He was dreaming despite the fuzz worming in his head. It was like trying to peek through a keyhole with a thick fog on the other side. To make his dream more disorientating, his mind could not make itself up on what it wanted to show him. It was a dreadful mixture of what he wanted to see and what his brain wanted to play - a crazy tug-of-war between conscious and subconscious. But in that dream, for some weird reason, he was a butterfly. He was in a garden that felt familiar. He could almost guess that there would be a small pond by the back where all the lovely tulips sat. That is where he wanted to go. The flowers were reeking with something sweet; something that tickles in the front of his butterfly-nose and stings at the back, but he was craving for its sweet nectar. When he reached the golden flowers, he unraveled his proboscis and began to dig in. But the flower was stiff, and his proboscis couldn't get to the nectar. He tried again, jabbing it harder, but simply couldn't get through. In frustration, he morphed his tiny butterfly feet into multiple, hairy man-arms and started beating the flower mercilessly.
"Give me the nectar!" He commanded.
But the flower only cried. "No!"
"Give it to me, I said!"
"No!" The tulip was adamant in keeping its prized sweets.
With full force, he made quick jabs at the flower with his fists, like a butterfly Mike Tyson. Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! It echoed in his head as he watched the golden flower turn pale. Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
"Felix..." The flower's voice was just a ring in his ear. He wasn't even sure if the flower actually said his name.
"Don't beg for me now, you stupid weed!" He continued his assault.
Bam! Bam! Bam! "Felix, wake up...!" The flower suddenly broke open, revealing Dipper inside, though his face was distorted, the butterfly knew who he was.
"Damn it, Felix!" Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! "... Pacifica!"
"Pacifica has nothing to do with this!" He yelled.
But it was no longer part of the dream.
His eyes snapped open to the underside of a bed. He suddenly became aware of the stiff pain on his chest and neck. He pushed himself up as he realized that he was on the floor, then the world began spinning again. Alcohol was never kind to him. Dipper was knocking loudly on the door and Felix tried to walk to open it. He moved groggily as if his legs have never walked before. He was a zombie. He thought that he might have looked like one too!
"Felix! Janette! Wake up!" Dipper screamed from the other side, banging on the door desperately.
Felix could see the urgency, but his body would not cooperate and his mind could not comprehend why. But as he got closer, his feet shuffling through the carpet, his big toe met the edge of something hard.
"Ouch!" He screamed, grabbing his foot while he hopped around. It was amazing how he could keep himself upright while his head swam on what he tried to drown it with the other night.
"Quit it!" a groggy Janette hushed from under a pillow.
He could remember the kiss, and how she pulled her to the room, but everything went fuzzy from there. He wondered how he ended up on the floor and what happened between them. He looked down at himself, seeing that he was still wearing his jeans with his belt tightly secured around his waist. Then it struck him like a foul ball. Janette dropped asleep just as they were kissing on the bed. Then she pushed him off claiming dominance over the comfort of the cool mattress and pillows. He tried to get up. But with the alcohol in his veins, trying to stand proved difficult, and eventually, he gave up.
Not that he regretted not having a chance with her, maybe he could catch another opportunity under each other's consent. But right now, he wasn't sure what was going on between them-
Bam!
Bam!
BAM!
Golden daylight poured in from the hallway and into the room, blinding Felix, and making Janette pull the covers over her face like a vampire. The wooden door was splintered by the handle.
Felix reddened for the first time in his entire life. "What the hell?" He screamed. He wanted to yell at his friend and tell him how obscene of a gesture he had made. What if he were still naked? What if he were still with Janette on the bed? What if he caught them in a compromising position? Why the hell would he knock so loud so early in the morning? Why the hell would he barge into the room like that? He wanted to scream it all if only his tongue didn't feel like lead. Then he noticed the caked blood on his head, the fresh drips that were staining the maple wood floor of the hallway. He noticed his panting breaths and the now-broken speaker he used as a battering ram. There was an emotion that Felix had never seen from him before: rage.
"Pacifica was taken!" He growled with a booming voice before dropping the speaker. His voice was hoarse, and he breathed each syllable. He was in pain. But that was the only thing fueling him right now.
