Finally. A few days later than I planned, but better a day late than a... um... an apple a day... no, early to bed, early to... er... whatever.

I'm banking on the hope that my complete inability to meet self-proclaimed deadlines is seen as bumbling and goofy, instead of just annoying. Sorry for the late update, guys. Again.

Also, this is the longest chapter of anything I've ever written ever any all time everever in my life, yo. Gadzooks.

Thanks for reading.

[]

I don't really know what to think about all this.

Stan especially- I just met the guy, and he's already punching my shoulder and joking like he's known me for years. Mabel seems to be doing pretty well, though, and I wouldn't want to stress her out or whatever, so I don't mention the discomfort at the back of my mind.

Heck, maybe it's just this place. The more I see of this... what was it again? 'Mystery Shack'? Anyway, the more I see, the more I think it's not all it seems. Maybe I'm just paranoid.

My thoughts are interrupted. "Hey, kid!"

I turn away from examining an old vending machine. "Yeah?" All our stuff is in the bedroom upstairs, so I've been looking around the gift shop. Mabel's off exploring the rest of the Shack.

Stan pokes his head in from the hallway. "Come on, Dipper! Gotta meet the rest of the crew." Before I can ask what he means, he's gone. I don't have to follow for too long before I realize this building is kind of a house- the rooms are planned out like a tourist-style rest stop, but smaller areas like this hallway only make sense in somebody's home.

Stopping beside another room entrance, Stan dramatically spreads his arms. "I give you... the living room!"

...Well, just when I think I have this place figured out.

This is a TV room. Maybe I should have expected that. The first thing I see is a beat-up couch, and a red-haired girl with a dark lumberjack hat. Lounging on the sofa, she yawns. "Lost it again, man."

A groan of disappointment comes from the other direction, and a sorta chubby guy whose age I can't even guess pops up from behind the TV. "Drat. Dunno what to tell ya, Wendy. Somethin's gotta be broken with the wires, or maybe the... satellite, I guess... I really have no idea."

Stan rubs his forehead. "Soos, this is literally what I pay you for. I mean, uh-" Forcing a fake grin, he glances down at me and gestures to the room. "Dipper, meet every employee of the Mystery Shack besides me."

Wendy waves at me, then sits up a little straighter. "What's up, frosh? You guys are from Cali, right? Man, that's gotta be-"

"PEOPLE!" A high-pitched squeal cuts her off, and suddenly Mabel rockets into the room, hopping up onto the arm of the sofa and staring at Wendy with wide eyes. "You use made-up words too! Can we be best friends? Sisters? Sister-friends?"

I don't know if Stan's being sincere or not, but he laughs. "And we're getting along already. Good. Fantastic. Wendy, as someone who's worked here for... um..." He scratches his head, then shrugs. "...a while, you got any advice for these newbies?"

Wendy hesitantly returns Mabel's eager fist bump. "Uh, yeah." In a flash, my sister is introducing herself to Soos, and Wendy turns to face us. "If I were you, I'd read up on child labor laws, 'cause I'm pretty sure-"

"Hey, look at the time!" Stan calls out cheerfully. "Break's over, ya knuckleheads. Soos, how's that TV coming?"

He solemnly looks at the screen, nodding once. "Mister Pines, in the last few minutes, I have successfully diagnosed and fixed the problem. I won't let you down again."

I'm starting to feel like this whole conversation is leaving me behind. "Wait, you work on stuff on your break?" I ask. "What's your job, then?"

Soos shrugs. "TV needed fixin'. No big deal." He reaches out his hand. "Name's Soos."

"Dipper." I complete the handshake, still feeling a little wary.

Suddenly, Mabel slaps her hand on top of ours, and she gasps. "Whoa, you guys! We're all working here, right?" A couple of nods and confused 'yeah' noises lead her to smile widely. "Then that means... we're the Shack Pack!"

I groan, but Wendy bursts out laughing. "Okay, that's priceless. What'd you say your name was again?"

Mabel eagerly strikes up another conversation. Wendy shakes her head, smiling. Soos is offering to grab some sodas for everybody, and Stan's just trying to get us back to work.

