Tales Of The Flame & The Ax: A Shooting Star Falls Story
Part Fifty-Seven: Coming Of Age
Dipper and Wendy had been sitting on the hood of their sport utility vehicle for around fifteen minutes when they first spotted the bright landing lights of the aircraft. The sound of chirping crickets on the unseasonably cool late August night was soon drowned out by the roar of the planes' engines as it approached the runway. The couple watched as it landed smoothly, taxied off the tarmac, and came to a halt right in front of them. First to depart was Julianne, who rolled out the black carpet emblazoned with Lyle's trademark orange number 57. She was soon followed by Gunther, who stood by the end of the staircase. A smile formed on Wendy's face as she saw Pacifica and Mabel exit and descend to the tarmac below. The girls thanked both the pilot and flight attendant before sprinting over to their parents.
"Girls!" Wendy exclaimed as they wrapped both her and Dipper up in tight hugs. "Missed you, kiddos..." Dipper said as he embraced his daughters. While the family reunited, the Karson's departed the aircraft and walked over. "Thanks for taking such good care of the girls this week. It sounds like they had an absolute blast out there" their father said as he extended his hand to the world-famous race car driver. "Our pleasure. Having them with us was a real treat and they reminded us that you have to just stop and take it all in occasionally. I mean, our lives are far from normal, but we forget that sometimes." the much shorter man said as he shook Dipper's hand. "I hope they weren't too much of a handful..." Wendy said to Caitlynn. "Not at all. It was nice to have some more female energy around, even if it was just for a little while..." she said with a chuckle. They took a few photos to remember their time together as the aircraft was refueled for the journey back east. "One more thing, girls..." Lyle said as he removed a pair of rectangular plastic cards from his pocket and handed them to the twins. "Woah! Awesome!" Pacifica shouted as she examined it further. "You mean we passed?!" Mabel asked with disbelief in her voice. "Yeah. I already signed the paperwork and faxed it to the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles. You two are official." he said with a smile before being wrapped up in a hug from the teens. "Just remember to be safe out there..." he remarked in a caring tone.
Soon, the Karson family reboarded the aircraft and the Pines family watched as it roared down the runway before climbing into the night sky. "It still doesn't feel real..." Pacifica commented as she opened the door to the family vehicle. "Yeah... It's all just like some kind of dream." Mabel said in a somewhat sullen tone. Wendy immediately picked up on the vibe and knew something was off with the auburn haired fifteen-year-old. "Everything alright there, Mabey-baby?" she asked from the front passenger seat. "Yeah. I think I'm just tired..." the auburn-haired girl lied. "She's got a broken heart..." Pacifica chimed in before being punched in the arm by her twin. "Mabel, honey... Is this true?" Wendy inquired with a concerned tone. "Mom! It's nothing. Really..." she retorted. "It obviously is if it's making you upset. Spill, girl..." the thirty-six-year-old woman replied. "She and Logan Karson had a thing. They both were really into each other, but he broke up with her on the flight back..." Pacifica interjected, which earned another punch to her upper arm. "Next time it's your face, bitch..." Mabel said through clenched teeth as her sister rubbed her sore arm. "Oh... I see..." Wendy remarked with a sigh as she tried to think of what to say. It had been a long time since she had felt those sorts of feelings herself and didn't want to get her teenage daughter even more upset.
"I don't know... Maybe he was right. I mean, it was stupid to think that we could be together after only knowing each other for a week. Throwing in the fact that we live in different countries on opposite sides of the continent... I totally see where he was coming from. God, I'm such a fucking idiot... I'm always doing this with guys! I get the slightest bit of attention and fall head over heels with them..." the ginger fifteen-year-old said as she had an epiphany of sorts while burying her face in her hands. "Yeah, maybe he was, but it still hurts..." Wendy commented. "It's just that he treated me like I mattered. That I was special. That I made his heart skip a beat. That's all I really want from a guy... I thought I had found that person..." Mabel continued as she was on the verge of tears. "Where have I heard that one before? You're a very special young woman and you will absolutely make someone feel that way someday. I'm sure of it. Until then, you should just try to have fun and love yourself... That's the lesson your aunt learned our first summer here. She thought she'd find some kind of epic summer romance yet was let down time after time. In the end, she realized that if it happens it happens and until then she should love who she was." Dipper commented from the driver's seat. Wendy smiled as her lover tried to cheer up their daughter. He often had really good advice and this time was no exception. She almost wished he had been around earlier in her life to give it to her, as it would have prevented a lot of poor choices on her part. "Yeah. Okay. Maybe I'll do that..." Mabel said as they started to see familiar sights on the ride home.
