Burning Bridges

Prologue - It Begins

(A/N: alright people, here we go! Are you excited? I sure am! It's a little short, but you'll get chapter one tomorrow! And then you have to wait until December for chapters two and onwards, but... trust me, it'll be fine. Probably.)

Darkness surrounds me, but I don't feel concerned. There's a peaceful feeling that gives me an impression of bliss and comfort. I don't have a care in the world.

"Jupiter."

I turn at the sound of someone calling my name, but I see nothing. I begin to walk towards the voice as it continues calling to me. Before long, I see a silhouette outlined in the fog. Despite its vague shape, I realize that I know exactly who it is.

"Arlyn!" I call out. "Arlyn, it's me!"

Much to my disappointment, she begins walking away. I chase after her, but things don't seem to improve. If anything, it seems like I'm getting further away.

Eventually, I happen across a simple wooden door. Against my better judgement, I turn the handle and step into the room beyond. It has a similar appearance to that of the hidden chamber behind the canvas in my room. Chests, trunks, books, scrolls, scientific and astronomical instruments, maps, and strange artifacts litter the surfaces of both floor and table. I feel drawn towards a particular scroll resting atop a table in the centre of the room. I pick it up, unrolling it slowly. Although it's written in characters I don't recognize, I have a feeling that I know what it says. Before I can begin to piece it together, the parchment slowly yet suddenly becomes soaked in blood. I drop it as it begins to gush, coating my hands in a thick layer of crimson. I realize in horror that my hands are the source, rather than the scroll as I previously thought. A chorus of deep, echoing voices fills the room, chanting something in a foreign tongue.

"Help!" I cry as the blood begins to fill up the room. "Arlyn, help me!"

The ocean of blood rises faster, quickly reaching my chest and continuing steadily. I try to move or swim away, but a heavy ball and chain prevent me from moving. I suck in a deep breath as the surface rises above me, focussing my attention on trying to free myself from the weight that holds me down. I can hear the sound of a ticking clock, and it's getting dangerously close to zero. Every little bit of progress I seem to make is quickly destroyed by the chain reinforcing itself. I'm running out of oxygen, I have to get out of here before I drown! If Arlyn were still alive, she'd come and save me. But because of me, she's dead. I'm the one that killed her. Whatever fate I'm about to receive is what I deserve. I exhale just as the clock reaches zero.

I wake up with a gasp, my chest heaving as though I really had been holding my breath. My forehead glistens with sweat as I try to calm myself down.

I glance at the time; midnight exactly. It's almost as if the clock in my dream was real. I wonder what caused my subconscious to dream up such an intense...

"It's my birthday," I whisper out loud. "May twenty first. I'm twenty years old."

I flop onto my back, staring up at the ceiling. I've been alive for two whole decades. Twenty years of life. Twenty years since Saturn and Jupiter aligned in the night sky. What are the odds that I'd have a dream involving Arlyn on the two decade marker of the horrific alignment of celestial objects?

"It's Gravity Falls," I mutter to myself. "What else was I expecting?"

Wait. It's Gravity Falls. Things don't just happen in Gravity Falls. There are no coincidences here. Something strange is going on.

I sit up again, reaching towards my phone. I hesitate, wondering if maybe I'm overreacting. Besides, I don't want to bother anyone at this time of night. If it's still bothering me in the morning, I'll call somebody and tell them about it.