Of Hopes and Fears

by Beatrice Gold

A girl from Mabel's past wants revenge, ridiculous revenge from an event that was so warped from time it was wrong. The twins have to create an army and fight against her, only to end this. But Mel isn't the only one from Mabel's past, and far from most deadly. What she wants is unclear, and Mabel is determined to figure it out. But didn't meddling start this in the first place?

3. The Fatalis Flower

Chapter 3

"Mabel!" screamed Dipper. He jostled her shoulders. The thing was getting closer. Was the monster just playing with its food? Dipper wondered if he could just carry his sister. She'd be light at first, but she'd get heavier the longer he carried her. There was no time to think. He grabbed Mabel and carried her piggy-back. He staggered, and almost fell over, but regained his balance and set off in the direction of the road. As he was running, Dipper began to think of Mel, a girl he'd had a small crush on when he was seven. She always knew what to do in a crisis like this. Dipper snapped back when he realized that his arms and back were aching from carrying his Mabel for so long. He looked up at his sister. Her face was a ghostly white, and she had a large gash on her left calf. It was pouring blood. Little pink and green spots dotted the wound, and around it were coal black thorns. They looked so familiar to Dipper. Almost like...

"Wait a minute!" he said aloud. "I remember reading something about this!" He flipped open his book, and leafed quickly through the pages. "Of course!" he exclaimed. "It's the Gravity Falls Fatalis flower. Decorated with beautiful pink and green buds, it is known to be the prettiest flower in Oregon! But it is very rare and hidden away, because if you are cut by its thorns, it's instant... death." No no no! It can't be! It's not possible! Dipper thought. But it was. As he examined the injury, he realized that wedged inside, there were over twenty-five thorns inside his sister's leg. He stopped running and sat on a rock, holding his sister in his lap while he tried to get the thorns out with a leaf. They were stuck. "Mabel, we'll get you to a hospital soon... just stay with me... please... just stay with me." he pleaded. The monster's footsteps were right on top of him. Dipper's heart rate went up. He couldn't run. He couldn't hide. He decided the plan was to wait the monster out and then get Mabel to a hospital. But what if the monster couldn't be waited out? What if it wanted Dipper? It was obvious that was the case. The monster would be there at any second. The bushes parted. It was there.