Pacifica couldn't believe what she had been dragged into. She was being forced to walk into town. Couldn't she at least have gotten a ride up to the town hall? No, of course not. Because her boyfriend and her... tutor-maybe-friend-person would rather see Pacifica's feet covered in blisters! It was going to be hot today too, so Pacifica couldn't wear her favourite boots. Instead, she had some purple shoes with her initials embossed on them. She chose to wear a purple T-shirt accordingly. Pacifica shifted the golf club in her hand and kept on walking to the rendezvous point by the hovel where the Pines live. She carefully avoided the goat, keeping the golf club pointed at it, in case it attacked. She looked at the door and saw Dipper standing there, looking amused.

"What?" she scowled.

"A few things, actually. First, it won't attack you. You don't need to threaten it with a golf club." Pacifica slowly lowered the club, keeping an eye on the goat. She walked towards Dipper. She nodded, flicking a fly out of her face. She didn't enjoy how close this place was to the great outdoors.

"Second, I said to pick a weapon, and your first instinct was to go for a golf club?"

"No, actually, Dipper. My first instinct was to go for the shotgun I have on my bedroom wall, but I thought that might be too much."

Dipper's eyes widened. "I'm joking," Pacifica clarified.

"O-oh, yeah. I knew that." Pacifica shook her head and looked out into the horizon. Despite the weird bugs and goat, this place wasn't too bad. It was obviously nothing compared to the Northwest Manor, but it could suffice as a holiday home for some poorer people. She felt Dipper's presence just slightly behind her. It was awkward, standing next to someone she used to despise on a sunny Saturday morning. Nobody said anything. Normally, Pacifica was used to silence. People didn't really speak around her unless she spoke first. But this was a different kind of silence. A kind of silence that she wanted to break in any way she could. But at the same time, she didn't want to be the one to break the silence. Is this how people felt around her? Why was she the one feeling it?

Dipper was sitting on a bench next to a bag, writing something in a book. It had a dark red cover, which was torn in some parts. He looked like he was tense, which made sense, considering the situation. They were about to confront someone who was sent to attack him. And the plan relied heavily on the fact that this assassin was following Dipper's movements and trying to find a perfect time to catch him. Pacifica leaned forward to peek at what Dipper was writing.

She glanced at Dipper and noticed that his face had gone slightly red. "Something wrong?"

"No, no. What are you doing?"

"Just seeing what you were doing."

"Oh. I was just making some final checks before Marius gets here."

Pacifica sat down next to Dipper. It became awkward again. Why did she show up early? She didn't want to be at this place for any more than she needed to. Where was Marius? Dipper was still focused entirely on the book, so he probably didn't notice the awkwardness. Pacifica started turning the golf club in her hand slowly. She coughed slightly. Dipper didn't notice. She coughed slightly louder, which made Dipper look up, but she lost all courage and just shook her head. Dipper went back to writing.

Pacifica watched him write. He was wearing the same red shirt and grey shorts as always. Pacifica didn't understand why he wore that all the time, he might have looked nice in some other clothes. His hair seemed slightly messier, maybe because he got out of bed earlier than normal. Pacifica made sure her hair was perfect before leaving the manor. He was chewing on the pen, which Pacifica smirked at. For some reason, he didn't have very noticeable acne, which Pacifica didn't notice before. Even she had had a few breakouts (which she obviously managed to clear away quickly), but Dipper seemed to have managed almost as well as she had. Almost. Now that she thought about it, Mabel didn't have much acne either. Lucky genes, probably. Pacifica looked at Dipper's eyes, which were hard and calculating, scanning over the page of his book. Despite Dipper's analytical look, Pacifica felt comforted, like Dipper had thought everything through and this plan would go perfectly well.

Dipper's eyes flicked up and looked into Pacifica's. Pacifica almost looked away, but she held her gaze. She wasn't doing anything wrong. Pacifica looked back at Dipper. "Can I help you?" he asked.

"No, just thinking."

"About?"

"The plan."

"Did you forget it?"

"No! I was just..." Pacifica thought carefully about what to say next. Would she say that she was watching Dipper write? No, she couldn't say that. Then what else could she say? The best and easiest thing to do is to play along. "Yes," she sighed. "I forgot the plan."

Dipper looked at her like he knew she was lying, but then he shrugged. "Marius probably won't be here for another five minutes, so I'll just repeat it."

