So that 'August 2nd finish-the-story deadline' didn't happen. Not even close. Oh well.

Two more chapters after this, and I'm happy to say they both have complete outlines finished. In other words, what used to be a couple files full of jumbled notes is now way better.

[]

I can't sleep. Blame it on the moonlight- it's way brighter than usual, making the whole room pale. All black and white, like some old movie.

"Sleepy. Sleeee-py."

I guess Mabel's awake too.

"And fall asleep... now. How 'bout NOW. Now." I hear her groan from across the room. "Stupid brain. Why can't you stop thinking."

Something jumps across the ceiling. I think it's a moth. "Maybe I can just talk about the most boringest stuff. Would that work?"

Still looking up, I chuckle. "Yeah, maybe."

"Okay. Um." She's quiet for a moment, then sighs. "Rah, I can't! Everything's super interesting right now. Like, I tried thinking about lame gray clouds and stuff but then I got to rain, then snow, then Christmas."

"Wow. That's kind of a jump."

"Jump. Jumping jacks," she says dreamily. "The Olympics. Kangaroos."

I laugh again. "Those two don't even connect!"

Mabel snorts. "Choose your own adventure, bro. Different paths. Like, I coulda gone with kangaroos, Australia, then... I dunno, maps, then the world, and stuff flying around it, then Santa's sleigh and golly gee we're back to Christmas."

I look over, but she's in the same position as me- kinda sprawled out, staring blankly up at the ceiling. "Not that I'm complaining," she says, holding up a hand to emphasize her point. "Christmas is pretty much the best. Common knowledge."

Suddenly I can picture Stan, decked out in a full Santa costume, listening to kids' Christmas lists and then charging their parents for the information. "Whoa, can you imagine how they do Christmas here?"

An audible gasp makes me sit up. Mabel's staring at me, eyes wide with wonder. "What if the Mystery Shack has parties?"

"Yeah, where Soos DJ's a dance remix of Jingle Bells."

She scrambles to her feet, practically bouncing with energy. "Ooh! And Wendy could wear a little red nose, 'cause the- and the red hair- and Rudolph-" Giggling, she topples over and bounces on the bed a few times, while I just shake my head and grin.

Yeah. That would... it'd be fun.

I don't realize how much my expression has changed, but Mabel frowns and sits on the edge of her bed. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Uh- nothing." Startled, I glance away. "Just thinking we should probably keep it down. It's pretty late."

"I wouldn't buy that for a dollar!" she announces loudly. "I suspect you, Dipper! I'm suspicious! Wait- you're suspicious? I am. I'm suspicious. One of those."

It's enough to make me smile, but I lose it just as fast. "Fine," I say quietly. "I guess... I realized we're only here for the summer. We won't see it."

Mabel doesn't say anything. I pull at a frayed bit of cloth on the blanket. "Do you think about it at all? Leaving, I mean?"

I didn't mean to shut us both down. But now the room seems colder, and darker, and I'm afraid to look over to my sister because I'm afraid she might be crying. If she is, it's basically my fault.

She's still quiet, maybe waiting for me to talk. I try to say something, but my head's full of memories of Gravity Falls- the town, the forest, and especially the Shack. I know if I start thinking about the people, I'll probably start crying too, so I try not to.

It's tough.

After a while, her voice- shaking and small- breaks the silence. "So it's gonna be one of those talks."

It's like magic. Suddenly I'm laughing again, and Mabel throws a pillow at me. "What's wrong with 'those'?" I ask, just after it bounces off my shoulder.

She shrugs. "Aw, y'know- nights where we try to be super deep and thoughtful and junk."

I see her look away, a small smile on her face. "I'm gonna miss 'em, though."

...She doesn't say any more. I wait, but there's nothing except the quiet sound of that moth, now hopping along the wall.

Maybe nothing more needs to be said.

"So." Mabel looks back at me, and I smile. "This Mystery Shack Christmas party. How would it start?"

Her eyes light up. "Well, Stan's cane is just begging for some red and white paint..."

[]

Robbie's back.

He has another one of those torches in his hand, and the flames play tricks with the light on his face. He's dirty- streaks of dust almost look like that dark makeup he used to wear.

He frowns like he's waiting for me to say something. "Well?"

Just like that, I'm not alone anymore. Someone else is here- someone who knows what this has been like. I should be grateful.

I pull back, then punch him as hard as I can.

It's not much. He still has enough height on me that I can only hit him in the chest, but it must take him by surprise, because he stumbles back a step. "Ow! Kid, what the-" Another swing interrupts him, but he easily stops my hand this time. "What's wrong with you?!"

I don't know.

I keep trying, even though I'm barely hitting him. It must look pretty dumb, this kid half his size throwing punches over and over without really doing anything, but I hardly know what's happening. Some part of me tells me to stop, that this doesn't make any sense. I don't listen.

Robbie doesn't even try to stop me anymore. My arms are getting weaker, more tired- each hit glances off him, and he's just standing there. I glance up, and he looks as stunned and confused as I am.

It slips out. "You left."

I know it's not his fault. There's no reason to be mad at him, and he even saved me, but I can't help it.

He's about to say something, probably ask what I mean, but he stops and I can tell he gets it. For some reason, that just makes me more mad, and I try to punch him again-

But I can't. I have nothing left, and my hand falters, and my legs buckle, and I lose my balance completely. Robbie grabs my arm to stop me from hitting the ground, so I crash into him instead.

