Gravity Falls: Illuminatus

Chapter 1: Death

Wendy Corduroy sang happily to herself as she drove to the Mystery Shack, ready to start a new day of work. It had been one year since she graduated high school, and many of her friends were moving on to college. Now that the Stans were travelling the world, Soos had hired her on full time to help him and Melody at the Mystery Shack, which had gone through major renovations to help keep the new inflow of customers, both from in and out of state.

Since Weirdmageddon, Gravity Falls had become a major tourist destination, with the Mystery Shack being at the heart of its appeal. The increased tourist money allowed for the town to expand and prosper in ways they never would have been able to before. The Stans became virtual millionaires overnight, and Soos, Melody and Wendy enjoyed a hefty salary to keep the place running smoothly. Though she eventually wanted to start college, she had a pretty good thing going with the Shack and wasn't in a hurry to move on.

She was in a particularly good mood today, as tomorrow was the first day of summer. Dipper and Mabel would soon be coming to visit again. They had been visiting the Shack every summer, and exciting supernatural adventures continued to follow them with each visit. It was a time that Wendy looked forward to every year, and she could hardly wait to see them again.

Wendy entered the Mystery Shack, ten minutes before her shift started. She used to not care about getting into work early, let alone work at all, but over the past few years, she found herself growing more into a more serious and studious person. She still enjoyed having fun, but her adventures with Dipper and Mabel caused her to expand her study of the supernatural. She often joked with Soos about how Dipper's personality was rubbing off on her. Maybe it was. She was keeping a journal of her own now, documenting all the things she had been learning about, and sharing it with Dipper every time he came to visit. Since she began working at the Shack full time, she began to branch out in an effort to find more exhibits to display for the tourists. She could hardly wait to show him the things she had found this year.

The Shack was quiet today. Usually Soos and Melody were making last-minute preparations before showtime, but neither of them were anywhere to be seen. She began to search the grounds for them before finally finding them in the living room. Soos was only half-dressed, wearing only a white shirt and black pants, his coat, fez and eyepatch discarded on the floor.

"Hey guys," said Wendy. "What's up, it's almost -" She stopped dead when Soos and Melody looked at her. They appeared to both be crying. Soos immediately stood and hugged Wendy, his sobbing continued.

"What's going on?" Said Wendy, alarmed.

"Oh, dude," Said Soos between sobs. "It can't be true."

"What?" Asked Wendy. "What can't be true?"

"Wendy, I think you need to sit down," said Melody. Wendy complied, waiting for an explanation. Melody simply took out her smartphone and gave it to her. It was open on a news article, and when Wendy read the title, she jumped up in shock.

Four dead in house fire - Piedmont, California.

"No," Said Wendy quietly, her hands trembling. "You can't be serious."

"I'm sorry," said Melody.

Wendy continued reading the article: The remains of four individuals have been retrieved from a massive explosion and fire from a house in Piedmont, California. Firefighters have confirmed the explosion resulted from a malfunction in one of the gas appliances in the house, most likely the furnace. The residents of the house were trapped inside as it burned around them. It was confirmed through family that the home belonged to Piedmont Residents Robert and Caskey Pines, who lived with their two children, Mason and Mabel. Only three intact bodies were recovered from the explosion, belonging to the Pines parents and their daughter Mabel. All that remains of Mason Pines, the son, is a charred and blackened arm, which after DNA testing, was confirmed to belong to him.

Wendy sat back down on the couch. All feeling and sense seemed to drift away from her, leaving her in a dissociated state. This didn't seem real. This couldn't be real. They were supposed to be on the bus now, heading this way for more summer adventures. They couldn't be dead. After all they have survived over the years, it didn't seem possible for them to be dead.

"This can't be happening," Was all she managed to say.

"I'm so sorry," Said Melody, pulling her into a hug. Wendy didn't know how long she sat there. Maybe an hour, maybe longer. Her denial of the situation still remained strong. It wasn't possible for them to be dead. Especially not Dipper. He had to be alive. He was the smartest person she knew, he had to have found a way to survive. He had to.

She took the blue pine-tree hat from her head and stared at it for ten whole minutes. Finally, the reality of the situation began to sink into her. Tears welled up in her eyes as she clutched the hat closely, rocking back and forth. Unable to suppress it anymore, she began to cry freely.

"You can't do this to me, man," She whispered. "You can't leave me. Come back to me. Please, come back to me." 

Author's note: Hello, everyone! Thank you so much for reading my new fic. For all my Powerless Fans, don't worry, I will have an update for you soon. I've been feeling burned out and overworked lately, so I wanted to branch out into new stories. Thank you for your patience, and I hope that this one lives up to your expectations. 

Thank you for everything!