Sapphire Star

Chapter 13 Northwest Party part 1

I drove up to the Northwest mansion at around noon. It was super early but  Pacifica and I agreed that it would be better to arrive there early to give us time to get ready and still leave room for any contingencies that might arise. I just felt bad that Mabel was not coming. I missed having my wingman and confidant with me. I pictured her cutting the door off the handle with the LMG, the brass casings piling up beneath her. She was something else I thought laughing aloud alone in the cab.

As I pulled Charlotte up to the Northwest manor I remembered what Pacifica said and parked to the left of the gate by the wall for the party applying the parking brake. I stepped down and closed the door. I walked through the gate as it opened up. I walked down the pathway around the fountain and up to the front door, with a knock. As I waited I saw dozens of staff hauling in goods, foods, and wares around the house to another entrance.

The servant showed up soon and escorted me in. He told me Pacifica was in the dining room but that she might have moved. He offered to show me the way, but I told him I remembered and thanked him anyway. I set off on my way. As I walked my footsteps softly echoed off the large hallways and hardwood floors. I entered the dining room. I looked seeing the hall loom tall, its lofty ceiling vaulted high above the table. The room was derelict and silent. I shivered as I remembered the ghost of Archibald Corduroy standing on the landing in the centralized split staircase, the younger family photo of the Northwests behind him. Pacifica had told me that after he had transfigured me into solid wood that he had lit that same portrait on fire as he laughed coldly leaving me and the petrified residents to their inevitable scorching fate.

A hand grabbed my shoulder from behind. I whipped around ready for anything only to see Pacifica smiling in a fit of laughter. Catching my breath I said, "I guess I'm still jumpy after last time we fought off Wendy's ancestor." I said as she smiled. "Yeah, no wonder why Wendy is so tough," Pacifica added still grinning. "So what's the game plan, today your the cabinet general and I'm the conscript," I said. She grabbed my hand and pulled me up the stairs following her. It still gave me a thrill every time. Pacifica said, "Don't sell yourself short, when I get done with you I won't be the only one stealing a few glances from the audience." I smiled.

As we reached the landing we took a series of confusing routes through the mansion. I saw in passing, coats of armor on decorative stands, and grand tapestries that hung over twenty feet in some areas. I saw many era pieces of art, some on the wall, some behind glass, and some of which I recognized, knowing it must be worth a fortune. Bay windows overlooked many areas on the second story giving a grand view of gravity falls.

As we walked I asked. "So where is Mcgucket?" "Oh, he has set up shop in the Northwestern part of the house," said, Pacifica. "That's why we never see him," I said thoughtfully. "He says the seclusion is better for his research, and I'm sure my father is happy to keep him on as low a profile as possible. It still seems weird to think that Mcgucket owns the place and we just pay rent. Even so, he has been far more kind to us than we probably deserve." As we reached her room I turned to her. "This house really is beautiful," I said. Pacifica stopped and turned to face me. A distant look in her eyes. "When it's all you know, it loses some of its glow and charm. Besides I'm starting to feel different about everything." "How so?" I asked. "Well..." she said starting to move again while thinking. She walked into her room as I followed still attached at the hand.

As she turned around to look at me her face changed as if she was searching for the right words. I stopped to listen carefully. "I had all this wonderful stuff, but the things that held true beauty were something, that remained hidden to me. The sound of laughing so hard you can't stop. Sharing your favorite movie with a friend. Discovering love. You and Mabel showed me just how inadequate those things were in me. I didn't even realize it at first. But after that night in the hidden room, my vaunted life that seemed so grand started to change. Probably even back to the festival when you exposed my family for the frauds we were. I saw it all through a different light after that. The glass pillars and supports began to crack. What I thought was important all of a sudden was so unimportant. I began to realize what I was missing. I began to see what other people had together. The connections, though sometimes tenuous brought about harmony, like chords on an instrument. I knew I couldn't make that harmony myself, and I didn't know how to connect. The friends I had, when I finally did connect, I realized they were not like you and Mabel. It was an utterly harrowing feeling. It left me feeling desperate and empty. It took that state of low deprivation for me to show up on your front doorstep that morning. I almost wanted to turn around, but I knew I had nothing to turn around to."