He would do the same if something like that happened to Mabel.
“There must be something.” Dipper kept thinking about it.
“Better to sleep. Tomorrow's a school day and you'll have dark circles under
your dark circles.” Mabel was already changed into her pajamas and ready to end
the day with a beautiful dream full of unicorns, tea parties, and handsome
guys.
Dipper muttered, “Just a few minutes.” He said, pulling the Journals under his
mattress.
Mabel nodded and wished him good night, reminding him to turn off the light or
Stan would explode as soon as the light bill arrives at the end of the month.
Dipper said good night, and though he wasn't convinced, he decided to lie down
in his bed, with books around him, waiting for something to appear in so many
words.
No, he hadn’t found anything and also failed to sleep.
During breakfast, his face almost fell on his bowl of cereal and during PE
class a volleyball ball brushed near his cheek, obviously the team apologized
and the teacher asked if he was okay – Because of his zombie appearance – And
now in his penultimate class of day his eyes began to feel heavy, it didn't
help that his professor decided to read about the old cultures of the world,
his next homework that would be in the next exams.
The chestnut yawns very quietly, deciding to pretend to read Dipper pulled out
one of the Journals. The Journal #2 had something about hypnotism although most
of it was about some spells. It may well have been that the Author had been
some sort of illusionist hobbie since most of the drawings around the spells
were clocks and the classic circle with black and white spirals that the
wizards wore.
Wizards... Magicians! Bill!
Of course, why hadn't he thought of it? Bill's a demon of infinite knowledge,
he must know what Robbie did to Wendy. Dipper turned to look at the forest and
then the clock in the middle of the wall, was still missing a class to end his
school day and tomorrow is Friday. He couldn't go to the forest yet.
When the bell rang, Dipper took his backpack to move from the classroom. With
luck and Mabel could keep him awake listening to her talk about the cute guy
she met at recess or fall into diabetes because of the sweetness with which his
sister describes the boy.
The biology period wasn't the best for him, in fact, he hadn't even paid
attention to what the teacher explained and for the first time Mabel had
decided to pay attention as soon as his teacher showed a slide show of animals
and plants. Dipper just wanted to fall under his desk and sleep until the time
was up. and he wouldn't have to do anything else until he reached the Shack.
The bell finally rang and the teacher just said that they had to investigate
something about the microorganisms or something, later he would ask notes to
his sister.
Dipper hoped to see Wendy training on soccer fields as was customary at the end
of each school day, but the redhead was nowhere to be found. Most likely she
was with Robbie and – Dipper begged – With her friends.
Well, he could ask  Wendy  once the redhead came to the Shack.  T hough as
Mabel said,   Yo   u have to be subtle  . He didn’t understand women and at
this stage  of his life  he would be a hermit like Stan or his marriages would
only last hours.
Once they were in the Shack Stan greeted them with Soos, who was in a video
chat with Melody. Mabel didn’t miss the opportunity to test her skills as a
professional wedding planner and joined the video chat giving her backpack to
Dipper. The younger twin rolled his eyes and went to their room, maybe he would
take the time and take Mabel's biology notes to correct his.
Entering their room Dipper left the backpacks on Mabel's bed, pulling Mabel's
notebook and going to his desk to sit down and correct his mistakes… His mind
couldn’t concentrate for more than he wanted. It was all about trying to free
Wendy from her hypnotic trance.
Dipper had first thought of ways to solve this, first he believed that
hypnotism would only be temporary to make Wendy's anger toward Robbie disappear
– Even then he thought Robbie couldn’t be that good with those things, he was
just a teenager who had a unique talent and was to be a vulture with the others
– And also he thought about frightening Wendy, which ended up being his worst
act, Wendy wasn't scared by anything, even hypnotized the Corduroy girl was
still great.
In fact Wendy was still herself and Dipper would probably have thought the same
as Mabel, had it not been because he clearly saw Robbie acting so suspicious
and his winning attitude once Wendy seemed to forgive him. Dipper decided to
think of something else, the hypnotism theme hadn’t let him focus on anything
else, even his creation of the new Journal had been stopped to help her.
Dipper turned to see the forest. What were his friends doing? Especially, what
was Bill doing? Was he tormenting someone or making bad jokes? Despite the
weird, creepy, triangular, unfamiliar with personal space, and mainly being a
demon from another world, Dipper enjoyed visiting him and The Henchmaniacs.
Even if his concept of fun was very different from his.
 I wish there was a way to communicate with Bill  , Dipper thought. Would there
be any way? The next time he saw him, he would propose that Bill could go to
the Shack as many times as he wanted, of course, when Dipper ca n't  go to the
woods or have some free time.
                                      ☽✠☾
“Letters shouldn’t be used this way in mathematics.” Mabel was exasperated with
her algebra homework, “It's an abomination. Mathematics should only use boring
numbers and signs.”
Wendy and Dipper laughed. “Come on Mabel, don’t be so exaggerated.” Wendy
placed her hand on her shoulder, “Wait until you're in the last years of high
school, you won't use numbers for a long time.” If what Lee's girlfriend had
said was true then it was better to worry about her future.
Wendy had offered help to the twins with their homeworks, Dipper never had
problems, but anyway he accepted the help of the woodcut girl. “Hey, Wendy, I
didn’t see you training on the school grounds.” Dipper asked subtly, trying to
conceal his nervousness by looking at his notebook.
“Yeps,” Wendy answered, “I was late because Robbie didn’t rush out of the
classroom.”
Dipper bit his lower lip, hoping it wasn't so obvious.
After long, intense minutes of unnecessary algebra, Mabel collapsed onto the
counter, defeated. “That's it. I'll write my will, I'll leave it to Waddles,
Dipper you can have my stuffed animals.”
“Mabel, it's just factoring an equation.” Dipper saw his twin suffer, he could
help her, but Mabel knew him and it would be Dipper who would do her homework.
“Do you know what I need?” Mabel said, her voice crashing against the glass and
rising from her seat to stand, “Chocolate and strawberry syrup. Don't move from
here, I'll bring it right now.”
And Mabel left the gift shop to go to the kitchen to find her delicious and
super diabetic snacks. Leaving Dipper and Wendy alone. The redhead turned her
gaze to the magazine of ‘Teenage Lumberjacks' and Dipper focused on his
homework, at least trying to make it look like that, but he was actually
nervous.
Comeon,Dipper, this is your chance, “Wendy,” Dipper spoke, trying not to take
his gaze away from his notebook, the redhead shook her head to imply that she
was paying attention, “I was wondering if you could give us some more
ointment.”
The redhead stopped seeing her teen magazine and looked at her young friend,
“Sure, dude. Did any of you get hurt?” She wanted to know, Dipper and Mabel
were young and had only one month to live in Gravity Falls, surely soon they
wanted to have crazy adventures in the forest, she did when she was younger
along with her friends, but that was a long time ago now she only did it from
time to time when she and her family went out to cut down trees.
“Uh, not really, but Mabel's clumsy and rude.”
“I'll see to it that I have it ready next Monday. Robbie has rehearsals with
his band and will give a concert in his garage tonight. And after that we are
goin' to the Lookout Point, like every couple.”
Dipper stopped seeing his notebook, “Wendy,” He tried to speak in a serious
way, but neither did he look for Wendy to see him as a snoop in her life, “Why
did   you come back with Robbie? I thought he was being a bit stupid with you.”
At the question Wendy sighed, “Look, Dipper, you are my friend and I accept
that you are worried about me.” She gave him a friendly smile, “I know Robbie
is not the best of people, and maybe not sociable, but once you get to know the
people you realize that there is something more in them than our eyes cannot
see. I've known Robbie for a long time – And someday when you find that person
you will know.”
Dipper was about to say something, but was abruptly stopped as the Shack door
opened, letting in Robbie.
The guitarist smiled as soon as he saw his girlfriend, “Hey, Wendy, my band
rehearsal starts in a couple of hours so I was wondering if you want to go with
me for sodas.”
Dipper coughed to make his presence known. Robbie grunted and Wendy seemed to
think of his proposal.
“Dipper, could you finish my shift just this once?” Wendy asked.
How to say no? Dipper internally fought with himself about letting Wendy go
with the boyfriend who had washed her brain, on the contrary, if he didn’t
Robbie could say that he just wanted Wendy’s attention and sad that this
sounded, Wendy would make more case to Robbie. “Sure.” Dipper said, trying to
sound convinced of what he was doing.
Wendy gave him a thumbs-up and then taking her things she came out with her
boyfriend.
“Someone asked for an order of sweetness?” Mabel appeared walking into the gift
shop, with three plates of bananas splits with extra chocolates and extra
cherries. Oh, Stan wouldn’t be happy to see that his ice cream had disappeared.
“Too late.” Dipper said without taking his eyes off the van that just broke
away from the Shack.
Mabel sat down next to her brother, looking in the same direction as him, “So
there is nothing.” Mabel left the plate with the banana split that belonged to
her brother at his side, “Does it mean you give up?”
“No.” Dipper stated taking the spoon and taking a piece of banana with
chocolate, “I know there is something wrong here with all this relationship. I
won't rest until I know what is happening.”
Mabel placed her hands on her hips, “Oh, you will have to rest or your
murmurings won't let me sleep again.”
                                      ☽✠☾
It hadn’t been long since Wendy had left with Robbie for some sodas and then to
see the stupid concert that the Gothic boy would have in his garage. Or was it
Thompson’s garage? He hadn’t understood when Wendy had mentioned other details.
Well, it didn’t matter who the garage was, what mattered was that Dipper wasn’t
even close to a clue to find out what Robbie had done.
What if what Mabel had said was true? About that girls love the guys who give
them songs. That would explain that he had never had a chance to be with Wendy.
It was okay to want to give up and just see how Wendy was happy with someone
else. But   why   did Robbie have to be all people?   There   were seven
billion people in the world and Wendy had to choose the most unfriendly being
from everyone!
“Well, there's nothing left.” Dipper gave up, throwing the last book that still
lacked to finish reading, and like the others wasn’t much useful information.
“That’s all.”
Mabel finished knitting the last sweater she had prepared to give Candy and
Grenda. The slogan of the pop band   Sev'ral Timez   was in the center of the
wool sweater, soon there would be a concert and she wouldn’t miss the
opportunity to make at least Creggy G or Deep Chris fall in love with her.
However, seeing her twin so defeated, she did what she did best, cheer him up.
“Don’t give up on this love break.” Mabel continued talking, Dipper intended to
correct her with the misunderstanding of his crush on Wendy, “Remember that
Stan often says there are many fish in the ocean.”
“Ugh, Mabel, I think you forget I was doing this because Wendy is our friend
and I had no other hidden reason with this.”
“Of course brother, our friend.”
Dipper glanced at Mabel, he knew that his twin was mocking him. “You know what?
I'll go get some more ice cream. I hope those banana splits haven't finished
with all the ice cream jars in the freezer.” Dipper walked away from his bed
and began to walk towards the door of his room.
On his way to the kitchen he noticed that his mother hadn’t yet returned from
work and that Stanford was back out, so there was only one option other than
Soos in the Shack –
“‘Sup kiddo?” Stanley waved to Dipper, who was entering the kitchen, the old
man still in his Mr. Mystery suit, of course without the girdle on, the sixty-
year-old was sitting eating what Dipper suspected was the last jar of ice
cream. Dipper sat down in the chair opposite the old man. “I noticed you more
haggard than usual, those bags have bags.” The old man laughed but stopped when
he saw that his great nephew didn’t laugh like him, “Nobody understood?”
“Stan, I don’t think now is the time – Um, I dunno... You wouldn't understand.
”
“Do you have any problem? Any bully Mabel and I ought to take care of? There
are many ways to hide a corpse.” Stan pulled the chair where Dipper was sitting
next to him. “C'mon, kid. Try me.”
That brought a smile on Dipper's face. The teenager was eager to tell Stan his
problems, but on the one hand it was ridiculous too if he believed him. Mabel
had thought it a silly theory, even though she had seen supernatural creatures
exist. He had nothing to lose, perhaps some mockery from Stan, but nothing
painful or traumatic. “Ok. This is gonna sound weird, but – I think Robbie
might be brainwashing Wendy with music.” Dipper took the CD from his pocket of
his shorts and placed it on the kitchen table, waiting for some mocking
laughter.
However, Dipper saw that Stan was taking the CD took a look at it and returned
it back to its place at the table, “Ha, I've seen this before.”
“Really?” Dipper was surprised and intrigued by this revelation.
The old swindler coughed a to clear his throat, could still remember it as if
it were yesterday, or  4 0 years ago, “Her name was Carla McCorkle. Carla  '
Hotpants   '   McCorkle. Me and Carla baby would cut a rug together at The Juke
Joint, our favorite 50’s themed, 1970’s diner. Then one day, this new age tree
hugger starts playing this transcendental hippie music.” Stan scraped the
bottom of the ice cream jar taking the last spoonful and eating it, then he
sighed, “Carla’s hotpants turned into  bell bottoms  before I even knew what
happened –  Y ou get the gist.”
Dipper saw the CD and then Stan, “So, wait...   Y   ou   actually   believe
my theory?”
“You're darn right I do. And we're gonna get to the bottom of it.” Stan gave
him a light blow on the shoulder, smiling at him, and they both got up from
their seats to begin digging up this mystery. The old man led Dipper into the
living room. “See, Dipper, music has subliminal mind control hidden in it all
the time. If you listen closely, even the music I play in the Gift Shop has
subtle hidden messages.”
Oh sure, Dipper snapped his fingers, Stan was right,   subliminal messages  .
Despite being a part of hypnosis for some  it  was considered independent of
the main branch. Now he understood why he never seemed to have reached that
conclusion, no matter how many books he had sought. And if by subliminal
message Stan referred to his shouts forcing the tourists to buy keyrings, well,
maybe his Grunkle needed some update.
The old man finally showed the record player which was one of the few
belongings his mother had inherited to him, “If you wanna hear the mind
controlling messages, you gotta slow down the record. Gimme that LP.” Stan
takes the CD and places it on the turntable, however the record player
scratched the CD and everything the horn produced was ripping sounds.
“Oh, right.” Dipper understood, both are not compatible. “These will be long
hours.” This would be worth it now that his hope seemed to be reborn again.
Converting the CD to an LP hadn’t been a very easy process but at least he had
the basic knowledge thanks to one of his father’s friends. Besides, the time
went very fast once Dipper felt supported by his family. He would have liked to
tell Mabel and so they would be the three of them solving the mystery... Only
when he went up to the room the moment he decided to open the door clearly he
managed to hear how his sister screamed with Candy and Grenda. A shriek only
dogs could hear.
Nope. Bad idea. Also, for the first time he seemed to get along with Stan since
his entire family had come to Gravity Falls. It was easier for him to bonding
with Stanford than Stanley, Mabel seemed to have been his favorite from day
one. By the way, if they called Great Uncle Ford maybe all this would be
easier. The help of a scientist would be very welcome.
“Alright, it may took all my day, but I converted it to a record.” Dipper
showed the LP as if it were the Holy Grail, “And now we can slow it down to see
if the mind control message theory is correct. Prepare to have your mind
blown.”
“Spit-take here I come.” Stan sipped his Pitt Cola.
Dipper set the record on the turntable and started slowing it down, although
vaguely could be heard more than the song that Robbie had supposedly written
for Wendy.
Both Dipper and Stan looked confused and disappointed. The old man swallowed
his soda, “That's not spit worthy. What gives?”
“Ugh. This was so stupid! Course there’s no hidden mind control messages.”
Dipper let out a loud sigh and massaged the bridge of his nose, he took a deep
breath at what he was going to say, “Mabel was right. Wendy just likes the
song. She – She just likes – ” Agh, no, no, he couldn’t say it, even thinking
about it made him nauseous. “I'll go out and get some fresh air.”