He moved the book so that it was between the two of them. His handwriting was neat and orderly, which made it easy for Pacifica to follow along with Dipper's notes. A good thing for a tutor, Pacifica noted.

"Now, we assume that someone who attacks me out of nowhere then disappears will be reappearing, probably when I'm most vulnerable. Now, I've told Wendy that I'd join her and her friends to go into the woods today. You and Marius will be close behind."

"Wendy's the lumberjack girl, right?"

Dipper made a face. "Um, yeah. Just call her Wendy, though. Anyway, once I get to the designated spot, I will pretend to slip down a small hill. I've made sure that they'll have to find some other way to get to me, which gives me some time alone. Of course, you and Marius will be hiding nearby. Marius will then activate Tyrone-" he patted his pocket, -"and Tyrone and I will swap places. I will hide in the bush and take over controlling Tyrone."

"And Tyrone is, of course, your twin brother?"

"Well, no. I've named him Tyrone. My Grunkle Ford, or Professor Pines for you, has a bunch of prototypes of this hologram. This is a super early model that he won't be needing any time soon. The only problem is that it fizzles out as soon as you touch it." To prove his point, Dipper took out a black sphere the size of a tennis-ball and rolled it across the floor. He then pulled out some kind of remote and pushed a button on it. Immediately, a Dipper Pines lookalike replaced the ball.

"Woah," Pacifica said.

"Woah indeed." Dipper stepped out and waved his hand through the hologram. As he said, the hologram faded away, leaving the real Dipper standing on his own. He picked up the sphere and sat back down next to Pacifica. He continued explaining the plan. "Because the hologram stops working once you touch it, we'll all have to be ready to knock down the guy as soon as he realises what's happening. Then we tie him up and hand him over to Sheriff Blubs." Dipper lifted a rope out of his bag.

"Right, of course. And you needed me because...?"

"Marius and I barely survived the last time he was around! We were lucky to have the element of surprise. It won't be so easy this time, so we need back-up."

"And what if he doesn't show up?"

"Well, I've been telling a bunch of people that I'm going into the woods today, and if he has been keeping a track of where I am, then he should know where to be. If not, then at least we're safe."

Pacifica nodded. It became quiet for the third time. Dipper shut his book and put it in the bag. He looked at the golf club. "You play golf?"

"Amongst other things, but golf is one of my favourites."

"Mabel's really good, too. I think she's got the best score at the mini-golf place here."

"I think I could take her," Pacifica said, loosely swinging the club.

Dipper laughed. "That's one hell of a statement! I might have to tell her that."

Pacifica shrugged and smiled.

"How is she at cheerleading?"

"She's... pretty good, actually." Pacifica looked away. She didn't want to admit that she was envious of Mabel's ability to act as a magnet and attract every person around her.

"Yeah, she's really happy you let her join. I honestly didn't think you would."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Dipper chuckled, brushing his hand through his hair. "I kind of villainised you in my mind, I guess. But she's super happy now. She's always doing cartwheels and rolls and running around with pompoms... I guess you're not as bad as I thought." Dipper smiled. It made Pacifica feel happy that she had let Mabel in.

"I thought you were kind of a loser, too."

"Oh, believe me, I know."

"Yeah, sorry. I don't know why I was so mean."

"I guess we both have things to be sorry for."

They sat and waited. The silence wasn't as awkward anymore. It was more peaceful. Pacifica stood up when she saw a silhouette in the distance. Dipper stood up, too. "Marius," Pacifica said. "You ready?"

Dipper nodded seriously. "Let's do this."

A van drove up to the hovel a few minutes after Pacifica and Marius hid in the trees. Marius watched as a tall girl opened the van door and a few people stepped off to give Dipper a high-five. Another girl with a pink streak in her hair stepped off without giving Dipper a high-five. Instead, she smiled and nodded, then started typing something on her phone. "He gets along well with them," Marius said.

"Yeah." Pacifica wasn't sure what to say to that. "Weren't those the kids that buttered that corridor last year?"

"Oh, they are! Dipper knows them?"

Pacifica just watched. "He's not as bad as I thought."

Marius nodded, still watching as the group headed off into the woods. Marius and Pacifica started following from behind. "It's quite strange that somebody is after Dipper. Why?"

Pacifica hummed an I-don't-know and brushed a fly out of her way. Who chooses to walk in the woods?

