Episode three

Hesitation/the Once Villain, Now Crybaby

After I woke up, I noticed three things. One being that it looked like that only slept until ten in the fucking morning and two being a random piglet had made itself comfortable on my bed, and finally three, that…thing that Bill said before I woke up? WHAT THE FUCK DID THAT MEAN!?

"Because you're a reverse Juliet, duh! Also, the amount of time you'll spend in the dreamscape seems much longer than the actual amount of time you spent sleeping while you're in the dreamscape. Oh, and the hog should have a name tag…" a voice suddenly rang out.

I started at the sudden voice coming from my head, and I unfortunately fell off my bed because of the fright. I could hear Bill laughing at me inside my head apparently entertained by my suffering. Dick. The fall also woke up the piglet too. After mumbling a 'thank you' and a 'screw you!' To Bill, I got up and went to the pig. As Bill said, the piglet was wearing a name tag. I was able to close enough to the little guy to read the name tag. 'Jeffy' was scribbled on the front of the tag. I flipped it over to find a phone number and note under it that read:

"Please dial this number to if you found this pig." –Mabel Pines

I quirked an eyebrow. I pulled out my phone. Returning the pig wasn't the only thing I'm contacting 'Mabel' about. I needed to know why her and her family moved out of the shack in a hurry. At least I know what happened ten years ago. I solved that mystery in the first few weeks I lived here in Gravity Falls! Maybe the Weirdmageddon was the reason the previous owners left. It wouldn't make much sense since the Weirdmageddon incident was ten years ago.

I dialed the number into my phone and held it to my ear. It only took three rings until the phone was picked up on the other line.

"Hello?" A confused voice said.

I then realized that I didn't know what to say.

"Hello?" The voice repeated, "this isn't funny…I'm hanging up…"

"Wait…" I said once I returned to earth.

The person on the other waited.

"Sorry…I get nervous when meeting people these days." I started, "look, I just moved to a cabin in Gravity Falls, Oregon and I found a piglet with a nametag that reads Jeffy...I saw a note saying to call this number if the pig was found…" I explained to her.

I heard the girl on the other end sighed in relief.

"Thank you…I thought I lost him forever…you're a life saver…but…I can't come get him…" She said.

I quirked an eyebrow.

"Why?" I questioned.

I instantly regretted that question. The girl started to sniffle.

"Hey…sorry to pry…um…if you want, I'll care for Jeffy and keep him happy until you could work something out if you want…" I reassured her.

The girl was quiet for a moment.

"Okay…I think we can do that. Thanks...I-"

"Nikki. It's Nikki." I told her.

"Mabel." She said back.

I nodded.

"I found Jeffy after I moved into an old tourist shop in Gravity Falls, Oregon."

I suddenly jumped at hearing a crash with some cries coming after. I was beginning to worry. I heard Bill laughing in my mind. Whether he was laughing at me or just the clumsiness on the other line was undetermined.

"Hey…Nikki…my brother wants to talk to you…" Mabel said to me.

I nodded.

"Okay, Mabel." I said.

In a few moments, I heard the phone being taken by someone else.

"Hey…" Someone said.

The voice sounded like a boy just getting into puberty. Poor dude. "You're the new resident of Gravity Falls that lives in the shack, right?" The kid asked me.

"Yeah…why?" I asked and answered at the same time.

"I need to talk and warn you about a few things about the past and what happens down there…" The kid said.

"I-I actually know…a hillbilly told me the story…something about a crazy nacho demon almost ending the world and ended up being defeated by two old men and two kids…" I told him.

I heard the boy sigh.

"It's not that simple…I just need you to keep an eye on the Bill statue, okay?" The boy explained, "I've been monitoring it since the 'incident' and something startling just now caught my attention…"

I held my breath. My heart was in my throat.

"Cat…" I heard Bill start.

The boy continued.

"Recently, I discovered energy levels. The problem is, there aren't supposed to be energy in statues unless it's negative energy, or ghosts. The energy readings are unnaturally high. And this is Bill Cipher we're talking about…a demon…"

I froze at the explanation.

