Hello again! I have some stuff to say, but before anything else! I have to tell you that the cover was not made by me! It's by thecottonproject on tumblr, and it was part of the reason I finally got this story down on metaphorical paper. Her art is amazing, and if you're a fan of the Percy Jackson series, you should definitely check it out!
Another important note, I will not be giving up on this story! I'm very excited to finally get it all written, and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon, even though updating may take some time. That said, if I ever do need a break or just run out of inspiration entirely, I will leave some kind of message explaining this.
Just so nobody gets confused, you all should know that earlier chapters might be slightly edited at any given time to make the flow of dialogue or actions smoother, because I always end up nitpicking my work, whoops! If you have any recommendations on characterization or anything, I'm completely open to them!
Alright, alright, on to the chapter!
Chapter 2
Danny looked around somewhat warily at the buildings. Gravity Falls was, in appearance, a small town with a close-knit community, just like Amity. Really, it was the odd supernatural feeling in the air that put his teeth on edge, made the hair on the back of his neck stand up, and had him glancing behind him every once in a while. Amity also had the supernatural element, but it felt somehow different here. More varied, somehow. And it didn't help that the odd feeling didn't seem to bother any of the other residents, who only shot him curious glances, probably due to him being a newcomer.
That was another thing. The people living here were rather odd themselves. He wasn't really in any position to judge, but he did happen to notice that there was an entire family of plaid-wearing lumberjacks, a small news reporter with a whining tilt to his voice, and a hunched-over bearded old man who had stared, not blinking once, at him the whole time he'd been in his line of sight. It was rather unnerving. The town did have the attitude of a large cheery family, but in a distant relatives sort of way. Nobody was acting like they'd ever seen anything suspicious here, which was odd, considering they were surrounded by miles of supernatural creature territory as far as he could tell.
He dodged past a car and then kept shuffling along, glancing around still. Still nothing but pedestrians. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a mechanical ghost signature tracker, which was probably dubbed by Fenton-Something-Or-Another. His Ghost Sense could only take him so far, particularly when there were a hundred other things in that forest that were also barely irritating his ghost core, making most of his breaths frostier than normal. The screen lit upon two large blips, farther out, and Danny sighed and walked on.
It wasn't until after he had passed two policemen doing absolutely nothing productive and a tilted water tower that he finally could see his destination. An old 24-hour convenience store, long abandoned, sat past a large fence. The dots on the screen were right here. He stuffed the machine back in his pocket and let the bright white rings of energy form around him, transforming his clothes to a full body jumpsuit, and his hair to white. His eyes shone an unnatural neon green as he floated past the fence and over to the store. The doors were unlocked, which was odd. Maybe somebody had broke in? Hopefully whoever it was didn't catch the attention of either of the ghosts here now. A gust of cold air materialized in his lungs as he stepped through the doorway, making him shudder as he exhaled that familiar foggy breath. The store was frankly a mess. The shelves were haphazardly strewn around the room, and the food was everywhere, thought strangely untouched by vermin. He carefully made his way through the piles of food and wrappers and machines, not really sure what he was looking for. His slight glow made it easy to see the area around him, but it also meant that the flickering light wasn't illuminating the dark corners the daylight outside couldn't reach. He suddenly felt like a shock had been sent up his spine, and he looked down, where a line of white paint marked two body-shaped outlines. The ground started to glow, and he stepped back quickly, not wanting to be caught off guard. Like a sticker being peeled of it's sheet, two transparent people appeared, looking extremely stern and intimidating.
...That is, they would have looked intensely intimidating if they weren't an old couple that you would typically see feeding pigeons in the park.
Danny blinked, startled. The two people were definitely no longer living, but they were transparent, barely flickering. They looked more like holograms than ghosts. As if he needed more reassurance, his Ghost Sense eked out of his mouth in his next breath, for the second time. He shifted into a defensive stance, a mix of both wariness and curiosity fueling his movements. These two didn't look like they could cause much damage, but then again, if there was one thing he had learned from fighting ghosts; it was that appearances could be deceiving. Just look at the Lunch Lady.
There was a beat of silence before Danny finally tried to communicate.
"Um, hi! I'm-"
"Oh, we know who you are, Phantom!"
Danny drooped slightly. Those words were generally a bad sign. But the woman had a cheery tone, giving him somewhat mixed signals. Before he could work up the correct way to phrase the question "Are you going to try and attack me?" politely, the grey-haired old man spoke up.
"So violent, always looking for trouble, you're quite the teenager!"
The halfa winced, but then, without missing a beat, the woman continued.
"But then again, teenagers don't spend their time being loyal and heroic like you either…"
"So you aren't as bad as most of them, but you could definitely use some shaping up!"
The white-haired boy quirked an eyebrow, and then suddenly had the air driven out of his lungs by a blow to the back. He reached for the object that had rammed itself against his spine, and retrieved… a can of anchovies? Gross. He tried not to wrinkle his nose in distaste.
