~Chapter 2~

Return To Gravity Falls

Reality faded in and out of focus. The faint hum and familiar twittering of the world was playing its musical symphony for me, gently lulling my endlessly tormented mind into a long forgotten feeling of tranquility.

A hauntingly familiar image flashed before in eyes and came with it the sudden feeling of my pupils contracting from its strange new oval shape to thin cat-like slits. This should have made me freak out but I felt completely and utterly numb.

The image flashed before me eyes once again.

Stitched Heart

Glasses

Psychic Kid

Lama

"-per."

Pine Tree

Question Mark

Ice

"Dipper.'

Pine Tree

Fez

"Dipper?"

Pine Tree

Sixer

"Dipper!'

Pine Tree

Shooting Star

Mine?

My Shooting Star?

"Dipper, wake up!"

Pine Tree

Shooting Star!

Mine!

MINE!

"DIPPER!"

SHoOTiNG STaR iS mINe!

I bolted upright, making my Shooting Star jump away a few feet back away. I stared at the rows of gray object in front of me. Somewhere in the back of my mind I registered the gray objects as bus seats.

Why... Why was I on a bus? Where was I going? I can't seem to remember...

"Dipper? Are you okay?"

I blinked my eyes one at a time and slowly turned my head to the side a bit, looking my confused and slightly nervous looking Shooting Star dead in the eyes. As soon as my eyes locked with hers I finally started feeling myself come to grips with reality again. My Pupils dilated back to its oval shape.

"...Mabel?" I squinted my eyes in confusion. I feel like I've just woken from a very lucid dream, but one where I was me but yet someone else at the same time.

Mabel stared at me for a moment longer become cracking a smile, but I could see it was rather forced.

"H-Hey, uh, are you feeling okay bro-bro?" The female twin asked. "I'm getting kind of worried about you..." Mabel squinted her eyes "...and have your eyes always been like that?"

Oh shit, she's starting to get suspicious! I stiffened slightly before letting out a forced laugh.

"I'm aright Mabes, you just shocked me is all and uh..." a sign suddenly started approaching on the right side, a sign I prayed I never would have to see again but right now makes the perfect distraction for my hyperactive sister.

"Look! Its the Gravity Falls sign!" I practically shouted.

Mabel gasped loudly and her eyes widened to seemingly impossible degree. Suspicions completely forgotten, the teen pushed me aside and pressed her face against the window.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Its Gravity Falls! We are here!" Cue squealing in three, two, one-

I slapped my hands over my ears. Right on cue Mabel let out one of her infamous high frequency squeals, causing the living pile of fat she insists on calling her pet to to snap awake and squeal right along with her.

Fuck. My. Life.

[[Dipper-Needs-The-Sweet-Release-Of-Ibuprofen]]

The bus rolled to a stop. Mabel was up and out the door, with Waddles under one arm and luggage in other, before the bus driver could even finish announcing our arrival.

"Grunkle Stan! Grunkle Ford!" I heard cheer from outside. I begun sweating in my bus seat at the mention of Ford being there.

Now, to add another problem to my list, when I looked out the window to get a glance at my family outside, I noticed something in my reflection that nearly made me have a complete mental breakdown.

My eyes were starting to look like how they looked when Bill Cipher kicked me out of my body and took it over two years ago. I could see in my reflection that everything of my eye but the (still oval) pupil was starting to turn yellow.

My pupils quickly contracted to slits (from what I guessed was fear) for a moment before going to their 'normal' shape.

Oh God, I can't let anyone see my eyes- ESPECIALLY Ford! Heaven knows what he, or anyone else for that mater, would do if they saw them.

"Hurry up kid, we don't have all day!" Stan yelled from outside.

"I-I'm coming, just give me a sec!" I answered back with a nervous laugh.

Come on Dipper, think fast! What is packed with you right now that- Wait! That's it!

I quickly unzipped my duffel bag and pulled out a pair of black sunglasses. I slipped them on before turning and looking at my reflection in the window again.

Perfect.

I grabbed my bag and walked to the front, each step feeling like I was walking to my own execution.

When I step off the bus I was greeted with the sight of Mabel chattering about random things non stop to our rather annoyed looking Grunkle Stan. A little was away I could see Grunkle Ford writing in what looks like a grey version of the Journals I was once obsessed with. I even had that uncanny golden six finger hand on the front.

I tore my eyes away from one of the horrific reminders of that fateful summer and instead let out a greeting.

"H-Hey..."

Our con man of a great uncle turned his attention away from my twin (who was now inspecting her arm with a look of udder fascination) and instead returned my greeting with a smile and a smart remark.

"There you are! I thought I was going to have to send in a rescue team with how long you were taking." He laughed.

"Sorry," I mumbled while scratching my cheek, not meeting Stan's gaze.

"Hey kid," my body stiffened at the word 'kid', "what's with the sunglasses?"

I begun sweating nervously. I could see from corner of my eye that Ford paused from his writing and looked up at me with a raised eyebrow.

"I-Its very sunny today. T-The s-sun was h-hurting my eyes so I put them o-on." I shuttered/laughed.

Stan blinked and shrugged his shoulders, "Whatever."

Mabel suddenly appeared next to me and shoved her arm in my face.

"Look Dipper! My first mystery bug bites!" She grinned. The bites spelled out a message.

