Hello, and thanks for clicking on this document to see what it's all about! So I'm making a three season sequel to one of my favorite shows. I've shifted the focus of the show to some new characters. If you saw the season finale, this picks up about ten years after that when Gravity Falls has grown into more of a small city than a sleepy town. There will be new creatures as well as the return of a few of the original ones. There are many many mysteries to uncover since Mabel and Dipper's final visit to the town. A lot has gone on since they were there.
There will be twenty episodes per season, sixty episodes total, and each episode (except the first one) will be twenty five to thirty pages long.
I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it! This is not really meant for publicity, in fact I originally planned for this just to be a fun writing project for myself and my close friends. I did it for fun, and want to keep it loose and a fun experience! But I already had a fanfiction account and so ultimately decided, "why not? I have an account and three and a half episodes done, why not share it?"
So here it is!
(P.S: I drew the picture on the cover of the doc., but feel free to use it as long as you can credit me!)
(P.P.S: I'm keeping the stories to Disney Channel's format and to the original Gravity Falls show format so no real swearing, and some adult jokes that, as Stan says, go right over kids' heads! :P)
Episode 1 Prologue:
He strained, trying again to recover what he'd lost. It was, however, peculiar because he did not know exactly what he was trying to remember, only that there was a longing gnawing at his stomach for some form of substance to fill it. His senses reached out to four appendages, each limb tensed and shaking from sheer effort. But like always, the strain became too much, outweighed the longing, and he relaxed back into lonely oblivion. He'd lost count of how many times he'd tried.
The Void. It was cold and icy and barren. He wasn't used to feeling, that much he knew. Wherever time was, whether it was making a tree spread its arms above and catch the sun, or giving a soul a long and happy life, it had forgotten him. There was no time here. Only darkness. He remembered nothing. There was nothing.
A cold wind made him shiver. It came from his right side. He turned, an action he hadn't ever remembered taking. Everywhere he'd looked before was the same, just nothing. A very bright light made him shield his eye. The light source was rectangular, and for the first time in he didn't know how long, he recognized something. A door. Light, coming from a door. He followed it, and found his…legs, stepping on cold hard ground underneath him. Air moved around him like it never had before, and the sensation scared him. But he kept stepping forward anyways, feeling a strong urge to be free.
Once he was only a step away from the door, he outstretched his arm and stopped. One single thought manifested in his mind, and his fingers curled, slowly making a fist. Fury bubbled in his core, and the air around him became warm, then hot, then scorching. He didn't know why he thought this, but every part of him was itching, screaming to remember what the thought meant. He said it over and over in his mind, mulled it over, felt it searing a deep permanent hole in his subconscious. …Pine Tree…Pine Tree…Pine Tree….. Pine Tree.
Episode 1: Welcome (Back) to Gravity Falls
Cricket stretched her arms out. This test meant a lot to her grade. She had twenty minutes left of it and about ten more questions. That was time enough. She breathed in, breathed out, and picked her pencil back up in her lightly aching hand.
The classroom doors swung open, making way for nearly a hundred students to busily file out. Cricket, being right in the middle of the herd, got a few elbows dug into her stomach and a few accidental flat tires. A conversation taking place on her right caught her attention.
"That test was really hard. 29 was the worst."
"Ugh I know. At least the prof is half decent."
"That test was really hard. 29 was the worst."
"Ugh I know. At least the prof is half decent."
"Yeah! That test was a real doozey." Cricket interjected, trying to start up a conversation. "Hey, wanna hang out? I know the best pizza place we could swing by-"The boy and girl were already half way down the hall. As she looked around, she saw that she was alone. Cricket knew the test hadn't been hard and she wasn't really hungry. She readjusted her backpack and headed toward the sign that said "Library" with an arrow pointing south. She walked by herself in the empty hallways, muttering "That was the easiest test I've ever taken."
...
