"Hey Bro-Bro, looks like you were right!" Mabel exclaims with a wide grin. "We were being followed! And one of them is cute little Gideon! Hi again, little guy!"
She waves at Gideon, an unstable look in her large dark brown eyes. Her gaze meets Gideon's, making a strong icy chill go down his spine. He does not remove eye contact from Mabel, but he does not respond to her either, afraid that she could be set off by anything. Dipper narrows his eyes.
"I had a feeling that sooner or later someone would start following us," he says, his tone dark. "A town with this many secrets has bound to have guardians."
He takes a single step closer to Gideon and Pacifica.
"Though I admit, I'm surprised to see who the 'guardians' are."
"What do you want?!" Pacifica tenses up, handing the sketchbook to Gideon and approaches Dipper. "Are you here to learn more about the Northwest Conspiracy? If you are, you'll have to get through me!"
Dipper crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow, looking somewhat confused as to why Pacifica is getting so defensive. Gideon and Mabel watch closely, Gideon wondering if he should intervene while Mabel's stare moves between the three of them. Tension rises with each passing second, making the tiny room that contained the four of them seem tinier and tinier.
"Me and my sister are just trying to solve the secrets in this town, nothing more," Dipper finally replies, choosing his words carefully. "Though I guess I can understand why you would be so concerned about it, being a Northwest yourself."
Pacifica glares at him coldly.
"What is that suppose to mean?!"
"It means that your family has strong ties to this town, especially with this conspiracy."
His gaze drifts over to Gideon and the sketchbook.
"...What's in the book?" Dipper asks. "Does it contain any secrets about the conspiracy?"
There is a very cold look in his eyes, a hunger for knowledge in them. Gideon flinches slightly, holding onto the sketchbook tighter. He does not know what this is, but if Pacifica handed it to him, he senses it must be important. He stands his ground, seeing Bill's shadow come closer to his side.
"Would you like to know? After having one of the six fingered journals, you would want to get your hands on another book full of secrets!"
Gideon's heart stops. There is a long silence, everyone's eyes on Pacifica. She keeps her intense gaze on Dipper, who's face has paled with shock.
"H-how...?"
"Whoa, plot twist!" Mabel exclaims. "I think you may have damaged my little bro's ego there!"
She twirls to her brother's side.
"So you must have a journal like Dipper's, right? Are you trying to figure out Gravity Falls' secrets too?"
Pacifica crosses her arms and glares.
"Would it matter? You two still never said what you wanted."
"What about you? What do you two want?" Mabel questions back, sounding passive aggressive. "Everyone wants something, so stop looking at us like we're the villains!"
She starts to shake, tensing up like she is ready to pounce onto Pacifica. However, before she can do anything, Dipper places his arm in front of Mabel, blocking her path.
"...So, it looks like we're not the only ones looking for the truth. Ones that will stand in our way if we let them..."
An unnatural dark look fades into his gaze, like all the warmth has vanished from his being.
"...I won't let you stop me from uncovering the mysteries of this town. Mabel, grab her journal!"
Dipper releases her, allowing Mabel to come straight at Pacifica. She tries to jump her, but Pacifica dodges just at the right moment. Mabel crashes into the desk with the Northwest Conspiracy article on it, Gideon screaming in response. But like it did nothing to her, like she feels no pain from the crash, Mabel quickly gets back onto her feet and jumps Pacifica again. As she is laughing like a maniac, Pacifica is not prepared to avoid her, having Mabel land right on top of her. She tries to push her off, but Mabel and Pacifica's strengths are equally matched, wrestling to try and dominate the other. Gideon watches in horror, but as soon as he tries to come and help Pacifica, Dipper gets in front of him and blocks his path.
"Gimme that journal!"
He attempts to snatch the sketchbook from Gideon's arms, however Gideon is able to get out of the way. He makes sure to keep himself facing Dipper, feeling himself about to be cornered. And with Pacifica being occupied with Mabel...
Both of them are trapped.
"Run, kid!" Bill's voice suddenly exclaimed. "Run to the dart trapped with the sketchbook in hand!"
Run away?
Gideon fought to not get sucked into a dream world, feeling his back hit one of the tables. Dipper comes up to him.
"Come on, little guy," he says, lacking of any apathy. "Hand me that journal and then this can be all over with."
It is surprising that he is even hesitating, as Gideon can see he is willing to do whatever it takes to unlock Gravity Falls' secrets. What is written in these journals to make both Dipper and Pacifica so determine to find out these 'truths?' Up until this point, he has never taken these supposed 'mysteries' seriously. But from seeing Pacifica become obsessed with them to witnessing the wrath of the Pines Twins, all in attempt to make sure they succeed...