...Huh. I guess these are the people I'm gonna spend the next few months with.

I'm still not sure, but maybe my sister was right. This could be the best summer ever.

[]

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

I scream.

It's like I'm on fire- the shock, the spike of sudden terror makes me jump back, but I instinctively swing my hand forward too. The awkward movement causes me to fall, scraping against the stone floor.

Someone's laughing.

I'm trying to move away, scrambling backwards, and I can't take my eyes off the brilliant red light that's starting to glow in the darkness. The small shape slowly becomes clearer.

It's an eye. The Eye.

I try to say something, but it feels like there's no air in my lungs. Before I know it, I'm at the edge of the cave, pressing up against the wall, and the Eye is just floating closer and closer. I can still hear laughter, but I don't know where it's coming from.

I know I'm scared. Terrified, even. But I'm angry, too, and welling up in my head and my chest is a buzzing, burning sensation, and all I can think is I'm not putting up with this anymore.

I jump forward, towards the Eye. Just before I can reach it, it vanishes.

Wait. No. It doesn't disappear.

Everything else comes back.

Fire sprouts up along the edges of the cavern. A perfect circle, the orange flames dance and flicker as if they've been there forever, and the light is so sudden that it stings my eyes. The cave has changed again, and instead of the rough slab of stone that separated me from Robbie, I only see one circular wall, arching up to form some kind of dome, with no exits.

And in the center of it all- floating a few feet above me- is the strangest thing I've ever seen.

"You should have seen the look on your face!"

Still laughing, literally spinning in circles in the air, is what I can only describe as a yellow triangle. If this is the Eye, it now has skinny arms and legs, as well as a thin top hat and matching bow tie, and between the two is a closed eyelid- if it was open, the one eye would probably take up most of this thing's face.

I have no idea what to do with this.

"HAHA! Hoo! It's... it's too much, Dipper, I tell ya-" It's still laughing, and even as I'm watching, it breaks into another chortle, flipping and turning faster and faster. "I mean, with the caves, and the voices, and you were just so into it, you know?"

It's voice isn't what I expected. If anything, the Eye sounds like a normal person- just speaking a little faster than usual. "What are you talking about?" I say angrily.

"There it is! I swear, kid, you just never let me down!" It gradually stops laughing, and the Eye floats closer, now looking right at me.

It's... chilling. This thing's eye is nothing but white blankness, with a thin black oval running down the middle like a cat's eye.

It blinks, and when it does, the whole triangle blurs for a second. "How'd you put it again?" The shape goes completely dark, before showing-

Me.

It's me, with orange light around me, tired and scared and worried. "These things, they... they're watching us." I see my mouth moving with the words, words I said only a few minutes ago.

There's no time to react in any way. Another blur, and the Eye is back, practically bouncing up and down with mirth. "I can't deal with that, kid. You're just- I mean, there's dramatic, and then there's... I don't even know." It starts giggling again. "Made my day."

I shake my head, trying to clear my mind. This... doesn't make any sense. "Tell me what's going on," I say quietly, with as much power as I can. "Now."

"Oh, yeah. Right." It floats lazily backwards, moving its arms behind the tip of the pyramid, like it's in a hammock or something. "You're really gonna tell me what to do. That's cute."

"Shut up." I don't know if it's the heat from the fires, or if my face is burning from the same feeling as before, but whatever it is, it's keeping me focused and angry. "I don't know what you're trying to do, but-"

"Dropped your hat."

...This is getting ridiculous. "What?" I manage.

The Eye nods to one side, still resting in the air. "Over there. Musta flopped off at some point. Not surprising, really, 'cause you fell flat on your face like six times, huh?"

I don't even try to respond, making my way across the cavern. My hat's dirtier than before, but otherwise it looks alright, so I put it on, turning back to face the Eye.

"Nice. It's a nice hat." It nods sagely. "I like the hat. Whatizzat, a pine tree? Yeah. I like the sound of that. You're Pine Tree now. How ya doin', Pine Tree?"

Out of ideas, I don't say anything. The triangle blinks. "Aw, don't be like that! Here, I'll make it even."

It stops moving. "My name... is Bill."

