Tales Of The Flame & The Ax: A Shooting Star Falls Story
Part Seventeen: How To Talk To Strangers
A week had passed since Mabel and Pacifica had buried a rotting corpse in the woods and the twin sisters were looking for any sort of distraction to take their minds off of the slightly disturbing act they had partaken in. Luckily for them, they had just received word from Courtney that one of their classmates was hosting a house party that weekend. "A party?! Count me in!" Mabel gleefully cheered as she reread the message from her cousin. Her enthusiasm was not mirrored by Pacifica. For one, she hadn't seen most of the kids from school since the last day of classes and she wondered how much they would obsess over her new look. Still, she realized that it was an opportunity to have a bit of fun and didn't want to be a buzzkill. "I guess I'll go…" the brunette and silver haired girl relented. "C'mon Paz! Don't be like that… It'll be a blast! Good music, tasty food and tons of cute boys…" Mabel pointed out. "Cute boys? You're right. Maybe it won't be so bad…" Pacifica agreed. Another text tone went off on Mabel's phone and her smile grew a little larger. "So… Get this. They have a huge pool!" the redhead said with excitement. "Nice. Tunes, food and shirtless guys… What's not to love about that?" her sister remarked while looking up from her tablet as she began to share her sister's enthusiasm for the event.
Later that afternoon, Mabel, Pacifica, Grendy and Courtney had met up at the Gravity Falls Mall to find some new looks for the party. While Mabel had quickly settled on a sky blue two piece bikini she had been looking at online, Pacifica wasn't quite sure what to get. She had wanted something a bit more conservative than her sister had chosen, but still fashionable. In the end, she decided to get a pair of short black boardshorts with bright pink accents and a matching bright pink short sleeved rashguard shirt. Grendy chose a red one piece and Courtney a green flannel patterned bikini. After leaving the store, the girls decided to grab a bite to eat at the food court. The quartet wondered who would show up to the party and what their summers had been like. Courtney was a bit apprehensive; as it would be the first time that many would find out she was in a relationship with Grendy. Her girlfriend could sense that something was troubling the ginger fifteen year old. She reached her hand across the table and took the well-manicured digits into her own. Words weren't needed, as Courtney knew exactly why her partner had done what she did. It was just one of the many reasons she had caught feelings for the slightly awkward girl. While Pacifica, Courtney and Grendy had begun discussing the latest episode of the quartet's favorite television show, Mabel was much more interested in something else on the far side of the room. "What do you think, Mabes?" Grendy asked her friend. "Huh? Sorry. What did you ask?" the confused teenager replied as her focus returned to the girls seated at the table. "I said, what do you think of Becky seeing Jim behind Kevin's back? Wasn't that such a shock?!" the soft spoken girl reiterated. "Yeah. Totally…" Mabel replied in a completely disinterested tone. "What's up, sis?" Pacifica asked while turning her attention to what her twin sibling was looking at. She saw a girl sitting alone at a table on the other side of the food court and immediately recognized her as Ariel. "She just looks so lonely. It must be tough being new in town…" the redhead stated. "Well then… Let's go see if she wants some company" the dual hue locked teenager said as she rose from her seat. The three other girls got up as well and followed Pacifica to the other side of the room.