A redhead stretched her arms out, accidentally bumping the guy next to her for the third time that hour. She mumbled a quick apology and stared out the window of the bus with blooming optimism. The town wasn't far away now. She could just see it over the horizon. An old Diner sign was the first thing that caught her eye. She squished her face against the glass. The horizon line gave way to a quaint little town. The woods around it seemed to cradle it, wrapping it in protective and secluding trees and brush. The town itself was quite busy. People milled in and out of shops that lined the streets. Buses like the one she was riding opened and closed their doors, people spilling out and hurrying in. One intersection showcased a car dealership with a large sign that read No More Raccoons in the Engines. Another corner revealed a plaza with a three story apartment complex on one side and a row of little shops including a little waffle house on the other. On one far side of the town someone heaved as they threw out a black garbage bag in a junk yard. "Cool." She whispered. A ways away from the town itself was a range of mountains that stretched for miles around. She sat back in her seat. Things would be different here.
...
Cricket got a call. She was sat in the library, reading up on astronomy. Next to her was a stack of books easily as tall as she was, one containing advanced mathematical theories, another on the history of botany, and one that was written in Latin.
She'd forgotten to turn her ringer off, and she fumbled to silence it before answering the call.
"Hey." She said, turning the page of the dusty old book.
"Yo. Dude, I love this place already." The other side crackled with excitement.
"Oh, you're here! That's fantastic! Have you decided what to do yet?" The last word faltered as Cricket noticed something in her book. The other person didn't seem to catch the change in tone.
"Yes, I'm gonna go today. I know I could stay home, but Like, what would I even do there? It'll be much more fun to go to school on my first day instead, even if it would only be a half day."
Cricket got up from her seat, book in hand, and went in search for another book. Her finger brushed over the backs of a row of stacked books, none of them being the one she was looking for.
"Hello?" The voice on her phone made her answer in a rush.
"Oh! Uh, sorry, I'm a little distracted."
"What book is it this time?"
"… Advanced Astronomy."
"Of course it is. Alright, you finish your nerd book and I'll see ya at the apartment, okay? Okay. Bye, love ya sis."
Cricket felt a shiver down her spine. She turned quickly and saw a thick old book sitting on top of a stack of anatomy books. She answered absent- mindedly before hanging up. "Bye, love you." Stuffing the phone into her back pocket, she relaxed her hand at her side and cocked her head. This wasn't like any other book she'd seen at the library before, and she'd basically had the whole thing mapped out. She stepped forward, and felt a sudden anger for some reason. Pine Tree. She heard far off in the distance. But when she peered in the direction of the whisper, she saw nothing. Brushing the thought away, head clear, she picked up the old book. It was heavy.
Now back at her table, Cricket took her seat, cleared a space for the new book, and set it down. The back was facing her so she turned it around and squinted, intrigued. Mahogany covered the ancient- looking tome, with some clear scrapes having been ripped off of it revealing a light grey brown base. Sitting on top of the brown- red cover was a large hand cut out of some gold material stuck on it. The hand had six fingers, and a big… number two was hand-written with clear precision on top.
Cricket opened it slowly, careful not to break it as any book this unkempt had to be fragile. She gasped. It was an absolutely terrifying and expertly drawn… monster. It had a long and arched beak with two slitted eyes at the base and jagged spikes going down its scaly back. It had four powerful arms and legs and two gigantic wings. And a tail as long as it's torso with a trident- like end.
Dragon
Origin is unknown
Age is unknown
Deadly, avoid at all costs
Weakness Unknown
I encountered this creature only once. It was sleeping on top of an enormous pile of gold and jewels. I managed to grab a few before it woke up. Now that it recognizes my scent I'll have to stay away, but I needed the stones to help fund my project.
As Cricket kept reading, she found herself flipping through the pages. The most interesting thing was that all of the creatures were anatomically plausible. Muscle mass, body structure, everything was possible. She rested her head on her hand. I might be here a while. She thought to herself.
...
"Lunch time. My kinda scene." The redhead said triumphantly. She held a tray with a sandwich, chocolate milk, and a muffin in her hands and hurried over to the doors of the cafeteria. "If there's one thing I know, it's that all the action is outside." Scooting the door open with her waist, her eyes widened and a big grin overtook her face. It was perfect.
