Like a massive drop of molten gold, it flowed around their bodies. Despite the light, however, there was precious little warmth. Once the twins were engulfed its sound got much clearer – at least in volume. The noise was still little more than indecipherable babble.

Moving was difficult, but they were still in sight of each other and felt no need to struggle. "I don't think it knows how to speak," Sue pointed out. "It's too young. Can you make out anything?"

"Not really. All the voices I've heard actually know the language." Her hand swept through the glow, leaving smoky eddies in its wake. As time passed, she gathered one thing at least: "It's – no, they're scared and confused. I wonder if anyone's tried talking to them before."

"Mrm." A strange haze was forming in her mind as she tried to decipher their speech. "Harsh light. A smile. Pain?"

Winnie waded over and shook her gently. "The laments of those who died too young. It's so raw. And cloudy. I'm used to seeing it sparkle."

"It never had a chance to clear up, I guess." She peered through the golden fog and into the room beyond. "No windows. I wonder... I wonder how many of them ever saw the sun?"

The blob shuddered with a tone that seemed to warble as much as its shape. With some odd form of desperation, it slashed around them as if trying to deliver an embrace. The air seemed to freeze. Dipper and Mabel emitted a pained groan that was almost lost in the aether. "Sister, we have to kill it," Winnie advised sadly. "Or it'll kill them."

Her eyes grew wide with horror. "No! They're been through enough! Can't you hear their pain? Their... they are so confused. They were happy and then it was dark."

"Then let's put them out of their misery."

The wobbly glow let rip with a guttural cry of terror, whose pitch changed to anger. It threw itself against them forcefully, repeatedly, but could not make their sturdy bodies yield. In a flash it retreated to the corner and curled up upon itself. It looked roughly like a bean.

"There has to be a better way," Sue demanded. Tears clung to her cheeks. "I don't think it knows what's doing."

Winnie looked over as the Pines cried out again, then up at the ceiling. She left Sue there and launched herself at the doors, shoulder first. They flew open. "I think you might be right. It's just a big... baby." The blob, wailing, tried to slam them shut again, but her powerful arms stopped it. "It's weak. But so are they."

Sue nodded as she went over to check the young twins. They drew ragged, sporadic breaths. Both were weeping. "I don't think they can take the sad."

"Or the effect of the... ghost, I suppose you'd call it. I don't want to kill it any more than you, but..." An idea suddenly struck. "Wait. Let's make it a deal."

Her sister's head tilted as she rolled Dipper onto his side. "Huh?"

Winnie had no time to look at her; her eyes were squarely on the quivering yellow spirit. "Let us have them. I'll show you the sun. I'll let you out of here."

"It probably doesn't even understand us!" Sue yelled.

However, the light dimmed and unfurled, becoming a ball again as it floated over to Winnie. She turned to it, allowing the doors to close behind her. "You can't find your way. You're afraid of the dark." Her gentle hand ran over its surface as she spoke. "I wonder if the dark is what took you?"

Sue let her head hang low. "We're scaring it. I bet we're not the first it's tried to interact with and hurt. Probably by accident."

"You could be right," she agreed, then addressed the light again. "We mean you no harm." Winnie's voice was nearly a whisper. "Sue, take them outside. I might have to bring the building down to keep my promise."

"Okay. Please be careful." Sue gathered up the Pines, who were like feathers in her arms, and approached the doors. They opened for her. "I guess you really do understand!" She paused in the doorway and flashed a smile at the ghost. "It'll be all right. My sister will make sure." And she was gone, her footsteps scraping as she moved over the faded linoleum.

Winnie sighed as the doors closed again. "I'd better give her a few minutes," she decided, using her phone as a stopwatch. The sphere, pulsing gently, now floated around the room in a curious fashion. "Tone is everything when dealing with kids. I guess I learned a few things after all." To kill the seconds – and to keep her ethereal companion calm – Winnie kept on talking. "My sister and I have been where you are, you know? Confused. Alone. Scared – of ourselves, many times. You can't figure out why you ended up like this and all you want is someone to understand. To make it better." It made a warped, but pleasant noise in response. "There's no one to make it better for us... but at least we can make it better for others." Her phone emitted a happy chirp. "Oh?" A text from Sue. "'Go for it.' Very well."