Stan took another sip to his Pitt Cola, turning on the television, “Don’t take
so long, your mother will arrive at any time and I don't have time to think
about a story about why her son walks alone at night by then.”
Dipper knew that meant a ‘  Come soon, or   I   'll be in trouble  ’, so he
nodded and left the Shack.
The cold air of September hit him softly on his face, very soon they would be
in October, Mabel and he were very excited for the next Halloween, in Piedmont
they were the best trick-or-treating. It was also great to know that here at
Gravity Falls Halloween was celebrated twice; Summerween, that's how the
townspeople call the summer celebration.
Everything around him was quiet, unaware of his present misery. His eyes filled
with the green that the pine trees still retained... Could it be that he could
go to the forest now? Dipper looked everywhere around him waiting for no one to
see him, if this was his only chance to go into the woods and return quickly
before anyone suspected where he was, then he would.
Bill was his last hope in all this.
Without hesitation, Dipper ran into the forest, deep into the depths, running
to meet the demon of the other world. Unaware that some shadows on the lawn had
been watching him and they were taking another direction to the depths of the
forest.
Getting to the glade of the forest where they met had taken less minutes than
before, apparently he was getting so good at this, perhaps he could come at
least a few moments in the forest every day, even this could help him improve
his grades in PE. “Wait Dipper, one step at a time.   Bill!  ” Dipper shouted
expecting to meet his triangular friend, “  Bill!  ” The triangle of gilded
bricks was nowhere to be seen, and there were no signs of  the  cerulean  fire
either.
A sound of a burning flame was heard behind him and before turning he saw a
pink glow, once the pink fire disappeared Pyronica appreciation instead of the
flames. The pink-skinned demon smiled at him, “Pines Boy!” She came to his
side, “A pleasure to see you again, don't ya think it’s too early for a visit?”
Pyronica began to laugh.
Dipper laughed slightly, but not quite understanding the demon’s mood, “Yes,
I'm sorry for that. I wanted to see Bill. I need ask something.”
The demon stopped laughing and seemed interested, she crouched to be at
Dipper’s height, giving a slight boom to his nose, “Sad news, Pine Tree, our
good friend Bill had to leave for some boring affairs.” The pink-skinned demon
laughed again, “You should ask him once he returns.”
“It’s very urgent what I had to say to him.”
“Well, Pines Boy, it must be so urgent that it made you skip to come and see
him. You can tell me, I'm always willing to listen to the most beautiful
things.” Pyronica winked, or well that seemed to do, it was hard to interpret
the signals with one eye.
“There’s a girl who works in the Mystery Shack – It’s my great-uncle’s business
– And a few days ago I suspect that her boyfriend, a jerk, brainwashed her with
music, however, now that Stan and I were trying to check if in fact, my theory
was real but it turns out that everything that causes the record are noises
when I slow it down.”
“What a mess, that seems to be a big deal.” Pyronica pretended to be
distressed. She must tell Bill he must reward the child. The bonds are becoming
stronger.
“Yeah, so going to the point of all this, I wanted Bill to help me find out
what happened to Wendy.”
Pyronica pursed her lips as her fingers gave light taps to her cheek, “So there
was no message in the song, it must have been a hard hit Pine Tree, and right
now that Bill isn't there to help ya.” Pyronica sighed just like Dipper,
possibly the boy hadn’t realized anything yet. “Pine Tree, you’re a smart boy,
I’m sure you’ll come up with a solution – Oops, I need to do a couple of things
before the day's over, so catch ya on the rewind.”
Dipper was about to say goodbye to Pyronica when the words the demon said
clicked  in  his brain. Rewind... Rewind...   Rewind!   “That is! Rewind, I
don’t rewind the record, all I did was go forward. God’s sake! Pyronica, you're
a genius!”
“Am I?” Pyronica winked at him again, “Now go and save your friend.” Pyronica
said goodbye to Dipper, the teenager didn’t waste time and ran from the forest
to his home. She was still moving her hand in farewell even though the child
was no longer in the forest or nearby, her pink lips made a big smile showing
her fangs.
Now it was her turn to start her own show.
                                      ☽✠☾
“Stan!” The kitchen door was whipped as soon as Dipper entered his home,
looking everywhere for the old man.
Stanley was now sitting on his favorite couch watching his favorite soap opera,
“Dipper, boy, that was fast, thanks to heaven you came back. I had planned to
tell Rachel that you had a stomach infection – ”
“Forget it! I have great news!” Dipper was excited that he took his great-uncle
and walked back to the record player. Manually Dipper began rewinding the
record. Of course, of course, this was the only method he hadn’t yet tried, how
could he have forgotten? He would be very grateful to Pyronica after this.
“You are under my control. Your mind is mine.”
Dipper was going to scream with excitement as a spurt of Pitt Cola splashed
over him, “Holy mackerel! Now there's your spit-take!” Stan was amazed just
like him.
“Ha ha! I knew it! It's mind control after all!” Yes! He wasn’t crazy or
paranoid, Robbie had really brainwashed Wendy – “Oh no, I've got to save
Wendy!” He would enjoy his victory later, now he had to go make sure his friend
was fine. “We gotta warn Wendy about the song before she gets brainwashed
again!”
“Finally, a good reason to punch a teenager in the face. Let's roll! Road
safety laws, prepare to get ignored!” Stan pulled out his car keys and they
left the Shack to go to Lookout Point.
                                      ☽✠☾
“It really was a great concert, Robbie.” Wendy gave her boyfriend another
compliment, now they were both inside the Gothic boy’s van, “It's a shame
Nathan and his girlfriend couldn’t come with us.” At first the four were
excited to have a double date but Nate’s girlfriend's phone rang and the double
date was canceled.
“Well, it's me and you babe, that's all we need.” Robbie put his arm around the
redhead's shoulders and pulled her closer to him.
“Robbie, have you always been so detailed with me?”
Both teenagers laughed at how cheesy they were. Wendy and Robbie had known each
other for a long time, maybe it was even going to be inevitable that they would
be dating at some point, after all Robbie had a crush on Wendy from fifth grade
in elementary school and when they had said from the first day that they were
dating any of their friends was surprised.
Wendy somehow felt good, never before had any of her former boyfriends been so
sweet to her, or well, when they had rarely dates and it was almost always
because she had to break up with them. Everything was good at first, then she
got bored and — The rest is history. Wendy shook her head, trying to erase bad
memories, this time everything would be different. Something told her that
Robbie –
The sound of skidding tires and a car braking aggressively caught the attention
of both young men.
A chestnut person and shorter than she stepped out of the side of the passenger
seat, what was Dipper doing here? Her young friend ran towards them, which made
her leave the van, as did Robbie, who didn’t look very happy at all.
“Wendy! Stop! Robbie's been lying to you!” Dipper approached the teenage
couple, Stan came after him. The brown boy took the record by showing it to the
redhead.
“Well, you brought something a lot more boring than Mr. Pines.”
“That's Mr. Pines to you!” Stan snapped at the teen.
“There's a message in there.” Dipper caught Wendy's attention again, which was
focused between the duel of looks that Robbie and Stan had now, “I swear!”
Dipper pulled out a small audio recorder, he had managed to record the message
before leaving the Shack, “Look, Wendy, you've got to hear this.”
Dipper pressed the play button, letting it be the recording that speaks for
itself. He hoped to open Wendy's eyes about who Robbie is. Both teenagers were
skeptical at the silence produced by static as the voice flooded the place. “
You are under my control. Your mind is mine.  ” That phrase was reproduced
again and again.
“Woah. Robbie, what's that doing in our song?” Wendy turned to face her
boyfriend.
Robbie laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck, “Baby, I promise. I
don't know anything about those messages – In fact, I didn't even write that
song. I ripped it off some other band! So, we're all good,   right  ?”
Wendy was outraged, the song was   never   for   her  ! Robbie didn’t even
write it in the first place! “No, we're not all good! I don't care about the
messages. You said you   wrote   that song for me, and I actually thought it
was sweet,   you big liar   !  ” The redhead punched him hard on the shoulder.
Robbie rubbed his now sore arm, he didn’t want Wendy to believe that he was
some kind of inconsiderate jerk, “I know, I know. I lie about a lot of stuff.
Like using your makeup and fighting a bear, although – ”
“No!” Wendy interrupted him, tired and sick of such a lie, she thought she knew
Robbie but now – She wasn’t so sure, “You know what? It's over, Robbie. We're
through!”
Robbie tried to speak, but Wendy just said goodbye in a very angry tone and
began to walk away from the three men.
“Haha! We won!” Stan and Dipper clapped their hands.
“Kid, this is a victory for every guy whose hands are too weak or fat to play a
musical instrument.”
“I couldn't have done it without you, Grunkle Stan.” He managed to save Wendy
from being in a terrible relationship. And talking about his red-haired friend
– “Hey Wendy!” Dipper shouted at his friend who was already halfway away from
them, “Uh, now that your night is free, me and Grunkle Stan are thinking, maybe
bowling, or something?”
“Are you serious?! Right now?” Tears showed and anger increased inside her,
“Ugh! What is wrong with guys? You only think about yourselves! All of you
should just leave me alone!”
The three men just watched as Wendy moved away from them until she turned a red
dot and finally disappeared. Robbie was the first to leave with his van,
obviously he didn’t say goodbye. Dipper felt Stan’s heavy hand resting on his
shoulder, the young teenager sighed heavily and returned with his great uncle
in the car, looking sad and embarrassed at his recording.
                                      ☽✠☾
“Women. They're the real mystery, Dip.” Stan took a can of soda and placed it
in front of Dipper and then took a seat. Once they returned to the Shack his
nephew was so dejected that Stan did the only thing good that no one did for
him, give a talk. “You ruin their date, drive their hippie boyfriend's van into
a ravine... And somehow you're the bad guy.” And that's why he never gave pep-
talks.
“No, it's my fault. I shouldn't have meddled in Wendy's personal life. She
probably hates me now.” Dipper scolded himself. He always told Mabel that she
shouldn’t get into other’s personal lives, and what did he do? Get into Wendy's
personal life.
“Ah, chin up, kid. You were tryin' to do the right thing. Even though you
destroyed a relationship and part of my car.” That reminds him that perhaps
tomorrow he will have a visit from Blubs and Durland. Will they still keep
looking for them when they took that slight detour to the lake?
Dipper kept seeing the soda can, passing it from hand to hand, trying not to
spill some bubbling liquid, “You think she'll ever forgive me?”
Stan smiled confidently, “I bet she will. And until then, you can always go
bowling with me.”
“Thanks, Grunkle Stan.”
“Don't mention it, kid.” Stan was about to uncover his soda can when he heard
noises outside the kitchen, “Wait a second... Is something rooting through our
trash?”
Dipper took a sip of his Pitt Cola, listening as Stan seemed to fight and shout
at whatever was rummaging through the trash. The front door opened and Rachel
entered the kitchen. The nurse now smiled to see her youngest son, although it
was obvious that something bad happened.
Rachel looked at her son and then at the stove, “Didn't Stan have dinner?” She
asked mockingly as she headed for the refrigerator to look for something that
would serve for today's dinner.
“Not at all.”
“So? Why so depressed?” Rachel had only casually asked, she smiled as the
expression on Dipper's face changed, “You can tell me now or whenever you
want.” She knew that her son would feel more comfortable talking about male
feelings with another male.
“Yes, it may be another time – I just talked to Stan and he gave me some
advice.”
“As long as you don’t do something illegal how to help him steal a pearl
necklace.”
“Why should – ?” Does his mother – ? “Never mind. The point is that after
talking to Stan the guilt feels less heavy.”
“Was it so serious what you did?”
“So much.” Dipper responded quickly, “And for the moment I'll try to stay away
from Wendy until everything calms down.”
“If that's what you need.” Rachel stroked his back gently, though she didn’t
understand what happened to the Corduroy girl. Dipper was probably just
exaggerating the situation. That girl and her son would never get into serious
trouble.
                                      ☽✠☾
“Cleaning in the hallway 2.” The robotic and boring voice of the manager was
heard through the corridors of the mini market.
Before even being able to return home Wendy received a text message from her
father, saying if she could buy some things. It seemed that the universe
conspired against her to avoid getting home. With resignation, she accepted and
entered the nearest mini market.
A product to the shopping cart.
She truly believed that Robbie had been honest with her. Yeah, maybe he missed
or canceled their dates, but at least he could tell her the truth when they saw
each other during school and she would forgive him, but that he had brainwashed
her to make her happy with him and to tell her that the song wasn’t even
written by him – She no longer knew who to trust now.
A product to the shopping cart.
Wendy had had so many relationships, so many ex-boyfriends that she couldn't
even count them with the fingers of her hands,  or her f eet . Most of her
friends believed it was because she was too cool for them, most of the whole
school thinks she   is   too cool for anyone –   Pl   ease  , she listens to
everything they mumble and rumble about her and her family, she isn’t a fool
not to notice.  They should also know that everything they write in the girls'
room is read by all the girls.  – Although the reason she broke up with her
boyfriends, it was because she was still   insecure  .
A product to the shopping cart.
Most would laugh and believe it ' s a  kind of  joke, but in reality she is n'
t as great and cool as everyone thinks, she is also a   human   with
insecurities  , she lives   stressed   24 hours a day.   Maybe   for her
family,   maybe   for school,   maybe   for work,   maybe   for her future,
maybe   because she is like that and no one could  fix her.
The moment she felt that others were beginning to know her as she was, she
pushed them aside. Very few people stayed with her when her real self came up.
They were her closest friends and with whom she had the most confidence. Among
them was Robbie.
One blow made her wake up, she had crashed into someone else's shopping cart,
“Sorry.” She said without looking up and stepped aside to continue on her way.
She had finally finished buying everything but had to go to the cash register
and done, she would be free to go home.
There were not many people in line, that was an extra bonus for tonight.
The manager was an older woman than she. She greeted with a kind voice, Wendy
pretended the same. She started to take the products from the shopping cart and
pass them to the girl to start recording her purchase ticket. The redhead hoped
it wouldn’t cost too much, Wendy wasn’t sure she had enough money to –
An outstretched hand pulled her out of her trance. The girl at the cash
register smiled at her as her hand was still drawn to her.
“What happen?”
“Your ID, I need to see it.”
 My what?   “Why? I  haven't  – ”
It was then that her eyes focused on what the woman had in her hands. It was a
bottle of liquor, she knew the mark since her father used to take some shots,
but she never remembers putting it in her shopping cart... Unless when she was
spacing out without knowing it unconsciously took that bottle of liquor .
Wendy heard some people in the other cash register murmuring, then there was a
couple watching her. “  Isn't she Manly Dan’s daughter?  ” Someone asked in a
not so low voice. “  Did she buy it for herself or her father?  ” Someone else
spoke.
Of course, in such a small town everyone knew each other.   It cannot be  ,
Wendy thought,   Everyone is thinking that I was going to pay for that bottle
of liquor  . She had never drunk a drop of alcohol before. Not even when she
and Tambry had their first slumber as teenagers and her friend had stolen a
bottle of liquor from her parents, only Tambry tasted one shot, but she said it
was the most disgusting thing she had ever tasted.
When she was younger and her brothers were just kids, her mother had died and
her father had been drunk for a few days that his room had been full of bottles
and the smell was unbearable that Wendy wanted to vomit just by taking a step
inside the room. His father had drunk because of his mother's death, he was sad
– Just as she was now with the disappointment she has just endured.
Maybe a part of her wanted –
“Sorry, I think there's just been a mistake here.”