"Uh, Gid, this isn't the time to go all Theorizing Paz on me!"
He feels a strong tug on his sleeves.
"I know you are skeptical, but if you don't trust me now, you and Paz are both going to be screwed!"
Bill's voice cracks with desperation and urgency.
"Please, kid! Just trust me!"
"I'll give you the count of three to give it to me."
Dipper holds out his hand, offering Gideon one more chance to cooperate. Gideon stares at him, his mind racing a mile a minute.
"One..." Dipper begins to sound impatient. "...Two..."
It is now or never.
"...Three!"
Just as he reaches the final countdown, Gideon charges to the side and makes a run for it to the exit. Dipper curses, chasing after him.
"There is nowhere for you to go!" he calls out. "You can't hope to escape with a trap to get in the way!"
And he is right, for as soon as Gideon comes face to face with the darts trap again, he halts. He pants heavily, trying to quickly find the stable steps as he makes his way across.
"Go to the middle of the trap," Bill instructs quickly. "Once there, grab the nearest torch and throw it to the ground."
As he talks, Gideon can hear Dipper trying to catch up, cursing and taking a moment to know which step to take.
"Don't hesitate or it will not work! Once you've done that, use your short legs to get you outta here! Don't worry about Paz, I will get her out. But for it to work, you've gotta do this!"
None of the instructions Bill is giving him make much sense. But this is probably the only time Gideon has ever heard him sound sure of himself. And if he doesn't act fast...
Coming to the center of the trap, Gideon halts and grabs the nearest torch. Dipper is right behind him, and he stops when he sees that Gideon is stop.
"Wait, what are you...?"
Not wanting to take the chance of second guessing himself, Gideon swiftly grabs the nearest torch and drops it beside his feet.
"What the!?"
Dipper flinches back, seeing as the moment the fire into the cracks in the stone, intense flames began to burst from them. Something has caught fire within the cracks, and it is spreading at a lightening like pace. Both Gideon and Dipper avoid the flames, Gideon going back to the entrance while Dipper towards the hidden room. Once he is safe, Gideon turns around to see that the flames have ignited form a triangular shape with a circle in the center, the wood of the fallen torch acting as a pupil to an eye. But the fire does not stop at the darts trap, as it goes through the cracks between the walls and the floor. It is heading straight to the treasure room, where Mabel and Pacifica are still fighting.
Dipper's eyes grow wide, running back into the room screaming his sister's name. Fear rises in Gideon's chest, wanting nothing more than to run back and get Pacifica. But he can't, the fire blocks his path, and with a heavy heart, turns around and runs back outside. The moist and cold air burns as the heat increase, making the outside summer air feel cool in comparison.
Once outside, Gideon falls to his knees, panting heavily. He drops the sketchbook, which he miraculously has kept the entire time, having it unscathed. From the corner of his eye, he can see that the trapdoor is closing behind him, indicating that the fire had been another trap of some kind. He can feel his heart pound his chest, trying to fight back tears as he fears if Pacifica is still trapped inside. He gets up, turning to face the angel statue.
"...Bill," Gideon says out loud, hoping the demon can hear him, "is Pacifica all right? Please tell me you can get her out!"
Not only does he fears for his friends life, but the Pines Twins' as well. He hopes that they are not trapped or hurt either. Gideon picks up the sketchbook, waiting anxiously for Bill's reply. But one does not come, only a faint wind blowing pass him.
"Bill! Bill, please answer me!"
He is about to go into panic mode, not knowing how he will be able to deal with knowing that...
Suddenly, he can smell the faint stench of smoke and burning wood, coming from the northwest. His eyes widen, quickly following the smell till he comes up to a small mausoleum. It is not far from the angel statue, about the same distance as the hidden room had been, seeing the smoke seep its way through the white marble door. Using all of his strength, he attempts to open the mausoleum up, the door being extremely heavy and hard to get a grasp on. He pulls and pulls, where it slowly opens.
And then it became unexpectedly easier, as when the opening became big enough, a large amount of smoke hits Gideon straight in the face. He moves back and coughs, where he then feels someone grab his wrist.
"Gideon!"
It is Pacifica's voice, and before he knows it, he is being pulled away from the mausoleum. Gideon opens his eyes, seeing that is running with all her might out of the cemetery.
"...P-Pacifica!"
He has inhaled some of the smoke, making it difficult to speak. Pacifica does not answer him, seemingly desperate to get out of the graveyard. They run into the dense crowds, Pacifica yelling for people to get out of the way till finally, they are able to get out of the crowded area and take refuge in the forest.