When she'd first arrived, the front of the school didn't look very promising. Just a boring, uncolorful two- story building. But the back revealed that another two buildings had been constructed, and were very new. One was long and winded around a good half of the campus. There were a few murals on it. One depicted a bird, wings extended as if in flight, with a pastel rainbow in its wake. Another was a slightly darker forest scene with a bright canopy at the top and shadowy underneath. Two students were busily painting away. One was a boy, impossibly tall, dark- haired, wearing a green shirt and skinny jeans. The other was a super short girl with a dark pony tail and a baggy sweat shirt and boots. Looks like that mural's not done yet. If she wasn't mistaken, that was the fine arts hallway. The other building was a two story one with a light brown finish and undertones that kept with the original color scheme of the school. It looked kind of like an observatory, what with the dome shaping the ceiling, but she didn't know its exact purpose. Far off she spotted a football field. She squealed with delight.
Upon entering, she'd been given a few papers to sign and a schedule, but she could not care less about that stuff. She was here to have the time of her life.
A few guys wearing football jerseys were standing under a tree, chatting. "Ooh, they're on the football team!" One was telling a story to the others. As she got closer, she overheard it.
"So then he was like, 'but dude you can't just take that extra bag of chips', and I was like, 'my hand is on the bag already and I'm putting it in my pocket, this is happening', and then he was like-" He stopped short, looking at the new set of eyes who's attention he'd caught. He slitted his eyes and looked her over. She was tall, maybe 5'8, with a red pixie cut and a button nose. She wore a green and black jersey stretching over broad shoulders with an orange tank top underneath, grey jeans, and darker grey shoes. He snorted.
She sized him up. He was shorter than most guys. He sported a dirty blond quiff, white muscle shirt with a blue number 8 on it, and work out shorts. He seemed cool, so she was confident.
"Who are you?" He jumped off the bench he was standing on.
Shorter than me. Huh. She thought. "Bea Atwood." She extended a warm hand. He just stared at it. He took a few steps forward and looked to be about to say something, but then glanced back at her hand as it seemed to bother him that it was as close as it was. He daintily brushed it away and Bea took it back, smile fading, but not completely.
In her head she had a little mini conversation with herself.
I don't like him, he's a jerk face.
Shut up! You're here to make friends not enemies!
Jerk face, he's goin' down.
At least give him a chance, it's way more than you got.
… fine.
"Bea, was it?"
She nodded, but before she could speak up, he cut her off. "Buzz of, will ya?"
His friends all laughed at his joke, and Bea backed away. She was clear out of her element, where usually the more popular kids liked her.
"Ha ha, yeah. That was a good one. I'll see you later." She waved and turned away, sulking off. Usually Bea had no trouble making friends with the jocks. Her old school had accepted her into their group without a second thought. Maybe it's because I grew up with them. She searched for a group of friendly faces. Everyone around her seemed to already know each other. All around her were close-knit clusters. And after the fiasco with whoever that jerk was, she was in no mood to talk to people.
Taking her seat on a far off bench, she began to eat. Surveying the scene, she watched those around her having fun. Her gaze drifted to a group of six hanging around under the bleachers. Another squad of seven were sitting on top of the bleachers, two of them running around trying to push the other over. The five still sitting were chanting "Push and Plummet! Push and Plummet!" Bea guessed it was a game that involved trying to push the other off the bleachers. Looks like fun. She had a similar game back at home. While recalling the game in her head, she absent- mindedly drifted her gaze to the murals again. The two students working on it tirelessly were giggling at each other. One smeared paint on the others arm, and they returned the favor. Something about the tree they were painting was off. The shading doesn't indicate a clear light source.
Almost without thinking she set her tray down and walked over to them.
...
Cricket poured over the old book. It was utterly fascinating. Then a thought popped into her head. I've got to check it out before the day is over! She carefully closed the book and fast walked to the counter. A short and stout librarian eyed her with a perpetually irritated expression.
"Um," Cricket said shyly. "I'd like to check this book out." She set the book down on the counter. The librarian took it and looked puzzled. She searched round for something, and laid it back down with a plop. Cricket flinched. She was handling it like a piece of garbage.
The librarian typed hurriedly on her keyboard. She squinted at the screen, and then slowly turned back to Cricket.
"What are you trying to pull here?" She asked sourly.