Wendy felt a hand resting on her shoulder, she looked up to see who it was. It
was a bronzed skin woman, her face was circular, a small nose, large red lips,
a pair of teeth peeking through her fleshy lips, her dark black hair and red
strands were covering her left eye while the right she noticed that it was a
pink color. She wore a red sweater as well as a skirt of the same color, her
left hand was on her hip. Wendy felt a little intimidated by the woman,
obviously taller and older than her, maybe it was an illusion for the white
high-heeled boots she wore.
“I must have the wrong shopping cart, that bottle's mine.” The woman spoke in a
melodious and graceful voice that made the woman at the cash register and Wendy
blush. The woman nodded and returned the bottle to the black-haired woman, she
continued to smile even without removing her hand from Wendy's shoulder, “I'm
sorry for all this embarrassment, let me help you pay for your stuff.” The lady
pulled out a wallet and Wendy could see many bills.
“Oh no, seriously, it was nothing. You said it, it was a mistake.” Wendy moved
her hands and walked away from the woman.
“Then let me at least compensate you for this misunderstanding.”
Wendy hesitated a bit about accepting the woman’s invitation, yet she seemed to
be kind, “It's okay.” Wendy held out her hand, “My name is Wendy Corduroy, just
tell me Wendy.”
The woman shook her hand, “Veronica Mor Le Faerie, but you can call me
Pyronica.”
Chapter End Notes
     *Whistling carelessly* Oh, you are already here.
     So? I need to know! Do you think this is good or bad news? This is
     truly one of the chapters that most enjoy writing, as it will slowly
     unraveling several secrets *heavy breathing*
     Of course the main secret is already in the tags, but as my brain is
     wrong, I decided to add something else, also someone else, but that
     will be later.
     If you want to know something else, tell me in the comment box. Also
     a kudo and bookmark it are received with a lot of love.
     See you in the next chapter!
     You can always contact me on Tumblr: Here
     Also some of my future stories: Here
***** Chapter 11 *****
Chapter Summary
     Wendy makes a new friend. Dipper confirms something terribly sad.
Chapter Notes
     Done! The new couple is already tagged.
     Each month a little closer...
     See you at the end!
     Update: Dec/13/2017
See the end of the chapter for more notes
                       Nice to meet you, where you been?
                      I could show you incredible things
                          Magic, madness, heaven, sin
                          Saw you there and I thought
                         Oh my God, look at that face
                         You look like my next mistake
                          Love's a game, wanna play?
           ~ Blank Space cover by Pevali original by Taylor Swift ~
Wendy tried to understand how she had come to this situation, but every time
she thought about it, there was always something that distracted her from
concluding her thoughts. Either the bright lights of the luxurious chandeliers
hanging from the golden ceiling, or the thousands of voices that were heard in
the ridiculously pompous restaurant...
Damn it! She had never in her life thought that one day she would dine at the
high-rise restaurant in Gravity Falls... Well, she wasn’t technically eating
because she had never heard of these dishes before. Do all pretentious
millionaires speak an alien language?
Wendy looked up slightly from her menu to see the other person on the opposite
side of the table. The tan-skinned, jet-black haired, elegantly dressed woman.
The woman who had invited her to dinner at the luxurious restaurant.
Wendy was slightly doubtful, not to say she had distrusted when the pretty
woman, Veronica, had said she would invite her to dinner to make up for the
embarrassing misunderstanding. Wendy didn’t see a car, which was almost a basic
rule in case they tried to kidnap her – That if she did it, if someone
disappeared in Gravity Falls, the whole town came together to look for them,
it's the best thing about a small town, besides, she’s Manly Dan’s daughter and
she wouldn’t yield so easily before an attempted kidnapping – So she supposed
that they would probably walk to Greasy’s… Then Veronica told her that she had
reservations elsewhere.
Le Club. The only townsfolk in Gravity Falls who were allowed to enter the
wealthy restaurant were the Northwest family, and maybe Gideon Gleeful. Why her
rustic town had a gourmet restaurant? She never understood, although Soos’
abuelita had told them that when she had just moved into Gravity Falls with her
husband, Preston Northwest’s father had ordered its construction. If someone
from Gravity Falls wanted to dine in that restaurant, they need a reservation
of at least two years ago, that and a ridiculous and juicy amount of dollars
that she could pay for her university, if she wanted to go.
Veronica looked up carefully watching her new friend looking at the place
completely confused, the redhead’s expression was too adorable, she could
almost compare it to Little Tree’s, although hers was more beautiful.
Veronica coughed, “Are you okay?”
Wendy woke up from her reverie, it was as if Veronica’s voice had been a snap.
“Uh, I’m sorry. Fine, fine, I’m fine.” Wendy looked back at the menu after
saying her clearly unconvincing answer.
Veronica cocked her head, her red, full lips forming a sympathetic smile. “I
see you’re still undecided about dinner. Don’t worry, if you’re not hungry, I
can always ask for something for you, in fact, I know someone here who – ”
“Veronica.” Wendy interrupted her.
“Sweetie, don’t call me Veronica.” Wendy raised an eyebrow, “That’s what people
call me to whom I don't have trust – I told you, call me Pyronica.”
“Pyronica?”
“It’s the name my friends gave me.” Pyronica smiled happily.
Right, now that she remembered her, Pyronica was that guy’s – What was his
name? Bill Cipher?– assistant in that circus of illusions. If Mabel found out
who she was with right now, surely the female twin would force everyone to
bring her immediately to the restaurant. “Okay, Pyronica.” It was strange how
one of her eyes seemed to shine when she said her name, as if one of them had
flashed a pink flame.
“Oh, sweetie, you were going to tell me something, right?” Pyronica spoke,
interested in whatever the redhead was going to say.
I? “Yeah, sorry… It’s not that I want to sound rude or ungrateful, just… I
don’t feel comfortable here.” Pyronica blinked, confused, “I mean, this doesn’t
seem to be a place for me. Just look at me and look at you. Everyone can see
that there is a big difference between us in the clothes we wear.”
Pyronica snorted and smiled again, “I don’t know what’s wrong with this, it’s
just clothes.”
Wendy giggled, “That sounded like something out of a philosophy class, however,
that’s not what I’m talking about.”
“Don’t worry, I know what you mean. I tried to lighten the atmosphere between
us.” Pyronica winked at her, “It’s just that it’s my first time in this town
alone and you’re the first person I’ve had a conversation with.”
Wendy raised an eyebrow, “You mean you didn’t go with your friends when the
festival ended?” She was curious about where Pyronica’s friends went after
finishing the summer carnival. During the rest of the summer their circus of
illusions became quite popular among the villagers.
“I remembered who you are! You are Red!” Both eyes gleamed that even Wendy
thought they looked like fire, “I was wondering why your face was so familiar,
you’re the girl who helped Bill in his act of magic.” Pyronica breathed a sigh
of relief, “It’s like fate, don’t you think?” Her smile widened that Wendy
could see her perfect teeth. “I’m sorry, seems like I’m evading your question.
I caused you a problem in that store and I thought that this would be a good
way to make up for it. Excuse me if I offended you.”
Oh God, now she felt like a fool with no heart. “No, it’s me who was being rude
to you. I – Is not – ” Wendy bit her inner cheek and looked at the extravagant
marble floor, “I don’t feel in a good mood tonight.” She whispered, hoping that
Pyronica hadn’t listened to her.
The smile didn’t fade from Pyronica's face, “Do you want to talk about it?”
Pyronica offered a sympathetic look and reached out to touch Wendy’s hand.
Wendy wasn’t much of personal contact with people she had just met, but
Pyronica seemed to be a good person, even something innocent, she was almost
like an adult version of Mabel; But talking about how the person she had
trusted for more than eleven years had deceived her, it didn’t seem like
something she just wanted to talk, or remember, right now.
Poor to her, she clearly needed comfort. Red needed a push so she could trust
her, Bill had no problem in getting Pine Tree to trust him, so she wouldn’t
have problems either. No one, in more than ten thousand years, had had
problems. “You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.” She spoke sweetly and
her thumb lightly caressed the redhead’s hand.
A heat ran through her body, as if she were near the fire, or rather, as if she
had fire inside her. It was a reassuring and comforting feeling that Wendy felt
all that tension and bad mood left behind.
Maybe it wasn’t so bad talking about this with Pyronica. She could never talk
about this with Tambry, they both made fun of their respective ex-boyfriends,
though, Robbie was a friend of both – Well, Wendy’s friend that of Tambry’s;
She also didn’t have a mother to ask for advice and obviously her father
shouldn’t know about that Robbie had tried to brainwash her... Maybe Dipper’s
and Mabel’s mother, but even if Mrs. Pines seemed like a good person she didn’t
know her enough and Wendy had contemplated not going to work at least for a few
days, until her anger towards Dipper and Mr. Stan had faded.
“I broke up with my boyfriend.” She finally said and surprisingly, it felt like
a weightless on her shoulders. The sensation of the fire inside her was getting
warmer.
Pyronica gently released Wendy’s hand and moved away a little, the redhead felt
cold inside again, “Does he – ?”
Wendy denied shaking her head, “No, he would never hurt me, nor would I hurt
him, but... Uh, he lied to me.”
“So, he cheated on you with another girl?” Pyronica seriously asked, “Or could
it be that he cheated on you with a boy?”
Wendy laughed, “No, it was more... A matter of trust between us.” She took the
glass of water that the waiters had served to both women when Pyronica asked
for a table, she didn’t drink, but rather, it was like an excuse to avoid
Pyronica’s look, “It’ll sound crazy and I don’t blame you if you don’t believe
me.” Even I doubt Dipper until I hear the record. “But he brainwashed me.”
Wendy said, laughing, either hoping that Pyronica took it as a joke or
something not so relevant. “With a song that he had supposedly written. It
sounds like science fiction.”
Pyronica pursed her lips and looked away, her hand went to her jet-black hair,
tucking a short strand behind her ear, the light of the chandelier shone on the
ruby earring making small but bright red lights shine on her cheek, “I don’t
think it’s as crazy as what I’ve seen for several years in the world.”
“Have you been around the world?” Wendy deliberately tried to change the
subject of conversation, what Pyronica said seemed interesting, she longed to
travel around the world, someday. “How you earn a living?”
“You’ve seen our show.”
“Yes, though y’all didn’t accept money.” Wendy remembered that day, “Are you
millionaires or gangsters? Because I simply can’t think otherwise.” Wendy
smiled slightly, it felt good to talk to someone for a while, to distract from
all this and that, even for a moment.
“Have you decided what to order?” One of the waiters approached their table.
Wendy returned her sight to the menu even without being able to understand
exactly, what the heck was all this? “I’d rather eat something I know.”
Pyronica took her hand again, making the nervousness of her red-haired friend
diminish, Pyronica looked up to see the waiter in the eyes, “Just give us two
hamburgers to go out.”
At the request so ridiculous the waiter lowered the small yellow notebook and
in a respectable pose, he spoke, “Madame, we are a restaurant of etiquette,
asking us to cook a vulgar hamburger isn’t – ”
Before even the waiter could even continue speaking Pyronica took his hand
between the free hand she had, “I know what this place is, and I think you
didn’t understand me,” She spoke sweetly though her eyes showed a more
different emotion, “Restaurants should always give the customer the reason,”
Her tone of voice went down until she felt the waiter completely petrified,
“Even as ridiculous as it is.” Pyronica was still speaking sweetly but with a
tone now a bit more poisonous than only the waiter was able to perceive.
The waiter blinked as if he had just woken up from a dream, or nightmare, he
adjusted the glasses that had fallen to the tip of his nose, coughing as he
took his yellow notebook with his trembling hands and really confused, he began
to write, “Two hamburgers to go out, right away.” And done this, the waiter
left.
“I must apologize for the waiter,” Pyronica returned to look at Wendy, hoping
that she hadn’t noticed the slight change in her voice a few seconds ago,
“Maybe I was a bit rushed to invite you to dinner, you know, I’m not from
here.”
“No problem.” Wendy tried to relax the jet-haired woman, “I think you’re one of
the few decent people who apologize to a stranger.”
“We already introduced ourselves, we said our names,” Pyronica placed her
handbag on the table, in a few minutes the waiter will return. “We are no
longer strangers.”
This girlislike an adult Mabel, Wendy smiled at the thought. “I love the way
you think.” The redhead left the menu on the table, she wouldn’t need it
anymore, indeed, this would be the only time she would have to deal with this,
“By the way, where are you staying?”
“A motel near the town, isn’t a big deal, but I plan to stay a long time before
my friends need me for something.” Pyronica explained.
“Something like a new magic show?”
Pyronica narrowed her eyes, “Yes, something like that. We take long breaks
before we want to start a new party and rest again.” Pyronica sighed. “Our work
is the funniest in the universe.” The tanned woman responded quickly, “This is
how we’ve learned to live.” And so we win what we want.
Wendy nodded, shaking her head as the waiter approached with a thin silver
plastic bag. “Two hamburgers, Ma’am.” The waiter left the thin bag on the
table.
“Thank you.” Pyronica spoke before Wendy did, her gaze flicked to the waiter,
“Now retreat, this has already been paid.” Her right eye blinked a quick pink
flame that disappeared instantly as did the waiter.
Pyronica placed her handbag over her shoulder, while Wendy took the thin silver
plastic bag that contained the two burgers. The redhead wasn’t hungry at the
moment, but she knew that one of her brothers wouldn’t refuse to eat right now.
“It was a pleasure to have met you, Pyronica.” Wendy said on her way back to
the town.
“The pleasure was all mine, Wendy. I hope we meet again.”
“You should go to the Mystery Shack, it’s a tourist house with fake creatures
and expensive merchandise, but you’ll have fun.” No one could scold her for
telling the truth, besides, everyone in the town knew the conman that Mr.
Stanley is; Also, she was promoting more tourism to the Shack since every time
the classes started, tourism to the town always descended.
“Do you work there?”
Wendy was speechless. She would have said yes, but after tonight with Mr. Stan
and Dipper, especially Dipper, her lips closed automatically. Dipper wasn’t
guilty of anything, he opened her eyes to the truth of her relationship. On the
other hand, she had the suspicion that Dipper had a crush on her and that made
her feel flattered, but the way in which her young friend had gone after her
when she was in shock... It wasn’t something she could even take well, even if
Dipper’s intention was noble. “For now I’m taking a break because very soon my
exams will take place.” She didn’t lie completely, at least part of her exams
weren’t a lie and she had already planned to ask Stan a few days to study.
Pyronica seemed disappointed, “I thought I would see you there.”
There was something in Pyronica's tone that Wendy didn’t like how disappointed
the woman was listening. It was as if she had kicked a puppy.
“So, Wendy,” Pyronica spoke again when they finally entered the town, “I hope
to see you at another day.” Pyronica extended her hand to her.
Wendy stared for a moment at Pyronica’s thin hand, then she also raised her
hand and held it against the woman's; As she did a few minutes ago, her body
again felt that flame inside her spreading, “Same, Pyronica.”
Both women stopped shaking hands and with a slight movement of hands each one
turned around towards their destinies.
Wendy didn’t stop thinking about Pyronica all the way home, there was something
about that woman that made her feel comfortable although that must be strange.
Both weresimplystrangers who simply met by simple coincidence of fate. Maybe
she has the opportunity to see Pyronica again. Pyronica was doing some
sightseeing around the town so seeing her by Gravity Falls wouldn’t be a big
mess, it’s likely that she wanted to go to work... Whether it’s hoping to see
Pyronica, or trying to talk to Dipper.
                                      ☽✠☾
Guilt and remorse didn’t let him be at peace with himself. It had been four
days since he had ruined the relationship between Wendy and Robbie. Wendy
hadn’t shown up to work since then, and she was evading him at school, which
wasn’t so difficult with classes, extracurricular activities and various
schedules.
