THE GIRL IN THE GILDED CAGE
This fanfic is a follow-up to the events of the season 2 episode 10 'Northwest Mansion Mystery' and is based on artwork by the incomparable Markmak. Check him out on Tumblr and Deviantart. I do not own anything to do with Gravity Falls, oddly enough. Though, if I did... It would DEFINITELY be getting a third season *crosses fingers*
Pacifica Northwest, the 12 year old young (definitely NOT dyed) blonde heiress to the wealthiest family in the small town of Gravity Falls in the state of Ontario, the self-proclaimed 'most popular girl' of the hick district, was depressed. This was unusual behaviour for her, as usually at this time she would be hitting the mall with her friends running up an incredible credit card bill, all dressed up in the latest fashions and strutting her stuff outside so the local yahoos could envy her and her equisite taste and illustrious bloodline.
Right now though, it didn't feel so illustrious. In fact, almost everything she had ever thought about her heritage turned out to be a lie. While rescuing an entire mansion full of people from permanently being turned into wooden statues by a rampaging spook and earning her parents' ire into the bargain by letting all the 'common' riff-raff into what was supposed to be a private function for millionaires AND billionaires, she had discovered a secret room. This alcove, hidden in the wall behind a painting that she'd fallen into with that dor... I mean, Dipper, contained artwork which showed that her great-great grandfather not being the founder of Gravity Falls wasn't the only skeleton in the Northwest's closet. Her ancestors, that she'd held on a pedestal for so long, had lied, cheated and betrayed others to get to the top. There was no honour, or pride to be found in any of this... Yet, they obviously disagreed, as they'd even commissioned the paintings to be done... Ghoulish souvenirs of their evil and treachery.
She'd confronted her parents about this discovery after the party was concluded, but instead they completely blanked her and forced her to listen to a ten minute lecture of their own. "PACIFICA ELISE NORTHWEST" (Adding her middle name for emphasis) "YOU HAVE RUINED OUR FAMILY NAME" her erstwhile father had said, while sipping from a glass of whisky. "YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE A NORTHWEST" Her mother had added, while applying gloss to her extra large lips. She ALWAYS sided with him. "GO TO YOUR ROOM AND THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'VE DONE". Her father finally finished, with the stern look he'd given her hundreds of times over the years which meant he wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer. As she slowly ascended the stairs, slumped, dejectedly, she heard it.
That dreadful ringing. Ever since she was a child, she had been conditioned to respond to that ringing. Don't talk with your mouth full. RING RING. Sit up straight. RING RING. Go and change your dress. RING RING. All... From that awful bell. She couldn't ignore it. She saw it in her nightmares. It was part of her psyche. And now... There it was again. "BUT WHY" she thought... "I'M DOING WHAT THEY WANT"! The answer was given by her dad "And take this with you. Let it serve as a reminder that your next act of subordination will be met by consequences most serious". Feeling like she was going to burst into tears there and then, she took the small instrument of her despair and shuffled off to her bedroom, her parents watching her all the way.
Now, she was in a deeply contemplative mood at her desk, with the window open and the bell to one side of her. "Why did I defy my parents last night" She wondered "I must have known this was going to happen. Now I'll be stuck here for the rest of the summer... No friends, nothing to do but look through the glass". Of course, she didn't want all those people to die, or her mansion to burn down, and she felt more disconnected from her forbearers than ever before. But what gave her the mental strength to push that lever? How did she overcome years of brainwashing and training to make her own mind up about something at that pivotal moment, regardless of her parents's wishes? She wished could remember, she might be able to...
Suddenly her attention was caught by a movement on her window sill. She looked up for a second from her thoughts, to see that it was a small bird. She had no idea what kind it was... She was strictly home-schooled... And her father saw little value in treating her about nature when there was money to be made. He was a cute little fellow, though. Pacifica almost reached out to him, but then... Something strange happened.
The bird turned 180 degrees to face her. She looked at it, and suddenly an all-encompassing feeling swept over her. "What is this warm glow I feel in my head " She almost said out loud. She stared again at the bird. Surrounded by daylight, it looked almost angel-like in it's serenity. The two continued to gaze at each other, as if playing some bizarre party game. All at once, a memory from last night sprung into Pacifica's head, and everything became clear.
It was as everyone was leaving the party, and Pacifica, being the perfect little hostess-in-training that she was, was saying goodnight to everyone. She'd been nervous, wondering what her parents were going to say to her the minute the grand hall was empty... She spotted Grenda on the arm of some noble ("How did THAT happen" she could remember thinking), Candy and Mabel having an animated discussion about some wedding they were going to attend... And the last to leave was of course, the one she'd already been through so much with that night... One Dipper Pines.
He'd stopped by the door, nervously scratching the back of his neck "Are you going to be alright" he'd said, all too aware by now of how the Northwests treated and valued their only daughter(That is to say, not much at all). "I'll be fine" she'd said, quite unconvincingly "I mean, what's the worst they could do, lock me in my room for the rest of the summer, and give me meals through a flap?" She'd said it in a jokey tone, but little did Dipper know, that was EXACTLY what she expected to occur.
At least, she thought Dipper would take it as a gag. What she'd forgotten about was that Dipper had already seen the extents to what the Northwests were willing to do to save face that evening, to the point where this rather outlandish scenario was quite possible in his eyes. "WHAT?! So your parents will keep you as a prisoner... for the next month... When you saved dozens of lives?!" It sounded terrible coming from his lips, but to Pacifica this kind of punishment was no great surprise. It had been going on for years, so it was almost second nature.