"Stand up straight, boy, you'll be ringing bells at the Notre Dame with how slouched you are!"
Figuring it was better to try and not fight with any supernatural residents when he'd only just arrived, he straightened up his spine, which was hard to do when you're floating in midair. However, before he had a chance to try and say anything, more demands were directed at him.
"Shoulders back!"
"Chin up!"
"Be respectful to your elders! Look us in the eye!"
"Keep your posture straight!"
"I don't think-"
"When addressing someone, use sir or ma'am!"
"Ma'am, can I mayb-"
"I don't know, can you?"
"May I just get a mome-"
"Back straight!"
"You know, it's hard to-"
The more he messed up, the more upset the two seemed to get. If he took a second too long to respond, some kind of packaged food would run into him. It was like the Box Ghost, but worse. He was about to just give up on diplomacy and unhook the thermos from his belt when a small chiming ringtone made all three of them pause. Danny held back a groan. Of all the times for Jazz to call… The couple's eyes seemed to be aflame. He took a deep breath and straightened his back.
"Back in my day, we didn't have those rude, compact devices interrupting conversations like that-"
"Sir and ma'am, may I please step outside for a moment to answer this call? It's my older sister, and I'd hate to be rude and ignore her."
They looked conflicted for a moment, before deciding the polite statement overruled the use of technology, and nodding. Danny pulled his Fenton Phones out of his pocket as he bolted out the door and stopped just next to the fence, far away from eavesdroppers. He turned the earphones on.
"Hello?"
"Danny!"
"Hey Jazz. Look, right now isn't exactly the best time-"
"What's going on? Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm just trying to deal with these two ghosts, they're really weak but they're also an old couple and I don't really want to fight them if I can avoid it…"
"Are they in a public area?"
"Well, no-"
"Couldn't you just leave it for later then? This is kind of important."
"Alright, alright. They aren't bothering anyone anyways. I'll make another visit later."
Casting a glance back at the store, which looked perfectly normal, if a bit creepy, Danny phased through the gate and then let the white rings rematerialize around his waist again, making him mortal. He turned his attention back to Jazz, who was waiting patiently, as he began walking back to find a restaurant.
"I'm back."
"Good. Now Danny, I've been keeping track of which ghosts show up for a while now, to help out Dani and the Red Huntress. And I think Ghost X might have a bit of a problem…"
Danny grinned as he listened to his sister stubbornly refer to various ghosts by her odd labels, and ramble on about possible psychological issues with several ghosts that he could help her with. After hearing about how Danny had been able to form friendly relationships with ghosts, she had immediately volunteered to help any who needed therapy or help. She was more or less famous in the Ghost Zone for it.
Speaking of the Ghost Zone…
"Hey, uh, Jazz? There's something I need to talk to you about, but it doesn't really feel very private out here in the woods, so can I call you back once I've gotten settled in? It's… it's about why I suddenly accepted Clockwork's offer."
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment, like she was surprised he wanted to talk psychology to her, before she answered warmly.
"Sure, Danny. We can talk later. Go be friendly. Here you don't have to keep up your act, so maybe you'll make some good friends."
"Thanks, Jazz. Alright, bye."
He ended the call and put away the Fenton Phones, feeling slightly cheered at his sister's call, however short it had been. He hoisted his backpack up farther on his back, and then headed for the tourist trap he was supposed to be staying in.
Next stop, the Mystery Shack.
Mabel tightened her grip on Waddles as she tilted slightly because of the sharp turn her brother was taking. She kind of wanted to complain, but really, she wasn't much better at driving the cart, so she held her tongue.
Her brother was more worried than usual, which she had considered impossible, considering how much he already fretted on a day-to-day basis. She wondered where he found all the energy to worry about small stuff like he did. Even now, while he was driving the little golf cart, his foot tapped and his brow was furrowed in frustration. What was he so worried about? Oh yeah, the stranger that was supposed to come over sometime today. She supposed it was kinda weird that he was planning on living in the Mystery Shack, what with it being a tourist trap and everything, but was that really so suspicious? Of course, knowing Dipper, he probably thought the guest was a ghost or a werewolf or something. He was so paranoid sometimes! Maybe the guy was going to be super cool about the whole "elusive mythical creatures that sometimes try to attack you" thing and they could let him in on their previous adventures. That'd be so awesome! Then again, he could also turn out to be a huge jerk like Robbie, which would suck. Oh well. If that happened she'd just have to set Waddles on him. She looked down fondly at the content pig in her arms as she hopped off the golf cart and followed Dipper into the diner.
The twins walked in and looked around the cheerful diner. It wasn't too crowded, because it was between meal times, but there were still some people hanging out nearby. Mabel immediately noticed her two friends sitting in a booth. She grinned, but then frowned discontentedly as she took in the scene. Candy had her face buried in her striped sleeves, and Grenda was patting her comfortingly on the back. Well, she was trying to be comforting, but it looked a little like the smaller girl was being driven into the table with each pat. Mabel hurried over to them, balancing Waddles on her hip and then plopping him down into the booth when she got there.
