"Okay," Pacifica says, skimming the journal carefully as she spoke. "If I'm right, the stone should be in this cave behind the waterfall."
She points to it, water gushing down the large rock formation and hitting the surface of Lake Gravity Falls. Gideon blinks, trying to see through the rushing water but is unable to make anything out behind it.
"…If there is a cave, it will be hard getting in," he comments. "We'll get soaked."
"That's why I told you to wear your bathing suit," Pacifica replies, rolling her eyes at the obvious. "I told you we would be going to the lake and that swimming would be involved."
"I thought it would be a choice. You know, like having the entrance being around the waterfall. That didn't involve swimming…"
Gideon shivers slightly, avoiding eye contact and crossing his arms.
"Anyways, I'm surprised either of our parents let us go out by ourselves. I seriously thought my mom was going to put me on a leash after the party. Dad was able to calm her down but..."
Pacifica narrows her eyes, her gaze focused on the waterfall.
"I did get a scolding, but they only cared about my image, not if I was hurt. If anything, your mom acted more motherly to me than mine did."
There was a very bitter tone in her voice, one that made it hard to come up with a reply to. It's been awhile since the last time her parents had unintentionally hurt her like that, and somehow, just because of that made this one sting a whole lot more.
"Bill," Pacifica finally says, "can you see if you can locate the cave's entrance?"
Seeing his shadow form on the ground, Gideon watches as Bill flies over to the waterfall. His silhouette goes back and forth between the water, indicating that the only way inside the cave is to swim underwater. Gideon groans, feeling like he has a rock falling into the pit of his stomach.
"…Do we have to get this stone now?" he whines. "Or not at all? I mean, what use would we really…"
He stops himself as Pacifica takes off her swimsuit cover up and places it to the side. She sets it with the journal, preparing herself to go into the water.
"You don't have to come with me if you don't want to," she replies. "Besides, I need someone to watch over the journal in case the twins show up."
Gideon narrows his eyes.
"Like heck I'm letting you go alone! What if you hit your head or something trying to find the cave's entrance, or the weight of the waterfall becomes too much?"
Pacifica rolls her eyes, fighting back a sigh.
"Nothing's going to go wrong. And if it did, Bill will be there to help."
"Bill can't save you from drowning, Pacifica."
"But you can. And he would come get you if I need it."
She sits down on the edge of the lake, placing her feet in. She shivers from the cold, but she quickly gets use to it.
"See ya in a sec."
With that said, Pacifica goes all the way into the water, swimming up to the waterfall. Gideon watches her intensely, seeing that she is struggling to go against the current. When she gets close enough, she then dives underneath the water, where she fades from view. Gideon closes his eyes, counting the seconds that go past, trying to keep himself calm.
"Relax, kid! You really think I would let Paz do something to get herself hurt?"
Entering the dream realm, he opens his eyes to see Bill is floating in front of him.
"I saw this whole thing just the other night," the demon explains casually. "She'll only be in there for a few minutes before she comes across the telepathy stone. Heck, right now she's just now reached the surface, in deep awe at how pretty the cave is! And it's a very pretty cave!"
Gideon blinks.
"…That is very specific of you, Bill," he comments suspiciously. "Is your memory getting better?"
It takes a moment for Bill to reply, his expression suggesting that he didn't notice till Gideon pointed it out.
"Hmm…I guess. Things have been easier to remember since I've met you guys. Very pacifically." He laughs at his own joke. "Though there are some big blanks. Like…like…"
He loses his words, now looking confused.
"…Hey Gid, why were you mad at me, like, a few days ago? Didn't you…not like something I did? Something with May's bell…"
He continues to ramble on, it clearly bothering him that he couldn't recall correctly. Gideon avoids eye contact, trying to get the thought of Mabel's clone out his mind.
That scream… That horrible, blood curling scream!
"…Oh well. Anyways, here comes Paz with the stone. It's sure going to be useful later!"
"'…Useful?'" Gideon gives him a strange look. "Bill, what are you talking about?"
Either because he didn't hear him or is just too distracted, the demon snaps his fingers and takes him out of the mindscape. Blinking a couple of times, as the shift between the two realities can be very unnerving, he sees Pacifica coming up to the lake shore. She flings herself to edge, gasping for air with her right fist clutched tightly. Quickly, Gideon rushes to her side, pulling her out of the water. Once she is out, he goes over to get her cover up, offering it to her since there are no towels available.
"Did you find it?" he asks.
It takes a moment for Pacifica to reply.
"…Oh my God, it was amazing in there!" she exclaims in between large breaths of air. "I don't think anyone has been there in years!"
She takes the cover up, putting it on while opening up her hand. She is holding the telepathy stone, its blue-greenish color so bright it looks like it is made out of glass. Gideon's eyes widen, taking the stone and studying it, amazed by its beauty.
"You should have seen it, Gideon," Pacifica says with a large smile. "Literally, the water was glowing green from the sunlight that came through the roof of the cave! It's like it's from another world, all isolated and filled with mystery…"
She begins to ramble on about the cave, declaring that she wants to explore it more tomorrow. However, Gideon does not pay much attention to her words. His focus is entirely on the stone, a part of him wondering just how much power could be contained in such a tiny little thing. He wants to test it out, see what he can do with it, as something like this could really help out his magic act. To use real magic instead of kiddy tricks…
"…You like the stone?"
