Starfall

Chapter 22 - Broken

Pacifica sat patiently while Dipper and Mabel talked. Her heart was still beating rapidly in her chest. Dipper Pines had put his arm around her. Part of her wanted this more than anything. Part of her was terrified it was too good to be true. Surely after all the sins of her past the other shoe was bound to drop sooner or later. But both Mabel and Dipper had been able to look past her faults and foibles and see something even she could not. Surely it was worth the risk. It was getting harder and harder to push him away. Part of her wanted him. And not just her desire to be in his arms, but the desire to be absolved of her past. To be perceived as more than the sum of her actions.

She was so lost in thought that she realized only now that Dipper had begun to raise his voice. Were the twins arguing? What could they be arguing about?!? They had been blissfully happy all day?!? Was it something she had done? The argument got hotter as Mabel hunched her shoulders and postured herself assertively. Dipper recoiled. Whatever they had said it must of been one heck of an argument. Finally after some more bickering and arguing she couldn't hear very well Dipper hung his head and Mabel comforted him after that and her voice was gentle.

Pacifica turned around quickly not wanting them to see her staring at them. Dipper came and sat down next to her. She could tell by the way his chest rose and the flick of the vein on his neck his blood pressure was elevated. He was stressed or recently had been. Pacifica had learned to read people at a young age as a defensive tactic. Pacifica folded her hands in her lap keeping to herself waiting for Dipper to say something. Finally, he turned to look her in the eyes. His eyes were full of worry and trepidation. Dipper said, "Pacifica," his voice came out forced as if he had been trying to sound calm, but his emotion was evident to her despite his best efforts. "Yes Dipper?" she said as neutrally as possible. Dipper said, "I...I have some things I need to talk to you about...but first I have some unfinished business to take care of. I know it's not fair of me to ask you to trust me on this while I keep you in the dark, but I promise I wouldn't do it unless it was important." Dipper ended what he was saying as he looked at her. His hazelnut eyes searching hers, perhaps for disdain rejection? What has he so nervous about? Surely after all they had been through he would know she would understand whatever it was.

Pacifica nodded, "I trust you Dipper," she said simply. Dipper sighed with relief and hugged her. She was rather surprised and hugged him back awkwardly. Mabel watched him with soft approving eyes. Dipper got up and offered Pacifica a hand up. She reluctantly let his hand go after she stood up. She placed her hand behind her back as it tingled.

"I'll lead the way back," Dipper said resolutely. He took the lead. As they entered the cave Dipper lit the way with his phone's LED light. The old massive crane still hung from the ceiling. Mabel followed next, and Pacifica Behind her. They had just passed the scary stone walkway past the storage sheds and old mining equipment when Pacifica heard a soft noise. Like a squeak of a mouse. She hated mice! Dipper panned his phone around. Nothing seemed to be in the general vicinity.

Dipper panned the light down into the storage shed valley. Suddenly a swarm of bats flew out of one of the sheds in a frenzied swarm. The swarm flew at them. Pacifica ducked instinctively but Mabel screamed and tried to back away. As she did she lost her footing. To Pacifica's horror, she saw Mabel falling toward the valley. She was going to fall onto the stony outcrop below and be killed! At the last second Dipper dove outward and pulled her back. But in the process, he overcommitted himself to a momentum that continued to carry him forward. Pacifica stood in terror as she watched Dipper fall begin to fall. And there was nothing she could do to stop it! She screamed his name...

The last few hours were like a train-wrecked blur in Pacifica's mind as she sat in the hospital. The first thing she did was run outside the cave and place an emergency phone call for an ambulance to come to the valley entrance under the train track bridge. It felt like it took an eternity for the ambulance to show up underneath the train bridge at the entrance to the valley, and also the entrance to the cave they had come from. And before that, it had taken them almost twenty minutes to find out how to reach Dipper. Pacifica had been just sick with fear. She kept picturing him impaled on machinery or dashed on stone. She was frantic. After some looking, they had retraced their steps down to the valley they found another walkway that led into the valley where Dipper was. This time Pacifica used her phone. Dippers had fallen with him.