I land with a thud, crushing my butt. How heroic, I die with an extreme pain in my rear end. I sit up, but the ceiling is only two inches away from my head and I now have a seriously bad headache. When we fell, he decided not to take my backpack, but he grabbed Mabel's while we fell. Jerk.
"Travis?" Mabel calls in the dark. I listen and carefully crawl over to her. I stand up but then forget that Hades trapped us in a room that was meant for deceased people that can't stand up. I bang my forehead and sit back down.
"Mabel? Are you okay?" I ask her. I can't see her face, but I know she's upset. She begins to cry and say, "He took my bag. My sweaters. Waddles!" I know how that feels.
My mom died two years ago when I was eleven and Connor was having his birthday the day after. My mom and I were making Connor's birthday cake when I must've accidentally replaced something with the pufferfish venom Hermes gave to me to give to Connor for his birthday. Who sends their troublemaking son pufferfish venom? So for the year since she died, Connor and I lived in the White House's junkyard until a fat satyr came to get us last year. I didn't know where the venom came from until Hermes told me a few months ago that he sent it. I had blamed myself for something my father did. And now she's gone. I can't afford to lose Mabel.
Until now, I never realized how extraordinary she is. Her obsession over sweaters, how she cares for Dipper, how she's one of the greatest friends I ever had. I've never met anyone that could solve all problems in life with silliness. She is not perfect, but that is what's so great about her.
We both lay on our backs on the cold marble floor. Mabel is silently crying, but I say, "Mabel, it's just us. You can cry your eyeballs out." Personally, I want to cry too, but I just let Mabel sob into my shoulder. Are we really going to die here? What did Hades do with my friends?
All of a sudden a voice in my head says, Kiss her. What the heck? I pull out the flashlight from my backpack and turn it on. Mabel's still leaning on my right shoulder. Since Hades took all of her sweaters, she's shivering like crazy. I turn to the side and hug her. No, it's not one of those awkward lovey dovey hugs, but seriously, she's freezing to death.
Hurry up and kiss her already! Trust me. Trust who? This is really freaking me out. Well now that I think about it, it would be a little better to die and have Mabel with me instead of dying the usual slow, painful death.
She's still crying when I stop hugging her. I prop myself up with my right arm and rest my head on my shoulder. She just turns towards me, using my backpack as a pillow.
"Mabel, you should know... I'd rather die here with you rather than anyone else that was on this quest," I admit. She stops crying and smiles, "Really Travis?" I nod. I probably would have retorted a rude comment if this was a conversation minus the dying and Hades and that junk. But I figured that if I ever did anything like that to Mabel, I'd hurt more than her.
We just stare at each other in silence for a few minutes. I see her entire life. Really. I guess that usually happens to demigods that are trapped in the Underworld right before they die. There's one part when she's five and hammers Dipper in the butt. And she's seven when she draws a mustache on Dipper's face using glue and sparkles. I smile to myself. Wait, if I can see her life, doesn't that mean she can see mine?
"Pufferfish venom..." Mabel whispers. I start feeling tears in the corners of my eyes. If she enjoyed any parts of my life, she doesn't show it. I know she's thinking about my mom.
"Travis... about your mom," Mabel looks at me, but I turn away. "I'm fine. Let's just stop talking about that," I rebuke. "Travis, listen to me," but I look at her and threateningly say, "Stop. Just drop it."
"Travis! Listen to me! I've seen your mom before. In Gravity Falls, there's a lady named Sue. Dipper and I met her on Pioneer Day at the museum," I find that hard to believe, but I let Mabel continue, "She has long, curly, and light brown hair. Seriously, she might be your mom."
I just stare at Mabel. Could my mom really be here? If she was alive, it would make sense that she lived in the weirdest town ever. Would she remember me if I ever saw her again?
"Travis, are you alr-" I wrap my arms around her neck and plant my lips onto hers.
Wow. My first and probably last kiss, but it is the best kiss EVER. I don't think that I could ever tell anyone what it was exactly like, but I loved it. It was nice and sweet.
"Mabel? I really like you," I say once we pull apart.
"Travis," she breathes, "When was the last time you brushed your teeth?"
I just stare at her, but she smiles. "I was kidding!" she laughs, and although we're about to die, I laugh with her.
Just then, the ground disappears. Mabel screams and grabs my arm. The room is starting to brighten and the ceiling has vanished. But we aren't falling, only floating.
"Travis?" a voice calls from who knows where. "It's me," the voice says. The person that talked into my head?
"No, that's just a friend of mine that helped me with a favor," I look up and Mabel gasps. It's exactly like she described: long and light brown hair. Soft eyes. It couldn't be.
Mom.
Anyone remember Sue from the episode with Quentin Trembley? I totally thought she was an important character, and now even this is blowing my mind. And Travis and Mabel kissed! Sure, it might seem rushed, but remember, they were about to die. Personally, I think Mabel and Travis are nice together... She's the reason he begins to come up with weird pranks! And for everyone waiting for Percy, he's coming. Well, not anytime soon. Just thought you'd like to hear that.