Shaking him out of his thoughts, Gideon flinches slightly, noticing he had dozed off.
"Err…maybe."
He blushes a bit, Pacifica giving off a small laugh.
"I knew I would eventually find something from the journal you'd like!"
She then gave a competitive smirk, casting her gaze to the side.
"And it looks like I win the bet, Bill."
From the corner of his eye, Gideon can see Bill's shadow snap his fingers, Pacifica laughing in reply.
"Anyways, it is about time you got something cool from this summer," she says to Gideon. "With me having the journal and the sketchbook, it seemed a bit unfair. Plus with its power, it will be a good defense against the Pines Twins if they come after you."
"Yeah, I guess…"
He puts the stone in his pocket, patting it a couple of times so it stays secure. After picking up the journal, he and Pacifica begin to make their way back to town.
"So, you gonna try and use the stone in your magic shows?" she asks curiously. "If you were able to put it in a necklace or something, I bet it would look really good with your magician's outfit."
Gideon shrugs his shoulders.
"I want to, but it's too risky. If I could suddenly causing things to fly up into the air, people would get scared."
He tries to smile, though it hurts him slightly at the thought of not being able to use it for that sole purpose. But he knows it is the right thing, as he can imagine the look on his parents' faces if they saw he is suddenly able to lift up chairs off the ground without any wires. But with it, he would be taken more seriously, as someone who could have a career ahead of him instead of just a little hobby to help his parents…
"Well, do what you want," Pacifica says. "Just as long you don't claim to be a child psychic or something, a little real magic wouldn't hurt. It could really help your parents, you know?"
Gideon gave an uneasy laugh, his stomach twisting at his friend's words.
"He he… Yeah. It would."
After spending the rest of the day with Bill and Pacifica at her mansion, Gideon finally comes home right before the sun fully set. Looking towards the driveway, he saw that the car is gone, indicating that his dad is pulling a late night again at work. Car sales have been really bad ever since Pioneer Day, making things really intense and making money tighter than ever. He sighs heavily, wondering if he should stop by the shop to see his dad, before he ultimately decides to go inside the house and see how his mom is doing.
"Ma, I'm home," Gideon calls out.
There is a long silence as he waits for his mom to reply, him putting his hand in his pocket and clutching onto the stone very tightly.
"…Ma?"
"…Gideon? Is that you?"
Hearing his mother's extremely rough voice, he quickly walks over to the living room, where he sees Mrs. Gleeful laying on the couch, as if just waking up from a nap. Gideon's eyes widen.
"Ma, are you okay?"
Mrs. Gleeful sits up, smoothing down her hair and clearing her throat.
"I'm fine, just a little tired," she explains, her voice low. "Last night was rough and since neither you nor your father were here for dinner…"
She lets out a harsh cough.
"…I made meatloaf, and it is in the fridge if you want it. Did you have a good day with Pacifica? Stayed out of trouble?"
She goes into a small coughing fit, and to Gideon it is obvious she is trying to hide it from him. His heartbeat grows faster, feeling great concern for his mother.
"…We did, mostly hanging out at her house."
He pauses.
"…Thanks for cooking dinner, Ma."
Not knowing what else to do, he goes up to her and hugs her. To his dismay, she feels very warm, causing him to tighten his grip on her.
"…You're such a sweet boy, Gideon," Mrs. Gleeful says, hugging her son back. "But don't worry about me. I'll be fine."
She gives a weak smile, pulling back a few stray hairs behind his ear. Suddenly, a bright gleam appears in her faded eyes, as if she just remembered something important.
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Mrs. Gleeful exclaims. "A girl came by the house earlier today, saying that she wanted to see you."
Gideon raises an eyebrow, a puzzled look in his gaze.
"A girl…wanted to see me?"
He is completely lost, as the only girl he is really close to is Pacifica, his only other friends being some of the boys from school. Who could be this girl, did she perhaps mistake his home for someone else's? His mother nods her head.
"Yes. Some strange girl with this overly large sweater and bright red braces wanted to know if you were home. Said she had something very important to tell you."
…Large sweater? Bright red braces?!
"…M-ma," Gideon says, his heart pounding in his chest. "Was this girl named Mabel by any chance?"
"I don't know. She never said her name."
Mrs. Gleeful narrows her eyes.
"Gideon, are you in some kind of trouble? Is this someone you met at that party?"
"N-no! No, I didn't meet her there…"
With all his might, Gideon puts on a fake smile.
"She's…just a girl visiting for the summer I met during Pioneer Day. She's staying at her Great Uncle Stanford's place with her twin brother."
"…Stanford? As in Stanford Pines?"
Mrs. Gleeful looks like she is about to faint from shock.
"While I'll be… So the man does have family! With how secluded he is, I was about to think…"
"Well…yeah. I guess everyone has some kind of family, right?"
Gideon takes a few steps back.
"Well…I think I'll go to my room for a bit. Good night, Ma!"
Without giving her a chance to react, he dashes out of the living room and goes into his bedroom, closing the door behind him. He leans against the door, clutching onto the doorknob for dear life. Eyes wide, he takes in heavy breaths of air, feeling himself become light headed as his greatest fear just came true.
Mabel Pines knows where he lives.