A Demon of the Sea - Gravity Falls

Chapter 13

      There's always been strange things in this town. Even though Dipper and Mabel didn't live here all their lives, they lived here enough. Everyone had always cautioned them against messing with it, saying it would only be bad for the rest of the town, and maybe they were right. Even Ford looked elsewhere to do his research! Needless to say, the twins were more on edge than anyone else in the group, and stuck very close together, only the touch of each other's hand calming them. The pine trees towered above them and blocked out most of the sun, making the forest floor as dark as the evening and enhancing the sense of fear that resided in each crew member, whether they liked to admit it or not. The shadows the trees by the few spots of sunlight were oddly cast onto the ground in front of them, creating strange shapes and almost patterns. The tree roots writhed across the path, making it hard to decipher what was path and what was being lost, other than the fact that they were walking along the only part of the woods that was cleared enough to walk through without too much diffuculty, a bit overgrown and blending with the undergrowth on the sides though it was.
      Sensing the unease, Red came over to them, her naturally calm expression betraying none of the fear she felt deep down. "You two ok? You look like you've seen a ghost," she said casually. "G-ghost?" Dipper squeaked out, eyes darting to the trees. Red shook her head and smiled. "Ya know, I used to live in Gravity Falls, too," she said, changing the subject. Both Dipper and Mabel perked up. Seeing their interest, she continued. "Yup. My dad used to be a lumberjack here. There was another rich family, the Northwests, that had the townsfolk build them a mansion in return for a party to be held every year a few years back. Well, they obviously didn't hold up their end of the bargain, so he took me and my brothers and got us all jobs as sailors. Only to find out that we were now all pirates, working under the most dangerous one of them all." Bill interjected for a second with, "Damn straight I am!" He folded his arms and held his head high in pride. Dipper almost managed a laugh. "Anyway, you can tell I'm not a fan of snooty nobles, and the Gleeful's are almost as bad as the Northwests. At least, Gideon and his father are," she continued. "What's wrong with the Gleeful's? Their name is too happy to be jerky," Mabel said, finding her voice at last. Red scoffed. "You'd be surprised," she replied.
      "Wait, so you, your brothers, and your father are also part of the crew?" Dipper asked. He didn't remember seeing anyone that had much resemblance to her... Wait, there was one guy that had often been in charge of taking him to the captain that called him a little girl... But the only resemblance Dipper could easily see was the red hair. And now that he thought about it, there might've been a few other red-headed boys younger than her around the ship, but he didn't really care to notice much of anyone else. She confirmed that those were indeed the members of her family. The forest was soon forgotten as the three swapped stories about their families. Even Soos joined in, though he didn't talk much about his family, but rather added more fun stories. Everyone's moods lightened, and the forest even seemed a little brighter after that.
Soon enough, they emerged from the woods into what seemed like a clearing at first, but was actually the town. "Welcome to Gravity Falls!" Bill announced, arms spread wide and gesturing to the five or so buildings. Most of the townsfolk lived in houses in the woods, and this was the only place you would see more than two buildings side-by-side for miles.
      "Now it's just a hop, skip, and a jump to little Gideon's manor!" said Bill, a spring in his step. It was true; within a half hour they arrived at a very grandiose building with a large lawn surrounding it. It was tastelessly decorated, however. At the center of two driveways that connected in front of the front entrance was a lavish fountain, and obnoxious peacocks squawked around it.
       They didn't venture far from the tree line as they made their way around the side of the house. They looked for an entrance, any entrance that wasn't as grand as the rest of the house and wouldn't be heavily guarded, and they finally found it: an entrance to a cellar. They quickly and silently dashed for it, making sure no one in the windows saw them. There were a few, but they didn't think to look out into the yard. Soos worked hastily at the lock to pick it, armed only with one of Mabel's bobby pins. Soon enough, they all heard the satisfying click of success.
"Good work, Soos!" Dipper exclaimed quietly. "Yeah that was awesome!" Mabel agreed. Soos smiled. "Thanks, dudes! I'm pretty mechanically inclined if I do say so myself," he said proudly. A twang of sadness rose in Dipper. This guy could have a real, honest job. I wonder why he's a pirate; did he get mixed up in all of it accidentally, too? It really didn't seem like anyone willingly became a part of this crew.
"Ok, men. This is what we're looking for," said the captain, taking out a folded sheet of paper from his coat and unfolding it, revealing a sketch of a circular pendant. "We need to split into two groups. Red, Question Mark, you comb through the underground levels. Shooting Star, Pine Tree, and I will check the above-ground." They decided on a master plan: If anyone found anything, one person has to get out of the house and run into the woods with the pendant. They would all regroup there. The other person or persons finds and alerts those remaining in the house.
And with that, they split up. It seemed like Red and Soos had it easier; there were three guards tops on the entire floor, and they were easily avoidable in the darkness. Dipper wished they could do this at night, but that would also mean walking in the woods at night. That meant they also had a time limit, unless they felt like hiding out here all night. The three snuck around with ease from shadow to shadow, never lingering too long in the light.