Stan had told him to stop worrying, Wendy would eventually forget it and
realize that Dipper had just tried to be a good friend, and that he better stay
focused on his new job in the Shack now that old conman had stayed without a
cash-register girl. Mabel’s attitude was opposite to Stan’s, his twin had moved
her head in disappointment and proceeded to scold him for not telling her about
his new discovery, at least that way she would have given the news to Wendy, so
there wouldn’t be so abrupt and manly.
Mabel told him that girls like to think a lot about these kinds of issues,
especially when there are third parties meddling in a two-person affair, though
Wendy would forgive him, eventually.
“Let time fix things.” Mabel had said when they ate popcorn on the couch the
night before.
And that was one of the many things that Dipper was worried about. Time solved
few things and always, or at least almost always, at a pace too slow. What if
Wendy didn’t forgive him? Or if she did, what if she never spoke to him again
or that she treated him as one more person?
Dipper put his hands to his face, dragging them slowly around the outline of
his face. He already understood, he should never have meddled in the teenagers’
relationship, no matter his crush on Wendy or his dislike for Robbie, he must
have said it in a way that wouldn’t have affected both of them. Yes, to both.
It turns out that Robbie hasn’t gone to school, and their friends simply don’t
know where the Goth guy will be, though Nate told him that Robbie probably must
be under a thousand hoodies in his bed eating ice cream and cutting the fingers
off his gloves.
He knew that he didn’t have Mabel’s special ability to get into other people’s
lives and leave without consequences, at least most of the time. Mabel was a
social butterfly, any problem that crossed her path she knew how to solve it
while he either made a thousand-step plan or was just more impulsive in
important cases, aka, for something is that he’s here.
Dipper sighed, completely defeated. What’s done is done, that’s what most
people said. The thirteen-year-old boy nodded to himself, the best thing now
was to try to calm down and let things follow their own rhythm, it wouldn’t do
any good if he tried to rush it. If Wendy wanted to go back to work at the
Shack and (or not) talk to him again... Well, Dipper had it well deserved.
Inhaling and breathing a couple of times more, Dipper looked up. The young
teenager was surprised to notice how calm the forest felt now, was it only at
this hour? Other times he had come to the forest he almost could feel every
presence around him, especially the deeper he went. The sunlight that entered
through the foliage of the treetops formed a curious pattern of irregular
golden shapes on the green lawn of the forest. If Mabel were here she would say
that here more shining colors and glitter were missing, especially glitter.
Dipper yawned, he hadn’t managed to fall asleep because of the anxiety of one
more day in school. It didn’t seem like a bad idea to take a nap in the middle
of the woods, after all, Bill had promised that he would protect him in the
woods when he was here, however Dipper had to eliminate the thought, since he
hadn’t come here to take a nap, if not to talk to Bill and ask him a favor.
“Bill.” Dipper called, waiting for the golden triangle to appear out of nowhere
as he always did, or at least some of the Henchmaniacs jumped out of the trees
as they liked, but nobody did. “Bill.” He called again, and again nothing.
Wasn’t Bill in the woods? Dipper knew that Bill and his friends liked to travel
from time to time, but the demon hadn’t done it lately, at least not in these
last years. Maybe the triangular demon found something more interesting out
there and Dipper would have no problem waiting while he did his own research or
went to the lake to visit the Gobblewonker – Except that yes, he just didn’t
have time to wait for Bill.
Dipper looked at his wristwatch, it was barely nine in the morning. Mabel
wouldn’t wake until her stomach, or Waddles’, growled. Stan and Ford were old
but not lazy. Their mother, who had had an emergency night shift, would arrive
at any moment. Sighing and looking once more towards the forest glade he
decided to try one last time.
Before Dipper had even opened his lips to call for the triangular demon, an
explosion of colors and fire occurred in the middle of the clearing that made
Dipper raise his arms to his face, covering himself with the strong white light
that remained.
“Pine Tree!” Bill appeared after the white light disappeared and floated until
he was near the child, “I didn’t expect to see you so early.” Bill snapped his
fingers and a pocket watch appeared out of nowhere, “Is today my birthday?”
Bill had a birthday? Dipper thought, but knowing the strange humor of the
interdimensional being, and that his age would be impossible to put on birthday
candles, Dipper decided to forget it. “God, until you appear, for a moment I
thought you had gone somewhere in the world until you return who knows when.”
“And leave my favorite human behind? Don’t even dream about it.” Bill put his
hands on his sides.
Dipper wanted to laugh, but seeing that Bill’s eye seemed to express
seriousness he decided not to do it, was Bill really serious? “Uh, thanks, I
think.”
Bill’s body was devoured in blue flames, Dipper observed that the demon was now
in his humanoid form with the triangular head, “Will you tell me why have you
been wandering so early in the woods?” Bill pointed to the remarkable circles
under the young teenager's eyes.
Damn, he knew he must have done something to hide them, but he wouldn’t use his
mother’s makeup, let alone Mabel’s, his twin was too hasty at times. “Lack of
sleep. It’s for the school, but I’ll sleep completely next weekend, I swear.”
By the shape of Bill’s lips and eye Dipper knew that the golden demon wasn’t
convinced. “Anyway, what did you need, Pine Tree? Do you want to see a new
creature? Because I could create one if you asked me to.”
Wouldn’t be so bad – “In fact, I do want to see a creature.”
The smile on Bill’s triangular face widened, “Just mention their name and I’ll
take you to their home in the blink of an eye.” Bill even rolled up the sleeves
of his black jacket and winked at Dipper.
“Though... I’ve a doubt about that.” Dipper stopped Bill, “It’s about the
unicorns. The Author mentions them together with old legends and folklore, in
the Journal #2 The Author mentions that they possibly evolved in Pegasus since
they haven’t seen one in Europe, or even the Mediterranean, which was supposed
to be their origin place. And in the Journal #3 they concluded that the
unicorns could be extinct.”
At the mention of the stupids, multicolor-haired equines Bill turned around,
while floating in midair, Dipper didn’t seem to notice this since he was a bit
more focused on telling Bill his theories about the whereabouts of the
unicorns. Bill’s shoulders rose and fell and he turned around again facing
Dipper, “First of all, The Author is right – But not about their theory about
their evolution in Pegasus. Unicorns don’t exist anymore.” The humanoid with
triangular head revealed. “They’ll never exist again.”
Dipper exhaled heavily, biting his inner lip, “What happened to them?”
“Myths and legends weren’t so far from reality when it was said that certain
people could approach them. So when we talk about the magical properties in
magical creatures, that means everything. The unicorns had magical properties.
Hair, hooves, tears, etc. All of them. The unicorns were hunted several
centuries ago. If there are still stories about them at this time is due to the
large number of stories that the hunters told when they brought with them some
magical elixir made of unicorn.”
Dipper listened intently, not believing that what Bill said could be true, “But
there must be some left, right? It’s impossible that they are completely
extinct. What about other dimensions?”
“The unicorns were interdimensional creatures until they decided to settle in
your world because of favorable conditions for their species.” In an instant
you are a deity and the other, you are a pariah. Bill thought resentfully.
Dipper made a face of disgust. Not even in ten thousand years, humanity had
managed to control excessive hunting leading to the complete extinction of a
magical species. Dipper couldn’t blame the creatures for preferring to hide
from humanity. “It’s sad that nothing has changed in all these years.” He
thought out loud.
Bill rested his long arm on Dipper’s shoulders, “There’s no need to blame you
for past mistakes that weren’t even yours.” The demon took the young chestnut
from the chin to raise his eyes and meet his mocha eyes. “Also, you didn’t miss
out on the great thing. The unicorns were imbeciles presumed by their magical
abilities. They self-destroyed themselves.” Bill summoned a unicorn-shaped,
cerulean flame that galloped around his hand until the demon waved it and the
flame vanished.
“Well, now I must break Mabel’s heart.” Dipper said
So it was about impressing Shooting Star, there’s no doubt that his little
human was a kind being who sacrificed everything for others... In spite of
never receiving anything good in return. That’ll change very soon. Soon, Pine
Tree will be forever by your side and you can give the best gifts that anyone
would wish to have. For the whole life. “It’s a noble act.” Bill spoke
separating himself from the boy, “You know, sacrifice everything for your loved
ones.”
“It’s not sacrifice, Bill. I do it because it’s my family.” Dipper explained,
“I bet you would do it too.”
Bill hid a sly smile, “Who knows.”
“Don’t you have a family?” Until that moment Dipper had never thought of the
idea of Bill having a family, for some reason he imagined a family full of
golden or multicolored triangles.
Bill pursed his lips, as if trying to avoid laughing, but then the humanoid
with a triangular head exhaled a little laugh and with his cane tapped Dipper’s
head, “I think you better start to go home, your mother shouldn’t be long in
coming. We’ll have another time to explore and have fun in the forest.”
“How do you know?” Bill pointed to his one eye. Oh, sure, Bill knows and sees
everything.
“Wait, Pine Tree.” Bill called the boy before he turned around again to the
town, again away from him.
Dipper was startled to feel Bill’s claws perch on his cheeks, caressing gently
beneath his eyes a couple of times. He felt a deja vu, a feeling of fright and
amazement – That couldn’t be, this was the first time that Bill touched him so
directly.
“Done.” Bill removed his hands to contemplate his good work, those horrible
dark circles were no longer in his Pine Tree’s face, “Whatever it’s that has
you worried, let me tell you, things will be fixed. Sooner or later, everything
will be fixed.” The demon patted the boy’s head and then turned him around,
“See you soon.”
Dipper adjusted his hat and turned around to say goodbye to the humanoid, “I
see you s– ” But Bill had already disappeared. Dipper huffed, it would be
better if he got used to this. Dipper turned around in the direction of the
town, ignoring that there was a figure reclining on one of the highest branches
of the trees that were in the forest clearing.
Once Pine Tree’s presence had completely disappeared from the forest, Bill came
down from the tree.
If there was something the demon couldn’t do in front of Pine Tree, it was to
smile about how euphoric he was that the plague had vanished forever from the
Multiverse. The unicorn had only caused them problems. If only those stupid
unicorns had stayed out of their business, maybe now they would be enjoying a
long, healthy life.
With the palm extended towards him, a cerulean fire appeared, separating in
several flames taking shapes of unicorns; The new unicorns of blue fire ran
around his palm.
“It was a fun hunt.” Bill squeezed his palm hard that the fire vanished like
smoke.
He could still hear their neighing.
And the funniest ones were those of agony.
Chapter End Notes
     Oh no! There are no unicorns! Nothing could save us, right? Are they
     really extinct as Bill told Dipper? We'll know with time.
     By the way, I'm glad to know that you liked the idea of Wendy and
     Pyronica together. They're also an important part of the plot. Though
     their interactions are different from Bill and Dipper, the motive and
     goal of both demons is the same.
     My semester is only a few days away, but I may have to work because I
     need money to buy something I saw a few days ago and my savings
     aren't enough *ugly cry* Although I'll continue working on this and
     other stories, finally taking advantage of my free time *yeah!*
     Thank you very much for reading, leave a kudo, comment or bookmark
     it. They are always well appreciated. See you soon and happy holidays
     to all of you.
     p.s: Also, I update two other stories in case you want to read them
     ;)
     You can always contact me on Tumblr: Here
     Also some of my future stories: Here
***** Chapter 12 *****
Chapter Notes
     Fun fact: Of not having left this fanfic in hiatus for a long time,
     in this year this story would be ending :P Pls, don't kill me.
     Update: January/13/2018
See the end of the chapter for more notes
                      I’ve looked a long time to find you
            I drifted through the universe, just to lay beside you
                   Anywhere you want me to take you, I’ll go
             But there’s things about me that you just don’t know
                         ~ Dark Star by Jaymes Young ~
The high school bell echoed throughout the building. The classrooms were
flooded with the resounding of desks being dragged against the floor and the
hallways were soon flooded with students eager to enjoy the weekend.
Dipper wasn’t in a hurry to leave, since he hadn’t chosen any extracurricular
activity, he was one of the few children who went home early every Friday. He
could waste time in the Arcade until it’s time to go home and avoid his work at
the cash register or just wait for his sister outside the room that the arts
club occupied for their activities. Before he used to go see Wendy and her team
play soccer, but since that incident happened, both, he and the redhead, had
been avoiding each other. It was as if it had been a mutual agreement that
neither of them knew.
His twin told him that if he hadn’t found a club to join, it wouldn’t hurt to
try next year. Dipper knew that Mabel expected him to join her at her arts club
but simply, art wasn’t for him, doing doodles on his notebook and on the
Journals seemed sufficient. Besides, he preferred to leave that talent to his
sister.
Dipper left the classroom and for his luck, he found Mabel with Candy. Both
girls waited for Grenda to come out of the girls’ room and then the three of
them would go to their respective clubs to see each other at the end of each
club and walk home.
“Dipper,” His twin didn’t waste time to approach him as soon as she saw him and
take him by the arms, shaking him, “Quick, answer me, is it possible to guess
the password of a safe if you put some makeup on the numbers?”
Dipper raised an eyebrow, “What’s this all about?”
“To be a better scammer than Stan!” Before her brother’s arched eyebrow and
confused face, Mabel rolled his eyes and began to explain, “Three nights ago we
were watching Why youAckin’so Cray-Cray? and one of the cases was about a girl
who stole her husband’s money with the help of makeup.”
“And I insist,” Dipper interrupted her as he took a step back, “What’s this all
about?”
“Her husband had money in the safe and she deduced the combination by covering
the buttons with makeup – So, I asked Stan if he had something important,
besides us as a family, in a safe and guess what he said: The Property Rights
of the Shack!”
“Mabel, I don’t know if you should say it so loudly.” Dipper shrugged as he
looked both ways. “Even if what I was going to say to you is affirmative, why
would you want to have the Shack?”
“Brother, I had an epiphany. I’m going to be a better boss than Stan and he’ll
have no choice but to give me the Mystery Shack.” Mabel said very determined of
what she had in mind.
Dipper bit his inner cheek. Yes, Stan wasn’t the best boss they could have –
Considering also that he’s the first boss they have – The old man was a
professional conman, a clever liar, and he had also eaten the spaghetti that
Dipper had clearly cooked for himself, but they were the requisites to be able
to take the business of lies and illusions afloat, without having to mention
that he had been the owner of the Mystery Shack for almost three decades...
That in contrast to Mabel... Honestly, Dipper couldn’t see Mabel as the owner
of the Mystery Shack.
Yes, Mabel could become a better boss than Stan if she wanted to. No, she
wouldn’t be the best boss for the Mystery Shack. Putting the cards on the
table, Mabel is a nice girl, she gives free stickers, and above all, she can’t
lie unless she has a very good reason to do it. Dipper could see her in a good
job in the future, being the best boss and always getting compliments from her
work colleagues, but as the future boss of the Mystery Shack – No, he just
couldn’t say that to his sister.
“And you want to apply makeup to Stan’s safe for – ?”
“Guess the code of the safe. C’mon, Bro-Bro, you’re my right hand, my brain, my
master plan creator.” Mabel loved that part of her brother, especially when
they got into trouble, not that she didn’t cause most of them.
Dipper smiled, it was pointless to say no to Mabel, she would always get him to
stand on her side. “Maybe. Our fingers leave some grease on the surfaces so if
you apply makeup you probably have the digits of the combination – ”
“Yes, thank you, Dipper!” Mabel interrupted him, giving him a big hug that made
him get off the ground for a few inches.
“Though, depending on the number of digits is the number of combinations that
one must do,” Dipper pulled out a calculator from his vest, “For example, if we
have four numbers you could have... 256 combinations, now if we assume that the
safe has limits – ”
“Hush,” Mabel put a finger on her brother’s lips, “Plans with several steps can
be planned after I get the digits from the safe.”
“Fine, but I don’t want to be part of this when Stan finds out what you’ve
planned to do.” Dipper received a gentle blow on the shoulder.
