Gravity Rises (S1)

NW: Part Ten

Mabel's eyes snapped opened, and it took a few seconds for them to focus. She sat up and saw Dipper sitting across from her, grinning like an idiot; and Wendy to the side, frowning like a sad clown. Mabel decided to focus on Dipper.

"That was awesome," Dipper said. "Did you see me? I was a ninja! And we did it: We got Bill out of Robbie's mind!"

"And ourselves, by the looks of it," said Mabel. She grabbed her Journal, shoving it under her nearby duffel bag, and looked around the yurt. Robbie was still asleep on his camping chair. Mabel's stomach flopped when she saw him. Would he really not remember what they had talked about?

Dipper looked over at Wendy, and his grin dropped. "Hey," he said, "I'm sorry about what happened. What they said wasn't true."

She stared at him, then glared at him, then got up and stomped out of the yurt.

Mabel watched her go. "Well, you get points for trying," she said. Inside, her stomach turned over again. She had to talk to Wendy, didn't she? She had to make things right.

With a sudden gasp, Robbie bolted awake. Mabel jumped at the noise and looked at him with wide eyes. He blinked rapidly, then leaned forward onto his elbows and ran a hand through his hair. "I fell asleep?" he asked out loud. Then he seemed to notice the twins. "Oh, hey, there you guys are!"

Mabel smiled sheepishly.

"Yep, here we are!" Dipper replied. "Wendy found us. Sorry it took us so long to get back; we got kinda lost."

"I was starting to worry, man," Robbie said. "I probably shouldn't have let you go off on your own."

Mabel and Dipper shared a look. If they hadn't gone off, they probably would never have known about Bill.

"I have no idea why I fell asleep, though," Robbie continued, stretching his arms above his head. "I was worried about you guys, and I didn't feel tired."

"It's okay," Mabel said, a bit too quickly.

Robbie glanced at her, then shrugged. "Where's everyone else?"

"Wendy's outside," Dipper said. "The others might still be out looking for us." His eyes met Mabel's again, and she realized what he must be thinking: How long had they been in Robbie's mind? She had no clue how much time had passed in the real world.

"I guess we should go find them all, then," said Robbie, getting to his feet and stretching again. The twins followed suit, though the nervousness in Mabel's stomach was a constant buzz now. She really didn't want to go looking for Wendy.

They poked their heads out of the yurt, and Dipper immediately pulled back in. "It's freezing out there!" he said.

"Dipper, c'mon," she said, rolling her eyes.

He reappeared moments later with blankets, passing one to Mabel and wrapping another around himself. Oh. Smart.

"Hey, there you are, Robbie!" someone called. As Mabel stepped out onto the wooden walkway leading from the yurt, she saw the crowd of five teenagers (including Wendy) that stood outside. With a shiver, she realized that all of the teenagers standing there had been in the group that was ridiculing Wendy back in Robbie's mind. That must be why the redhead had moved a little ways away, arms folded tightly across her chest.

"Oh, good, you found the kids," said a heavy-set girl with a nice smile.

"The eclipse is starting!" a blonde girl said.

"Oh, sweet!" said Robbie. "You kids ever seen an eclipse?"

"Mabel got up in the middle of the night to see one once," Dipper said.