Don't have much to say for this one. Hope you guys are enjoying the story! Again, thanks so much for the kind reviews/favs, they mean a lot to me~

Against the Mirror - Chapter 4

Once the weekend hit, the Mystery Shack was a flurry of activity again. Gideon found himself busy, but not with the sleuthing he'd planned. When Robbie showed up to the Shack on Friday, he asked Gideon if he wanted to learn how to work the cash register. Gideon didn't exactly want to. It sounded a lot like he was being roped into working, but he nodded anyway and sat down while the teen showed him the buttons on the machine.

Grunkle Stan had come to him with a few great-uncle/great-nephew bonding activities for when they had a slow day at the Shack. Aside from the fishing trip he had in mind, he'd also dredged up a few old board games he had stored away. He mentioned the local pool (because apparently the lake was questionable), and a few other shows that he might like. Gideon was wary about the shows, not eager to encounter any other malevolent, magical twins.

Soos was in and out of the Shack over the weekend, helping out with a few of the exhibits on the tour and fixing up whatever Grunkle Stan deemed hazardous enough to warrant fixing. He still didn't talk much, but he acknowledged Gideon now with a subtle tip of his cap. Gideon thought he was interesting, if distant. If anything, his elusive nature made him more interesting. He found himself wondering if the handyman knew more than rumours about the secrets in town.

The weekend flashed by quickly. Gideon had spent the tourist-filled days helping out with what he could around the Shack. It was comparatively uneventful to any of his encounters involving monsters. He had only one visitor - Pacifica, on the Saturday. She showed up after Grunkle Stan had given Gideon a quick tour of the Mystery Shack's exhibits in the morning, and he asked if it was acceptable for him to do the same for her. After he received a casual 'sure, why not' from his great-uncle, he dragged Pacifica through the showrooms, giving her brief and barely remembered summaries on what each piece was supposed to be.

After they passed the final current exhibit (the dreaded multibear!), Pacifica headed out, telling Gideon she would do her best to investigate around town while he was busy. She mentioned rather slyly how she thought she might have gotten a small lead on something, but didn't elaborate, and Gideon didn't ask. He waved her a goodbye and she trotted off to follow up on whatever hint she'd stumbled upon.

Come Sunday, Gideon was exhausted. The weekend had been busy, but boring. His paranormal encounters thus far had been mostly in the 'terrifying' range, but they'd also been far from dull. Maybe once he slowed down and got to look around the Shack at his own pace, he wouldn't feel so rushed and disinterested. Surely it was because it had been his first time really getting familiar with his great-uncle's establishment.

Gideon flopped back into his seat beside Robbie and gave a grand stretch. Robbie didn't look half as worn out as he felt - though, the teen wasn't exactly new at this.

"Tired out already, man?" Robbie asked, a small smirk on his face. "I've still gotta come in and work tomorrow too, you know."

Gideon huffed. "I wouldn't be as tired if I'd just been sitting around all weekend too."

"Hey now, I do plenty of stuff besides sitting behind the cash register." Robbie said.

Gideon shot him a disbelieving look and Robbie chuckled.

It was closing in on four o'clock and Robbie was getting ready to head out. The number of tourists coming through the Shack had dwindled down to a few stragglers who were deliberating over which souvenir to take along with them. It looked like it was going to be an early night for the teen.

"I guess mid-week is more like a normal weekend for you, huh?" Gideon said, watching as he rung up the total for one of their final customers of the day.

"Yeah, it depends on the week itself, too." Robbie said after the customer had scooped up her purchases. "The end of this week and a bit into the beginning of next will be more busy than usual, because there's an event in town over the weekend."

"An event?"

"The Summertime Dance." Robbie said, watching the last customer compare two stuffed monster plushies. "It's not a big tourist hit, but you'll get a decent showing from the people in nearby towns."

"Oh, yeah." Gideon said, remembering the dance, but not realizing it was so close.

"You gonna go?" Robbie asked.

"Er, I dunno…" Gideon said, thinking back to Mabel's declined invitation and the consequences. It seemed safe to assume that the Gleeful twins would be at the dance. He thought it'd be a good idea to avoid another possible conflict. "I doubt it."

"Yeah, I'm not sure if I'm gonna go either." Robbie said, making an uncertain face. "There's a girl that's been kind of hinting that she wants to go with me, but I don't know if she's… my type."

"What type is she?"

"She's kind of…" Robbie wavered, looking for a word, "immature? Yeah, she's a bit too full of herself. I think she kind of… looks down on a lot of people?"

Gideon snorted. Mabel certainly had the same air of self-importance. He wasn't sure if she'd pass as immature. She was a bit too well composed for that. "Would I have seen her around town?"

"It's possible. She wouldn't have talked to you, though. She doesn't really talk to younger kids."

The last straggling customer finally dragged up his selections to the checkout line. As Robbie was tapping in the man's souvenirs, the bell over the gift shop entrance jingled. Gideon sat up in his seat to see Pacifica Northwest slipping through the door. Her hands were deep inside her jacket pockets, and whatever she had hidden in them this time was not peeking out.

"Hey Gideon!" Pacifica greeted cheerfully, carefully holding the door for the leaving customer. "Hey Robbie." she said, a little more meekly, giving the teenager a cautious wave.

Gideon grinned and gave her a small wave, while Robbie greeted her with a mellow, "Hello Pacifica." Gideon noticed he gave her that same indifferent look he always did - though it was far from the lukewarm greeting he gave her when she first introduced herself.

"I've got some stuff to show you - er, if you're not busy I mean." Pacifica said, barely suppressing her beaming smile.

"Nah, he's not busy." Robbie answered for him. "The shop's just about to close up, actually. He's got all the time in the world. Well, until whenever dinner happens here, I guess."

Gideon hopped from his seat and joined Pacifica by the door. "Yeah, what he said. I've got time. Wanna head into town for a bit?"

"Definitely." Pacifica said, looking for all the world like she'd stumbled upon a particularly delicious secret.

"Can you tell Grunkle Stan I'll be back in a couple hours?" Gideon asked.

Robbie nodded as he locked up the cash register. "Sure thing. Y'know, I think he was looking through his board game collection earlier. I bet he wants to play something with you tonight."

"Alright, I won't be late." Gideon said, committed to putting in some of the family time he definitely owed his great-uncle.

Pacifica led him out of the Mystery Shack, practically skipping down the path toward town. She still had her hands tucked into her jacket pockets. "I've got something to show you!" she said in a singsong voice. He trailed close behind her, curious and amused.

"What kind of something?" he asked.

"This kind of something." Pacifica said, looking surreptitiously down either ends of the road. "Actually, no, not here. Let's go back to that open spot by the woods first."

Now terribly curious what warranted that kind of secrecy, Gideon followed Pacifica down the path, matching her lightning pace with only some difficulty. In minutes they had come back to the open meadow, and Pacifica made a beeline to the same fallen log.

Once she'd flopped down, she snapped her attention to Gideon, a knowing grin on her face. "I got a lead on some secrets!" she said giddily, whipping her hands from her pockets at once. A jingling sound accompanied the rapid movement, and once Gideon saw what rested on each of her fingers, he realized why. Pacifica had a keyring dangling from each one of her fingers and thumbs, all of them unique, and all of them rather kitschy.

"Uh. Keychains?" Gideon asked skeptically.

"Okay, well, actually…" Pacifica began, her excited grin faltering. "I don't think there's anything special about these ones, now that I've had them with me for a while."

"Were they supposed to be special?" Gideon asked, eyeing each charm doubtfully. They all looked a lot like useless trinkets to him.

Pacifica frowned, bringing her hands up in front of her and scrutinizing the keychains herself. "Well, it was just a… er… a rumour I heard… around town." she said, her voice dropping after every pause. "I thought it wouldn't hurt to at least try to check it out. Apparently some of the charms you can buy around town turn out to have a bit of magic in them."

Gideon's lips stretched hesitantly. "I don't think the journal says nothin' about charms like them."

