The night sky was completely covered by a thick overcast, leaving the vast Oregon woodland in total darkness. The only source of light came from a small, dilapidated cabin in the center of the forest. Inside of the humble abode, a small tween nervously awaited the arrival of his main squeeze.
As promised, Dipper had made good on his word. He was positioned in his great-uncle's worn-out recliner, making their usually shared seat during Movie Night warm and cozy. Every couple of moments, he would repeat the process of double-checking the time on his wristwatch and staring at the rickety front door, hoping that Wendy would walk through it any second now.
"Where is she…?" The first movie had already started fifteen minutes ago. He wondered if the flannel-donned girl had changed her mind about coming over, especially after what had happened at her school today. He wouldn't have blamed her, but at the same time, the unknown silence troubled his mind.
"If that was the case," Dipper thought to himself, "Why didn't she let me know?"
An uneasy feeling had followed him since he came back home from Gravity Falls High. However, Dipper couldn't decide if it was because of the menacing teacher that had managed to get beneath Wendy's skin or the peculiar high-school girl peeking at him before he left the building.
Shaking the willies away, Dipper reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He quickly tapped another quick text message to his missing redheaded friend before leaving it out on the chair's arm within easy reach. Dipper sighed and rested his head on his hand as he returned his attention to the B-horror movie playing out on the television screen before him.
His twin sister, Mabel, looked down at him from the neighboring staircase, well aware of her sibling's growing worry. She, too, glanced at the door, hoping that her co-worker would stay true to her pledge.
"C'mon, Wendy…you said you would be right back…"
*BUZZ-BUZZ* *BUZZ-BUZZ*
"Ugh…" Wendy's emerald eyes flickered as she attempted to regain focus. "W-Where am I?" The fifteen-year-old found herself in an empty, darkened classroom. Her surroundings instantly triggered her memory, reminding the ginger of why she was in Gravity Falls High after hours.
Strangely enough, all the damage that she had caused to her homeroom had vanished. Every trace of toilet paper, dried soap, and foamy shaving cream disappeared from the scene. Wendy was surprised to see that Mr. Cabkin's class was now spotless in spite of her best efforts.
Finding herself seated on a padded office chair, the teenager could only re-examine her cleansed surroundings in disbelief as feeling gradually returned to her body, "What happened? Was I dreaming?"
Wendy looked to her left as the truth quickly revealed itself. A pair of mud-stained lumberjack boots stood stuck firmly to the tilted floor. The odd sight made her mouth drop in terror, as she soon recalled the final horrifying seconds before unconsciousness.
"I gotta book! NOW!"
The girl tried to stand up, finding that her limbs were held down tightly. "What the –?"
Her arms had been pulled behind her back and pass the upholstery, being bound together at the wrists. Wendy felt around with her fingertips to discover that something made of ice-cold metal was clutched around her hands.
"Handcuffs?"
The young woman was no stranger to the uncomfortable sensation, given her occasional run-ins with the law. Unfortunately, she discovered that these cuffs were indeed the real deal, as there was no safety release to be found.
She tried once more to rise up, hoping to bring her arms back around, discovering that her legs had been given the same treatment. Locked into what she guessed to be leg irons, each one of Wendy's feet had been placed over a different side of the back end of the five-star base. With the connecting chain wrapped snugly about the lift of the chair, she was unable to lift or lower a ped to the floor. The cool draft that swirled around the room swept against her exposed orange and yellow socked foot bottoms.
*BUZZ-BUZZ* *BUZZ-BUZZ*
Wendy turned towards the sight that had awakened her from her forced slumber. Her tiny flip cell phone had been placed on Mr. Cabkin's desk. The blue LED screen flashed over and over in the darkness:
"DIPPER - Where r u?"
Seeing a chance at escape, Wendy strained herself, testing the limits of her restraints in hopes of making the chair roll over towards her professor's desk. The seat refused to budge an inch. The locking mechanism preventing the wheels from moving had been lowered. The lanky girl shifted her left side in hopes of being able to reach the release lever with her index finger, finding that she came up short by mere inches.
Annoyed by the constant defeat, Wendy attempted to shuffle her hands and feet, hoping to find a way to slip out of her predicament. She closed her eyes and tugged as hard as she could, relenting a minute later to relieve the growing, pinching pains in her wrists and ankles. The idea of picking the cuffs had come to mind; the fact that her lock pick was safely tucked out of reach inside of her trapper hat quickly diffused that plan.
