Guided by demons

Calm

"We're back!" The Stans called from the doorway. Dipper and Mabel ran over to them.

"Where you been all day? We missed you!" Mabel hugged the two Grunkles. Dipper just smiled and waited for them to answer Mabel's question; he was secretly wondering the same.

"We needed to say hi to a few people around town is all. You're not the only ones who've been gone a year." Ford said, nudging his brother in what seemed to be a lighthearted way. "Sorry you got worried though, Mabel" he said, sounding genuinely apologetic. She smiled

"That's okay, Great Uncle Ford!" She hugged him tighter. Stan had long left the hug and went off to do who knows what. Dipper looked around, before realising Ford was looking at him.

"Huh?" Ford looked away.

"Oh, sorry Dipper, I was just curious where that mark in your neck came from." He pointed at the clumsily hidden red line, and Dipper notably panicked. How the heck was he supposed to answer that?

He sighed, and took a deep breath. "So was I." He said this with a hint of defeat in his voice- he didn't want to think about mysterious cut marks at the moment. Mabel seemed to recognise this, and she jumped in.

"Hey Ford! Come check out what me and Dipper did today!" She said, pulling him into the living room. Dipper sighed; showing Ford the journal was better than a discussion about strange marks on his neck. A voice in the back of his head asked why he didn't want to say...he pushed it down and went into the living room.

"Dipper, did you two make this? It's really well done!" Ford said that with a hint of pride in his voice, and Dipper smiled, still feeling that rush whenever Ford praised him. Even if he tried not to, he idolised Ford as the original author and mystery hunter. He trusted Ford almost as much as his own sister...which was ironic to him, as the reason Ford was here was because his sister had more trust than him.

Trust.

If there was one word he never wanted to use again, it was trust.

"Dipper?" Ford asked. Dipper shot straight back to reality from the loops of thoughts in his head.

"RIGHT, yes, sorry!" He smiled apologetically. "I got a little distracted!" Ford chuckled, and so did Mabel.

"We could tell!" She laughed, elbowing him.
"Heheh...ow" he rubbed his rip. Mabel looked concerned.
"Oh, wait, did I...?"
"No, it's fine."

"KIDS! IT'S MY LATE NIGHT TV TIME, SCRAM!" Stan yelled from the kitchen. He walked in to see Ford looking at him with an expression of annoyance.
"Stanley! What did we talk about?!"
"Right fine..." Stan cleared his throat. "KIDS, SCRAM...please." Stan burst into laughter, meanwhile Ford looked like he both wanted to choke Stan, and laugh with him at the same time.

Dipper and Mabel hurried upstairs, laughing quietly to themselves. "You know, Dipper, I'm not so sure yesterday really was anything. I mean, maybe something else happened and we all just misunderstood...because surely we wouldn't just get a calm day before something bad happens!"

Dipper sighed. "Mabel, you say that every time we get a day off from bad things happening." He smiled. "I really want to believe you, but a calm atmosphere is a well known way of building tension. Even the weather does it! What wouldn't...he?" Dipper couldn't make himself say Bill's name again. He'd spent the entirety of last year scared to death that Bill would return...he couldn't face the fact that he'd probably never left.

"Come on broseph. I'm trying to be positive here. Besides, we know him. He's tricked us before, and we've grown. We won't fall for it again!" She held her brother's hand for a moment longer, before letting go. "We'll be alright."

"Still. I'd like to cover the window for tonight." He pointed at the triangular window, and Mabel breathed in through her teeth.

"Why didn't I notice that before-" she wondered, as she taped a few sheets of black paper over the window. "Anyway, it's done now, Bro Bro." She hugged him goodnight, and he paused.

"Mabel, could you do me one more massive favour?" He thought about his nightmare last night and shuddered.
"What do you need?"
"Can I sleep in your bed for tonight?"

She smiled, and pointed to her bed. "You take tops, I'll go tails." She said, getting into bed the wrong way around.

"You sure?" Dipper asked cautiously.

"Of course I'm sure, you doofus. Now hurry up and get in!" He slipped under the sheets.

"Goodnight Mabel."
"G'night Dipper"

And for the first time, Dipper was the one to switch off the light.