Sneaking Pacifica out of her house was, at the very least, thrilling. She said she had never snuck out successfully before, which surprised me. With how her parents were, I would have thought that she snuck out at every opportunity. But apparently she had always gotten caught, and that was enough to make her stop trying.

Mabel and I assured her that we would get her out with no problem, and thankfully we actually managed to not cause any trouble until we got back to the Shack. Pacifica hadn't been a fan of the grappling hook method of getting down, but hey things happen!

When we got back to the Shack, though, it was so late that it was almost early. Grunkle Stan had gone to bed long before, so we got through the front door and almost to the stairs before we realized there was someone else to watch out for.

"Dipper! Mabel!" Great Uncle Ford's stern voice made us all jump, and I felt Pacifica and Mabel both grip my arms in surprise. Mabel let go with a sigh of relief when she saw who it was, but Pacifica's shy grip on my arm didn't let up.

"Grunkle Ford! You scared the daylights out of me!" Mabel said with a nervous laugh. The man in front of us scowled down at us, unamused and not buying it.

"Do you kids have any idea what time it is? Where were you? And who's-" His eyes wandered to Pacifica, as if he just noticed her. His face turned curious and concerned as he watched the girl that gripped my arm.

"You're bleeding."

My eyes grew wide and I looked at Pacifica. Sure enough, a drip of blood had worked it's way down her left temple. I hadn't known she had gotten hurt, and breifly panicked at the thought that we had hurt her with the grappling hook.

"Oh my gosh!" Mabel yelled, which made Pacifica and I jump again.

Pacifica wiped at her forehead, which smeared more blood across her face. "...Huh... So I am..." Her tone made me want to gag. The pessimism in her tone made my skin crawl. People shouldn't react to injuries like that... Least of all a kid.

"I have unicorn band aids upstairs!" Mabel offered. Before Pacifica could argue she ran upstairs and disappeared from sight.

While Mabel got the band aids Great Uncle Ford ushered Pacifica gently to the bathroom. I noticed his change in attitude. He changed from stern to gentle within seconds, just at the look on Pacifica's face. Of course, it probably helped that she was bleeding, too. Still, even with his gentle behavior, he couldn't hide his awkward nature (not that I had room to talk, of course) and he didn't seem to know what to do with his hands.

At first he placed a hand on Pacifica's shoulder, but that soon turned to a small wave to move her along. He couldn't settle his hands, and I wondered ifthat had always been a quirk of his. It made sense; if you have an extra finger, you dwell on it. Even someone as old as him, I guess.

He fiddled with his fingers (which she stared at curiously) until he reached the bathroom. He reached into the cabinet and pulled out band aids, gauze, and antiseptic, which made Pacifica shift backwards nervously.

"Let me see what we're dealing with." Ford said softly, but his tone left no room for argument. Pacifica glanced over her shoulder at me, and I froze at the uncertainty in her eyes. Was she asking me? That certainly wasn't the Pacifica I knew.

I offered a small smile in response. For whatever reason she wanted my answer, so I gave it. "C'mon, get patched up so we can go to sleep."

Her head tilted down, she pulled back her bangs from the side of her face. I couldn't see it from my position, but Ford's face said everything. It was bad.

He grabbed a washcloth and got it wet in the sink. Before he used it, though, he turned to me and said "Keep Mabel out of here for a minute, will ya, kid? I can't have her bouncing around in here right now."

"I'll wait outside." I offered, since I knew that was what he really wanted. I could keep Mabel out, and stay close just in case. Pacifica turned her head sligtly in my direction but she didn't say anything, so I slipped out the door and closed it behind me.

...Okay, so I snooped. But it was for good reason! I felt guilty that we may have hurt Pacifica, and with the way she acted I didn't want to leave her alone. Call it a brother instinct.

I leaned towards the door and could hear inside perfectly; really, was that my fault?

"It's alright, I just gotta wipe this off." Ford's voice was gentle again. One thing I noticed about his 'gentle' voice was it was like how someone would talk to a young child. I guess he didn't have much experience around kids, or didn't like them much.

Pacifica didn't respond, so I guess she didn't resist. I heard her hiss in pain, though, and I gripped the door frame.

"This is deep, kid. How long has it been like this?"

"Couple of days." Pacifica's voice was soft and shy, with a guilty tone to it.

