Dipper and Mabel were going back to Gravity Falls. After begging their parents, they decided that now
15-year-old Dipper and Mabel could move in with their two Grunkles. Ford would provide them with education, and Stan would provide fun and a place for them to live. As they were driving along the old country road, they were more excited than ever. Would their friends and family recognize them? Only one way to find out. As they watched the September sunset, they arrived at the old yet comforting Mystery Shack.
Dipper awoke at 10 am. It had been months since he and Mabel had arrived, and summer break had started, at last. He didn't even bother getting dressed, instead, he just walked down the stairs in his pajamas and found that everyone else was awake and actively eating their breakfast. (Except for Stan, who was probably still upstairs) Mabel noticed him immediately.
"Bro-bro, you good?"
"Yep. Just tired. As usual."
"Maybe it's because you were up all night thinking about someone?"
"No. Not this again. Mabel, for the last time, there is nothing there."
Mabel had been badgering him all summer about Pacifica. He knew that they were just friends. But Mabel had him listen to Teen Love and Friday Nights for HOURS, and he couldn't stand it. "It's your guys' song!" She would always say, unable to control her excitement. All. The. Time. It was pretty annoying, if you asked him. But he couldn't help wondering. Nope, there was nothing there. Nada. Cero. Absolutely nothing.
"Well, I bet that you have the brain capacity to figure out who I invited over. Since Candy and Grenda are still out of town, they can't come over for my first sleepover of the summer."
"Great-uncle Ford, aren't you going to do something?"
"No, I think that you should just deal with it."
Was he laughing? He couldn't figure it out because he heard a gruff voice coming from the stairs, followed by heavy footsteps.
"I was awoken by the sound of mockery. Where is the object of ridicule?"
"Dipper has a crush!" Mabel said in a sing-song voice.
"Woah, did you just get a sunburn, or are my cataracts just acting up again? Ha ha!" Stan and Mabel continued to laugh as Dipper shamefully walked upstairs.
The entire time before Pacifica got there, Mabel continued to make fun of him. He just couldn't stand it. Then, the doorbell rang. His savior or his doom? His doom. Mabel gave him a look that told him everything I'm going to tell her she seemed to say, even though she never spoke, and her mouth only displayed a smirk. After a brief moment, they both took off running, and they both got to the door at the same time. As Mabel opened the door, he was met with Pacifica Northwest.
Mabel was excited as if she hadn't talked about Pacifica all summer.
"Hey, girl! How's it going?"
"Good, I guess."
Her response caught him off guard, not by what she said, but by what her voice sounded like. It sounded the exact opposite of what it did 3 years ago. He couldn't quite place it, but she was more mature and less, well, Pacifica. She and Mabel headed upstairs, and Dipper was banned from the room as usual. So he went outside. That's when he noticed something. Why was it so quiet?
The birds! There were no birds! Think, what happens when there are no birds? He went back inside. Waddles, despite his old age and being held hostage by Mabel, was able to be heard from wasn't normal; despite everything, this wasn't normal. Wait- no, it couldn't be! He rushed inside to warn them, they needed to get out! But just as he was reaching for the door, he was knocked back flat on his face on the porch by an uncontrollable force coming from beneath.
Dipper managed to grab the doorknob and try to run up the stairs. All he heard were objects falling and screaming coming from all directions as the earthquake went on. Where's Mabel? Is she ok? And Pacifica, what about her? He was dodging falling books and other objects as he tried to get to the bedroom where the girls were.
He found them attempting to get to the door, but they were both barely able to stand due to the shaking.
"Mabel! We need to get out of here!"
"Ok! How?"
"Just run!"
But then, silence. Absolute silence. The shaking had they safe? Was it finally over? The three of them started to walk towards the door, scared of what they'd see once they got outside. That's when Dipper heard someone yell at him.
"Dipper, look out!"
A beam had come loose from the ceiling, drove, and was heading straight for Dipper's head.
Before Dipper knew what was happening, he felt two small yet strong hands push him backward. His sister, Mabel, pushed him out of the way just as the beam came crashing down. It hit the floor a split second after Mabel saved him. And the beam had come down between them both with a thundering Crash! This caused Mabel to go flying into the hallway, and as if her hitting the wall outside the door was a trigger of some sort, the shaking started again, but it was less powerful. Aftershocks
He didn't know what to. Would this ever end? Would they survive?
After what seemed like forever, the aftershocks were over. Both Dipper and Pacifica began looking around for a way out. There was debris everywhere; the beam that had come loose had created a hole in the floor around 3 feet in diameter. This caused Dipper to come out of his shock and realize the extent of everything that happened. Mabel had gotten hurt trying to save him. Could she have done it just from adrenalin? Did she know that she could've died? Dipper had no time to think due to the sound of the floorboards breaking, followed by a high-pitched scream that shattered his soul.
Dipper sprinted toward the source of the terrifying sound, his heart pounding in his chest. As he reached the living room, his eyes widened in shock at the sight before him. Pacifica was sprawled on the worn wooden floorboards, her fingers desperately clawing at the edges as the tremors from the earthquake had weakened the structure beneath her. It felt like the very foundation of the Shack was crumbling away, and she clung to the floor for dear life, her blonde hair cascading around her face in disarray. Sunlight streamed through the cracks in the walls, highlighting the dust swirling in the air, and Dipper could see the faint outlines of splintered wood threatening to give way. Time seemed to stand still as he rushed to her side, adrenaline surging through him, ready to pull her back to safety.
It was a straightforward task to pull her from the depths, but then her leg snagged on a jagged shard of splintered wood, the rough edges catching her in a tight grip as she fought to break free. He managed to pull her from the depths, and they both toppled backward, her falling softly onto him. Trying to ease the awkwardness of the moment, he gently pushed her aside. It was then that he noticed the dark stain spreading across the wooden floorboards—blood.