"Yes, what about it?" she'd shrugged, before an increasingly exasperated looking Dipper. He seemed to thinking about something, torn on whether to stay or go. "Listen Pacifica, this isn't right. The way your parents treat you isn't right. You don't deserve this." "So, you've made your point." She replied. "What do you want me to do about it. It's not going to stop, so why bother trying." Dipper looked aghast at this hopeless response, and finally plucked up the courage to make a suggestion that had been on his mind for a few minutes now.
"Pacifica, I want you to come back with me to the Mystery Shack. I'm not sure what to do from there... Maybe you could have a chat with Grunkle Stan about your situation. Perhaps he can help you, perhaps not. But I can tell you one thing right now for free... It'll be a much happier and safer enviroment for you than here. Look at you... You're a nervous wreck. You have no freedom. My family may not have your money, but we stick together through thick and thin and love each other unconditionally. I'm very sorry to have to say this, but I don't believe you get that from your mother and father."
His words rang as true as that bell she hated so much. Warring feelings... Of trepidation and hope, were buzzing around her head. She felt giddy. She was about to say something... But then stopped. She'd spotted THEM. Her parents, popping their heads through the trapdoor that lead to the panic room. They'd been in there since the latter stages of the party... When things had gotten REALLY raucous. Now that the noise had died down, they'd come to check if the coast was clear of peasants... And they did NOT look happy when they saw who was talking to their daughter.
Realising she being watched and eavedropped on, Pacifica quick as a flash put on her snooty voice again " What makes you think I'd do THAT, Pines?" she huffed " Why would I leave this place for your HOVEL?!" She'd almost shouted that last word, hoping to win at least SOME of her parents' approval back. At first, Dipper seemed confused by this abrupt changed in mood, but glancing over Pacifica's shoulder and seeing her mother and father red faced and gnashing their teeth like diseased rats, he soon put two and two together (being the smart kid he is).
He put a hand on the girl's shoulder and whispered. "Listen, I know you can't talk right now, but remember: Our door is always open to you." He wasn't so sure about that last part, but if Pacifica wanted to stay he was sure he could work out something with Stan. Even if it meant doing extra chores each day. Pacifica nodded in gratitude as the younger of the Mystery Twins took his leave... But in an echo to an early farewell he'd heard from the blonde when she'd addressed his sister, said " Oh, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but I had fun". He gave a half-smile, before walking out of the door... Leaving his new female friend to face the music.
'Friend'. Such a simple word... Yet it sounded so good. Up until this point Pacifica THOUGHT she had lots of friends... but, in retrospect, they only hung around her because of her wealth and status. "Those people don't really like me" she pondered. "If I lost all my money tomorrow and the horrible truth about the Northwests were to come out, I'd lose them all overnight. But that Dipper... He's different. He wears his heart on his sleeve, is never afraid to take you down a few pegs if he thinks you're wrong, and even his dorkishness is kind of cute. Oh, and yes... Even his sister isn't too bad. Even if she can be very silly, and all she wears is weird sweaters. I've insulted, humiliated and mocked both of them... Yet they still would be there for me. THAT'S true friendship"
She looked back at the bird, framed by the sky, wishing she had a pair of wings that could take her away, far from here and all her problems, her parents and her worries... When suddenly, she had what can only be described as an epiphany. WHY couldn't she? She had no real life here. Her parents dressed her up like a china doll to keep up appearences, trained her like a dog to respond to a small musical instrument, and taught her to be mean to everyone in town who was supposedly 'below the Northwest's station'.
But she wasn't happy. She hadn't been for a long time... Yet, she couldn't talk to her mother or father about it. They thought it was enough to simply BE a Northwest, as if it made up for the years of neglect, lies and torture she'd been forced to endure. Well, it didn't. She was miserable. And being chewed out for doing the right thing, on top of everything else, had made up her mind. She had to get out.
Under the watchful eye of the bird, she quickly grabbed a knapsack and started to load it with clothes. Nothing fancy, just casual. As for the nicer stuff, she had other plans for that. Grabbing some of her best outfits, she tied them together as well as her limited knot tying skills could allow, to make them into kind of a minature rope. Finally, almost as an afterthought, she hastily scribbled a note.
Then, tying one end of the makeshift rope to her four poster bed, she threw it out of the window, before climbing down carefully and making good her escape. She already knew where she was going: The Mystery Shack had never seemed more inviting than it was right now. She looked up, and saw her winged inspiration, the creature that had possibly saved her life take off into the sky in the same direction. Finally able to smile, she realised it was time for her to find her own wings, free from the yoke of her parents. And she was sure that Dipper, her first TRUE friend, would be more than happy to help her with the task.
EPILOGUE
Later that day, having received no response to his calls, Preston Northwest opened his daughter's bedroom door. It was completely empty, apart from a litany of clothes dangling from an open window, his bell of discipline laid out on the desk... And underneath, a note which simply said 'Mom & Dad, If You Need Me, I'll Be At The Mystery Shack'. He would never have believed it was from his daughter... If it hadn't been written in her best handwriting. It was one of the few things he did know about her. The bird had finally fled the gilded cage... And she wasn't ever coming back...