Darker Perspective

Chapter 14

He ran.

Wrenching his hand out of the author's grip, he turned his heel and ran in the opposite direction, back into his room. Ford was following, his heavy footsteps growing louder as he was chased down the corridor.

"Dipper!" The older yelled. Dipper turned into his room and slammed the door just as he reached him, pressing his body against it as a poor attempt of a barricade.

"Dipper! Open the door! I can help you!" Ford was saying all the right words, but they came out wrong. He could hear the anger and danger beneath the tone, making him push against the wood harder.

"Dipper!" The author suddenly slammed himself against the door, pushing it back. Through the crack, Dipper watched as Ford's hand began to reach through, grasping the air. Dipper leapt back with a yell.

"No!" Dipper let his magic burst from his palms, and the door began to close shut on the author's wrist with a crunch. Ford was forced to retract it with a cry, letting Dipper close it fully.

With a quick snap of his fingers, he moved all the furniture against the door and stumbled back in fear.

"Dipper! Get out of there this instant! I'm not going to hurt you!" Ford yelled at the other side. Dipper shook his head, dropping to his knees. "I can cure you Dipper, but you have to trust me!" The banging wouldn't stop, and the furniture wobbled dangerously with each bang.

"What's going on here?" Dipper looked up from his knees when he heard Grunkle Stan's gruff voice, laced with confusion. Though Stan didn't stick up for Dipper often, it was clear that Ford was in the wrong for once. His Grunkle would hopefully calm his brother down long enough for him to escape. Where he would go he didn't know, just away.

For a few seconds, the hammering stopped, letting Dipper breathe. He could hear a muted conversation at the other end, but could only pick up things like "Bill" and "possession"

"Dipper?" Stan finally addressed him, making him crawl closer to the door. But the next words made his heart freeze, eyes widening with tears.

"Could ya come out for a second before my brother breaks the door?"

"No!" Dipper heard himself cry as he pressed himself against the opposite wall.

"Well, I tried." He heard Stan say before the banging was back, twice as loud. Twice the hands. Twice the force.

"Just open the door!" Ford tried to persuade, but it fell deaf on Dipper's ears. The teen was clutching his head, tears threatening to fall from his eyes as he searched desperately for a way out of this situation. The mark that had began this all was beginning to burn as Bill pushed more forcefully to get through. For a moment Dipper almost let him, longing for someone to tell him what to do next, but his memories flashed back to him and he clamped his hand over the bruised wrist. He couldn't trust anyone anymore, just as he had thought. The scarlet words on his hand served as a painful reminder of what happened if he did.

There was nowhere he could go, nothing he could do to stop the doom crashing towards him on both sides. A puppet or prisoner, each was the same. It was like being asked to distinguish two shades of black.

And he couldn't pretend that it was anything more to him anymore; even if everything was stored out calmly, it would never be the same. He knew, in that moment, that he would never forget the way he was huddled against the wall, fearing for his life.

The furniture gave an alarming wobble and began to fall as his grunkles persisted. He could see the gap growing wider, and Ford's blue eye flash through it.

He wanted it all to end.

He didn't want to be Dipper. He didn't want to be Mason. He didn't want to be.

"Let me go somewhere else. I want no one there. I want to leave forever..." Dipper closed his eyes tight, trying to imagine that his life wasn't going to end in a few moments. His magic pulsed under his skin but he barely paid it any attention. All we was trying to do is not cry, never cry.

"Dipper! Stay there!"

"Dipper it's going to be fine!"

"Dipper!"

"Dipper!"

"Leave me alone!" Dipper suddenly screamed desperately. The cry tore his throat and he could feel the tears building beneath his closed eyes.

Eyes that were quickly opened, however, at the sudden feeling of complete weightlessness.

Colours were swirling around him in a mess of greens and blacks, slowly forming images. Dipper was falling through the air it seemed, arm outstretched.

The teen watched the world around him change with fascination as the colours twisted into trees and clouds. He wasn't in the shack anymore, but in a forest. It was as if he –

"Teleported." Dipper finished his thoughts, looking around slowly. He vaguely recognised the surrounding forest and let himself stand there for a while. "Did I seriously just do that?"

Bill had mentioned something about teleportation – but he thought he would have to learn that as well. But it seemed as if it was more of a fight or flight reflex rather than actual logic.

The surprise of teleporting was short-lived, however, as reality caught up with him.

He thought – he believed – that it would be different. He wanted to think that his family would stick to him, but now all he could think of was the hammering door, Ford's eye looking through the gap –

He wanted to laugh at it all, but instead he struggled to breathe. It was like someone was standing on his chest, slowly putting on more pressure. He dimly realised he was having a panic attack, but at this point it was too out of control. Clutching his chest, he fell to the ground. He wanted to turn to someone – anyone – but the only person that came into his mind was the one that started this chain of events.

The mark burned again and Dipper finally let go, digging his fingers into the ground as he fought to breathe. He could feel the presence behind him but didn't turn nor react. As the wind blew, the trees rustled, Bill's voice spoke darkly, forcing everything else into silence.

"They are all the same."

"I thought –" Dipper found that he couldn't finish the sentence, and let out a shaky gasp of air. He stood up, back turned to the triangle. He didn't know what – maybe the raw betrayals, the mistrust leaking through him from all sides – but Dipper found himself speaking his mind for the first time in his life.

"I don't want to be a prisoner, or a puppet anymore." He shook his head, still not looking at a demon. "But I always end up being one or the other."

"I never wanted you as my puppet, but rather an equal." Bill replied quietly. "You don't deserve to deal with any human any longer."

"I thought they would be better." Dipper whispered. "But I was wrong."

"I think you are ready for your next lesson." Bill announced. Dipper turned and stared into the glowing red eye, giving a short nod. 

"Teach me."