"Dipper. Mabel. Did one of you knock this over?" Their father asked, gesturing to the broken picture frame and shattered glass on the floor. His voice was calm, but his hands were clenched, displaying his thick and bony knuckles. Mabel resisted the urge to look at her feet. If you acted guilty (or if it looked like you were) then you were guilty. Instead, she forced herself to meet her father's harsh gaze, and replied in a level but not entirely emotionless tone, "No Sir."
Their father didn't accuse her of lying or lash out at them, but his fists were still tightly clenched. He stared at both of them. Mabel wanted to reach for her brother's hand, but knew her father would see it as a confession of guilt. "I don't suppose you do know what's happened then?" He asked. He studied them both, his hands never relaxing. Mabel wanted to tuck her head into her sweater or run-or better yet both, but she told the lie she'd been practicing before he got home instead.
"Mom came home drunk again. She must've knocked the painting over on the way in." Mabel told him. Their father looked passed them, and Mabel hoped he'd notice the discarded heels she and Dipper had placed there for evidence.
"Were you watching her or something? Why else wouldn't you clean up this mess. For all the trouble you two make me go through, you couldn't even clean this?!" Their father hissed. Mabel stepped back and Dipper stepped forward, placing himself between their father and Mabel. Forgetting entirely about appearing guilty or not, she latched onto him.
"We were upstairs doing our homework Sir." Dipper explained, "But we heard noise from upstairs. We came down and decided to help mother into bed, wh-which is why we weren't able to clean up the mess. But we can do it right now." Mabel griped her brother harder. She hoped their father didn't hear the stutter. Their father said it made them look guilty.
For a moment, he didn't do anything, and Mabel wondered if he saw right through them, but their father simply gave them an irritated look. "Don't just stand there then, get to it! You know I can't stand a mess." He snapped. Dipper and Mabel nodded before scurrying to the kitchen, Mabel clinging to her twin's arm the whole while.
Dipper got out the dustpan and broom and Mabel got the trash bag. Waiting until they heard the slam of the door to their father's study, the two finally relaxed.
"That could've turned out a lot worse." Dipper stated. A whole lot worse. Mabel took their mother's heels back to the closet where they belonged whilst Dipper began to sweep up the mess. When Mabel got back she held open the trash can for him to dump the glass and frame in. They didn't bother removing the picture.
"We better back upstairs it's almost eight o'clock." Dipper warned. Mabel nodded and wordlessly followed him upstairs. Their father had a rule. (Lots of them actually, but that was going off on a tangent.) Since he was home, they had to be in their rooms by eight or face the consequences otherwise. Since Dipper and Mabel weren't particularly fond of wearing purple and blue for more than a day straight they complied.
"Ladies first," Dipper gestured to the restroom, allowing Mabel to go through before him, ready to shut the door just in case his father realized that they were actually guilty and tricked him. He'd wear blue and purple for weeks if it meant Mabel didn't have to.
Lying to their father always made Dipper uneasy. He supposed that's why he wasn't successful as Mabel. His nerves would cause him to mess up and his father would know he was guilty. But Mabel didn't seemed to be bothered by it. Rather than scanning the hall uneasily for any signs of their parents she was busy brushing her teeth, unconcerned about anything else.
She spat out her toothpaste, careful to rinse it all off of the sink. "You okay?" Dipper knew she was referring to the lying, and chose not to say it aloud in case one of their parents was in earshot.
"I'm fine." He told her. Mabel told him that she'd read a book that talked about how the actual act of telling the lie wasn't as important as how one behaved before and afterwards. It was similar to what their father said: if you acted guilty, then you were guilty. They just had to play it cool and it would be fine. They would be fine.
