Tales Of The Flame & The Ax: A Shooting Star Falls Story
Part Twenty: This Action Will Have Consequences
Ariel Gleeful had lost track of time as she downed yet another drink. She liked the newfound feeling that the elixir filled her with. It was as though everything was right with the world and her head was as light as air. After hanging out on the deck for a while, she made her way poolside, where she hoped to meet up with her friends and figure out their plans for the rest of the night. Little did the white haired girl know that they had already left the party. She had struck up conversations with a few random kids, but longed to hang out with the girls who had invited her. "YEAH!" she heard a male voice call out and turned around to see a young man being congratulated by his friends. "Who knew she was so easy? M-Maybe I have a chance with her?" another boy chimed in. "Did you see what she was wearing? She was practically begging for it…" a third teenager added as Ariel tried to figure out who they were talking about. "I could have told her to jump off the roof and she probably would have done it for me…" the young man said in a very distinct accent that the fifteen year old girl couldn't quite discern. Perhaps he was Australian? A round of laughter was heard from the group as they headed off towards a group of girls.
"Your friends aren't coming… They left almost an hour ago" a familiar female voice said as Ariel was startled by its reappearance. "WHAT?! NO!? They wouldn't do something like that…" the white haired girl said with disbelief. "It's true. You didn't even cross their mind…"the disembodied tone replied. A sullen look formed on the face of the usually cheery young woman. "I-I thought tha-" the alabaster skinned teenager started to say before being cut off. "You thought wrong. They don't care about you" the voice said. "T-They don't?" Ariel asked as tears formed in her hazel eyes. "You would think that if they did, then they'd have told you that they were leaving, right?" it asked her. The young woman pondered what the disembodied voice had said. The more she thought about, the more she realized a haunting truth; it was right. "They're just the latest in a long line of people who have lied directly to your face. You poor thing… You deserve so much better than that" the voice added in a tone that conveyed pity for the teenage girl. "W-Who else has lied to me?!" Ariel asked; afraid of what the possible answer could be. "Well… Perhaps that's best left for another time. However, I do know how you can get back at those girls who ditched you…" the voice said as it began to set its plan into motion. "I-I'm not sure that I want to get back at them… In fact, I just don't want them to talk to me ever again. I'd be alright with that…" Ariel said with a sigh. She realized that it would probably feel good to get some measure of revenge on the girls for hurting her feelings, but also knew that it would be incredibly petty and mean spirited. Instead, she wanted to cut them out of her life and move on. If only it had been that simple. Perhaps, all of the ensuing unpleasantness could have been avoided. "If you let them treat you like that, you'll never get anywhere in life. People have to know that you do not disrespect Ariel Arlissa Gleeful and get away with it. That choosing to hurt you has consequences" the voice commented. What it said had made a lot of sense to the fifteen year old girl and she agreed to hear it out.
Mabel tossed and turned on the carpeted floor as she tried to shake the memories of what had transpired only a scant few hours ago. To be honest, she didn't remember a lot of it and that frightened her more than anything else. Only the aches in her body hinted that something sinister might have taken place. She wanted to do nothing more than wake her sister up and tell her what she thought had happened in the room with Shaun. At the same time, she had never felt more embarrassed and ashamed of herself in her life. She decided to hold off on telling anyone for now, because she wasn't sure about what had taken place. Instead, she continued to stare up at the ceiling while the other girls slept; rest only coming to her when her body finally forced her to close her eyes. Her mind raced as she tried to recall what had happened in the isolated bedroom only a few hours ago. It was like a movie that had large parts of it missing. She remembered having a drink with Shaun in the kitchen and following him to a bedroom. The next memory was of her lying on the bed with Shaun on top of her; the stronger boy holding her hands above her head as she pleaded with him to stop. The next recollection was that of Shaun balled up on the carpeted floor of the room as he groaned in pain. A dark hallway followed next and then the voice of her sister asking her if she was ready to leave. It was a puzzle that needed to be solved if Mabel Elise Pines was ever going to find her inner peace again.
"All I need is for you to get a book for me…" the voice said to Ariel continued to sit beside the pool. "Like, from the library?" the young woman asked in a hopeful tone. "I'm afraid not. That Pacifica Pines girl has the one that I'm after" the voice replied. "Okay… So I'll just ask her for it then?" the silver haired girl inquired. "I doubt she'd just give it to you. She's grown quite fond of it and the knowledge it contains. I'm afraid you'll have to take it" the voice said. "Oh… I-I don't know if I could do that. That'd be stealing and I'm not a thief…" the white haired fifteen year old girl replied. "It's just a book. I'm not asking you to take the shirt off her back or anything. Seriously, this is why those girls ditched you. You're just too much of a goodie-two-shoe. Besides, after you get this book for me, I'll tell you everything like I promised. You do want to know who's been lying to you, don't ya?" the voice responded as it hoped to elicit the response it wanted. "Well… yeah. I guess you're right. It's just one book" Ariel hesitantly agreed. "Hey, maybe there's still hope for you yet. Now, let's go get ourselves a bit of revenge…" it said to her as a smirk formed on the face of Ariel Gleeful.