They followed Dipper and the others for a few more minutes. At one point, Pacifica stopped Marius because she thought she heard someone else nearby. They waited. If the person was watching them as well, then the whole plan would be ruined. They decided to keep moving once Pacifica was satisfied that she was mistaken. Suddenly, she heard a yelp. Dipper had fallen in a ditch.

Pacifica and Marius quickly slid down the side of the ditch, Pacifica making sure she didn't get any dirt on her clothes, and hid behind the bush. She could hear what the group was saying. "Dipper, you okay?" That was Wendy.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Dipper shouted back. "Try and find a way around. I think there's an easier path down that way." He pointed away from Pacifica and Marius. "I'll wait here, don't worry!"

Wendy nodded at the others. "Let's be quick. Thompson, can you run?"

Thompson, a slightly chubbier boy, wheezed slightly. "Um... shouldn't one of us stay here and keep an eye on Dipper?"

"He's not a kid, Thompson," said one of the boys, a tall blond. "He can manage for a bit. Unless you're trying not to run..."

"I-I can run! Let's go!"

The group ran off. Dipper watched them. Once they disappeared from view, Pacifica watched as Dipper rolled the black sphere on the forest floor. Marius pulled the remote out and pushed the button, activating the hologram. Pacifica had to admit, Professor Pines really knew how to make gadgets. Dipper quickly made his way to the bush. "Okay," he said. "Let's be ready."

He crouched down beside Marius and took the remote. He started making Tyrone walk around the ditch. Nobody spoke. Pacifica wondered whether the assassin would show up. She loosened the grip on her golf club.

A few seconds later, something moved in the trees above the ditch. Pacifica immediately clenched her golf club. Nobody dared to breathe. A large man with pale eyes appeared above, casting a dark shadow over the area. Tyrone apparently did not notice. The man dropped down and started creeping up to the hologram. Marius stood and started walking towards the man, holding the rope to tie him up. Marius had to hit the man once the hologram faded out, and that was Pacifica's signal to run out. Pacifica prepared herself.

The large man caught up to Tyrone. He grabbed at the hologram.

Marius threw a punch.

Then, out of nowhere, a man in a green coat and a purple hat appeared and caught Marius' hand. Pacifica's stomach dropped and she ran out, swinging the golf club. Marius yelled out and tried to break free, but the man, whose face was covered by a shadow, hit him and knocked him out. "Run!" shouted the man with pale eyes.

Dipper was out of the bush, sprinting towards the man with the green coat. Pacifica caught up to the man in the coat and swung her bat. The man cried out in pain but kept on running. She swung again but missed. The man passed Marius to the larger man with pale eyes and turned to face Pacifica. She swung, and the man dodged and elbowed her onto the floor.

Dipper appeared from the side and hit the person's arm. The man jumped back. The large man, carrying Marius, was climbing out of the ditch. Dipper and Pacifica stared at the man whose face was covered by a shadow. Then out of the darkness, a toothy grin appeared. There was one gold tooth. Before Pacifica had a chance to swing at him again, the man raced up the ditch and followed the large man.

"After them!" Dipper shouted, pulling Pacifica up to her feet. They scrambled up the ditch and chased after the silhouettes in the distance. Pacifica felt tears welling up in her eyes. She shook them off and ran after the two figures. Dipper was a lot quicker than she was, and he started moving ahead of her. "I'll try and catch up! See if you can keep an eye on me!"

Pacifica nodded and kept on running after him.

They followed the two figures through the trees. Eventually, they left the forest and started running to town. Pacifica was exhausted, and everyone was getting smaller and smaller, further and further away. But Pacifica ignored the pain in her legs and kept going. This was too important.

She watched as the two men turned a corner and disappeared from view. A few seconds later, Dipper turned the same corner. Pacifica ran to the corner and turned. There was Dipper, alone. He was on his knees, facing a door. He turned and looked at Pacifica. There were tears in his eyes.

Marius was gone.

I know, I know. Where have you been? Well, I've been doing some programmes on creative writing and stuff, so that I can write better for you guys. The plan was to publish the mini-chapter two days after I published last time, but then I got caught up in this thing called life. So now, I'm back. This is a new chapter, and one that really starts to bring in the adventure to the story.

What do you think will happen next? Will they find Marius? Will they capture Ghost-Eyes and Mr. What's-His-Face? Only time will tell. Hopefully, time will tell it quicker than two, almost three, weeks. Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'm glad to be back, and tell me what you think!

Until next time!