“Please, Dipper. I would never give you away. Besides, I think Stan would be
very proud if we started breaking rules.”
Yes, but not his rules, Dipper thought.
Grenda finally left the bathroom and Dipper had to say goodbye to his sister,
despite Mabel asking him to wait for her at the end of the hour.
Once out of school, Dipper saw a few kids who stayed wandering around, without
having to count the sports teams that trained in the back of high school.
Dipper contemplated both roads, one would take him to the town and perhaps he
would lose some time or he would take the other road and go to the Shack and
work. But considering that Stan knew he hadn’t picked any clubs this year, it
was likely that he would give him more work hours for trying to evade the
Mystery Shack.
He finally decided to go straight to the Mystery Shack, maybe Ford would be
home and could talk to him. And in any case that Ford wasn’t at home, he still
had Soos who knew how to get goodies from the vending machine without the need
to put a coin.
It seems that someone has been learning the tricks of Grunkle Stan.
                                      ☽✠☾
To say that continuing to open the Mystery Shack when tourism seemed to have
descended after the classes began, was silly – Well, actually it was, but even
because Stan had such big ears, he wouldn’t listen to the new opinions.
“Do you think you know how to manage this place better than me?” Stan had
asked, of course rhetorically, since neither Dipper nor Mabel would say
anything about it to challenge the old conman, although Mabel had begun to look
more determined, perhaps that is why she had the epiphany days before to take
control of the Shack.
And that’s how the Mystery Shack was, with very few tourists. Most of the
tourists who had come after September began were mostly young adults, perhaps
newly married couples judging by how corny some became, so he and Wendy quietly
mocked them, and the elders, and with they were the ones with the most problems
they have, including Stan, and that was already a lot to say.
The few who came, hardly bought something, but not before trying to bargain
prices, and leave, either with or without the product they wanted, the Mystery
Shack.
Dipper read Journal # 1 – Stan had told him that his job was to take care of
the cash register so he was technically doing his job – More precisely out of
boredom than because he was really looking for something. The last thing he had
been doing in his new Journal was to have added the new information he and Bill
had been discovering.
Extinct. It had been written over the crossed-out word that had previously been
read No Traces Yet.
Dipper hadn’t told Mabel that the unicorns had gone extinct, forever, yet. Two
weeks ago, he had found out and he didn’t know how to tell his twin sister that
her favorite fantasy creatures had gone extinct from the face of the Earth.
Mabel was a very sensitive girl, he could remember when their mother had
cleaned the sofa and thrown that ball of fluff Mabel had named Dale. The then-
five-years-old girl had cried for a whole week and now Dipper didn’t want to
know how long her mourning would be. At least Dipper was hoping to tell her
that the sirens were real, but with respect to vampires...
The door of the gift shop burst open with a smiling Mabel coming inside.
“Dipper!” Mabel shouted excited as soon as she visualized her twin, though her
scream scared the few tourists who ran away. “Guess what has been my greatest
idea that I’ve had in my entire life?”
“Uh, you mean try to take over the Shack – ”
“No, my silly little brother,” Mabel interrupted him, in her excited state she
took off his cap and put it on, “I mean, Grenda, Candy, and I will have a
sleepover!” She revealed, “My first sleepover since we arrived. It’s the dream
of every teenager and not to mention that they always end up being a wild
party.”
“Wild party?! Who has said that?” Stan burst into the gift shop, panting in
terror when his precious business was empty of tourists, “My clients! What
happened to my precious clients with wallets full of money!”
“Grunkle Stan, I’ll have a sleepover tonight.” Mabel informed him.
“Oh, great, another party.” Stanley soon seemed to recover his smile, “And how
much will we charge?”
“Grunkle Stan, it’s a sleepover,” Mabel said as she placed her hands on her
waist, “And although it may end up being the best party, there will be no
reason to charge my friends.”
Dipper rolled his eyes as he kept the Journal in his vest. Seeing Mabel and
Stan discussing was always fun, considering that they had such different and
yet so similar views.
                                      ☽✠☾
Mabel had won. In fact, Dipper wasn’t surprised about who had been the final
winner. But a part of him, the one who had been praying internally that Stan
would avoid Mabel inviting her friends to sleep at all costs, was almost
certain that Stan would win. Even so, he had to resign himself to the final
decision.
He knew Mabel so perfectly that he knew what his twin had prepared for her
sleepover tonight. Hours and hours and hours of noisy karaokes, songs as sticky
as annoying, shouts at frequencies that only dogs would hear, wrappers of
snacks scattered throughout the room that he would probably have to clean
because Mabel would be so sleepless that she would sleep all Saturday.
“We’ll finish our sleepover with the Student Love marathon, if we’ve time we
can probably see the Spin-Off, University Love.” Mabel revealed her plans for
tonight’s sleepover while the Pines family ate. “Ah!” Mabel had a twinkle in
her eyes, “Maybe we can play the dating simulation game!”
“Mabel, that sounds wonderful.” Rachel spoke, leaving aside the plate of rice,
“I hope you and your friends have fun.”
Easy for you to say, Dipper thought, considering that his mother had to cover a
shift at the hospital and she wouldn’t be around to hear how strong Mabel’s
lungs were.
“I just want my house to remain standing when I wake up in the morning.” Stan
had no problems with the parties, as long as he charged the entrance at
excessively high prices. However, with the sleepovers he had much more
problems, he couldn’t charge, which was the main one, but considering how old
he is, his deafness device could easily be turned off and he would have a quiet
night.
“It’s a good way for the kids to reward themselves.” Ford opined while taking
another steak, “They work very hard at school,” He looked at Rachel, his niece
was smiling, “And at the work.” Ford gave a serious look to Stan who just said
meh.
“Just wait, by the end of this year my report card will have so many A’s that
all you can say is Ahhhh!” Mabel said happily.
“What about you, Dipper? You still haven’t told us how you did at school?”
Rachel asked, looking at her son who had vaguely said a word.
“Fine, I guess.” Dipper spoke, “I feel that not all teachers have put too much
effort.” For example, his history teacher had left some monographs hanging that
was hard to ignore to help the whole classroom to get at least a B or C.
“I’ll tell you something, boy, when you get to the University, it’ll be worse.”
Stan said. “Take advantage now that the educational system doesn’t put much
effort into you.”
“Stanley! How can you say that to Dipper?” Ford subtly scolded his brother.
“Don’t pay attention to him, Dipper, Mabel.” Ford returned to look at his Grand
Nibbling.
The dinner continued its normal rhythm, leaving Mabel to take most of the
conversation and trying to convince Stan to leave her and her friends to have a
second party as soon as dawn.
Dipper sighed. This sleepover would get out of control. Unless he could evade
it. “By the way,” He said, calling his family’s attention, “Since Mabel is
going to have the entire room hoarded for her and her friends, I was wondering
if I – If I could camp outside.” Dipper moved his hands to try to lessen the
danger that his mother and Great-Uncle Ford, apparently, imagined, “Rather,
outside the Shack, near the Totem.” Considering how close both, the entrance to
the Shack and the entrance to the forest, were, it was a good middle point. It
seemed to work for Waddles.
Rachel didn’t seem entirely convinced, “I don’t like the idea of you sleeping
outside when the raccoons and coyotes rummage through the garbage during the
night.”
“Rachel.” Ford intervened, “I won’t be home tonight – ” Stan rolled his eyes
and continued eating, “I can let Dipper stay in my room. If what he needs is a
place to sleep peacefully, my room is sound proof, so Mabel’s sleepover
wouldn’t be a nuisance for him.”
“It won’t be necessary, Great-Uncle Ford.” Dipper refused his Great Uncle’s
offer, although internally he screamed for accepting Ford’s proposal. Ford
rarely allowed them to enter his room, mainly because the six-fingered old man
had corrosive and dangerous chemical materials inside. “I’m flattered by the
idea, but I think I’d like to sleep outdoors... Like in the old days.” He knew
it was a very low trick, knowing that his mother was present. He and Mabel had
realized how powerful and fatal it could be when they saw their parents’ faces.
Rachel pursed her lips and looked down at her food. If Dipper missed when he
and Jonathan were camping in the backyard of their old house in Piedmont, she
had no right to try to take that away from her children. They surely still had
a lot to assimilate. “So, I don’t see why not. If you want to camp outside, you
can do it, but promise to come back to the house if you see a harmful animal
approaching you.” Her lips smiled but her eyes didn’t.
Dipper could feel that remorse beginning to nibble his stomach, but at the same
time the warm feeling of knowing that he wouldn’t be in the Shack for a whole
night was more powerful. “I promise.”
                                      ☽✠☾
Dipper finished helping his sister build the fortress with pillows and
mattresses while Mabel went down and came up with sweets, fried foods, and
sodas. Once he finished dragging both mattresses Dipper made promise his sister
to at least leave his mattress intact.
“When you return, your mattress will be the mattress with more glitter in the
world.” She assured him by winking at him.
Dipper rolled his eyes and simply accepted the fate that his mattress would
suffer for tonight, and him for the rest of the month. Taking his backpack he
had already prepared for his night in the forest – Secret that only Mabel knew
– Dipper left the room.
Going down the stairs he met Stan, who had in his hand a glass of water, surely
he had already turned off his hearing aid because he didn’t listen when Dipper
asked him if Ford had already left. Entering the kitchen, he met his mother who
prepared some marmalade and peanut butter sandwiches for him.
“So, will you look at the stars?” Rachel asked, handing him the three
sandwiches now inside a zip bag.
“I’ll also read a little.” He pointed to his backpack, the three Journals
resting inside.
“Good, but have your flashlight with you.” Rachel gave him a motherly kiss on
the forehead.
Saying goodbye to his mother and both leaving the Shack, Dipper went to where
the totem was and pulling out the camping tent, he started to build it.
Camping wasn’t among the things he liked to do the most. Though once when they
were eight years, their old their classmates decided to have a camp to
celebrate the end of the school year. Dipper hadn’t felt very well and Mabel
refused to go without him. However, Dipper convinced her not to miss this
opportunity, it seems that this was the only time they had separated for a
short time. At least his parents had spent the night camping with him in the
yard.
Once the camping tent had been installed Dipper heard the door bell ringing
repeatedly, it was surely Candy and Grenda who had already arrived to start the
wild sleepover. If he remembered well his sister’s plan, they would start with
a make-up session. That would take a couple of hours for Mabel to put her loud
music and he could sneak into the woods.
Well, it seems that he could read a little and choose which new creature he
would like to meet.
                                      ☽✠☾
The trails in the forest at night weren’t as dangerous as the television series
had led him to believe. Even so, he had to be careful where he was walking as
there was a good chance that he would step on one of those trolls with colored
hair and a singing voice.
It also helped that it was Full Moon, so it didn’t look so dark. Though there
were some parts of the forest whose shadows formed strange silhouettes. One of
them seemed to have been a bear, but Dipper couldn’t tell if they were humps or
heads... One of them seemed to have growled...
Dipper stopped walking as soon as he reached the forest clearing where he met
Bill.
“Pine Tree!” Bill called, the pyramidal-headed demon was sitting on the branch
of a tree. Jumping gracefully from the branch to the floor, falling to his feet
and taking off his top hat to Dipper’s applause. “Thank you, it’s always
welcome applause and cheers, isn’t it, guys?”
Until then Dipper hadn’t noticed that the other Henchmaniacs had been
surrounding them until he heard their laughter and applause.
“You really like being the center of attention.” Dipper said.
“What makes you believe that?” Bill asked mockingly, “Going back to being
serious, why are you at night in the forest? You don’t know that there are
dangerous things that haunt the forest ready to catch a prey.” Bill tried to
scare Pine Tree, the human child laughed instead. Oh, if only Pine Tree knew.
Dipper shrugged, “You told me that nothing bad will happen to me, while you’re
here.” Dipper reminded his words to the golden demon, “So, going back to your
question, I just wanted to tell you that I escape.” Dipper said, not noticing
the strange change in Bill’s eyes, “I lie, in fact my sister will have a night
party with her friends and I decided to take advantage to explore and
investigate more in the forest.”
Oh, it was a pity that Pine Tree hadn’t left that pigpen where he lived, but
seeing the positive side, Pine Tree came to explore the forest, and to see him.
“Don’t you know that the forest isn’t safe for a growing child?” Bill ruffled
the human child’s brown hair, “Especially at night.”
“I’m not a baby.” Dipper said, taking Bill’s hand off his head, “I know there
are creatures that are nocturnal and I want to investigate more about them. I
don’t think I can have another opportunity like this again.”
Bill smirked, Pine Tree will come more often to the forest, it won’t matter if
it’s day or night. “Yes, you’re right. The opportunities are always so scarce,
right? So tell me, where are we going?”
Dipper scratched his chin in a thoughtful way, “I don’t know. There are so many
creatures that I would like to see, I thought at the moment in the Hide Behind
since it’s one of the few creatures that the Author couldn’t find evidence of
its real existence.” Besides to being one of the last creatures that the Author
tried to search before disappearing.
“It’s boring.” Pacifier opined.
“It just likes to follow you and never faces when you confront it for it.”
Kryptos narrowed his eyes. “If we wanted a creepy monster following us all day,
that’s Bill’s job.”
“Guys,” Bill spoke slowly making his friends stay frozen, “Didn’t you have to
do something else?”
The Henchmaniacs trembled slightly at the blue glow that Bill’s eye had flashed
and before their boss had gone to extremes – He wouldn’t do it anything because
his Pine Tree was here – They ran away, quickly saying goodbye to Pine Tree.
Dipper watched as the Henchmaniacs disappeared without saying anything other
than a goodbye. The human boy waved his hand in farewell, before Bill’s amused
gaze. “It seems that you’ve met Hide Behind, it doesn’t seem to be an
interesting creature.”
“It only cares that you don’t discover it. It’s like the game of infinite hide
and seek.” Bill sighed, “It gets boring after a while.” Of course, he couldn’t
do anything against that creature since in the past it had been very useful on
several occasions.
Maybe it’s better if he left Hide Behind for the last one. It was a shame, it
had been one of the creatures that seemed to have one of the most interesting
stories, besides being a popular subject among the stories of the lumberjacks
as his mother tells him that some of them came with scars that the supposed
creature did. Dipper would have gone to Manly Dan’s house, Wendy’s father...
“We can look for something more.” Dipper asked as he pulled Journal # 3 out of
his backpack.
“That’s the spirit, Pine Tree.” Bill said happily and then was wrapped in blue
fire, Dipper took a step back, taking care that the flames didn’t touch him.
The pyramidal face changed to a human one. “Now I’ve a creature in mind that
I’m sure you’ll like to know.”
Dipper and Bill had walked for a few minutes, rather said, Dipper was the one
who walked and Bill liked to float by his side. From what Bill had told him
about who they were going to see, it was a kind of nocturnal fairy whose body
was covered in a glow they collected from a kind of flower that only bloomed in
the moonlight.
“They can only do it at this time of year.” Bill continued saying to Dipper,
while the human boy was looking for which fairy he was referring to among the
pages of the Journal.
“Why only in these months?” Dipper asked curiously, looking up at the creature
that called himself a demon.
“These fairies are descendants of the original Celtic fairies, and they had a
festivity that we also celebrated.”
“We?” The human teenager raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, I mean what many of you call Halloween, All Saints’ Eve, All Hallows’
Eve, Día de Muertos, etc. Call it what you want, but you, the humans, thought
that was the only day we let ourselves be seen by you.” Bill explained with a
touch of emotion in his voice.
“So you’re someone who loves parties. I think you would get along with Mabel,
not to mention that you seem to like everything as bright as gold, Grunkle Stan
would be happy to find a worthy competition.” Dipper said mockingly without
seeing that Bill’s eyes narrowed for a bit.