"Candy? Grenda? What's wrong?"
Candy, whose head had shot up at Mabel's concerned voice, started sobbing anew, and Grenda's face was downcast.
"It's awful, Mabel! Pancho went missing last night, and nobody's seen him!"
Mabel gasped. Pancho was Candy's Green Cheek Conure, and he was practically a house bird. Sometimes when the girls were hanging out they would bring Pancho, Waddles, and Allie(Grenda's iguana) and let the three unlikely pets interact. Their interaction mainly consisted of them ruining furniture by gnawing on it, but it was still cute. Pancho was a very mild-mannered bird. He rarely went out, and was more or less domesticated. Mabel furrowed her eyebrows in a determined expression. Whoever had stolen him away had to be dealt with!
"What?! How did he go missing?"
Grenda looked at Candy, who had regained some of her composure. She adjusted her glasses and started talking with sniffles interjected inbetween words.
"I was, getting some water last night… and I heard something like music from my living room, a-and so I thought it was just him singing… o-or something… but then I heard a crash… so I ran in… and… and… there was this shadowy figure… and it took him…!"
Candy collapsed into sobs again. Grenda continued to comfort her. Mabel patted her friends shoulder in concern, thinking hard. Suddenly, the metaphorical light bulb lit up over her head.
"No way, girls! I've got an idea!"
Both of her friends looked at her hopefully, Candy with red-rimmed puffy eyes. Mabel held up a finger, and then paused. Dipper's book would have more information on whatever the heck it was that stole Candy's animal companion, but he would definitely be super paranoid and gross about letting Candy and Grenda see… She pursed her lips, and then looked over where her brother was talking to Soos. She would need his help, even if it was dangerous. He'd be willing to help her find Pancho, but he definitely wouldn't want to show them the book. Mabel mentally shrugged. Candy and Grenda didn't have to see it, they just needed to use it to save Pancho. Her friends would be way more focused on saving the bird than some old book her brother had.
"Mabel?"
Pulled out of her thoughts, Mabel turned back to Candy.
"I know what to do. But I have to go talk to Dipper really quick, hold on just a second, girls."
After receiving confused nods from both her friends, she trotted over to where her scrawny brother was talking to Soos, catching part of their conversation.
"No, seriously, Soos. It's weird, right?"
"Maybe he's some kind of supernatural thingum."
"That's what I've been thinking!"
Mabel rolled her eyes and pushed the front of Dipper's cap down over his eyes to get his attention.
"Dipper, I need to talk to you about something! It's important!"
After Mabel persisting in punching him in the arm repeatedly for about ten seconds to hurry him up, Dipper rolled his eyes and followed his sister out of the diner. Mabel quickly summarized what was happening. Dipper's face went from aggravated to more and more concerned and interested throughout her explanation.
"So this thing is stealing pets? Or just birds?"
"I dunno Dipper, but either way we've got to save Pancho! Quick, look it up in the book thing!"
"Alright, alright, hold on."
Mabel shifted in place impatiently while Dipper spent a good seven minutes flipping through the pages. Eventually, he slowed down on one page, and Mabel peered over to look as well.
The page was labeled Avinean, and there was an illustration of a shadowy figure holding an ornate flute. Music notes surrounded it along with a large number of birds. Mabel scanned the slanted handwriting on the page.
'The Avinean is a shadow-like figure that has been mistaken in the past for an angel, due to the plethora of birds following it. You'll be able to tell if one is awake and near, because birds will disappear or be seen flying in circles confusedly for days. The shadowy figure uses a flute to lure birds to it by imitating their birdsong. Then the Avinean will have complete control over them, able to manipulate them with the tone of the flute. Using this, it can propel the birds to attack people. Because the Avinean has no need for oxygen, it will be able to play the music without stopping. The only way to stop it is to destroy the flute. This often sends it back into a regenerative state, in which it will work up the energy to form another flute. Until it is woken again, it will remain dormant.'
The brown-haired girl tilted her head, curious. That would explain why Pancho had left, and the weird noises Candy had heard were probably the flute.
"D'you think that's what's going on?"
Dipper jumped, unaware she had been so close. He shuffled a step away, maintaining his personal space, and contemplated for a moment more before answering.
"I think this might be it. It all adds up."
Mabel fist-pumped.
"But, we're going to need more than just knowledge if we wanna get a flute from this thing."
"I'll get my GRAPPLING HOOK!"
"I was thinking more along the lines of armor or something, but hey, that works too."
Yes, believe it or not, this thing has plot! The Avinean is my original creation, so don't bother trying to look it up, the closest you'll get is an address in Finland. What you should look up is the Green Cheek Conure, because it is absolutely adorable! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed. Not gonna lie, I really wanted Danny to get bullied by these dorky ghosts, so I made it happen. Unfortunately, the twins haven't encountered our favorite halfa yet, that's next chapter! Alright, if you liked it, let me know!
Until next time!