The irises of her eyes began to glow, casting a turquoise shine. Around her, the concrete reacted to something. Cracks raced through it, flinging sharp noises through the cold air. Whatever was hammering the structure also hit the golden blob, causing it to ripple like mercury. More instruments joined the symphony – the shrieking failure of steel rebar being pulled apart was the loudest of the bunch. The third floor fell around them as if by magic, leaving the ward without a roof. The second floor dropped shortly afterward. Winnie crouched reflexively, but her feet remained still. Muggy air raced in, beating the sunlight through the dust and haze. As soon as the puffy clouds above became visible, the golden blob emitted a thrilled squeal and shattered. A thousand points of yellow light shot up and away.

Winnie started to cough as her eyes dimmed. "And it will never be... never be dark again," she choked out slowly. Her exertions left her a bit winded. Seeing as she was on top of the pile and in no danger, she decided to catch her breath. At least, that was the idea until she heard Mabel screeching her name over the settling of the destroyed building. "Oops."

Outside, beyond the fence and the enormous column of dust, both of the Pines were yelling. "Holy moley, did I just watch somebody die?!" Mabel shouted, waving at her face with a sweater sleeve.

"Winnie!" Dipper yelled. He started through the fence, only for Sue to hold him back. "Let me go! We have to find her!"

"It's too dangerous for us," she chided him gently, then realized she needed to sound a little more worried. "Winnie! Where are you?"

"Out of my way! I'm going in!" Mabel dashed past them, a battle cry springing from her lips. It turned into a loud, surprised grunt not long after she entered the concrete haze.

Dipper and Sue exchanged a worried look. "Mabel?" the former called. "What happened?"

A chipper "Found her!" sprang from the cloud. Soon after Winnie emerged, striding along with Mabel on her shoulders. "See? No problem," the girl added with a huge grin.

"Sister!" No fakery was needed as Sue dashed over and clamped on in a hug.

Mabel dropped off to let them have their moment – a moment which she got bored with after about fifteen seconds. "Okay, we're all cool. What happened to the ghost?"

Her brother held the hole in the fence open so the ladies could get through. "Yeah, did it make you black out too?"

The identical twins shared a glance. "I was a little woozy," Winnie admitted after a brief pause. "It must have saved me from the collapse. Nothing fell on me as I ran out."

"Oh, right." Sue blinked a few times to clear her eyes. "I hope you're not mad at me for grabbing them first..."

Knowing she was formulating a ruse, the blue-eyed woman played along and shook her head. "Of course not. You had to help them."

"Speaking of which, that was a really bro thing to do," Mabel interrupted, hugging Sue's leg. "You kinda ditched your own sister to get us out. I can't even handle you right now."

She issued a shrug and anxious laugh. "Oh, you couldn't walk. I wasn't going to leave you."

Dipper flashed her a huge smile. "Seriously, thank you. How were you awake to do anything, though? All I remember is mind-numbing sadness, then, I don't know. It felt like falling asleep."

Winnie managed a half-smirk as she lead the group back toward the street. "Like I said, Sue was always the optimist. She probably encouraged herself to get up." Sirens in the distance got her attention. "We'd better get back." A glance over the shoulder revealed her twin welding the fence back together with a fingertip. "And avoid being caught."

"Woo! Fugitives!" Mabel's hands went to the sky, then dropped almost as fast. "Wait, no. We didn't do anything but break in. Buuuuut that's still a crime." Up they went again. "Woo! Fugitives!"

"You know, if we go to jail we'll end up with Gideon." Dipper snickered at the look of sheer horror on her face. "I agree about going home. There's a twenty percent chance Stan will notice we're not around."

"Boo. Fine, I guess we gotta use the adrenaline from poking death in the nose somehow."

Off they went, down the hill and back toward Gravity Falls. The sisters lagged behind a few feet to have a semi-private chat. "Our lie might be enough for them, but I still have questions," Sue muttered unhappily.

Winnie's response was almost cold. "Mm. Knowing what you know already, do you really want answers?"

The ever-present tingle that plague them made her brow furrow. "I... I don't know. Maybe some things are best left buried." Her hand swept about randomly. "Like... you know."

"No. I can't let that one go." Her next few steps were slower. More listless. "There are many things I can't let go. Besides, if it exists here... what if there's someone like us, too?"

Such a thought made Sue's heart skip. "Maybe, but let's talk about this later." Curious looks from Mabel up ahead were what caused her to kill the conversation.