"Ergh!" Wendy moaned as she slumped down in the chair in exhaustion. "I can't believe this!" Her mind drew a blank as she tried to figure out how she could have ended up in such a dilemma. "I mean, who would even bring real handcuffs to a school?"
"Oh, you'd be surprised," a familiar voice answered from the shadows, prompting Wendy to raise her head. "The things that we confiscate from the students here would probably even shock the likes of you…"
Mr. Cabkin crept out from the darkness with his arms neatly tucked behind him. An unnatural blue azure seemed to follow his every move. His wrinkled, middle-aged face still sporting the same sinister smile he had gave his student after embarrassing her in front of the entire school assembly (as well as her younger charge). He simply stood before his now-helpless pupil and awaited her reaction.
"You…did this?!" Wendy lounged forward as much as her chains would allow as she shouted angrily, "Just who do you think you are?! You can't – "
The man stepped forward bit by bit as he finished her sentence, "You can't do this to me! Just wait until my parents find out! You're going to get in so much trouble! " Mr. Cabkin threw his head back and laughed, "Oh, if I had a nickel for every time I heard that, and yet, nothing ever comes of it!"
Wendy instantly grew deathly silent. Something about her nemesis didn't seem right. She had never seen this side of Cabkin before. The last line he uttered alerted Wendy to the fact that she wasn't the first student that he had abducted.
"W-What…" she accidentally stuttered, as the reality of the situation caught up to her, "What are you going to do to me?" She immediately gazed down towards the ground as her wild imagination, fueled by the outrageous stories one hears on the national news, jumped to the worst case scenario.
"Oh, please!" He appeared to be offended, "Don't flatter yourself, kid!" He stepped up towards Wendy, making her meet him eye-to-eye. "And besides…" The elder threw his hands through Wendy's shoulder blades, making her gasp out loud. "I couldn't do anything to you even if I wanted to!"
"Oh no!" Wendy thought, remembering her ghostly experiences at the haunted Dusk2Dawn convenience store, "Not again!"
The adult raised an eyebrow at Wendy's response, "I can only imagine that you must have several questions, so I'll try to explain." The specter sat on top of his desk, "Despite what you think about me, Corduroy, I actually love teaching…"
Wendy rolled her eyes and heaved loudly; even in this most dire of circumstances, she was forced to listen to the senior as he mindlessly droned on and on, as if it was a regular school day.
Mr. Cabkin raised his voice as he grew infuriated, "I adore it so much, with my entire heart and soul, that after my sudden passing, I found that my spirit had become forever linked to this school. My own colleagues don't even realize that I am undead! How could they, considering that I've never missed a class in nearly thirty years! Yet, I wouldn't have it any other way. Nothing is more satisfying that watching my students surpass the standards I have set forth, going on to lead successful lives…"
He stood up and walked around his immobile hostage, "But as with anything good in this universe, there also comes a price. With every group of students that wishes to excel at their studies, there exists a select few that want nothing more than to goof off and utterly waste my time…"
Cabkin stopped, "And that's where you come in, Corduroy…"
"What's that suppose to mean?"
He met her nose to nose, "Since you have first set foot through that door last year, you have been nothing but a constant blight on my school! You disrupt class without any regard or respect for authority! And worse of all, you aren't above bringing others down to your level! Just ask the group of degenerates that you choose to align yourself with!"
The teacher pulled away as he narrowed his eyes, "And I believe in redemption, Corduroy. A part of me reluctantly hopes that every lost sheep will eventually find their way in this long road in life. However, the regretful truth is that some are beyond saving. There are always unruly punks who think they own the world – getting away with bloody murder without having to pay the price for their crimes."
He sauntered back into the distance, pausing to look over his shoulder at her, "And to be frank, Corduroy, despite our differences, I never considered you to be one of those unfortunate souls; that is, until what happened here tonight…" Mr. Cabkin rushed towards Wendy, "With your attack on my class, you only assured me that you belong with those willing to cross a personal line -"
"I crossed a personal line?!" Wendy interrupted in outrage, "You're the one that started with – "
"Inexcusable! No matter what justification you could muster up would change the fact that for you, my dear Miss Corduroy, is that there is no going back from this point…"
"Point?! What point?! What about you talking about?!"
"What I mean, Corduroy…Wendy…" The ominous grin returned, "…is that I welcome you to permanent detention. I hoped you enjoyed your last instances of freedom, for I promise you, it will be an eternity before you get another…"
Another hour had passed and Mabel Pines tip-toed down the stairs to see the current state of her twin. Expecting Dipper to still be seated in their Grunkle Stan's recliner, she jumped at the sight of the overly-concerned detective now stationed in front of the window next to the family entrance. Stumped over the back side of an old wooden chair, Dipper rested his chin on folded noodle arms as his eyes kept a constant vigil over the horizon leading into the dark forest, desperate for any sign of his absent crush.