I can't help it- it's so unexpected, I have to laugh. But it seems Bill didn't notice, suddenly appearing thoughtful. "Or wait- what'd the old lady call me? Oh yeah, 'the Eye'. That's great. Adorable. I love it."

I think my heart skips a beat. Finally, something useful. "The old lady?"

Bill crosses his arms. "Don't tell me you don't know! You got the books, right? Try readin' 'em once in a while." Cackling again, he- with the name, it's easier to think he instead of it- waves his hands in grand sweeps, like he's trying to be sarcastic. "The mysteeeerious 'J', remember?"

In an instant, my mind is back in the clues and the riddles and the hints of information I've found in the three books. "She knew you," I say slowly, trying to remember all the pieces. "She was afraid of you."

"Very good, Pine Tree!" Bill says with mock enthusiasm. "And what else did you learn?"

Ignoring him, I do my best to focus. "In the first book, she was just starting to figure it out," I say to myself. "But something happened to it, and..."

And then Robbie found it. Here.

My head snaps up, and I'm staring at Bill. "You took it."

The edges of his eye curve, almost as if he's smiling. He doesn't say anything. "She started being more careful," I continue, not looking away from him. "She found out about you, and the Sight- that's why she hid the other books, isn't it?"

I take a deep breath, then recite the words I know by heart. "Unfortunately, my suspicions have been confirmed."

Bill's eye grows wider.

"I'm being watched."

He moves closer, still floating through the air.

"I must hide this book before He finds it."

Only a few feet away from me, Bill nods. "Remember," he says slowly, "in Gravity Falls there is no one you can trust."

Something about his voice is different. Darker, but also... eager. Like he's getting ready for something. "J and me- we have a history, Pine Tree," he says with quiet satisfaction. "This town's been here for a long time. So have I."

I don't mean to, but I take a step back. "But there's something you're forgetting," he says. "Something else you've read, right?"

Stunned, I can't say anything. "Remember, I see it all," Bill chuckles. "I mean, I am the Eye."

He's right. There's another piece, I just can't quite remember- a quick glance, dismissing it because it's nothing-

"In the second one," he whispers. "If I remember correctly- and I always do- it said, "Do not solve the riddle"."

The memory jumps into my mind. The first time I saw Gideon's journal, back when we thought we were all working together...

"See, that's my favorite part," Bill says fondly. "She told you, she specifically told you not to do what you did, and you didn't listen. You didn't even see it."

...I'm close. I'm close, but I can't quite understand.

"Don't get me wrong, you're a smart kid," he says, holding up his hands. "I mean, you figured this out, obviously. You got the 'old and new' stuff, and even after I had one of 'em give you that 'name' hint, I thought maybe you'd need a little more to go with, but you didn't! Hooray for you!"

That was the riddle. I shudder, racking my brain to connect the pieces. "Why didn't she want me to-"

"You're already asking the wrong question, Pine Tree." Bill chuckles again. "You should be asking, 'How did she even know about it?'"

...No way. I blink quickly. "You're saying- this has happened before?"

"Bingo!" Bill flies upward, nearly rising to the top of the cavern, then spreads his arms out. "We have a winner!" As he speaks, the fires at the base of the walls seem to grow, crackling loudly as the tongues of flame fly higher. "Wow, I'm just so glad you're here! Are you having fun? I'm having fun."

This is insane. I can't believe it's all finally coming together, and the one person who can help me understand it acts like he couldn't care less. "No, that can't- I would have heard about it. No one disappeared like this in Gravity Falls' past."

Floating back lower, Bill seems to frown. "Give me a little credit, will ya? Of course it wasn't disappearing that time! What, I'm gonna do the exact same thing twice? Please. Different story, different riddle. Same town."

My head's spinning with all the information, but I figure I should try to learn as much as I can while he's in a storytelling mood. "One more thing, then," I say carefully. "Who summoned you back then?"

He stops. Cold. I swear even his eye isn't moving. "Summoned?"