Had his Pine Tree implied that he would get along with his family? Not in a
million years. “You’re a very funny child, have they told you?” Bill put his
feet on the ground and took with both his hands Pine Tree’s head, feeling
between his gloved hands the brown hair of the human.
“Bill, stop.” Dipper begged with laughter and trying to shake Bill’s hands off,
he dropped the Journal for a moment, however when he stepped back he fell on
the forest lawn.
“Killjoy.” Bill said childishly.
Dipper kept laughing until his hand went to his head just to feel it lighter.
His cap was gone. Opening his eyes and getting up in a hurry, he looked
everywhere for his cap until finally he saw it in Bill’s hands. Swallowing, he
approached the blond demon, “Give me my cap, Bill.”
Bill raised his cap until he had it in front of his face, looking between Pine
Tree and the object that covered his mark he smiled mischievously. “No.” Dipper
felt a little anxious. “Why do you put this on if it’s a nuisance?”
“It’s because it covers me from the Sun.” Dipper tried to reason with him.
“Pine Tree, you’re in a forest. All you need to cover yourself from the sun are
the treetops.” Bill was reluctant to want to deliver such an annoying object.
“Tell me the real reason why you don’t want to be without your cap when,
honestly, you look much better without it.”
Dipper bit his inner cheek, he could feel his hands begin to sweat. There were
only a few people to whom he had personally said that and he could count them
with only one hand. “Fine,” Dipper finally said, making Bill smile though his
eyes seemed to shine, maybe it was caused by the cerulean blue flame that his
eye had, “But once I tell you, you’ll return my hat. Immediately.”
“I promise.” Bill placed his hand over his chest, right where his heart was –
By the way, Bill had a heart or was his internal system different from humans?
Dipper nodded a little nervous and lifting the strand that covered his
forehead, he told Bill to bend down so he could watch him better. On the boy’s
forehead were seven dark brown spots, with a slight, almost colorless line
joining them together in a strange, spoon-like figure. Dipper had intended to
remove his hand when he felt Bill’s hand take his face and bring him closer to
his. Bill’s fingers began to delineate the curious birthmark.
He finally showed him his birthmark. His mark. This must have been one of the
best moments of his life. No matter how many times he saw his mark on Pine
Tree, it always filled him with joy and bliss. Very soon everything would go
according to plan.
“Done. You already saw it.” Dipper stepped back, freeing himself from Bill’s
elusive fingers and letting his hair fall back on his forehead, covering his
birthmark. He didn’t want to show his only flaw to Bill. He had endured enough
teasing before for his silly birthmark that he didn’t know if he could deal
with one more of who was now his closest friend. However Dipper didn’t hear any
mockery, indeed, he didn’t listen if Bill was telling him something. “Why don’t
you say anything?”
Bill had a strange smile, it wasn’t one of those strange Cheshire-like smiles
that he always had, nor the smiles that made him look superior, this was
genuine, as if he really had a reason to smile genuinely. “Pine Tree, what do
you want me to say? It’s beautiful.”
Dipper was a bit perplexed, “You better not make a mockery of that.”
“Mockery? I never would. Your birthmark is perfect. It’s an important and
famous constellation. Why would someone make fun?”
“Most of my former classmates didn’t see it that way.” Dipper looked down, his
left arm rubbing his right arm, “Many told me it looked like a ladle of soup
and mocked my name.”
Bill wasn’t going to forgive those poor, unfortunate souls who had dared to
make fun of his Pine Tree, “Well, they are uncultured and uneducated humans.
Look to make fun of a perfect and beautiful constellation, formed by the best
stars that one could create.”
“Don’t you see me as a freak?” Dipper asked a little more confidently.
“Child, haven’t you seen what we are like?” Bill asked, trying to cheer up Pine
Tree, “And you haven’t even met half of the most important ones.” The human boy
laughed, achieving Bill’s goal, “Either way, whether or not you’re a freak,
you’re our friend and belong to us.” As always has been.
“Thank you, Bill.” Dipper was truly grateful, it was comforting, knowing that
it was Bill. The Henchmaniacs and Bill, as well as possibly other creatures,
had or lacked limbs, but he had a constellation on his skin. The human boy felt
like an extra weight was placed on his head, it was his cap and Bill was
placing it carefully.
“Y’know, you look much better without the cap, Pine Tree.” Bill tapped his
fingers on his Pine Tree’s nose. “It seems we lost some time in this emotional
talk, don’t you think?”
And before Dipper could even say anything he felt his feet take off from the
ground, and two hands placed under him. Bill was carrying him bridal style.
“Hey, put me down.” He claimed, however he had to cling to Bill’s black coat
when the demon jumped from the forest ground to one of the branches where he
fell nimbly.
“Don’t be scared, Pine Tree.” Bill spoke, happy of the closeness he had with
Pine Tree, “Better enjoy this.”
Dipper was going to say something else when Bill again jumped now to another
tree branch near them.
Although he wanted to be upset, as raw as Bill was, Dipper must have admitted
that the demon was careful about him and also how much fun it was to be jumping
among the trees as if it were a mechanical fair game, but much more exciting.
The more jumping Bill gave, the further the branch to which they had to land
until there was a moment where the demon seemed to jump over the whole forest,
allowing Dipper to see the forest in its extension and therefore part of
Gravity Falls.
They finally landed on another branch that was somewhat wider so Bill released
Dipper who was still clinging to him for such sudden and agitated leaps.
Recovering from the dizziness caused by the jumps, Dipper noticed that the only
thing that could be heard in this part of the forest was the sounds of the
crickets, the hooting of the owls, and some jingle bells – Jingle bells? Dipper
looked down trying not to fall and holding on to Bill’s black coat.
Beneath them, like small fireflies moving over a field of flowers, there were
small luminous beings that flew while in their hands, they brought large
flowers cut from the stem and that were perhaps three times their size. Before
the flutter of their transparent wings caused a curious sound that Dipper could
compare to that of a jingle bell, though he wasn’t sure why it sounded very
different at the time he had heard one. Didn’t all the jingle bells sound
similar?
“Shaylee.” Bill said, drawing Dipper’s attention, who turned to see him while
the demon took a seat on the branch of the tree. “Fairies of the Harvest. That
flower you see in their hands is very important to them. That’s where their
main source of life comes from.”
Dipper looked down again and watched as the fairies, one by one, placed the
white flowers on a kind of circle made of stones, bright objects, and other
flowers around while the white flowers went inside. “It’s like a kind of altar.
The Author hadn’t written anything about them, yet. Maybe they couldn’t come to
this area.”
“They do it for several nights during the harvest of that flower. Since you
could only come once tonight, sit down here that the show is about to start.”
Bill patted in front of him for the boy to approach.
Dipper intended to take out the Journal and start writing down everything that
would happen but since Bill was calling him to sit next to him, perhaps when
whatever these fairies were doing he could write until they finished their
ritual. Yes, it was necessary to buy a camcorder at least.
Walking carefully on the branch until he was in front of Bill, he sat down,
trying not to fall backwards to certain death, facing Bill letting his legs
hang from that makeshift seat.
A fairy had emerged from the trunk of one of the trees around the circle of
fairies. In their small hands he could see that it was carrying a torch while
some drums began to sound and some fairies who had been leaving their flowers
around the circle began to dance to the sound of the drums. The fairy who had
the torch threw it into the circle, letting the white flowers be surrounded by
fire.
Dipper was totally curious when he saw that those white flowers didn’t burn
like other flowers. His eyes widened with amazement as small white spheres
began to be detached from the white petals and began to disperse in different
places. Some of them went to the fairies, others began to float higher, while
very few disappeared after leaving the fire.
Before the appearance of those bright white spheres, the drums began to sound
faster and the fairies danced at the same rhythm as the drums. Moving their
hands forming strange figures while several of those spheres fell on them and
their bodies gained more brightness.
The fire soon began to burn with more force on the white flowers that the white
spheres stopped coming out of them and it was then that they began to burn like
normal flowers, the black beginning to spread from the stem to the end of the
petals. Those bright spheres of light began to gather together in strange
shapes that Dipper could vaguely recognize... Even though he didn’t know where
he had seen them before.
Dipper was hypnotized by such a spectacle that his eyes couldn’t detach
themselves from that dance and that fire. Slowly Dipper began to lean more
forward, being subtly stopped by Bill.
The transparent wings approached the fire, seeming to touch it with the faint
flutter and movement that the fairies made with each sound of the drums. Rising
from the ground to dance in the air and giving a strong wave with their wings
in the direction of the fire, the fire had gone out and Dipper closed his eyes
as all the fairies finally fled into the trunks of the trees leaving the few
spheres of bright lights rise towards the sky.
Instead of Dipper’s face falling on the hard trunk, the human fell on Bill’s
arm.
The demon carefully dragged the child to accommodate him in his lap, “Maybe it
was a lot to be your first time seeing the fairy fire.” Bill said how he took
off Pine Tree’s cap and his gloved hands arranged the boy’s hair until finally
his birthmark was in sight, “Don’t worry, at least you can last a little longer
when will be the Meeting.” Bill watched with emotion as those brown spots began
to emit a faint golden glow.
Bill yearned for the end of the month so that everyone could see how precious
his Soulmate was and how powerful his Pine Tree was turning him. No matter that
Pyronica was trying to grab attention with her Red, he had always been by Pine
Tree’s side. Since the boy was born.
“I think this is one of the best moments we could enjoy together.” The demon
said when he saw how seven spheres of light that had finally emerged from that
bonfire shone in front of him until they ascended towards the night sky and
disappeared, “And I assure you it won’t be the last.” The demon left a kiss on
his human’s forehead.
Chapter End Notes
     You know? Sometimes I wonder if I'm doing this story well, like, Am I
     really causing the effect I want? or if, Is the story taking the
     route I planned from the beginning? Then I slap myself to wake up...
     What else do you want me to say? Y'all know that I'll always answer
     all your doubts, of course I've to calm myself down because my desire
     to give you spoilers is very big, but I think I already leave some
     good foreshadowing in this chapter... I think so... Anyway, ask me
     what you want, don't be ashamed ;)
     Remember leave a comment, kudo or bookmark, I love them <3
     See you in the next chapter!
     You can always contact me on Tumblr: Here
     Also some of my future stories: Here
***** Chapter 13 *****
Chapter Notes
     Ufff, I almost didn't finish this chapter before this day arrived.
     I edit it several times, it's after this chapter where things begin
     to make sense.
     I took a bit of artistic liberty in history that I'll explain in the
     notes below...
     Now, the chapter!
     Update: 13/Feb/2018
See the end of the chapter for more notes
                         Over the hills and far away,
                       She prays he will return one day.
                     As sure as the rivers reach the seas,
                     Back in his arms he swears she'll be.
                         Over the hills and far away,
                       He swears he will return one day.
                     Far from the mountains and the seas,
                     Back in her arms he swears he'll be.
   ~ Over The Hills And Far Away cover by Nightwish original by Gary Moore ~
Keep your head up, Wendy repeated it in her head even though most of her
thoughts were screaming, Go to sleep! But no, she had to pay attention to her
trigonometry period, the exams were so close that she could feel the weight of
the unread books on her back and the sleepless nights that remained ahead only
made her feel more tired.
Keep your head up... Keep your he-
The whole classroom started to laugh, some were more scandalous than others so
it attracted the teacher’s look who stopped writing on the green chalkboard,
the white chalk resonated between her fingers being split in half, the whole
class stopped their laughter when the older woman turned around and walked to
the seat of the redheaded student whose forehead had hit the pallet of the
table.
“Miss Corduroy,” The teacher crossed her arms, looking at the student who
looked up, not to see her eyes, rather to rub her forehead, “You may want to
take a more comfortable nap in the detention room.”
On another occasion Wendy would have said something funny about it and thus
continue with her status as a fresh girl – Instead she smiled awkwardly and the
teacher turned around to continue her class. The redhead saw some of her
classmates look at each other confused and raising their shoulders, some others
decided to avoid looking at her. Wendy glanced sideways at Tambry, her goth
friend saw her for a brief moment, then looked back at the cell phone hidden in
her book.
Keh, High School.
Wendy opened her backpack very carefully, taking out her cell phone, and with
the stealth of a mouse she put on her headphones, hoping to keep the volume in
an almost inaudible tone for others. Listening to music would keep her more
awake than hearing Ms. Higgins talk about how all geometric shapes could be
broken into perfect triangles.
The bell rang, silencing the teacher, a slight grinding of teeth on her part
could be hear. The students got up and walked to their next classes. Wendy felt
the teacher’s eyes on her as she walked from her chair to the door, something
told her that the old teacher knew that her hearing aids were on, but quickly
eliminated that idea because if she had never noticed Tambry’s phone then it
was impossible that Ms. Higgins’ vision would magically improve to focus solely
on her.
“Stressed?” Tambry asked, without looking up from her cell phone, Wendy could
almost bet that she could walk all over Gravity Falls with her eyes closed and
without hitting someone or something.
“You can’t imagine, Tambers.” Wendy knew that with Tambry she could be herself,
the cool and stressed Corduroy.
Tambry nodded again and continued to stare at her cell phone. “Will you come to
my house tonight? My parents trust more in you than in me.”
“Tonight I can’t, Tambers.” Wendy didn’t know if her friend had growled at the
nickname or for saying no to her offer.
Tambry looked up. Oh god, she better not ask her about why she can’t go
tonight. She has no excuse for work, it was already days since she didn’t show
up to work at the Mystery Shack. Neither an excuse about her father or brothers
because Tambry knew her family perfectly and she knew that they could survive
without her for a day.
“Fine.” The girl shrugged, returning to look at her cell phone, “Whatever you
plan to do at night, try not to make you sleep in the next classes.” Tambry
said once they both arrived at their next classroom, “I’ll need more
understandable notes than mine.”
Maybe if she hadn’t been up all night riding a motorcycle, visiting around
Gravity Falls, having fun... Maybe she could have stayed awake during the
classes for most of the week. And how did she end up being a nocturnal
adventurer? Well, everything is thanks to a raven-haired woman with peculiar
clothes in red and pink.
Sincerely, Wendy never thought to see the mysterious woman nicknamed Pyronica
again. It was an afternoon that she returned from having gone out with her
friends – For her luck, and making her feel a lump in her stomach, Robbie
wasn’t with them, indeed, her ex-boyfriend avoided her at school or if he had
the opportunity to have lunch with the others – That she decided it would be a
good idea to buy something at Greasy’s, only that she didn’t expect that with
whom she would meet was Pyronica.
Pyronica smiled at her as if she had been an old friend she hadn’t seen in a
long time and Wendy gave her a clumsy smile. Just as Wendy came in, Pyronica
did it again and went out with her as soon as the redhead had something to eat
once she got home.
Wendy didn’t want to sound impolite telling Pyronica that she should retire,
the girl with freckles had no intention of offending her or anything,
especially knowing that this woman had a group of friends who looked like
gangsters... Until she saw that Pyronica took a set of keys from her coat to
point out a black motorcycle with red stars on blue fire.
“Maybe I like you more if I give you a ride to your house.” Pyronica asked with
a smile that made her suspect that she definitely already knew the answer.
Wendy nodded almost immediately, though she tried not to show it, Pyronica
handed her another helmet to protect herself.
How long ago did she get on a motorcycle? It has been too many years since then
that it had made her forget how exciting it was to be on a motorcycle. It
wasn’t that her father hated motorcycles, or that he thought they were
dangerous – It was just hard to see a motorcycle near the house without her
mother being there too.
Wendy decided to refocus on Pyronica and her unilateral conversation, she
almost felt bad for having ignored her and returned to memories that she didn’t
want to have now. The dark-haired woman talked about how fun it was to be in
Gravity Falls even though she hadn’t had the opportunity to visit the Mystery
Shack to see her.
