The falls

chapter two

Jessica stepped off the plane, her feet hitting the ground in Oregon with a sense of finality. The air was cooler here than she expected, carrying with it the scent of pine trees and damp earth. She tightened her grip on her small suitcase, glancing around the airport terminal. Everything seemed normal—too normal for a place that was supposed to be the doorstep to Gravity Falls, a town known for its mysteries.

She made her way through the airport, keeping her eyes sharp. Her parents had warned her to be cautious, and she'd taken that advice to heart. Even at nine, Jessica was no stranger to the idea that people could be dangerous. She knew better than to trust anyone right away, and the way some adults looked at her, eyes flicking with curiosity, only heightened her sense of wariness.

A bus station sign caught her attention near the exit. *This is it,* she thought, rolling her suitcase in its direction. She had a map Dr. Mathis had given her, detailing how to get to Gravity Falls. The first step was to take the bus out of town.

The ride was long, and the further the bus traveled, the more the landscape shifted. The city streets of Oregon faded into stretches of green forests, winding rivers, and mountains that loomed like sentinels in the distance. Jessica stared out the window, her thoughts a mix of excitement and caution. The thrill of finally being on her way to Gravity Falls was tempered by the ever-present need to stay on guard.

As the bus veered around a sharp bend, Jessica caught movement in the woods. She leaned closer to the window, squinting to see better. Her breath caught in her throat. Just past the line of trees, there were...gnomes? She blinked. Tiny creatures, no taller than her knees, with pointy hats and long beards, darted between the bushes. She could've sworn she saw one of them glance toward the bus before vanishing into the shadows.

*No,* Jessica thought, rubbing her eyes. *That can't be right. Gnomes aren't real.*

She turned back to the window, but this time all she saw was the blur of trees passing by. There was no sign of the tiny figures. Only the faint impression of something small and fast having been there at all. But as the bus bounced over a bump in the road, Jessica caught sight of something else—tiny footprints, leading away from the road and disappearing into the woods.

Her heart skipped a beat. *Okay, maybe I'm not imagining things.*

Still, she stayed silent. If anyone on the bus had seen what she did, they weren't reacting. For now, she'd file it away as one of the many mysteries she'd come to solve.

Just as Jessica settled back into her seat, the bus slowed to a stop at another small station. The door swung open, and a girl climbed aboard. She looked to be about Jessica's age, with wild brown hair and a vibrant purple jacket that seemed a size too big. The girl scanned the bus, her eyes landing on Jessica. Without hesitation, she walked over and plopped down next to her.

"Hey!" the girl said, her voice full of energy. "I'm Neomi. What's your name?"

Jessica blinked, momentarily caught off guard. "Uh, Jessica."

"Cool! Are you going to Gravity Falls too?" Neomi asked, bouncing slightly in her seat as if she had a hard time sitting still.

Jessica nodded, her cautious side still on alert. "Yeah, I am. What about you?"

"Yup! My dad lives there. He's like an expert on all the weird stuff that happens in town. I get to visit him a lot." Neomi grinned, her enthusiasm infectious. "You're gonna love it! There's so much cool stuff to see. Like, the forest is full of weird creatures. I swear, I just saw gnomes when I was walking here, but they're sneaky little guys."

Jessica's heart skipped again. "Gnomes?" she asked, trying to sound casual. "You really saw them?"

"Yeah!" Neomi nodded vigorously. "But they always run off before you can catch 'em. My dad says they're harmless, but I dunno. They're kinda sketchy."

Jessica felt a chill run down her spine. Maybe what she'd seen hadn't been her imagination after all. She glanced out the window again, but the bus had already moved on from where the footprints had been. She couldn't see the forest clearly anymore.

Neomi seemed to sense Jessica's unease. "You'll get used to it," she said with a knowing smile. "Gravity Falls is weird like that, but it's a good kind of weird. You'll see."

Jessica managed a small smile back. This girl—Neomi—wasn't what she expected, but maybe that was okay. She seemed friendly enough, and if anyone understood the oddities of Gravity Falls, it was probably her.

As the bus rumbled toward its final destination, Jessica let her guard down just a little. She didn't know what awaited her in Gravity Falls, but she had a feeling this was only the beginning.