Tales Of The Flame & The Ax: A Shooting Star Falls Story
Part Twenty - Two: See You Through My Eyes
Mabel Elise Pines stood on the front porch of her house; her mind racing as she tried to think of how to go about revealing what she suspected had happened to her at the party the night before. "You have to go in there sometime, Mabes. I mean, we live here after all…" Pacifica said as she placed her hand on the auburn haired teen's shoulder. "Ugh… I know… I-It's just that… T-that I'm scared is all…" the fifteen year old girl said as she turned and faced her twin; her hazel eyes glazed over with tears that threatened to spill out. Pacifica took the hand of her twin and guided her to a bench that their grandfather had handmade nearly two decades ago. Sitting down, Pacifica knew that the conversation she was about to have with her sister wasn't going to be easy, but that it was necessary. "Y-you could pretend that I'm Mom. Just tell me what happened last night…" the silver haired girl suggested as she looked her sibling in the eye. "O-Okay…" Mabel said as she took a deep breath and tried to recall what had transpired the previous evening. "Mom… There's something I need to tell you…" the young woman began before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "There was no sleepover. It was a lie. We went to a party. I met a guy and things were going great. He made me a drink and I don't remember too much after that. I know we went to a bedroom upstairs. I know we were lying in a bed. I remember telling him to stop. He held my hands above my head. I-I have bruises on my thighs… The last things I remember is seeing him on the floor holding his junk in pain and then meeting up with the girls outside…" Mabel struggled to say as she broke down. Pacifica pulled her into a tight hug and ran her hand along the upper back of her sister. "You did great… I-I know that it's tough to relive that and even though you don't have the entire picture, what you can remember raises enough red flags. Mom will know what to do…" the silver haired girl reassured her sibling before pulling her into a hug.
Walking through the front door, the girls spied their mother typing away on her laptop; more than likely emailing the Stans about something. "Hey Mom…" Mabel said in a soft voice as she walked to the back of the couch. "Hey, girls. How was the sleepover?" Wendy inquired as she sent her message and closed the laptop. "Mom… We've got something to confess" Pacifica said as she took a seat beside her mother; Mabel soon following suit. "Let me guess… There wasn't a sleepover, was there?" the freckled woman said as she turned and looked her daughter in the eye. "H-How'd you know?!" Mabel asked nervously as she felt beads of nervous sweat form on her forehead. "C'mon. You two think I was born yesterday? I mean, seriously… Give me some credit. Not only was I once a police officer, but more importantly, I used to be a teenager just like you…" Wendy said as a sly smile formed on her face. She could see by the expressions on her children's faces that they hadn't expected her to beat them to the punch. "So… Let me rephrase my question. How was the party?" the thirty-six year old woman asked. "That's what I need to talk to you about…" Mabel said as her eyes began to water up. "Mabel, honey, what happened?" Wendy said as she looked more closely at the auburn haired teen's face, which appeared to be swollen on the left side. "Mom… I-I think somebody slipped something into one of my drinks last night…" Mabel said as the tears began to stream down her cheeks; washing away the makeup she had used to try and cover up the bruise that Courtney's vicious slap had caused.
Wendy Pines sat on the couch as she tried to absorb what her daughter had just revealed to her. She recalled her own bad experiences at high school parties and her mind raced as to what else Mabel had to say. "I-I was with a boy and he made me a drink… It tasted kinda off, but I drank it anyway. Then I remember feeling really light-headed" the redhead said before taking a break to collect herself. "Where were you, Pacifica?" Wendy asked. Usually the two stuck together, so she wondered why the silver haired girl hadn't noticed her sister acting odd. "I-I was… With this boy Trey…" Pacifica answered sheepishly. "Don't worry, Mom… He was taking care of her after she fell and hit her head" Mabel chimed in as she was glad the focus was off of her for a split second. "HIT YOUR HEAD?! Did you go to the hospital? You could have had a concussion!" Wendy exclaimed. "MOM! I'm fine… I-I just ran into Trey because I wasn't paying attention. It was my fault. He was a perfect gentleman and took care of me" Pacifica reassured her mother as she realized that her sister was trying to deflect the conversation away from her own troubles. "Pacifica, we'll talk about this later… Now Mabel, you said that some boy spiked your drink? Do you remember anything after that?" Wendy asked in a serious tone. "Y-Yeah… He led me to a bedroom. I-I remember lying in the bed with him. H-he was feeling me up and I didn't want him to. I-I told him to stop and tried to push him off of me… T-Then he… Then he… Put my hands above my head and slid his h-hand up my shirt..." Mabel struggled to finish before burying her face in her hands.
