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ACT II

~.~ After Trial II~.~
~.~Sixth Freetime Event~.~

Things had been a little hectic lately. After the discovery of the flashback lights —what she had taken to calling them considering their actual properties— Pacifica had tried to figure out what the memories were telling him.

Dipper was surprisingly agreeable when Pacifica said that the best way for her to figure them out was if she saw them herself.

Being side-by-side with Dipper while watching these memories play out was a little frightening. Pacifica couldn't remember much, but she could swear that she saw actual, genuine emotion cross his face.

Dipper grew a little distant for a few days. Pacifica couldn't really blame him, being overwhelmed by emotions paired with pictures he couldn't recognise, she knew he wouldn't tell her the truth about his feelings, however, she hoped that she knew him well enough to figure it out.

He came around, as he often did, as soon as the third motive had been handed out. A motive video. Pacifica was half-certain that the motive videos would be about their surviving relatives, however, when she and Dipper watched them together, she realised how wrong she was.

Her motive video was very simple and precise; if she wanted to know who the mastermind was, she had to kill someone and get away with it. Dipper's, however, wasn't very precise at all. It was all terribly vague.

"What? You'll get all of your memories back?" Pacifica wrinkled her nose and shuffled closer to him.

The two decided that the library was a little too public for the conversation they were having, so they were sitting in Pacifica's bedroom, on her bed. She had wheeled the giant whiteboard over to stand in front of them so they could jot down any theories they had.

"So the video claims." Dipper murmured, staring at the now-blank screen. "I dunno what Cipher is thinking will happen."

"They did say they had the highest hopes for you." Pacifica added, jotting something quickly on the whiteboard before falling backwards and landing comfortably on the bed with a quiet sigh.

"They did, didn't they?" Dipper cocked a brow, rolling his eyes. "Although, if you truly think about it, these motives —even if you win— could be twisted."

"Like a wish from a genie!" Pacifica agreed.

"And, my memories," Dipper shook his head, "what Cipher doesn't realise is that my motive will not spur me to act."

Pacifica titled her head and stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"Cipher is already supplying me with a puzzle of my own memories to put together." Dipper explained. "Cipher must know that I am highly intelligent —the trials show as much— and piecing together my memories with the flashback lights, is easy."

Pacifica nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe they're just trying to push you further."

"Do you think that will work?" Dipper laid down next to her, eyeing her, almost as though he truly cared what she thought.

Did she think that it would work? Honestly, she sort of did. Her own motive was very enticing, however she knew she would not act upon it. Dipper, however, had more to gain from acting upon it. She wanted to trust him, she couldn't figure out why a huge chunk of her brain yearned to trust him.

"I dunno." She went with instead. It wasn't a lie, so Dipper would have no need to catch her in it. It was indifferent enough that he could agree, she believed.

"Smart." Dipper smiled at her, blinking very furiously as he tried to take the smile down. But Pacifica had seen it.

"I want to trust you, Dipper." Pacifica angled her body so she was laying to gaze at him. "I do. I can't explain it, but there is this pull toward you."

Dipper met her gaze evenly. "A pull?"

She nodded furiously, not caring what he would say next. How illogical it was of her to trust him so blindly when she knew next to nothing about him. "I dunno what it is, I truly cannot explain it, but—"

"—it's persistent." Dipper finished for her. His eyes held something that Pacifica remembered. An age-old memory, a faded photograph that was torn and burned at the edges. Crinkled and shoved under a pillow to dream about. Transparent and forgotten.

The pull was even stronger than ever now, in that one moment. Yet, it presented itself as something completely different from how it showed itself before. Before it was admiration, a crave for knowledge. Now; adoration, familiarity, and love.

They kissed in that same moment, both overcome —or Pacifica believed so— by the very same pull and the very same change, and the very same emotions.

The kiss hardly lasted long, but it would be forever etched in Pacifica's brain. And there was no harsh break-apart, but a slow one, languid, and romantic.

Dipper eyed her once again, a ghost of a smile on his lips. The lips she had just kissed. Those lips, something sparked in her brain. Why did it seem so familiar? "Hey, Pazazzie." He murmured, so softly, as if any spoken words would break the spell they both were entrapped in.

"Hey, Dipper." Pacifica replied, snuggling closer to him, the motive videos, the whiteboard, the whole killing game long forgotten.

They laid there for what could of been hours before the severity of the situation landed on them, sucker punching them in the stomach.

"This won't work." Dipper sighed, staring up at the ceiling as if he'd find the answer up there. "You said it yourself; you're a realist. You know the chances both of us survive are slim to none."

Pacifica closed her eyes and tried not to think about his words. Per usual, he was correct. The chances of whatever they had lasting was very slim. "I want us all to survive." She went with, opening her eyes so she could memorise every detail on his face. Mapping his face into the deepest parts of her memory.

"I know." Dipper replied, yet there was no mockery to his tone. It sounded sad, forlorn, even. As though he wished for it to be true, and knew it wouldn't be.

His eyes stayed right in her mind, because she was close enough to them to notice the slight tinges of brown around the edges. Nice to find a flaw.

~.~Trial III Investigation~.~
~.~Seventh Freetime Event~.~

Pacifica had to close her eyes upon her discovery of the two victims. Not one, but two. Two of their friends were gone in the blink of an eye. No warning, absolutely nothing.

It couldn't have been real. His body on the centre of the stage in a decadent display. Her body waiting in the wings, just as she had for her entire life as Pacifica came to find.

She couldn't be here. She couldn't investigate this. She couldn't do anything. Helpless. She couldn't do anything. She didn't want to do anything. She wanted to just run away.

Pacifica's legs turned on her own accord and began to flee from the theatre, yet something stopped her.

"Southeast, you can't just run away." Dipper had followed her, instantly. Had noticed how she had reacted to the discovery, and acted upon it.

Pacifica shook the awful image out of her mind. She couldn't do this. She couldn't look at him. She just couldn't.

A hand grasped her arm lightly, and Pacifica felt her body get tugged backward. She finally met his eyes, saw the pain and frustration that laid in them. "I'm sorry, Dipper," she whispered, "but I can't do this."

Dipper let out a scoff of dismay. "That's it, huh? You're just going to let Pines's death be in vain?"

"He was my friend!"

"Exactly!" Dipper sighed, exasperated. "He was your friend. And you're just going to abandon him?"

Pacifica gasped, frustration seeping into all of her limbs, acting on their own accord. Her hand raised itself up and slapped him across the face, the same face she had just been gazing adoringly into.

Dipper instantly let go of his hold on her arm, eyes wider than normally, as he touched his cheek.

Pacifica saw the flashes of —what they had discerned as— memories flooding into her head. What did she just do?

The shock only stayed on his face for a short period of time before he fixed himself. His face hardened. "If you want to run away, then be my guest. I'm not going to justify your actions, Southeast. Best luck in the trial ahead."

Pacifica wiped her eyes, hoping —praying, really— that no one else saw what had transpired. What was she thinking? First of all, she had to keep it together, for Gideon, for Candy, and for everyone else who was still alive. Second of all, why had she slapped Dipper?

With the flashback lights, both she and Dipper had seen some of his memories, as vague as they were. Some of them, and they were not in any order, with major pieces of the puzzle missing. People obscured by darkness.

Memories. . .

. . .no. It couldn't be.