      However, they did have one too-close-for-comfort call. They were about to turn a corner when they came face-to-face with a guard, a very burly dude, perhaps more so than some people of Cipher's crew! They all froze, staring at each other. It didn't last long, because soon the guard turned and ran away from them. However, the captain was too quick. Neither Dipper nor Mabel even saw him move, but when they looked at the spot he had been standing in, he was gone. The twins looked at each other in confusion, Mabel more so, because she didn't know he was a demon. They dashed around the corner to see that the guard Cipher had been chasing was standing before them, smiling creepily and string at them through catlike eyes.
      "This is better than I could've hoped for! Now we can get through the mansion more easily!" he said in a familiar voice. "B-Bill?!" Dipper quietly exclaimed. Mabel furrowed her brow. "Wait, hold up. What exactly is going on?" she asked, thoroughly confused. Dipper remained silent, not sure how to break the news that Bill was a demon and he was possessing someone. "It's me, the captain!" Bill said, answering for him. He shot Cipher a what-the-hell-why-did-you-tell-her?! look. "Don't worry about it, Pine Tree, I'll just erase her memory of this moment later," he said nonchalantly. Dipper took the shoulders of his trembling twin in order to steady her. "Mabel, it's ok. Bill just... He isn't human..." he said carefully. She looked at the guard in horror, then back to her twin without changing her expression. "Dipper, that's the guy you fell in love with?! Some kind of body-possessing demon?! Is he tricking you into loving him? If he is I'll tear his face off!" she said, trying to grasp the situation and meaning every word. "Mabel! I actually do lo- really like him, and on my own accord, thank you very much! I know it's weird but I can't just turn off the way I feel about someone!" he protested, face turning an alarming shade of crimson. He couldn't look Bill... Well, the guard, in the eyes for a while after that.
      Mabel pursed her lips, unsure how to handle what was going on. "Well, I guess since I'm stuck with both of you in this dumb manor, I'll have to let it slide. Let's just get what we're looking for and get out," she said finally, going into deep thought. "Agreed!" said the captain cheerily. With that, they continued to sneak around and search.
      "Ok," Bill announced a while later, still in the man's body, "I think I sense something in this room. Let's go in." They ducked into a large, dark bedroom, with a bed larger than any one Dipper had ever seen, and it was draped in fine fabrics hanging from a high ceiling. There was too much furniture for one person, and the presence of a vanity made Dipper think they were in a woman's room. "Bill! This is a girl's room! We shouldn't be in here!" he whispered frantically as the demon stepped out of the man's body. The poor guy was dazed and didn't have a moment to take in his surroundings before being crowned in the head and knocked out cold. He then proceeded to be tied up, gagged, and thrown in a closet. Dipper was honestly surprised, even knowing what he was, at the captain's pure strength. It was... Admittedly kind of attractive... He banished the thought from his mind as soon as it entered, but not before earning a glance from Cipher. Dipper busied himself with looking through the vanity for the pendant.
A hand grabbed him from behind, covering his entire face and rendering him unable to see and barely breathe. At first he thought it might be Bill messing with him, but this grip was far too rough and the hand was far too large. They've been caught! Whoever it was that was attacking him pinned him to the ground and began binding his hands in rope. Around them, although he couldn't look up from his position, he could hear sounds of struggle around the room. He thrashed as hard as he could, but there was no escaping. Soon, all three of them were taken hostage and dragged away. Oh god, so this is where it ends?! Being caught working with the Demon of the Seas, the most wanted man in the Pacific, meant immediate execution for treason! And I'm the First Mate! They'll probably lynch me! I doubt Bill will be easy for them to kill, but what about Mabel? She was dragged into this, it's not like she had a choice! Oh, if only we had just escaped when she asked, maybe we wouldn't be in this mess!
      They were lined up in front of a lavish staircase at the front entrance, covered in a light blue carpet with chestnut railings swooping along with the flow of the architecture. If their lives weren't in danger, it would be beautiful. He looked up at the top of the stairs to see a pair of men just as unnaturally muscular as the ones currently holding them captive. "Is one of those guys Gideon?!" he whispered to the captain. He shook his head and nodded up to the stairs. Dipper looked up again to see the two men step apart, revealing a stout boy, maybe 15 or 16, wearing a blue suit that made him blend in with the carpeting. Silver hair topped his head, and honestly it looked more like a hat than air. Around his neck was the pendant. His face was chubby and creepily cheerful. He spoke with a southern accent and a tone that matched his expression, "My my, what a surprise. Captain Bill Cipher, Demon of the North Seas. What a pleasure to welcome you in my home!" Nothing about his greeting sounded sincere. There was an aura of danger and venom radiating off of him. Dipper gulped back his fear and stood as tall as he could, not even believing he could be intimidated by a teenager, but something told him to stand on the air of caution.