13Authors Note: This is my first story I've ever published on here so please leave a review, favorite, or follow. I don't have a set upload schedule so chapters will go up as soon as I finish editing. Enjoy!
The room was quiet while Dipper laid in his bed one night. The autumn moon was streaming in through the attic window casting the room in a dim glow. He rolled over onto his side to look over at his sister. Mabel was still asleep, just as he should have been. It was 3 in the morning after all. But for some reason he couldn't sleep, no matter how much he tried to. Something was just off, but he couldn't place what it was.
Try as he might, Dipper knew sleep wasn't coming so he got up. A walk usually settles his mind when he's restless so tonight should be no different. He slipped on a pair of black socks to keep the chill off his feet before padding softly down the stairs. He skipped the third and seventh stepped that creaked loudly when stepped on and made sure to land on the center of the carpet where it was thickest when he jumped off at the end.
Not wanting to deal with the bell on the screen door at the front of the shack, he went into the living room and unlatched the window above the chair. His arms broke out in goosebumps when a cool breeze came though.
He tip-toed back into the hall and grabbed a maroon sweater hanging on the hook and put it on over his pajamas. He checked to make sure Grunkle Stan wasn't making his midnight fridge run then went back to the window.
"I've become too good at sneaking out..." Dipper thought to himself as he slipped out the window.
His feet landed in the grass and he turned to pull the window almost closed. After he had finished he looked down the side of the house towards the backyard. Deciding that a climb up the totem pole would do him good, he started walking.
When he reached the pole he looked it up and down, deciding the best way up. A cracking branch behind him made him turn. He looked into the trees but saw nothing, but he wasn't scared. This was Gravity Falls, finding a gnome scampering through the trees or Bigfoot out for a moonlit stroll wouldn't be that uncommon.
However as he was turning back to the totem pole something to his left caught is eye. It was a little light out in the trees, very dim and seemingly far away. Normally this wouldn't be a cause for interest, but Dipper couldn't seem to look away.
"What is that?" He thought, "it doesn't look like fire."
Dipper turned back to the totem pole and looked up at it, then back to the light. He did this two more times before sighing and turning back to the trees and starting to walk.
"I'll just look, then go back to the shack," he told himself. "What harm could a little peek do?" This was a terrible question. Dipper, being curious since birth, knew very well what harm a little curiosity could do. But he put aside his worries and continued to walk.
He breathed in the cool scent of fallen pine needles as he walked, pulling his sweater in a little tighter as a breeze shook the trees. As he walked he kept his eyes on the light in the distance, only looking away to glance down where he was walking.
For the first few minutes the walking was easy and the needles covered the most of the ground with the exception of patches of grass. As the light grew closer, the foliage grew denser and the rays of moonlight became smaller and dimmer. Dipper stumbled into a tree when his foot caught on a small root protruding from the forest floor.
He winced as he gingerly rubbed his sore toes, leaning backwards against the bark. He took off his sock to insure his toes weren't broken or bleeding. As he was putting the sock back on he looked back towards the now much brighter light. He was close enough now that the light was partially illuminating the trees in front of him. He began to walk forward again, wincing at the stiffness in his foot.
The ground began to rise slightly and Dipper was able to use low branches and shrubs to help in the climb. By now he couldn't be more than fifteen feet from the source of the light and he began to tread lighter as he moved between the trees. He could see where the hill peaked and lowered to his hands and knees in an effort to remain out of sight in case what he found over the hill was hostile. At the top of the hill there was a large rock that could mostly hide him if he stayed crouched.
He pressed his back against the boulder and turned his head to peek around it and squinted in the bright light. When his eyes adjusted he looked towards the source of the light and saw "... a boy?" Dipper whispered. He rolled quietly into his stomach and edged up to the crest of the hill for a better look.
It was indeed a boy standing in the light. Tall and lean with blonde hair with a black streak towards the front that curled slightly at the ends. He was facing slightly away from Dipper where only part of his face was visible. He had tan skin and his bangs fell over his forehead almost into his eyes and curling around his freckled cheeks. He was wearing a black T-shirt and jeans and Dipper could see more freckles dotting his arms.
