These Chains [DISCONTINUED]

Chapter Five: Demonic Friendships

Journal Entry Three

Sorry for not updating in a while.

No sign of Bill Cipher in over a month. I've been sleeping peacefully and I'm perfectly fine. My Grunkle Stan retired from the Shack and me and my sister, Mabel, have been taking over and controlling the business for three weeks.

It's not easy. The customers keep coming in. Probably because it's summer. It's just me and Mabel because Wendy moved to Canada and Soos...well I don't know where he is exactly.

Managing things here gets harder and harder by the day. We need some help but no one is taking the job. Money is tight.

Ugh, me and Mabel are so screwed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dipper closed his notebook with a grunt and threw himself onto his bed angrily. He ran his hands over his face and through his hair, trying to consider the business' chances at survival.

They were really tight on money. They seemed to lose more and more everyday. Luckily the summer was almost over and the customers and tourists would calm down a little.

But the Shack was still in horrible condition. Everything was starting to fall apart and the payments the twins needed to make were horribly expensive. They needed to stay in the budget so they only ate once a day, after work was done.

An extra set of hands around to help out would've been great, but no one wanted to help- and the people who did want to help were useless.

I'm sorry Grunkle Stan, Dipper thought, and got up to reach for the phone. You're gonna have to come back and run this place for us...

We're leaving Gravity Falls, he thought and started to dial the number for Stan's phone.

"Whoa, not so fast there, kid," came a familiar voice, and the phone suddenly went up in flames and disintegrated. Dipper squeaked in surprise and the entire world went black and white. He sighed.

He was in the Mindscape. Of course.

Bill appeared in front of him in his human form. He leaned against his cane and looked at Dipper with something mischevious in his eyes. Then what he said next caught Dipper completely off guard.

"Where do I sign up?"

"What?" Dipper asked, standing up and tensing.

Bill grinned. "Signing up for a job at the Shack, of course! I know you guys are going back to college in a week, so I'll gladly watch the Shack while you guys are recieving your pointless education!"

"No," Dipper said, "This is just another sham for you to 'be my friend', isn't it?"

The demon nodded at this. "Of course it is! I'll work at the Shack and help you two out if you let me live there and be your friend!"

"Absolutely not."

"And why is that, kid? What is there for you to lose."

Dipper clenched his hands into fists. "Mabel."

Bill laughed. "So we should edit our deal a little, huh? How about this: I promise not to hurt your sister and work art the Shack as long as you let me live here and be your friend."

Dipper thought about this for a minute. He didn't see what Bill could really gain from any of this, apart from killing them. But, according the deal, he couldn't hurt Mabel, and that was all that mattered.

Dipper nodded and Bill flicked his wrist, his gloved hand going up in blue fire. Then Dipper shook the demon's hand, sealing the deal.

"I'll be here tomorrow," the demon said, and winked, managing to do that with one eye. Dipper could feel his heart stopping and he woke up in his bed.