"Yeah, well, I don't have a journal, so I just wanted to… have a look around myself." Pacifica said, a little defensively.

"Sure, if you think it'll help." Gideon said quickly. "If you heard the rumour around town then maybe it's true - I mean, if there's giant moles livin' beneath the forest then I'm ready to believe almost anything."

Pacifica gave him a small smile before looking away again. "I just wanted to help somehow. And well, actually, I don't know how much I trust this rumour."

"Where'd you hear it, anyhow?"

Pacifica looked hesitant. "Just around town. Some stupid tourist might've said it - they'll believe anythi-, ah, I mean, well you're not a stupid tourist." Pacifica stuttered, quickly backpedalling when Gideon raised an eyebrow.

Pacifica tucked the keychains back into her pockets with a long sigh. "Nevermind, let's just forget it. It was a dumb idea anyway."

Gideon sat down next to her. "Now hold up a sec, you were half skippin' the whole way here to show me these keychains. We might as well take more of a look 'round and at least try to see if there's any truth in that rumour."

Pacifica's grin quickly returned. "You mean it?"

"Sure, why not."

Pacifica leapt to her feet. "You want to go take a look around town right now? There's still a whole bunch of shops I haven't hit up - I just know something in one of them will speak to me."

Gideon had the distinct suspicion Pacifica had been faking some of her uncertainty - a bit needlessly, he thought churlishly. If she wanted to spend the day picking through tourist shops, he wasn't opposed to tagging along. It wasn't like they'd made other plans.

"Come on." Pacifica said, pointing with a thumb over her shoulder. "Let's head back to town before too much closes up. If too much is closed we can always window shop and make a note to come back another day."

"Alright." Gideon said, getting to his feet and following her out of the meadow. "Actually, I've got my own lead to tell you about. I would'a told you sooner, but I never really saw you much this weekend."

"Yeah, you were busy." Pacifica shrugged. "It happens. Did you find a lead in your journal, or maybe one of the exhibits in the Shack gave you an idea?"

"Well, it kind of has to do with the journal a bit, I guess…" Gideon said, putting his thoughts together and recounting the tale of the strange girl he'd seen sneaking into town, how he'd wandered off into the woods near the Shack and saw her again, how she was actually a centaur and how they'd both gone in search of an ultimately fake talisman held by an entirely fake fairy king. By the time he finished his story they were just walking into town. Pacifica had a strange look on her face.

"So, what do you think of that, Paz? There's centaurs and fairies in the forest, and maybe we can get help from both of 'em."

The strange look persisted. "Oh. That's where you were Thursday. That's good that you found out some useful stuff."

Gideon looked at her, confused. She sounded more put-off by his findings, rather than excited, as he'd expected. Perhaps it was only fair - he hadn't been very excited about her keychains. Still, she did look almost upset. "Somethin' wrong?"

Pacifica shrugged, forcing a small smile. "I just… I didn't know where you were Thursday. That's alright, though. I'm fine. We were just both investigating on our own."

"Hey, I'm sorry I didn't come and find you. It was kind of… spur of the moment, and then everything just ended up happening."

Pacifica smiled a little more genuinely now. "Don't be silly. You're allowed to do your own stuff. I'm not going to be your only friend in town."

Gideon smiled back. "Okay, just making sure you ain't upset or nothin'."

Pacifica shook her head. "No, I was just kind of… I thought you might come get me if you were going on some adventure."

"No more secret adventures for me, I swear." Gideon said, crossing his heart. "I'll come find you next time, that's the last investigation I do without you along. We can trust each other, right?"

Pacifica paused. "Right." she said. "No secrets."

The two walked into town, both looking into shop windows along with groups of tourists. Pacifica hurried them past a few, explaining that she'd already been inside them. She then explained that she wasn't exactly sure what she was looking for. Picking out a magical charm from one of the regular trinkets vendors sold wasn't easy - she might have missed one.

Gideon was watching people across the street from them as Pacifica quickly combed through window displays with discerning eyes. Most locals, he had quickly noticed, seemed to regard Pacifica with anything from indifference to outright disdain. The kids seemed to avoid her - some of the nastier ones made rude faces from afar. Even some of the adults would look at her and shake their heads or raise an eyebrow as they passed.

"So, uh, Pacifica?" Gideon said as his companion once again came to an abrupt stop in front of a souvenir shop.

"Yeah?" she said, forefinger and thumb on her chin as she surveyed what this shop had to offer.

"Who else do you hang around with in town, here? Like, who're your friends from school?"

Pacifica seemed to hesitate a moment before doubling her concentration on the store display. "Oh, well… there's these two girls I hang around with sometimes. They usually like to do their own thing."

Gideon didn't respond, not sure how to proceed, or even if he wanted to press the issue. Pacifica saved him from having to speak by continuing on herself.

"Why's that? Did you want to meet some more new people?" she asked.

"No, just… curious." he said.

Pacifica shrugged and pushed away from the shop display, apparently having decided nothing inside warranted further investigation. The two walked quietly along toward the next shop while Gideon mulled over his questions in his head, trying to piece it together in the least obtrusive way. As they went, he tried to pay attention to how the townsfolk regarded Pacifica. Most of them passed by without barely an acknowledgement. Some greeted her hesitantly, as if worried someone might reprimand them for doing so. And then, of course, there was the small (but still disturbingly large enough) group that would smile cruelly, roll their eyes, or whisper to whoever was closest.

"How come the townsfolk don't greet you the way they do other folks they know?" Gideon heard himself ask before his brain had given his mouth the OK.

Pacifica bristled - subtly, but clearly enough. "They… don't really know me as well as the other townsfolk, I guess. My family's kind of low-key."

Gideon gave her a concerned look. "Did somethin' happen?"

Pacifica let out a long sigh and quickly dipped around the nearest corner, off of the busy main street and onto a relatively quieter one. She walked on, silent but for the jingling in her pockets and tap tap of her shoes against the cement. Gideon frowned.

"Pacifica? If you don't wanna talk abo—"

All of a sudden, she whirled to face him. She didn't look angry or upset, but definitely unsure. "Gideon, I'm telling you this because I trust you, and because you said you didn't want to keep secrets, and because I'm sure if you ask anyone else they'll tell you something awful and I want to be sure you hear it from me first, okay?"

Pacifica had spoken this all very quickly. Gideon ran her words more slowly through his head before nodding for her to proceed.

She took a deep breath. "My family is… kind of a joke around town."

Gideon looked at her incredulously. "Why?" Apart from their first abrupt meeting, Pacifica had been nothing but nice. He did quietly note that she hadn't ever bothered to introduce him to her family, however, or even show him where she lived.

Pacifica kicked at the sidewalk. "It started a long time ago - I mean generations ago. My great-great grandfather, Nathaniel Northwest, was… infamous around Gravity Falls. I'll just come out and say it; he was the village idiot."

Gideon was baffled. "So?" he said. "What's that got to do with you?"

"Well, he was kind of a legend among village idiots." Pacifica said, more than a trace of sarcasm in her voice. "Depending on who you ask he only spoke in grunts, or walked on all fours, or lived in a 'castle' he made out of garbage, or thought he was a beaver and tried to eat the trees in the forest, or thought he was a wizard and tried to curse the squirrels for stealing his acorns…"

Pacifica trailed off, looking distinctly upset. Gideon was silent.

"I guess eventually he died and then the town tried to run my great grandparents out of town. They were too hardheaded to leave, though, but all the taunting and shame and occasional rotten fruit drove my great-grandpa a little nuts himself. My grandparents were ridiculed a little less, and my parents a little less than that… but I guess old habits die hard, right?" she said, finishing off with a shake of her head.

"Pacifica, that's awful, I had no idea." Gideon said.

She shrugged again. "Whatever. It's not the greatest legacy, but my family's still done pretty well for themselves."

"How can they treat y'all that way? That ain't even close to fair!" Gideon said, feeling his anger beginning to bubble.