The Pines pulled into their driveway shortly before midnight and after bringing in the girls' luggage, decided to call it a night, as the first day of school started later in the morning. Mabel and Pacifica stood across the hall from one another in the doorways of their bedrooms. "Paz... I'm sorry about punching you before..." Mabel apologized. "It's fine. I kinda deserved it..." the brunette said with a small smile as she rubbed her still sore arm. "Maybe... But it was good to talk about it and get it all out. That wouldn't have happened if you didn't speak up, so thank you" Mabel said as she hugged her. "Anytime, sis..." Pacifica replied while returning the embrace. They both wished each other goodnight and went to bed. Mabel set her alarm for six in the morning, while Pacifica set hers for seven. As they drifted off to sleep, the girls thought about what a wild summer it had been. Wendy and Dipper had settled in for the night as well. "It sure is good to have them back..." Wendy remarked. "Yeah. I mean, it was nice to have a little bit of a break from them, but it just didn't feel right." her husband agreed. "I just want them to have a normal life from here on out. No more dream demons, or ghosts, or cryptids or anything else like that." she said. "Are any of those really all that scarier than high school?" Dipper said with a chuckle. "Fair enough... But you know what I mean..." the thirty-six-year-old woman retorted.
Morning came early and as Mabel's alarm broke the silence of her room, she began to stir under the sheets. The teen girl was equal parts groggy, nervous and excited as she began to get her day started. Across the hallway, Pacifica still lay fast asleep, and her snores could be heard by her sibling. "That girl is a hot mess..." Mabel mused to herself as she made her way to the bathroom to grab a shower. Meanwhile, Wendy had woken up as well and began her morning routine, which included shaking her lover from his slumber. "Ugh... Five more minutes..." he pleaded. "Sorry dude... Summer's over" she replied. "I don't suppose I could shower with you?" he asked in a hopeful tone. "Dude, really?!" Wendy asked with disbelief. "C'mon... You know you wanna..." her husband said with a sly smirk. Wendy thought about it for a second before relenting, as she could think of worse ways to start her day. "Fine, but we can't take forever..." the ginger woman said with a sigh. Dipper soon shed his sleep pants and shirt before joining her in the bathroom.
After showering, Mabel returned to her bedroom and got dressed. She heard her mother rush past and looked at her clock to see that it was already almost seven in the morning. "Mom's never late... Guess she overslept" she thought to herself as she applied some light makeup. Glancing into her full-length mirror, she was happy with her appearance as the sound of Pacifica's alarm going off from across the hall shook her from her thoughts. A loud thud was heard from her room, followed by some muffled cursing. After rushing to get showered and dressed, Pacifica joined Dipper and Mabel at the breakfast table, where the girls talked about what they expected from the first day of the school year. "Well, we better head out..." Dipper said as he looked down at his watch. "Um... Who's driving? Me or her?" Pacifica asked her dad. "How about we settle it with a coin flip. The winner drives to school in the morning and the loser drives on the way home. Fair enough?" he asked his daughters. They both agreed and after the flip it was decided that Pacifica would be first. They set off for Gravity Falls High School with an equal mixture of anticipation and uncertainty as a new school year began.
Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter, but life as usual has been hectic to say the least. I plan on finishing up Tales Of The Flame & The Axe this spring or early summer with the next and final chapter. That timeline is tentative, of course. From there on out, I may end up doing some one-shot or short stories in this universe, but they'll be more slice of life in nature. The Pines family is finally reunited after a wild week apart. What awaits them as a new school year begins for the Pines sisters, Dipper's show starts to enter production and Wendy prepares the park for the slow season?
My Playlist:
Foster The People - "Coming Of Age
Two Door Cinema Club - "Sure Enough"
Sum 41 - "Landmines"
BoyWiithUke - "Migrane"
All Time Low - "Calm Down"
Galantis / Steve Aoki - "Hungry Heart (Steve Aoki Bedroom Remix)"
CHVRCHES / Robert Smith - "How Not To Drown"