Gravity Rises (S3)

MV: Part Five

Dipper and Gideon got to work on revising their plan. Dipper was full of restless, angry energy after his encounters with Tyler and Pacifica, and he was so fidgety that Gideon quickly banished him from the window seat. He talked with Gideon from various positions around the attic (standing, sitting, lying down with his legs sticking in the air), and he found himself an extra pen to twirl around his fingers while Gideon used the other pen to make notes.

To start, Dipper told Gideon what Tyler had said about the rift down main street. "It's like the whole forest is split into islands. Do you remember that sound we heard, during the earthquake? The crunchy asphalt sound? I think that was the street splitting apart."

Gideon listened with wide eyes. "Well," he said when Dipper was finished, "I guess we can't go that way."

"No, we can't," Dipper said. "We'll have to go to June." When first making their plans, he and Gideon had come up with two different ways to get the Northwest Manor: either make a break for it across the street and go up to the Manor from there, or leave out the back of the Museum and try to get Juniper the hamadryad's help in escaping through the trees. They didn't know how easy it would be to get June's help, but now it seemed she was their only option.

"You said Tyler described it like islands?" said Gideon. Dipper nodded, and Gideon frowned. "Will June be able to take us through the trees, then?"

"I dunno," said Dipper, "but if she can't take us up to the Manor, then I'm sure she can at least take us to someone who will help. Like the minotaurs."

Gideon pursed his lips. "I don't want to go to the minotaurs."

"Why not?"

A guarded expression came over Gideon's face. "They would stop us from doing anything. Remember how they wouldn't let us help at all last week? Andrew and Ford insisted on working alone, and Andrew still messed it all up."

"Messed it up? What do you mean?"

"He spent days putting up this barrier, but Pacifica still got through it in an instant," Gideon said. "And nobody else could get through to help us, because the barrier blocks out our friends as well as our enemies."

Dipper folded his arms, his eyes flaring. "It is not Andrew's fault that Pacifica hurt Mabel. He worked harder than anyone to protect us! I heard him telling Ford once how complicated this barrier spell was compared to other ones he's seen before, but he still managed to do it for us. Andrew helped us, and he can help us again."

"I don't want his help," Gideon said. "I don't want to rely on anyone else to rescue Mabel. We're not going to the minotaurs."

The boys glared at each other for a moment before Dipper dropped his gaze, sighing. "Fine. Are we still going to ask June for her help?"

Gideon took a calming breath and nodded. "Regardless of what she can do to help us, she's still our best option. So, how do we get to her tree without getting caught first?"

By "her tree," Gideon didn't mean June's actual tree; that tree was somewhere deep in the forest. He meant the tree behind the Museum that June had been using to transport the Symbols to and from their home. The trees in the forest were connected in the hamadryad network, which allowed the hamadryads and their passengers to move instantly across the forest. June had traveled through one specific tree behind the Museum, so that was the one the boys would go to.

"That tree is smack-dab in the middle of the open space out back," Dipper said. "Dim light or no, they'd see us coming if we just went right for it. We'll have to approach from the side, in the trees."

"Which side?"

"Doesn't really matter. Let's do the west side, with the gift shop. When should we try for it? Are the servants out there 24/7?"