Phantom Falls

Chapter 21

Mabel ran over to Dipper and mauled him with a hug. "You saved me! Oh, Dipper, I was so scared!"

Danny floated down to the ground and transformed back into his human self. "Nice job, Dipper."

Dipper grinned and squeezed Mabel back. "I was so worried, Mabel! Why did you make a deal with Bill?"

Mabel hung her head. "He tricked me. I just wanted to be included. I mean, you two were having so much fun and I was just kind of in the background..."

Dipper and Danny exchanged guilty looks.

"Look, I'm sorry Mabel. We didn't mean to exclude you..." Dipper looked down, unable to meet her eyes.

"It's okay Dipper. I get that you were excited. But I feel like we've kinda been growing apart lately, and I don't want to." Mabel rubbed one of her arms. "I know I shouldn't have made that deal with Bill. I was just so desperate..."

Dipper still couldn't meet her eyes, but Danny smiled. "Sounds kind of like me and my sister. We were really close when we were little, but we grew apart for a while and I couldn't even bring myself to tell her about Phantom when that happened. Since then, though, she's been really supportive and helpful, even if we do argue a lot." He laughed. "We're still really close, even though she's in college now." He knelt down beside the twins. "It just takes some effort."

Dipper held out his arms to Mabel. "Awkward sibling hug?"

Mabel grinned. "Awkward sibling hug." They embraced each other.
"Pat, pat." They said together as each patted the other on the back.

Danny exploded into laughter. "That's awesome! I've got to use that with Jazz sometime!"

Dipper and Mabel let go of each other and laughed too.

"Let's get back to the Shack," Dipper said and started walking.

"I'm just glad everything is over!" Mabel said as they emerged from the trees.

"I'm not so sure about that..." Danny said, pointing to the Shack. Its windows were all dark, even though night had fallen half an hour ago.

"Maybe Grunkle Stan just went to sleep early tonight?" Mabel suggested, but without any real conviction in her voice.

"But it's not that late," Dipper said nervously as they approached the front door. "Wendy and Soos should still be here."

They opened the door to the Shack slowly, wincing at the loud creak it made. Dipper made to tiptoe into the house, but Danny held him back. "Wait a minute," Danny transformed into Phantom and phased into the house, invisibly scouting all the rooms to see what might be lurking there.

"I couldn't find anything," he said, reappearing outside with the twins. "It looks safe, but no one's in there."

"But Stan never leaves at this time of night..." Mabel said, starting to sound scared. "Did something happen to him?"

"That would be me." An ominous voice echoed from behind the trio. They all turned, Danny already charging an ectoblast in his hands.

Skulker stepped out of the shadows, holding a gun-like device pointed straight at the twins.

Danny stepped protectively in front of them. "What do you want, Skulker?"

"I've already told you, ghost boy. The Council has ordered me to capture ten specific humans in order to prevent a catastrophe. I need these two children, and any information they have regarding the last human." Skulker held up his weapon threateningly.

"No way, Skulker. You're not taking the kids or anyone else." Danny threw a warning blast to Skulker's left, causing him to jump back a few paces.

"Not even you can go against the Council, child." Skulker said. "They rule over the entire Ghost Zone. Even you must obey them."

"Then at least tell me why you need these people!" Danny said. Dipper and Mabel looked at each other in concern behind his back.

"You'll have to take that up with the Council. I am only tasked with retrieving the humans." Skulker stepped forward and shot a glowing green net at the twins. Danny didn't manage to blast it out of the way in time, and both Dipper and Mabel were ensnared.

"Stop!" Danny said. "Look, Skulker, I'll talk to the council, but I demand that these two stay free until we come to some conclusion." He held his hands up in a gesture of peace.

Skulker tipped his head to one side, then replied, "Fine. You are in charge of the human children. I will lead you to the council."

Danny freed Dipper and Mabel from the net. "What's going to happen?" Mabel asked, frightened.

"I don't know," Danny said.

"Does he have Stan and the others?" Dipper asked.

"Yes, he does. But don't worry. I won't let anything happen to any of you."