Pacifica thought back to everyone's motive video. Each contestant was promised something different if they killed. Hers? Learning who the mastermind behind the game was. And Dipper's?

Regaining all of his lost memories.

Pacifica watched from a safe distance as Dipper continued his own investigation. He stayed away from most of the groups that had formed, yet he spoke to Mabel once or twice, as she handled the autopsy reports, usually with Gideon. She looked a little frantic.

Pacifica shuddered. For one, if Dipper and Mabel teamed up, they would be an unstoppable force, and take the lead in the trial ahead. For two, if Dipper was the killer, Pacifica didn't know if she could face him head-on and condemn him.

~.~During Trial III~.~
~.~Eighth Freetime Event~.~

"That being said, Pacifica Southeast's motive makes the most logical sense." Mabel cleared her throat, trying to get the attention back on her. "Hasn't she spent the entire time trying to uncover the mastermind? I wouldn't doubt her going to great lengths such as this."

"I don't like saying it, considering how much Pacifica has helped us," Will murmured, fiddling with his glasses, "but, what Mabel is saying makes sense."

"Yeah, okay, I hear you all." Robbie rubbed the back of his neck, "however, Gideon was killed by strangulation, right, Mabel?"

"It is the conclusion I have come to." Mabel nodded firmly. "From the external wounds I saw, it is the only conclusion that makes sense."

"Exactly!" Robbie exclaimed. "Are we even sure that Paz can do that? I know Gideon was smaller than her, but look at her. This girl, while we were clearing debris out of the warehouse, couldn't lift a crate of wood!"

Pacifica winced. She hated that Robbie saw her attempt to do that, but she couldn't have been more relieved that he did now.

"Still," Grenda spoke up, "are you really basing her capabilities on the fact that she isn't that strong?"

"She wouldn't be able to strangle him!" Cody protested. "They were friends!"

"Also, he would've struggled severely." Scarlett muttered. "I don't believe Pacifica could have had such a hold on him for long."

"Strangulation takes quite a long time, now, doesn't it?" Dipper chuckled lightly.

"Guys," Pacifica exclaimed, "you guys can suspect me, that is fine, however, instead of focusing on whether I couldn't have or could've s-strangled him, why don't we focus on why he even went to the theatre in the first place."

"Trying to change the subject?" Mabel laughed haughtily. "In hopes that you can sway the crowd?"

"No! That's not it!" Pacifica protested, exasperated. "I want to solve this mystery just as much as anyone else, but we will go around in circles if we continue with such pointless speculation!"

"As much as I hate to admit it," Scarlett rubbed at her arm, "Blondie is right."

Will cleared his throat. "Why, if I may ask, do you think he went to the theatre, Pacifica?"

Why did Gideon go to the theatre? The answer should have been obvious. "Well, he went to meet with someone, obviously." Pacifica coughed as she spoke.

"Paz is right." Scarlett stated firmly. "I knew Gideon; not well, but I had his personality down cold. He wouldn't go out on his own, especially at night. He was one of the first people to agree to the nighttime regulation."

"So, then why was he even there?" Robbie rubbed the back of his neck, "anyone have any clue? Because I'm stumped."

"Maybe it's like the last trial?" Grenda piped up, a little more vocal with her responses ever since she was cleared of suspicion. "Where his body was moved?"

"Everywhere else was closed, and I personally searched his bedroom." Pacifica explained. "The only place he could've been was the theatre, and with the amount of things in such disarray. . .and the blood, it makes sense that that was where he was killed."

"Everyone, I have a pretty crucial clue." Dipper smirked, eyes narrowing. "Now, I do not have much physical evidence to prove it, however, all of your verbal agreements seem to do the trick."

"Spit it out, Dipper." Cody growled.

"Calm yourself, Dora the Explorer." Dipper scoffed and checked his nails. "You all say he wouldn't go out on his own, right? Yet, you all have seemed to miss the rather obvious conclusion." His eyes sparkled with something that made Pacifica shiver.

"The obvious conclusion is what, exactly?" Scarlett crossed her arms and stared down him.

"That he went with someone." Dipper shrugged offhandedly. "Someone other than Candy, because we all agreed that she came later."

"Well, that is going to be difficult to figure out." Mabel frowned, eyeing the mystery boy. "It was two in the morning, and no one has an alibi."

Pacifica already knew what Dipper was driving at. She had seen the look in his eyes, the look that told her he had it all figured out. "No, it won't."

Mabel scoffed, "and how are you so sure?"

"Gideon would have only gone with someone he trusted." Pacifica said glumly. "And, he only genuinely trusted a few of us."

"Who did he trust?" Cody asked. "I mean, no one is going to willingly say that he—"

"No need." Dipper shrugged. "The people he trusted are very obvious." His eyes met Pacifica's. "Southeast." His eyes moved toward Scarlett. "Valiant." And finally toward Mabel. "And Gleeful."

"Oh, shit." Robbie murmured, slack-jawed. "And one of those three is. . ."

"The killer." Scarlett finished.

"And one of those three can be knocked off the list already." Dipper continued, meeting Pacifica's gaze once again. "If you don't mind, I'll run the show now."

"Hey, wait a min—!"

"Great-Value Dora the Explorer, I think you can tell me that my client is knocked off the list." Dipper turned to face Cody. "Right?"

"Client?" Will queried.

Cody nodded slowly. "I um, didn't want to say anything, but," he sucked in a deep breath, "last night, around one-thirty-ish, I heard someone leave their room, so I went to investigate. I ran into Scarlett in the courtyard."

"Is this true, Scarlett?" Pacifica asked.

Scarlett nodded. "Yes."

"Anyways, I tried telling her that we had a nighttime rule, and she didn't care." Cody continued. "I probably spent a good hour with her before I managed to convince her to go back to her room."

"For the record, I was tired." Scarlett rolled her eyes. "You didn't convince me anything. And, I just wanted to get away from you."

"Ouch." Robbie whistled.

"So, you see," Dipper turned to face the two remaining suspects. "My client is innocent, at least for this murder. That leaves us with two remaining suspects."

All eyes turned to the two suspects. Pacifica felt her face get hot. What if Dipper's logic was wrong?

"Does it really?" Mabel asked, twirling a piece of hair around her finger. "After all, what was your motive video, Dipper?"

Dipper stared down the devil with an even expression. "I have nothing to hide, so I do not mind telling the class." He chuckled sardonically. "My motive video is that if I killed someone, I would get back all of my missing memories."

Everyone let out roars of confusion and anger.

"How can you label Pacifica and Mabel as the only suspects when your motive is the strongest of all?!"

"You look like you're strong enough to strangle him!"

"Why would he make it so obvious that he was the killer?!"

Dipper nodded slowly, but his expression never waned. "Yet, you seem to forget that Pines would never trust me." Looking across the room to Pacifica, he gave her a smile that she couldn't figure out. "Right?"

"That is true." Pacifica nodded. "Gideon never trusted Dipper. Ever."

"And we're supposed to take your word for it?" Mabel laughed. "Hilarious."

"No, I agree." Robbie admitted. "No offense."

"Are we all in agreement?" Dipper asked lightly, his tone conveying boredom. "Splendid."

The courtroom went silent.

"Um," Will spoke up after a painfully slow minute passed, "how are we going to figure out who killed him?"

"Oh, don't worry," Dipper smiled, something about it felt a little off, "I already know who the killer is."

More outrageous comments.

"Well?! What are you waiting for?!" Grenda bellowed. "Tell us!"