A stunned silence filled the room. Without even thinking about it, Wendy wrapped her distraught child up in the tightest hug she had ever given her and began to rub the upper back of Mabel. She knew that whatever words she could manage to say wouldn't be enough to console the fifteen year old girl. Pacifica took in the sight of the two redheads embracing on the sofa. It was reassuring to know that no matter what happened to the girls that their mother would always be there for them in their time of need. Hours seemed to pass as Wendy soothed her upset young woman. She was worried what else her daughter had to say, but needed to hear the whole horrific tale in order to dictate her next course of action. "I-I know it's hard, honey, but what happened next?" the alabaster skinned woman said. "I-I don't exactly remember what happened, but the next thing I know, he was on the floor grabbing his nuts and screaming. I-I might have been able to fight him off by kicking him or something… Y-YEAH! I DID! A-And then I got up from the bed, I spit on him and walked out to the deck. Then I met up with the girls…" Mabel finished as a small smile formed on her face. It was a definite relief to remember that she hadn't been fully violated, but she was still shaken by how close she had come. "Thank God…" Wendy thought to herself as a tear streamed out of the corner of her eye. "So what's next?" the teenager asked her mother.
"We need to go to the police about this. Thank God that you were able to fight him off, but I doubt you're the first girl he's tried this with. You can be the last though. We'll go downtown in a little bit and you can tell them exactly what you told me" Wendy said as she tried to recall what the proper procedure was for this sort of occurrence. She was glad that they lived in a time where such accusations weren't just written off as boys being boys. The freckled woman wished that she had been able to have been taken seriously when she came forward with similar issues in her youth. "Yeah. That sounds like a good idea. I-I think I'm gonna grab a shower before we go though… I smell like sweat and vodka…" Mabel said as she leaned in and hugged her mother. "Alright, honey" Wendy said as she watched her daughter head upstairs. Pacifica remained seated on the couch and wasn't looking forward to the conversation she was about to have with her mother. "So, you hit your head? D-Did I hear that right?" the auburn haired mother asked. "Yeah. It's a really dumb story, but the long and short of it is that I had a few drinks and went looking for the guy I've been crushing on. Look, I know it was dumb, but you know what happens once the alcohol hits your brain…" the silver and brown haired girl remarked as she hoped to tap into her mother's own nostalgia for days long gone by. "Pfft! Yeah, of course I do. Look, I can't sit here and lecture you on how it's wrong to go to house parties and make bad decisions, because I totally did that when I was your age. I-I only worry because I'm a mom now and because of things that happen at those parties; like what happened to your sister… Deep down inside, I'm still that wild teenage girl who thought she could kick the world's ass…" Wendy said as she cracked a smile that helped put her daughter at ease. To be fair, the thirty-six year old did tend to see more of herself in Pacifica, despite the fact that Mabel better resembled her physically. She often felt as though she could be more open and honest with her, perhaps because she didn't feel like she was talking to a younger version of herself.
Dipper walked through the front door to see his wife and daughter having what looked to be a fun conversation. "Hey girls, I'm back from the store… What did I miss? Catching up on all that hot gossip from the sleepover?" the chestnut haired man remarked as he walked towards the kitchen with around half a dozen shopping bags filled to the brim with groceries. "Hey Dip, can we talk for a sec?" Wendy asked her husband in a serious tone. The change in her demeanor piqued his inner curiosity and he wondered what she had to say. "Of course, honey. As soon as I put away all the cold stuff you have my undivided attention…" Dipper said as he continued to out away the food. "Mason, that can wait. I really need to talk to you now…" Wendy said as she got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen. The fact that she had used his real name turned his curiosity into concern. Even Pacifica's ears perked up at the mention of her father's legal name. "O-Okay. Paz, could you do me a favor and finish putting away the groceries?" the thirty-three year old man asked. "Yeah… I can do that" the hazel and blue eyed girl replied as she watched her parents head into another room. As she put away a pint of chocolate flavored ice cream, the young woman wondered how her mother would reveal the fact that Mabel had been given a drink laced with some sort of drug. She didn't have to wait long for the response.
