Never Trust Your Demons

1

"The next stop, the Gravity Falls Mystery Shack!"
I look up from my drawing at the driver's announcement. I pull together my vast array of mechanical and colored pencils and stuff them back in my duffel bag.
I was excited to see Mabel and Dipper again. It had been a while since I'd seen my favorite younger cousins, considering they lived in North Carolina and I lived in Utah. My mom heard they were staying with our Great Uncle Stan, whom no one had heard much from lately, so she decided to send me up to Oregon to stay with them for the summer. "To get you out of your fantasy worlds," she told me. I can't say I'm complaining. I don't have many friends where I'm from, and a little town like this can't possibly distract me enough to pull me completely away from my books, notebooks, and sketchpads.
The bus soon screeches to a stop in front of a run-down wooden building with a sign that read "Mystery Hack."
"Oh, sorry folks, looks like it's closed," The bus driver tells us. I'm the only one who gets off and the bus drives away.
The shack does seem void of activity, and no one answers when I knock on the door. I knew it. Mom never calls ahead, and a surprise visit doesn't often leave time for a warm welcome.
I toss my bag onto a bench in front, straighten my TARDIS hat, then turn to the woods. Mabel sent me a letter about seeing gnomes and lake monsters, and I wouldn't mind seeing one of those.

I came into these woods hoping to find a unicorn, or at least an old rotting log with cool bugs or something to do something with! Turns out that was a bust. With a yawn, I lean against a tree. Man, bus trips make me tired. I decide to take a short nap. I'll make it home before dark...

"Waaaakey wakey!"
I jolt awake. "H-huh?" I look up and see a boy standing over me. A strange boy. He's wearing a yellow tuxedo with black sleeves. It appears to have a bit of a cape  pinned to his shoulders, and his coattails make him look like a triangle with a head, legs, and arms. His bowtie, mini top hat, gloves, and shoes are black. The yellow bangs of his black hair go over his right eye, which also appears to be covered with a triangular eye patch. His left eye is a glowing yellow and a bit catlike. He's also got long eyelashes, that half look like they were drawn on. In his hand is a black, curved cane.
The way he's smiling makes him look like he has fangs.
Yep... a strange boy...
"Who are you?" I ask standing up with a yawn.
"The name's Bill, nice to meet'cha!" He tells me, leaning on the cane and tipping his hat slightly. He stands up straight and I note that he's taller than me. I'm average height, but people being obviously taller than me bothers me. "Just thought you'd like to know it's getting darker. You might not want to be in the woods after the sun sets."
"Oh!" I look through the trees to the orangening sky. "Uh... thanks. Bye, Bill." I start heading back through the woods.
"And don't mention me to your cousins or Grunkle!" Bill calls after me. "See ya, Police Box!"
"It's a TARDIS!" I call back, pointing to my hat and turning around, but he's disappeared. Huh... weird.
Wait, how'd he know about Stan, Mabel, and Dipper?

As I come out of the woods, I see a car drive up and park in front of the shack. An older man in a fez and more ears than face comes out, followed by two kids: a girl with long hair and braces wearing a pink shooting star sweater and a boy wearing a vest and a white and blue pine tree hat. Great-Uncle Stan, Mabel and Dipper Pines.
"Hey, guys!" I call, walking over.
"Connie?" Dipper looks over at me.
"Connie!" Mabel runs up to me and we hug.
"Conifer Pines," Grunkle Stan smiles. "What's up, kid?"
I shrug in response. "Not much. Mom sent me up here to visit, but I guess she didn't call ahead."
"Nah, but it's fine, c'mon in!"
"We just found this room a couple weeks ago. Man, was that crazy..." Stan laughs as I follow him through the shack filled with totally fake "mysteries." "It's Soos's breakroom, but you can probably stay here."
Stan opens a door and I see just about the coolest nearly empty room ever. A bed that could pass as a couch, bare wooden floor, and one of those cool old desks with the top that comes down over it.
"Niiiiice..."   I toss my bag onto the bed and sit down. I yawn again. "Man...  I'm exhausted...." Mabel yawns as well.
"It is getting later..." Dipper says as Stan leaves.
"I'll see you in the morning guys," I smile.
"Okay!" Mabel jumps off the bed. "Glad you're here, Connie!"
I smile back at her. "Me too, Mabel. Me too."
She and Dipper leave the room and I take off my sweater. I look down at my right hand and six fingers stare back at me. My whole life I've had eleven fingers-five on my left and six on my right. I've been able to hide it, though. Even Dipper and Mabel don't know.
I've just barely taken out my contacts and sat down to draw, when I hear a bunch of clattering from upstairs, followed by the sound of someone thumping down the stairs and Mabel screaming "Save the candy!"
I come out of my room, sliding on my glasses, to see what's going on. I find Dipper covered in stuffed animals and armed with golf clubs. While Mabel videotapes it, he chases... a tiny... hairy, man thing...?
"Dipper!" Mabel yells as the thing crawls on top of the fridge. "Try and catch the candy in your mouth!"
"What's going on?!" I ask her as Dipper chases the thing back into the TV room.
"Connie!" Mabel turns to me and I quickly put my right hand behind my back. "That thing is eating our leftover Summerween candy!"
"...'Summerween'?" I run after her as she follows Dipper, and I find the three of them mesmerized by the TV screen. I smile, roll my eyes, then head back into my room. Less than twenty-four hours after arriving, and adventure one is already down. I go back into my room and lay down. Who knows what'll happen tomorrow?