{A/N: I FINALLY FINISHED THE CHAPTER. For anyone who will read any longer stories from me— for example, Cipher Industries— just because I take leagues to update doesn't mean I'm giving up on the story. If I am, I will post an extra chapter informing so, and/or delete the story. The best you can do for knowing about updates is following the story. A note for the chapter: I used miles instead of kilometers and inches instead of centimeters because this story takes place in America and it's an American show. Also, I would have updated earlier, but— OH, LOOK! THERE GOES SOME MORE REFERENCES AND FORESHADOWING! IF YOU HURRY, MAYBE YOU CAN CATCH THEM!}
Dipper found himself avoiding Mabel's gaze, eyeballing the ground as he stepped forwards to hug her. He wasn't necessarily upset that she was going because he wasn't, but… He was upset that she was going, while he… wasn't.
Mabel silently understood her brother's emotions as she pulled away from his arms and grabbed the sides of his face, squishing forwards his cheeks and causing his lips to purse.
"I love you, Dipper. I'll miss you…" She shook his head around, hoping to lighten the scene. "Make sure to video message me every single day, you hear me?" She forced his head to nod.
He laughed, removing himself from her iron grip. "As hard as it is to take you seriously; I'd never have it any other way."
To the side, their Great Uncle Stan let out a bitter huff. "It's unnatural, how well you two get along."
Mabel skipped over to the man, throwing her arms around him. "Don't worry, Grunkle Stan. No matter how close or far away we are, we'll always make sure to drive each other CRAZY!" She summoned a grin, attempting to ignore the not-so-well-hidden sniffles and eye-rubbing.
"Er— uh— be safe out there, 'kay, kid? D-don't do drugs, 'er drink alcohol too early, or… or have too much fun without us."
"I promise to not get hurt or anything, Grunk."
"O-okay. Good!" He ventured to pull off as tough, but failed masterfully.
Mabel looked to the next couple in the queue for hugs. "Wendy, Soos."
Soos' nose was a crimson red. "B-be cool, dude!" He crushed her ribs with his 'big, fat arms', and she felt Wendy's thin ones around her, too.
"I'll seeya 'round, right, Mabel? Come back n' visit, like, all the time."
"Will do. Oh, and Wendy? Make sure to hang out with my bro-bro just as much as before, and then some! For me," she winked, leading to the pink in Dipper's cheeks.
The last in the procession nearly stole her from her friends' embrace. "Oh, Mabel, mah sugah dumplin', please don't go!"
"I'm sorry, Gideon, really, but I have to! For one, it's, like, the best offer ever, and two, it'd be unfair to Dipper if I backed out now. Then we'd both miss out for at least a whole 'nother year! You wouldn't want that, would you?"
He seemed to growl something about letting her brother go anyways, but eyed her with a pleading expression. "If Ah cahn't convince ya', then…"
She shook her head sadly.
"Don't let y'all be lookin' at any other boys, ya' hear? A-and not the other way 'round, neither, 'er I'll hafta' show 'em a piece a' my mind!"
Mabel fidgeted nervously. That was one thing she couldn't promise. Gideon was great, sure, but she found her feelings moving on… but was afraid to hurt his. The Big City was the perfect place to meet new guys, and the perfect way to let Gideon down easy. Or maybe it was just an excuse to give her more time to figure out what to tell him. Or both.
Luckily, Wendy noticed her predicament and came to her rescue. "Oh, well it looks like the bus is here."
Truth be told, the lone bus that ever entered the tiny town of Gravity Falls— the Speedy Beaver— hissed and screeched to a stop where they waited. Mabel took her bags from Soos and mounted the first step to her new path of life. She handed the appropriate wad of bills to the clearly uninterested driver, ordering proudly, "I'd like to go to the nearest train station in the wondrous California Territories!"
The driver stared at her blankly. The girl returned his gaze, confused. Gaining no information from him, she glanced down at herself. She wore a green sweater with a miniature plane decal, a yellow skirt and a matching headband. Nothing unusual there!
"It's a pre-routed bus, ma'am."
"…What?"
He ignored her and shrugged, happy to have some sort of variety in his otherwise routined, uneventful life, and took the cash.