Felix could not understand. He stood there watching as Dipper marched to his room. He looked back to see Janette sitting up on the bed, hair tossed like a madman and one strap of her sleeveless shirt hanging down her shoulder. She shared his expression on her face. The reality of the situation failed to pierce them yet.
*LINE BREAK*
8 hours earlier…
"You really are an ass, aren't you?" Pacifica spat as she pushed herself away from Eric. She would have jumped out but the car was already moving fast. "And you!" She kicked the side of the driver's seat with her bare foot. "I thought you were retired. Spend sometimes with the kids, you said!"
"I work for the Northwest. I am forever in their service." Said Sergei without taking his eyes off the road. "And you are failing in your duties, snegurochka. You are meant to follow your parent's footsteps. You were supposed to take over everything."
"Don't tell me what to do, Sergei. And stop calling me that!" She snorted, folding her legs to her chest, making as much distance ash she could from the two men.
"Look, Pacifica. It's time for you to grow up. You can't keep running away from your responsibilities! You have a lot of things to do!"
The blonde girl almost choked on what he said. "Grow up? Seriously?" She turned to face the Swedish boy. "I have grown up! I was able to realize that I don't want to be in my parent's shadow! Maybe you should go take a long look in the mirror and see if you have grown up and realized that your dad is just using you!"
Eric rolled his eyes, "Whatever you say, hon." He scoffed, feeling that the conversation was useless.
A hand met his face and he screamed from the ringing pain.
The girl gazes at him. Her hand doesn't sting as much as before. If she kept it up, her practice of slapping people, she can go for pro and join the world championship!
"Stop it you two!" Sergei warned, looking through the rearview mirror. "Stop acting like tiny children."
"Pull over and let me out, Sergei," Pacifica commanded.
"I am sorry, milaya. I have orders to follow and children to feed."
"I said stop the car right now!"
Just as she said those words a raven broke its neck on the windshield, cracking it. Sergei cursed and with his startle, the car swerved from side to side, their headlights touching the shadows it did not touch before. But his skill in driving, perfectly honed by his years of rather extreme experiences, managed to catch them and put them back straight on the road, leaving behind a loud screech and a long trail of burnt rubber. His heart was beating loudly, but he welcomed the exhilaration. "Hah! Just like Ukraine!"
The girl rubbed the bump on the top of her head. As the car danced violently, her skull met Eric's chin. It was a dull pain that seemed to spread with each second like a cracked frozen lake, but she was happy that she was able to land another cheap shot at the blonde-haired boy. But as she looked at the smashed windshield, Sergei had now begun wiping the bird and its blood off the glass, she realized how violent the winds still were. Not a long moment ago the shadows grabbed her and she would have been with them if Sergei hadn't pulled her to the car. Were those things waiting for this moment? Were they still out there? Roirkshire Hills never truly welcomed her.
Her heart stopped beating when she realized what happened to Dipper. In all her anger of seeing Eric for the second time in her life, she had forgotten that he was now lying on the front porch under the mercy of the freezing air, unconscious and bleeding. She was sure he was alive because Sergei used a baseball bat. If Dipper was wanted dead, the Slavic man would have used a different weapon. She glared at her old mentor. She couldn't believe that she once looked up to him as a friend.
She didn't know which scared her or pissed her off the most - being kidnapped by her unwanted fiance, or being torn to pieces by the invisible beasts in the dark. She'd prefer to be taken by the shadows; their cold company was much better than Eric and Sergei's, but she also didn't want to die.
She wanted to just go back to Dipper's warm arms and end the night with him. She wished that she could escape the car.
Fate granted her wish.
A loud hiss came from outside but it was loud enough to be mistaken to be inside the vehicle and it rammed the nose of the car. The wheels shrieked as it pivoted to its side before it overturned. None of them were ready for the attack, and with Sergei driving above the speed limit, their roll across the dark pavement was cruel. Metal kissed the asphalt repeatedly from all sides; bits and pieces of the vehicle were thrown away as they broke off. The car crumpled on the edges and the engine began to smoke and seep into the cabin. Pacifica and Eric were tossed inside the car like laundry in the washer. The world around them went on in a blur, but strangely enough, every moment of it seemed to stick inside Pacifica's mind, as if the adrenaline made her mind work faster to capture every image of their helpless state. She couldn't remember a single moment when she blinked. There were no screams or grunts. Just an eerie silence among the passengers.
