The new girl in Gravity Falls; by Joona Irene

Bill Cipher's warning

By Joona Irene

~~Dipper POV~~
        Everybody went home after we had dried off at the shack. Even Lilac left. I knew she was just going to sit in that big tree all night, and I felt bad knowing. Mabel didn't know Lilac was orphaned; I didn't tell her, and the guilt was killing me. I sat in front of the T.V., my hair still slightly wet, and left the screen off.
        Lilac. How can a girl that young have such long hair? I remembered her scared face perfectly: eyes shut tight, lips slightly quivering, hands shaking. And when they were open, just before we went inside the tunnel, they shone the brightest blue.
        "Why didn't I ask her to stay?" I muttered to myself. "She's sleeping in a tree for crying out loud!"
        "Who's sleeping in a tree?" Mabel asked, appearing from nowhere. She was in her pajamas.
        "Uh, nobody." I said way too quickly.
        "C'mon, you know you can tell me. Did you make friends with a squirrel?" she asked, eyes wide. "Because I support your feelings all the way. I mean, squirrels are so fluffy!"
        "No, I didn't make friends with a squirrel Mabel." I said, annoyed. "It's...well, it's Lilac Whites."
        "Lilac sleeps in a tree?" Mabel frowned. "Like, in a tree house?" her face brightened. "How cool is that!"
        "No." I said. "Just a tree."
        "What?" Mabel said. "Well, huff, geeze, why didn't you invite her to stay with us?" she put her hands on her hips. "That's kind of rude, Dipper, making her sleep outside like an animal."
        "Well...I was going too..." I started. "I just didn't want...well..."
        "Didn't want what?"
        "I didn't want you and her having a sleepover." I said, embarrassed.
        "What a great idea Dipper!" Mabel shouted. "Let's go ask her right now! Come ON slow poke!" She jabbed her finger into my stomach, then ran for her shoes and a flashlight.
        "Mabel it's dark outside!" I yelled. I sighed, then put my shoes on too.

        Lilac really was in the tree. I could barely spot her hair way up in the branches, dangling down from the limb like a soft white curtain.
        "LILAC!" Mabel shouted. I could see her moving on the branch. How dose she not loose her balance? I wondered.
        "Wha- who are you?" Lilac asked from way way way up above. Mabel shined the flashlight in my face.
        "Ah!" I cried, "Mable! Not the face!" I think I heard Lilac laugh.
        "We want to have a sleepover!" Mabel yelled. "Come down! Stay with us!"
        "What is a sleepover?" Lilac asked. Mabel gasped.
        "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT A SLEEPOVER IS?" Mabel roared. "OH my GOSH we are SO HAVING ONE!"
        "Uh..." Lilac said. A sudden breeze blew her hair behind her. "Okay...I guess." She climbed down. I shivered in my pajamas while we waited for her to come down. I could tell Mabel was planning every detail of the sleepover already. I groaned. This is exactly what I did not want.
       
        "Okay bro-bro, no boys allowed!" Mabel said, slamming the door. I sighed again. I grabbed a pillow from the couch and went into Soos's break room. He probably wouldn't mind...or notice...if I spent just one night. I opened the door, avoided the carpet just in case, and pulled a blanket over my head.
        I sighed again as I heard laughter coming from upstairs. I didn't want Lilac sleeping outside, but, I was also worried that Mabel would spill every embarrassing secret to her. Including the things from the journal, things even Wendy and Soos didn't know. Including things about me. I took a deep breath and tried to sleep.