"I'm afraid this is where I pass the torch back to my beloved journalist." Dipper leaned back. "How is it any fun if the answer is given right away?"

"Do you want to die?" Scarlett deadpanned.

"Guys!" Pacifica exclaimed, regaining everyone's attention. "I don't care if Dipper thinks he knows who the killer is. The point being, he isn't going to tell us, so we need to work together to figure it out."

"You wound me, Southeast." Dipper feigned a hurt look as he placed his hands on his chest. "If you truly think so little of me, I suppose I'll give you one more big hint. Don't say I never did anything for you." He reached down into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle. "While everyone was busy fumbling around the murder scene, I decided to look other places."

"What is that?" Will asked, adjusting his glasses a little.

"This, my friend," Dipper went on with enough pizzazz to put him on the very stage they found Gideon dead on, "is the key to our mystery. It's a relatively common poison —strychnine. Found in Pines's lab. What's known about it isn't good; it only takes a few tablespoons to kill a victim in under twenty minutes."

"Okay, why is that important?" Mabel asked.

Dipper surveyed the surrounding students and then met Pacifica's eyes once more. "Hey, Pazazzie; catch." He tossed it across the room to where Pacifica was standing.

Luckily, her hand-eye coordination skills were a little above average, so Pacifica caught it with minimal fumbling. Meeting his gaze once again, Pacifica raised a brow.

"Well? What are your investigation-senses telling you?" Dipper drawled, grinning cheekily.

Pacifica examined the bottle. There was a significant amount missing, that was for sure. But what really caught her attention was the warning label.

WARNING: EXTREMELY POTENT WHEN TAKEN WITH A LIQUID.

"Dipper, what do you know about this poison?" Pacifica asked very slowly, an unfortunate memory flashing in her brain. Tea.

"I suppose I'll shed my knowledge on it to everyone else." Dipper shrugged as if he had better things to do, and cleared his throat. "Ahem, as soon as it's ingested, the body's muscles begin to spasm, starting with the head and neck. The spasms then spread very rapidly to every muscle in the body and it only gets worse at the slightest stimulus. Convulsions lead to lactic acidosis, hyperthermia, and rhabdomyolysis. Death comes from asphyxiation caused by the paralysis of the neural pathways that control the breathing. The victim usually dies within twenty minutes to an hour after exposure."

"Holy shit." Cody whispered.

"I'm sure you understand, don't you, Southeast?" Dipper asked carefully.

"Guys, we were fooled." Pacifica tossed the bottle back to Dipper. "Gideon wasn't strangled! He was poisoned!"

"How are you so sure?!" Cody demanded.

"The effects of the poison." Pacifica explained now knowing who was the true killer. "It is exactly as Dipper says; the effects of the poison lead to asphyxiation, lack of breathing."

Dipper grinned like a demon. "You realise now, Southeast, don't you? Who the true killer is?"

Pacifica gulped. The true killer. The one who killed both Gideon and Candy. The only one who could've done so. "It was you, wasn't it?" Pacifica pointed to the one, the only, Ultimate Psychologist; Mabel Gleeful.

~.~After Trial III~.~
~.~Ninth Freetime Event~.~

Morale had been shot down after the execution of the Ultimate Psychologist. It was such a devious way to kill two people. Such a brilliant plan. Horrible, yet brilliant.

Killing off the Ultimate Science Prodigy —Gideon Pines— would allow Mabel alone to handle the autopsy report, letting her fabricate his death as much as she had wanted to. Candy was just because she happened to be in the wrong place at the right time.

Before Mabel was executed, she admitted that her chance of winning was very slim. She needed Gideon out of the picture, and she needed both Pacifica and Dipper dead as well.

The rules forbade her from doing so. And when Candy stumbled onto the murder scene, Mabel had to act fast.

It just went to show that friends would still kill friends. And all that Pacifica worked for, to get everyone to work together, had been blasted to smithereens.

The worse thing was that during Mabel's execution —which was brutal from all perspectives— Scarlett had tried to help her, causing a bolt of electricity to shoot up her body.

Cipher didn't allow her to die. They took her to the infirmary and put it on lockdown until she was more recovered.

The last time Pacifica had seen Scarlett, there had been a huge chunk of her hair that turned stark white. As far as everyone else knew, she was stable.

Pacifica didn't feel well enough to join then remaining students for breakfast the following morning. Instead, she stayed in her bed, trying to get all the horrible images out of her head.

Gideon and Candy dead in the theatre. Mabel's execution. Scarlett's failed intervention. And Dipper's way of treating their situation as a game.

"Why do you treat it like a game?" Pacifica demanded of Dipper when she finally found him inside the cathedral that had opened up after the trial.

The cathedral was a ragged building, as if it had been there for centuries. Bricks were loosely piled on the ground, scattered debris everywhere else. It surprised her that Dipper would be there. Yet, it was odd like him.

"Because that is what it is, Southeast." Dipper replied tepidly. "It is a risky game of life or death. Cipher said that the game stops when there are only two people remaining. I intend to win this game."

"And what will it cost you, Dipper?!" Pacifica bellowed, her anger getting the better of her. "Everyone's lives matter!"

"The weak die off, Southeast." Dipper sighed, rubbing his eyes. "I didn't set the rules for the game, however I will play. Because I want to win."

Win. Not live. Pacifica made a mental note about the way he phrased it. Carefully constructed as if he were telling her the truth. What truth was he trying to tell her so very cryptically?

"How are everyone else?" Dipper asked, changing the subject before Pacifica could press him any further.

"Fine. No thanks to you." Pacifica crossed her arms over her chest as she scoffed out the final syllables. "What is going on with you? Before this trial happened you were starting to help, have the mentality of getting out of here with everyone else. You wanted to work together! With me! What could have possibly—"

Ah. That was it, wasn't it?

Pacifica steadied herself, taking a step back from him. Her footfalls echoing loudly on the cracked and dirtied linoleum floor. "You got another flashback light, right?"

Dipper nodded very slowly. "Yes, I did."

"Are they starting to make sense?" Pacifica pressed.

"Yes." Dipper replied without a beat of hesitation. "It hardly matters now, does it?" He laughed a brittle laugh and despite how empty it sounded, there was a depth of emotion in there.

"Dipper, what are you talking about?" Pacifica asked gently, as not to frighten him into shutting up for the rest of their time together.

"Southeast," he began slowly, "I must ask a favour of you."

"Anything." She found herself promising. How had it turned out this way? Her thoughts were racing. He could ask her to do anything, and she would hardly hesitate.

Dipper turned to face her, his movements very slow and lethargic, but his face was anything but. "You mustn't try to interfere with what I have to do."

"What?" Pacifica asked, her breath not quite making it to her lungs. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Please, Pacifica," the use of her first name brought her right back to the present, staring into those beautiful soul-filling blue eyes, the very same ones she had gazed into so lovingly a few nights ago. The ones with twinges of amber buried at the edges. "Trust me. Please."

Shaking her head, Pacifica clenched her fist. "Why are you doing this? Why? How can we have come so far only for you to just push me away right at the end?"

"You have to trust me, Pacifica." He continued, striding over to where she had backed away to, and taking her hands in his. "You've trusted me this long, you've trusted me since the beginning, when no one in their right mind would have done so. So, please," his grip on her hands tightened lightly, not enough to hurt, but enough for Pacifica to feel something, "please do not interfere."