"WHAT?!" Mason Pines shouted in disbelief as he tried to come to terms with what his wife had just told him. "Yeah… I'm just as upset as you are about it. I-I wanted to talk to them about it before they went to their first high school party, but it looks like I waited too long…" Wendy said in an upset tone. Having experienced something similar herself, she wanted her daughters to be better informed than she was at that age. "W-We need to go to the police about this! W-What if he had… Well, you know…" Dipper said; the fact that someone could even think of doing that to one of his daughters turning his stomach. "I already told her to do that. She's just gonna grab a quick shower and then we're going down there…" Wendy informed her husband. "Has the world always been this fucked up, Wen?" the brown haired man asked as he reached out and grabbed the petite hands of his lover. "Y-Yeah… It has. It's just that we were too trusting and naïve to see it for what it was back then…" the emerald eyed woman replied in a sullen tone.
The body of Ariel Gleeful awoke from it's slumber and looked around the rather bland room. "Ugh… I forgot that these things need rest" the spirit mumbled as it looked to see the light filtering in through a bedroom window. A knock on the bedroom door was heard and Jennifer McGuckett entered the room. "Morning, honey. I take it that you came home early from the slumber party?" she remarked while walking over to the bed. "What the hell are you talki-… Oh yeah! I mean, yeah, it wasn't for me…" the spirit replied as it tried to get it's bearings inside of its new host. "I'm sorry to hear that sweetheart" Jennifer said in a disappointed tone, as she had hoped that Ariel would have liked the chance to hang out with girls her own age. "It's alright, Mom…" the spirit replied. "Breakfast is ready if you'd like to join your father and I" the young woman informed the teen. "That sounds wonderful. I'll be there in a minute. I just need to freshen up…" the body of Ariel Gleeful said. "Of course" Jennifer remarked as she left the room. "I forgot how much work goes into all of this. Still, it'll all be worth it. Now to start the next part of my plan" the otherworldly being said as it headed off towards the bathroom to get ready for the day ahead as the disembodied Ariel could only observe.
Author's Note: Okay, so this is a shorter chapter, but I've had a lot going on lately. One thing I should point out is that I kinda walked back what happened to Mabel at the party. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like I was going to use the assault of her at the party as nothing more than a plot device. That sort of thing unfortunately happens way too much in real life and the last thing I want to do is trivialize something so traumatic. Simply put, there are other ways to convey that Mabel is strong then to have her be the survivor of date rape. Moving on, this was a very Pines heavy chapter. The next one will explore more of the Grendy and Courtney dynamic. Until then, remember… i Know Lots Of Things…
My Playlist For This Chapter:
girl in red –"bad idea!" (Reminded me of Mabel's situation with Shaun)
Beach Bunny – "Prom Queen"
Cage The Elephant – "Social Cues"
AFI – "Miss Murder" (Reminded me of the now possessed Ariel)
Muse – "Supermassive Black Hole"
Mallrat – "Charlie"
Against Me! – "Stop!"
UPSAHL – "Smile For The Camera"
Phantogram – "Into Happiness"
Crown The Empire – "BLURRY (out of place)"
Papa Roach – "Come Around"
Staind-"Now" (Reminded me of Mabel's situation)
Grouplove – "Deleter"
Foals – "The Runner"
Silversun Pickups – "Don't Know Yet" (Reminds me of how Ariel feels about the spirit inhabiting her body)
I DON'T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME –"Choke" (Reminded me of the spirit and its intentions)
Of Monsters And Men – "Wars"
White Reaper – "Might Be Right"
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – "Weapon Of Choice"
The Black Keys – "Shine A Light"
The Head And The Heart – "See You Through My Eyes" (Reminded me of how Wendy saw a younger version of herself in Mabel)
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