The trip back was slower. Mabel and Dipper's lungs had ingested a sizable amount of destroyed hospital, leaving them breathless halfway into the forest. The other twins hoisted them up onto their shoulders for the remainder of the journey. As the Mystery Shack came into view, they saw a huge crowd surrounding the silver Lamborghini.

"How can they still be taking pictures of my car?" Winnie grumbled. "We've been gone for hours."

Just past the crush, Grunkle Stan was standing in a literal pile of money. His gleeful cackles filled the air. Dipper rolled his eyes at the sight, moaning "Oh boy. Looks like your ride just became a museum exhibit."

"Is that so? Well, the museum is about to close."

They shed their young cargo and approached the crowd. Before trying to push through it, however, they turned around to say goodbyes. "Today was... fun? I'm not sure how to qualify what happened," Sue laugh awkwardly. "I'm glad everyone turned out okay."

Winnie's smile was even at best. "Yes. Next time, let's visit something that won't try to crush us." The woman tossed up a wave and disappeared into the crowd.

"Byeeeeee!" Mabel yelled, jumping in place and waving madly. "Thanks for saving us from certain death!"

Dipper shouted too, but remained on the ground. "Yeah, next time I'll try thinking my tour selection through, 'cause uh. Not my proudest moment."

A mechanical roar scattered the tourists. The silver beast made a tight circle in the yard to point its nose at the path, then departed with a scream and a cloud of dust. Stan took control, directing everyone into the gift shop. "Hey, kids! Do me a favor and move this cash indoors!" he yelled, following the suckers inside.

"Fine, fine." Dipper shed his cap and examined the money as they walked over. "We're gonna need a wheelbarrow for this. Or a dump truck. How much was he charging them?" No reply came. He looked over to see Mabel stuffing bills down her sweater. The smile on her face said it all – she was deep in thought. "Earth to Mabel Pines? Helloooo?"

Their eyes suddenly met, but her vapid grin was frozen solid. "They're lying through their teeth," she stated flatly. "I'm the happiest person I know and that room made me hate breathing." She started to cough. "I mean for reasons other than dust," she added painfully, pounding her chest.

"Oh, come on. So they were lucky enough to not get knocked out by the ghost. And Winnie was lucky enough to avoid every single piece of a collapsing building." He dropped the cash in his hands while mentally recapping what he just said. "Wait. If I had that kind of luck I'd be-

She knew exactly where he was going and cut him off. "-rich enough to drive a Lamborghini? Dip, I think they've got some sort of gift. What if they're like, a Gideon that's not a complete and total fraud? What if they're Bill but human-shaped?!"

Dipper wiped the sweat off his brow and frowned. "Okay, whoa up on the Bill comparison. I don't think there's anything else on this planet like him. As for the other... they've been pretty nice to us so far. I mean, saving our lives and stuff has to count for something."

"True, yeah, but Gideon was super nice to me too and we ended up with a lobster and a giant murderbot." She looked down upon realizing how stuffed her sweater was. "You've been a mope since Stan took the journal. Let's go do some independent Mystery Twin investigating!"

He slumped a bit. "I can't decide if I hate that name or not." Mabel was still beaming hopefully as he looked back up. "Oh, fine. What's the worst that could hap—never mind. I don't want an answer."

"Woohoo! I'm gonna go make some more fake IDs!"

"Great. Can it wait until morning, though?" He rubbed at his chest, grimacing with discomfort. "We need to sleep off the asthma."

They spent the rest of that day planning an approach. Mabel's idea – asking them directly – won out, because it was the simplest and their bodies and minds were still recovering from almost getting killed. Just after breakfast the next day, they prepared to move out.

"'Dear Grunkle Stan'," she dictated to herself. "'Dipster and I are going to go con some people and make you proud. We will be gone for a while. Love, Mabel.'" She taped the note to the cash register and grinned. "How's that sound?"

He shrugged at her. "Good enough for me."

"Awesome." Her tongue stuck out with concentration as she replaced every dot on every I with a little heart. "Okay. Let's do this."

Wendy rolled in on her bike just as the twins got outside. "What's up, guys? You hear about the old hospital collapsing? Freaky stuff, man."

Mabel replied in a single breath as they walked past. "We sure did and also had absolutely nothing to do with it whatsoever! We're going to town to do stuff good luck with the register bye!"

"Uh... okay? Have fun I guess?" Wendy blinked and waved, watching them jog away.

Dipper rolled his eyes after there was some distance between them and the teenager. "Wow. Stan levels of smoothness there, Mabel."

