Chapter Text
If you were to ask her what the first red flag was, it was that the day started off well. It had been almost a month since she had arrived here, and Selene was currently working the register of the Shack while Wendy was on break. Unfortunately, there was no one in the gift shop. Tapping her fingers against the countertop, she waited for something interesting to happen. This town never disappointed, after all. In the time she’d been here, she’d seen gnomes, discovered that America had an 8½th president, and faced a Summerween monster made of candy.
After a few minutes, she heard some crashing, and decided to investigate. Walking into the house-area of the building, she made her way to the kitchen and saw Dipper trying to grab a bat that had flown in. Paling slightly, she ducked out and joined Mabel behind the wall.
“Why is there a bat in there!?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Soos said it flew in, and Stan told Dipper to get it.”
“What!? That thing could have rabies!” she exclaimed. Mabel just waved a hand.
“Quit worrying so much! Grunkle Stan would never put us in danger.”
“Mabel, do you know what happens to people exposed to rabies? A lot of shots. It hurts. I’d know.” Selene grimaced.
“What do you mean by-”
“I was a bored and unsupervised child, and I may have found a raccoon.”
“I got it- OW-” Dipper yelled from inside the kitchen.
“I knew you could get it!” Mabel exclaimed, running in. “...Did you get it, or did it get you?”
Walking in after her, Selene grimaced further. Claw marks adorned Dipper’s arms, and one large scratch was on his head.
“I’ll grab the first-aid kit. Mabel, get an adult.”
“Alright!”
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A few minutes later, Dipper was being patched up by Soos and Mabel, while Selene was advocating for a hospital trip.
“I’m fine, I made sure it didn’t bite me.”
“You’re sure? Bat bites are small-”
“I’m sure! Trust me, that was my first thought when I got in the room.” Dipper explained, before letting out a sigh. “I just don’t get why I’m always the one doing the most dangerous jobs.” The room got quiet at that, before Mabel shrugged.
“Maybe Stan trusts you more?”
“I doubt it. I kind of feel like he hates me.”
Selene quietly scoffed, but it went unnoticed. How could Dipper think he was hated? If she were in his place, she’d be happy to be acknowledged, even if the jobs themselves sucked.
“Of course he doesn’t!” Mabel exclaimed, almost like she was offended at the very thought. “He loves us!”
“He loves you, Mabel. Not me.”
“I’m going to get some fresh air.” Selene suddenly announced, before walking out the door. Once she was further away from the shack, she had to hold back a scream. She didn’t want to be jealous. She didn’t want to resent her friends, and yet every day, the feeling grew. Why did they get to be loved for doing nothing, when she did everything and was still ignored!? She heard footsteps behind her, and turned to see Mabel.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Yeah-” Selene felt her voice break, but took a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
“You’re crying…”
“I just… no, I’m fine. Don’t worry about it. Please.”
“Okay. Do you want a hug?””
“No. Please just…” she hesitated. She wanted to say ‘stop asking’, but it felt so good to know someone cared, and as selfish as it felt, she didn’t want it to end.
“How about I show you how many animal sounds I can make in 60 seconds?” Mabel suggested, grinning. Selene let out a short laugh, and nodded.
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That 60 second break turned into 10 minutes, and eventually they had to go back to work. Just as they were about to get up from laying on the grass, they heard laughing coming from the forest. Mabel groaned, and got to her feet the fastest.
“Not him…”
“Not who?”
“Ugh, I forgot you and Gideon never met.”
“Wait, your crazy ex-boyfriend Gideon? Why is he in the woods?”
“I don’t know, but let’s go tell him to get lost. Again.”
Walking into the woods, the two stopped behind a bush to take in the sight. There was some sort of ritual set up with candles in a circle around what looked like a picture frame, and a short white-haired boy chanting something in the middle.
“Is that him?” Selene whispered.
“Yeah, but what’s he doing…?” Mabel questioned aloud.
As the chanting finished, time seemed to slow. The world around them turned greyscale, and Selene was struck with the realization that this looked familiar. Too familiar. The sky above the ritual spot seemed to glow, and a bright yellow light filled the space, forcing her to look away. A voice she had heard far too many times filled the air.
“Oh, Gravity Falls, it is good to be back!”
What was he doing here? Looking around, the trees around them seemed to have eyes. How did she never notice that before? It was like they were staring at them. She was about to go and ask Bill what was happening, before watching him use magic to rip a deer’s teeth out. She felt nauseous at the sight of the blood coming from the poor animal’s mouth. The short kid spoke again, but with slight fear in his voice.
“Listen here demon! I summoned you to do a job, not show off!”
Selene stopped listening. Demon? What did that mean? Why was he calling Bill a demon? Bill wasn’t denying it. Why wasn’t he denying it!? She felt like she was about to pass out. Suddenly her eyes snapped open again, and Mabel let out a gasp, grabbing Selene by the hand and running.
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Back at the Shack, Dipper and Soos seemed to have been looking for the two of them.
“There you dudes are!” Soos exclaimed. “Woah, you look like you saw a ghost. …Wait, did you?”
“Yes, but not today!” Mabel said, panic rising in her voice. “We saw Gideon, and he summoned a demon, and he sent it to invade Stan’s mind for the safe combination!”
“Woah, slow down Mabel! What did this demon look like?” Dipper asked, pulling out the journal.
“I don’t know, a triangle?”
“Wait, that sounds familiar. Let me see… aha!” He pointed at the page, and the three others gathered around to see. “‘Beware of Bill, the most powerful and dangerous creature I’ve ever encountered. Whatever you do, do not let him into your mind.’” he read.
Everything around her became muffled after that. That journal had been accurate about everything else, and there was no reason not to trust it. After seeing what he did to that deer, she didn’t know what to believe anymore. Bill was her friend; he was nice to her. But a little voice in her head reminded her that demons were supposed to be good at trickery and manipulation. She made her mind up; she needed to confront him-
“Selene!” Dipper’s voice cut through her panicked state. “Did you hear anything we just said?”
“Uh, no, sorry. This is just freaking me out.”
“Well, I said that one of us should stay back.”
“From what?” she questioned.
Dipper sighed, frustrated. “From going into Stan’s mind. I was going to, since I really don’t care what happens to him-”
“Dipper!?” Mabel gasped, horrified. Dipper paid no attention to his sister.
“But if you’re going to keep zoning out like that, maybe you should.”
“Yeah, uh, I can. I can stay out here.”
“Alright, just make sure nothing happens to the shack. I feel like Gideon is going to try something.”
“Got it. Keep an eye on the shack.”
“Alright, are the rest of us ready?”
“Yep!”
“Ready dude.”
“Good luck…”