"Yeah." I can't stop some of the anger from edging its way into my voice. "You know, like Gideon did. When he asked you to come back and start tearing people away from their families. When he had you kidnap people who never did anything wrong." Bill looks like he wants to say something, but I keep going. "What'd he promise you, anyway? What was the offer? It must have been pretty amazing, right? Or maybe you just thought it would be fun."

I'm yelling now, and my voice keeps getting louder, echoing off the walls. "But I guess it doesn't matter now, does it? I figured it out! I don't care that Gideon tried to stop me, I don't care that J warned me, I don't even care that you wanted me to show up here, because I did it!"

An idea worms its way into my thoughts. "And I don't know how this works, but I'm the one with the plan this time, not Gideon. I solved the riddle, I fought the Sight, I made it here, and now you're gonna do what I want. You're gonna use the Sight to bring everyone back, and then you're gonna leave this town alone!"

Bill is staring at me.

...I wanted it to sound imposing. Powerful. So intimidating that he'd have to do what I said. But the worried, panicked thought hits me that maybe he doesn't care about things like that. Maybe he has no reason at all to listen.

Maybe this will just be another failure.

But then Bill starts laughing again. It's not the giddy cackling from before, but more quiet and controlled. Like he's surprised, or amused. Or both. Something's happening to the fires, too- they're shifting, the flames moving faster and more erratically.

Bill moves closer. "Kid, nobody summoned me."

...

What?

...

I can't think. Whatever I was going to say next, I can't remember- all my plans and theories are falling, dashed against that one simple sentence. "No- Gideon, he-"

"Gideon?" Bill's voice gets higher. "That chubby singing kid with whipped cream for hair? Look, I knew you were funny, but you're really starting to push it."

The fires are dying down, and the light starts to fade. The one eye seems to glow in the twilight. "Seriously, you... haven't figured it out?"

Before, I was worried. But at least I thought I knew what was happening. Now, though, I'm shaking.

The truth is, I don't know anything.

"Pine Tree, I'm here because of you."

...Silence. My mouth moves, but there's no sound. Questions fill my head, but I'm paralyzed- I can't say a word, can't move away, can't look anywhere but the black-and-white eye floating in front of me.

"Gravity Falls has always had secrets, you know." Bill darts away, flying across the room. "But one day, years ago, a very special person showed up and started to change things."

Something moves in my jacket. I tense, scrambling to get rid of it, but the journals suddenly appear out of the folds, floating up into the air as if by magic. "Her name..." Bill says in a hushed tone, "was Jericho Pines."

I can barely process it before he turns again, snapping his fingers. The three books fly forward and start circling around him, and one of the golden covers shines in the firelight. "I first noticed her because she had six fingers on one hand," Bill says softly. "Might even say she was... one in a million."

He stops abruptly. "But she thought she was an explorer," he sneers. "She thought this town was just waiting for someone to uncover all the little mysteries."

His voice is deeper. The yellow color is darker now, but more pale, almost sickly. "She wrote it all down, of course. Everything she could find. The ghouls and goblins, the forests and caves, the magic little amulets and crystals... It's all here, Pine Tree." He pauses, and when he speaks again, there's an anger I haven't heard before. "She didn't know what she was doing. And she made... mistakes."

I can't keep up with it all. She wrote the books, she lived here, she was related to me- but as shocked as I am, something in Bill's words makes me nervous. "What happened?" I ask quietly. "Did something in this town-"

"KILL HER?!" It's a scream, guttural and furious and out of nowhere, and I nearly fall just from the force of it. Bill's shaking now, single eye wide and bloodshot. "No, nothing like that. That's the problem, though." A bitter laugh escapes him. "She did it. She found everything, until there were no more secrets left. Don't you get it? This town was never meant to be discovered, or solved, or founded at all! But now every single mystery Gravity Falls has to offer is right here, in these books."

The journals fall to the ground. Bill floats closer again, and there's a hint of color starting to creep into his shape. "They're not secrets anymore. And that... makes... me... mad."

With the last word, his entire frame turns darker, an angry and deep shade of red. Even in the near-darkness, his eye stands out- now it's completely black, with a white iris. "And when I'm mad..."

Fire erupts in his outstretched hands, and at the same time, the flames around the room explode upwards. I can feel it, the heat pushing up against my skin.