Ariel Gleeful had gone to the mall to find a new pair of sneakers, as the shoes she was wearing weren't the most comfortable on her feet. It was almost as if someone who had no idea how it was to be a woman had chosen the footwear for her. She had worked up quite the appetite walking around the two story shopping center and decided to grab a bite to eat. It was nice to be on her own for once, as it felt as though her younger brother was akin to her shadow most of the time. The white haired teenager had just finished her California rolls when a foursome of fellow girls took a seat at her table. "Hi! Ariel, right?" Pacifica asked as she looked into the sapphire eyes of the young woman. "Yeah. Y-You're those girls from the laser tag place, aren't you?" Ariel replied. "We sure are. So, how do you like Gravity Falls so far?" Mabel inquired. "It's alright, I guess. Still getting used to the place, you know?" the somewhat shy girl answered. "Well… I think we can help out with that. Wanna go to a party this Saturday? Most of the kids from school will be there" Courtney asked. "Oh gosh… I-I don't think father would approve of me going to a party" the white haired girl replied. "Just tell him that you're coming over to my place for a sleepover with us girls… What he doesn't know won't hurt him. Right?" the green eyed girl suggested while placing her hand on the shoulder of the unsure teen. "I'm not sure that I could ever deceive my father like that. It doesn't seem right… But, I do want to get to meet new people and have some fun…" Ariel thought aloud. "Exactly. It's just a harmless white lie. I tell 'em to my folks all the time. Trust me, you're gonna regret it if you skip this party. It's gonna be all that everyone is talking about when we go back to school in the fall…" Courtney added. "Yeah… It'll be fun! You'll get to know everyone before the school year starts!" Grendy said as she tried to win the girl over. "It's up to you. If you don't wanna go, then that's alright. We just figured that we'd ask since you're new and all…" Mabel chimed in.
The white maned young woman shifted in her seat a bit as she internally debated whether to attend the party or not. On the one hand, the girls were right that it would help her make friends and get to know everyone before the school year started. On the other hand, she knew that her father hated people who lied to him and worried that he could find out. She shuddered to think of what he could do if that happened. "Cmon… You know you know you wanna" a voice in her head said. Ariel had never heard it before and wondered where it had come from. In the end, she decided that the risk was worth it and that she'd go have a good time at the party. "Guys… I think I will take you up on your offer" the well-spoken fifteen year old finally replied. "Cool! We are gonna have so much fun!" Mabel exclaimed while wrapping her arms around the torso of the seated girl. "Oh… One more thing, Ariel. It's a pool party, so don't forget to wear a swimsuit!" Courtney added. After exchanging contact info with Ariel, the girls headed back to their table. "A pool party? What the heck have I gotten myself into?!" Ariel thought to herself as she got up from the table and headed off in search of not only a pair of sneakers, but now a new swimsuit as well. She thought about how to explain the additional purchase to her parents, but decided to take a page out of Courtney Corduroy's playbook by tell a small fib about how she wanted to go the lake. She figured that since she hardly ever lied to her parents that they wouldn't think twice about her explanation, as it was perfectly rational. Part of the repressed young woman was excited to attend an unsupervised get together, as it would allow her to discover just who she was as a person. She felt almost as if she had been programmed to act a certain way and was determined to prove those thoughts wrong. The voice in her head agreed.
"Do you really think she'll show up?" Grendy asked her girlfriend. "For her sake, I sure as hell hope so" the redhead remarked while continuing to play a game on her phone. "What do you mean by that?" Mabel inquired. "I've seen her type before; a miss goody two-shoes who hasn't lived a day in her life because she doesn't wanna upset her parents. The most exciting thing she's probably experienced this summer was a few extra raisins in her bran one morning. She needs this. Trust me" Courtney explained to her friends. Courtney spoke from experience on the matter, for she had once been just like Ariel. She often wondered what she had missed out on by constantly trying to be everything her parents wanted her to be, but decided a few years prior to make up for lost time. Sure, the other girls in her grade saw her as a bit of a bad influence who made some pretty poor choices on occasion, but Courtney couldn't care less what they thought about her because she was too busy having fun. "My parents did mention something about her father being a bit of a weird person, but who in this town isn't?" Mabel said. "Not me. Not one bit. As normal as you can be…" Pacifica joked, which elicited a round of laughter from the group. She had learned to own the fact that she was unlike anyone else in town. Whether it be her prosthetic arm or now her change in the color of her hair and eyes, she knew that as long as she was happy with herself, then it really didn't matter what others thought about her. Sure, she was a bit apprehensive of what the kids from school would say at the party, but she was determined to not let it dictate how her night would go. For all she knew, it could be a huge hit with them, so why obsess and worry about something that might not even be an issue in the first place.