Like an awkward ballerina, the car landed crudely on its wheels, leaving its contents to the harshness of gravity. But whatever hit them was not finished. The car's flat wheels started made a shrill monotone as it slid across the pavement and slowly into the woods. When it touched the bordering soil beside the road, the car flipped one last time crashing on its roof.
There was silence for a while and nothing moved as if the whole world vigilantly watched for what was going to happen next.
Pacifica coughed. Pushed the laminated glass off the window, and slowly she crawled out, feeling the damp grass and dried leaves under her arms and thighs. She could feel her sticky sweat pouring from her forehead, over her eyes, and down her neck, but it made the nights kiss cooler. She continued crawling until she reached the base of the tree and used it to pull herself to her feet. She assessed her legs and arms and chest, trying to see if anything was broken, but aside from scratches and terrible bruises, she was fine. She panted, and her heart rattled inside its cage like a startled bird.
To her relief, or whatever it was she felt, Eric and Sergei slowly crawled out of the car as well. The Swedish boy cussed everything from Canada to the trees down to Sergei, but the old man only laughed, spitting out blood from his lips.
The mysterious winds have now died down, and the trees were silent in the dark once more. Crickets returned to their songs, frogs and toad returned to their calls. Though, the night birds were probably still assessing if the tumult was really gone as their soft voices were not yet heard.
It was her chance. She could run back to Dipper and the others now. Sergei and Eric wouldn't even notice as they had begun cursing at each other in their native tongues. She knew that by the time they were finished, she would have been long gone.
But was it safe?
The forest that surrounded them was swimming in pitch black darkness. She was also sure that what hit them on the road was one of the shadows. They followed her, and something whispered to her that they were still around.
She wiped the sweat from her brows, but it was thicker than she's used to. A damp foundation was a close resemblance to what it felt, but she had stopped wearing her make up since they arrived in Canada. She looked at her wrist, the one she used to wipe the sweat off, and it was only now that she realized that it wasn't sweat. Seeing that much red made her feel sick.
"Are you alright?" Sergei moved closer to her.
"I'm fine." She held out her hand to him, however, she gagged and tried to hold the contents of her guts down.
The Slavic man only laughs as he pulled out a small packet out of his pocket. "Always the one with the weak stomach, milaya." He chuckled, handing her a piece of gum.
Pacifica didn't think twice. She grabbed a stick, unwrapped it and shoved it into her mouth. The refreshing mint did its work of calming her down.
"No broken bones?" Asked Sergei.
The blonde girl shook her head. Her body was sore, but she can move perfectly
"Are you certain?"
The blonde girl nodded.
Sergei believed her. He pulled out a clean handkerchief from his pocket and wrapped it neatly over her head. "It should stop soon. But we need to clean it so it won't rot."
"You mean infected?" She tried to cock a brow, but she failed. She was feeling numb.
"Infected. Rot. There's no difference."
Pacifica tried to calm down. She was fine. She was good. She's safe. She breathed her panic out in meditation. She tried to feel what else was wrong with her body, but other than the bitter pang on her head, she felt fine.
The still silence of the night was shattered by a single scream that came from the only other person with them.
"For the love of…!" The old man threw his hands in the air. He had had enough of Eric's whining. "Try to act like a damn man some time, you pampered brat!" But he ate his words when he turned to see him.
Eric was choking as his arms flailed as if it were trying to grab hold of something that was not there. He was hanging a good meter above the totaled car, croaking.
Pacifica recognized it immediately. "Stop! Don't hurt him!" The words came out before she could stop herself. She would have loved to see him hanging in thin for another minute but maybe it was her human decency that took control.
The Swedish man was released and he landed on his feet before dropping his back. His eyes were bulging and all the stranded blood from his head was finally able to flow freely. He gasped for air as he coughed, almost vomiting from the sudden release of the pressure from his neck.
"Don't hurt them!" She said, as much as she hated uttering the words. "You can take me, but just let them go!"