She felt herself sob more than she heard it. Why was she crying? Why? Dipper was just a boy in this killing game. He wasn't. . .

He was. He was. He was.

Dipper, using their joint hands, pulled her a little closer and pressed a sweet and supple kiss on her cheek. "Leave."

And what else could she do?

Pacifica left him that afternoon, left him alone in the cathedral. If she had known what was to transpire, she wouldn't have done it.

At night, she dreamt of a boy with pretty brown eyes beckoning her to come with him. But she did not follow.

~.~Trial IX Investigation~.~
~.~Tenth Freetime Event~.~

Pacifica looked at the file, sighing in relief when the cause of death was listed. She hated having to deal with that during the third trial, because it had almost cost everyone their lives.

"Is it safe to say that stabbing through the neck was the fatal blow?" Cody walked up to her, and glanced over her shoulder to see the file.

"I'm not sure." Pacifica murmured, brushing her hair behind her ear and adjusting the brim of her hat until it sat straight on her head. "However, none of us left are experienced enough to perform an autopsy, so we will have to take Cipher's word for it."

Scarlett sauntered up, and leaned her arm on Cody's shoulder. "At least the time of death is recorded this time, so we don't have to run around in circles trying to figure it out."

Pacifica nodded absentmindedly, and glanced across the room to see him. Dipper was looking at Grenda's body, eyes narrowing.

For the past week, he had been mainly M.I.A. He hadn't been in his room or really anywhere else in the academy, but Pacifica could hazard a guess as to where he had been. The cathedral in the back of the giant courtyard.

While she didn't fully understand what he meant when they last spoke, Pacifica hadn't interfered with whatever he was doing. He got into a fight with a Cody and she had watched from the sidelines. But she couldn't stop thinking about him. In every way possible.

However, right now, she had to focus on surviving the trial ahead. Cody and Scarlett had proved to be rather helpful, so Pacifica had taken to working with them.

"Hey, lot." Scarlett called, when she had somehow walked over to Grenda's body.

Pacifica felt herself freeze in place. She did not want to go over to where Dipper still was. However, hopefully she could stay focused. She just had to talk to Cody and/or Scarlett. Easy peasy.

"Take a look at the dagger." Scarlett whistled. "Cody, didn't this come from my lab?"

Cody nodded very slowly. "Y-yes, yes it did."

"Guys? What is the issue?" Pacifica demanded, keeping her eyes firmly on the body. She had seen so many now, that it just felt natural.

"Nothing." Scarlett shrugged. "Let's investigate around the body, try to see if we can find any clues."

Sometime during the midst of their investigation, Cody walked away to speak to Will, who had found the body first, and Scarlett grabbed Pacifica's arm.

"Hey!"

"Shut it." Scarlett grumbled, tugging Pacifica all the way out of the lab. "Listen to me, I gave that knife to Cody, alright?"

"What?" Pacifica asked, eyes wide. "Are you saying—"

"No," Scarlett muttered, "don't misunderstand. I'm not doing it for some misguided sentimentalism. I just thought, as the person who typically carries the trial, you should know."

Pacifica nodded very slowly. "Okay, Scarlett, can you do me a favour?"

"Yeah, but don't make a big deal about it." Scarlett scoffed.

"Can you talk to Cody about it, try to get an alibi out of him." Pacifica instructed. "I don't wanna doubt him, believe me, but as long as there is a possibility, I'll have to suspect him."

Scarlett nodded. "Hey, don't take this the wrong way, but this suits you."

"Huh?"

"Detective work." Scarlett muttered. "So, when we get outta here, maybe start looking in that field, instead of journalism."

"Thanks, Scarlett." Pacifica couldn't help but genuinely smile as she walked away. When. Pacifica noted. Scarlett had said 'when they got out of there'. Progress.

Progress. She thought of Dipper instantly. She looked over at him once more and felt a tug on her heart. Her brain was running ten miles per minute to figure out what had he seen that made him change. The flashback light was the most obvious conclusion, but what could he had seen?

He said that they were starting to make sense, but that it didn't matter. Why? There was a major theory that pushed at the corners of her head, yet Pacifica refused to think about it. He wasn't behind the game. He couldn't have been.

Watching him from afar made Pacifica feel even worse. She knew she had agreed not to interfere with what he had to do, but what had he done? Other than isolate himself from her and everyone else? She wasn't really interfering with him if she was just talking about the murder. What harm could possibly come from it?

Walking up to where the Ultimate Who-Freaking-Knows stood, Pacifica willed whatever courage she had in her to flood her veins. Clearing her throat, she waited two moments before speaking, to make sure he had heard her. "Am I safe in assuming that you already have this entire mystery all figured out?"

Dipper spared a glance in her direction, a strange smile on his face. It wasn't anything like the secret smiles he had shared with her when they were alone. This one looked plastered on his face for an audience to deceive them all. "Perhaps I have. What of it, Miss Journalist?"

Ignoring the chill that raced up her spine, Pacifica shifted anxiously. "I, uh, just wanted to say —oh God this is going to sound really weird but maybe not because you know about that pull between us— that, I miss investigating with you." Pacifica rubbed her arm as she bit her lip. Yup, totally weird and absolutely a mistake.

Dipper went rigid at the mention of the strange pull between them. Yet it passed very shortly after. "I'm sure that you do." Dipper scoffed, looking at the file in hand. "Without me you never would have solved any of the trials."

"No, that's wrong." Pacifica exclaimed, clenching her hands into fists. "I helped you just as much as you've helped me! Don't get it backwards."

Dipper just stared at her.

"God, what happened to you?" Pacifica demanded, getting up in his face. "You let me help you all the way up until the third trial, you act so loving to me, and then you go around and tell me not to interfere? Interfere with what, exactly?"

Dipper stared down at her, a vast nothing on his face. "Why, absolutely nothing, Southeast."

~.~During Trial IX~.~
~.~Eleventh Freetime Event~.~

They had been discussing the murder weapon and agreeing on the legitimacy of the file they were handed by Cipher when he spoke up.

"Alright, I think we can all agree who is the most suspicious of us all." Lee piped up, trying to get everyone to listen to him.

"Now now, before you continue your statement," Dipper interrupted. "I just have a question to ask Cipher."

"Are we just going to ignore me?" Lee whimpered.

The triangular figure perked up on their chair. "Oh?" They asked, "and I may have an answer for the Ultimate— oops! Almost gave it away!" They kicked their little feet in a fit of laughter. "Ah! I crack myself up!"

Dipper's expression never wavered. "Hilarious. Now, what would happen if we cannot vote for the killer?"

Pacifica blinked once or twice. What was he going on about? If they couldn't vote for a killer?

Cipher's singular brow furrowed. "If you fail to vote correctly then—"

"That wasn't what I asked." Dipper tutted. "Next time listen to every single word I say, alright?"

"Watch your mouth, kid." Cipher stated firmly. "The answer your want is this; vote for who the killer is. Vote correctly. Or don't, either way, it's still entertaining for me!"

"I sincerely doubt that." Dipper chuckled, then looked to Lee, "very well, continue."

Lee gave everyone a puzzled look. "Alright, the most suspicious out of us all is Will."

Will gaped. "W-what? Why me?"

"You found the body first!" Lee exclaimed, pointing a figure at him. "That automatically makes you suspicious!"

"That's. . .not really how this works." Robbie sighed and tilted his head to the side.