Mabel scratched a guilty itch growing on her left elbow. She could sense that something had gone wrong with her friend's plans, but kept in mind the promise that she had been compelled to make earlier in the evening. However, she headed down the staircase to check in with her brother, who continued to wait at the door like a lovesick puppy.
"Hey Bro-Bro," she greeted, making sure to play dumb, "No word from Wendy yet?"
Without taking his eyes off the trained path, Dipper shook his head back and forth, "No…no text message back…every call to her cell instantly goes to voice mail, and no one is picking up at her house…" He turned around to face his sibling, "Something's wrong, Mabel…I just know it…"
"Oh, relax…" Mabel waved away his worry with her tiny hand, her voice involuntarily rising in octave, "T-This is Wendy we're talking about here. She – She can take care of herself. I'm sure she'll have a good reason for being so late."
"I know, I know," Dipper admitted, "But you didn't see her today, Mabel; after that creepy teacher went after her - I – I never seen Wendy so angry before. Ever since we left that school, I just…" He turned back around and lowered his head, "…I just have this horrible feeling that I can't shake off."
She placed a supportive hand on his shoulder, "Hey, she'll be here, okay? After all, Wendy swore to us – " Mabel froze up as Dipper spun around, noticing her slip of the tongue. "You! I mean, Wendy told you that she would be back, right?!" The braced pixie let out a series of anxious laughs as she rubbed the back of her long brown hair.
"Mabel," Dipper rose to his feet, "What's going on?"
"Going on?!" Her tone grew higher, "Nothing's going on! I mean, if something's going on, why would I know? Like Wendy would tell me anything important. HA! After all, you two are the ones that are so close, am I right? So, if you don't know where Wendy is, how am I supposed to?" Mabel continued to offer fake chuckles as she backpedaled towards the upstairs exit. "I – I have to go now…and sow an adorable sweater for Waddles…" The twelve year old ran up the steps towards her shared room.
"Mabel, wait!" Dipper called out as he heard their bedroom door slam loudly. He paused in giving chase, wondering about how to best confront his twin about her questionable behavior…
"Permanent detention?" Wendy asked, "What's that? Some kind of in-school suspension deal?"
"Not quite…" Mr. Cabkin started to explain, as he went back to his constant pacing, "Tell me something, Corduroy: I want you to think about the worst students you have ever come across while at this school – children whose arrogance and crazed stunts rival or even surpasses your own. Don't you find it odd that one day, they simply vanish into thin air without a trace?"
She shrugged her shoulders, in spite of her handcuffed arms, "Hmm…I just thought they were expelled or something like that?"
Cabkin nodded his head, "Yes…something like that, or so they wished…" He looked ahead, "Like you, they all went beyond the edge of common decency, and therefore, had to be punished. You see, Corduroy, this school is infused with an energy of its very own. Therefore, when I catch one of these ruffians in a heinous act, I incarcerate them until Gravity Falls High eats away at their souls, becoming one with the school itself!"
"You…" Wendy said with a sense of doubt, "You can't be serious!"
"But I'm afraid I am." Mr. Cabkin stated. "And soon enough, you will be joining the ranks of those sentenced to permanent detention, where by day, you'll be rendered invisible to the human eye as the rest of the world passes you by. At night, you'll be endlessly tormented in an everlasting loop forever!"
The enraged ginger went to charge at the villain, only to be held back by the manacles and fetters holding her in place. "And just how do you plan to do that, huh?" Wendy challenged through gritted teeth. "I thought you said you can't touch me!"
"Ah, so you do pay attention when I talk…" The demented educator crossed his arms, "Now, that's the beautiful part; I don't even have to lift a finger. The school does all of the work for me!" He pointed at the side of his head with his index finger, "You see, Corduroy, from your very first day here, Gravity Falls High has been literally seeping into the further regions of your consciousness. The more time you spent at this place, the more it learned about your deepest and darkest secrets. It knows what makes you afraid, and moreso, what your greatest weakness is…"
"You're lying! I gotta tell you; that has to be the worst bluff I've ever – "
*BANG!*
Wendy's attention left her bragging subjugator, switching her sights to her left. A loud smashing sound echoed from within the closed supply cabinet that she had previously TP'ed.