"Nikki…I need to know…have you had any contact with the statue. Do you hear maniacal cackling? Are your eyes bleeding? Do you have insomnia? Are you more wary or paranoid? Did .You .Meet .Or. See. Bill Cipher?" The boy interrogated.

"Cat…don't…please…" Bill pleaded.

Freaking out NOW! What the fucking shit was I supposed to do!? Was this a nightmare? Please be a nightmare! A damned kid is acting like a creepy ass therapist, Bill fucking Cipher was not himself, the mysteries keep building up, and let's not forget that I now have no other choice but to lie a lot more (most likely daily) to keep people from knowing my secrets! I gulped.

"Well…?" the kid pushed.

"Please, Cat…don't tell him…he'll kill me!" Bill shouted in my head desperately.

Ughh…maybe I should just tell him…Bill was obnoxious! It would at least get rid of my headaches. Bill apparently heard that thought…

"No! No! No! No! No…! Please! I can't go back! I can't go back!"

Bill pleaded. I could hear Bill sniffing in my head. This…was NOT Bill Cipher…

What the bloody hell did Bill see in his time trapped in his statue!? The last I heard, Bill liked killing children fro his entertainment! Stealing deer teeth. He destroyed his home dimension for shit's sake! How can a…thing like that have emotions!? Well, I still think he could be good. Make amends or something. Lie number one is a go…

"No…I don't go in forests much…I watch a lot of horror movies…and yeah…I like the mysteries and the supernatural…but not at that level…I don't mess around in those woods…so no…no evil…what? Squares…? Nope…no demons…" I lied.

I noticed that Bill stopped sniffling. The kid was silent for a moment. I held my breath hoping that he bought my lie.

"Okay…good…j-just be careful…" He responded.

Thank god! The kid bought it! I sighed. "Yeah, thanks for the warning…but I'm smart enough to know better to mess around with evil stuff like that…"

I reassured the boy. How lovely, a lie sugarcoated in another lie!

The boy sighed. "O-okay…just be careful…" he warned.

I nodded. "What's your name?" I asked him.

I didn't necessary need to know the kid's name, but I was just curious. It wasn't like I was going to see these kids anytime soon, right? Right?

"It's Dipper." The boy answered.

"Okay, nice to meet ya', Dipper. Bye!" I quickly said before hanging up.

I sighed and I went to my room. When I entered, I looked in my mirror at my face. I looked like a hot mess. I picked up my hairbrush and begin to brush my wavy shoulder-length brunette hair. Yeah, I'm a brunette. Did I mention that? Whatever. I took my glasses off and rubbed at my eyes. I was the thinking about Dipper's words. "Are your eyes bleeding?" Was that possible? I decided to ask Bill again whenever he pulled me into my brain. Speaking of Bill, I noticed that he hadn't said anything since the talk with Dipper. I put my brush down and went to my bed. I lied down and hoped that Bill was not mad at me enough that he wouldn't let me see him…in my mind.

I soon fell asleep after about five minutes. I jerked awake soon after. I looked around to be strangely relieved that I was in my mindscape. I quickly stood up and looked around for Bill. In mindscape time five minutes went by of calling Bill's name and was no response. I was about give up when I heard faint footsteps. I looked around warily. I kept walking just too…walk, what else? Nothing else to do, right? No. there was plenty of other things to do! I was just an idiot, than. The footsteps became closer and closer. I stopped walking. Only one other person would be in my mind…

"Bill?" I shouted, "Is that you?"

The footsteps stopped for a moment before resuming, but at a faster pace. About a minute later. I felt arms wrapping around my waist and a warm body on my back. I turned my head to see Bill. WTF!? Did Bill Cipher just hug me?! For some reason, I didn't flinch. I just went with it. His warm touch. Just then, a door opened up. Bill released me. He looked at me concerned and…scared? He then tried to hide his sadness with a smug smile. He knew that I saw his built up feelings, I'm assuming that he was trying to lighten the mood but was failing miserably. Bill dropped his smirk and sighed.