"We oughta start pressing the people who discovered the body first!" Lee continued harshly, "think about it! In the second trial, if we had done that. . ." he trailed off.

"That doesn't matter." Cody groaned, evidently growing frustrated, "however, we should let Will defend himself, alright? We can't blindly persecute someone."

"Cody's right." Pacifica agreed with a nod of her head. She looked over to where Will stood. "Alright, Will? Can you tell us how you found the body?"

Will's entire frame trembled, "r-right," he coughed lightly before adjusting his glasses. "Well, I was with Robbie in the hall outside his lab. He was just showing me a new project he was working on to. . ." he trailed off and shot a wary glance at Cipher. "Not important, I'll stick to the rest of my testimony."

"Ah boo!" Cipher whined, "secrets are not fun!"

"Continue, please, Will." Pacifica gently coaxed, trying to keep her eyes on him, and not Dipper. Which was getting increasingly difficult.

He had been acting strangely, suspiciously. Yet if his eyes met hers, her heart couldn't contain itself.

"Ahem, well, I heard a commotion coming from the inside of Grenda's lab down the hall." Will continued, shifting on the spot. "Not wanting to go alone, I dashed into Robbie's lab, and demanded that he come with me to investigate."

"Robbie, can you concur?" Scarlett deadpanned, eyes unblinking and trained on the Ultimate Engineer.

"Yeah, I sure can." Robbie nodded firmly, hands on the rim of the podium. "You see what I mean, Lee? You have to ask for alibis first!"

"As you can all plainly see," Will went on, his body relaxing a little bit as if he were relieved that Robbie had his back. Pacifica supposed that she would feel the same way. "Both Robbie and I have air-tight alibis."

Lee looked around anxiously. "O-okay! So the culprit could be one of us. Myself, Scarlett, Cody, Paz, or Dipper."

"Alright, let's just stay calm." Pacifica held up her hands. "There is no reason to freak out, we just need to see if anyone has an alibi."

The room was silent for a few moments before Pacifica decided to take the first course of action. "Never mind, let's see if anyone else can give anyone else an alibi." She eyed the entire courtroom, the remaining students. "Was anyone with someone else during the time of the murder?"

"Considering that no one has spoken," Dipper sighed, "I am safe in assuming that no one else can give one."

"Whatever," Scarlett muttered, "maybe we should just—"

"Hold on a second!" Pacifica exclaimed. "I can give someone their alibi." She watched as everyone watched her with hopeful eyes. "I'm not sure if you will believe me, because I'm certain that these people didn't see me, but I can truthfully say that I saw them."

"W-who?" Will stammered.

"During the time of the murder I was in the courtyard." Pacifica described. "I saw Lee enter his lab at eleven-thirty, and he stayed in there until the body discovery announcement went off. So, I think it's safe to say that Lee is not the killer."

Lee's shoulders visibly relaxed. "Now that you mention it, I definitely saw you there!"

"Oh, please." Dipper scoffed. "I sincerely doubt that."

Pacifica flinched at the sound of Dipper's voice. How cold, and empty it sounded.

"Why?" Cody demanded, losing his cool. "You're doubting Paz?"

"Y-yeah! Why would you do that?" Will tried to sound a little more assertive, but it came across as a whimper.

"Paz's obviously telling the truth!" Lee exclaimed.

"And do you say that because she has your alibi? Or because you genuinely believe the words she speaks are nothing but the truth?" Dipper hummed, casting a look toward the outskirts of the room. "Trust is for fools, and it just makes this so laughable."

"Guys, just ignore him." Robbie muttered. "We should focus on the trial instead of whatever he wants to throw our way."

"I am bringing up a valid point." Dipper sighed, "we can't trust people's words just at face value."

"I hear you, but why would Paz give someone else an alibi if she was the one behind this?" Lee stated.

"She has also tried to give herself one, by saying that she was out there until the body discovery announcement went off. Perhaps listen to every word she says, instead of only hearing what you want to hear." Dipper explained, eyeing Pacifica with a strange look in his eyes. "You hide behind the words trust and believe because you are all too scared to do what has to be done."

Do what has to be done? What on earth is he talking about? Pacifica whipped her head around to catch the facial expressions of everyone else in the courtroom. Was this about interfering? "Dipper, you told me not to interfere with what you have to do," Pacifica felt her entire body tremble as she spoke, "is this what it is?"

"Interfere?" Lee questioned. "Does this mean he doesn't want you to solve Grenda's murder?"

"It's a possibility," Scarlett touched her fingers to her chin, "and one we should definitely consider. However, was Dipper even in the building when the murder occurred?"

"Why do you say that?" Cody pressed, glancing at both Scarlett and Dipper.

Scarlett fiddled with her hair. "I'm not trying to say it in any way that proves him innocent or guilty. I'm just," she glanced in Pacifica's direction, and trailed off, not finishing her sentence.

"Oh? And you know of my whereabouts?" Dipper scoffed, a sly smile appearing on his lips.

"I don't." Scarlett deadpanned. "However, I'm sure I'm not the only person here who has noticed your absence from the academy building itself as of the past week or so."

Scarlett was correct, Pacifica knew this better than anyone because although she agreed not to interfere with whatever Dipper had to do, she had kept a watchful eye on him from a safe distance. She was almost certain that he had no part in the murder.

"That's kinda shaky for an alibi." Robbie muttered, rubbing the back of his neck and leaning off to the side.

"I wasn't looking for one." Dipper replied evenly, and then looked directly at Pacifica. "It appears as though you cannot paint me as the culprit this way, Southeast. Do better; I'm getting bored."

Pacifica flinched as though she had been struck. She wasn't trying to paint him as the culprit! Was she? No. She didn't believe he was the culprit. However, his words paired with Grenda's death. . .it didn't add up nicely.

"So, what?" Lee asked, frustration seeping into his voice. "We're just going to assume he's not the culprit?"

"There's a better suspect, and she knows it." Dipper supplied, "isn't that right, Southeast?"

There's a better suspect? Dipper couldn't mean. . .

"There is someone we need to press." Pacifica spoke a little shaky. The atmosphere had changed drastically and she wasn't used to such a brisk temperature. "Right, Scarlett?"

Scarlett glanced down at her feet, as if she didn't want to speak of it. "Yes. The knife that killed Grenda. It was in my lab, yet the last person to have it was Cody."

~.~Right After Trial IX~.~
~.~Twelfth Freetime Event~.~

"Well, that was a disappointment." Cipher shook their head, eyebrow furrowing. "Yes, once again, you got it just right! Grenda was killed by herself! Who would've thought?"

Pacifica was blinking back tears. It was all so horrible, the thought that Grenda believed she would never escape and took matters into her own hands.

There was hardly a dry eye amongst the crowd, save for Cipher, Scarlett, and (of course) Dipper.

"It's plain awful!" Will weeped. "If only I had checked on her! I should've. . ." He trailed off into more sobs.

"It's not your fault, man." Robbie patted his shoulder. "No one knew. Don't blame yourself."

"Ugh, this is so boring!" Cipher exclaimed. "This wasn't what I wanted from this trial!"

Before Pacifica could speak up, Scarlett stepped in. "No one here will bend to your will. No one here wants to make you happy."

Cipher tilted their head, an awful cracking noise erupted from it. "Really? Well, that's just sad." Pretending to wipe away a tear from their eye, Cipher let out a faux sob. "Oh well, I suppose I know what will make me happy!"

