WARNINGS: I do NOT own Gravity Falls, the characters, or the AUs I use in this fanfiction. This fanfic doesn't entirely follow the AUs I use. There may be violence or swearing in any of the chapters in this story. Grammatical and lore errors may be present.
A/N: Welcome back to chapter 2! I think I'm going to update this fanfiction every Sunday, writing 1,000 words per day maybe… So hopefully I'll have 6,000 words by Sunday. I'm pretty sure I won't have 6,000 all the time but I'll definitely try. I think I might write even more to prepare for months of hell, A.K.A. schoolwork. Well, enjoy the fic.
Chapter 2: Giant-Freaking-Vampire-Bats
"Okay, so let me get this straight." Pacifica walked the length of their attic bedroom one more time before sitting on her bed and looking Drei in the eyes. "You are a journal—a journal written by an unknown man that studies the anomalies of this town?"
"Yup!" Drei swung his legs over the edge of Gideon's bed. Gideon had to resort to sitting on Pacifica's purple beanbag chair.
"So… how are you alive after being stuck in that box?" Pacifica had asked the question on both of their minds. Gideon leaned forward as much as his seat allowed him, resting his chin in the palm of his hand and studying Drei's expression thoroughly. Drei, of course, gave a small wave to him before facing Pacifica once again and answering.
"Well, you see… I'm not really human, like you two." The cousins looked at each other before quirking a brow at Drei, urging him to continue.
"I'm a being created by the author. Pieces of his collected information is engraved in my mind and on my body." Drei rolled his sleeve up a little to reveal writing and unfamiliar symbols, successfully shocking the cousins.
"This… author, he knows about what really happens in this town?" Gideon asked. Drei nodded with a little more enthusiasm than necessary. "Do you know where he is now?"
"Nope, but I know he's not here." Drei shrugged and threw himself back onto the mattress and giggled to himself at the bounce. Pacifica and Gideon made eye contact before shifting their gazes back to the brunette.
"Can we at least get a name?" Drei immediately sat up and made a motion of zipping his mouth shut and locking it, throwing the key in some imaginary space.
From outside, the screech of a bat was heard and Pacifica slides off her mattress to gaze out the window. There is nothing to be seen for a few seconds, a few birds fly around like leaves in being carried around in the wind. The silence and peace is ruined as Pacifica watches in horror as a giant bat touches down low to the ground and carries a stray sheep off into the darkened sky. Her jaw dropped in shock and she shakily raised her finger to point in the direction in which the sheep was carried off to.
"I-I-It's," she stuttered as Gideon rushed to the window to see the bat flying off into the distance with its prize. Drei whistled, impressed. Gideon and Pacifica both gave him disturbed looks.
"Giant Vampire Bats are back." He sat back down, this time on Pacifica's bed.
"You know what that was?" Drei nodded and looked up at the two.
Footsteps were sounding in the room just outside theirs and they panicked, ushering Drei behind a worn blue curtain near the door and pulling it closed just as Bud Pines swung the door open. He looked around before his gaze fell on Gideon and Pacifica's forced smiles.
"Uncle Bud," Pacifica drew the name out long enough to raise a little suspicion.
"Are you two going to get ready for bed or…" he took one more look around the bedroom and squinted.
"Yes, yes, Uncle." Pacifica pushed him from the doorway and he took a hint, ruffling hers and Gideon's hair before leaving. After that, the two prepared for bed but just before they turned in for the night, they returned to the curtain and yanked it to the side, revealing a sleeping Drei.
"Wake him up?" Gideon whispered.
"Nah, let's leave him." Pacifica picked one of her extra blankets from her pile of luggage and threw it over Drei's sleeping form.
"He even smiles when he sleeps, creepy." Gideon marched over to his bed and tucked himself in. Pacifica looked once more out the window and bit her lip in worry over the creature they'd seen. They couldn't leave tonight; it would cause Uncle Bud too much worry. They had to wait for the morning and hopefully no more giant vampire bats would pick up any more midnight snacks.
"Oh, brother, you've got it easy." Zwei sighed and leaned back in the cushioned seat in front of the fireplace and enjoyed the nice crackle of burning wood and the flames that flickered.
"What was that?" Dipper walked into the library, causing Zwei to jump and resume sitting in a more tense posture. Dipper wandered to a nearby shelf and scanned the titles tucked neatly into each categorized genre. As per usual, he was exploring the 'occult' section.
"You know if you want real occult crap, I've got tons of it." Zwei cracked one eye open to monitor Dipper's reaction. Dipper instead continued to run his eyes over the titles and pick one from the shelf and flipping through the pages before adding it to his pile.
"Yes, but it's difficult to talk to you." Dipper paid him no mind, becoming much more invested in his search.
"How so?" He was now a little interested.
"Well, for starters, you have to question everything I ask. All you really need to know is what I need you to do for me, no questions asked." Zwei felt a little bit of irritation build up in him at that statement. He turned away to glare at the fire instead of risking the wrath of the Gleeful twins. He tightly gripped the armrests of the chair to vent some of his frustration.
"Alright, what do you need?" Zwei swallowed down his hate and bitterness and turned to Dipper. The guy still didn't even give him the satisfaction of a look. This brat!
"Eh, you don't seem capable of telling me, anyway." That seriously caused Zwei's blood to boil. He gripped the armrest tighter before cracking an incredibly forced smile.
"What is it?" Finally, Dipper turned to him with a look of amazement.
