Somewhere in the Woods: A Gravity Falls Mystery

Chapter 10

Dear Dipper,

If you're reading this, then you probably already know what happened. I know a lot is going through your head right now, but let me try to explain. It all started back during that summer.

When my parents lost most of our family fortune, I was suddenly thrust into a new life I wasn't really prepared for. Initially we were able to afford a good sized mansion; one that wasn't as big as the Northwest Manor. Still, it was enough for my parents to continue rubbing their success in others' faces.

However, when it started going around that my father lost money by investing in "weirdness bonds," the Northwest name slowly became a joke among other millionaires and billionaires. No matter how many times he tried to plead his case and explain what happened, no one ever believed us.

It also didn't help that, in the ten years since that summer, the public opinion on rich families has become so vindictive. Sure, it didn't help that my parents never did anything to help out others, but that didn't register with them. I thought people telling them how selfish they are would change their minds, but I guess if an ancient ghost can't make them see the error of their ways, then a bunch of people on the Internet won't do much better.

The longer we had to deal with this, the more bitter my parents became. My dad did everything he could to try and get our fortune back. He invested in absolutely everything. The problem is when you do that, the more money you sink into things that never work out. As the years passed, we kept losing money. My mom even tried to get back into modeling, only to get rejected because nobody liked the way she looked.

The world was turning its back on my family, and all they could do to just get angrier and angrier about it. They couldn't let go of the idea that they're better than everyone else, even as we continued to fall down the social ladder.

This was a lot of the reason why I turned by back on them. I could see how selfish they were, and I came to realize that I wasn't like that. Even though there was a lot for me to get used to, I eventually felt that I didn't need the luxurious things that I was given my whole life. I tried many times to convince them of the same, but they just couldn't let it go.

So when I finally reached college, I decided that I didn't need to be involved with them anymore. I wanted to try and make the Northwest name better and not defined by the greediness and betrayal.

But I still hold onto the burden of where I came from. It's hard not to think about all of the terrible things that my family has done. All of the lives they ruined just to get what they wanted. Sometimes I lie awake at night just thinking about it.

So when Ford told us about the treasure my family stole and we discovered that secret room in my old house, that felt like the final straw. It was another chapter in the book of awful things they've done. And now I know that they once pledged their allegiance to an evil being that tried to destroy the world. I just couldn't fathom how stupid my family is. I had a conversation with Mabel about this last night. She encouraged me to talk to my parents and finally confront these feelings.

So I did. I went to their home and talked to them. At first, they weren't all that accepting of what I had to say. I basically unloaded on them. They didn't seem all that interested.

That is, until I told them about what we found. I told them about the treasure and the worshiping of Bill in out family. That's when they got the idea to try it themselves.

Apparently my grandfather told my father about this in order to pass down a way to preserve the family fortune if anything happened. The one step that the journal didn't mention was that in order to bring Bill back, you need someone who has the image of him in their mind. In other words, Mabel's nightmares.

I didn't want to participate. My parents felt like villains trying to convince me. So I don't really know why I eventually agreed. Maybe part of me just wants them to be happy again. Maybe part of me thinks that going back to the rich life that I once knew. I don't know.

So my parent's have take Mabel to the statue to try and bring him back. I know what your going to think of this, and that you're probably not going to forgive me once this is done. I just hope you'll understand how my mental state is.

Again, I'm sorry,

Pacifica