"I am afraid I cannot allow that." The breathy voice rang inside their heads. It's slow, calm tone was familiar. It sounded just like...
Ezekiel? But she couldn't believe it for one second. She cannot handle another traumatic event in a single night.
"W-who are you?" She wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer.
The shadows were silent, and she scanned the trees for any kind of activity, but there was no response.
She freed herself from the trunk of the tree and scurried closer to Sergei and Eric. As much as she despised them, they were her only allies at the moment.
But before she could get a step closer, Sergei screamed with utter horror in his eyes: "Milaya! Watch out!"
The leaves crunched as she spun on her heel, her golden hair following her motion. She would have defended herself but there was nothing she could have really done to avoid it. It caught her by the throat with only enough force to hold her off the ground and slammed her into the tree she had just left.
"I am the Alpha." It whispered loudly inside her, careful to stress each syllable of its words. "And there is no doubt that you are coming with us."
*LINE BREAK*
"Hold still, Dipper." Janette hissed. Despite her drowning head, her hands were still steady enough to sew and clean the boy's wound.
"It hurts!" He whizzed. "This isn't necessary! We need to find Pacifica!"
"We will, bro. We need to patch you up first." Felix walked in carrying an ice bag.
Dipper tried to pull himself off of Janette's lap, but the girl glared at him that made him fear his wound opening again. "We have no time." He mumbled as he settled himself back on the pillow.
"You're lucky this is all you got. It could have been worse. Still, I highly recommend that we take you to the hospital."
"Nonsense. We're losing a lot of time. We should go look for her now."
"Okay, please do explain to me how you're going to find her." Her tone was dripping with sarcasm. "Do you know who took her?"
"No."
"Did you see the car they were on?"
"No."
"Did you see where they were headed?"
Dipper breathed loudly, doing his best to show his irritation of the subject. All he wanted was to get Pacifica back, but Janette was making him feel like an imbecile. "No!" She pushed himself off once more and left the girl on the couch.
"I'm not finished. Get back here!" She commanded like a mother to her child, but Dipper ignored her.
"Dude, we completely understand your concern, but come on! You need to stop and think about it. We don't have a plan for this." Felix handed his best friend the bag of ice. "We can't make blunt decisions."
For a moment he stopped and all the energy of his anger, frustration and worry slowly dissipated. His shoulders dropped and the realization that his friends were right dawned on him. He was being stubborn and stupid.
He turned to look at his best friend, his hands still extended towards him holding the ice bag. Dipper nodded, and took it from him and held it on the bump of his head. He then looked at Janette, and nodded, silently thanking her and apologizing
The girl dropped the bloody needle in a bowl of warm water before she stood beside Felix. They were still silent, thinking of a way through the situation.
"How about the cops?" Felix suggested.
Dipper and Janette looked up with a tiny glimmer of hope. But Dipper frowned. "It would work in Canada. But not in the states."
"Why's that?" Janette asked, cocking a brow.
"Because I'm positive that the Northwest is behind this. They can simply pay the authorities off with Pacifica's money."
"What if you're wrong?"
"I could be. But I am pretty sure about this."
"So, what other options do we have?"
"The orb."
The three jumped the moment they heard the voice in their heads. They thought it was impossible that the shadow creatures would come out during the day. They neglected the fact that they weren't demons or spirits like in the movies.
"Do not be frightened. I am here to help." His shadow slowly crawled to shape in the light spilling from the front door.
"You? Help?" Dipper spat. He didn't fear the creature. "You got her into this mess in the first place! You tried to take her!"
"I understand your distress, but it was not I who tried to take her. It was the others." His voice was slow and calm.
With a sharp pang on his cranium, Dipper gritted his teeth in pain. But it allowed for images to run to his mind, and along those vivid still pictures rushing in and out of his vision was the previous night. Pacifica was dragged across the lawn, but for some reason she was abandoned, giving her the chance to try to run away. He saw himself run to her and held her close to protect her. He thought that it must have been the wind or a trick of his frantic mind. But as he examined that moment carefully, he realized that it was part of the event. Pacifica called for the shadow. "Ezekiel," He whispered. "She said your name. He called for you. Why!?" He glared at the shadow as if it had eyes.