Mabel stole one last view of her family and friends as the doors shut. "Bye!" She waved enthusiastically. "Bye! Bye!" She obnoxiously repeated the same line until they were far from sight and her throat began to ache. The driver forced her to sit, so she plopped down in the mid-back of the bus, choosing a window seat. She cheerfully tapped her feet back and forth, excited for the adventure ahead. Slowly, it dawned on her how empty her surroundings were. She was the only passenger, and probably had been the only passenger on this route to Gravity Falls for nine years…
Mabel shuddered at the memory, changing her thoughts' topic with speed.
It was then that the boredom set in. She'd be alone on this bus for eight hours, until reaching the train to take her to Las Vegas for another ten hours, and from there to that... Oh, what did they call it? Speed-booster? Fast-train? Sub-way? Ah, forget it. It would bring her to the super-fast-tramway-thing, which would only take eight and a half hours to reach the fabled New York City, in comparison to the previous, shorter lengths with almost equal times. That was twenty-six-and-a-half hours of travel alone!
She sighed, wishing for company. The view outside was nothing but trees, trees, trees, with a bit of Oregon rain as a painful yet hopeful reminder that summer was over. Her elbow on the window sill and chin resting in her hand, she hummed to herself quietly, wondering if the bus driver was as lonely as she.
"Mr. Bus Driver?" She asked aloud.
A gravely snarl. "What?"
"Do you mind if I sing? Because this is boring. Or we could just talk. Or we could both sing! I could talk to myself, but that would be pretty dull, and if I did it aloud, I would sound kinda coo-coo..."
Growling. "Sure, whatever."
"Thank you!" She chirped happily. Now, this trip wouldn't be so horrible.
Following over a full hour of belting every tune that came to mind, the girl was forced to rest her windpipe once again as it was too sore for her to continue. It was two-thirty in the afternoon, and she'd have to be awake from about nine-thirty until eleven-twenty to get on the train. Then, if her math was right and there were no delays, she would finish her travel at six in the afternoon of the next day. A-K-A, in twenty-eight hours. Fun! At least she'd get plenty of sleep if she rested through the whole train ride. Well— a yawn fought its way out as her head nodded down closer to the glass— she'd have time to sleep later, and she did want catch some glimpses of forest life. But, right now it really was nothing but 'trees, trees, trees', and there was that nagging feeling insisting that maybe she should just shut her eyes for a few minutes...
—o—
BUMP!
Mabel awoke with a start as the bus jolted and traveled airborne momentarily. She squeaked and clawed at her watch. Eight-forty-seven. She exhaled deeply, realizing she hadn't slept too long. Perfect timing, actually.
But all it took was a noticing of the direction pointing on the travel-sized compass attached to her suitcase to set her off.
"MR. BUS DRIVER!" She called, frantically. "DID I SLEEP THROUGH MY STOP?! WHY ARE WE HEADING NORTH?!"
"Relax," the driver retorted. "There was a blocked road, so we're taking a loop-around. You'll be thirty minutes late, tops."
Thirty minutes? That was bad. Very bad. Thirty minutes meant she'd only have a one-hour-twenty-minute interval! What if she got lost, or hurt, or spent too much time eating? She'd miss her train, and—
BUMP!
The next lurch brought her out of her internal hysteria. She was going to be fine; she had a full hour and an almost-half! Besides, with her laser focus, there was literally nothing that could distract her from her mission.
—o—
She was awoken by the attendant passing by with a cart of snacks. Stretching, Mabel absentmindedly peered about the car of the super-fast-tramway-thing. The red-rimmed clock at the head of the car read eight-fifty-five, ticking and tocking decisively against the metallic silver wall. The differing time zones were confusing her, but she decided to ignore that for the moment. The scarlet plush carpet welcomed Mabel's bare toes (she had removed her flats only after making super-duper-positive-sure that no-one could see her feet) as she wriggled them atop it, giggling. The seats were a cherry-toned leather, and the tables crafted of the same metal as the walls. The windows were plated with—
HOLY BEAR-O THE WINDOWS!
The view of a lifetime lay before her eyes. Boy, was she glad she no longer had a fear of heights! Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to enjoy the magnificent sight ahead of her. At least a hundred miles lay between the suspended train rails and the emerald grass below. If she pressed her face close enough to the side of the car, she could barely make out the city to which they advanced. Now, she was sure that she was loosing it. Those buildings were insanely massive and unimaginably high, stretching far beyond her eyes' reach. She'd heard rumors of the new heights builders could achieve nowadays, but this was impossible!