After getting ready for bed the Pines twins went to their room, arriving exactly at eight o'clock. Sure enough, the heavy footsteps of their father could be heard as he came up the stairs, the key held loosely in his grasp. Mabel put on her innocent look (one that, despite Dipper knowing was fake, he would still find himself almost falling for it) and Dipper put on a look of his own. Mabel dubbed it the world's best poker face because it was hard to read anything from it, and Dipper knew just how good Mabel was at reading people.
Their father strode down the hall, pausing at their doorway. "You've taken care of things." He stated rather than asked. Dipper and Mabel nodded in unison. Their father shut the door and locked it. The clicking of the door always reminded Dipper of their powerlessness. And, as always, Dipper would tell himself 'One day, one day he'd break down that door and he and Mabel would be free. And no one would ever control them again. Not their father, not anyone.'
"Goodnight Dipper." Mabel smiled at him, a genuine smile that was one of the many reasons he adored his sister, and she turned off the light. Even though she couldn't see, he smiled back, "Goodnight Mabel."
XXXX_I don't know how to make a fancy line break thing_XXXX
Dipper was woken up by loud noises and footsteps and voices he didn't recognize. He crawled out of bed, and heard the soft sound of the bed creaking before Mabel was by his side, holding his hand.
"What do you think it is Dipper?" Mabel asked. Dipper shrugged, "I don't know, it maybe we can hear something by the door if we're quiet enough." The twins pressed their ears to the door and waited in silence. There were loud footsteps darting up the stairs. Dipper's grip on his sister tightened and she squeezed back. The voices were faint, and Dipper could only catch the occasional word or phrase.
"Bring her down!"
"-unresponsive, no pulse-"
"Time of death-"
"Let's move her-"
Mabel shot Dipper a worried glance before running to their window. Dipper followed. An ambulance and police car sat outside, lights flashing and sirens still blaring. In the early morning light they could see that some of their neighbors had be woken up by the commotion and had come to see what was going on.
The twins watched in silence until eventually strangers began pouring out of the house, two paramedics carrying a large black bag on a stretcher. Dipper, unsure of what to feel, clung to his sister, and she hugged back. Whatever was going to happen one thing was certain: things were about to change.
XXXXX_not so fancy line break thing_XXXX
Birthdays for the Pines twins had never been an overly cheerful event, but their eleventh birthday had set the record for the all time low. Dipper said that it was to be expected, given that they would be attending a funeral and all. Mabel decided that for her funeral she would've wanted something more cheerful, but dismissed the idea as silly. She couldn't think of anyone who'd even go to her funeral (Dipper didn't even register as a possibility, because Mabel didn't think of any scenarios where they'd be separated).
Well, there was one good thing to come out of it. Mabel had gotten a brand new dress. It was black (because for some reason people at funerals could only wear black-at the funeral Mabel wasn't going to have she would've had everyone dress in a variety of colors, no two people the same) and the velvet material was soft. It even came with a little purse! Mabel opened it and peaked inside. Her favorite pink headband had been shoved into the purse along with her favorite pair of flower hair clips due to a lack of anything else to put inside. She would've liked to wear them along with her new dress, but her father told her it would have been disrespectful to the dead.
Mabel frowned. For a moment, she had almost forgotten about why-or rather who they had come for. The late Katherine Pines was laid out in an open casket for all to see. Mabel and her remaining family were seated in the very front row of the cathedral; close enough to the casket that she could see the markings on her mother's neck where the make up wasn't thick enough.
Mabel didn't know how she felt about her mother's death. Her feelings were all jumbled up and messy. Part of her wasn't even sure if this was real. Yes her mother was lying there clearly devoid of life, but Mabel still watched her, half expecting her to get up and fumble for her painkillers as usual after spending the night developing an enormous hangover. Another part of her felt dread. Who would they use as a scapegoat now? Dipper and Mabel had avoided several beatings thanks to the excuse of their mother's alcoholism. Mabel ran her hands across her dress and reminded herself not to panic; Dipper would probably tell her they'd just have to be more careful from now on when the topic would inevitably come up later.