"Gideon, let's just… forget about it for now." Pacifica said, picking up the pace again and heading toward another store. "Thanks for caring," she said, a little more quietly, "I'm glad that you're my friend, okay?"

"Alright." Gideon grumbled, stowing his ire and mentally vowing to glare back at anyone that sneered in Pacifica's direction. His anger softened a bit at her admission. "I'm glad that you found me in the forest last week - this summer's already been a million times more exciting than I was expectin'."

Pacifica smiled. "Maybe a bit too exciting. Ooh, hey, let's check out this store up here!"

Pacifica was off in a jolt and Gideon hustled along after her. They spent the next hour ducking in and out of souvenir shops. Pacifica bought three more trinkets she claimed 'just spoke to her' and definitely had some magic juice to them this time. When Pacifica checked her watch and announced that she had to get going for dinner, Gideon nodded along, knowing that he too was expected back at the Shack.

"I guess this wasn't a very long investigation, huh?" Pacifica said sheepishly.

"Don't matter to me." Gideon said with a smile. "We can go out again and look some more, if you really want. I guess everything's gettin' ready to close about now, though."

"Yeah, maybe tomorrow." said Pacifica.

"I think Grunkle Stan wants me to play cards with him tonight anyhow." Gideon said. "And I'll have a look in the journal, to see if it talks about any kind of charm. Maybe then we'll have a better idea of what we're lookin' for."

"Sounds great, thanks Gideon." Pacifica said, giving him a quick wave before she dashed off toward her home.

"See you later." Gideon called, heading off in the other direction. He thought about having another look through the Shack again, just in case one of the exhibits did give him an idea. Grunkle Stan had enough charms and other knickknacks in the gift shop that it might be worth a look, if only to confirm none of them were actually special.

-o-

"Oh yes, there are definitely gnomes in the forest. Dipper brought one home, once." Mabel said seriously.

"Really?" Pacifica asked, looking to the other girl with wide-eyed disbelief. "Did you guys keep it somewhere? What happened to it?"

"Oh…" Mabel said, shrugging languidly. "It got away."

It had been hours since Gideon and Pacifica had finished their little investigation outing. Pacifica, however, couldn't get the thoughts of finding a truly magical trinket from her mind. After she'd finished dinner, she'd sat silently in her room with a notebook, making a list of the trinkets she'd bought, what they symbolized (if anything), and whether or not she thought they had ended up having magic or not. Even once she'd done that, and written a good page or two of her own thoughts, she was still restless. Against her better judgement, she told her parents she was heading outside for a jog before it got dark.

Her jog took her to the house of the Gleeful twins - clearly marked with a lit-up billboard denoting it as such. She'd come entirely alone.

Gideon had said he didn't want to have any more secret adventures. Nothing he couldn't tell her about, or invite her along on. Pacifica desperately wanted to match his promise with her own, but she knew how he would react to this. He wouldn't want her anywhere near the Gleefuls. He would tell her it was a terrible idea, and in truth, she thought the same. Still, she wanted to be helpful. Gideon had his journal to help on their investigation. Mabel said she wanted to make amends by sharing some of the town's secrets. This was something Pacifica could use to help both her and Gideon out.

Unless Mabel fed her all sorts of misinformation or telepathically tossed her around town or drowned her in the lake.

Pacifica smacked her forehead as she stood outside the front gate of the Gleeful residence. This was an utterly awful idea. Before she had the chance to turn around and hightail it back home, however, a voice from the house called out to her.

"Pacifica Northwest, is that you?" Mabel Gleeful purred, leaning from an open window on the second story of the house. "Hold on for just a minute, I'll be right there!"

Pacifica gaped in silent horror, unable to will herself away from the gate. She'd been seen; there was no running now. In a flash, Mabel Gleeful had emerged from the front door and sweet talked her into a casual walk downtown.

It had been… surprisingly nice, Pacifica thought as Mabel warmed up the rather one-sided conversation with talking about how their show was going, what kind of merchandise their father had been planning to order, how pleasant the weather had been lately, the absolutely precious shoes she'd seen for sale the other day. Pacifica hadn't needed to say much, which she was thankful for.

The sun was finally beginning to dim on the long summer night. The souvenir shops were closed now, but many more late-night entertainment venues were opening. Bulbs flashed over restaurants and bars as the two girls wandered through the town.

"I should probably get going home now." Pacifica said cautiously.

"Oh come on, let's just walk a bit farther, shall we?" Mabel said amicably. "I was just getting to what I wanted to talk about! I'm glad you came and found me, Pacifica. I really am sorry for what my brother did, and I do want to make up for it. Let me tell you a bit about the town."

"What, really?" Pacifica said, astounded. "So soon?"

"Of course so soon." Mabel said with a laugh. "I want to try and make it up to you! What better way is there?"

Pacifica bit her lip. "Well, er, that'd be really great, Mabel. I am pretty curious about Gravity Falls. I mean, I've lived here all my life and I'm only just stumbling onto these weird secrets now."

"I believe it - the paranormal things around here are actually pretty elusive. Even if something does happen publicly, a lot of people won't even pay attention to anything remotely out of touch with their reality any mind. A lot of things go unnoticed because people just shrug off weird stuff that happens or rationalize it." Mabel said.

Pacifica nodded, trying to think of a time that she might have seen something out of the ordinary and shrugged it off as nothing. Nothing was coming to mind. She wanted to believe that if she'd run into anything like what she'd seen in the past week, she'd have taken the idea of monsters in Gravity Falls seriously.

"So, is my brother's magic amulet the only thing you've seen?" Mabel asked.

"No," Pacifica answered without thinking. "Er… I ran into a giant mole in the forest, they have tunnels under the trees."

"Really!" Mabel smiled. "That's fascinating. Anything else?"

Pacifica shook her head, choosing to keep silent about Gideon's strange journal.

"Ah, well, guess you can't have seen too much if you've only been exposed to all the weirdness recently." Mabel said. She turned to Pacifica, eyes narrow and interested. "So, what sort of things do you want to know about?"

Pacifica hadn't known where to start. She asked about how common monsters and mythical creatures were - which, Mabel answered, were unexpectedly common. She asked if Mabel had run into many of these creatures, or if Dipper had before, and how they'd handled themselves. She asked about gnomes (a creature she remembered from Gideon's journal), and Mabel was happy to provide her with answers to each of her questions.

"That's enough boring stories, I think." Mabel said with a wave of her hand. "Let's talk about something else."

"Oh, okay." Pacifica said. She hadn't thought the stories were boring - quite the opposite. Still, she didn't want to upset Mabel when she was being so forthcoming and friendly.

"Let's see…" Mabel began, tucking her arms behind her back and staring up to the sky in thought. "The Cedar Hill Inn Summertime Dance is this Saturday - do you think you'll be going?"

"Who, me?" Pacifica said, giving her head a dismissive shake. "Nah, I've gone once before… I don't think it would be much fun."

"Really? I was sure you'd be going with Gideon Pines." Mabel said, her gaze curious, probing.

Pacifica laughed nervously. "Oh, no, no, we're not - uh - we're not… like that. We're not, y'know, together."

"Interesting." Mabel said with a shrug.

Pacifica regarded the other girl cautiously. "Why… uh - did you think we were a couple?"

"Well, you do hang out all the time." Mabel said with a smile.

"Oh, well yeah." Pacifica said. "But he's a new kid in town and I figured he'd want someone to help show him around and get him used to the place."

"Yes, you two really hit it off, huh?"

Pacifica nodded slowly, her grin slipping into a hesitant half-grin, half-grimace. She wasn't sure where this conversation was going, or how comfortable she was talking with Mabel about Gideon. Mabel saved her from having to respond by swinging an arm around Pacifica's shoulders and cheerfully changing the subject.

"You know, I regret not getting to know you years ago, Pacifica. You're so interesting! I think we should hang out more, just us girls." Mabel said with a sweet smile.

"Ah, sure." Pacifica said, not knowing how to react to the other girl's overt familiarity. "That sounds fun… what would you want to do?"

