Showtime

Chapter 3

He stood in that same stadium as he'd stood only 3 and a half weeks before filled with more humanly caused fear then he'd felt in his life. On his left stood both his Great Uncles and on his right stood Mable and his parents.

Mable was talking excitedly about how amazing "Cryptic's" show is. He nodded along to her rambling as he avoided both of his parent's gazes who he now felt boring into the side of his head. He could feel their disapproval from a mile away. If Mable felt it, she didn't lead on that she had... yet.

Somehow Mabel had worked miracles once again and got them seat's in the same spot of the auditorium as they had been in last time. The only problem was she insisted that their father sat next to him so that she was between their Father and Mother with their Uncles on the outside closest to the isle. He didn't complain as he took his seat next to their dad.
"So Dipper," Said his father a flat tone in his voice. "Have you changed your mind yet about college?" There was a threatening tone to his voice as if daring him to stay no again.

The lights started to dim moments later as his answer was cut off. His fears shrunk as he thought of his task at hand. It was a well known feeling.

One he took great pleasure in feeling when it came to mystery hunts. It was what he had identified it to be the power of simply knowing what was to come and having the power to choose an outcome he approved of.

The show opening started much as it had the first time. The blue and gold fire burned brightly aweing first time viewers and even some of the long term fans *Cough* Mable *Cough*. But as "Cryptic" stepped on stage, he seemed almost... smug. Like he was doing his show with extreme arrogance and he was.

Stopping when the audience applauded him. Making the tricks more dramatic. But the tricks he was performing. They were completely different from the ones performed 3 weeks prior. There was no way he'd learned completely different tricks in under 3 weeks, not to mention the level he took each one too.

It completely appalled him.
He was catching rings that were on fire no less with the blue and golden flame's that seemed to be his trademark. He had pulled a large white cat -who was named tubs-, 4 baby chicks and some how 3 blue birds. Three! How had he done that with the cat in the hat too? It baffled him and he decided to now excused himself saying he was heading to the bathroom and sneak away from his family.

He made his way up the winding ile to the back of the auditorium where he exited the back doors and made his way around to the back of the theater. The alley leaded to the back door was dirty and cluttered. The back walls were covered in spray paint with different tags. Garbage pails overflowed.

The door that lead to the back of the theater was unlocked and before he slipped inside he cautiously looked around to insure he would not be caught and hauled off and permanently kicked out. Then he slipped past the door and when inside.

The hallway was filled with lights as he passed the many doors leaded to empty dressing rooms. When he had found the one belonging to "Cryptic" he steeped in and began his search of the room.

The walls of the room had blue fairy lights strung up around where the top and side wall met. It left the room with a blue tinted hue to it. There was a vanity much like the one Gideon had hosted in his room. No... it was exactly the same one. He kept looking around ignoring this fact and kept searching around for any clues to how he did his tricks. No sign of any animal cages, no pictures, no trunks of costumes just nothing.

From behind him he heard more clapping and he knew his time to get back before the show was over was slowly trickling away like a hourglasses sand. He sped his pace there had to be something.
He ducked under the vanity and searched around there for a moment. Crisp clean. Not a speck of dust could be found. He checked the closet that was offered on the left side of the room. Nada. The vanity's bottom shelf door. Zilch. When he was about to duck out of the room knowing at this point he'd stayed too long the door opened and that was the moment Dipper's Fate was no longer his own.