"Well, who knows what could happen?"

I'm frozen. I have nothing, not even the books. He could kill me, right now, and there's nothing I can do to stop him.

Bill leans closer, still shaking. "I guess it's a MYSTERY!"

I close my eyes.

Waiting.

"...But then you came along."

The intense heat starts to fade. Opening my eyes, I see Bill, back to normal and blinking like nothing's wrong.

He chuckles. "People here don't really worry too much, do they? You've seen 'em- going about their lives, never questioning the reasons behind anything, plugging up their ears when something doesn't make sense..."

He tilts his head to one side. "Not you, though. You started doing what she did, and what's more, you were good at it. This time around, I saw things for what they were. You and your sister were doin' all sorts of crazy stuff- finding ghosts, outsmarting police, exposing liars... That's when I realized you were the wild card. The only one shaking things up in this town. The only one I didn't know like the back of my hand. You were unpredictable."

The way he says it makes me sick. Before I can say anything, he half-closes his eye, like he's smiling again. "So I decided to make my own mystery. The last great mystery of Gravity Falls."

"You."

It's starting to fall into place. I have my head in my hands, staring at the floor. "You just wanted to know what I would do?" I say quietly. "Just- just see what happens?"

"Now you're getting it!" He claps his hands, almost gleefully. "Once I had the idea, I couldn't think about anything else. What does Pine Tree do when I take people away from him? Can he still solve a riddle? Can he still figure out the grand mystery?"

Robbie's voice comes back to me. 'Like they're playing some sort of game.'

"I just had to know. How far could I push you? What would happen with the others I didn't take?" He pauses, a strange light in his eye. "And... what would it do to you? Alone, scared, angry... What happens when someone loses everything?"

I can't believe this.

"Maybe we're not all that different, Pine Tree." He clasps his hands together like he's just had an idea. "You want a reason for everything, and I just want to know- 'what if?' For example, could I make you want to kill someone?"

Gideon. Back at Robbie's house.

It hits me like a blow to the head. That thought, that feeling of fury wasn't something Bill could have seen or heard. He knows my mind, too.

The helpless anger from before is back, stirring in the pit of my stomach, and I think my hands are shaking. "How dare you."

"Eh? Speak up, kid."

"How dare you." I glare up at him. "What makes you think you can... test people like this?"

Completely unfazed, he shrugs. "Isn't it obvious? I was right, after all. About you. Like I said- I believe in you."

For a second, I don't know what he means. I believe in you. Why does that sound so...

My breath catches. The first morning after they were gone. I remember lying on the floor of the Mystery Shack, crying and screaming and asking nobody where are you, where are you, and the message I found.

A picture, pinned to the door. Words that helped me keep going. Hope. A message I thought was from one of the people I love.

...I don't need to understand this guy to hate him.

He blinks once. "There is... one more thing, though. One last question I haven't figured out yet."

Pausing, he looks like he's waiting for me to ask. I don't. "See, you've done a pretty good job so far," he continues. "And the tests have been just barrels of fun, but I feel like something's missing."

"What?" I growl.

If he's surprised, he doesn't show it. "Simple," he says with a laugh. "I want to know exactly how far you'll go."

He snaps his fingers again. The air in front of him starts shimmering, then flashing rapidly in vividly different colors. "You're a curious guy. I get that."

The space is being torn apart- a crack appears, dark and empty, spreading open like something is clawing it apart. "But I don't see you as particularly brave."

Bill spreads his arms wide, and suddenly the rift is bigger, large enough that I could step through. I can't see anything but darkness, an inky black void that's somehow moving. It's... hypnotizing. "I'll say it again, Pine Tree- how far will you go?"

It's another test. But there has to be more to it. "What, it's some kind of portal?" I ask. "Where does it lead?"

Drifting around from behind the tear, Bill looks directly at me. "Honestly, I'm not sure."

Something stirs in my heart. The unknown...

I stare into the darkness, trying not to show any emotion. "Why do you care if I go in?"

"Oh, I don't. But I think... you might care."

He points behind me. Wary, I step sideways so my back isn't to him, then-

Turn-

Around-

...

