On My Way Home (A Gravity Falls / Over the Garden Wall Crossover fanfic)

Ch. 4: A Fork in the Road

Mabel

I could feel the anger bubbling within me. My feet scraped the leaves underfoot, and I felt like screaming. Wirt and my brother were walking up ahead, and Greg walked next to me, trying to strike up conversation.

"So, Mabel... what do you think would be a good name for Dr. Cucumber?" he asked, fidgeting nervously.

"Look, Greg, why don't you go up ahead with Wirt? I appreciate this, but I just need to be alone right now," I said as gently as I could, but I could tell it hadn't come out as soft as I tried. Greg winced at my sharp tone and quickened his pace with a small "OK".

I sighed and looked up at the orange trees stretching above me. I hated being angry. I hated feeling this way. I missed being happy, being like Greg. And believe me, I tried. But something felt off. Maybe it was this place, "the Unknown", as Wirt puts it, but it felt like there was a dent in my chest, and I couldn't quite find myself.

The sound of Dipper's laugh from ahead broke my train of thought and the fury stirred again. It was his fault, this feeling. He wasn't the brother I thought he was, and I wish I had knew better. I channeled the anger to my foot and swung out, kicking a tree root sticking up from the ground. A new kind of pain started, physical pain this time. I kicked the tree again, feeling the energy leave me.

"You okay?"

I jerked my head up at the unfamiliar voice. "Wh-who's there?" I managed to say.

"I asked, are you okay?" The voice said again, coming from above. A bluebird sat on a branch it's gray head cocked towards me. "You're kind of damaging the tree, if you haven't noticed."

"Oh. I-I'm sorry," I squeaked, and started shuffling after the boys again, shocked by the talking animal.

"Oh, you weren't bothering me," the bird said flatly, flapping her wings and hovering in front of me. "Where are you headed, anyway?"
"We're trying to get home," I answered, fidgeting with my sweater sleeves.

"I can help you," She said, her tone suddenly lighter. "My name is Beatrice, and I know someone who can help you find your way home,"

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"And you a talking bluebird told you all this?" Dipper said, incredulous.

"The Good Woman of the Woods, Dipper," I said as forcefully as I could. "This could be our only way home!"

"Look, I don't know if this is a good idea," Wirt added, glancing at Beatrice out of the corner of his eye. "How... how do we know we can trust it?"

"It?!" Beatrice repeated. "Mabel, stop wasting time with these losers. They can just stay here forever."

"Yeah, I don't think I trust that bird," Dipper said. "Mabel, use your best judgement."

"Yeah Mabel, use your best judgement!" Beatrice parroted. "Adelaide can help you, or wander around the woods for the rest of your life!"

"But what if that is the case?" Wirt muttered. "Maybe the bird's telling the truth?"

"My name is Beatrice, dingbat!"

"Hey, since you can talk, does that mean you're magical?" Greg piped up, holding his frog on top of his head.

"What? No!" she flapped her wings indignantly. "Look, Mabel, my offer stands only to you, since you seem the only normal one here. Come or don't, it's up to you."

"Mabel-" Dipper started, then closed his mouth. He opened it again. "You know what, never mind. You choose what you want, Mabel. But I'm going home." He turned and started walking, leaving me standing there, gaping. Wirt looked back and forth between us nervously, then apologized. "I'm sorry, Mabel... I'm going to go this way too. See you soon, hopefully. Come on, Greg." Greg walked up to me and shoved his hand in his pocket. He pulled out his rock and handed it to me. "Greg hopes you find your way home! And that's a rock fact!" He sang before waving good bye and running after his brother.

My eyes filled with tears watching them walk away from me, but the anger burned them away.

"Let's go to Adelaide's," I told Beatrice.

"Good choice," she said.

We walked in silence for a few minutes before Beatrice asked, "That was your brother?"

"Yeah," I answered listlessly.

"He the one who made you mad?"

"That's the one."

"Brothers can be such morons sometimes. I should know, I have four of them. What'd he do?"

"Refused to trust me when our Grunkle's doomsday machine was going to blow up, antagonized our Grunkle, and threw metal at me. He's still clueless." Hearing it aloud, I knew Beatrice thought I was crazy.

"I... yup. Wow. That's a big mess. No worries, Adelaide will fix it riiight up." she said, flying further ahead.

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Once or twice, I thought of Wirt and Greg and Dipper. I wondered where they were and if I made the right choice, breaking away from them. I wondered who was closer to home, me or them. But for the most part, my mind remained empty during the walk to Adelaide's. And I preferred it that way. No feelings in the way, no conflicting thoughts. Nothing to make me change my mind. Soon, I would be back with Grunkle Stan, with Waddles and Candy and Grenda. No more talking birds, or living skeletons. Just home. Eventually, we reached a wooden cottage. Sometime during the journey, it had started to rain. My hair was matted and wet and my sweater was soaking, and I lifted a tired hand to knock on the door.

"Come in," A weary voice said from inside.

"Adelaide, I have what you need," Beatrice called, digging her feet into my shoulder. The door flew open and an elderly lady rested on the bed in the middle of the room, yarn looped around room. Her eyes locked with mine, and instantly I knew I had made a big mistake.

"Ah, so you did. Well done." Every muscle in my body tightened and just as I was about to run, the old woman cackled and my body was suddenly bind by the dingy yarn.

"Beatrice!" I cried, betrayed. Again. I started to cry, loud and broken. My vision became blurry, then eventually gave way to darkness.