"Wow..." Dipper thought, "he's... beautiful."
Dipper simply stared, his mouth slightly open. This boy was peculiar, not because he was out in the middle of the forest at night, but because the source of the light seemed to be the boy himself. And he was speaking very quietly. Dipper tried to lean forward a little to make out what he was saying but it seemed to be in a different language. Suddenly, the boy stopped speaking and the light disappeared leaving Dipper in almost darkness and he ducked back behind the large rock.
"I know you're there." Dipper heard the boy say. He pressed flat against the rock, breathing heavy. "Come out," the boy spoke again.
Dipper debated heavily whether showing himself was a wise decision. He quickly decided that if the boy proved to be dangerous, running and hiding was always an option. Dipper quickly stood up and moved around the side of the boulder to face the clearing. But no one was there. Dipper was puzzled, he was certain he didn't hear the boy move, where was he?
"There you are!" A voice exclaimed behind him. Dipper cried out in surprise and fell backwards as he attempted to face the voice. The boy was standing in front of him smiling faintly.
Dipper stared up in shock with his mouth slightly open. How had this boy gotten behind him without him noticing?
The boy lifted and eyebrow and crossed his arms. "You alright?" He asked.
"Uh... I..." Dipper murmured quietly, trying to form his words.
The boy leaned forward, arms still crossed. He had the most beautiful eyes Dipper had ever seen. Bright gold with flecks of brown, the reminded Dipper of the sun in the fall.
"What?" He asked again.
"Y-you're... beautiful." Dipper spluttered. As soon as the words left his mouth Dipper thought he must have sounded incredibly stupid, especially when the boy leaned back with a hint of a blush on his cheeks.
The boy looked at him quizzically for a moment. "Do you want to play a game?" He asked.
"A game?" Dipper replied.
The boy half-smiled down at him and put his hands in his pockets, "yes."
Dipper was intrigued, and kind of scared. "Uh... sure. What game?" Dipper asked.
"An easy one, kind of like tag." He said, rocking on his heels.
Dipper had never been good at tag, and something about this kid was off enough to tell Dipper this was a bad idea. But still…
"What harm could it do?" The boy asked, almost as if he'd read Dipper's mind.
"I guess so then," Dipper said with a nervous smile. "What are the rules?"
"Easy, don't let me catch you." He said as he began to take his hands out of his pockets.
Dipper looked apprehensively at the object the boy had pulled out of his pocket. "W-what happens if you catch me?"
"If I catch you," the boy smiled widely, brandishing a small knife in his hand, "You die."
Dipper's heart was in his throat and his mouth went dry. He looked up at the blonde haired boy, who only a moment ago Dipper was astonished by, with nothing but terror in his eyes.
The boy giggled and stepped to the side, gesturing towards the trees with his dagger. "Go on," He crooned. "I'll give you a head start."
From that moment, Dipper was on autopilot. He scrambled off the ground where he had fallen and over the crest of the hill and into the trees. He didn't know how far the shack was, and really he didn't care, he just needed to get away. He tripped over a rock jutting up in the dirt and rolled the rest of the way down the hill. He scrambled back up again, glancing behind him as he did so. There was the boy, standing atop the hill, watching him.
He turned back and took off as fast as he could. Branches caught onto his sweater, and whipped him in the face as he frantically smacked them out of the way. He couldn't breath, his heart pounding in his ears as he ran.
Suddenly, something whisked by Dipper's head and lodged into the tree in front of him. Dipper stumbled backwards upon realizing it was the boys knife that was now two inches deep in the tree. Then he heard laughter. Manic, excited laughter that echoed in the darkness of the trees.
"Better watch out..." Dipper heard the boy sing-song somewhere behind him. "I never miss twice."
Dipper frantically pulled himself from the ground and continued to run in the darkness. Off to his right Dipper noticed a pile of rocks and he veered off towards them. He slowed as he approached them, checking over his shoulder as he did so. Beneath one of the smaller rocks was a small indention, almost a cave, and Dipper flung himself into the space.