Mason and Wendy Pines had fallen asleep on their couch as a terrible monster movie droned on in the background. What had started as the couple trying to relive their younger years by watching the Gravity Falls Bargain Movie Showcase had met the reality of the fact that they were now thirty-somethings with twin teenage daughters. Cuddled under a fluffy fleece blanket, they were unaware of the fact that their home was about to be raided by a girl and the malevolent voice that resided inside her mind. Ariel Gleeful carefully walked up to a window on the side of the home and peered into it. The flicker of the large flat screen television was the only source of light in the house and it helped the fifteen year old girl catch a glimpse of its residents. Was she really about to commit breaking and entering while the couple slept? What if they were to wake up while she was in the home? "What are you waiting for?" the voice asked as Ariel had a crisis of conscious. "N-Nothing! Just thinking of the best way to go about this is all…" the white haired girl replied in an indignant tone. Walking around the back of the home, she spied an orange ladder lying against the foundation. There were three windows to choose from, but something inside her directed her to the one on the left. She carefully picked up ladder and placed it against the two story house. Much to her relief, it didn't make much noise and she soon began to ascend it rung by rung.
As luck would have it, Ariel found that the window was unlocked and slightly ajar. Lifting it up, she straddled the windowsill and climbed inside the dark room with the stealth of a ninja. The young woman thought she was in the clear until the window decided to fall down; a loud thud reverberating through the two story home as though it were a singular bolt of lightning on an otherwise clear and calm night. Panic filled the mind of Ariel Gleeful as she froze in place. The fifteen year old could only hope that the disturbance hadn't managed to awaken the twin girls' parents and given her away. For a fleeting moment, the white haired teen thought she was in the clear and was about to resume her search when she heard faint murmurs coming from the first floor. Glancing around the dark room, she looked for any place she could take refuge if the voices drew closer. The outline of what she presumed to be a closet door seemed the best place to conceal herself if the need arose.
"Ugh…" Wendy groaned as she was stirred from her slumber by a sudden loud noise. She looked around to find the television airing an infomercial for some military grade pair of sunglasses. Although she didn't know the exact time, the thirty-something woman knew it had to be the wee hours of the morning. "Hey Dip… Did you hear that?" she asked her lover while gently waking him. "Huh? Wah? No…" the chestnut haired man replied in a groggy voice as his eyes fluttered open. "It sounded like it came from upstairs" Wendy said as she got up from the couch and walked over to the closet. "Wen, it's probably nothing…" Dipper said as he let out a yawn. "But what if it isn't?" she said while emerging from the closet with an ax. "Then shouldn't we call the cops?" Dipper said in a slightly annoyed tone as he got up from the couch. "In the time it would take for them to respond all the way out here, we could both be dead…" Wendy said in a very matter of fact way. "You check down here. I've got upstairs…" the redhead said as she twirled her ax and a bit of a smirk formed on her face. If Dipper didn't know any better, he'd have thought that his wife wanted to find and confront an intruder. "Alright then…" the father of two said with a sigh as he watched the love of his life ascend the staircase.
Wendy choked up on the wooden handle of her trusty ax as she approached Pacifica's room. Wondering if the girls had perhaps come home early from their supposed sleepover, she knocked lightly on the door. "Paz? Are you in here?" she asked. Having been met with no response, she slowly opened the door and flipped on the light switch. The mother of two let out a sigh as she took in the sight before her. Clothes were strewn all across the floor of the teenage girl's room and her bed looked as though it hadn't been made in days. Her desk was no better, as notebooks, pens, pencils and her laptop were strewn upon it; a chipped blue plate with a slice of pepperoni pizza stacked perilously on top of it all. The auburn haired woman had to think about when they family had even ate pizza last. It was over a week ago by her best guess and she assumed that this slice had been there nearly as long. "Ugh! Girl, how do you even live like this?!" she said to herself as she began to pick up the clothes from the hardwood floor. Peeking through the small crack in the closet door, Ariel's heart began to pound in her chest as she saw Wendy getting closer and closer. "I mean, it's not that hard to put your dirty clothes in the hamper, Paz…" the freckled mother grumbled to herself as she put her hand on the closet door. Ariel knew that this was it; she would be discovered and have to explain why she had snuck into their house. The fifteen year old could only hope the Pines wouldn't get the law involved, as she didn't want to have to explain to her father why she committed a felony. "Wait a damn minute… Why am I cleaning up her mess?" Wendy pondered to herself as she continued to hold the doorknob in her hand. "You know what? She can clean this pigsty up herself!" the auburn haired woman said as she threw the clothes back down on the floor and walked out of the room. Ariel let out a sigh of relief as the light flicked off and once again the room was plunged into almost total darkness. The white haired girl was now free to once again search for the book that the voice in her head told her to take.