"You left, man. I was alone." I'm not crying, I swear I'm not, but my voice is shaking. I'm basically hugging him at this point, too tired and angry and stunned to move away.

He awkwardly pats my head. "Yeah."

"I hate you." I don't know why I'm saying it. "I hate you." I keep mumbling, over and over. "I hate you."

Robbie's quiet for a second. "I know, kid."

He lets me stay there for a while. By the time I move away, drying my eyes with the back of my hand, the fire is smaller, and it's tougher to see with the lower light. Robbie glances at the torch, too, and I can tell he's worried.

He looks back to me. "So how'd you get caught?"

"Uh..." It catches me off guard. "I didn't."

"So, what, you just found this place?"

I nod. He grins briefly, but it quickly becomes a scowl. "Told ya you could do it."

Simple. Casual. But for some reason, I can't help but feel a little better.

He moves the torch, using its light to examine the wall of the cave. "Find anything so far?"

"I saw Wendy." It's like a bolt of lightning hits him- he nearly drops the torch, spinning around and staring at me. "In here. She was on the other side of those holes."

I'm pointing off to the far side, and he looks the same direction. "Is she still there? Or-" He stops, cursing. "No, of course not. They took her again, right?"

I shake my head. "I don't know. I think- I think maybe it wasn't really her. They could have made an illusion or something." Looking down, I quietly try to explain what I've been thinking. "There's more going on than we thought, man. These things, they... they're watching us. They know everything that's happened this summer. They proved it, too- I heard things I've said, even right after we came to Gravity Falls. They heard it all."

My voice breaks, and I can't hide it. "Gideon's book calls them the Sight. I think they want us here, but they're trying to mess with my head, like-"

I pause. What's it like? How can I describe it?

Robbie's voice cuts through. "Like they're playing some kind of game." He snorts. "Sometimes I really hate this town."

Surprised by the anger in his words, I look back up. "Yeah."

"Kid, we have to save them now. If only to stick it to these freaks."

I don't think he's joking. Nodding again, I try to imagine what it might be like to finally win. I haven't really thought about it in a while, but if I could see them again- if I could make this right-

No. I'm looking too far ahead. Gotta focus on how to move forward, what to do next- and now that there are two of us, things seem a little brighter.

That reminds me of something. "Hey, how'd you get away?"

He kneels next to one of the holes, peering over the edge into the darkness. "Not sure," he calls back. "I think they put me to sleep right away- the others probably had the same thing happen. F'I had to guess, I'd say since I knew what was going on, it was easier to wake back up."

He stands and shakes the torch, letting a few embers drift into the air. "No idea how McGucket figured it out."

"That still doesn't..." I rub my eyes, trying to make sense of it all. "Then why didn't they just capture you again?"

"Oh, right." He uses his free hand to dig around in the baggy folds of his sweatshirt. "Probably because I found this."

At first, I don't know exactly what he's holding.

That's the journal.

I blink a few times.

That's the first one.

No way. Not now.

The orange light glares off the cover, making the six-fingered hand glow like fire. There's no number, but it has to be the first journal, and before I can register anything, I've already grabbed the book out of his hand.

I flip through the pages.

"Geez, kid, what's so important?"

"Are you kidding?" Shaking my head, I laugh quickly. "You didn't think this could help?"

"I don't know!" But I'm barely listening- the journal is full of images and creatures and places I've never heard of, and I can hardly remember what I'm looking for.

Then it comes back to me. "Remember what the second one said? 'The key to it all is 1.' There's gotta be something in here about-"

-I can't crack the code.-

Here. One page in particular sticks out- a yellow triangle is inlaid at the top, with a hurried scrawl that's written across the rest.

-If I could read the inscription, I could come closer to understanding the mystery of this figure I've seen in so many places around Gravity Falls.-

"This is it," I smile. "Right here! Look!"

Just as Robbie looks over my shoulder, I see one last phrase at the bottom of the page:

-WKH WKLHI FDQ EH EULEHG-

...The fire crackles.

Robbie coughs. "Useful."

"Wait." I set the book down, then press my hands against my head. "I've seen this before. I think- this code, it's-"

"Dipper."

I frown. "I know it, man! I'm sure! If I can just-"

"KID!"

His shout startles me, and my head snaps up. "What?"

Robbie's holding the torch out in front of him, squinting across the cavern. "Do you hear that?"

"...Yeah." Rumbling, low and quiet, sounds out, but I can't tell from which direction. Robbie must not know, either, because he's swinging the light almost randomly, wide-eyed and scowling.

Suddenly, there's a voice. It's definitely not mine.

"Three."

The rumbling is getting louder, and it's starting to feel like the ground is shaking. I drop to one knee, instinctively grabbing the first journal, when I see it's actually glowing.

"Two."

Robbie's yelling something, but it's lost in the growing noise. I can't take my eyes off the book, and I realize- for the first time, all three journals are in the same place.

"One."

The awful sound of stone grinding against stone fills the air. The holes are changing- I can't believe it, but the trenches and pits are filling up, quickly and almost smooth, like water coming out of a well. Just like that, we're standing in a completely flat cave.

"Kid." I turn to Robbie, who's breathing hard. "What was-"

Another quake knocks me off my feet, and I look up in time to see a wall of rock rising up from the ground. It slams into the ceiling, separating me from Robbie.

And the torch.

Dark. Silent. I can stand, but without any vision, it doesn't seem to matter. Trying not to think about whatever just happened, i take a few tentative steps forward, hoping to at least find the wall.

Right next to my ear, a voice whispers.

"Dipper Pines... welcome to the show."