"Oh, you know, maybe see a movie, take a walk through town, gossip about boys - whatever you like. I can always show you more secrets."

Pacifica nodded again, unable to find any reason to deny her offer that wasn't 'I'm sorry, but your brother freaks me out, and I'd like to stay as far away from him as possible'. Mabel really did seem like she was trying to be friendly. She'd also mentioned more secrets. "Right!" Pacifica said suddenly, stopping herself conveniently in front of a closed souvenir store and shrugging off Mabel's arm. "I was looking at trinkets over the weekend, because I remembered you said some in town actually end up being magical."

"Were you?" Mabel said, her eyes following Pacifica's pointing finger. The corners of her mouth twitched up in a sorry smile. "Oh Pacifica, I didn't mean dingy little holes in the wall like your average tourist trap."

Pacifica shrunk back, looking down in embarrassment. "You didn't?"

"No, no, don't look like that, it's entirely my fault. I should have been more clear. If you want a chance at finding something with some real juice, you can't dive into these places where the mass-produced keychains are a dime a dozen. You need to check out the stores that sell the unique, more handcrafted charms. Sometimes they'll sell something someone pawned off on them, not knowing what it was, or they'll get lucky and something in one of their shipments will have a bit of magic inside." Mabel explained patiently.

"Okay." Pacifica said, eyes narrowed in determination. She was going to find one of those charms.

"If you want one so badly, I'll find one for you." Mabel said with a smile.

Pacifica bit her lip. "You don't have to do that for me, Mabel. I can try to look around on my own."

Mabel looked at her a moment before rolling her shoulders. "It's up to you." she said, looking up at the sky again. "My, it's gotten late, hasn't it? I guess we should both be heading home now. Please don't be a stranger, Pacifica! I'd love to see more of you."

"Okay, I'll see you around Mabel." Pacifica said. The other girl gave her a casual wave before strolling back the way they had come.

Pacifica watched her walk for a moment before turning away to head toward her home. Her eyes were glued to the shop display windows as she marched on. Her plan of attack really had been foolish, in retrospect. Of course mass-produced replica keychains wouldn't be magic. She'd need to find something unique to have a chance.

On her way, she paused. Her eye had caught the sign of one of the souvenir shops. 'One of a Kind Good Luck Charms!', it boasted. Pacifica turned her gaze toward the store's doorway. The neon sign was lit up with Come In, We're Open!, and dim lights could be seen inside the store. It seemed just lucky enough to her that she'd come across one of the businesses that stayed open late, that she let herself in, interested in getting one of the good luck charms herself.

-o-

Gideon's night had been uneventful. Grunkle Stan had busted out an old copy of 'Chutes and Ladders' and they'd spent a few minutes chasing each other's pieces around the board until ultimately, Gideon reached the end first. Grunkle Stan quickly set the game aside, grumbling about how the game was meant for younger kids anyway. He then pulled out a deck of cards and proceeded to beat Gideon six ways from Sunday in more variations of poker than Gideon could keep track of. If his great-uncle had been wearing a shirt with long sleeves, he'd have been sure there were aces up them.

Eventually, the cards were swept away too. After Gideon assured Grunkle Stan that yes, he was sure he didn't want to play another hand of poker, he shuffled off to his room for some sleep. It had been a busy weekend.

Robbie was already working the cash register in the gift shop when Gideon finally decided to emerge from his room. It was still fairly early in the day, so he was surprised when Pacifica let herself into the Shack, her hands once again tightly balled in her jacket pockets.

"Morning, Gideon! I've got a gift for you." she said, strolling up to the counter and beaming at her friend. Her smile became a bit more subdued as she nodded toward the teen next to him. "Hey Robbie."

"Hey." Robbie said, looking up only briefly from his novel to acknowledge her. Gideon gave him a frustrated look, but Pacifica only shook her head.

"Alright. I'm headin' out for a bit, Robbie." Gideon said, hopping from his seat and following Pacifica to the door.

"See you later." Robbie said, sounding a bit more friendly to him.

If Pacifica had been excited yesterday, she looked entirely jubilant today. "Guess what, guess what! I ended up buying another charm yesterday. This one's got to be really something, I can just feel it!"

Gideon sighed good-humouredly. "If you really think so, Paz."

"I do, I know it!" she said, stopping dead in the path and spinning around to face him. Dramatically, she drew a small, fuzzy paw on a chain from her pocket and held it out before him.

He raised an eyebrow. "A rabbit's foot?"

"Not just any rabbit's foot! The guy in the store said this was a jackalope's foot - extra lucky." Pacifica said, looking extremely pleased with herself.

"As far as magic critters go, I'd say a jackalope is easy enough to believe in." Gideon said. "So you think this is a magic good luck charm?"

"I was so sure when I saw it that there was just something about it. I got it for you! Hold out your arm." Pacifica said, shaking the chain lightly.

"For me? Are you sure?" Gideon asked.

"Of course I'm sure, hold out your arm!" Pacifica said with a laugh.

Gideon held out his arm obediently. "Gee, thanks Pacifica. You really didn't have to get me nothin'. Are you sure you don't wanna keep the charm for yourself?"

Pacifica nodded firmly as she carefully linked the chain around Gideon's wrist. With a small snap, the clasp closed and the jackalope paw dangled neatly from around his arm. Gideon felt a strange sensation for a beat, which vanished so quickly he wasn't sure if he'd imagined it or not. Maybe there really was something to this charm Pacifica picked up.

She smiled as she regarded the hanging charm with satisfaction. "I thought a good luck charm would be perfect for you - you know, since the first thing you did when you got here is fall into a tunnel of giant mole people, and then get tossed around by Dipper Gleeful and his magic amulet. Maybe it'll help you uncover more secrets around town, too! Do you feel any more lucky?"

Gideon raised his arm so the charm swayed in front of his face. "I dunno, I thought I felt somethin'. I guess we'll just have to wait and see, right?"

"Right." Pacifica said cheerfully. "So, what do you want to do today?"

Gideon shrugged. "Dunno, what else is there to do around town?"

"We could hit up the arcade, or visit the lake, or the public pool. They've got comic books and stuff at the library. Or, if you wanted to keep looking for stuff, we could take another walk through the woods or check out some more souvenir shops." said Pacifica.

"The arcade sounds fun, I didn't even know there was one in town."

Pacifica grinned. "It's pretty well stocked, too. The tourists love it. They've got some decent games, too."

Gideon followed Pacifica down the trail to town, gazing down every so often to look at the paw charm in interest. Maybe he could do some things to test his lucky charm - beating Grunkle Stan at poker might be a start.

They arrived at the arcade shortly. The place was busier than he had expected, though Pacifica didn't seem to think so. He followed her as she strode over to one of the token machines and swapped some money for gold coins stamped with the arcade's logo. Gideon fished his own savings from his pocket and followed suit.

Pacifica quickly plopped down in the seat of a racing game, and Gideon sat down next to her in an identical seat. "Wanna race?" she asked playfully, slipping a few of her tokens into the coin slot. Gideon copied her, and she selected a course for them. Only a few seconds into the race, it was clear she'd played the game quite a few more times than he - she had a huge lead on him. She easily kept this lead all the way past the finish line. Big block letters flashed 'WINNER!' across her screen.

She smiled at Gideon. "Guess luck has nothing on experience."

"Guess not." Gideon said, looking around the arcade room for another game to try. "I'm gonna test out one of the pinball machines."

"Alright, I'll be over at Sky Intruders." Pacifica said, picking up her cup of tokens and wandering off to a machine on the other end of the arcade.

Gideon set down his cup of tokens on the ground next to the pinball machine and popped in a pair of tokens. The game lit up and flashed merrily, and he launched one of the silver balls into the game. It didn't take him long to realize fortune wasn't favouring him in this game, either. The controls seemed to stick - the paddles wouldn't react quickly enough when he tapped them and the ball moved around the field as if it had a mind of his own. After a quick loss, he went to retrieve his tokens, only to end up kicking the cup over.