*BANG!*
She watched as the doors rattled, the silver handles in front waggled side to side, as if something within were trying to bust out.
*BANG!*
Wendy could do nothing but gulp as she waited for whatever was held inside of the cabinet to come out and make its presence known…
Dipper tapped his knuckles against the bedroom door, opening it slightly with a groaning *CREAK!*
"Mabel…?"
His eyes instantly focused on the sweater-donning girl on her bed as she whittled away with two giant sewing needles. She paid no heed to her brother as he stepped into the room, making sure not to accidentally step on her pet pig slumbering on the floor.
"Mabel," he greeted her again, "Do you want to tell me what's going on?"
"Hmm…" she answered, "Nope! Can't think of anything happening over here…" The pre-teen went back to her knitting; a somewhat uneasy expression still locked onto her face.
"Really?" Dipper played along, knowing that growing angry might totally ruin any chance of discovering the truth. He placed a hand under his chin as he pretended to act curious, "I'm not sure I believe that…"
"A-And why's t-that?"
He pointed at the half-finished garment in her hands, "Well, that sweater you're making for Waddles now has eight arm-holes…"
Mabel looked down to see that her brother was right. In her perturbed state, she had accidentally sown a few openings to many in her latest craftwork. With an agitated "Bah!" the girl tossed down her tools and pouted.
Dipper took a step forward, "Mabel, I think that you do know where Wendy is…"
"No – no – no –no –" She turned away from her accusing sibling.
"But what I can't figure out is why you wouldn't want to tell me, especially if there's a chance that she might be in trouble…"
The guilt-minded child slightly peeked towards Dipper, "If I was to know something – and I'm not saying I do – it wouldn't be that I don't want to say anything, but that I can't…"
"I see…" Dipper lamented, "And why's that?"
"What if I was to say that a certain someone made me promise not to tell?"
Dipper's eyes widened, "Wait. You're telling me what Wendy made you promise not to say where she was going?"
She grew defensive, "You didn't hear that from me!"
"I know! I know!" The boy held his hands up in surrender, "You didn't tell me anything! I guessed!" After a moment to think, he probed further, "So, let's say if Wendy did make you swear to keep a secret, would it have been that you couldn't tell me or anyone in general?"
"Umm…" Mabel's brown eyes rolled back as she carefully thought about her options, "Just you, I guess…"
The sleuth joined Mabel on her bed, "So, if Soos was to ask you about this, you'd be able to tell him, right?"
"Yeah…"
"And what about Grunkle Stan? Wendy didn't say anything about talking to him about this?"
"Nope…"
As he thought about where to go next, Dipper's sights wandered around the room until he found his ace in the hole. He reached down and picked up Mabel's pig, placing him gently on her bedspread, "And how about Waddles?"
"My Waddles…" As usual, Mabel was instantly mesmerized by her adorable pet. She reached over and embraced the swine tightly. Within seconds, she was greatly comforted; the layers of culpability weighed down on her mind started to relent.
"And how could you keep a secret from poor ol' Waddles?"
Mabel gave a muffled answer, her mouth pressed against pink flab, "I just couldn't…"
"And if he was to ask you what Wendy's secret was, what would you tell him?"
With her eyes closed, the words slipped through her lips, "That Wendy snuck back into her school to get even with that mean-teacher-guy…" Mabel's eyes shot open as she gasped, releasing Waddles and covering her mouth with both hands.
"I KNEW IT!" Dipper threw a fist into an empty palm. "I knew something was up!" With his suspicions confirmed, he sprinted to the other side of the room and slid into his knees. He dug around with both arms, pulling a mixture of different supplies from beneath his bed.
"Dipper, wait!" Mabel set Waddles aside and hopped off her bed, "Dipper, I'm – I'm so sorry! I didn't mean – Wendy made me – " She shrunk back a bit as he quickly jammed all of his inventory into his knapsack. "Please don't be mad…"
He stood back up, spun around, and placed his hands on her shoulders, "I'm not mad at you, Mabel. I'm just worried about Wendy. I shouldn't have let her go off on her own. I knew that she was super-peeved, but I just thought that she needed to blow off some steam or something!" Dipper hoisted the backpack over his shoulder, "I admit it; I'm probably being over-protective and paranoid, but I need to make sure that Wendy's alright."
He went towards the exit as Mabel followed along, "Hang a sec! I'm going too!"