"Mabel," Dipper whispered, gaining her attention. He held out a rose for her to take, and grabbed her other hand, "it's time to go up front." Mabel sat up, leaving her purse on the seat and followed her brother. Aside from their father and the priest, they were the only ones standing beside the coffin.
Their father laid his rose down over his wife's chest, "Maybe you're finally happy now. Rest in peace, Katherine." Dipper and Mabel had to get onto the tips of their toes to reach into the coffin and as soon as they let go of the flowers Dipper jerked his hand back quickly, as if he expected their mother to reach out and grab him. Mabel shuddered at the idea.
Their father went back to his seat, and Dipper held out his hand once more for her to take. Mabel did so, but not before looking back at their mother. "Goodbye mother. I don't if I miss you." She went with Dipper back to their seats.
Despite the companionship of her brother, Mabel still couldn't help but be bored by the proceedings. Listening to the long winded speeches of people who she didn't know pretending to grieve for her mother was grating. And they were pretending. And doing a fairly poor job of it too. The faces of sadness were too exaggerated, the tears too forced. If you're going to lie you needed to do it well, otherwise people would become aware of the deception and start to dig for the real answer. Or beat it out of you, if they were like Addison Pines.
The event ended with Mrs. Pines' remains being buried in the cemetery outside, and Mabel couldn't get to the car fast enough. As soft as her dress felt, it was not suited for such warm weather. Mabel could tell Dipper shared the sentiment. Mabel felt bad for him, Dipper had to wear and actual suit with a coat, and her brother got hot and sweaty much faster than she did.
Dipper let out a small sound of relief as the car's air conditioning started blowing cool air onto them, rather than the hot air it usually did when it first started up. Mabel decided if she ever went into the automobile industry, she'd make a car that didn't do that.
Mabel yawned and reached for her purse-only to find she didn't have it. She froze before turning side to side, groping the seats for her purse. "Oh dear." She breathed.
Her father looked at her through the rear view mirror, "Mabel, is something wrong?" Mabel winced and opened her mouth to say that of course there wasn't, but her father's face had already hardened.
An important part of telling a convincing lie was knowing when to and when not to. Now was one of the latter times. Her father was already suspicious, and if he realized she was attempting to lie to him, any future attempts would be less successful. So she told him the truth.
"I forgot my purse." Mabel told him, keeping her voice audible despite it seeming to want to grow soft and small. Her father tightened his grip on the steering wheel, and Mabel barely resisted the urge to shield herself and tremble. Her father took it as a sign of being guilty. "If you act like you expect to be hit, it is because you know you've done something wrong to deserve it." Her father would say.
Dipper tensed up and his hand darted towards his seatbelt, as if he were ready to hop out of his seat and protect his sister if necessary. Mabel found some comfort in her brother's willingness to protect her, but it couldn't wash away the fear entirely.
For a moment their father didn't do a thing, until his shoulders abruptly sagged and his grip weakened. "Yes, the loss of your mother has been an overwhelming event. You can be forgiven today for not keeping proper track of your things. Just take care that it doesn't happen again."
Mabel sagged with relief, but still felt a small inkling of terror. "Yes Sir." She replied, careful to keep her voice neutral. Sounding overly relieved or smug was a quick way to get her father to change his mind about letting her off the hook.
Dipper reached out and grabbed her hand. His palms were sweaty but Mabel grabbed them anyway and gave him a reassuring smile. It would be okay. They would be okay.
XXX_Sorry if the line breaks bother you_XXX
'It would be okay. They would be okay.' It had become somewhat of a mantra for Dipper and Mabel in the months after their mother died. Dipper never seemed fully sure of himself when he said it, but Mabel chose to full heartedly believe in it. Like her mother had once said, fake it til' you make it. It was easier some days than others.