"Cat…" he started, "Can I trust you?"

I made a confused look.

"Can…I…trust…you…?" I asked him back.

He smirked again. "You have nerve messing with a once-homicidal triangular dream demon…you got nerve, Cat…" He teased.

I scratched my neck.

"Are you still homicidal?" I asked.

He froze and his shoulders tensed. Did I hit a nerve? Bill's shoulders slumped and he turned around to face me.

"That's why you're seeing me…" He answered before gesturing me to follow him.

I quirked an eyebrow at this.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Bill ignored me and kept moving towards a house I used to live in back at Indiana. I wrinkled my nose at the horrific sight of that miserable hellhole for a house. I turned my attention back to following Bill into my memories. I looked around at the memories in distaste and embarrassment. All of these memories were horrible. But why did I care? It's not like Bill cares. Does he? When did I ever care about what Bill thinks? When you first saw him… a thought said.

My eyes widened at that thought. I looked at Bill to make sure he didn't hear that thought. He did. I caught him staring at me. When he saw that he was caught, he looked away. We continued walking for another five minutes. Bill suddenly stopped.

"We're here." He said.

I blinked. "What do you mean? I don't understand." I asked again.

Bill turned around to face me.

"Cat…I wanted to tell you this earlier…but…" Bill started, but froze.

He looked at my hands. They were fading. I was waking up.

"DAMN IT, NINA!" Bill screeched.

As my hands were fading, I saw for the first time what Bill really was like.

Fire and blood came out of nowhere. I gasped in horror as werewolves came out of thin air. One spotted me and tackled me. Though I was about to wake up, the pain still felt real. Bill looked up at me hearing my screams of agony.

"CAAAAAAT!" he cried.

He poofed the werewolves out of my dream and came running over to me. I looked at him with distaste. I was foolish. I never should've gone in the forest. I never should've messed with the statue and shook its hand. Bill Cipher was still what he always was and always will be, a monster. Bill stopped running. He looked at me with hurt on his face.

"C-cat…" He whispered.

I was really angry at him. I was so angry about the things I heard he did. I was angry at myself, too. Angry at myself for being a fool, angry at myself for thinking that Bill-fucking-Cipher can become good, Angry at myself for falling in love with a demon that you know won't like you back and would just kill you if they find out. Bill doesn't have a heart. Did he ever? I couldn't stop thinking bad about Bill. I was just so angry and hurt. I caught a glimpse of the real side of Bill Cipher and was wondering why I fell for him.

I breathed heavily. I glared at Bill, who had cupped his face in his hands…crying…? Was this the second time? Bill looked up at me with red, puffy, and teary eyes and told me:

"You feel like that because we both went through lots of horrible things in our lives. We both feel so miserable. You finally have to relate to. Someone to talk to. Someone to come to in time of need. You wanted a shoulder to cry on. Now you got one. You liked me because…we knew each other…a very long time ago…"

I looked at him. I was no longer glaring at Bill. I was surprised. What? How? Does that mean Bill likes me back?

"Bill…" I said barely above a whisper.

Bill didn't hear me.

"I'm not telling you the whole story…you'll have to ask your mom. "Clearly, you don't appreciate…me…I should give you space for a while…" Bill said. Tears started to fill my eyes. "Bill…" I said louder. I was now officially waking up now. Bill stepped closer. "a-and to answer your question, yes, I-I do care…" Bill said.

I jerked awake to see my mom next to me with a worried expression on her face. It was the look my mom gave my brothers and I after something really bad has happened. After I caught my breath, I looked at my mother.

"Who died?" I asked my mom.

She chuckled nervously before taking out a bag.

"Nikki...I-I need to talk to you…" She said.

I nodded. My mom took eight candles, a picture of Donald Trump, a red marker, and a lighter out of the bag.

To be continued in Ep. Four...