The above artwork does not belong to me.

A/N (4/7/15)
No cursing in the comments, please! Don't feel bad if you didn't know. I probably should have told you guys when I started this book.

Dipper Pines tapped his foot against the stool he sat on as he read. Even after having found the author, he still seemed to be discovering new things from the journals every time he opened them. Right then he was sifting through number one, the pages soft between his fingers from being turned so often.

He leaned against the counter, gnawing on a pen. Grunkle Stan had told Dipper to help the customers in the Mystery Shack's shop, but currently he and Wendy were the only occupants. It was Soos's day off, and Mabel was out with Grenda and Candy.

At the moment, Dipper was reading a section about ghosts. Journal number three had offered a bit of insight on the creatures, but the first one had four whole pages crammed with information. He liked to chase monsters, but they just seemed . . . predictable. Ghosts, however, were newer to him and more difficult to understand.

Dipper traced a finger over a sketch of a ghost. It looked like a large dog, and there was a scribbled image of a puppy next to it. The words "shifts into small pup; ghost of lost dog??" were scrawled beneath it. Facts upon facts were crammed side-by-side.

"Green energy" was written in large letters and circled. Bullet points were listed beneath it. He was very interested in the parts about what forms the energy took. "Defies all laws of physics," the author had concluded. "Need specimen to form valid hypothesis."

The Pines twin looked up from his book when he heard someone pulling into the parking lot. Wendy, however, didn't take her eyes off of her phone.

Whoever was outside was arguing loudly. "Jazz," someone was saying, "You can't pin this on me! Some things are more important than your weird research papers, you know."

"Yeah, well, this isn't," a young woman snapped. "And I can blame you for this; it was your idea!"

The first voice, which sounded like a teenage boy's, muttered something too quiet for Dipper to hear. "Come on kids, cheer up!" a man boomed. "I've heard this place is haunted. We can go catch ghosts!"

Dipper's breath hitched in excitement. "Now, Jack," a woman's voice chastised. "We're here to spend time together, not to hunt ghosts. Besides, you should be grateful that Danny has taken an interest in this trip." Her tone was a bit on the warning side.

Wendy finally tore her gaze from her screen. "I think you should take this one, Dip," she suggested. She zoned out again before he could reply.

Fine by him. These people sounded interesting, and he was curious about them being ghost hunters.

A slim, raven-haired boy pushed the door open, followed by a taller redhead girl. They glared at each other as they walked in. They just looked like normal teenagers, but Dipper was a little taken aback when their parents entered the room. A thin woman with a cyan jumpsuit led a hugely bulky man in orange into the shop.

For a second the four just looked around, and Dipper was about to break the awkward silence when Grunkle Stan materialized behind him.

"Hello, tourists!" he grinned. "Welcome to the Mystery Shack, where the horrifying wonders of Gravity Falls are put on display for your enjoyment." He swept an arm around the room. "I'll give you all a tour for twenty bucks."

The boy sighed. "Why did we even stop here, mom? Why don't we just go to the house already?"

The man gave him a rough pat on the back. "They aren't expecting us to get there until dinner."

"And that leaves us with some time to meet the locals. You're going to have to do something for a month, Danny. You can't just sit inside all day," his mother insisted.

"My offer still stands," Stan interjected. "Danny, was it? I bet some of the stuff in here would scare you out of your pants."

Danny and Jazz exchanged looks. Danny snorted. "Not likely," he muttered. "You guys go. I'll just hang out here."

His parents shrugged, and Jazz, who Dipper assumed was Danny's older sister, gave him the evil eye. Stan led them off deeper into the shack.

Danny sighed, looking incredibly bored. He leaned against the wall and glanced around. "'Sup, dude. I'm Wendy, by the way," Wendy greeted distractedly. She finally looked at him. "What got your folks to drag you out to Oregon?"

"My second cousin lives up here," he mumbled. "My parents thought I needed to get away from home for awhile."

Dipper nodded, his curiosity getting the better of him. "What did your dad mean when he said he wanted to hunt ghosts? Is that what your family does?"

The boy rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, his blue eyes hidden under his messy black hair. "Well, it's really more of my parents' thing. Jazz and I . . . we don't have the same view of ghosts as they do."

"But you believe in them?"

Wendy glanced in her friend's direction. "Dipper, you're grilling him."

"No, no, it's fine," Danny assured her. "I definitely believe in ghosts. My hometown is haunted."

Dipper gripped the journal hard. This family might be the key to uncovering the mystery of the ghosts of Gravity Falls.

Just then, Mabel burst through the door with Candy and Grenda. "Heyoooo!" she greeted, flopping around her sweater paws.

"Hey, Mabel," Dipper sighed. He wondered whether they could still have a serious conversation with her and her friends around.

When the three saw Danny, they began giggling uncontrollably and whispering to each other. Danny pretended not to notice.

"Hi there," Mabel grinned playfully. "What's your name, hot stuff?"

Danny blushed a little, but laughed it off. "Uh, what?"

"Come on, man! Your name," Grenda prodded.

Wendy raised a brow from behind the counter, gesturing with her eyes for Dipper to save Danny from any more awkwardness. "His name is Danny!" Dipper interjected. "He'll be here for a month."

"Whoo hoo!" Mabel chanted. Candy looked up at him with a little smile.

"Who are you staying with, Danny?" she asked.

He'd begun to relax a little. "My second cousin's family. I've never met her. Her name is . . . crap, what was it? It wasn't Patricia . . ." He thought hard for a moment. "It's Pacifica! Her name is Pacifica."

The mood in the room changed dramatically. "You're a Northwest?" Dipper exclaimed, surprised. Danny had neither the look nor demeanor of the people from that family.

Danny's brows furrowed as he sensed their reaction. "No- I'm a Fenton. Pacifica is my mother's cousin's daughter. I've heard they're wealthy, but we aren't. I'm assuming you don't get along well with her."

Wendy continued scrolling through her phone. "That's one way to put it. Pacifica is a jerk to everyone, Mabel especially."

Instead of getting angry or even annoyed at her remark on his relative, Danny just folded his arms. "I guess I'll have to get her to stop doing that, then. Can't have her clashing with you guys."

Dipper suddenly saw the boy from a new perspective. He realized that Danny must understand what it was like to be treated badly, and apparently didn't want the same thing happening to others. Dipper appreciated that.

Soon enough, Grunkle Stan led the Fentons back to the front counter. Jazz looked bored out of her mind. She glared at Danny, mouthing "this is your fault."

He shrugged back at her. "Come on, kids, let's get to the Northwests' place," his mother called, beckoning them out the door. "I haven't seen Priscilla in years."

Mr. Fenton stayed behind for a few seconds after his wife and kids left. "Have you guys noticed any ghosts around here?" he whispered. He pulled what looked like a small bazooka out of nowhere. "I've been itching to try the Fenton Melter out. It reduces ghosts to puddles of goo!"

Dipper answered excitedly. "Not lately, but I'm doing some research on them. Maybe we can all go ghost hunting soon!"

The man laughed, patting Dipper on the back. "Good thinking! Oh, this place is awesome!"

Mrs. Fenton's voice rang from outside. "Jack, dear, let's get going!"

Her husband jogged through the door outside. Dipper slowly shook his head in disbelief of the whole thing. This was going to be an interesting month.