Dipcifica: New summer, New start...

Chapter 15

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Pacifica's POV

"What was that...thing that attacked you?" I asked Dipper, once we had left the shack behind.

"To be honest, I have no idea," he answered. "It looked human-ish. Those eyes though. They were just ice blue."

I looked down at my muddied boots. "So...how much longer do you think the food will last us?"

Dipper was silent. He continued walking. I wondered if this was his thinking face. At last he spoke, "I don't know. If we keep going at this rate, maybe three more days. He avoided my gaze. We might have find the road and see if there's a Gas Stop nearby.

I took a moment to process this. "But...But we don't have money...oh...I see."

Dipper was implying that we would steal something. Great.

"But...I've never stolen anything before!" I cried, astonished at how treacherous it would be.

"Well, this'll be the first time," he winked. "drastic situations call for drastic measures."

We walked west for a bit, though dense forest, with the dark as our cover. I flinched at every snap, crackle, and hoot that echoed out into the darkness.

"Pacifica...would you like to hold my hand? You look a bit scared," Dipper sympathized.

I felt my cheeks heating up. "..." without thinking I grabbed his hand, hoping with all my heart that He couldn't see my face, which must be fire-engine red by now.

"It's not because I want to," I said, haughtily.

"Sure," I couldn't see his face, but his voice was smiling.

We walked another hour together, and now I felt much more secure though I didn't even want to admit it to myself.

As the nighttime fell even darker, Dipper raised the notion to stop until tomorrow, and we found a small bramble thicket, which we huddled under. It was cramped, so cramped me and Dipper hardly had a foot between us as we slept. Worst of all, he was a sleep kicker. I swear I got my stomach pummeled all night.

The next day, as the dappled sunlight filtered through the brambles, I yawned. I hadn't gotten an hour of sleep last night. And today, more endless walking loomed ahead of us. I waited outside until Dipper awoke, and he came out and sat by me. "How long have we been away from home?" I questioned. The longing for Gravity Falls was painful, but, the thought I had been dreading more was if we would be caught, and if we were, what would the authorities do to me and Dipper?

He turned to look at me. "I think five days now," he mused. Maybe hanging on six,"

There was an awkward moment of staring at each other, but Dipper coughed and stood up.

"Well. We should keep heading toward the highway," he declared.

"How do you know which way that is?" I was confused.

"This," he took a map from his backpack, the exact same one I had given him.

I smiled. "I gave it to you so I could reassure you I knew what I was doing. I never intended on you finding me or ever really having to use it."

Dipper grinned. "Luckily, we're not too far from the nearest highway. There has to be some sort of refueling station on that route."

I put on a determined face. "All right then, let's get going."

After an hour of awkward silence, half-finished conversations, and weird observations Dipper pointed out, the sound of cars could finally be heard in the distance.

"Okay," Dipper said to me, when we had reached the fringe of the forest letting out onto the road. "Keep in mind this is the road leading away from Gravity Falls. Everyone will know we disappeared. Your fake name will be Lily, and mine will be Jack," Dipper told me. "Don't worry about the rest. If anyone recognizes us, I have the perfect plan."

We walked through the woods next to the highway for thirty minutes before coming across a small, wooden refueling stop.

"Do we just walk across the road?" I asked, nervous about the whole ordeal.

"Yeah," Dipper concluded. "Luckily for us not many cars come up old mountain roads."

At the signal Dipper had come up with, we speed-walked across the narrow lane, safely reaching the other side in the small parking lot of the stop, with only enough space for five cars to park. The only vehicle there was a worn-down truck, red paint scraping off, and one of the headlights smashed.

"Wow. Looks very welcoming," I scoffed.

"Look, refueling stops aren't supposed to be five-Star hotels," Dipper grumbled. "Come on."

We pushed open the door into a small shop, and to our right there was the cashier. The man was plump, with a stubble beard and a balding head.

"Welcome to the mountain-" he paused and looked us over. "Say, you two look mighty alike to the Young'uns that vanished from Gravity Falls a little back." His suspicion was obvious in his furrowed brow and slow voice.

"Oh, no," Dipper-Er...Jack, told the man. "Our names are Jack and Lily. We didn't even know that there were missing kids from the town,"

"By golly, you even have the pine tree hat!" The cashier exclaimed. "I'm callin' the police."

"WAIT! no," I yelled. "Ummm...here we can prove that we aren't them." Unconsciously I took Dipper's hand and pulled him closer to me. Then, mustering all the courage I had, I kissed him right on the lips.

"You see, Jack's my boyfriend," I stuttered, struck dumb by what I had just done. Dipper's shocked face said just the same thing.

"Yeah..."  Dipper put his arm around my head. "Plus, we're fifteen,"

"Kid, you don't look a day over eleven," said the man. "But, Anyways, Fine. The two kids that disappeared were supposed to hate each other. Keep in mind, I'm watching, though," he dismissed us with a wave of his hand.

"Thanks for the save," Dipper whispered, once we were out of earshot.

"Uh..." I was still in a state of numbness. "It's...it's fine."

We met each other's eyes and blushed. 

"Let's not mention what just happened," I stammered.

"Fine by me," Dipper said. Without my further reply he hugged me.

After the embarrassing moment with Dipper, we pulled away.

"Right," I said, breaking the tension. "We have supplies to steal."