Left in Shards

The Shadow and the Cipher

A/N: Sorry I haven't been updating! I should have, and I'm sorry. Hope you enjoy! :)

I open my eyes again, and sit straight up. Quickly, I pinch myself. I'm back, I think to myself, But... Where am I?

It's all dark, and I'm apparently on the floor. There's nothing but a thin, scratchy blanket on top of me, so naturally I feel cold.  I sit up, and I then see that I'm in a decently large room, and a thin sliver of moonlight is seeping through a triangular window.

Oh no. NONONONO! I'm at Stan's place!!!! Are those kids here? Oh god, why?

I can see two lumps in the beds by the window. Must be those kids. They seriously let me sleep here? Stan let me stay in his house? Wowza, plot twist!

I stand up and smile with pleasure when I see I'm still in my same clothes, an old Queen t-shirt and some blue jeans. Score! Quickly I shove on my tattered blue tennis shoes and try to make a break for it. I'll be able to thank them tomorrow, I think to myself.

The door doesn't creak, thank god, but the stairs sure do. I try to walk along the edge of them and be as silent as possible. Lord help me if they woke up.

I manage to get out the door unnoticed, then I break into a run towards the main road. Gina's isn't that far.

After I get about twenty feet away from the Shack, I slow to a walk. I can't think clearly when I'm running. I try to clear my head as much as possible and comprehend what has happened today.

When my brain starts to whir into action, I hear a crack from the woods beside me. No. Not again! I freeze and examine the trees and all I can see very carefully, but I don't see a monster or anything. Probably just a squirrel.

I start walking again, and I can make out Gina's roof from here. Almost there.

I kinda feel bad for those Pines kids. They're gonna be flipping out tomorrow morning when I ain't there... I need to go back. At least leave a note. I stop in my tracks and turn around. Man, I'm and idiot. I should be more sensitive to people's feelings, I'm a a girl after all. Girls, like, are supposed to be all care-y and lovey dovey.

I mustn't be a girl, then. I'm dude with long hair who is just classified as a female. That has to be it.

Suddenly, I see something jump out from the woods and in front of me. I scream and trip so I fall back on my butt (because I'm a clumsy idiot). I can't see clearly in the dark, so it takes me a second to realize that the thing is none other than...

Dipper?

He walks over to me and holds out his hand to help me up. I grab it, still kinda in shock. I thought that was Mr. Murder Monster or something. I swear I saw him in his bed, asleep...?

"You alright?" He asks me, looking a bit spooked himself.

"Fine. I thought you were asleep back at the Shack." I reply, kinda annoyed now. I bet he followed me.

"Nah, I couldn't sleep, so I snuck out about an hour ago to explore. That's a pile of blankets and pillows under the sheet, if you were wondering. If Mabel woke up and saw empty sheets... she'd flip."

Huh. So you didn't follow me, Dipper.

"Wait, so you were out here. Alone. At like one A.M. In the dark. And you came by choice?" I ask, my sarcasm present, as always. It's like my accent, I'm so dang sarcastic. Teenagers and their sarcasm. Ugh.

"Yeah. I found this earlier-" He holds up some musty old book with a 3 on it, "-Some journal. It's full of cool stuff. I was using it for exploration."

"Cool." I reply, this time with no sarcasm. That is kinda cool.

"Wait... aren't you like, supposed to be at the Shack too, passed out on the floor?" Dipper asks.

I shrug. "Yup. I suppose we are both not doing what we are supposed to be."

"Why'd you knock out, anyway? Are you sick?" He asks, his eyes showing concern, if that's even possible. You're reading this, for whatever reason, and I'm a terrible narrator, so yeah, I narrate terribly. Deal with it.

"It's a long story, believe it or not." I reply, grinning just a little.

"Well, I'm a good listener. Fire away." He says, starting to walk down the path.

I smile, like actually smile, something I don't do often. Then I run up to his side and begin to unfold my tale.