Mabel.

She's on the ground, fearfully glancing between the fires around her and Bill himself. Her clothes are as torn as mine, and her usual smile is gone, replaced by something I almost never see- real fear.

I'm about to run, to grab her and make sure she's okay and apologize and explain and get her home, but then Bill holds up his hand.

She yells, and suddenly she's sliding across the stone, pulled by nothing I can see. Flying past, too fast for me to stop her, she comes to a stop right in front of... the...

No.

His voice is still cheery. "What's it gonna be, Pine Tree?"

Mabel doesn't say a word, staring at me with terror in her eyes. Bill waves a hand.

...

For a second, I can't believe it.

It's that first morning again. How could I have failed so badly? How could I let this happen again?

...No. Not this time. This time, I can do something about it.

I'm only a few feet away from the portal. Just a few steps.

"Well?"

I ignore him, still gazing at the shifting, swirling space in front of me. No sign of Mabel. If she's still in there- whatever it is- I'll have to search it to find her.

Find out where it leads. Save my family.

...Wait.

"Aw, don't tell me you're scared now," Bill murmurs. "You're not really gonna give up, are you?"

Of course not. I just- I need to think. I'm pressing my hands against my head, eyes closed, trying to track down that last thought. Something about this- it's not right. I can't quite...

He sounds more insistent. "Look, it's simple. You can go after her, or fold. I mean, after all this? Everything you've done? Just... fall apart, without even trying?"

I can't concentrate, but I can feel it- some feeling, some idea that's keeping me here. Arguing. Frozen. But there's another voice, telling me to save her, to do whatever it takes because she's my sister and it's right and I need to be the hero.

I need it. Burning in my chest, this desire to save them keeps getting stronger, making it hard to think. And something else, too. I want to-

Bill floats down closer. "Don't you want to know where it goes?"

...Yeah.

Even now, there's the same thrill that I've always felt. Every time I opened up the journal, every time we explored some unknown place, every time there was a secret to find, I could feel it. A surge of adrenaline, an eager, wide-eyed spirit of wonder that urges me to go, to not sit still, to do instead of waiting around and thinking-

Think.

That's it.

"It wasn't her," I whisper.

Bill doesn't move. "What'd you say?"

A small smile breaks out, and I slowly start to piece together my thoughts. "It wasn't her," I repeat. "Mabel wouldn't have been scared. Or... maybe, probably, but she wouldn't stay quiet like that. She'd call you a buttface, and stick out her tongue and tell you to be nicer."

I turn to him. "It was an illusion, wasn't it? I never actually touched her- and Wendy, she..." My eyes go wide. "When Robbie pulled me out, she was... gone..."

His eye is half-closed. He's just watching me, still not moving. "You played the trick too early," I say quickly. It feels like my brain is on fire. "She was never in that cave. It's all been illusions, this whole time! Was the monster in the lake even real?"

He doesn't answer. I grin. "It never touched me- I just saw and heard it! Is that all you can do? Nothing but tricks?"

The white eye blinks. "Was this it, Bill? The final test?" I say loudly. Maybe it's just adrenaline, but I feel something wild, like I could do anything. "You wanted to know if I'd fail? Wanted to see if you could trick me?"

The last question echoes in the cave, ringing along with the hiss of the fire. "You can't," I finish quietly. "I win."

"...Heh." Bill chuckles once, not looking away from me. "I suppose you're right."

He stretches his arms toward the rift, then brings his hands together with a clap. Before my eyes, the portal closes back up before vanishing completely.

I wait for him to say more, but he closes his eye, reaching one hand up to tip his hat. The light in the room's getting dimmer again.

Finally, he nods. "You're something special, Pine Tree." His eye blinks open. "And yeah- you did win, I guess."

I don't know why, but his casual agreement is freaking me out. He sighs. "So that's it, huh? No more tricks. Nothing left to test, no more... games, or secrets, or anything."

The fires are barely more than embers now. I suddenly realize how dark it is- I can barely see Bill. "No more fun to be had," he says quietly.

Something's wrong. "What are you doing?" I yell.

He acts like I didn't say anything. "But you know- I really hate being mocked."