He grumbled as he knelt down under the game, scooping his remaining tokens back into the cup. As he stood up, he smacked his head against the underside of the pinball machine. He staggered away from the game, clutching his head and groaning. Some good luck charm this had turned out to be.

The rest of the games went no better. His reflexes were completely shot today - he couldn't finish some of the easiest levels to save his life (and definitely not the lives of whatever character he was controlling). Pacifica watched over his shoulder with an amused smile.

"Wow, you suck at video games." she said, plunking her empty cup into his. He'd spent his last token on a brick breaking game (which he'd lost spectacularly). Technically, it hadn't been his last token, but he'd lost a couple more when he'd fumbled the coins and they rolled beneath the machines across from him.

"Not usually." he grumbled.

"Maybe you're just having an off day." Pacifica suggested. And then, a little more gloomily: "Maybe the charm's a dud. I was sure it would be a real good luck charm."

"Maybe it just takes a while to kick in." Gideon said, sounding doubtful to his own ears. "Thanks for the charm again, though. I do like it."

Pacifica brightened. "Let's go get lunch. You want burgers?"

The trip to Greasy's Diner was punctuated by a couple trips and stumbles courtesy of Gideon. By the time they made it to the restaurant, he was no longer doubting the charm's good luck magic - now he knew it wasn't helping him any. He was feeling more and more clumsy as the day went on. Gideon knew he wouldn't be the first to be called graceful, but tripping over his own feet at least four times on the way into town was a bit excessive.

After the pair had been served by the surprisingly sprightly 'Lazy' Susan, and the burgers promptly decimated, Gideon elected to head back to the Shack. He wasn't sure how many more adventures he could take, especially with how uncoordinated he seemed to be. Pacifica waved a quick goodbye and he started back (carefully) toward the Mystery Shack.

However, he fared no better back at home. After a few clumsily handled (thankfully not fragile) pieces of merchandise, and a couple more stumbles, it was suggested that maybe he go watch some television for a while. He couldn't hurt himself, or anyone or anything else, if he was sitting down alone.

So, he ended up spending a fair amount of the day sitting still. A thought had occurred to him, as he was sitting and watching Duck-tective. His eyes fell to the jackalope foot, resting innocuously against his wrist. His clumsiness had kicked in shortly after Pacifica had closed that chain around his arm, and he thought he had felt something when she did. A sneaking suspicion crept into his mind. Maybe the charm was magic; it was simply an unlucky charm.

It could be useful, maybe, somehow, if he could trick Dipper Gleeful into wearing it. Of course, there were two problems with that plan: one being that Dipper would certainly recognize it as a magic charm, two being that it was currently on Gideon's wrist.

And then, a third problem became apparent. Gideon reached over to the bracelet, tugging back his sleeve to get at the chain. He pried at the clasp to no avail. The chain refused to open for him, no matter how much prying and pleading he did. The bad luck charm was stuck on his wrist.

Still, it wasn't a big deal, Gideon thought. There were other options. Maybe someone else could take the bracelet off for him, or else he could try and cut it off, provided he could find some wire cutters that could slice through the thin chain.

He leapt to his feet, remembering his predicament a moment too late, and stumbled forward to meet the living room floor. He got to his feet a little more gingerly, carefully walking to the gift shop. Robbie was still at the till, helping a couple pile their purchases into a Mystery Shack paper bag.

Robbie would take the chain off for him. He'd just have to explain that he couldn't open the clasp himself - which was true - and the teen would help him out. He tread carefully across the shop, successfully reaching the checkout counter without a single stumble.

"What's up, Gideon?" Robbie asked.

Well, I was hoping you could help me take off this bracelet, I can't exactly get it to open for me, Gideon tried to say. However, he found he couldn't get his mouth to move the way he wanted to. His tongue seemed to twist up in his mouth, and his teeth locked together. When he tried to speak again, what tumbled from his lips was not a request for help, but a simple, "Nothin'."

"Bored of watching the TV already?"

"Already? I've been gone for a couple hours now." Gideon said, trying to cover his panic.

Robbie chuckled. "Well, you're welcome to join me, you know. It's a slow day."

Gideon nodded, carefully climbing into the chair next to the teen and running what he wanted to say through his head again. Why couldn't he tell Robbie about the charm? Every time he tried to speak up, the same clenching feeling welled up in his mouth again. He glared down at the paw. Not only was it preventing him from taking it off, it wouldn't let him ask anyone else for help either.

He sat there for a while longer, trying different variations of his request in his head and finding they all resulted in the same tied tongue. If he couldn't get help from someone else, he was on his own. He needed to find something he could use to cut the chain. He'd explain to Pacifica afterward. He wasn't left with many options - she'd surely understand.

Cautiously, he slipped from his seat and headed back toward the main rooms of the house.

"Leaving so soon?" Robbie called, amused.

"Just bored." Gideon said with a shrug, his careful steps not quite measuring up against the charm's magic this time. He stumbled through the doorway, meeting the floor hard on his way down. He scuffled back to his feet, not daring to look back and check if Robbie had witnessed his fall.

The handyman had a supply closet nearby - surely he had some wire cutters, or something strong enough to snap the little chain. Gideon tiptoed over to it and eyed the contents of the closet nervously - particularly the sharp and/or heavy tools. Having the misfortune of getting a little too acquainted with any of them would put even more of a damper on his evening.

On the main shelf, a large toolbox sat. Gideon propped it open and glanced around at the tools inside. A pair of wire cutters rested in one of the compartments, and Gideon reached in to retrieve them. The box slammed shut on his hand when his fingers closed around the handle and he bit back a few sharp words. Carefully, he opened the box again and withdrew the wire cutters without another mishap. Angling his wrist, he slid the chain between the blades and closed his eyes as he bared down on the handles.

Nothing happened. He opened his eyes. The chain was still completely intact - the cutters hadn't made even a dent in the metal.

"You gotta be kiddin' me." he groaned, setting the wire cutters back into the toolbox and very cautiously backing out of the closet.

He couldn't take the bracelet off himself. He couldn't tell anyone about the charm. He couldn't cut through the chain. His brief list of ideas had already been exhausted. Gideon couldn't see a way out of his predicament.

He didn't want to panic. This was nothing compared to being captured by giant moles with claws like butcher knives, and it was nowhere near as terrible as being thrown around like a ragdoll by Dipper Gleeful and his telekinetic amulet. He'd get out of this somehow. Still, the prospect looked grim. Glumly, he made his way back to the living room to settle back down in front of the television (a relatively safe pastime, until he could figure out a way to remove the charm around his wrist).

Gideon heard Robbie leaving the Shack a little past four o'clock. Grunkle Stan had finished off the last tour of the day a while ago. Gideon sat quietly, watching whatever happened to be on the air at the time and feeling increasingly fidgety. When Grunkle Stan came and asked him, a couple hours later, if he wanted to play some cards or a few board games, he'd almost sprung from his seat before recalling the charm.

The games went as well as expected - Gideon lost spectacularly at each and every one.

"Looks like you're off your game tonight, kid." Grunkle Stan said, sweeping up the cards and shuffling them with practised precision. "One more hand?"

"No thanks." Gideon sighed. He'd tried to ask his great-uncle about unlatching the chain around his wrist, but again, couldn't get his tongue to work when he tried to speak. He'd have to come up with another way to rid himself of the bad luck charm.

"Hey, don't take it too hard! Everyone had their off days." Grunkle Stan said as he tucked the playing cards into their box.

Gideon shrugged, fiddling with the jackalope foot absently. Stan's eyes followed his movement and seemed to linger for a moment on the trinket. "Are you wearing a bracelet?"

"Pacifica got it for me." Gideon said, hoping that maybe Grunkle Stan would ask to see it - maybe he would even take it off for him.

"Y'know, the Shack sells nicer stuff than that." Grunkle Stan said, a little peevishly.

Gideon gave him a strange look. "Uh… okay. I don't actually know where she got it."