"We are acquaintances."
Janette's brows furrowed. "Wait! Acquaintances? How?"
The shadow was silent for a brief moment. "I was in her room. We talked about her burdens."
"She was talking to you?" Dipper breathed.
"Yes."
"And she didn't tell us."
The shadow was silent once more, but this time, it had no intention to make a remark on Dipper's conclusion.
He tried to look at it as if it were a small thing, but he couldn't deny that it wasn't. The shadow might have been a threat and she welcomed it to their house. The shadow might have been plotting about her abduction and she allowed it. Pacifica knew that the shadows were dangerous and she kept it from them like a secret pet.
"She and I, we are the same." Ezekiel continued.
Janette stepped closer, though she still tried to keep a fair distance from it. "Same how?"
The shadow was silent. "I don't know."
Dipper snorted, crossing his arms. "How do you expect us to trust you? Your kind took Pacifica! Where is she now?"
"I am not like the others. They are vile and primitive. I am… something else."
"What do you mean?" Asked Felix.
The answer was the same. "I don't know."
"Look," Said Janette. " Just like what Dipper said. How do you expect us to trust you?"
"I gave you the code. The clue that I wrote on our first meeting."
Felix quickly ran to the pile of papers sitting on the edge of the counter. He tossed book and document carelessly as he looked for the only picture they have of the engravings. He could have run back the house and picked up the log itself, but it was tedious. He found the picture with Pacifica's translation stapled behind it. It seems that in the passing of time they have forgotten about it. He always thought that it was a mistake to just dismiss Pacifica's translations, but Dipper and Janette insisted that it might be a product of her concussion so they ruled it out.
"Here!" He shouted before running back to the shadow extending the picture for Ezekiel to take, but it simply floated down on the shadow's face. Exhilaration got the better of him and made him forget that Ezekiel wasn't tangible. "Oh, right." He said, picking it up.
"Was Pacifica able to translate it?"
"Yes!" The blonde man nodded energetically. "See guys! I told you this is authentic!" He said, turning to his friends.
Dipper and Janette shared the same expression of skepticism on their faces, but they were both hinted with jealousy. Last night made them forget that Felix and Pacifica quickly grew a very special friendship over the past weeks, and Felix was always there for her in her moments of down. He was the only one who believed her when no one else would.
"When the stars die and the heavens weep; when the ignorant cheers, look to the south for the sun's setting orb." Ezekiel passed through the riddle in a calm monotone. "Have you found out where the orb is?"
No one answered. No one tried.
But Dipper was beginning to snap. "Why the hell are you asking us? You gave the riddle! You tell us where it is!"
"I don't know where it is." The shadow replied.
The Auburn haired boy didn't know why they had to waste their time with it. He was next to useless. It was like dealing with an old man with dementia. He threw his hands in the air, giving up. He thought that maybe putting the ice bag back on his head would help him calm down. In the slightest way, it did.
"I understand your frustration," the shadow said, stepping closer to the three. "I cannot remember a number of things because the rest of me is inside that orb. If we can find the orb, we can find Pacifica."
"How would that help?" Janette asked.
"Pacifica has not left Roirkshire Hills."
A flash of energy sparked inside Dipper. "How do you know that?"
"I found the empty, wrecked car."
The boy pondered on the options available. He wasn't certain if they could trust a shadow. But it seemed concerned for the well-being of Pacifica. It seems that he really wanted to help.
But was that really its intention?
The shadow had been asking them to solve his riddle since their first night in Roirkshire Hills. But why them? What made them a perfect candidate for its quest when the town had more than a thousand living residents? There must be a connection that they cannot see. They have no choice. Ezekiel said that he found the car empty. They could have been taken by the other shadows.
With a breath and a thought that he might regret it later, he said, "Fine. We'll look for it." Janette and Felix nodded, approving of Dipper' judgment. "But we need to make it fast. Pacifica might not have enough time."
"Agreed," said the shadow.
"Great!" Janette's arms went akimbo. "But where do we even start?"
*LINE BREAK*
The trees were endless. It was starting to feel tedious seeing green and brown and crisping dead leaves. She was starting to hate nature.
