Semblance

1 ~ Mistrust

(If you're sensitive to feels I'm sorry about this.)
(For this chapter: Friction, by Imagine Dragons.)

Dipper looked around the Shack with a calculating eye. Something seemed off with it today, like there was something missing. It wasn't as bright as it usually was, there were no tourists, and the loud sound of Mabel's laughter didn't bounce through the walls.

What was going on? "Mabel?" He called out, "Grunkle Stan?" There was no one there, "Guys? Where are you?"
A loud bang sounded from somewhere down below. Dipper walked down the stairs, there it was again!

Bang!

The vending machine! He ran over to it, put in the code, and opened the door. A tall figure stumbled out, falling to his knees, grasping Dipper by the arms. It was Ford.

"Grunkle Ford?" He stammered, trying to step past him to see what had happened. Ford stopped him, gripping his shoulders and pushing him back.

"No!" He cried out, "Stop! Dipper, don't go in there."

"Why not?" Dipper asked, gazing at Ford, whose clothes were ripped up, he looked tired. "What's wrong? What happened?!"

"You can't-" but Dipper ignored him, marching past him and down the dark stairs. As he reached the bottom, he was aware of a thrumming noise, and a static seems to fill the air. Almost as if--no!

The portal was somehow fixed, or maybe he was seeing it wrong. A dark red light spewed from the other side, outlining the shape of a triangle in front of it. On the dusty ground laid an object. No, more than one.

His breath in his throat, he stumbled forward, aware of eyes upon him from the portal's direction. The things were people. Mabel, Waddles, Wendy, Soos, Grunkle Stan.

His family, his friends. No. No! He fell to his knees beside Mabel, she didn't move, didn't breath. Laughter filled the air. Everything faded to gray, the world froze.

"So, Pine Tree, you want your family back?"

Dipper lurched up in bed, drenched in sweat, his heart hammering away in his chest. He took great, big, gasping breaths.

Just another dream. The same dream he'd been having ever since Ford had told him about Bill's true plan. Bringing the creatures of the Nightmare Realm to Reality by using the Rift to cross over the Mindscape. All they need to do was not tell anyone about the rift and it would be fine.
Digging the palms of his hands into his eyes, he stretched and stood. Starting to calm down, he threw his shoes on and looked around.

Mabel wasn't in bed, and the sun was peeking in through the red, triangular window. Stretching, Dipper stood up and got ready, then headed downstairs to the kitchen. He still had dreams about those dreaded stairs. Everyone was eating breakfast when he arrived. He didn't bother to count how many rainbow sprinkles Mabel had put on everyone's pancakes.

"Dipper!" His sister cried out as she saw him.

Sprinkles went flying, and Stan had to duck as a pancake sailed off of Mabel's fork and splayed against the wall.

"Hey Mabel." He said as he found himself a seat.

Soos set a glass of orange juice next to them as he left, waving bye and saying that Stan had something for him to do. Wendy left to the register soon as well. She didn't even say anything on her way out the door. Dipper watched, feeling slightly dejected.

"What was that about?" He said, turning back to Stan and Mabel.

"Nothing." His sister said, too quickly.

"What's going on?" Dipper turned his gaze to Stan. "Stan?"

"Ford's convinced that one of us is a traitor." His Grunkle didn't sound to pleased.

"Traitor?"

"He thinks that one of us has told Bill how the house is protected."

"What?" Dipper said. "But--"

Suddenly, the ground gave a mighty lurch. The orange juice tipped over, the Shack creaked.

Before he could ask what had happened, Ford charged into the kitchen, papers and sheets fluttering from his grasp. His glasses were crooked.

"It's happened again!" He shouted. "It's Bill!"

"What does that wacky triangle have anything to do with this," Stan growled, "It's obviously something you've come up with to cover some new experiment."

As he spoke, he picked up in of the papers that Ford had dropped.

"What even is this?"

Dipper glanced at it, and his heart froze. It was the chart of Reality, the Mind Scape, and then the Nightmare Realm. Bill was sketched in the portion labeled 'Mind Scape.'

"It's nothing." Dipper said, snatching it out of Stan's hands.

Mabel watched with wide eyes.

"Dipper? What is it bro bro?"

"It's nothing," he said, "It's nothing Mabel!"

Now, even his sisters happy mood was spoiling as she narrowed her eyes at Dipper and Ford.

Moods had been short tempered lately. They all argued more and more often. Mabel didn't side with Dipper as much, but then he didn't usually support her as much either anymore. In truth, most nights they slept little, and the Shack had been busy. There hadn't been as much time to simply have fun.

"It's you isn't it?" Stan spat. "It's you two that we can't trust!"

"Don't drag Dipper into this, Stan!" Ford said, stepping forward.

"Why not! It's his fault too!"

"Grunkle?" Mabel asked quietly.

"Just because we don't get along doesn't mean that you can blame others!" Ford said. Stan stepped back, then growled and left the room.

Mabel glanced at them, looked Dipper in the eyes, and took off after her Grunkle. Dipper felt her take his heart with her and snap it. Ford tried to put a comforting hand on his shoulder, but Dipper ignored it as he stood and left to the room he shared with Mabel.

First he checked to make sure that she wasn't anywhere inside, then he stepped in and closed the door. Snatching up Journal 3 from its place on his bed, he moved to sit on the window ledge as he skimmed through it again, trying to block out the hurtful feelings.

The Shack gave another jolt, Dipper didn't notice. He was too busy studying notes he had added to some of the pages. Mainly, the page with Bill Cipher on it. Too many questions clouded his mind and muddled his thoughts.

What was Bill? Where was he from? Could he really do all that he claimed? Questions, questions, and more questions. Frustrated, he closed it again and held it tightly. What was he supposed to do anymore?

Lately, the family had been drifting farther and farther apart. He wanted to trust them and tell them everything. Not about the Rift, no, Ford had made it clear that that topic was sealed and closed. Instead, he just wanted ask them what was wrong, why was everyone acting as they were?

Because it hadn't been a one time thing for that morning. No, it had been going on too long for comfort. It just wasn't right. Unless they were having the same nightmares that he was and everyone had been put in a foul mood for it, but that seemed unlikely.

For a while, he had suspected it to be Bill's doing, but the triangular demon seemed to prefer to pull the strings and wires from out of sight until the right moment was shown. This was too open and obvious. If Dipper knew one thing, it was that Bill was manipulative. Very so. He had firsthand experience.

So then just what was going on then?

      Dipper continued to fall deep into thought for the rest of the day.

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BYYYYEEEE!!!!
~Aza