WARPED

Chapter 20

Jocelyn had had no idea just how vast the Mystery Shack was.

She wandered around for what felt like a long time, amazed by what strange… things the Shack held. She passed a parlor with dried wax on the ceiling, and a creepy door that almost completely blended into the wall. There was that thing that resembled a suit of armor, and was that a Stan Vac? The wonders this Shack held were innumerable.

Jocelyn came to a room that held heaps of, well, stuff. There was box upon box upon box, some sealed shut, and some with their contents spilling open. She gagged at the sight of one box completely filled with Fully Clothed Women Magazine editions from the sixties.

"That was one character development I did not need," she muttered to herself.

Sticking her hands in her pockets, Jocelyn keenly analyzed some others boxes: prototypes of Mystery Shack gear, cheap magic tricks, wrinkled Hawaiian button ups, framed photographs so dusty she didn't dare touch them. All these artifacts from Stan's past would have fascinated Hazelle, but Jocelyn didn't care for them, bored with their distinct lack of secrets.

Moving one balanced box to the side in a pile, Jocelyn went rigid at the sound of a familiar sound. It made her freeze, and sent shockwaves of recognition through her blood. She found herself moving unrelated boxes into other piles, making towers of cardboard in the corners.

Then she found it, left forgotten and in danger of being crushed in a rectangular box in the back of one pile. It was a viola, more beautiful and ancient than the one she owned back home. The sound she had heard was is falling to the floor, a noise guaranteed to make any musician within hearing distance cringe. Luckily it seemed to be alright. It gleamed in the weak light given off by the twitching bulb hanging from the ceiling, with shimmering strings and a steady bow to complete it.

Jocelyn held it with care, as if it was a rare jewel or an aged document. Her fingers quivered, and she was hit with longing for her own viola, sitting alone and unused back in her room in her reality, hopefully not picking up dust. She had been so caught up in Gravity Falls she had almost forgotten her most prized possession.

This fact made Jocelyn a little sad. Sad for her viola, sad for her love of music, and sad for her own flaw of getting easily distracted from what was important.

Jocelyn glanced around, confused. Why did Stan have such a magnificent viola? Did he play? That would throw her through a loop.

No matter the reason, Jocelyn couldn't resist. She tightened the bow, secured the viola under her chin, and began to play.

XxX

Jocelyn could get lost in music. She loved playing, and it was almost like she was in her own world. She was the one with the ability to make music. If something sounded wrong, she could fix it. Jocelyn was in control.

Jocelyn didn't realize that Hazelle, Dipper, and Stan were standing behind her until Dipper shifted his weight, making the floor creak loudly. As she was in the middle of a phrase, Jocelyn was annoyed, but she lowered the viola and turned around anyway.

"Hi…" she began. Stan and Dipper were staring at her in awe, and her acknowledgement of their presence seemed to snap them out of a trance.

"How long have you guys been standing there?" Jocelyn asked, still feeling awkward.

"Well…" began Hazelle, "I'm not, uh, exactly sure. We were just listening to you play."

"You're amazing!" Dipper shouted, waving his noodley arms. "How on earth do you do that?"

Jocelyn was taken aback. She didn't think she was that good. "Um, I don't know. I've been playing for about ten years, and I guess practice makes perfect."

"She's actually good at something other than being loud," Stan commented with a slight smile.

Jocelyn couldn't help but smile in return. Stan actually complimented her! And pigs weren't flying!

Hazelle leaned around Jocelyn to peer into the room. "Joss, is that sheet music?"

Jocelyn turned around. "Yeah, it is actually." Jocelyn had paused earlier when she had realized a music stand in the corner. She then whipped out her sheet music and was able to practice.

"Where did it come from?"

"Oh, I always have it with me in case an opportunity to practice arises. All State auditions are in only three months, you know."

"Oookay then…" Hazelle replied. "Moving on, there's something really important we need to tell you. After you left the gift shop, I opened a portal!"

"You what?" exclaimed Jocelyn, carefully putting the viola down in its case—making sure to loosen the bow, her biggest pet peeve among the orchestra at school.

"Hey, can I have this?" Jocelyn asked, turning to Stan. "It has such a rich sound, and it's amazing."

"Uh… yeah sure, kid," Stan replied.