Since the crash, Pacifica and the others were herded through the forest. They could not see them, but the shadows made sure that their presence was still known. When one strays from the path, they would either be met with a harsh jab or a raucous snarl.
Walking through the forest at night was made difficult by the darkness that enveloped the environment that not even the silver light of the moon could break. It was even more difficult barefooted. Pacifica was lucky that Sergei was decent enough to give his shoes to her. It was large on her feet, but it did its job of keeping broken twigs from impaling her soles.
That night, they were granted a short three-hour sleep, before being screamed at to get back to their march. Along the way, they had an insufficient breakfast of berries and fruits they grabbed along the way. It wasn't enough but it was still energy.
Pacifica had no idea how far they had been walking, but with the sun's first light blinding her ahead, the only thing she knew was that they were headed east.
They had a short rest just after sunrise and they settled beside a small spring. The water was the freshest water Pacifica had ever tasted and she just couldn't get enough of it. Its cool touch also did wonders to her head wound. It took the pain away and she felt it being cleaned. It had now stopped bleeding, but after washing the handkerchief, she placed it back on to keep it from contaminants. She dreaded the fact she needed to close the wound. Without the comfort of anesthesia, it was a nightmare that she was getting close to having. Needles and blood aren't really her thing.
But now was not the time to think about her fear of needles stabbing her skin. She knew that something bad was going to happen to them and they're just following like cattle to slaughter. Pacifica tried to find comfort from her memories last night. It seemed even more surreal to imagine herself kissing Dipper Pines. Her fingers slowly touched her lips, and a smile pulled on her lips. She knew now that she still had a chance. And she promised that she would make it all worthwhile when all of this ends.
They haven't even enjoyed their rest when they were forced back on their feet and began moving, this time, northwards as the sun was now on their left. Wherever they were headed, no one was bound to find them.
They had been quiet during the whole journey. It was amazing that Eric had not made a single peep. He did not complain and he did not whine. He stayed at the back of the file, keeping to himself. What was going on inside his head, Pacifica had no intention of finding out. She hated that man. He was a representation of her own shadow that she was desperately trying to escape. But for some reason, she pitied him. All of these must be strange and weird as if none of what was happening was normal. It wasn't normal. It never was. It was like being in a dream that you have no control over; a dream where your decisions and ideas have no weight on what was going to happen. She knows that feeling during the events of Gravity Falls. Bill Cypher made sure that it would stick into her mind the horrors of those days.
No! She has no room in her heart to sympathize with the men who tried to take her from her happiness. She had no sympathy for the demons who would drag her back to her hell.
But still, she did.
The sun was already blazing on top of them when the shadows shoved Pacifica harshly on her back. Twigs broke under her and the crispy leaves gave their chorus. The shadows didn't have words except for the bigger one, the Alpha, and they couldn't be seen behind the shadows of the masses of trees. Shoving was their only means of saying 'go' and 'stop'. They were primitive.
A large hill was sitting ahead of them with a small, dark opening at its base. It looked a lot like the crypt from the other day, and Pacifica feared at it was the same place that they were trapped in. Luckily, this one was different. The crypt had a more spire-esque shaped hill, while this one was dome-shaped; the crypt had a narrow base, while this one was wider.
"Only a little bit more." The Alpha's voice echoed inside all their heads once more. It never failed in prickling up the hair on their backs. "You just need to enter."
"Where are we?" Pacifica asked, brushing off the pine needles from her pajama. After a whole night of being pushed and screamed at, she was starting to get used to the violent acts.
"Home," the shadow whispered and it never spoke again.
They waited for the shadows to hustle them forward, but the air was still and quiet. The shadows were gone.
Or they could still be here… Pacifica thought. She imagined them making a run for it only to be brutally slaughtered.
Eric confirmed her theory. The moment that he sensed that the shadows were gone, he made dashed towards where they came. He was like Usain Bolt the way he leaned his frame forwards as all the energy he had reserved from not speaking went to his legs. He wasn't able to go anywhere, however, because before he could make a decent amount of distance, he was thrown back fifteen feet and he landed on his back with a heavy thud. His breath was knocked out of him as he arched his back in pain.
"Nice work right there," Pacifica scorned, walking pass him.