He pressed his back into the rear wall of the little hole. He tried to quiet his heavy panting as he wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead. "Why?" He thought woefully, "why couldn't I have just gone to sleep?"
Dipper's breath hitched in his throat when he heard the crunch of leaves and steady slow footsteps approaching from somewhere outside. Then he saw feet.
The boys sneakers mere inches from the entrance of Dipper's hiding place, facing away from the hole. Dipper closed his eyes and held a hand to his mouth to keep his heavy breaths at bay. After what felt like ages, Dipper heard the footsteps move away until they faded out and Dipper was able to breath again.
Dipper very slowly crept to the opening and pulled himself out and onto his knees. He sat there for a moment, steadying his breathing supporting himself on his hands.
"There you are."
Dipper froze, eyes wide in terror. He turned over to see the boy crouching on top of the rock Dipper had just been hiding under. The boy leapt down from the rock, knife in hand and began to step steadily towards Dipper.
Dipper turned back onto his stomach and tried to get up when he was pushed back down. He tilted his head as saw the boy's sneaker pressed to his back.
"Oh come now," the boy said with a smile, "I've caught you now. No more running."
Dipper tried to squirm out from under the foot and managed to turn over before the boy kicked him sharply in the side. The kick rolled Dipper a few feet across the forest floor.
"Stop struggling!" The boy said in annoyance, brushing his streaked bangs from his face.
Dipper held his side in pain, he couldn't breath and his vision blurred. He could see the blurry figure of the boy move over him and straddle his chest. Dipper felt his arms being pulled away from his side and he fought the hands on him weakly. Dipper tried in vain to get free as the boys smiling face came back in focus.
"Why..." Dipper asked weakly.
The boy looked a little puzzled as the smile left his face. "Because I can." He stated simply. He transferred both of Dipper's wrists to one of his hands and with the other brought the knife right up to Dipper's cheek and pressed in until a thin red line was present. Dipper cried out in terror and pain.
"Stop!" Dipper shouted. "Please, stop! Don't kill me! Please!" Dipper yanked his right hand free and connected his fist with the boy's jaw. The boy fell backwards holding his jaw with one hand and still holding the knife with the other. Dipper lifted a leg and kicked out as hard as a he could, hitting the back of the boy's thigh and causing him to fall. He scrambled backwards against a tree and used it to help support himself, too exhausted to stand. Dipper looked up to see the boy standing up, a small string of blood dripping from his lips.
The boy put two fingers up to his lip and looked at the blood on them curiously. Then He gazed at Dipper with his golden eyes, a vague smile on his face. Dipper was caught in those eyes, the feeling of terror now mixed with the sense of captivation he felt when he'd first seen the boy.
"Okay..." the boy said. "I'll let you live." Dipper felt the most amazing relief at those words, which was then replaced with a new sense of dread as the boy continued.
"You're too much fun for me to kill you," he paused, "yet." The boy placed the knife into his pocket. He looked down at Dipper's scared face and smiled faintly.
"I'll see you tomorrow," he said, before disappearing into the trees. Dipper watched the boy leave, breathing heavily. After a few moments he stood slowly, clutching his now aching side. He looked up to the now brightening sky and determined which direction to go to get back to the shack. He began to walk, slowly and steadily, pausing to catch his breath or wipe the blood from his cheek.
"How am I going to explain this to Mabel?" He thought. He was trying to rationalize everything that had happened. The light, the boy, the chase, everything. He was confused and scared. And what the boy had said about "seeing him tomorrow" all terrified Dipper. He was curious about the boy, but he didn't have a death wish. Clearly this kid wasn't normal, he was dangerous.
By the time the shack came into view the early morning sun was beaming through the trees and the birds had begun to sing. Dipper stumbled onto the lawn and leaned against the totem pole just in time to see Mabel through the window he'd left open. Dipper sighed a little, then collapsed onto the warm grass and his vision faded out.
But as he fell, Dipper swore he could see a glint of gold out in the trees