"You can't!" Dipper argued back, "I need you to stay here in case Wendy does show up. If you hear anything, I'll have my cell on me…"
Dipper raced down the stairs as Mabel heard the exit door of the Gift Shop slam shut a few seconds later. She sat down on the bed and cradled Waddles back onto her lap as she wondered about her friend's fate.
*BANG!*
The dual steel doors of the cabinet broke open with a resonating *CLANK!* Wendy squinted her eyes in an effort to try to find out what exactly had enough strength to cause such a reaction. Upon discovery, she pulled her head back in amazement, "You have to be freakin' kidding me!"
An entire row of various art supplies had come to life. Literally leaping from their individual spots on the numerous shelves, the set of stationary products landed on the linoleum flooring without making a sound. Making out a pair of paintbrushes, a grouping of long, fluffy feathers, and a hard-back scrubber amongst the mix, the redheaded lumberjack watched as the odd fellowship danced their way towards her in a similar fashion usually found in classical animation.
Mr. Cabkin looked over the overly unnatural scene with a sense of curiosity, left unsure of what fate his former student had inadvertently selected for herself.
"What is this?!" Wendy demanded, twisting her neck around to its limit as the shambling objects disappeared from her point of view. "What are you planning to do?"
The adult gave her an earnest look as he placed a hand against his chest, "I'm not doing anything!" He motioned his arm towards her, "Whatever happens from this moment on stems on what lies in that mind of yours…"
"Stop talking in riddles! I'm getting sick and tired of you – AAAAH!"
As Wendy shouted at her kidnapper, she felt something stroke against the bottom of her stocking foot, making her entire body volt in response. Her lips quivered as the sensation moved to the other leg a second later. Wendy tried again to pull her feet out of the line of fire, finding that the cuffs binding her ankles refused to offer any sort of given slack.
A series of giggles rose up in her throat as she took in what was occurring: the two sentient paintbrushes stroked themselves up and down her sensitive soles. As the motions went faster, Wendy started to lose her self-control, letting more laughter escape from her lungs.
"HAHA! Wait! No – Don't – HA! Stop! Stop it right now!"
"Hmm…" Mr. Cabkin leaned forward as he studied the occurrence, "Interesting; very interesting…I've never seen this happen before."
Wendy had to force a series of cackles back down, "W-What?"
"To think, the great Wendy Corduroy's hidden weakness is none other than the ever-so-bizarre pteronophobia."
"TEE-HEE! "P-Peter – no – what?"
"Pteronophobia," Cabkin corrected, "Or in laymen's terms, the fear of being tickled." He placed his fists on his hips, "It's ironic if you think about it, isn't it? You spent your entire life humiliating others and becoming amused at their plights, and soon enough, that same laughter will be the key to your undoing!"
She thought about the ghost's words. The memories of her younger brothers dog-piling and tickle-torturing her to no extent came rushing back. Of course, someone would grow to despise that feeling after countless attacks – even going to the point that Wendy would be on-guard anytime would approach her while she was shoeless (even someone as trust-worthy as Dipper). However, she couldn't understand how such a thing could probably steal away her soul.
"Hee-Hee! What – " Wendy suddenly had a succession of coughing jags force itself up from the pit of her throat. Much to her shock, a thin blue essence appeared before her face before evaporating into thin air.
"Ahh…it begins…"
"What begins?! What was that stuff?"
"That, Corduroy, was your very being leaving your body. The more you suffer like this, the more the school absorbs your spirit." He pointed towards the mirror near the exit, "Look for yourself!"
Wendy turned her head to see her reflection. A large, white, colorless spot resided in the middle of her forehead, amiss her now-reddened, freckled skin.
"You see?! It is only a matter of time before you become a part of this school…forever!"
"You – HAHA – You can't do this!" Wendy pulled forward, her chains scrapping against the edges of her seat as the brushes continued to torture her, "People will come looking for me! You won't be able to get away with this!"
"Let me let you in on a little secret…" Using a flick of his fingertips, another chair soared across the floor, landing perfectly in front of Wendy. Mr. Cabkin took a seat, "In "special cases" involving the worst of the worst, the parents and families always seem to put up a brave face at first, but as time passes, they begin to notice that all of the trouble that comes with raising a problem child vanishes along with the child. There are no more school conferences; no more paying for reckless behavior and destruction of property; no more late night calls asking to be released from the local police station. After a while, their lives return to a peaceful and serene state – the way that they had always imagined it to be. And once they realize this, they stop looking altogether…"
Wendy's rage propelled her, going as such to temporarily relieve her of the effects of the phantom irritation, "You lie! Even if there was a shred of truth in what you said, I can think of one person who'd never stop searching for me! Dipper would tear this place apart brick by brick…"
She instantly went quiet as Wendy comprehended the awful truth she had placed upon herself:
"…if he knew I was here…"
"Dipper?" The name resonated within the teacher as his memory went back to the small child offering to shake his hand earlier in the day. Mr. Cabkin leaned back in his chair and let out a lingering chortle, "That's your great salvation?! A tiny boy in short pants?!" He wiped his eyes clean, "Oh…Oh, Corduroy, I'll tell you – I never would have guessed you would say something like that."