"Uh, pull? I-uh-um, well- I'm not trying to pull-"
"This book doesn't have a bar code, it's not even registered in the inventory. As far as I'm concerned, it's yours." Her tone dripped with irritation and the note echoed off every wall, giving the entire room a distasteful air to it.
"Huh?" Cricket took the book back and stared at it.
"Yeah. So, take it and get out." The librarian said dryly.
"Um, okay." Cricket went back to her seat and tucked the tome in her backpack. Looking at the clock, she was surprised to see that it was already two o'clock. The time when she normally would go back to her dorm. Only this time she was going to her new apartment at her uncle's complex. Last night was her last night in her dorm, the day she'd finally moved her things out in preparation to move in with her sister, Bea.
Cricket headed for the doors.
...
"Students, please open your computers and find this website. We'll be doing a scavenger hunt." The teacher started writing on the white board the URL for some sciencey- website. Bea wasn't paying attention. She was picking her tooth with one of her fingers, still fretting about the bad encounter with Mister Jerkface. Her eyes surveyed the classroom. Her eyelids flitted for a second, recognizing someone. The tall guy from the mural. We've got the same class! Normally in this situation, Bea would do her best to not disrupt the classroom as she had nothing against teachers, but she needed this. Someone she could be friends with on the first day.
Ripping a piece of paper out of one of her notebooks, she wrote out a short letter to the guy.
Hi
I liked your artwork at lunch today. What's ur name?
I'm Bea, the one who was looking at it earlier.
She folded it into a paper airplane and flung it in his direction. It landed in his hair, but he didn't notice. Bea dug her face into her hand. The teacher was about to turn around and notice that he had an airplane on his head! She swung her head around, trying to find a way to fix the situation. She balled up another piece of paper and threw it to a kid on the opposite side of the classroom. He flinched and drew his hand up.
"Yes, Douglas?" The teacher took it as a raised hand. The student fumbled for words. Now, while she was distracted, Bea balled up a second piece of paper and threw it at the tall kid. It hit his desk and he turned around to see who had thrown it. Bea waved her hand in the air and pointed to her head. Then she made a pulling move as if to pull something from her hair. The kid felt his head and was surprised to find the airplane. Unfolding it, he read the letter, smiled, and quickly wrote underneath Bea's writing. He sent the flying paper back.
Thanks lol! I'm Connor btw. R u new here?
The conversation went on for a little while.
Ye. I was just trying to find some people to hang out with. There was a rly mean guy at lunch, that one in the big group, what's his deal?
Zanderick? No idea, but he's a real loser. Do you like vid games?
I love vid games! But I don't have a console. Do you?
Yeah. Do you wanna play vid games today after school?
Yeah! Is it ok if we go to my apartment tho?
Sure! Meet me in the cortyard after school ends and we can go dood.
Bea shot him an excited smile, and he gave her a thumbs up. The only way she could really describe him was silly. Looking closer at his desk, she observed tons of scribbles and doodles on his paper. One was more detailed than the other that formed a giant robot terrorizing a city with its laser vision. He followed her gaze and made a scary face at her, silently roaring and fake stomping on the floor. Bea laughed. He wasn't her usual choice in friends, but she found it okay.
...
In all of my years I have never met anyone more intellectually compatible. Cricket studied the words. Next to the writing was a quick sketch of a triangle with an oval inside.
Illuminati confirmed. Cricket snickered. New and crazier drawings surpassed those before them as she turned each page. Cycloctapus. Funny. The sunlight was replaced by shade in a matter of seconds. Cricket quickly scanned the sky and gaped. They were rain clouds. A branch obscured a part of the now darkened sky and the very next second she tripped on a root. Scrambling to her knees she pawed around until she found her glasses. Her eyes went from slits to fully open again. Cricket reoriented herself. I'm… in the forest! But how? Darn it, I must've not seen where I was going. Where's the town? She picked her new book up and packed it away. Slinging the bag over her shoulder, she took a few steps forward. No sooner than that, it started pouring.