Stan was eyeing the bracelet strangely critically. "Tourists coming through here will snap up any old tchotchke they lay eyes on - and if they see someone wearing something, that'll make them more likely to want that thing." Stan said, looking a bit ruffled, but Gideon didn't think it was because of him. "The whole town lives off tourism, but I mean really, you'd think people would put at least a little effort into their merchandise. Gravity Falls isn't supposed be some backwater town where you can buy tacky jewellery thrown together by someone's five-year-old. This place is losing its sense of quality."

Gideon nodded along, not actually sure what his great-uncle was getting at. The Mystery Shack didn't exactly come across as a five star attraction, and as far as quality went, some of the displays in the tour could use a little TLC to make them more exhibit-worthy - to say nothing of the Shack itself.

"Eh, I guess you're too young to worry about business, though." Grunkle Stan said. He stood up, pushing away from the table and stretching (cracking his back with a satisfying pop in the process). "Maybe you could impart some wisdom onto your friend, tell her rabbit feet went out of style over ten years ago."

"It's a jackalope foot." Gideon said.

"Those too." Stan said. "Hey, you know, the Shack's not open Wednesday - how about we have our fishing trip then? Sound good?"

Gideon's mind flashed with gruesome images of misaimed fishing hooks. Handling them could go - would go - poorly while he still had the charm working against him. "Sounds great." Gideon said, trying not to wince from the thought of getting skewered by his own hook.

"Alright, then there's our plan." Grunkle Stan said with a grin. "We'll play another round of cards tomorrow - maybe you'll actually get some decent hands."

As long as he had the charm on him, he doubted it. Still, he returned his great-uncle's smile. "Can't wait." he said, leaving his own seat and heading slowly toward the stairs. "I think I'm gonna turn in early tonight, though."

Grunkle Stan bid him goodnight and he ascended the stairs, slipping only once before he made it to his bed and collapsed into it.

-o-

Tuesday morning did not start off well. Despite being absolutely sure he'd left his hat on his dresser, it was nowhere to be found in the morning. Gideon gave his whole room a thorough search - resulting in no fewer than five splinters, and several good bodily thwacks that he was sure would bruise quickly. He gave up after tripping and smacking his head against his bed frame. Wherever his hat had gotten to, it wasn't here.

Uncomfortably, he checked the drawer where he kept the third journal hidden, letting out a breath of relief when it was exactly where it usually was. There wasn't any reason for it not to be there - he hadn't touched it recently. He hadn't even glanced in it for information on charms, and he wasn't keen on laying a hand on it any time soon. He'd probably 'accidentally' drop it out the window, or misplace it like he had his hat, or it would burst into flames, or something else extremely unfortunate.

He carefully pushed the drawer shut and surveyed the room again with a sigh. He hadn't had any great epiphanies on how to ditch the jackalope foot, and he wasn't eager to go stumbling forward into another day of literal stumbling. Once he'd helped himself to breakfast, he spent most of his morning in front of the television again.

The bell hanging in front of the door of the gift shop had jingled several times over the morning. Gideon hadn't paid it any mind until one instance of bell's ting was followed shortly by a friendly interruption.

"Hey Gideon! Robbie said I could come right in." Pacifica said, leaning into the living room and grinning. "What're you up to today?"

"Uh…" Gideon began, glancing uncertainly between her and the television (currently airing some action movie with very little actual plot). "Nothing, I guess. You're here pretty early."

Pacifica let herself further into the room, leaning against the arm of Gideon's chair and fixing him with a smile. "I guess so. I was trinket hunting a bit more yesterday afternoon." she said, dropping her tone conspiratorially. "I thought maybe we could go out and do some more research?"

Gideon tried not to look hesitant. "I dunno… I'm not feelin' too up to runnin' around much today."

Pacifica's grin didn't falter as she shrugged. "Well, we don't have to go out then. Would it be okay if we hung around here and maybe browsed the you-know-what a bit? Maybe we can find some hints, or maybe it'll actually be able to verify one of the charms I picked out!"

Again, Gideon hesitated. He didn't want to turn her away entirely - in fact, shooting down any and all of her plans until he finally managed to remove the bad luck charm sounded like an impossible feat. Staying here was definitely the more preferable of options. If he managed to hurt himself, at least he was already at home. Having Pacifica around might even mitigate the inevitable damage; if the journal was in her hands, he'd be less likely to rip any pages.

"Alright, let's do that." Gideon said after mulling it over a moment too long. "My room's upstairs."

Pacifica beamed. "Lead the way."

Gideon did so, hoping his caution in climbing the stairs wasn't too conspicuous. Of course, on the other hand, if he was conspicuous, perhaps Pacifica would be able to deduce what was going on.

"By the way, I noticed you're still wearing the charm I bought you!" Pacifica said once they'd reached the landing unscathed. Her eyes were practically sparkling as they settled on his wrist. "How's it working out, feeling lucky yet?"

Gideon almost scoffed. Instead, he shrugged, looking down at the charm and trying to find words that he could make himself say, without them being a lie. "It's doing somethin'." he murmured. Pacifica grinned.

He pushed open the door to his room, freezing in place and his face twisting in astonishment as he took in the scene unravelling before his eyes.

The window in his room was cracked open, and a long, green, unmistakably plant-like tendril was feeling its way curiously around Gideon's bedside table, as if drawn by some force. The vine wrapped itself around the drawer's handle, yanking it open, and diving in. It quickly found what it was searching for and withdrew from the drawer, holding up its prize almost victoriously.

The third journal.

"What's wrong? What's going on?" Pacifica asked, elbowing past her stricken friend and taking a look at the scene herself. Her eyes widened. "What is that thing?"

Before either of the kids managed to make a move, the tendril slid back through the window, vines wrapped securely around the book. Gideon made a choking noise before spinning on his heel and dashing back toward the stairs. "It's got the journal!" he squawked, taking the stairs two at a time before stumbling and taking the last few with a graceless fall.

"Oh my god, Gideon, are you okay?!" Pacifica called, racing downstairs after him.

Gideon was on his feet in a flash and stumbling toward the nearest exit. "I'm fine, I'm fine, we can't let that thing get away!"

Pacifica nodded sharply, already on Gideon's heels and easily passing him as she sped out the side entrance of the Mystery Shack.

Gideon caught up with her when she paused outside, below the window to his room. He was breathless already. "Where did it get to?" he asked, trying not to sound too panicked.

"I think that's it." Pacifica said, pointing to a rustling spot making its way across the Mystery Shack grounds and toward the forest. She'd barely spoken before she was off and running again, Gideon chasing after her.

Pacifica looked back over her shoulder, skidding to a halt as Gideon tripped and fell to the ground.

"No, keep goin', don't lose sight of it! I… I'll catch up." Gideon said doubtfully. Pacifica made a pained expression but sprinted into the woods, the travelling vine still visible in the distance.

She was closing in on it, albeit slowly. The tendril wasn't moving quite as quickly as she could, and after springing after it at full speed, she'd managed to close the distance between them. The strange vine was mostly submerged underground now, but seemed to have little trouble burrowing its way along through the woods. Pacifica now only had to walk quickly to keep up with it, which she was grateful for; she had a stitch in her side and her breathing was laboured.

The vine was wrapped tightly around the journal, though not so tight that it was squishing it. Pacifica wasn't sure if she would be able to pry the book away from the plant - its grip looked solid. How strong it really was, she could only guess. Whenever she reached out to grab the book, the vine flinched away, always just beyond her grasp.

"Okay, listen here you… plant." Pacifica said, not sure if reasoning with the vine would do any good, but prepared to try all the same. "That's my friend's journal, and I can't let you take it. Didn't your… uh… plant parents teach you that stealing is wrong?"

The vine made no reply (not that she had expected one). Pacifica followed it deeper and deeper into the woods, checking over her shoulder every now and then to see if Gideon was anywhere in sight.

She'd never been this far into the woods without having a trail to follow, she noted, quieting the urgent little voice in her head that was screaming for her to turn back. Even when she'd first met Gideon they'd only been a quick jaunt from the nearest hiking path. She'd followed the book-thieving plant without thinking, and now, she realized, the forest was starting to look darker and more wild than she'd seen before.