Wendy remained firm in her response, "You don't know that kid like I do. You couldn't begin to imagine what he's capable of!"
"Please…" the menace stood up back, "And even if you were correct in some capacity…" He went back to his desk and picked up her cell phone, which had been vibrating on and off randomly throughout their entire conversation. Cabkin displayed the flashing message from Dipper to her, "…it is as you said: no one knows you're here…"
Left without any rebuttal, Wendy lowered her head in defeat, growing entirely hushed (save for some uncontrolled forced snickers), wishing that she could take back forcing Mabel to secrecy. Sensing ultimate victory in his grasp, Mr. Cabkin set the flip phone back down. "Not your brightest hour, was it, Corduroy? Then again, when – "
"WENDY?!"
The call came from outside of the second-story window, the nasally voice carried along on the night wind. As soon as the sound reached Wendy's ears, her head rose up at once, her emerald eyes shining with hope as she instantaneously recognized the shrilled tone.
"What?!" Mr. Cabkin rushed to the window. The same boy he had slighted before was now standing just outside of Gravity Falls High, his hands cupped over his mouth as he yelled out again.
"WENDY?! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
Dipper stopped, as he noticed Wendy's red bicycle padlocked to a nearby tree. He looked up with determination at the destination set before him.
Astonished by the mere coincidence, Mr. Cabkin looked over his shoulder to see that Wendy sat upwards with a tooth-filled grin and a renewed sense of confidence.
"…told ya…"
Annoyed by the bragging teenager, the instructor snapped his fingers as he continued to watch Dipper's actions. For a split second, Wendy no longer felt the soft bristles aggravating her delicate foot skin. The instruments had magically flipped over, instead repeatedly dragging their hard handles down from heel to toe. Wendy yelped aloud, unintentionally releasing another amount of indigo life force into the air.
Hearing the high-pitched screech from within the school, Dipper hurried onto the school's steps. He attempted to open the double door entrance, finding it securely fastened closed. Refusing to give up, Dipper jumped from the staircase and explored the lower side of Gravity Falls High, eventually finding a small window leading into the basement. While the hidden entrance would have been too small for his lanky sweetheart to use, his smaller figure would be able to use it to his advantage.
Dipper fell back onto his bottom and delivered a well-placed kick to the frame, knocking it down into the bottom floor. Taking a deep breath, he slid down into the opening, well out of Cabkin's line of sight.
"Hmm…" The man pondered, stroking his chin as he turned around to see his pupil struggling to maintain her composure. More blue vapor escaped past her bitten lips as the paintbrushes prolonged their torturous methods.
"Do you consider yourself a betting woman, Corduroy?"
"What- HAHA! – What are you grabbling about?"
"Well, call me intrigued…" Cabkin admitted, "Usually, when one of my victims says "someone will come for them," it usually turns out to be an empty threat. But this "Dipper" of yours, fascinates me. Never before has someone responded so swiftly…" The man flashed a mordant leer, "He must be such the good little lapdog, isn't he?"
"DON'T – *HEEHEE* – DON'T YOU TALK ABOUT HIM LIKE THAT!"
"Regardless," he straightened himself upwards, "I'd like to offer you a proposition…" The mounted clock struck ten o'clock, as the school's systems tolled twelve times to address the new hour. "If your friend can make it to your side by midnight, I'll release you from permanent detention. Heck, to show I'm a fair guy all around, I'll do one better: you two manage to beat the odds and win, consider this my resignation and final night at Gravity Falls High!"
"And if not?"
A dark shadow spread across his face, "Your soul will belong to GFHS…forever!"
Wendy thought about the offer, "I…really don't have a choice either way, do I?"
Mr. Cabkin shook his head, "Not really; no."
As turned his back on her, Wendy asked out of concern, "Hey, wait a second! You're not going to hurt him, are you?" The evil spirit didn't offer an answer, as he rubbed his hands in delight, preparing his own form of battle plan for the new visitor.