The pearl & the forest (Reverse Falls / Gravity Falls AU)

Chapter 10

That night was not very peaceful for both cousins. Not when suspicions were being fueled and various vague answers replaced them.

The young man with white hair had lied to his cousin with the excuse that he stood guard at midnight every day for the security of the Shack, but the truth is that he wanted to corroborate Pacifica's statement when she mentioned that the gnomes were back. Luckily for him, he was surprised to not only encounter his cousin but also the presence of one of the most suspicious creatures in the forest, the fairies. The questionable thing is that Pacifica could communicate and understand it! Although there was the possibility that it was some type of spell or magic, the surprise of the return of these creatures was intriguing, worrying, and terrifying at the same time.

Fantasy tales always mention that the mystical beings in the forests are harmless and magical, but the forest of Reverse Falls is the opposite. The three mysterious journals indicate that any creature within that forest is the most dangerous, no matter what grade they are, any encounter with them is death. To the relief of the residents of the distant town, these beings do not approach humans for unknown reasons. But if a person goes into the forest and has the good fortune to encounter a predatory creature, it would be a miracle if they returned alive to the outskirts of the forest.

So seeing one of those creatures, like the fairies, increased the defense level of his senses. Much worse was when he saw that Pacifica was going to be attacked by it. But the strangest thing he could see before falling unconscious from the impact of the fairy's flash was the long branches that emerged from within the forest and trapped the little fairy, consuming it. When he woke up he was confused about what had happened, he did not know how to distinguish if everything that happened was just an illusion or reality, and the headache did not allow him to concentrate on his rational state.

The presence and voice of his concerted cousin was what took his mind off the pain, which also made him relieved that she was fine after the flash. Although he still felt anxious and had many questions, he preferred to put them aside to relax his mind and thus obtain a concrete answer about what happened later, so he accepted Pacifica's proposal. However, a small shadow of movement forced him to move his attention towards the forest where he observed those same long branches relax their movements and remain static as if nothing had happened.

The terror intensified knowing that what he saw was real and not just a brief glimpse of delusion from his mind. He was sure that his cousin noticed his reaction and confirmed it when she asked him what he observed. Gideon knew that his cousin also wanted answers to this mystery, and she wouldn't stop until she got them, no matter what the cost, but he didn't have a wise answer for these situations. Causing the fear of the truth to increase within the young man.

Without further ado, he preferred to just leave a vague answer and head in silence to his room frustrated with the feelings accumulated in just one day. At dawn, he planned to have a serious conversation with his father, since he also knew the situation of what happened with his niece's memories, and also because he was not responsible for revealing personal information to his cousin. 

He didn't want to keep this secret for long because he would understand the frustration Pacifica might feel remembering everything, and not only that but also the resentment towards her family. To do this, he had to solve this matter with his cousin first, and although it should not be his concern, a call with his uncle was necessary.