Burning Bridges

Chapter Ten - Honest Answers

(A/N: *intensity intensifies*)

(Ford's PoV)

Swallowing my pride and allowing her to handle it on her own hasn't been easy. I want to pour over the pages of that journal, soak up all the hidden information I never knew, but Arlyn didn't write those entries for me. She wrote them for any future Redwood witches so that they would stand a fighting chance during the alignment and possibly the rest of their lives. She's the only member of her bloodline to record and research the very thing her family boasts of, revealing the dark, twisted truths of their magic. What she wrote is for Jupiter, not me, and I have to be okay with that.

Besides, if there was something in there that I needed to be concerned about, Jupiter would tell me, right?

Right?

I look up as I hear the elevator door open. Jupiter is standing there with a nervous expression. I narrow my eyes.

"Jupiter? What can I do for you?"

"Um... I need to ask you a question," she mutters. "You're not going to understand everything about it, but I want you to answer with just yes or no. Don't ask any questions of your own, just give me a simple yes or no."

I feel uneasy. "Alright."

"You promise you'll just say yes or no?"

"I promise."

She takes a deep breath, her hands nervously fidgeting with the ends of her hair. "If there was a way to bring Arlyn back from the dead, would you do it?"

I'm taken aback. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Stanford, you promised you would only give me answers," she reminds me. "Just... please. If there was a way to bring her back, exactly as she was before she left, a simple restoration of life, a reversal of death... would you do it?"

I'm not sure how I'm supposed to answer this question. There's something dangerous hidden within the seams of her words, perhaps without her realizing it. What I say next will change the fate of the universe, the outcome of the alignment.

The scary thing is, I'm not sure which one gives us a happy ending.

Arlyn told me to be brave, and to be honest. I have to take courage and tell the truth, even if it scares me. I promised Arlyn that I would.

"Yes," I whisper. "I would do it."

Her posture relaxes, but her smile doesn't reach her eyes. She gives me a brief hug, wishes me goodnight, and then disappears before I know how to address the situation further.

Deciding that I should probably be well rested so that I can help in any way possible with the results of the alignment, I decide to head to the main level and try to force myself to sleep. It's strangely quiet, despite the fact that it's only ten thirty at the latest. I walk into the living room to find Stan and the twins exchanging confused glances. Jupiter is not among us.

"Oi, what's with the kid?" Stanley asks as I enter. "She just came in here, told us she was going to bed, and then walked out the door!"

"She doesn't live here, remember?" I drawl. "She has her own house, Stanley."

"But she's been spending the last few nights here in the Shack," Dipper points out. "It seems weird that she would suddenly want to sleep at home, especially with the alignment so close at hand."

"I found Arlyn's notes on how to survive the alignment," I inform them. "There's probably a few spells that require components from her aunt's supply."