"Shut up, it's early and my brain is full of asbestos."

Thanks to the cool morning air, the process of getting to Gravity Falls was pleasant, if slow. The streets weren't quite deserted, but only the restaurants and a couple of shops were open. The smells wafting around from the former were making Dipper hungry. "Man. Did you keep any of that money? I'm dying for some food." He winced. "I really should not have said 'dying'."

"Nope." Mabel patted her tummy unhappily. "Eh, Winnie and Sue will feed us. Probably something really, really healthy." The mental image of tofu made her shoulders drop. "Aw, man. I want a sausage biscuit, not flavorless soybean sponges."

Some minutes later they reached the outskirts of town and the road that lead up to the wealthy neighborhood. It stretched out and up ahead of them, like a freshly paved Mount Everest. "Wow, um," Dipper swallowed. "I didn't think it was this long. Or tall."

"Of course it is. The rich folks have to be protected from poors like us." Mabel screwed up her courage and started walking. "Come on, bro. Let's burn some calories!"

Halfway up they ran into a blonde girl, decked out in full workout regalia, who was doing just that. "Oh. My gosh," Pacifica snarled, coming to an uneven halt to glare. "What are you doing up here? The lame part of town is that way." She pointed angrily down the hill.

"Good morning to you too! We're going to see some friends." Mabel's cheer was strained. Dipper gave her a worried glance.

Pacifica burst out laughing. It seized her so completely that she doubled over, then sat roughly on the sidewalk and gasped for air. "Friends! Up here! Oh, that is – pardon the pun – rich. What, did Grenda eat a bank vault?"

"Hey! She can't help her outsized skeletal structure." That only caused another round of laughing. "You don't believe me? Come on. I'll show you."

"Uh, Mabel, maybe we shouldn't bring her along. They might not like the—mmhph!" he yelped as she slapped a hand over his mouth.

"I am in no mood. She started it, I'm gonna finish it," she explained lowly before turning back to the blonde. "Prepare to eat ostrich!"

Pacifica cocked a brow. "It's crow, you dork."

"Whatever!"

But she did tag along, lagging behind the twins as Mabel stormed up the hill. A helpless Dipper was only along for the ride. The homes only got more lavish the higher they went. Once at the top, they saw the silver Lamborghini parked in one of the driveways. "Yeah! There we go!" she shouted, running ahead.

"I better not get arrested for this," Pacifica growled.

Sue was on the front porch, mug in hand as she watched them approach. "Oh dear. Sister!" she yelled back at the open door. "We have visitors!"

Winnie stepped out a few moments later. The kids had just reached the steps. "Oh. Mabel. Dipper. And..." Her head cocked as she regarded Pacifica. "You."

"You cannot be serious," the blonde muttered, dumbfounded. "You know them? By name?"

Sue poured on the happiness after taking a drink from her mug. "Sure, they're our friends!"

"From way downtown," Mabel whispered, her arms up like she'd really taken a basketball shot. "Bang!"

The blonde refused to be defeated. "Well, that's... hiiiiiii!" Her voice suddenly dripped with smug confidence. "I'm Pacifica Northwest. Pleasure to make your acquaintance." The identical twins had baffled looks as she shook their hands. "My family owns the mud flap factory, the saw mill, the hydroelectric plant, the... aha, we may as well own all of central Oregon!" At her urging, everyone looked toward the sports car. "Mmm, love the ride. If your taste in cars means anything, we're gonna be good friends."

"I feel the need to apologize," Dipper interjected with a hand raised. He shrank when both girls glared at him. "Okay, we're still fighting. Uh... Winnie? Sue? Help me."

The blue-eyed woman nodded for him to follow. "What are you doing here?" She glanced at her twin, who also came in with them.

"We've got a few-" Shouting from outside stopped him for a minute. "Wow, she wasn't kidding about not being in the mood. Anyway, we wanted to ask you a few questions."

"Oh?" If Winnie were feeling pressure, it didn't show. "About what?"

"You."

The women looked at him with unreadable eyes. "Are we really that interesting?" Sue blurted out cheerfully. "Then again, I guess we do come off as rather mysterious."

"Mm." Winnie couldn't add anything more before Mabel flung the door open and walked in. "Who was that girl?"

She threw up her arms and walked to the couch. "Oh, just a complete bi-"

Dipper nearly threw himself at her in terror. "Mabel!"

"Right. My bad."