It happens fast, too fast, and now it's black. I'm lost in the dark again, but this time there's no glowing light, no eye floating in front of me.

Nothing but Bill's voice, cold and calm. "Is this an illusion, Pine Tree? The cave? The darkness?"

"Why-"

"And your skin and bones, wasting away without food or water."

I stop, trying to ignore the shiver in the back of my neck. "You're... gonna kill me?"

"That's such a harsh way of saying it." The sound floats out of the murk. "Maybe I'll just... leave you here."

It's disorienting, looking around without seeing anything. I close my eyes. Breathe.

"Did you think you could stand up to me?" Bill whispers. "I've been letting you play along. You were entertaining, so I brought you here. What can you do? Scream that it's not fair?"

Just breathe. Think.

"You have nothing, Pine Tree. My little game was fun, but you said it yourself- you win. It's over."

It's cold. I'm shaking. "You were the last mystery, remember? I wanted to see what would happen. Now I know, so... there's no reason to keep you around. Besides, I'm getting tired of this game."

A pause.

"Goodbye, Dipper Pines."

His voice echoes. I hear my heartbeat.

I realize he's gone.

"...No. No, you're not- you can't-" Breathing hard, I fall to my knees in the darkness. "You can't..."

There's no panic, but a hundred questions spin in my mind, whirling together until I can't think straight- how could I come so close? How could I fail again?

Didn't I win? Didn't I do everything right?

"It's not fair," I mumble. Then, louder, "It's not fair!" Collapsing to the ground, I land on my arms, scraping them against the rock floor. "I thought I-"

...What? What did I think? That I could track down monsters who steal people in the middle of the night, and fight. And somehow, magically, make them all come back.

Me. A twelve-year-old kid.

The crying starts again, but I barely notice- I don't even know if it's for myself, or for the others. I want to yell, to scream how sorry I am and how I've let them all down, but I can't say anything.

I've never really thought about dying before.

What does it feel like? What'll happen next? When I'm gone, will Mabel and the rest come back? ...Maybe they were never even here. Maybe it was just another of Bill's tricks.

I can't accept it. I can't understand that I'm going to die. I don't know how.

So I don't. Against every bit of logic in my head, against the tears and pity and despair, something refuses to give up. I don't think it's really me- I can picture my sister, smiling and telling me to keep going. And Stan, and Wendy, and Soos.

It's probably some kind of near-death hysteria, but I feel like... they're saving me. All of them.

It's as if I'm waking up. My thoughts start flying, and I try to assess what I have. The books are scattered at the other end of the cave, and there's no way I can find them in the dark- I don't know where Bill is, and I don't have anything to fight him with.

No light. No weapons. No journals. That can't be it, though.

I can do this. I... there has to be a way. Think, think, THINK, figure it out, solve the mystery, what might be the last mystery of my life-

Mystery.

Bill said I was the last mystery, and there were no more secrets in Gravity Falls...

An idea starts forming itself. "Bill."

Still nothing. Darkness and silence. "I know you can hear me."

My voice cracks. "I- I want to make a deal."

This could be useless- he might not be listening at all, or he could be laughing at me from somewhere else. I shake my head, pushing those thoughts away. "You said all the mysteries were gone, right? And there's nothing left for you to find."

Maybe it's just a trick of my mind, but I think I hear a voice behind me. Turning, I keep looking through the black space. "Face it," I continue. "You're bored. That's why you did all this- you want something new."

"I can help you get it."

I hold my breath, staying still, trying to hear any noise that might mean he's back. Nothing. "I can find new mysteries," I say with a confidence I don't feel. "Things you haven't even seen. Not in the books, either- secrets no one has ever found."

Light. It's not much, and it's gray, but I'm sure that the darkness around me is getting lighter. "I'll keep them safe. I'll make sure they stay hidden to the rest of the town. But you'll know, and I'll know."

Please. Please, listen.

I was so close.

I can see my hands in front of me. "In return... bring them back. All of them."

I feel like I should say more, but the light grows brighter. Soon, it's a pure, blinding white, everywhere I look, and I have to close my eyes.

...

...

...