Once they are completely alone, Pacifica lets go of Gideon and collapses onto her side, taking in deep breaths of air. Gideon falls down beside her, setting the sketchbook, again, by a miracle he still has, on a nearby rock. The two friends lay where they are for a long moment, allowing themselves to calm down from their near death experience. Eventually, Pacifica sits up and leans against the same tree Gideon is. The two of them look at each other.
"...S-so, how did you escape?" Gideon finally asks. "I thought you would have been trapped by the fire."
"So did I," Pacifica replies. "But before the fire could come in, Bill came to me and helped me find this secret passageway. I was able to go through it just in time and escape."
She gives a small pause.
"Along with the Pines Twins."
There is a short pause, Gideon feeling partly relieved that Dipper and Mabel were able to get out of there alive. However, another part of him worries what will happen next, now that the twins are seemingly after them, from what Dipper had said.
"...Why did you have to pick a fight with them, Pacifica?" Gideon questions with a small hint of anger. "We both knew they were going to be dangerous, yet you just told them that you had a journal like theirs!"
"...Yeah, that was pretty dumb of me."
Pacifica lets out a heavy sigh, her eyes gazing lazily at the tree tops.
"But I was desperate for answers. After reading that article about my great, great grandfather..."
She loses her words.
There is a long silence between them, Gideon feeling sympathy for Pacifica and what they learned about her ancestor. Though now they no longer have any proof of the conspiracy, now that it has burned away with everything else in that room. The only artifact that survived is the sketchbook, Gideon taking a hold of it to find out what it truly is.
"...On the bright side, we got this old sketchbook," he says, trying to sound positive. "I'm sure we can discover more secrets with it. Hopefully less dangerous ones."
Pacifica turns to face Gideon, one of her eyebrows raised.
"Wait...when did you get so interested in the mysteries?"
She gives him a gentle poke.
"Who are you and what have you done with Gideon?"
Gideon laughs.
"I still think that we may be going over our heads with this, but you've gotta admit that was fun," he confesses. "I mean, now that the danger has passed, and remembering all that history we were seeing..."
It still makes him speechless, recalling how he entered the hidden room and the enchantment to seeing all that lost history of his hometown. He hates to admit it, but it makes him feel excited for what other lost pieces that there could be, with the so many unanswered questions just waiting to be explained... For once, he truly gets Pacifica's fascination with this kind of stuff.
Pacifica gives a faint smile.
"Yeah, and that's why we need to make sure we keep Dipper and Mabel as far away from those secrets as possible. It is up to us to protect them, to protect our town..."
She offers Gideon her hand, like she is about to make some sort of vow with him.
"From this day forth," Pacifica declares, "we will become the Mystery Trio! You, me, and Bill. Partners in crime who swear to discover and protect all of Gravity Falls' secrets. With the three of us working together, nothing can stop us as we vow to take down the Pines Twins!"
When she refers to him, Bill's shadow moves closer to them. Even with learning the maybe ugly truth of her family's past, there is a determine look in Pacifica's gaze, a new fire that will not fade away easily. And even though Gideon's gut is telling him that this will be dangerous, that he and his best friend may be risking their lives once again, he feels less fearful about it. Excitement and adventure come at a price, and after experiencing that rush of adrenaline...
"...Though let me ask this," Gideon finally says, "why 'partners in crime?' Are we planning to break the law or something?"
It takes a moment for Pacifica to reply.
"...I don't know, but 'partners in crime' just sounded cool." She gives a sheepish smile. "I was just so into the moment I had to say it."
"Sure you were, Pacifica. And still are."
Playfully, Gideon rolls his eyes and smiles.
"But that's more of a reason for me to join you in your crazy schemes."
He takes a hold of her hand and shakes it, feeling colder air on his and Pacifica's hands with Bill's hand silhouette on top of theirs. The three of them all look at each other, as if knowing deep down they have made the partnership of a lifetime.
For the rest of Pioneer Day, Pacifica and Gideon stick to each other like glue, watching each others' back in case the Pines Twins are to come back to get revenge. There is no telling what the twins could do, now escaping from that near death experience. While neither Pacifica, Gideon, or even Bill, saw them during the rest of the event, it does not hurt to be a tad cautious. While they are together, Gideon and Pacifica took part in a lot of the Pioneer Day activates, helping the little kids play games and just having a good time. However, they did take a few breaks to get away from everyone, as they are extremely tired. They also took this time to talk to Bill as he...became very on edge after what happened in the cemetery.
While he could remember Pacifica and Gideon had survived some kind of danger, he couldn't recall anything that happened or the fact it was because of him that they escaped at all. He became very protective of them and his shadow would act concern even when one of them just seemed a little fatigued. The event had shaken him up greatly, but slowly he calmed down throughout the day, his memory slowly becoming consistent again.