        I opened my eyes. everything was gray, black and white. I was right where I'd been sleeping, but sitting. Somehow this seemed familiar to me, but I couldn't quite place it.
        "Am I dreaming?" I asked openly.
        "Well Well Well." Suddenly Bill Cipher floated in, twirling his cane. "After all this time, you still can't figure out the simplest of things!"
        "Bill!" I clenched my hands into fists. "Get out! I don't want to talk to you."
This, this stupid triangle dream demon was troubling me enough as it was. I didn't want him making me miss-trust anyone again. I was sick of him talking in riddles, trying to hurt me, my family. He was a menace.
        "Aww, I'm flattered." Bill said, adjusting his bow-tie. I growled. "Pine tree, you haven't been listening to me have you?"
        "And why should I?" I challenged. "All you've ever done is try to hurt us!"
        "Hmm, maybe because I'm a being of infinite knowledge and energy with secrets to the universe and codes to the ways of life?" Bill tipped his hat off, rummaging through it. "Like, for example...Lilac." he pulled out a bubble, letting it float into the air. Then he popped it, and when he did, her laughter came out. "Quite a unique sound isn't it?"
        "You don't know anything about her." I said, folding my arms.
        "I know more than you." Bill said, floating closer. "I know a lot more."
        "No." I asked, beginning to worry he'd tell me more lies. "You were wrong about her. You said she'd recognize the journal and you were wrong! You said she was dangerous and she helped us escape the tunnel!"
        "Kid, be honest with yourself." Bill said, putting his arm around my shoulders. "What do you actually know about Lilac? Hmm? Think hard, Pine tree. Dig deep."
        "Her name." I said, thinking. "And she's alone. She doesn't have any friends, family...or even a home."
        "Annnddd?" Bill asked. I thought harder.
        "She's traveled the world." I offered. "She said the entire planet was her home."
        "Annnddd?" Bill asked again. I shook my head, and pushed him away.
        "What does it matter?" I argued. "She's nice and kind and that's all that's important." Bill tsked me.
        "For a guy that looks for and solves mysteries you sure overlook the ones right under your nose." He floated away, his arms tucked behind him. Then he turned and faced me. "You don't know about her. You don't know a thing. Doesn't that bother you Pine tree, even a little?"
        "What do you know?" I hissed. "What do you care? Why are you trying to turn me against her, Huh? Dose she have some great big secret that you don't want her telling? Why do you hate her?"
        "Hate her?" Bill said, shocked. Well, as shocked as a cyclops triangle can be. "HATE HER? Pine tree, how could anyone hate Lilac Whites?" He waved his arms. "YOU sure don't. In fact, if I look just a little closer..." He grew large, taking up all the extra space in the room, until all I could see was his eye. I tried my best not to squirm.
        "Oh wow Pine tree, you think about her way way too much." he shrank back down to his regular size. "In fact, I think maybe you should stop, since you don't even try to get to know who and what she is."
        "Wait-what?" Dipper asked, frowning. "What do you mean by 'what she is'? Of course I know that, she's a girl!" I could tell Bill was smiling because his eye squinted.
        "Kid, let me refresh your memory." he said, pointing up and spinning the same hand. Suddenly I wasn't in Soos's break room anymore, now I was outside by the lake. The same one we'd climbed out of yesterday. I was dripping wet, my hat was on the ground next to me, limp with lake water. Bill was next to me, hands calmly folded.
        "Look at that kid." he said, pointing at a dripping Lilac. I shrugged. Bill shook his head. "Look closer Pine tree."
        "I don't want too." I said angrily. "You just want me to hate her! You-you don't want me to have friends. Maybe she can help Mabel and I solve the secrets of the journal and you don't want that, so you make us enemies! Mabel was right, you're just a dream bully."
        Bill, it seemed, was rolling his eye.
        "Pine tree, if I wanted to make you alone weak and helpless, this isn't how I would do it. Now look at Lilac."
        I couldn't help but look. I believed him despite everything. Despite him taking my body, despite him invading Stan's mind, despite him helping Gideon...I believed him. So I took a closer look at Lilac.  All I could see was that she was wet. I shook my head, not understanding.
        "I don't get it. She's just wet."
        "That's where you're wrong Kid!" Bill exclaimed, floating over to her. He froze the memory. "Look at her skin Pine tree. Where is the water now?" I stepped closer to Lilac, my shoes squishing with each step. I gasped. Her skin was completely dry. Only her hair and clothes were wet.
        "O HO! He noticed!" Bill did a little dance with his cane. "What does it mean? What does it mean?" he asked, mimicking my voice perfectly. I looked at him, not sure if I should be angry or confused. Bill snapped and I was looking at her hair. "Look here kid, look. See how the water is trapped between each strand? Do you? Do you see?"
        "I see." I said sadly. I touched it, picked up the hair. It was soft, but it wasn't wet. The water rolled off the hair like it was oil dripping off wax. "I don't understand...what does it mean?" I suddenly realized that's what Bill mimicked, and I frowned. "I mean, why are you showing me this?"
        "Ah, that's the real question Kid." Bill said. He waved his hand and we were back in the break room. Still black and white. "Why am I showing you this? Try and figure it out for yourself for once. You always depended upon that journal now; why should you stop? Don't let me get in the way."

        I gasped, bolting upright. It was a dream. No, it was a Bill dream, which meant it really happened. But I was sleeping...? I rubbed my eyes, feeling exhausted. I looked at the clock and saw it was morning. Noo...I was so very tired. It felt like I didn't get any sleep at all. I pushed off the blankets only to remember that today was a Saturday. That meant I didn't have to help out in the gift shop! I could go back to sleep...
        What if Bill comes back? I worried. I looked at the ceiling. No doubt Lilac and Mabel were sleeping soundly after their slumber party. I could just picture her...No, no, that's creepy. Then I realized my clothes were upstairs...
        So quietly I entered the room and quickly grabbed my clothes. Just before I left though, I took a peek at Lilac. She had her eyes shut, her hair was messy and all over her upper body. But she was peaceful. Her breathing in and out was gentle, her face looked soft except for a stray mark of lipstick. Then I saw Mabel had a lot more lipstick on her face. I smiled and left.
      
        But her skin hadn't been wet. Her hair hadn't been wet. Why? And why did Bill care?