The night of the party had arrived and the girls had carefully crafted their alibi's for the evening. It was decided that they would all say they were spending the night at Ariel's, in an attempt to make friends with the newcomer. As predicted, their parents didn't think twice about it. Ariel, on the other hand, had been thoroughly interrogated about why she was spending the night at a strangers house by her father; having stated that Courtney had invited her to join her friends for a sleepover at her place. Jennifer, along with the prompts that the voice in her head had given her were able to help the white haired girl win over the legislator in the end. All packed up, she headed out to the address that Courtney had texted her earlier in the day. It was about three miles away from the Gleeful home, which was a short bike ride for the fifteen year old girl. Turning onto the street just as the sun had set, she heard the loud music coming from the large house at the end of it. She wondered if she should continue heading towards it, but pushed her doubts aside and arrived at the unassuming three story home. Cars were parked outside along the curb and a few teenagers loitered in the front yard, where some beer cans already decorated the well-manicured lawn. She had chosen a simple outfit of jeans and a plain pink t-shirt; her swimsuit concealed underneath. Ariel's phone buzzed in her rear pocket and she removed it to see a message from Courtney Corduroy. "U here yet? We're out back on the deck" the text read. Her fingers soon began to type a reply to her new friend. "Yeah. Just got here. See you in minute" it stated. As the white haired girl made her way through the throng of hormonal teenagers, she wondered what the night held for her.
True to her word, Courtney was out on the wooden deck that overlooked the pool below. Joining her were Grendy, Mabel and Pacifica, who were all taking in the people around them. "Sorry I'm a little late… It took some convincing by my mother and me to get father to allow me to leave the house" the fifteen year old girl explained. "It's cool" Courtney replied. "Okay, so now that you're here, I suggest we go get some refreshments…" Pacifica said. "Yeah, that does sound good" Ariel agreed; having worked up quite the thirst on her bike ride over to the party. A few moments later, the quintet stood in the kitchen. Mabel and Pacifica decided to have a Black Cherry flavored Pearl Talon from the fridge, while Courtney poured equal parts vodka and lemon-lime soda into a plastic cup. Grendy followed her crush's lead and made herself the same concoction, save for the fact that it consisted more of soda then the clear liquor. "Uh… Guys… I've… I mean…" Ariel began to stutter as she thought about how to explain that she had never consumed a drop of alcohol before. "Let me guess… First time with booze? You sweet child of summer… You're absolutely adorable!" Courtney remarked before taking a big gulp of her drink. "Yeah. I know… I'm a total loser, aren't I?" the white haired teen replied in a sullen tone. "Nah. From what little you've said, it seems like your family is pretty strict. Doesn't surprise me in the least. The good thing is…" Courtney paused while taking another big swig of her drink. "We can totally fix that for ya…" the ginger fifteen year old finished. A smile grew on her face while the gears began to turn in her head as to how she could break the meek Ariel from her shell.
"Okay… So what we're gonna do here is a little taste test for you…" Courtney said as she lined up a few plastic shot glasses on the countertop. She first grabbed a bottle of vodka and poured a small amount into the container. Next was some spiced rum, followed by whiskey and gin. The auburn haired fifteen year old then grabbed the beer that Pacifica had been drinking from her cousin's hand and poured a little into the final shot glass. Looking at the lineup of shot glasses, the apprehension grew inside of Ariel. "It'll be fun. You want to fit in, don't you?" the voice in the white maned teenager's head added. Pushing aside her worries, she picked up the first shot glass and placed it to her light pink lips. Closing her eyes, she tipped the cup back and swallowed its contents. The burning sensation soon hit her taste buds and she scrunched up her face. "What do you think?" asked a curious Grendy. "It tastes like watered down nail polish remover!" the white haired girl remarked as she desperately reached for a cup of lemon-lime soda Courtney had also poured for her as a chaser. Her description caused the girls to break out in laughter. "Maybe you'll like the next one better?" Mabel chimed in before taking another sip of her hard seltzer. Deciding that it was better just to power through and get it over with as quickly as she could, Ariel reached for the second shot glass that contained an amber colored liquid. She held the cup up to her lips and hoped to herself that this one would be a little more pleasant tasting than the previous one. Swallowing it, she once again felt the burning feeling in her mouth and throat, but also tasted caramel and cinnamon. "That was a little bit better…" Ariel commented before taking another large gulp of the cola to clear her taste buds. Next up was the whiskey, which she described as tasting like furniture polish. The gin reminded her of the vodka, except that she sensed a hint of floral taste in it. The glass with hard seltzer in it was the end of the gauntlet and the young woman had already begun to feel the effects of alcohol she had previously consumed. Her head felt a bit lighter and her alabaster skin began to take on a warm, red hue. "She's feelin' it…" Courtney said with a chuckle as she watched their new friend quickly down the clear, fizzy drink. Much to Ariel's surprise, she liked it the best, as it reminded her of a sparkling water she was fond of.