It was then that the towering redwoods seemed to recede. The trees thinned, curving away as the forest floor opened up into a gloomy grove that sloped downward to one, singular, giant tree.

Pacifica stumbled, her breath catching for a moment as she recalled her last encounter with an open grove in the forest. But there was no freshly tilled earth here, and the plant was marching on with its captive journal, so Pacifica followed.

"What is this place?" she whispered, still dogging the travelling vine as she took in the strange sight before her.

The grove was larger than she'd first thought. The ground here was mostly free of undergrowth, and grass grew in thick patches from soil filled with stones. Here and there a massive root had burst through the soil - slightly green, and much like the plant she was pursuing. It was still travelling steadily ahead of her, getting closer and closer to the enormous tree in the grove's center.

The tree, Pacifica noted, was no taller than any of the surrounding conifers. Its height, however, seemed to have no bearing on its width. The tree was at least twenty times thicker than any she'd seen in the woods before. But it wasn't the size of the tree that had Pacifica baffled; it was the thousands of books inlaid in its bark.

"What the heck?" Pacifica said, staring at the tree as she confirmed that, yes, those were the spines of countless books peeking from the tree's rough bark. At the base of the tree, most of the books seemed almost entirely engulfed by tangled swells of flaking bark. Farther up the trunk, books were 'shelved' more loosely, pressing into the tree without much purchase, and nowhere near as engulfed as those at the base. From what she could see of the books near the ground, they were all old - much older than even the oldest looking books further up.

The travelling plant trekked onwards towards the tree, and Pacifica balked at the sudden realization of what it planned to do with its captive journal. "No!" she called, chasing after it with fresh panic. "No, no you can't have that book! It's my friend's and it's very important!"

Pacifica lunged, her hands finding the book and clutching it fiercely. The tendril, however, was fiercer still, and too easily wrenched out of her grip. It continued on, unimpeded, until it was close enough to the tree. The plant then burst forward from the ground, becoming more thick and rugged as it emerged (a root, not a vine, Pacifica thought). It arced toward the tree, placing the journal carefully in an open space. The bark of the tree bent around it, accepting it tenderly.

Pacifica stared, mouth agape. How was she supposed to get the journal back from a book-thieving tree?

"Hey, are you lost?"

Pacifica yelped, whirling around to face whoever had snuck up on her. Her surprise was coloured with apprehension when she didn't see anyone nearby.

"Down here." the voice said patiently. Pacifica complied, quickly picking up her surprise as easily as she'd dropped it. The voice belonged to a tiny, squat man with a face framed by his brown beard. A conical red hat decorated his head.

"You're a gnome." Pacifica said, thinking of the page in Gideon's journal only after recalling her conversation with Mabel.

"Yep, and you're a human - that's why I thought you were lost. Don't really see humans out here. Ever." the gnome remarked. Pacifica thought there was a bit of an edge to his voice, but he didn't seem angry.

"I'm not lost." Pacifica said, looking away from the gnome to survey the forest surrounding her - the unfamiliar forest. "Well, okay, I'm probably a little lost. But I had to come here, my friend's journal was stolen by… this tree?" she trailed off, sounding uncertain. "I followed it all the way here."

The gnome scratched at his whiskers. "Now that's odd. How far into the woods were you guys? And where's this friend of yours?"

"We weren't in the woods at all." Pacifica said. "We were at his house, and there was a tree root that slunk up into his room and took the journal right out of his drawer - we saw it." Pacifica's expression faded from frustration to concern at the mention of Gideon. "My friend tripped while we were chasing after it. He told me to go on without him so we didn't lose track of it."

Where was Gideon now? Not lost in the woods, she hoped. He had never managed to catch up with her. Hopefully he was alright, and hadn't come after her once she was out of sight.

The gnome was tugging at his beard, now, looking almost baffled. "Not in the woods, huh? That's odd. The Arbarchive must've been starving…"

Pacifica blinked. "The what?"

"Arbarchive." the gnome scoffed. "Arbor and archive smashed together. Stupid name, right? I didn't name it - I would've named it the 'Book Tree'. Much less confusing."

Pacifica doubted that 'Book Tree' would be any less obfuscating to anyone who hadn't actually seen said Book Tree with their own eyes. She cleared her throat. "What do you mean, the tree was starving?"

"Well…" the gnome scratched at his beard, stretching out the word in a pause. "The Arbarchive kind of… eats books."

"What?!"

"It's true!" the gnome said, mistaking her panic for astonishment. "One of the last trees in Oregon that gets its nutrients from stories instead of the soil. Hey, where are you going?"

Pacifica had whirled around and marched up to the bulbous trunk of the tree, eyeing the engulfed books as her stomach did backflips. Swallowing hard, she reached out for the nearest handhold and started to hoist herself upward.

"Hey, hey! You can't do that! What do you think you're doing?!" the gnome shouted, racing after her on his stubby legs.

"I need that book back! It's my friend's and it's very important!" she said, her foot scuffing against the bark until it found a suitable ledge.

"Get down from there, it's dangerous!"

Pacifica climbed on, drowning out the gnome's warnings. It wasn't so hard a climb - much easier than any other tree she'd climbed in her life (of which there were few). The jutting books and bark made numerous natural hollows she could grab. Additionally, there were a few objects that were definitely not books that she managed to propel herself along with. She passed by a bicycle tire the tree had almost completely swallowed, and either an old, ratty sweater, or a relatively intact scarf.

She wasn't sure exactly what she was going to do when she reached the captive book. She hadn't exactly had time to plan out this book rescue. It didn't look very securely held, though. Surely it wouldn't be too difficult to just yank it and be on her way.

Below, the gnome was still hollering away. His voice didn't even register as Pacifica clambered higher and higher. She didn't dare look down, not until she finally reached the nook where the third journal was nestled. The ground wasn't as far away as she'd thought, but still a back-breaking drop from where she perched. She was about halfway up the tree, she thought. The gnome looked even more impossibly tiny from here.

"Alright now, uh… Arbarchive. I really, really need my friend's book back, so, I'm sorry, but… I'll be taking it back now." Pacifica said, trying to sound gentle and pacifying, instead of exhausted and out of breath. Carefully, she reached out and put her hand against the book's spine.

The reaction was instantaneous. Two of the thick roots, still green at the tip, rocketed up from the ground and swatted at her fingers. Pacifica withdrew her stinging hand with a sharp squeak, teetering where she was roosting and almost losing her grip on the tree. The roots hovered close by. If they'd had eyes, Pacifica knew they would be glued on her.

She let out a shallow breath. "Well, that didn't work."

Below, the gnome was shouting more fervently. She turned to look down at him, straining to hear his words.

"What did I tell you?! What did I say?! It's dangerous, get down now!"

She eyed the journal, and then the roots - still poised to attack. Just beyond them, jutting out of the tree, was what appeared to be the end of a child's butterfly net. Her eyes focused, and for a moment, she stared. Carefully, she slipped her injured hand into one of her coat pockets, sore fingers closing carefully around its contents.

"Hey, mister gnome?" Pacifica shouted, wary of the looming roots as she glanced downward.

The gnome's ongoing warnings halted, and he called back up to her. "Yeah?"

"You said this tree feeds on stories, right?" she asked.

Another pause. "Yeah. That's why it took your friend's book. Now listen, just come down from there! Just get your buddy another book! Are you listening to me?"

Pacifica was not. The gnome's confirmation was all she needed to have at least a dribble of faith in the bet she was about to hedge. Slow and cautious, she withdrew her handful of trinkets from her pocket, one chain looped around each of her fingers.

"So, you like stories, huh? I've got one for you. It's about a girl who spent more than an entire month's allowance on a treasure trove of useless knick knacks."

The roots didn't budge. Pacifica chose to take this as a positive sign.