Wendy had also forgotten that she hadn’t shown up to work in the Mr. Pines’
business, mainly because she wouldn’t know what to do if she met Dipper. Her
anger with her friend disappeared the next day after a good rest had knocked
her out, the next morning it was as if her head had cooled and she thought
about the last night.
Dipper had only tried to be a good friend, of course, that didn’t give him the
right to get involved in her affairs, not even Tambry or any of her gang got
involved in her affairs and she didn’t do it if they didn’t need her, however
Dipper did wrong not to consult with her first – And have tried to cheer her up
in a somewhat selfish way on his part.
Although on the other hand, she couldn’t blame her young friend for not having
trusted her. She would never have believed that the CD contained a kind of
brainwashing that had made her want to give Robbie a second chance. Robbie,
Wendy thought without knowing exactly what to feel, one part of her felt
miserable, another part angry, and another was bitter. And internally, curious.
Why? Such things as brainwashing don’t exist – Though now she was considering
it.
“Here we are.” Pyronica woke Wendy from her reverie, she had fallen into her
thoughts again. For Wendy’s luck, Pyronica hadn’t come close enough to her
house so there was no risk of her father seeing the motorcycle. Wendy smiled
internally.
Getting off the motorcycle and handing her the helmet, Wendy appreciated that
the young woman had taken the trouble to bring her home.
Pyronica instead smiled broadly, her pearly teeth gleaming, “When you like,
little robin. I’ll still be at Gravity Falls so I’ll probably see you more
often.” Pyronica winked, the only eye that wasn’t hidden under her short black
hair, and putting on her helmet she turned the motorcycle around. “I hope to
see you in the Mystery Shack.”
Wendy felt the need to stop her. “I’m on my days off.” She lied, hoping that
the tone of her voice had been heard by Pyronica – Which was successful,
Pyronica gave her a thumbs up. “I’ll see you around.” Wendy said in a whisper,
but it seemed to have seen Pyronica nodding before her motorcycle came out
ripping.
The adolescent smiled and adjusted the red hair that had moved from its place.
Girls her age would be worried that her parents thought they were with their
boyfriends doing something wrong – Her father would be more worried if he
thought she fought a cougar without training before.
The redhead stopped when the key to her house entered the lock, just before
turning it over. She doesn’t remember telling Pyronica where she lived.
Wendy felt Tambry’s hand move her to wake her up, the Chemistry class was over
and she never knew at what time Professor Heinsworth had passed assistance. At
this rate it would be as if this week she had never gone to school. How
fortunate that Tambry was involved in technological things like hacking the
school network and changing her attendance.
“Those notes won’t be written by themselves.” Tambry extended her notebook to
Wendy.
Wendy whistled cheerfully, for the first time Tambry’s handwriting seemed to be
legible, she hadn’t seen this kind of letters since they both graduated from
elementary school. “Why that miracle, Tambers?” Wendy decided she wouldn’t
waste any more time and took out her notebook to copy Tambry’s notes. Luckily
they had a free period so they wouldn’t have to rush to their next classroom.
“I gave up that I’ll have your notes this week.” Tambry said without looking up
from the phone, “Maybe for once in my life you can tell my parents that I’m
being a good role model to you.”
“I’ll tell you with hot air balloons if that comforts you.”
Wendy heard a slight laugh from Tambry, “Like those of Mr. Pines?”
Thinking about the Pines was still difficult for her, however, when she
remembered the disaster that Mr. Pines had caused at the last Woodstick
festival with his messenger hot air balloon saying I EAT KIDS – Which was a
mistake, since the true message was I HEART KIDS, Mr. Stan was so stingy that
he himself did it with low quality materials – And it didn’t help to his case
when the shape of the balloon was his face in a way that would make children
have nightmares... And in fact, most who went to the festival didn’t sleep for
at least a week and a half because of the horrible nightmares.
When the classes finally ended both girls met Nate and Lee, both boys were
smiling mischievously while holding a couple of sprays. Tambry and Wendy looked
at each other and shook their heads as they smiled. Thompson wasn’t with them
so they suspected the plump boy was already preparing his van, ready to get
them out of school before some of the teachers discovered who were the criminal
brains of whatever vandalism Nate and Lee had done.
Wendy realized that Robbie wasn’t with them. It must be, she thought, he hasn’t
come to the school, his parents had called saying he was sick to his stomach,
something that Wendy thought possible, usually when Robbie was depressed the
goth boy ate ridiculous amounts of ice cream to such a point of getting sick.
Nate and Lee had confirmed it when they had casually named their ex-boyfriend’s
name during lunch.
Thompson offered to take them closer to their homes, but seeing how nervous
their friend was and how excited and mischievously smiling Nate and Lee were,
Tambry and Wendy let their three male friends take flight. And Wendy wasn’t so
wrong when a few seconds after Thompson’s van was shot out of school, the
assistant principal appeared outside, his face was clearly angry, and to
everyone’s fun, his toupee was completely painted blue.
As soon as the assistant principal saw both of them, his gaze searched the
surroundings, muttering and cursing under his breath before returning to the
interior of the building. At least Nate and Lee would be on detention. Both
male adolescents sought to become legends among the new generations.
Wendy could only wish them luck and that it doesn’t cause them an expulsion
because then their future would be condemned.
“And when you go back to work?” Tambry asked out of nowhere.
Wendy bit her inner cheek. “It’s too soon. The exams are coming.”
“C’mon, Wendy. You’re smarter than everyone in the class.”
Wendy shrugged. She wasn’t a brainiac or a super genius, but she managed to
understand things the first time, with one explanation Wendy could reach a
quick conclusion. What a pity that didn’t help her much when choosing a good
boyfriend. “Tell me the truth, you miss that I always invite you junk food,
isn’t it?” Tambry didn’t respond. “I’ll take that as a yes.” And I’ll think
about going back to work on the Mystery Shack.
Tambry was the first to say goodbye, warning her that she better copy
everything to help her study. Wendy nodded and proposed that the Friday meet
after school to study.
“I’m here.” Wendy announced once arriving home, the television was at full
volume so she deduced that at least one of her brothers was already at home.
Wendy closed the door of her house and put her keys in her left pocket.
Peter was sitting on the couch watching Duck-Tective. His gaze focused on the
children’s series while eating John’s chips. The youngest of his brothers
raised his hand and waved at Wendy.
“John won’t be happy when his package of chips is incomplete.” Wendy teased,
walking in front of her little brother and twirling his red hair, nor did her
presence make Peter take his eyes off the television.
“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” Peter said, shrugging and taking one
chip to his mouth.
“Tell me that after you come complaining when he gives you a nice bruise on the
arm.” Wendy said, listening to Peter’s plaintive wail.
The good thing about being born as the only woman in a family that expired
testosterone was that she had her own room. It was on the second floor, as was
his brothers’, while his father’s room was on the first floor.
His room was as orderly as possible as the room of an average teen girl could
be. Most of the books she took from the school library or the public library
(which didn’t have much information) were stacked on her desk, which was next
to her bed. Some Teen Woodsman magazines were scattered on her bed as well as
the freshly washed clothes that she still had to fold. Wendy left her backpack
at the foot of her bed and she fell on it, covering her face with the pillow.
It was no longer a secret to her family that she hardly seemed to fall asleep.
However, unlike what her family believed – Which was due to the stress of
coming exams – It was because she really didn’twant to sleep at night, not when
she was on a motorcycle.
Yes, escaping in the middle of the night with a person who had just met wasn’t
something a good, sane girl should do, but she’s a flippy Corduroy. After
having met Pyronica for a few more days, Wendy understood that the young woman
was cooler than her. Her special ability was gambling or betting, specifically
Poker. She knew many tricks that would make Mr. Stan look like a beginner by
her side.
Pyronica had taken her on her motorcycle to the nearest places in Gravity Falls
and returned before anyone would notice. Even though she knew that she should
tell her father, Wendy was sure that nothing bad would happen if she didn’t do
it. Besides, she had already hidden most of her boyfriends. As far as Manly Dan
knew about her boyfriends, she had had three, and one of them was a lover of
tattoos; That was the only occasion where her father told her that he didn’t
like her new boyfriend.
Wait...
Wendy opened her eyes at the fleeting thought that crossed her mind seconds
ago. Had she compared Pyronica as another of her secret boyfriends? Wendy
accepted that Pyronica was attractive, too attractive, also she was strong, as
two guys discovered by insisting on asking for a date. Wendy even thought that
one day she should have a fight with her to know who was the strongest between
the two.
The other night Pyronica let her drive her motorcycle. Wendy almost crashed her
motorcycle, though, Pyronica just laughed and said that she thought Wendy was
the kind of girl who knows how to do anything. The red-haired teen scratched
the back of her neck a little embarrassed, apologizing.
“Nah, there’s always a first time for everything.” Pyronica comforted her,
“When you want, I’ll teach you how to drive one.” The dark-haired woman said,
then said goodbye and left with her motorcycle in the woods.
It wasn’t the first time that Wendy drove a motorcycle, but the lack of
practice had made her forget how. Wendy was only ten years old at the time. It
was difficult at first to get used to her mother’s absence and having to assume
a temporary maternal role for her brothers while their father was dealing with
it in his own way. Shortly after her mother’s death, her father kept her things
and sold the rest, including her mother’s motorcycle.
Maybe if Wendy had been older she would have asked to keep it. Instead, she
asked to keep the green flannel shirt that her mother wore when they went out
to chop wood off.
The door of her home opened and a shout of a wrestler was heard on the floor
below, as well as the kitchen door. Her father and brothers had already
arrived. Her smile widened as she heard the screams at the top of their lungs
between her brothers, or her father crashing and destroying part of the
furniture in the house. It was better than being silent.
“Wendy.” Michael, her middle brother, knocked on her door. Once Wendy reached
puberty she taught her brothers and father to knock on the door. “Dad brought
tacos.”
“Save me one. I’m studying.” Wendy lied.
“All right.”
Wendy heard footsteps moving away and down the stairs, as well as a third voice
joining the chorus of battle screams. Well, better to study how it should be.
Wendy got up from the bed, taking her backpack, leaving it on her desk, and
taking out her notebooks and Tambry’s to catch up with the classes she had
fallen asleep on.
Ugh, she hoped not to do it when the exams were here. She must have told
Pyronica that they couldn’t meet until the exam week ends – But what if
Pyronica receives a call from her friends and she should leave? Wendy knew,
however, that at any moment Pyronica would have to be called by her friends,
she was as much a star as that illusionist Cipher. Wendy would like to be there
to say goodbye to Pyronica.
Silly educational system that only cares what we remember. Wendy snorted, for a
second she sounded like Mr. Stan... How are the twins going? Dipper surely
wouldn’t have problems studying, her young friend was too smart, Wendy was sure
that Dipper would do great things. Mabel was more ambitious, she liked that,
that and that Mabel always saw everything from a different perspective from
others.
Chucks, she missed spending time with them. Maybe it was time to go back to
work at the Shack.
A crash was heard in the kitchen.
Or maybe she would wait and she could finally tell Pyronica to visit her in the
Shack, she was sure the twins would love to meet her too.
Wendy looked at the window of her room and then at the time on the screen of
her cell phone.
The night was still to come.
                                      ☽✠☾
“And therefore, it doesn’t matter how tender and or harmless the ghost of
category one appears to be,” Bill explained while Dipper took notes, “Never see
what’s under that blanket.” The blond demon concluded.
Dipper nodded and finished writing above the detailed drawing of a Casper-like
ghost on the page of Journal #3. Dipper had already managed to record new data
in Journal #3, even though most of the last pages were blank. What made him
suspect that the Author had little time to settle in Gravity Falls.
Dipper had chosen Journal #3 as his first challenge; First, it was the last
Journal that the Author had left unfinished before apparently disappearing.
Second, most of the events and creatures were in Gravity Falls and its
surroundings, so Dipper thought it would be a good idea to take advantage of
the material that was most within reach.
He had finished reading the category of ghosts that the Author had recorded
that existed in Gravity Falls, it didn’t describe precisely where to find them
all, except for one who had allegedly been hanging around the Corduroy house
several years ago, Dipper would have liked to know if the ghost left or stayed,
but seeing exactly the estranged relationship that he and Wendy were having,
Dipper preferred to avoid it and go directly to the only being who knew
everything.
Then he had planned to go to Dusk 2 Dawn. After the incident on his first day
in town with the lamp post began to emerge more rumors about that convenience
store. Most people said that as they passed through the place at night, the
doors opened and the lights went on. Others said they began to hear plaintive
moans and grunts inside. Some more rumored that those who approached could
smell something like rotten meat.
As far as Dipper knew the cops who had arrived when they escaped from the store
had reported that the post was in good condition and that it had been rare for
it to fall out of nowhere.
Dipper wished to return to Dusk 2 Dawn, at least to investigate if they really
were the ghosts of the former owners and interview them. Maybe he could do it,
but first he had to be more informed about the different ghosts that lived in
Gravity Falls.
Maybe Bill wants to accompany him if he asks.
Well, being honest, the ghosts hadn’t been the first creature that Dipper had
chosen to investigate completely.
The gnomes were talked about on the first pages and although Dipper had only
recorded one thing about them (about what his weakness had been) it was
difficult for the thirteen-year-old boy to meet a gnome who didn’t run away as
soon as they saw him. Really strange, Dipper thought. Among so many thoughts
regarding the weird attitude that gnomes had towards him, Dipper concluded that
perhaps the little men in blue jumpsuits were afraid of him because they tried
to kidnap his sister and he used a blow-leaf to beat them.
He had to do something to gain the trust of the gnomes. He should ask Bill to
help him with that.
Bill watched Pine Tree look at his foolish Journal, Pine Tree’s look was lost
in his thoughts, it was easy to guess what his Little Tree was thinking. The
gnomes. It wouldn’t hurt to fulfill the wish that his Pine Tree longed for,
however, the gnomes had already failed him once and he wasn’t willing to risk a
second time.
Dipper snapped his fingers as he remembered that he had to ask Bill something
important. “By any chance,” Dipper looked up to see the demon, “You know if the
Author recorded most of the creatures in Gravity Falls.”
Bill cackled, “Pine Tree, if that guy had registered the existing creatures in
Gravity Falls, at least they would have finished writing this Journal.”
Then there was the probability that he could finish the Journals. He only hoped
that if the Author were alive they wouldn’t be upset. “Do you think it would
take me a long time to finish the Journals?” Dipper tapped the Journal with his
hand.
Bill shrugged, his smile made Dipper doubt that the demon was doubting, “With
my help, getting that information will be a piece of cake. Although... Who
knows. Maybe there are creatures that don’t want to be seen by you – But what
madness I’m saying, who wouldn’t want to be seen by you?”
Dipper rolled his eyes, “Is it some kind of riddle? Because I warn you that I
won’t rest all night until I get an answer.”
“No, Pine Tree, a child like you needs to rest. You need to have sweet dreams
or else you’ll only get terrible nightmares.”
Nightmares? No, he hadn’t had nightmares... Except for – But he had already
forgotten what it was about... “I don’t think so.” Dipper replied, “Besides, if
I wanted to have nightmares then I would voluntarily drink a jug of Mabel
Juice.” Could Bill survive that colorful, sugary poison? Possibly, Bill was
practically immortal.
The demon snapped his fingers, drawing the child’s attention, “I just
remembered that I’ve to go visit an old friend, and I was wondering if you
would like to come with me.” More than a question, it seemed like an order.
“For real?” Dipper was excited, “Is it someone interesting?” Dipper expected it
to be just as cool as the Gobblewonker and the Shaylee, although with the
latter he didn’t have a chance to speak as he fell asleep – What a shame,
surely Bill thinks he’s a clumsy child.
“I suppose. It depends.” Bill said as he floated in the air, pointing towards a
path among the trees.