"Perfect posture! You could be an Olympian!" Sergei added, laughing.
But Eric would not be mocked. "Are you two idiots?" He bellowed, pushing back to his feet in a burst of anger. "Are you so dense that you cannot see the trouble we are in? We are kidnapped by shadows. SHADOWS! How could you even laugh at this situation?!"
This only made Sergei laugh harder. "I was kidnapped by little men once."
"Seriously? You still have the guts to joke about this?"
"Actually, it's quite true." Pacifica snickered. It was fun seeing the pale boy fuming with anger.
"You!" He stabbed the air in front of the blonde girl. "This is all your fault! They wanted you and now we're in this mess!"
"My fault? You kidnapped me!"
Realizing that she was right, Eric's only response was a frustrated growl. "So what now? We're going to do what they tell us and spring the trap?"
The old man ushered him towards the door. "It doesn't look like we have other choices."
"So, that's it? We're going to die and we'll just let them."
"I'll think of something," Pacifica declared heading into the dark opening.
She tried to act brave in their crisis, but she couldn't lie to herself. She has absolutely no idea what she can do in their situation. What would Dipper do in her situation?
With a false bravado she made a decision. If she wants to survive, she will need to cooperate with the shadows. It's the most logical thing to do. It's the only thing she can do.
She just needed to buy Dipper and the others some time.
*LINE BREAK*
She might have the best room in the entire house. Now Dipper understood why she'd rather spend her day locked inside her room when she was feeling down. It was magic. It just took all his troubles away. The sun was now setting, and it painted the room with its final warm glow. Everything seemed to shine and everything seemed to watch as the burning orb 150 million kilometers away said its farewell for the day. But as much as he wanted to, he couldn't linger on idly. He needed to find clues about anything concerning Pacifica. But her neat and well kept room was empty of anything that would point to where she or the orb Ezekiel wanted was. Maybe he was just there because he missed her.
He cursed Ezekiel. The shadow was nothing but trouble and it got Pacifica in danger. He didn't know if they were all playing into his hands because there was no way of gauging it. It was monotonous and consistent with the things he claims that he didn't know. But that was the tricky part. Why doesn't it know anything? Who it was, what it is, where it came from and why it's attached to Pacifica were all a mystery. However, even though the strings get tangled up against each other, there was one thing that connected it all. The orb.
When the stars die and the heavens weep; when the ignorant cheers, look to the south for the sun's setting orb. Dipper bit on his pen as he arranged the words in front of him and with surgical precision, he pieced it apart. Stars die. Heavens weep. Ignorants cheer. South. Sun's setting orb.
He knew that when star dies two things would either happen: It will either explode into a supernova or turn into a white dwarf. In some rare cases, when the sun is large enough, it forms a neutron star or a black hole. That part of the riddle doesn't make sense.
Heavens weep. What does it mean for the heavens to weep? Rain is the most likely answer. But why rain? This too doesn't make sense.
Who are the ignorants? And why do they cheer?
Why look to the south when the sun sets in the west?
His wound began throbbing and the plastic pen broke under his molars. The riddle doesn't make sense. But of course, riddles aren't supposed to make sense. Maybe he was looking at it all wrong. Maybe he's supposed to take it figuratively. But he cannot strain it. His head protests with every idea that he pushes out.
But what about Pacifica? If he will not try what would happen to her?
Relax Dipper. He can hear her in his head. He remembers those days when he was preparing for his exams. Pacifica would wrap her arms around him and plant her lips on his forehead. "So your brain would feel good," She would say. She would stay with him and not leave until he was finished studying.
He was missing her. That was why he was in her room. He wasn't there to figure things out. He was there because he was longing for her; Because he blamed himself for her abduction. He just wanted her back. It might have been a long time since he felt so vulnerable and naked. It felt so confusing to have it and his pride as a man protested against it, but he welcomed that raw emotion nonetheless because it made him feel comfortable. The grand feeling of freedom wrapped around him. He allowed it to swell in his chest and pour down his cheeks. Dipper sobbed.
He breathed it out, and slowly he calmed down. Pacifica needed him to be strong, and so, he will be strong. He didn't need to worry that much. He had a knack for stumbling into answers when he least expects it, just like what Grunkle Ford always told him. He just needed to make his first step. This is not about the research anymore, it was about Pacifica.