Opening the door across the hall, she walked into Mabel's room. Flipping on the light switch, she was met with a much more pleasurable sight. The room was very neat and orderly; every single item having a place and a purpose. "See! This is what a room is supposed to look like!" Wendy said as she marveled at the cleanliness of Mabel's room. After taking a quick gander around to make sure it was safe, she moved on to next set of doors in the hallway. On the left side of the hallway resided a linen closet that Wendy wouldn't even bother investigating, as nobody would be able to fit inside of it. Across the hall on the right was the bathroom that the teenage girls shared. Once again gripping her ax, she opened the door and flipped on the light switch. It appeared to be unoccupied, but there was still one place a person could hide. Opening the door to the shower, she was relieved to find it empty. Wendy wasn't sure what had caused the noise, but she became less convinced that it had been from somebody or something trying to break into her home. Still, she would investigate the master bedroom just to make sure.
Dipper had cleared the first floor and wondered how his wife was doing upstairs. He hadn't heard any commotion, so he assumed that all was well. Walking to the fridge, he removed the gallon of milk from it and proceeded to drink directly from the carton. He knew that if Wendy were to walk into the kitchen at that exact moment, he'd never hear the end of it. "Hey Dipper! Can you come up here?" he heard his lover call from the top of the stairs. "Everything alright, Wen?" the chestnut haired man asked in a somewhat concerned tone. "I-I just wanted you to check something out…" she replied as her voice trailed off. "Yeah. I'll be right up" he said while putting the milk back in the fridge. He wondered what she could want, but was glad it didn't seem to carry the urgency that facing off with a home intruder would have. After clearing her bedroom, Wendy had a bit of a wicked idea. It had been a decent amount of time since the couple had the home to themselves for a night and while they had intended for it to lead to a romantic encounter, their bodies had betrayed them before they had the chance to act on their primal urges. Dipper arrived at the top of the stairs and noticed the light coming from their bedroom at the end of the hall. The door was barely cracked and his curiosity once again began to get the better of him. "Hey Wendy, you in there?" he asked. "Yeah… Are you coming here or what?" she replied in a lighthearted tone that had ended with a slight chuckle. He opened the door to find his wife dressed in just a green flannel button up shirt and a very familiar trucker cap. "I-I… Uh… Wow…" the thirty-three year old man stuttered as he tried to express himself. A smirk formed on the freckled face of Wendy Pines as she knew she had successfully managed to fluster her lover.
Ariel had resumed her search for the magical tome, but had little luck in locating it in the messy room. She wanted to turn on the light, but wasn't sure if the coast was clear to do so. Instead, she continued to fumble in the dark. Down the hall, things were getting heated in the master bedroom and Wendy decided to put on some music. Ariel heard the muffled tones of an old R&B song and wondered what the mother of her newly minted foe could possibly be doing. She knew the house was in a very remote part of town, so the noise likely wouldn't bother anyone despite it being the wee hours of the morning. Perhaps the auburn haired woman and her lover were dancing in their bedroom? If that were they case, Ariel reasoned that they wouldn't notice if she turned a small desk lamp on to aide in her search. The dim yellow light cut a path through the dark that while small, was at least slightly helpful. Scanning the room, she saw something on the bed catch the light just right and glimmer for a brief moment. Walking over, she saw the object that hand been described to her. By the fifteen year old girl's best estimate, the grey book had to contain almost a thousand pages. Lifting it up, she was surprised by just how heavy the tome was; seven or eight pounds she guessed. The large purple gemstone that adorned the well-worn cover seemed a little much to Ariel, but she was still captivated by the beauty of it.
"Excellent!" the voice in the white haired teens head exclaimed. "Now what? Ariel asked the spirit. "Get out of here and turn to page 618. Read the incantation and you'll never hear from me again" it replied. A sense of joy filled the fifteen year old girl, as she just wanted this whole ordeal to be over with. "What about your end of the deal?" Ariel reminded the voice. "Of course, my darling. I promise I'll tell you who is taking advantage of your kind heart by telling you such wicked falsehoods…" it replied. Opening the window once more, she made her escape down the ladder and placed it back where she had found it. The whole walk home, the young woman had thumbed through the massive book, as her curiosity had gotten the better of her. She didn't understand the vast majority of it, but knew that it held great power. After sneaking back into her house, she opened the book to page six-hundred eighteen and began to recite the Latin phrase that was written down in dark black ink. If only Ariel knew the price of deal she had made with the demon that had haunted her.
Author's Note: So, it's been a little while. Life has been nuts for me, but I never stopped thinking about this story. I want to thank my faithful readers for patiently waiting for this installment. I may post one more before the end of the year, but it depends on how things work out for me. I hope that you all enjoy! Until next time, remember… I know lots of things… -iKLOT
My Playlist For This Chapter:
Motionless In White – "Voices"
The 1975 – "People"
CHVRCHES – "Death Stranding"
Fall Out Boy – "Thnks Fr Th Mmrs"
Joywave – "Obsession" (This song made me think of how the voice is corrupting Ariel)
Himalayas - "Thank God I'm Not You"
Des Rocs – "Let Me Live/Let Me Die"
Poppy – "X"
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