Dipper took the Journal and put it back into his backpack, placing it on his
back, and following Bill into the forest. “Hey, Bill.” Dipper called the demon,
he moved his head in a nod, “What do you think is the most abundant creature in
Gravity Falls?”
“The humans.” Bill said mockingly, making Dipper laugh.
“Do you always have to have a strange answer to everything? No, you know what,
don’t answer.” Dipper interrupted before Bill could even open his lips.
Bill looked at Dipper with a funny look, his little Pine Tree kept his eyes
fixed on the road, but his mind was with the Journals and their pages full of
creatures never before seen and unexplainable mysteries. He still remembers the
first time he saw those books. And boy, he was so impressed. It had been a long
time since he saw a human with such IQ.
Dipper stumbled, almost falling from not being caught by Bill. The demon helped
him to his feet. “I’m sorry.” Dipper adjusted his cap and looked up, he hadn’t
realized at what moment they had left a part of the forest to face a steep
mountain, now he understood why he had stumbled, there were stones everywhere.
It must be, they were climbing the side of a mountain.
“Watcha the way, Pine Tree. Nobody wants a catastrophic accident, do you?” Bill
indicated the way, smiling amused to see how Pine Tree had a little more effort
to climb such a path, if his Pine Tree wanted he could carry him but that would
mean arriving earlier and then losing all Pine Tree’s attention.
“It’s just that I’m excited. I can record another creature on my own.” Dipper
scratched his chin, avoiding Bill’s gaze. God, he was still sorry for falling
asleep at the only time he was allowed to spend the night in the woods. Bill
must think he was a baby with an hour to sleep. However, he was grateful to
Bill for leaving him back in his tent the next morning.
“Is that why you excited?” Bill asked. Oh, how much he loved that ambition.
Dipper nodded, “Seeing, reading, and understanding the Author’s passionate work
makes me feel that I, too, can find new discoveries.” You always learn
something new every day, it was what Great Uncle Ford said to him and Mabel.
“So for the moment I’ll only record the closest creatures in the Gravity Falls
area, as well as update some data that the Author didn’t finish.”
“Remember that you can always ask me. I’ll always be willing to help you in
anything.” Bill winked at him. With two eyes it was easier to know that it was
a wink.
Dipper was thoughtful for a moment, “Apart from creatures, what else should I
add?”
“There are many things in your world that are interesting.”
“Really?” Dipper avoided a big rock that stood in his way, “As which?”
“You know, historical data, enchanted objects, haunted houses, conspiracies,
fairy tales, legends – ”
“You aren’t trying to tell me that you were the one who built the pyramids of
Giza, do you?” Dipper asked in disbelief.
“How did you know? I was their God, their Pharaoh – Then that pretentious Ra
and his family decided to take over my people.”
Surprisingly, Dipper wasn’t surprised. “You mean that the Ancient Gods
existed?”
“Of course they exist. But they left Earth a long time ago.” Once the bond was
completed, nothing tied them to wanting to stay in this world.
“Do you have something interesting that you want to share with me?”
Bill looked away, as if he was remembering something. Maybe his whole life has
been interesting, Dipper thought. “I know an interesting story. Almost nobody
knows it.”
“And if almost nobody knows it, how is it that you know it?”
Because I was there. “Because it’s a story that has been told between my folk.”
“What does your legend have to do with my world?” Dipper couldn’t help but feel
curious. It was a demonic legend, so it must be interesting.
“It happened far away from Gravity Falls, many years ago, when the Witch Hunt
was on the cusp of being the most important and sacred work of all.”
Witches, the Author claimed to have met a few but none of them wanted to talk
to them, except for one who had to inform them of a shadow that would darken
their future... Maybe – “The witches that burned years ago, were they true
witches?”
Bill snorted, “Of course not, Silly Tree, the real witches would never have
been caught so easily. They’re too smart. Those poor people who were accused of
witchcraft were only poor souls who had the misfortune to be envied, and of
course, at that time everyone enjoyed blaming someone else for their own
actions.” Bill’s look changed to one of seriousness, “But the children who were
just beginning to discover what they were, were the ones who suffered from that
hunt.”
Dipper felt a chill run down his spine. “And those children have something to
do with the story you told me?”
“Yes.” It was strange to see Bill so serious. “In a small colony, perhaps 400
years ago. A child who saw and talked with things that others couldn’t or whose
eyes didn’t want to see and denied the existence of everything that their God
couldn’t explain. And that made him feel marginalized in his colony.”
Dipper wanted to pay attention to Bill’s story, but trying to listen and see
the rocky path wasn’t easy. Maybe he should ask Bill to tell him the story once
they arrived with his old friend – Dipper felt Bill’s hands rest on his
shoulders, the next thing was that he was lifted off the ground and saw the
blue sky until he fell on Bill’s back.
“That way we won’t have to worry about you falling again.” Bill said with a
smile. Dipper only nodded, Bill was very comfortable. “That child had a special
friend, who wasn’t like the others.” Bill continued narrating. “He met her when
he got lost in the woods. He saw her dancing surrounded by yellow butterflies
that came out of her hair. They both began to meet in the forest, they talked
about what was the most important thing that had happened to them during the
day, they played for hours without getting tired until the night, they found
strange but majestic things in the forest, they were inseparable, as if they
were a same soul in two different bodies.”
“As if they were Soulmates.” Dipper concluded whispering, anxious that Bill
would continue narrating that intriguing story.
Bill smiled to himself, I love that you pay attention to what I say, Pine Tree.
“Remember that I mentioned the witch hunters, right?” Dipper nodded, “Well,
this is where the story gets tense.” The blue flame in Bill’s eye flashed for a
moment in a bloody red, going unnoticed by Dipper, “The people of the colony
began to suspect that the boy had dealings with dark beings. They begged the
Governor to go ask for help to save the boy’s soul and so he did. He sailed
with a small boat – However the settlers began to despair before the Governor’s
late arrival, didn’t help the winter was approaching, food was scarce, and they
felt threatened by the natives – They decided to take action on the matter.”
Dipper swallowed. He had a horrible hunch where all this would end.
“They didn’t give the boy the opportunity to fight or defend himself.” Bill
continued his narration, “The Trial wasn’t kind to a little child. The people
were less. In the end they decided to burn him.”
“But it was just a boy!” Dipper shouted, feeling annoyed, offended, and
terrified.
“To them, he was an impure child.” Bill answered. “They never suspected that
they had angered someone they couldn’t control.” This was the part he liked.
“At night the settlers woke to the smell of smoke. Their houses were on fire.
They left terrified of their homes without imagining that it would have been
better to die burned than what awaited them in the outskirts. The girl who had
been the child’s friend was in front of them and behind her the rotten and
decomposed bodies of their deceased settlers.” Bill turned to see the human on
his back. “When the Governor and the others returned, they found an empty
town.”
Pine Tree was speechless, sweating cold, his eyes open, not knowing whether
because of the fear that it was real or because of the curiosity of knowing
what else happened.
“Was it real?”
“The legends have something real after all.” Bill assured him, but well, the
story changes, depending on the narrator. “You don’t have to worry, Pine Tree,
nobody hunts witches these days.”
Dipper looked down. How could Bill do that? Calm him with his voice. Make him
feel safe. A question popped out, “Is the legend popular because the girl was a
– ?”
“As you can suspect, she was a demon like us.” Bill confirmed, “The – Bonds
between demons mean everything to us.” Bill stopped floating to his feet,
lowering Dipper from his back. His gloved claw went straight to his cheek, “So
consider yourself lucky, Little Tree – Look, we’re here.”
Dipper looked over to where Bill’s hand pointed. They were higher up the
mountain – He never realized the path because he was focused on Bill’s story –
And in front of the entrance to a cave.
Bill was the first to enter. Dipper was nervous and hesitant to want to do the
same. The teen awoke from his thoughts as he felt Bill’s gloved hand entwine
with his and force him to walk. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll like him.”
They both walked until the light outside was dim, but Dipper started listening
to a catchy pop song. “I know that song.”
“Multi-Bear!” Bill cried out, his voice echoing throughout the cave.
The music stopped and Dipper saw a giant shadow approaching them. His eyes
widened in amazement when he saw a brown bear as tall as the cave, the most
impressive were its eight heads around the central one.
“Mister Cipher.” The bear spoke.
If possible, Dipper’s jaw would have fallen to the floor of the cave. Bill hid
a smile.
The Multi-Bear turned his gaze from the lord of the forest to the small figure
beside him holding his hand. “Oh my Callisto.” The Multi-Bear fell silent. He
could feel it, he could feel who this boy was. And he could feel that Bill
Cipher knew what he was thinking. “Mister Cipher,” He spoke again – Was it his
imagination or did this child’s eyes shine? Was that his oddity? “Who is your –
Friend?”
Bill looked down at Pine Tree, smiling at Dipper’s excited face, “Multi-Bear,
let me introduce you to Pine Tree.” Bill introduced, “Pine Tree, Multi-Bear.”
Dipper seemed to wake up, “Oh, yes, that’s me, Dipper... Uh, nice to meet you.”
Dipper thought about extending his hand to greet the Multi-Bear... That until
he saw that he had no idea how the Multi-Bear would greet.
“Nice to meet you, Pine Tree.” Multi-Bear saluted, nodding. Another head
growled. “Well,” The Multi-Bear looked back at the golden demon, “I didn’t
think you would come today.”
“Well, we were close to the neighborhood and Pine Tree – ” Bill pulled the
human boy closer to him, “He has been very interested in knowing all the
creatures of Gravity Falls and I thought, My good friend Multi-Bear is a good
company to hang out.”
“I’m flattered.” Multi-Bear lay down on the floor, “And tell me, Young Pine
Tree,” The multi-headed creature addressed the human boy, “Have you met someone
interesting?”
Dipper saw Bill floating, seemed to sit in a meditation posture in the air, he
thought that he also had to sit somewhere, so he decided closer to the Multi-
Bear, staying in the middle of both beings, “Well, I recently met the
Gobblewonker – ”
“Such fantastic creature.” The Multi-Bear nodded.
“Yes, I also saw fairies, some were like flowers and others were nocturnal with
bright wings. I met the gnomes – ” Okay, he thought he heard a growl though he
couldn’t say for sure who was, “I’m studying the ghosts and I saw the Stomach-
faced Duck. Oh, and Bill and his friends, right?” He looked up to see Bill. The
demon nodded. “All thanks to the Journals.” Bill coughed, “And to Bill.”
“Which reminds me,” Bill reached inside his jacket. Dipper once again observed
the universe inside Bill’s clothes. “Have it.” The golden demon had a
quadrangular object the size of his face.
“Did you get it?” The Multi-Bear got back on his paws, his claws carefully
taking the object.
Dipper came over to see what it was about, “Is that – ”
“The platinum edition of BABA.” Both, the Multi-Bear and Dipper, said at the
same time to see the record.
“Do you know them?” Multi-Bear asked in amazement.
“Know them? Dude, I love their songs, I know every one of the lyrics of their
songs.” Dipper replied excited to meet another fan.
“Do you want to listen to some of their songs?”
“You don’t have to ask!”
Bill saw Pine Tree get off the ground and follow the Multi-Bear. A satisfied
smile appeared on his face. It was a good idea to bring his child with another
creature so interesting that it made him forget the good for nothing gnomes.
Dipper noticed that the Multi-Bear cave had several modern things, including
electronic ones. “How is it that you get these things?”
“The majority is for some campers who camp in the woods and bring interesting
things in their luggage. Others are from Mr. Cipher.”
“What can I say? I’m a good friend.”
The Multi-Bear carefully took the record, placing it with caution on the record
player, dropping the needle in the scratches of the record. The music started
to come out of the horn.
“I know that song, it’s one of my favorites.” Dipper confessed to listening to
Disco Girl.
Both the human and the multi-headed bear began to sing in unison, proving that
both were big fans of the Icelandic pop band.
Dipper panicked for a moment to feel his cap leave his head, but as the feeling
came also disappeared as soon as another weight fell on his head. Touching it,
he realized it was Bill’s top hat. He turned around to see the Dream Demon. He
avoided laughing as soon as he saw his demonic friend with his hat on his blond
head.
“I think I can pass as a human now.”
“I don’t think that’s enough to convince them.” Dipper shook his head, amazed
that Bill’s top hat didn’t fall out of place, though it was a pity it didn’t
float as it did with its original owner, but it also relaxed him knowing that
his birthmark wouldn’t be discovered. “I look like an English gentleman.” Now
he just needed to find a disguise of a bulldog in suit and thus scare Soos.
“What’s mine is yours, and what’s yours is mine.” With a light touch of Bill’s
finger, Dipper’s cap floated over his head as if it was his own top hat.
Dipper smiled and returned to the side of the Multi-Bear to continue singing
and dancing, besides to asking about him.
Once the record player stopped playing the BABA record, the Multi-Bear showed
him his other collection of records, allowing the human boy to choose the next
band.
Taking advantage of the moment when Pine Tree was distracted, the Multi-Bear
approached Mr. Cipher. The Dream Demon was more entertaining watching the
landscape outside the cave.
“When – ?”
“Soon.” Bill answered before even the Multi-Bear finished his question. “As
soon as the others know him – And Pyronica’s redhead doll.”
Multi-Bear nodded. Even so, he was nervous. “Nothing bad will happen, right?”
Pine Tree – That boy was just a human child... But that’s the way things were
and he was nobody to change that.
“No, of course not.” Bill assured him, “Who do you think I am to allow
something bad to happen to my Soulmate?” Bill’s blue flame flashed red and the
bronzed skin that was exposed was dyed black in an instant that could well have
been confused with his suit.
Multi-Bear took a step back as soon as his survival instincts shouted that he
should. Everyone who knew Bill Cipher knew what the red flags were before the
flames and blood appeared – He didn’t want to suffer the same grotesque fate as
that clumsy gnome. “No, I’m sorry for asking that. It’s just that I’m worried
if someone hurts the boy.”
“Pine Tree will be fine.” Bill assured the multi-headed mammal. He was
satisfied that his death threat to all the forest creatures that dared to hurt
Pine Tree had taken effect. Someone with two grams of gray mass knew that
nothing good would come with damaging an Almighty demon’s Soulmate.
“What if someone wants to interfere?” Multi-Bear asked, he didn’t know if he
was more scared by the boy’s fate or the forest folk’s.
Bill was going to respond, but Dipper got Multi-Bear’s attention, saying that
he had found a new band that he would like to hear. The bear approached him,
leaving aside his conversation with the demon, but not before lowering his head
apologetically. If what Mr. Cipher had told him was true, then he was worrying
too much. No one in their right mind would harm a demon’s soulmate. It must be
someone with a death wish.
Bill Cipher smiled as soon as he saw Pine Tree’s happy face. Dancing and
singing with the Multi-Bear. Well, he would have his turn to enjoy it with Pine
Tree.
What if someone wants to interfere? Nonsense! No one will interfere in his
plans to take who is his.
No one wants Gravity Falls to become a new Roanoke.
Chapter End Notes
     Dun, dun, dun - If I'm honest, in chapter fifteen is where the real
     party begins.
     I hope that when I reveal the purpose of these demons it's not so
     anticlimax(????)
     Regarding artistic liberty, I know that the witch hunt wasn't so
     popular in the United States until it was used in the Salem Trials by
     the 1600's, in any case I should have called it the Inquisition,
     which was popular in the 1100's. In addition, the lost colony of
     Roanoke was in the 1590's. For this chapter it's obvious that I take
     several liberties regarding some dates. The same will be for some
     next chapters, but don't worry, I'll always explain them at the end
     of each chapter.
     By the way, my new semester starts next week, so I want to ask for an
     apology in advance if next month I can't update on time.
     You can always contact me on Tumblr: Here
     Also some of my future stories: Here
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