"Attention all passengers," an automated voice echoed down the box and interrupted her awe, "Arrival in five minutes. Please collect your hands-on baggage and make your way towards the doors at the stop of the vehicle."
Mabel squealed and tapped her cheeks with her fingertips. "This is it, this is it! We're almost here!" She excitedly grabbed the handles of her luggage, and slipped her feet back into her flats. "Woo-hoo-hoo!" She suppressed her longing to dance and stood, inching to the middle of the car so she could kick out her legs. She had completed one of the most dreadfully uneventful eight-hour periods of her life, now arriving to her new city of residence for the next at least four years.
"The vehicle has come to a complete stop. You may now safely exit. Thank you for letting us provide you with a comfortable, swift, and affordable travel experience. Please enjoy your stay in the Capitol of the United Territories."
As the rest of the travelers bustled on, she stumbled from the tram, gaping at the open, alien world ahead of her. Buildings curled from below the platform she'd been brought to and towered far above, not exiting her view until many were obscured by clouds. Thousands of people shuffled through the crowd they formed, flowing in masses to various elevators, staircases, and vehicles. A few bumped into her, but kept going, seemingly oblivious to her existence. Not far from the spot where she stood, unable to budge out of pure shock, a slightly raised, circular stage held a handful of people in classy attire with clipboards and megaphones. The entire area was roaring with life and noise, but the sounds of one— seemingly from one of the figures atop the stage— rose above the others.
"Mabel Pines? I'm waiting for a Mabel Pines. If you are Mabel Pines, please come here."
Her frozen form was freed suddenly as she recognized her name, and she scurried to the woman calling for her.
She would've guessed the woman to be in her mid-thirties, and almost took the appearance of a librarian with her pencil skirt, strawberry, pulled-back hair, black glasses and a clipboard that was apparently much more interesting than Mabel.
"Uh, hi. I'm Mabel Pines," she had to speak at a pitch louder than she was accustomed with to be heard, making her feel rather uncomfortable.
"Yes, yes, right, good. Follow me, dear," the enthralled woman trilled, practically snatching her by the wrist and leading her to the lift. She chattered quickly, and Mabel had to listen closely to understand her. "I'll be taking you to your apartment in which you'll stay for the rest of the year. You'll be living with two other girls, who've both already moved in. The building you'll be housed in, six-eighteen, includes floors with shopping, food, hotels, and classes. There's also the business floors, but most of them are highly off-limits, as the Boss does not enjoy uninvited guests. Those floors are two through one thousand, one hundred and one. Are you writing this down, dear?"
"I— uh— what?" Still taking in the new surroundings, as she had been violently whisked down to the ground level of the city and dragged across half of the block, she had trouble responding.
"Oh, that's fine, dear, I'll just give you a copy of my notes. 'Always keep two of everything'; that's what the Boss says. Anyway, the girls in your quarters have already been briefed, so they can answer any questions you might have. Your dorm comes with a three-bed bedroom, bathroom, living area and kitchen, with a fantastic view of the clouds, all fully furnished. There's a flatscreen television, desktop computer and built-in phone for any entertainment, researching, emergency or communicational needs. It's on level two thousand, five hundred and fifty five, the top level, and— lucky you!— on the same floor as the President's daughter, who's starting her first year, too! Now, isn't that just peachy?"
Mabel wondered how the woman could walk at such a speedy pace with five-inch high heels.
"Well, here's your building. Oh! I almost forgot. Room fifteen. Remember, dear, fifteen, two-thousand-five-hundred-fifty-five, six-eighteen. Off you go, and enjoy your stay in the Capitol of the United Territories!" The woman might as well have kicked her into the premises. The glass doors swung back and forth behind her, her flats click-clacking up against the white marble floor. The enormous room was entirely bare, save the elevators lining the back wall, and a single receptionist asleep at a small wooden desk in the center.
She realized the woman had forgotten to hand her the second set of notes. Oh, well. Her laser focus and perfect memory would aid her! Now, what were the numbers again? Six-nineteen, two-thousand... twenty... something... The room was fifteen, that she could recall for sure.
"Hello, sir?" Mabel formed her most winning smile and tapped on the desk.
The man behind it snorted, mid-snore, and widened his eyes. " 'NO SLEEPING ON THE JOB'!" He cried, scrambling to return to the monitors on the table.