Opting to go with a rum and cola, Ariel and the girls returned to the deck, where they watched a few kids jump into the pool. Pacifica immediately noticed her sister checking out a teenage boy on the diving board. "Like what you see?" the silver and brown haired girl asked. "Oh yeah… Mama want…" Mabel replied with a look of lust in her hazel eyes. "Then what are you waiting for? Go up and talk to him before some other chick gets his attention" Pacifica said as she tried to encourage her twin to act upon her feelings. The auburn haired girl knew her sister was right. Placing her drink on the wooden railing of the deck, she pulled her tank top over her head and revealed her bikini top. A moment later, she unfastened her denim shorts and let them fall to the deck below. Although she had chosen a fairly common bikini style, Mabel began to wonder if it revealed too much of her body. Grendy could sense the uncertain feeling her friend was wrestling with and decided to give her a bit of an ego boost. "Wow! That suit looks even better on you then it did in the mall!" the gangly girl remarked. "Y-You really think so?" a somewhat shocked Mabel replied. "Totally. It's super cute on you" the usually reserved girl continued. The rest of the girls agreed as they too began to remove the clothes that covered up their swimsuits. "Well… Here goes nothing…" Mabel said before picking up her half full can of hard seltzer and chugging it. "You got this, sis!" Pacifica said as she watched the bikini clad girl head down to the pool area.
Full of alcohol and confidence, Mabel Pines made her way down to the pool, where the boy she had become enamored with had just begun to dry off. "Hey, Shaun!" she cheerily shouted to him. Her sudden appearance startled the young man and he nearly fell backwards over the lounge chair he had set up. "OHMYGOSH! I'm SO sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" Mabel quickly apologized to him. Although he had almost hurt himself, Shaun saw the humor in it and chuckled as he shot the girl a friendly smile. "Ja, Nee… I'm fine. I just wasn't expecting you was all…" the sandy haired boy replied as he continued to dry himself with a tan beach towel. She knew he had grown up in South Africa and his accent did nothing to curb her attraction to the second striker of the GFHS soccer team. "I sure hope this jol picks up a bit though. Bit of a sleeper so far, huh?" he asked the attractive girl from his math class. "I know, right? Maybe when the sun goes down things will pick up…" Mabel commented. "Hopefully. They said this was gonna be the most kiff party of the summer. I skipped a family holiday to New York for crying out loud…" Shaun said. "Wanna go grab a drink?" the auburn haired girl asked in a hopeful tone. "Sure. Just let me grab my plakkies!" he replied. Although she had no idea what those were, she was happy that he had agreed to hang out with her. Shaun couldn't help but take a long look at the girl who had approached him. He had always liked the outgoing girl, but thought she was out of his league. Now, he was about to go grab a drink with the attractive ginger girl. Shaun tried his best to hide his feelings as the pair set off towards the stairs.