Jocelyn pumped a fist into the air. "Yessss!"

"Um, hello? Can we get back to the matter at hand? You know, the holy schnapps Hazelle can open crazy portals too matter?!" Hazelle interjected, the muscles in her neck standing out.

"How could you have opened a portal?" Jocelyn asked, frowning. "The house is still standing. The one I opened would've wiped out the Shack."

Hazelle looked down, the tips of her ears turning red. "It was only about the size of a Frisbee."

Jocelyn tried to hold back a snort. "Only the size of a Frisbee? Like, only nine inches in diameter?"

Hazelle huffed. "Yes, that's how big a Frisbee is, Jocelyn."

"Okay, so how did it happen?" Jocelyn asked, changing the subject. "You're usually pretty calm. What made you emotional enough to open a freakin' portal?"

"I—I don't know," Hazelle started. She started to wring her hands. "Something just came over me, and I got really mad, and I… punched Robbie and a portal opened!"

Jocelyn couldn't believe her ears. "You punched Robbie?"

"Yes Jocel—"

"You, Hazelle Krimms, actually punched someone?"

"Well, yeah that's what I just said—"

"You actually used violence?"

"YES—"

"That's awesome!" Jocelyn slapped Hazelle on the back, grinning. "I'm proud of you, man!"

"Awesomeness aside," said Dipper, cautiously attempting to put a cap on Jocelyn's festivities, "let's stay focused here."

Stan cleared his throat. "Yeah, kid, this is pretty serious."

"Hazelle can make portals too. So what?" Jocelyn asked, brushing off the subject. She didn't want to show it, but Jocelyn was a little jealous that Hazelle could make portals too—she thought she was the only one, and she had felt a little special, like the chosen one. But she took solace in the fact that her portals were much stronger than Hazelle's. It was a little selfish and mean of her—but it was solace all the less.

"Jocelyn!" Hazelle admonished. "This is important! I could be dangerous!"

Hazelle? Dangerous? There was no way.

"Look," Jocelyn answered. "If I didn't kill anyone with my huge portal, there's no way your Frisbee portal is that dangerous. Let's just see how things play out. Go with the flow."

"You want us to just go with the flow when we could destroy Gravity Falls?"

"Haze, calm down. You're overreacting. We're not gonna destroy Gravity Falls."

Hazelle took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and opened her mouth to retort.

Before she could answer, Stan jumped into the conversation. "Look kid. Worrying isn't gonna help your situation. There's nothing you can do but keep yourself under control, and focus on finding a way home." He turned to Jocelyn. "And you. Try to be less loud. There's only so much my hearing aid can take. Now, who wants some lunch?"

From downstairs, they heard Mabel's distinct yell of, "ME! I'M STARVING, OLD MAN!"

Dipper laughed and followed Stan down the stairs. He paused at the top of the stairs and said to Hazelle, "You coming?"

Hazelle shifted her weight, obviously still uneasy. "Yeah, I just want to talk to Jocelyn real fast."

Dipper nodded and continued down the steps.

Hazelle waited until he was out of earshot before saying to Jocelyn, "Joss, this is really serious. We need to find out how to get home." She bit her lip. "And where the hell is Lucy? I haven't seen her since this morning."

"I know it is. But like Stan said, there's really nothing we can do except get it under control. And as for Lucy, who cares? She's not a baby."

"I know she's not, but we need to talk to her about this. What if…" Hazelle cringed. "What if she can make portals, too?"

Jocelyn sighed, defeated. "Alright fine. Once we find her, and she's got to come back to the Shack at some point, we'll talk to her and see what she says. Maybe we can even test her portal powers. But I can tell you right now she's not gonna cooperate."

Hazelle made a face. "Ugh, you're right. But we need to jump on any chance we get to go home."

Jocelyn rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

Hazelle began to make her way towards the door. "I'm gonna get some lunch. You coming?"

Jocelyn secured the viola under her chin again. "Nah, I'm gonna practice some more first."

Hazelle gave her a small smile. "Alright. Don't practice too hard."

Jocelyn laughed, the memory of the times she practiced until her fingers were sore (and one time bleeding) coming to the surface. "There's no such thing as too much practice!"

As Hazelle uneasily left the room, still wringing her hands, Jocelyn took a deep breath and started playing again, immediately consumed again by her music.