He heaved a sigh of relief. "Anyway. We think – and trust me, there is plenty of precedence for this stuff around here – you guys had something to do with what happened yesterday. Not bringing the building down, of course! Just... we feel there's some weirdness going on here."

Mabel tacked on a sage nod. "Trust us. We know weird. If there's something you wanna tell us, don't be scared! It probably won't even be in the top one hundred strangest things we've heard this month."

"I think you two have wild imaginations," Winnie decided, crossing her arms. "What could we have had to do with anything? We were following you around."

Sue poked her in response to the accusatory tone. "Easy, sister. Let's not have an argument. Another argument."

"I'm not trying to start one."

Dipper shed his cap and set it on the coffee table. "Neither are we. Look. You're uncomfortable here because you're new. I get that. And maybe, just maybe, you're... special. A little different. You said you heard voices in the hospital. Is that it? Can you guys talk to ghosts?"

Mabel chimed in with a grand smile. "We can talk to ghosts too! I mean the ones that possess you and make your brother do the... pffff." A sharp glare from him couldn't stifle the snort. "Sorry, bro. It is literally the best blackmail material of all time."

"Getting back to the point," he grumbled through clenched teeth, "If something's up, there's no need to hide it. We won't talk."

Again, she smiled enormously. "Yeah! Also if you're lying, I'll know. Just a heads up."

The other twins remained silent, apparently feeling the issue out with each other. Mabel and Dipper, knowing this, were just as quiet while Winnie and Sue shared a spectrum of expressions and faint gestures. The red-eyed woman spoke at last. "Maybe it couldn't hurt."

At first, Winnie's face screwed up with disapproval. Eventually, though, her disdain softened. "Being truthful did work once before..."

Sue wrapped her up in a gentle hug. "There's no need to fight them. We have enough to worry about." They nodded at each other. "Okay. Yes. We understood the ghosts."

"Knew it!" Mabel yelled with a fist pump. She wilted under their looks, which ranged from annoyed for Dipper to blank for Winnie. "Oh, sorry. Have you always been able to? Chat with dead folks, I mean." Now the twins' expressions, especially Sue's, punched her right in the heart. "Oh. Uh... sorry. I didn't mean to be... Dipper, you do the talking."

He shook his head. "Good idea. Has it always been like this for you guys?"

Hollowness had set in on Winnie's face. It made them uncomfortable. "Yes. The voices of the dead have been something we've struggled with for... forever." Her brow raised at a series of sympathetic noises and faces from Mabel. Dipper nudged her in the side to stop them.

"The ghosts at the hospital didn't really speak words. Just sounds. We think they were children," Sue added quietly. "Too weak to hurt us. Not too weak to hurt you."

He rubbed his chin, putting the pieces together. "So that's why you guys didn't pass out. But... Winnie, why did you stay behind? Why did the building fall?"

She looked away, slumping back against the couch. "I was trying to talk to it. To find out what happened. As for the building, I don't know. I'm just glad I got out in time."

Mabel had been making fun of her brother's contemplative looks until now. "Huh. This really is a mystery," she chirped. "Let's investigate!"

"Maybe later," he denied. Something in the identical twins' demeanor was uncomfortable, and he thought it best not to push any further. "Can I be blunt for a second? We're really hungry. Which one of you is the cook?" He was stunned when Winnie raised her hand. "Whoa. I didn't see that one coming."

"I'm the best of a bad pair," she clarified with a grin. "Sister, come help me in the kitchen."

Sue was cheerful again. "Okay!" They rose and moved out of the living room, a happy chant of 'breakfast!' following them all the way. Their kitchen was full of spotless appliances – too spotless. Instead of searching the cabinets for ingredients, the twins stood near the stove and stared out the door. Fortunately, the arrangement of the living room prevented the Pines from seeing anything. "Well. How are we going to feed them?"

Winnie crossed her arms. "We can just lie again and say we forgot to buy groceries. Take one of them into town for some fast food. I know the places well enough. Besides, being in a Lamborghini is apparently quite a 'big deal'."

"I guess. So, what? Are we easing them into this?"

"To an extent. There are some things they can't know." The air grew heavy again. "I agree with you. We have to tread carefully – even if it annoys me. I still need to know what that feeling is."

Sue's eyes went back to the doorway. The Pines were having an excited conversation about what to eat. "Let's see if they can help. I mean, based on their adventures so far..."

"Right." Her blue eyes narrowed for an instant. "I hope we can find some way to keep them from paying a price for it."