"This one," Pacifica said, hooking a small silver owl into the tree's bark, "was one of the first charms the girl bought. Owls are supposed to represent wisdom and knowledge, so the girl bought it hoping it would be an intelligence-booster. Obviously, since she continued to buy faulty charms, it was not."

Still no response; Pacifica continued, slipping another keychain around a notch in the tree, and then another, and another. "This one is just a bunch of feathers collected from local birds. These two are both different gemstones - the girl thought they looked a bit like another stone she'd seen before. All of these charms were duds. This one was a heart, coiled with different kinds of metals, for good health. Hard to say if that one actually worked - but it's more than likely a fake, like all the rest."

Pacifica's pockets were quickly emptied of the handful of charms she'd brought. The roots still loomed nearby, but they didn't seem quite so threatening - or at least, that's what Pacifica told herself. She took a steadying breath.

"The girl wanted to help her friend in whatever way she could. He had a journal that told him about secrets in the town, but she didn't have anything like that. She had to find answers in a different way. She just wanted to help." Pacifica said, very slowly edging closer to where the third journal was stowed. "She was a bit… overzealous. She should have known that rushing ahead blindly wouldn't help her or her friend."

The book was close now. She hoped her hunch was right as she very carefully reached out. "She should have known there were better ways to help her friend. Less reckless ways. Ways that didn't involve blowing a ton of cash on a wild goose chase. In fact, the girl can help her friend out in possibly the most important way, right now." she said. She carefully placed her hand on the spine of the book again, bracing herself for another attack. When it didn't come, she tightened her grip. "It's still a pretty reckless idea, but the girl doesn't have much of a choice here. She needs to get her friend's journal back."

Pacifica plucked the journal from its shelf in the tree bark. The roots shuddered, and Pacifica flinched - but they didn't lunge. At her side, the thick, bulbous bark already seemed to be tugging her keychains closer, more securely into the tree. Pacifica watched nervously as the roots sunk back into the earth, the tree apparently satisfied with her trade.

She stood there for a moment, not quite believing that her half-baked plan had actually pulled through. Slowly the weight of the journal in her hand settled her back into reality. She let out a quick, heavy breath and grinned with satisfaction. "Yes!"

The descent was much more nerve-wracking than her climb had been. Her arms and legs were shaking as she clambered down the tree. She stumbled when her feet finally hit the ground. Uneasily, she lowered herself to sit on a nearby root before getting on her way. Her adrenaline rush had passed, a minute to rest was all she needed.

"Wow, you actually got your book back!"

Pacifica had almost forgotten about the gnome. He hobbled over to where she sat, his expression seeming to struggle at staying casual. His voice, however, easily betrayed his astonishment.

She flipped the journal over in her hands, staring at it and feeling utterly victorious. "Yeah, I sure did, huh?"

"That was really clever, I didn't think the Arbarchive was going to take up your trade. That journal looks like something real special."

"It is." Pacifica said, tucking it securely under her arm and trying to stay on the alert, should the tree change its mind.

"I'll have to send some boys out on a literature search - the tree shouldn't be scrounging so far away for books. It really must be hungry." the gnome said, glancing over toward the nearest swell in the trunk.

Pacifica nodded mutely, the numbness in her limbs starting to fade. She glanced around the grove a bit uncertainly, her eyes landing on where she thought she'd entered from. A bit hesitantly, she said, "Say, uh, you wouldn't know which direction the town Gravity Falls is from here, would you?"

The gnome pointed her in what he assured her was definitely the right direction and Pacifica hastily jogged off. The forest was as dark as when she'd first entered, and the trees had all long since started to look the same, but Pacifica felt strangely at ease. The journal was safe. She'd managed to rescue it. She couldn't help but grin the entire jaunt back to the Mystery Shack.

She saw the sunlight start to filter through as the edge of the woods came up to meet her. That was the Mystery Shack dead ahead - she hadn't gotten lost! Her steps quickened, first to a jog, and then she broke into a run. She didn't slow down until she reached where the trees ended. There, she stopped, looking down toward the trunk of a redwood, where her friend lay sprawled gracelessly, his shoelaces both undone, and his vest caught up in one of the low-hanging branches.

Gideon Pines looked remarkably calm for someone held captive by (what she hoped was) a normal, non-threatening tree.

"How?" was all she asked, as she knelt down to free him from the redwood's clutches.

He only sighed in response. Giving him a second look, Pacifica realized he looked more completely done, than calm. She helped him to his feet, her smile now a bit more tame, and held out the journal. Gideon's eyes widened.

"You actually caught it." he said, a smile of his own pulling at his lips now.

"Oh, it was no big deal." Pacifica said, shuffling her feet as she grinned.

Gideon sighed again as he very carefully took the journal into his own hands. "Seriously, what would I do without you, Paz?"

"What would you do without me?" Pacifica echoed. Her eyes lingered on the journal. "You better find a real safe place to store that thing. No more monster journal thieves."

"I will." Gideon said. He paused, holding the journal back out to Pacifica. "Could you, uh, help me with findin' somewhere to stow it? And, uh, let's not do anything else today. That's enough craziness for me."

Pacifica nodded. "Yeah, sure thing! I was going to say the same thing, actually." she said with a laugh. "I'm already exhausted."

Gideon looked relieved as they retreated back into the Mystery Shack. They hid the journal at the bottom of a chest in Gideon's room - Pacifica made sure there were plenty of other books piled on top, just in case.

-o-

Pacifica had long since left, and Robbie had closed up the gift shop not long after her departure. It was approaching evening now, and Gideon was seated where he'd been most of the day - in front of the television.

The jackalope foot was still secured around his wrist, and didn't seem to be coming off anytime soon. He'd been trying to do as little as possible, after the earlier incident, but he didn't want to become completely immobile. He couldn't let the likes of a little trinket get the best of him.

Still, there was nothing to be done about it. Gideon couldn't take the charm off himself, and he couldn't seem to ask anyone about it either. His bad luck seemed to be escalating, if the journal being nearly stolen was anything to go by. Sooner or later something terrible was going to happen, and he'd only be able to stand and watch it unfold.

Scuffling footsteps came from down the hall - Gideon glanced over to see Grunkle Stan shuffling into the living room in his slippers. "Evening." his great-uncle said, glancing from Gideon's bare head to the charm around his wrist. "You're still wearing that bracelet?"

Gideon shrugged helplessly. "Yeah."

"But not your hat?" Stan asked, walking up to stand beside the armchair. Before Gideon could reply that he'd managed to misplace it, Stan spoke again. "Remember what I said? People shopping for souvenirs are easily influenced by what they see other people wearing. I can't have my own great-nephew going around wearing some junky charm from the competition, you understand?"

Gideon nodded slowly, not sure what Grunkle Stan was getting at, until he held out his hand. "Gimme your wrist, I want to see this charm."

Gideon's eyes widened as he complied. Stan gripped his arm lightly, toying with the charm for a moment. He undid the clasp with ease, snapping up the chain into his fist as he pulled away. "Cheap piece of junk." he said, unaware of Gideon's astonishment. "No more publicity for other tourist traps, alright?"

"Yeah, you got it." Gideon agreed, rubbing at his wrist where the cursed bracelet had hung. "Don't - don't, uh… you're not gonna wear it, are you?"

Grunkle Stan laughed. "Me? Wear this? C'mon, I've got better taste than that." he said, heading back out the way he'd came, charm bracelet still secure in hand.

Gideon stared after him for several long minutes before springing to his feet and scurrying upstairs - not tripping or missing a single step. He couldn't bring himself to care what happened to the bracelet, all that mattered was that it was finally off his wrist. Pacifica would have to understand when he explained why he wasn't wearing her gift any longer.

He opened the door to his room and was greeted with another surprise. His hat was sitting on his dresser, as if it had never left in the first place. Gideon let out a relieved cry and scooped it up. Everything was looking up again. Giddy from the loss of his bad luck burden, Gideon unearthed the journal from the bottom of his trunk, happy to spend the evening leafing through its thick pages.

He was even looking forward to fishing tomorrow.