"What do you mean?" Pacifica whispered, trying to get the tears to quit leaking from her eyes.

"Funny you ask, Ultimate Journalist!" Cipher clapped their hands together. "There is despair here, but not enough! Not like last trial where Valiant over there tried to save her lady-love! Very holding-out-for-a-hero-style!" They eyed Scarlett, who just tucked the white stripe of her hair behind her ear. "So, how can I make this worse?"

Pacifica didn't care anymore. There wasn't a way to make it worse. She had lost whatever connection she had with Dipper, had to argue with him, almost wrongly convicted her friend Cody, and then only to find that Grenda had killed herself. It couldn't be worse.

Dipper raised a brow. "Make it worse? Give it your best shot."

Pacifica blinked. "Dipper," she murmured.

"Let's take a look at how worse this situation already is, shall we?" Dipper steepled his hands together and paced the floor. "We are trapped here against our will and our only means of escape is kill someone and get away with it. We're four trials in and no one here has accepted that there is no happy ending to this story." He glared up at Cipher, from where they sat on their chair, "give it your best, Cipher. I'm dying to know what you can come up with."

Everyone stayed quiet as Dipper stared down the closest thing to the devil on earth. Pacifica didn't know what Dipper was up to, but there was no subtle wink in her direction. No smile. Nothing.

Cipher looked down at Dipper, eye alight with amusement. "Don't worry, you'll get yours." They cleared their throat and spoke: "let me explain relations. That oughta do it!"

Dipper scoffed. "Really? That is the best you can come up with?"

"Dude, stop pissing them off!" Cody exclaimed, rushing up to Dipper. "I'm so sick of this two-man comedy sketch you guys got going on!"

Dipper paid no mind to Cody as he continued to stare down Cipher. This frustrated Cody, apparently, because he shoved Dipper, pushing him away from Cipher, a stern glare took over his usually calm demeanour. "I said stop!"

"Guys!" Pacifica exclaimed, reaching a hand out.

"H-hold on!" Will cried out.

"Quit it, both of you." Scarlett stated, completely dispassionately, yet Pacifica could see the slight anger emanating from her body like sun rays.

"Hey, hey!" Cipher waved their arms around. "Listen up! As funny as this infighting is, it's not what I want. Save your brawls for after the trial concludes!"

Cody backed off of Dipper, hands in the air. "Fine."

"Ahem, now that everyone is back to paying attention to me —as it should be." Cipher kicked their legs in amusement. "Relations. It doesn't seem like it had anything to do with this killing game. But it's a very important factor! Something that gives this game a little more kick!"

"Enough exposition." Dipper spat, causing everyone around him to flinch, Pacifica included. She had never heard such anger come out of his mouth. His face, which was usually impassive, was now frowning. Brows furrowed, eyes flaming.

"Alright alright, sheesh, you're pushy! It's a wonder you've made it this long, isn't it?" Cipher grinned. "Wonder why that is."

Dipper stared back, looking as though he wanted to speak, yet he didn't. It looked as though realisation dawned upon his face, yet he didn't say a word.

"Anyways, before I'm so rudely interrupted again!" Cipher glared in Dipper's direction. "You all go to assume that you can't trust each other because you dunno one another. But that's the lie! A lot of you know each other! Oops," they glanced off to the side, "I mean knew each other, with so many of you being dead and all."

Pacifica couldn't stop the gasp from escaping her lips. They knew each other? From before this game? Why couldn't they remember? Why couldn't she remember?

"Here!" Cipher tossed six envelopes onto the floor in front of them. "One for each of you!"

Pacifica hesitated to pick up the envelop that had her name in bold black letters inscribed on the front.

"Robbie Corduroy, Ultimate Engineer, who would've thought that you knew a majority of the people here?" Cipher began. "Thompson, Wendy, Tambry, Nate. . .all gone." They shook their head sadly. "Killing each other, how sad." They glanced at Lee. "I guess you still have Lee, but we still have a ways to go!"

Robbie's hands trembled, dropping the singular photograph that depicted all of his friends together at a park.

"Lee, same goes for you!" Cipher cackled. "Nate especially. You two were really close. Too bad he's dead!"

Lee dropped to his knees and let out a horrid sob. Gripping his hair in his hands, he shook violently.

"Will!" Cipher exclaimed, pointing to the shaking blue-haired boy. "The sad thing is that no one cared about you, really, however, I suppose your closest pal Gideon cared for you."

Will gripped the photo, tears already pouring from his eyes as he held it closer to his chest.

"Cody Chiu!" Cipher began as Cody flinched at being called next. "I guess you've seen the picture of your half-sister Candy, haven't you? To make it much worse, Grenda was also your best buddy! Both are gone now, isn't that sad?" Cipher grinned as Cody just froze.

Pacifica dreaded what could possibly come next.

"Scarlett Valiant! That's not even your real last name! It's close, but not quite right!" Cipher clapped his hands together. "Your sister Wendy was the first to cave to the killing game! I had hoped that you would follow next, but it's even better now that you haven't!"

Scarlett crunched the photograph in her hands and turned her head away.

"And wasn't it great that you tried to save Mabel?" Cipher continued, grinning. "What made you do it? An urge to save her? I wonder why you did that? It's not like you cared for her here. . .except you did before this game! To bad she didn't share in your sentiments. Talk about unrequited love. Uh oh!"

"That's enough!" Pacifica bellowed upon seeing the despair crawling onto Scarlett's usually impassive face.

Cipher turned to look at Pacifica. "And you, Pacifica Southeast; our clever heroine! The lovely protagonist of this story! Don't think I've forgotten about you!" Their eyes hardened a little bit. "You let your poor cousin, Gideon, die at the hands of his close friend Mabel! Now that's just terrible! And you were going to abandon him!"

Pacifica didn't dare look at a single photograph that was in the envelope. Looking at it only made it more true.

"And, finally, my little rule breaker. The thorn in my side, my interrupter!" Cipher eyed Dipper. "You made it farther than I'd hoped! It's so wonderful! To bad you had to condemn your poor twin sister to succeed."

Much like Pacifica, Dipper hadn't opened the envelope with his name on it. He just stared blankly back at Cipher as if anything they said was so infinitesimal.

"Well! This made me feel so much better!" Cipher chirped, tapping their fingers on the arm of their chair. "The despair on your faces is just so—"

Cipher was cut off by laughter. Not a harsh laugh, not a sad laugh one does when there is nothing else to do, but a genuine laugh. And where did it come from? Dipper.

"This is priceless, Cipher." Dipper laughed, wiping a tear from his eye, as soon as he caught his breath.

"Eh?" Cipher seemed to be confused.

"Dipper!" Pacifica yelled, "what are you doing?!"

Dipper ignored her, still gazing at Cipher. "Everything you're doing is so very predictable. Almost like you're putting on a show."

"Watch it, kid." Cipher growled. "I don't think you know what you're talking about, so you should shut your mouth."

"Dipper, I don't wanna agree with them, but you really should shut your mouth!" Cody boldly declared, stepping up to Dipper in such a furious manner that Pacifica was certain he was going to punch him.

Dipper coughed out another laugh as he ran a hand through his hair. His demeanour screamed hilarity, yet his eyes stayed glued harsh and defiant on Cipher. "Twins," he murmured, "sounds familiar, doesn't it?"