The only thing Cricket was wearing was a long sleeved shirt. Bummer. The next few soggy steps her sandals sloshed noisily in the newly formed mud. But on she trudged. The tall pines above her gave no hint of the town being anywhere nearby. Rain pitter pattered on her head, making her short brown hair five shades darker and stick to her head. Streams of freezing water streaked down her face. Only a minute later all of her clothes were sopping wet. "This won't do." She commented, and stood still. She inspected her surroundings and spotted a big and tall mass about a hundred feet away. It was an oak. She ran in the direction of the tree. It was relatively dry underneath, so she leaned against it, shivering. Cricket drew her arms around herself and sat down on the dry crunchy forest floor. Her back pack fell around her left arm and the book tumbled half way out. It appeared to be calling to her. She inched her hand closer, wondering if she could just spend a few more minutes looking at it. With one swipe, she took it out and reopened it. No use in going back out there. I could get a nasty cold, or worse. Hypothermia. I'll wait the storm out.
Wind cut through the towering pines. The raindrops that collected on the leaves of their outstretched branches were quickly swept off again by the turbulence. Cold descended to freezing, which in turn descended to deadly icy. Up on the canopy of the oak, a lone owl huddled in its nest to keep warm. Off in the distance, a red pointy hat ducked behind a bush and into a hidden hole.
Cricket was turning blue. What the heck! It's August. It shouldn't be this cold. She'd already put the book back in the back pack, where she'd also stuck her hands. A tremor shook her whole body. "Do or die." She thought aloud. "I have to keep moving. I'll make it back, it's not a big deal."
She headed back out into the rain. Lightning illuminated the sky and thunder rattled the air around her. The sound smacked against her eardrums as loud as anything. She swayed to one side as an aggressive current of air barreled through. Cricket's body was shoved backward. The bushes around her were pulled momentarily upward like a curtain along with her, and under one of them was a glimpse of red.
"Woah." She crawled to the bush and lifted it again. She could've sworn she saw a tiny pair of hands. Lifting herself back up again, the sound of…Maracas? There were maracas sounding off somewhere to her right.
I'm more lost than ever. Another round of bullet- rain hit her straight on and she shielded her eyes. She slitted one open and observed a tiny humanoid creature with a red pointed hat scamper across the clearing on all fours. She teetered backward, swinging her hands around her for balance. But the oncoming water blinded her again. She marched forcefully forward, determined to leave this creepy forest behind and get home. Left foot, right foot. Left foot. Right- Her right foot felt nothing underneath, and painful adrenaline shot through her body in an instant. She dropped down, down, down. For a good two and a half seconds, all Cricket felt around her was air. She flipped onto her stomach just in time, for her hands collided against sloppy, mushy ground. It was a bad landing. Then her knees hit, then her stomach. She rolled forward with tremendous force. The mud didn't do much to stop how much she tumbled.
Her body halted a few yards from the base of the ravine. She tilted her head up and sluggishly opened one of her eyes. The other was caked over with dirt and oozing mud. Cricket couldn't see much, dark shapes of the trees' arms ripping through the wind, the wall of the cliff she'd just fallen off of. The droplets of water made little short- lasting inward hemispheres in the sludge. For a moment she pondered the sight, taking comfort in that the mud acted as a kind of insulation against the unforgiving wind. For a time she sighed and let the noise of clapping thunder, drumming and percussious cloudburst, and whistling wind act as a chorus and lull her to a state between conscious and unconsciousness.
Two rapidly moving shapes darted out from between two trees. Cricket was half roused from her trance and watched them get closer and closer to her weakened self. She was too tired to do anything, so she closed her eyes again and let the unconsciousness take over. A new chorus of little chirps and hushed tones drowned out the thunder and rain right before Cricket's train of thought melted into stew.
She was warm. Darkness gave way to pink and red. Little orange shapes flickered across her vision. She lazily fluttered her eyes open. The one wasn't caked in mud anymore, there was just a thin dry layer that cracked under the pressure.
A few feet away was a small mass of lit candles. Each one had an elegantly carved holder perching them up. Beyond the candles were arched wooden walls. The space was small and rounded around her, nest- like. She perched herself up on her elbows, breaking the fetal position she was in. Her hands and feet pounded with blood and seared, as if thawing out. The storm outside rattled the exterior.