"Dipper and Mabel, come here now!" Their father's voice boomed from downstairs. Mabel jumped, letting out an undignified squeak and Dipper was by her side in an instant. "Calm down Mabel, we'll think of something. I'll protect you." He declared. Mabel tried to swallow but couldn't, "But we didn't do anything wrong!" She protested. Ever since their mom died the twins had taken extra precautions to ensure they stayed out of trouble as much as possible. And Mabel knew for a fact there wasn't a thing they'd done today to warrant their father's anger.
"I know. Let's get this over with. He'll only get angrier the longer he has to wait." Dipper grabbed her hand and led them downstairs.
"DIPPER AND MABEL, DO NOT MAKE ME COME UP THERE!" Their father shouted. Mabel trembled and watch as Dipper put on his poker face. "Coming Sir!" He called back calmly. His hands were starting to get clammy, but Mabel only held on tighter. Their father was waiting for them at the base of the stairs, arms folded and eyes blazing with fury.
"Do you enjoy living in filth?" Their father grit his teeth. Dipper, blinked, unable to recall any mess having been made by him and Mabel to get his father so worked up. "Well? Do you?!" Their father snapped. "No sir!" Mabel responded, her voice wavering slightly.
Their father grabbed their wrists in his hands and yanked them apart so one was standing on either side of him. Mabel and Dipper attempted to reach for one another while they were dragged into the kitchen by their father. He lifted their arms slightly before roughly releasing them, causing the twins to stumble while they corrected their balance.
"Then what is this?" He barked, gesturing to the kitchen floor. Mabel tilted her head in confusion. What mess was she supposed to be looking at? The floor was clean. Their father tapped his foot, waiting for an answer.
Mabel didn't know what to say. She honestly didn't know what he wanted, but knew they had to say something before he got even angrier, but what?
"I'm not sure I follow Sir." Dipper told their father. Mabel knew the words were a mistake the moment they left Dipper's mouth. Their father grabbed him by the hair and forced Dipper to his knees. "Do you follow now?" He spat, his hold never weakening.
"I do so much for you children. You should be grateful with how good you have it compared to others, and this is the thanks I get? A messy floor?" He pushed Dipper down, so that his face banged into the linoleum.
"DIPPER!" Mabel cried as she ran to her brother's side ,only to have her father stop her dead in her tracks with a vicious glare. He released Dipper and stood up to his full height, towering over Mabel. Mabel's mind went blank, and all she could to was be consumed by terror. Her father reached out and grabbed her by the ear. Mabel whimpered in pain as her father began to drag her out of the kitchen.
"MABEL, LET HER GO!" Dipper shouted from behind them. Her father turned roughly to the side, slapping Dipper on his already bloody face. Mabel started blubbering incoherently for her brother, not stopping even as her father picked her up and marched her upstairs. Mabel saw her brother get up and bolt up the stairs after them, an angry determination in his eyes.
Their father stopped at their bedroom doorway long enough to set Mabel down and push her harshly into the room before slamming the door shut. Mabel heard the door click shut and shouting in the hallway. Dipper was screaming at their father, demanding he let Mabel out, consequences be damned. Mabel wrestled with the door handle before resorting to banging on the door and screaming her brother's name repeatedly.
The shouting raised in volume and Mabel could hear the sounds of a scuffle. Dipper's shouting ceased and started turning into softer sounds of pain. Mabel frantically clawed at the door. "DIPPER, DIPPER ARE YOU OKAY?! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE! DON'T HURT DIPPER! DIPPER ARE YOU OKAY?! PLEASE BE OKAY PLEASE BE OKAY!" The words started to squish together and the sounds on the other side of the door grew more distant.
Mabel only screamed louder. She clawed and banged at the door but no one answered. The house had gone quiet. Mabel collapsed, barely able to breathe through her heavy sobs. She shook uncontrollably and scarcely noticed the warm dampness between her legs.
"Dipper please be okay, please be okay, please be okay," Mabel begged quietly. It would be okay. They would be okay. Mabel started to wonder if she truly believed it.