"You really want to help, don't you?" Dipper laughed a little and Zwei began to question why he even wanted to help.
"Well, as you know, we need to get the Pines' property. They won't let us step foot on it. We're willing to dig up the whole damn property if we need to." Dipper shut his book, puffing dust from its pages as he did so. "We're going to need you to give us the summoning spell for Will."
"Cipher?" Zwei questioned, turning his full attention to the plan.
"Who else?" Dipper rolled his eyes at Zwei's ignorance.
"I don't think he'll be very… useful…" Zwei looked to the side and rubbed the back of his head.
"Doesn't matter what you think, just give me the summoning spell." Zwei pouted and furrowed his brow.
Mabel appeared in front of him and he flinched as she smoother out his irritated expression. "Don't make that face, it doesn't suit you." She pulled back the edges of his mouth upwards. "See? Smile…" She herself smiled but her eyes apparently didn't get the memo; they glared daggers into his soul.
He gulped and wrote accepted a notepad and paper from Dipper and quickly scribbled down several incantations and ritual set ups. He passed the paper to Mabel and she snatched it from him and straightened her back, viewing over what was written and flipping it over, expecting to see more.
"This is it?" Mabel demanded.
"That's it." Zwei answered.
"Well," Mabel folded and tucked the paper in one of the pockets of her cyan vest. Dipper and Mabel gave each other a look before nodding. Goddamn twin telepathy.
The two left the room after getting what they needed. Zwei released a sigh he'd been holding since the day began and finally relaxed—well as much as he could with those two in his life. With Will's arrival there wouldn't be much room for relaxation, his worry would ultimately rub off on him.
"Great." He rubbed the back of his neck and wished for the comfort and kindness his younger brother was welcomed with.
Pacifica woke to the happy chirping of sparrows and sunlight filtering through their window. She twisted in the sheets to see Gideon still happily dozing and she considered returning to her slumber. She closed her eyes and was slowly drifting back to sleep until her eyes snapped open when she remembered the events of yesterday.
Throwing her sheets off, she sprinted to the curtain serving as a cover for their makeshift closet and ripped it open.
The closet was devoid of its intended occupant.
Maybe it was a dream?
A strike of panic stabbed itself through her core like a lance. What if it was real? She quickly grabbed Gideon by the shoulders and shook him fiercely.
"Get up, get up, get up!" she shrieked in his face. He quickly rubbed at his eyes and pushed Pacifica away. He lethargically opened his eyes and asked her what was wrong with her.
"He's not there!" Pacifica's panic was clearly evident in her voice.
Gideon continued to rub at his eyes. "Who's not there—" The sudden realization caused Gideon to freeze and he hopped off his bed and checked the closet once more.
"What're we going to do?!"
"I don't know, I don't know." Gideon paced in his sock covered feet and turned to Pacifica, expecting some kind of suggestion and receiving none.
The door creaked open and in walked their missing journal.
The two watched with wide-eyed shock as they saw him casually reach his hand into an open bag of Cookie Chips before devouring a few of them. Totally oblivious to the heated glares directed at him from the room's other occupants. When he saw the two of them in the corner of his eye he paused, mid-bite, and waved with his chip still in hand.
Gideon and Pacifica could feel the rage emanating off each other. Pacifica composed herself before giving one of her best forced smiles.
"Drei," she addressed. "I don't think you should—"
He held up the Cookie Chips, offering what was left to her. She awkwardly rejected and continued her lecture.
"I need you to stay in here." Averting her eyes was something she was known to do in these kinds of situations. "My uncle can't know you've been staying with us. He'll flip!" Pacifica threw her hands in the hair with exasperation.
"I didn't know he could do that."
"No, no," she shook her head. "Not literally." He hummed in acknowledgement.
"Listen," Gideon stepped forward and placed his hands together in a business-like manner. "I think it's better if you just… go back, ya know?" Gideon hoped Drei would take a hint, but instead he tilted his head in confusion.
"It's just," Pacifica forged on. "We don't know who you are—"
"I told you who I am though." Drei scratched his head, looking a little irritated.
"Not really that descriptive." Gideon rolled his eyes and caught a glimpse out the window in the process.
Perched on a branch in the shade of another pine, a giant bat watched. He jumped in shock and nervously shuffled over to the window. Pacifica followed suit and shrieked in horror.
"That's- that's—"
"What we saw last night, I know." His breath wavered and he looked around for signs of more like the creature.
"Drei, you know what this is, right?" she gestured to the horrific beast and Drei nodded. Pacifica ran her fingers through her blonde strands. "How?"
"Well, like I said, I'm a journal. My author knew a lot about the supernatural things that go on in this town."
"Did he tell you all of this?" Pacifica questioned.
"No, he wrote it." Drei pulled up his sleeve all the way to the start of his forearm, revealing writings and symbols unknown to the blonds. Drawings of creatures they've seen were present and some passages reached further up his arm. The two stared, transfixed, before Drei let go and his sleeve slid over, once again covering the useful information.
"What can you tell us about the bats?" Pacifica pulled her focus away from the sleeve to look at Drei directly.
"Welllll, they mostly keep to themselves, until it gets a little too hot. That's when they move into town." He seemed so carefree as he spoke, not worrying a bit over the danger.
"How has no one reported these yet?"
"Oh, please. Like anyone notices anything in this town." Gideon did have a point, but surely someone would have noticed GIANT VAMPIRE BATS flying around town?!