"Woah, Gary, she's up." The high pitched voice made her twitch and locate the source. To her right side stood a miniscule man half the height of her calf. He wore suspenders made of burlap over a light blue worn shirt. He sported a conical red hat and a bushy brown beard that covered his jawline. Cricket's eyes turned to saucers at the sight and her jaw was slack.
"Wanna be careful, unless you want termites to crawl all up in there." The little man was referring to her gaping mouth. She half closed it, furrowing her brow in disbelief. He chuckled. "And trust me," He continued with a cringe, "That'll happen." He burped, and the next moment a small crowd of the creatures waddled through a doorway that Cricket assumed held another maze of rooms. She scooted herself upright and put her knees to her chest, marveling at the impossible spectacle.
The tiny men made room for another one of them to walk past. This man's suspenders were light brown and his shirt was red. He positioned himself on a mound of twigs and branches that made him a bit taller than all the others.
"How are you?" He asked, extending his miniature hand. "The name's Gary."
Cricket took the hand, still unable to form words. "Uhh…" She trailed off.
"Here, lemme explain before you incoherently mumble anything else. Kay, so… I'm a gnome. We live here, and we've lived here for a very long time. And don't worry, I don't bite- well, I don't bite, but I can't say the same for some of these guys-" he vaguely gestured toward the others, one of them snapping his jaws together-"but we saw you out in the rain and decided to take you in until this whole freak storm blows over."
Cricket nodded and took her hand back, gently placing it back on her knee.
"You doin' okay?" Asked Gary.
She just nodded.
"We've got some hot water, you want any of that?"
Another nod. An image floated through Cricket's mind, one she saw in the journal. It described an encounter with these gnomes. Her thoughts traced back to her red book. She peered behind her but it wasn't on her back anymore. Some of the gnomes got visibly uncomfortable. She pointed behind her.
"A… book, a back pack. I had one on me before I fell." She turned to look at each of them. "Did you get it? Is it with you?" Silence.
Gary came back with the hot water looking very displeased. He handed it to her and she sipped.
"Where did you get it? That journal?" Gary questioned in a low even tone.
"So you do have it?"
"Where did you get it?"
"… I found it. In a library."
The gnomes murmured amongst each other, and Gary lifted a hand to quiet them.
"I want that book back." She said, her tone gaining more confidence.
"Trust me, you really don't." Thunder crackled outside.
"Why?"
He stared at the ground. "Bad things happen when people have that journal. I won't stop you from taking it back, but I must warn you of the danger that it brings with it."
Cricket's heart quickened. Danger? What kind of danger could a book about fantasies have? But wait, no. It's not fantasy. It's all real. Well, at least the gnomes are. "I'll have the journal back, thank you."
Gary frowned. He snapped at the same time that more thunder crackled and held his hand out behind him. Three gnomes carried Cricket's battered back pack out and she took it in her hands. Checking inside, she found all of her things a mess inside, but intact. Including the boo… the journal. It was a journal.
Cricket fastened it on her back and made for the door to the outside world.
"Wait." Gary stopped her. "We might not be on such great terms, but it's bad outside. Won't you stay until the storm is gone?"
"I can't, my sister is waiting for me at home." Cricket was at the doorway.
"Fine, but at least take this." Gary sent two gnomes to grab something. They came back with a folded black garment. "We use it as a blanket, but I think you could make much better use of it."
Cricket took the garment. "Um, thanks."
"Good luck." He waved. She waved back, and ducked under the arched doorway. The rain pelted her and she gasped at how cold it still was. She hurriedly unfolded the garment and gazed in awe. It was a tall black trench coat- looking jacket with a flared collar, flapping in the wind. She stuffed her arms through the sleeves and felt relief. It was sooo warm. The position of what little light could penetrate the thick blanket of storm clouds indicated that it was nearly 6 o'clock. Now to get home.
...
"I'll beat you into the ground!" Bea yelled, stare glued to the television screen.
"Oh no way, I've played this game ever since I could hold a control in my hands! You're goin' down." Connor retorted. "Hey," He said, breaking the back and forth banter. "So you really sure your uncle is okay with you taking the TV from the downstairs lobby and plugging it in here?" He twisted his shoulders, emulating the block his character in the game preformed.