"Uh... sir?"
He, shaking ever so slightly, glanced up from his work, before noticing her and relaxing. "Oh, thank heavens," he sighed. "For a second, I thought you were the Boss."
"Nope, just me, Mabel, here to brighten your day!" She fished through her skirt pocket, yanked out her sticker book, and slapped a decal on the back of his computer. It contained a cartoon sun with the caption, 'Shine bright today'. "Between you and me..." She leaned in closer to him. "This boss of yours sounds crazy strict."
"Oh, he's alright. 'Just got some rules." The man faked his own smile. "And if you don't follow to the rules, he can get a... little upset, is all."
She decided immediately that she didn't like this boss of theirs one bit, and that if she ever met him, she'd give him a piece of her mind on how he treated his employees. He sounded a worse manager than her Grunkle! "Well, all that aside, I'm kinda new here. Do you think you could direct me to the floor where the President's daughter is staying?" She seemed to be important enough to stand out.
"Two-thousand five-hundred fifty five," the man stated instantly, "but, uh, I don't think she's taking visitors... Ma'am? Ma'am!" Before he could react, Mabel had sprinted off to the lifts.
She glared at the ten-digit keypad, before punching in 'two', 'five', 'five', 'five', and listened to the counter tick up, faster and faster as the compartment rose. "Room fifteen, room fifteen, room fifteen..." Mabel murmured to herself, determined to remember.
After yet another unpleasant wait and a painful popping of ears, the machine beeped out a louder, more satisfied 'ding', and she knew she'd reached her floor. Along a black-carpeted hall with beige walls, brown, wooden doors were placed officially and specifically every collection of paces. Painted on them were digits, beginning at one and counting up from there. She trudged her way to the fifteenth, letting her newly found fatigue soak in. She had lost a solid two or three hours on her trip, and sleep hadn't exactly been on a schedule.
Mabel halfheartedly rapped her knuckles on the wood. A moment later, it opened, revealing a girl with straight, black hair, a few inches shorter than her, and a brawny, larger one. "Hi, I'm Mabel. I'm your new roommate! I think. Did I get the room number right?"
"FINALLY! YOU'RE HERE!" The chunky one roared.
"We've been waiting all day!" The smaller one exclaimed in an accent she didn't recognize. "I'm Candy, and this is Grenda." The pair moved from the doorway to allow in the exhausted traveler.
"I'LL TAKE YOUR BAGS, IF YOU WANT," Grenda offered.
"Thanks," Mabel let go of her things, longingly ogling the nearest couch.
"Please, sit down! You must have had a long trip. Where are you from?" Candy motioned for the tired girl to sit.
She collapsed in the seat, feeling at home already from the warmth and cushioning. "Gravity Falls. It's in the Oregon Territories."
"WOW!" Grenda crashed down heavily on the spot next to her. "I'VE NEVER MET SOMEONE LOW-MIDDLE CLASS BEFORE! I'M FROM THE CALIFORNIA'S, SO MY FAMILY'S HIGH-MIDDLE."
"Oh, I used to live in the California's!" Mabel brightened. "Piedmont, to be exact. But my parents passed away when I was twelve, so my brother and I had to move up north to our Great-Uncle's."
Candy took a seat in the armchair across the room. "That is so sad! I'm from Korea, which is on the other side of the world. And, um, you said you had a brother?" Her attempts to lighten the conversation were obvious, but Mabel was happy to follow them.
"Yeah, just one. We're twins, so we're super close."
"I HAVE A BROTHER, TOO! TWO, TO BE EXACT. HEY, WANNA SEE HOW MANY TIMES WE CAN FIT 'TO'S INTO OUR SENTENCES? I'M ABOUT TO HAVE SIX, BECAUSE I WISH I HAD TWO!"
The girls laughed and chit-chatted all evening, making fast friends. Although, especially as she snuggled in to sleep, Mabel missed her brother greatly, she was thrilled at the success of her tour thusfar. If she kept this up, she'd be forming the luckiest time of her life.
{A/N: A kind guest reviewer mentioned their thinking that Candy is Korean. I looked into it, and she was indeed speaking Korean, not Chinese, to Gabe in Sock Opera. The reason I was confused was because Chiu is a Chinese last name. I went ahead and changed it, and hopefully won't make the same mistake in later plots.}