A couple of days? So we didn't hurt her. I thought with relief. It was short lived, of course, as I realized she had been hurt for a while. That seemed suspicious.

"Couple of days?" Ford's surprised tone changed to one of concern. "Why didn't your parents take you to the doctor? Or a hospital? This might need stitches..."

I winced at the thought of stitches. They were no fun, that was for sure.

"They thought it would heal on its own." I could hear the lie through the door, and that hurt too.

"Hm... Well, I can put this stuff on it, and that should work. If it gets worse, though, you will need to see a doctor. How did you even get this? It looks like a-"

"It was an accident." Pacifica cut in, "I'll be fine."

"Hey! I got the-"

I about jumped out of my skin as Mabel placed a hand on my shoulder. I turned and hissed "Don't sneak up on me!"

"Don't eavesdrop!" She countered with a cheeky grin, and I couldn't top that. She was right, of course. "I found the band aids!"

"I think this is more than a band aid job." I admitted, "It sounds pretty serious." I saw the same look of guilt cross her face, and assured her it wasn't because of us. Of course that only helped so much, since our friend was still hurt, but it was better than nothing.

When the door opened we both turned to see Ford standing in the doorway. His expression was solemn and eerie, and we both backed up.

"Mabel, you show Pacifica to you guys' room. Dipper, come with me."

"Come on Paz! We can share my bed, or we can kick Dipper out of his and-"

Pacifica and Mabel disappeared up the stairs. I followed Ford through the house, but we met Grunkle Stan on the way.

"What are you guys doing awake at this hour?" He demanded, "And why the hell is Pacifica Northwest here? She better not be-"

"Keep it down." Ford hissed, "Come outside. I'll explain.

I glanced around and wondered why he needed to leave the house entirely to talk to us. Unless something paranormal had happened? And the others couldn't know? My interest piqued at the thought.

"That your friend that's been... conditioned?"

His question halted my thoughts, and I looked at him with wide eyes. I had forgotten our earlier conversation. That would explain why he had been so calm, despite his initial anger at us for staying out late. The way he said conditioned seemed odd, though, like that wasn't the word he wanted to use.

"...Yes." I decided there was no point in lying; he knew anyways.

He nodded and looked up at the sky for a minute. He looked at Stan, who seemed about ready to burst.

"Stan," Ford said slowly, "Pacifica might be staying for a little bit."

"What? You want a Northwest in our house?" He grouched, "As if! You know how much trouble she's caused? She-"

"She is a little girl who needs somewhere to stay." Ford said firmly. He looked at me. "You two did the right thing to bring her here, though you didn't know it."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing you need to worry about." Ford turned to Stan, "And it's my house, if I recall. It's not up to you."

Stan clenched his jaw, but his attitude had fizzled. Something about the conversation had him uneasy, and I couldn't quite understand why.

"Wait, she's my friend! Of course this is something I should worry about!" I said indignantly. I ignored their shared annoyed look. "I-we brought her here, shouldn't Mabel and I know what's going on, too?"

"Not now, kid." Ford said, "This needs to stay between us. Leave Pacifica alone for now, okay? She'll probably tell you in her own time."

I knew he was right, but I didn't like it. Fear and suspicion crept up, and I couldn't help but wonder what was so bad about Pacifica's situation. I mean yeah, the bell thing was creepy and weird, but Ford acted like that wasn't even what he was talking about. It didn't sit right with me. Pacifica was hurt, and I didn't know-

"Wait, did her parents-"

"That's enough, Dipper." Ford silenced me quickly, and that answered my question. "We don't know the full situation, and until she asks for help..."

"But what if she doesn't ask for help?" My voice rose in pitch, "When she goes back, will she-"

"Easy, Dipper," Grunkle Stan placed a hand on my shoulder, "It'll be okay. We'll figure out what to do in the morning. How about you go to sleep? Make sure the girls don't stay up too late."

I knew they were going to talk without me, but I couldn't argue. Ford pushed me along back inside, and I trudged back to my room. The urge to listen to them talk more was strong, but I knew it wouldn't be any good. And Ford had a point, as much as I hated to admit it. Pacifica could tell me herself.

I stared up the stairs for a long moment and sighed. I just hoped she wouldn't wait too long to ask for help.

Or that it wasn't already too late.