When sunset came, it is time for the festival to end. Gideon and Pacifica walk over to the antique store, where Gideon's parents are waiting for him.
"Ah, Pacifica and my Lil Gideon!" Mrs. Gleeful says with a large smile, seeing them approach. "Did you two have a good day?"
Her eyes, along with her husband's, grow wide when they see how dirty their clothes are. Mr. Gleeful laughs.
"My, did you two get into the spirit of things! Your parents won't be too harsh on you for getting your clothes dirty, will they, Pacifica?"
Pacifica shrugs her shoulders, holding the sketchbook close to her chest.
"They might get a little mad, but I'm not worried about it," she replies. "With all the dirt and mud around, it wouldn't be much of a surprise."
Mr. Gleeful nods his head, though there is a dark look in his gaze.
"It is, which is why I hope your parents are able to see that."
"Honey..."
Mrs. Gleeful puts her hand on his shoulder, letting out a small cough.
"Well, we should be going," she says with a hoarse voice. "Have a good night, Pacifica."
The Gleefuls then turn to head their way home. Before he goes and joins his parents, Gideon gives Pacifica a quick hug.
"I'll see you sometime tomorrow. I have a show tomorrow at noon, so if you can come to it, please do!"
Pacifica nods in reply.
"I'll try, and if not, I'll call when I want to hang out."
She waves goodbye.
"Sleep well, Gideon. We both need it after today."
Gideon laughs in reply, where they then turn to go their separate ways. Now that he is gone, Pacifica feels exhaustion being swept over her, sensing the cold presence of Bill riding on top of her head. She wishes she can just fall on top of her bed right now and fall asleep, however, she needs to go see her parents first and then take the drive home.
It is no surprise that they are right by the stage, where Pacifica slowly approaches them. She doesn't say anything, she doesn't want to say anything, but she makes eye contact with her parents. Mrs. Northwest turns to face her daughter, but upon sight of her dirty and ripped skirt, she gasps.
"Pacifica! What did you do to your clothes?!" She leans down and takes a hold of the skirt, seeing the destruction. "Do you have any idea how much this costs? How could you be this careless?"
"...I know," Pacifica replies, clearly not in a caring mood. "I just got a bit dirty while playing with the kids. That's what you wanted me to do, right? Help people enjoy the festival?"
"...True. And that you did."
Mr. Northwest comes to his daughter's side, Mrs. Northwest standing straight back up and taking a step back.
"I saw you going around and helping out," he says. "I am pleased in what you did. And I also...noticed that you had a young boy with you the entire time."
Pacifica feels her face grow pale, her eyes wide. She has completely forgotten that her parents could have seen her with Gideon, only worrying about the Pines Twins at the time. She feels her heart grow heavy, knowing she can't hide this.
"...His name is Gideon. He is my friend."
She waits to hear her parents' disapproval, that Gideon is not good enough for her and that she had to break off her friendship with him, all for the sake of image...
"...I am pleased to see you have found a friend, Pacifica."
Pacifica blinks.
...What? What did her father just say?!
She stares at him with big eyes, her mother too as she also seems pleased.
"He seems like a good young man," Mrs. Northwest adds with a smile. "He also seems to have a taste in style too, even if he clothes were as filthy as yours."
"Yes...but that is beside the point."
Mr. Northwest makes firm eye contact with Pacifica.
"We approve of your choice in a friend and we encourage you to spend time with him and any other friends you two may have. He can come over, while it is still summer, any time. Anything to keep you from..."
Much to Pacifica's dismay, her father grabs and takes away the sketchbook. He gives it a dark look.
"...spending all your time locked up in your room. Reading."
Pacifica clutches her fists.
"What's the big deal if I do a lot of reading?!" she demands angrily. "Aren't parents usually thrilled when their child likes to read?"
"Of course, sweetheart..."
Taking back the sketchbook, Mrs. Northwest glares at her husband for a short second and hands it back to her daughter.
"It is just we think you should get out and socialize more. This means less time by yourself, the forest or your room, and more time with other people." She pulls her Pacifica's blonde hair back. "We're just worried about you, that's all. You've had it rough for the past few months at school and at home. Right, Preston?"
"...Y-yes. And right now, it is getting late."
Like he is afraid something is about to leap at him and his family, Mr. Northwest puts his arms around both his wife and daughter, walking them to the limo that now waited for them. Before putting his arm around Pacifica, he had moved his hand over his head, as if sweeping something away. Pacifica finds it odd, looking down at her fading shadow to see Bill is now flying beside her instead of riding on top of her head.
But she does not question it, as it probably isn't a big deal. And in her tired state makes it hard to think long.
She feels her eyelids grow heavy, and as soon as she gets seated in the limo, she leans back and closes her eyes.