"Of course!" Bea waved her hand up and down, brushing him off. "As long as we take it back afterwards, he won't even notice." Her voice strained as she focused more and more on the fighting sequence she was conducting. "Anyways…" She paused between each prominent move, each word getting louder as she neared victory. "He's not even… in the lobby… he's playing cards… with… that one weird guy he… works… with… yes!" She thrusted a fist into the air as her character threw the last 'mega punch' at Connor's character and he toppled over. "First win!"
Connor relaxed and readjusted himself on the couch after the long and arduous game. "Yeah, out of eight."
"Hey, I'm getting better!" Bea grinned. She took another handful of chips from the bag carelessly propped up between them. Crumbs littered the floor.
"That you are, my young apprentice."
Bea cackled. Just then, thunder sent a loud and terrifying applause. Connor jumped, which made the bag of chips fall over. Bea finally took notice of the bellowing storm and its sheer size. She set the control down and moved the shutters to get a better view. She frowned.
"What's wrong?" Connor inquired while picking up the loose chips and tossing them back in the bag.
"… My sister should've been home by now. It's half passed six." She paused. "I'll call her."
She paced around the room but there was no answer. "Huh."
"I'm sure she's alright, Bea." Connor offered her the bag and she took another hungry mouthful, chewing loudly.
"I hope so."
"If you want, I'll stay until she gets here."
Bea took the offer by surprise. "Really? Well… that would be great. Thanks, dude."
"Hey no problem. I mean it's not like I can really leave anyways. It'd be lunacy to travel out there at this time-"
Bea slumped her shoulders and Connor tried to put a band aid on the sentence. "-at night, in a car."
The two stayed there for a moment, contemplating the streaks of rain that traced lines on the window. "You mind if I call my mom? I've gotta tell her I'll be here for a while." Connor pointed to her phone.
"Huh? Oh, yeah sure." Bea gave him the phone and focused back on the glass. The lights went out, and the glorious theme of their video game was cut off with it.
Her uncle's apartment complex was right at the edge of the town, and her apartment was on the far side of the building, which meant that she had a clear view of the woods. A thin and tall figure stepped out of the tree line. It had a hump on its back, and looked as menacing as anything. It was making its way to the apartments.
"Alright, thanks mom. Goodbye." Connor had just finished his phone call when Bea screamed.
"Monster!" She stuck a finger to the glass.
...
It was so cold. But the apartments were in sight. Only a few more yards and she'd officially be out of the woods.
Two people ran from the back door wielding blunt objects. They were yelling out some strange battlecry. Cricket stopped dead in her tracks. The nearest one swung out and she lost her balance, narrowly avoiding the blow. Her collar fell away from her face. The figure got ready to swing again but paused.
"Crick?" Her sister said in disbelief.
"Bea, what are you doing?" She got back on her hands and knees and her sister reached a hand out for her to take. Heaving her up, the redhead answered.
"We thought you were some monster. But I think it was just hype from the game we were just playing. I'll show you inside. C'mon."
Connor opened the door for the two girls to walk inside. Their shoes quacked like soggy ducks on the cool tiles. They arrived at a staircase.
Now back inside the warm and dry apartment, Cricket took stock of everything. Sealed boxes still stacked in the corner, taking up about half of the entire place. Four multi-colored suitcases that she guessed were Bea's. One couch…. And a TV?
"Where'd… I'm not even going to ask." She was too tired. Bea helped her with her coat and hung it on the bathroom door. She took note of how the coat made the backpack look like the hump she saw.
Cricket half sat half fell onto the couch. She took her back pack in her hands and slipped the journal out.
"What's that?" Asked Connor, sitting on one of the couch's arms.
"It's a long story." Cricket opened it back up to page one. The three marveled at the relic.
Hi! It's me again! Sorry, but since this is my first shot at an extended fiction, could you please take a moment to give it a review? The feedback would really help improve my writing and give a bit of a confidence boost, and it would help me know if you like them so I should continue to publish these. Thanks so much! (Also I realized there was no clear indication of changing perspectives! There was, there were multiple MULTIPLE spaces between switching perspectives, but the Fanfic format erased all of that, so I have found a new way to switch, sorry about that 3)