"Dipper!" Felix yelled from the kitchen. "Come out here for a second, will ya?"
He wiped the tears off with his shirt, leaving a dark, wet blot, but he didn't care. "Hang on." he sniffled and made sure that he was good to go.
When he exited Pacifica's room, he took once last look as he grabbed the knob. "I will get you back. I promise." He whispered and closed the door.
Janette was sitting on the dining table with Felix beside her. They were talking, rather cheerfully. It seemed strange to suddenly have a light atmosphere after what they were going through. But there was something else different. Janette and Felix weren't just talking to each other. They were talking to someone else.
"She dropped by a few days ago and, for some reason, ended up talking about casseroles…" A woman's voice, sweet and kind, chirped. She was hidden from Dipper's view by the divider by the kitchen-dining room divider but he can see a hint of golden hair.
His heart raced faster than he ever thought possible. Pacifica was home! He didn't care what happened, all he cared about was that she's back-
"Mom, we need to feed Tabby!" A little boy whined somewhere with them.
"Yes, dear. Let mommy just finish talking, yes?"
He raced to the dining room to confirm, but he was wrong.
It wasn't her.
"Hello!" The young woman greeted.
"Uh, hi!" Dipper's mouth was hanging wide open.
"I'm sorry to bother you guys. My name's Cindy." She reached out her hand towards the auburn boy and he took it gently. "This is my son, Christopher." The little boy waved from his seat.
"Its… uh… good to meet you." He wasn't sure what to say. He felt as if he had been shattered into a million pieces.
"My pleasure. Pacifica told me that you guys are scientists?"
The question flew over Dipper like a missed arrow. "I'm sorry, how did you two meet?"
Cindy chuckled. "Oh, I guess I have our cat to thank for that! Pacifica told me that she found our cat in your backyard. She brought him back and we instantly clicked. Speaking of which, where is she?"
"Pacifica's not here. She… uh… went back to California for a bit." That was the worst lie he could ever come up with but that was all he could think of.
"I see." The girl's shoulder drooped a little before coming back up. "That's too bad. I brought her this casserole." She pointed at the covered pan on the table. "She told me she always wanted to learn how to make one. She must have a really important thing to do, huh?"
Dipper was stunned. He didn't know how to answer that. All of these were weighing down on him.
"Family matters." Janette caught the question. "But hopefully she will be back."
"That's great!" She made a toothy smile, showing off her pearly teeth. "And how long are you guys gonna be here."
"A little while more." Janette gave an equally enthusiastic smile.
"That's good! Roirkshire Hills is a very cozy place. It has a thing for people wanting to start a new life. But what I am saying, that's gossip for another time!" She picked up her son and walked towards the front door. "I'd be happy to hear what you guys think of my casserole! I do hope you enjoy it."
"We will!" The girl answered, walking her out. "Thank you very much for dinner."
"No problem, Janette. I just love cooking for people. And, oh! By the way. You all should come and see the festival tomorrow!"
"What festival?"
"Roirkshire Hills' founding day. The town will be having a feast at the center. It will be potluck of course, but don't worry, I can cover for you guys!"
"It sounds really good! But there are things that we need to… take care off."
"Bummer. But if you could come, come! It's a very special day tomorrow. Once every twelve years, I guess. I'm not really sure that part." she giggled.
"Is that so?" Janette leaned at the doorway watching the woman slowly walk away from the house. It was getting exhausting talking to her. Cindy was like a made up of pure energy that never gets drained and Janette was running on fumes.
"Yes!" She was yelling now. "It's the day of Ezekiel's Comet!"
Hello, Guys! I'm really trying to work as fast as I can. Honest!
I know. I know. Nothing much has happened in this chapter, but don't worry, because I'm still setting the stage for the final performance. I have the draft finished and we have 4 or 5 chapters left, that is if I stick to the plan.
Anyway, hang tight guys! I have a real something towards the end of the story *wink *wink
PS: Do you like Reverse Falls fics? I made a one-shot - a very long one-shot. Maybe you could check it out! Yes! I am shamelessly advertising my stories.