Cipher grumbled for a second. "You've proven to be quite the thorn in my side, Ultimate Who-Gives-A-Shit, you better watch yourself if you want to thrive."

Dipper simply glanced down at the floor, a quiet huff escaping his lips, the same one that used to mean so much to Pacifica, and then glanced back up. "You're quite right about me, Cipher. But I can do things that wouldn't bode well for you."

Cipher's single eye almost seemed to have a frightened glint to it, but Pacifica chocked it up to being a trick of the light.

"You'll never take me alive." Dipper chuckled, turning his back and stalking toward the exit. "You better pray that I die."

~.~After Trial IX~.~
~.~Thirteenth Freetime Event~.~

Things were going horribly wrong. Everything that Pacifica had worked for —having everyone work together, trusting friendships, camaraderie— it had all been undone by Cipher and his stupid envelopes. Had been undone by Dipper giving everyone more reasons not to trust him, even though he seemed to hold many answers.

Every morning, the remaining students still met up in the dining hall. However, it was considerably more tense than it had ever been before, save for the first meeting. Cody and Dipper were constantly at each other's throats, with Cody threatening more violence and Dipper not believing that he could ever, Will and Scarlett trying to play Ultimate Mediator, and Lee and Robbie sticking close together as they were the last survivors of their friend group from before the game.

Pacifica wanted to help Scarlett and Will by keeping Cody and Dipper away from each other, and she often did, trying to keep everyone together. Screw Dipper and his 'do not interfere with what I have to do' bullshit. Pacifica wasn't buying it anymore. Whatever he said, she wouldn't believe it. Wouldn't listen.

Dipper tended to stay away from the academy building itself for as much as he could, save for eating and sleeping because Pacifica was certain that he had to at some point. Although, with the way he was looking, it wouldn't have surprised her if Dipper was forgoing all basic life necessities.

What she couldn't figure out was why? Why was he doing everything that he had done? It was only after the third trial that he started acting strangely. Her investigative brain was flipped on as she went to her bedroom that evening.

Pacifica hadn't left her bedroom for two days. Time was so fickle at the academy so devoid of hope, so she couldn't be one hundred percent certain that it had been a period of forty-eight hours. The front of her whiteboard had been chock-full of any evidence that could prove what Dipper's talent was, and full of connecting (or lack thereof) memories. She couldn't bear to erase all the hard work she had done —at least that was what she told herself, but one part of her brain said she didn't want to erase the memories she had created with Dipper— so she flipped it over to the back and began writing there.

On her dresser was the envelope that Cipher had given to her a week prior. She still hadn't opened it, although a part of her wanted to. To see pictures of her life outside the game, to see her cousin Gideon. Gideon. She wasn't able to save him. That left a bitter taste in her mouth, due to the promise she had made him.

The other part of her wanted to burn it. That way her curiosity could be curbed without doing any more damage to her mental state. Pacifica knew that in the bowels of the cathedral Dipper had claimed there was a crematorium where she could very well get rid of it. Yet, she risked the chance of running into Dipper, and she didn't want that.

There was a harsh knock on her door, to which she ignored. She didn't want to see anyone anymore. She wanted to focus on unraveling the mystery that was Dipper. Who was the sister that Cipher had mentioned? Pacifica theorised that it could've been Scarlett, and the reason that Cipher didn't say a name was so they couldn't hold onto each other throughout the rest of the game. But then why would Cipher tell Lee and Robbie that they were friends?

Suddenly, Pacifica felt a tap on her shoulder, and she screeched.

"Whoa! Calm down!" Scarlett backed up, hands in the air, her face a little flushed. Had she been running? Or was she embarrassed that she interrupted Pacifica? Also, how the hell did she get into her bedroom?

"Lock-picking is one of my specialties as the Ultimate Con-Artist." Scarlett clarified. "But that's besides the point. First of all, no one has seen you for days, and I kinda thought you were dead, not that I care," she fiddled with a piece of her hair, "and, second, I need your help."

The seriousness of her expression wouldn't have bothered Pacifica because that was how Scarlett's face often was, however, the fact that she looked a little rushed and disheveled, startled Pacifica. "What happened?"

"Dipper happened." Scarlett stated, not explaining a lot as she pulled Pacifica out of the bedroom and tore down the hall.

"That's not very descriptive!" Pacifica exclaimed as she was tugged toward the gymnasium.

"He's beyond insane." Scarlett stated, "he told everyone to meet him in the gymnasium including Cipher."

"Oh shit." Pacifica murmured, thinking back to the last interaction that the two had. What was he about to do? Pacifica racked her brain, trying to figure it out as best she could, but couldn't. She supposed she only thought she knew how to figure Dipper out.

Scarlett pushed the doors open, and let go of Pacifica's hand the instant the everyone could see them. She pushed Pacifica inside and toward the gathered group of students.

Cody was the first to leap up. "Paz! You're okay?!"

"Of course she is. Calm down." Scarlett frowned, tugging at her sleeves. "We need a strategy for in case. . ." She glanced at Pacifica, as if she were considering how to say the next part. "In case things go south and go south fast."

Pacifica, despite how tired she felt, nodded and tried to get back into game mode. Sleep and meals would have to come later. "Scarlett's right. We need to plan a way the lot of us can escape in case the meeting Dipper with Cipher is a deadly one."

Will gaped at her, as if he were surprised that she had said it so openly. "W-what do you suggest?"

Pacifica grimaced. "Let me think for a moment." She looked around the room and toward the open doors. What was she expecting to happen, exactly?

"We need to be prepared for this." Cody stated. "We need to be prepared when Dipper reveals himself as the one behind this."

Pacifica whipped her head around. "You think that Dipper is the mastermind?!"

Cody held up his hands at her sudden anger. "Look, I don't want to paint one of our own as the bad guy, but when has he given anyone a reason to trust him?"

Pacifica was about to list the plethora of times where she saw him open and trusting, when Cipher popped up with an overly cartoonish noise.

"Why is everyone here? I didn't call you!" Cipher grumbled, sitting on top of the podium.

"So, you're all here."

Everyone's heads —even Cipher's— turned harshly toward the corner of the gymnasium where Dipper leaned oh-so-casually against the wall. How long had he been there, exactly? And how did no one notice him?

Dipper pushed himself off the wall and proceeded to walk until he was standing right in front of the podium, and with his back toward the rest of the students. "I appreciate you all coming to meet with me here, and since I do not want to be called a hypocrite, I'll just cut right to the chase."

Pacifica watched him with careful eyes, trying to catch the slightest hint of a lie.

"Cipher, I speak to you and you alone," Dipper admitted, "and offer my ultimatum with everyone here as my witness; if the mastermind —not the little puppet you masquerade around as— does not meet with me in the cathedral by midnight tonight, I will release every single speck of information about this game —no matter how infinitesimal it may seem— to the rest of the participants."

"What?!" Cody exclaimed. "So you—"

"Ah-hahahahahahaha!" Cipher cackled, kicking his little stick-legs in delight, their body (if you could even call it that) contorting and twisting with each laugh. "You're going to what? You think you're just going to spew your alleged 'information' just. . .because?!"

"Of course this is what this is about." Scarlett scoffed and turned to face the exit of the gymnasium. Her profile in the almost-clinical lighting of the gym looking drained and so over it all.