Pacifica watched as her sister and Shaun walked past. She was glad that she could help her sister out, but now turned her focus to finding a guy for herself. She had made a vow to herself that this would be the summer she would learn what true love felt like. Now all she had to do was find a boy who could overlook her odd appearance and see her for who she was on the inside. Taking off her light grey sweatpants, she made her way down towards the pool, where a teenage girl with dark black hair had begun to play some pop music from her DJ booth. Pacifica had met her in passing a couple times throughout the schoolyear and tried to remember her name. She thought it may be Ingrid or Isla, but wasn't one hundred percent sure. The young woman made her way to the back of the crowd that had formed in front of the cabana and recognized a girl from her science class. "Hey Adrienne!" she greeted the mocha skinned teen. "Oh! Hey Pacifica! Love what you've done with your hair!" she shouted over the loud music. "Thanks! Hey… Have you seen Trey anywhere?" she asked the shorter girl. Although they rarely talked, Adrienne knew that she harbored a huge crush on the blonde boy. Trey usually kept to himself and didn't really stand out from the crowd, so she wondered what the girl with the dual hued mane saw in him. "Nah, I haven't. I was talking to Ashley earlier though and she mentioned that she had seen him with his friends…" the teen said in a softer tone as the tracks transitioned. "Okay. Thanks anyway!" Pacifica shouted as the hard hitting beats of an EDM song now began to blare over the speakers. She was determined to find him before the night was out and admit her feelings once and for all. She took a swig out of her silver beer can as the sun fell behind the trees on a summer evening in Gravity Falls, Oregon.
Author's Note: Okay, so as many of you know by now, I completely blew up this story. I wasn't happy with where it had gone and decided to take the bold step of rebooting it. I have decided to let some characters play bigger roles this time around and also to dial back the darker tones a bit, as they started to not really fit in with my previous stories. For long term readers, don't worry though. It will still be rough and gritty, but embrace a bit more of what made Gravity Falls what it was. The Magic Killers will still be the big baddies in all of this, but their motivations have totally changed from the first go around. Now that I've done some housekeeping, let's get on with my usual notes section. What is up with the voice that Ariel is hearing in her head? Will she always take its council or will she resist the urge to give in to her deeper desires? How will Grendy and Courtney be received at the party? Will any of our heroes make a mistake that could wind up changing the course of their lives forever? Stay tuned for the next installment of Tales Of The Flame & The Ax: A Shooting Star Falls Story!
My Playlist For This Chapter:
The Black Keys – "Go" (If this were a screenplay for a show, I'd use this song throughout this chapter as it captures the vibe of the party)
The Heavy – "Miss California"
Godsmack – "Under Your Scars"
Beck – "Gamma Ray"
Beck – "E-Pro"
Oliver Tree – "Miracle Man"
Morgxn – "A New Way"
Death Cab For Cutie – "Crooked Teeth"
Run River North – "Wake Up"
Cold War Kids – "Complainer"
Twin XL – "Good"
Demi Lovato – "Cool For The Summer"
Absofacto – "Dissolve"
BONES UK – "Pretty Waste" (The song I picture playing as the friends dance in the living room)
Katy Perry – "Never Really Over"
Kelsea Ballerini – "Miss Me More"
Kygo / Whitney Houston – "Higher Love"
Galantis & Yellow Claw – "We Can Get High"
The Official Shooting Star Falls AU Reading Order:
P1). Underage Discoveries On A Reckless Night: A Shooting Star Falls Prequel
1). A Shooting Star Falls
2). Echoes Of A Nearby Future: A Shooting Star Falls Story
3). Scarred Summer: A Shooting Star Falls Story
4). The Dark Days Of Candy Chiu: A Shooting Star Falls Story
5). Forever Memories: A Shooting Star Falls Story
6). Stable Times Or A Wild Ride?: A Shooting Star Falls Story
7). Grenda's Confession: A Shooting Star Falls Story
8). Birthday Weirdness In The Rose City: A Shooting Star Falls Story
9). The Gift Of Forever: A Shooting Star Falls Story
10). Life In Transit: A Shooting Star Falls Story
11). The Moment: A Shooting Star Falls Story
12). Tales Of The Flame & The Ax: A Shooting Star Falls Story