"Bon't rust yoru drother?" I mumbled, a shiver going up my spine. I know what made that message, I once read about them in Journal 3. It was made by a Soothsquito. Their bites spell out dire messages of your future. Fortunately, it seems that their tendency to misspell said messages has saved me unwanted questioning from my female counterpart.

"Okay, enough dillydallying! Its time to head to the Shack!" Stan called out with a big grin. "Now who wants to put on some blindfolds and GET INTO OUR CAR?!"

Mabel cheered with joy and ran to the Stanmobile. I just stood there nervelessly playing with the end of my yellow T-shirt, my black vest feeling like it weighed 20 pounds more then usual. Now that I think about it- WHY, of all things, did I chose these exact colors to wear? Even my shorts are black! With these colors on me and my rather demonic eyes, I was starting to look like Cipher.

I gulped, accepting my fate, and slowly followed my sweater loving sister to the car. As I passed by Ford, I could feel him still staring at me. It was really setting me on edge.

My arm started itching suddenly. I looked down and saw my own message from a Soothsquito, and for once it wasn't misspelled. I nearly had a heart attack when I read what it said.

The One Eyed Beast Has Returned.

[[This-Chapter-Is-Brought-To-You-By-Ominous-Messages-Made-By-Annoying-Bloodsucking-Flying-Pests!]]

The whole way to the Mystery Shack, blindfolded, I could practically FEEL Ford's suspicion of me hanging in the air.

"So, like... Last time we left Gravity Falls, Soos was made the new Mr. Mystery. Is he still or are you?" I asked Stan, trying to break the ice.

"I am! I'm back to being the good old Mr. Mystery!" The old con man chuckled. "Soos seemed to be quite happy with going back to being a plain handyman actually. I can't imagine why."

From his seat in the front of the car, I could hear Ford grumble something under his breath. The only words I could make out was "Invisible Wizard" and "Butterscotch", making me wonder what happened those two years me and Mabel were gone.

Speaking of Mabel, I could feel her feeling up the car seat next to me. "Ooo~! this seat is even more sticky then it was before!" She giggled.

God that is disgusting.

"Anyway, what have you gremlins done these two years?" Stan asked.

"I fell in love with an satyr, but he was killed trying to protect me from a secret cult that wanted to harvest my rare blood type for its immunity to demonic influences!" My twin blurted out randomly.

"I tried to escape being sent to years of therapy by lying my fucking ass off." I growled quietly under my breath. My eyes widened once I realized what I said. I really hope no one heard that.

After what was about 20 minutes of driving, I felt the car slow to a stop.

"Okay everyone, out! We are here!"

We climbed out of the car. Unfortunately, instead of getting out correctly, I fell on my face in the dirt.

I pulled my face off the ground and spat dirt out of my mouth. My pupils contracted momentarily and I growled in frustration. Damn you Fez! Damn you and this blindfold strait to hell! I'm going to make your death as slow and agonizingly painful as physically possible...

"You okay bro-bro?" Shooting Star asked.

"Of course sister~" I practically purred, "I was just thinking about how I was going to thank our dear great uncle for the absolutely wonderful time we are having~!"

God, what is wrong with me? I sounded like Bill for a moment there!

"...Oookay then. Grunkle Stan says we can take the blindfolds off now."

I removed my blindfold. Stan and Ford were standing a bit a ways away, the former with his arms gesturing towards the building in the middle of the clearing.

"Welcome back to the Mystery Shack, kids!"

[[Stan-Blindfolds-Kids-And-Tells-Them-To-Get-Into-His-Car-Because-That-Is-Completely-Normal! *Sarcasm*]]

Ford watched his great niece and nephew walk into the Shack with a deep frown. Dipper has been acting strange since the moment he got off the bus. He was EXTREMELY frigidity, quiet, and shook quite often.

Not to mention the weird choice of wardrobe. OTHER then the fact he was wearing sunglasses when wasn't that sunny out. Sure it just seemed like a different sized version of the cloths he wore when Ford first met the kid, but the biggest difference was the colors. Of all things, they were yellow and black.

There was also that thing the kid growled under his breath in the car on the way to the shack...

As soon as Ford saw Dipper walk through the door he heard the boy scream a few moments later. The great uncles protective instincts kicked in and he bolt into the Shack, ray-gun in hand.

Dipper was laying on the ground staring up at one of Stanley's stupid fake supernatural attractions. Dipper's mouth was wide and his jaw was shaking slightly, as was the small teens body.

"Dipper?" Ford said slowly, trying not to scare the poor kid more then he already seemed to be. I response, Dipper's head snapped towards the Author so fast he was afraid the kid was going to get whiplash.

The two stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, but in reality it just three seconds. Dipper broke eye contact and got up, swiftly leaving the room though the Employs Only door, likely heading upstairs to the attic.

Ford gazed at the door with a deep feeling of suspicion.

"That boy is hiding something..."

[[Suspicious-Ford-Is-Suspicious]]

AN: I forgot to mention it before but I am aware that Dipper sometimes is pretty OOC. Don't worry, the personality changes are intentional. As for Dip not realizing what is going on with him, that is intentional too. He is not really thinking about it because whenever he thinks about our lovable psychotic Dorito too much (worship him) he tends to have a panic attack. PTSD does that to you... Well, at least it does for me. I'm not sure how other people's PTSD works, I just know how mine does.

AN: Okay so I'm going to stop mentioning the change of pupils all the time. But do note that when Dip starts acting weird (Bill like) his pupils become slits, okay?