"Lettie's right!" Cody exclaimed, earning a harsh glare from the aforementioned Lettie. "You've never given us one reason to trust you so why would—"

"You do not have to do anything." Dipper clarified. "Or have you forgotten that I have only asked Cipher to meet with me? It is only if Cipher does not comply that you get information."

"And what makes you so sure that you even know anything?" Cipher tapped their fingers, clink clink clinking on the podium.

"Is that something you want to risk?" Dipper questioned, coolly and collectively. "I've stated my stipulations, it is solely up to you to decide if you will act on them." He turned around, now facing the remaining students, and when Pacifica met his eyes she saw nothing.

Not the insanity that Scarlett had said that was there. Not the cruelty that everyone else had said. Nothing. So devoid of emotion, of anger, of despair, and even of hope. There was no theatrics to his performance.

No one stopped him from leaving. He strode past them, someone on a mission, all business and severity.

"Well, it's official." Cody whistled. "He's officially lost it."

Everyone chimed their agreements save for Pacifica. For she knew the truth. She knew that his words held merit. After all, it was only two weeks ago when he told her that the flashback lights were connecting. Sure, Pacifica said she was done believing him, or even believing in him, but she could not refute the very blatant fact that Dipper did know something. Enough to even put Cipher on their guard.

Just what did he know?

Her limbs starting moving on their own, everything feeling foggy and blurred. She really needed to eat something soon or she might pass out. Making a mental note to stop to get food from the kitchen, Pacifica continued her wobbly pace, keeping steady time, and ignoring all calls to her, out of the gymnasium.

Memories flashed before her eyes as she tried to run after him, tried to catch him. Memories of running after someone through a twisted maze, memories of running after him after the first trial. Memories of chasing him. Always chasing him.

Dipper seemed to know that she was following him, because he didn't slow his pace, nor did he look back. Not even once.

Growing frustrated at this never ending cycle of her running after him, as well as the flashing sparks of memories flooding her brain, Pacifica reached an arm out, hoping that she could reach him. Hoping that her fingers could graze the soft fabric of his sleeve, and he would stop dead in his tracks and look at her like he used to.

She hoped —no, hope wasn't nearly as strong a word for what she truly wanted— longed to see that look of affection in his eyes once more. Even if it was just one more time.

Trying to call out to him, her voice didn't seem to carryover the long distance between the two of them. "Dip—!" Out of nowhere, she stumbled and tumbled onto the floor beneath her feet.

She knelt there, wincing in pain, but relief flooded her senses when she had enough strength to keep her face from meeting the same fate as her knees.

A shadow fell over her, and she hardly had enough energy left to lift her head. But the shadow dropped to their knees in front of her, tilting her chin up.

Dipper's eyes still held an abyss of emptiness that Pacifica knew she could drown in if she wasn't careful, but she couldn't bother to be worried anymore. She was just so. . .tired.

"You need to take better care of yourself." Dipper said, his voice echoing strongly in the empty hall.

There was so much she could say. Tell him that he needed to stop whatever he was doing, tell him that calling Cipher out like he was doing was a terrible idea and he would only suffer from it, tell him that she cared for him and couldn't bare to watch him fall. But it hardly mattered anymore.

"You do, too." She said instead of every single word she would've rather said. Selfishly, she leaned into his touch, letting a soft hum escape her lips. She didn't dare open her eyes. She felt his forehead against hers though. Felt the familiar warmth of his presence, the heat of his body on hers.

As soon as it was there, it vanished, all the warmth escaping her body as if she had died, slowly bleeding on on the floor below her.

Opening her eyes, she saw him disappear down the long hall leading outside the academy. Alone in the hall, Pacifica wondered how she woke up in the middle of her surgery and watched them botch her heart.

~.~After Trial IX~.~
~.~Fourteenth Freetime Event~.~

After Pacifica had dragged herself up off the floor in the hall, she pushed herself into the kitchen to eat a proper meal. Trying to keep Dipper out of her mind, she ate in silence and watched as a clock ticked slowly to nighttime.

She wanted to go out to the cathedral and try to bring him back, yet she knew that there was not one thing left she could say. It was too late. She had to let it go.

Pacifica went to her bedroom that night, after quietly chatting with Will when he asked if she was feeling alright, and collapsed onto her bed.

What felt like so long ago rushed back into her head; the first kiss she had shared with Dipper. How their relationship blossomed into something beautiful despite the aura of despair that latched onto them.

Pacifica groaned to herself. She had to let it go, let it drift away, never to be thought of again. Yet, with the way he looked at her in the hallway, after she had collapsed. He had still come for her, just as he always had. There was still hope for him yet. Could either of them really ever be free?

Despite how exhausted she was, Pacifica kept her eyes trained on the clock on her dresser. It was nearing the midnight hour, and she feared what was to come.

However, she must've started to drift off, because she was suddenly jolted awake by a loud, sharp knock on her door, followed with hurried footsteps.

Confused, Pacifica rubbed the weariness out of her eyes with her knuckles and slowly pushed herself off her bed. Carefully, she opened the door and was met with nothing eye-level. However, as she glanced downward, she saw a package. It was wrapped hastily, and had her name scrawled on the top of it. At first, she hesitated. She could only think of the envelope that still rested on her dresser.

Yet, as she picked it up, she noticed another thing; it was Dipper's handwriting. Retreating back to her bed, more alert than ever. Pacifica wasted no time ripping the package open and a gasp escaped her lips when she saw what she was met with.

A letter. And a gun.

Pacifica ignored the latter item in favour of the former, and read over the letter addressed to her and her alone.

Hey, Pazazzie, as you know I am trying to conduct a meeting with the mastermind behind this game. Over my time here, I have come to realise that this is something I cannot do alone. I need you, Pacifica. I need you by my side when this happens. I have no doubt in my mind that the mastermind will try to pull something that could be detrimental to me, so I need to trust you. The gun I have given you is no ordinary gun; it's a modified tranquilliser gun I managed to snag from Robbie's lab. Be careful with it, it contains another deadly poison from Gideon's lab. What I am trying to tell you is that I need you in the cathedral before midnight, in case I need backup. You're the only one I trust.
-Dipper

Pacifica whipped her head to the side to see what time the clock read. It was a quarter to midnight by now. Dropping the letter onto her bed and snatching the modified gun, Pacifica jumped up and ran out her bedroom.

Panic flooded her system that she was going to be too late, as she tore through the darkened academy, not worrying if she ran into anyone. Yes, she felt bad about breaking the nighttime rule that Gideon had enforced, but time was of the essence. She couldn't be too late. It wasn't too late.

Navigating the outside was a lot more difficult at night than Pacifica had anticipated. Sure, she could understand as to why it would be that way, but it still surprised her how dark the place could actually get.

Rushing past the place where she, Scarlett, and Cody had been joking around and telling stories only a week or so ago, Pacifica only felt more solidified in her response.

Finally, she stood at the entrance of the cathedral. She hadn't set a single foot there since Dipper told her not to interfere, and now she was there. Clutching the gun close to her chest, Pacifica braced herself and steeled her nerves. And she pushed the heavy wooden doors open.

Candles had been lit, hanging in their respective places, but the moonlight produced from the outside allowed more light into the hollow room, shedding a certain brightness to what she saw before her, freezing all the blood that was in her veins.

Words were spoken. Harsh alibis and clipped tones. Panic. Adrenaline. What was she to do? One told the truth the other was a liar. And both were calling her name.

With trembling fingers, she pulled the trigger.