Uuuhg I Just Found So Much Uncredited Mystery Kids Art On Here (three Of Mine):

uuuhg I just found so much uncredited mystery kids art on here (three of mine):

http://vk.com/wall-49586050?offset=0&own=1 http://vk.com/public60887037

It looks like there is no harm intended, just collecting all the mystery kids art in one place but still. I looked around and it seems like you can only file a copyright complaint if you sign up for the site and can only do it for your own stuff I’m not 100% sure. I don’t know if anyone has seen this before or not.

Norman's seen enough horror movies to know where this is going.

---

Mystery Kids: Possessed!

A long, long time ago my friend draw-ren-draw made this post, and it was such an intriguing idea I asked if it was alright if I wrote it. She agreed, and while it took me several months to finally finish it, it was done long before the second season of Gravity Falls was even close to starting. What kept me from posting it is that there was some character development that might seem like it fell out of the blue; I planned on writing it into the second main fic, but that's going so slowly, and after "Sock Opera", I think you guys might like to read this a bit sooner. 

Summary: Raz is proud of his duties as Psychonaut; it's something he worked hard to earn after all, and his lifelong dream. But all his training never really prepared him for malevolent geometry, especially when its name is Bill.

---

Gideon tossed in his sleep. He was dreaming, lost in a dark abyss, but he wasn’t sure he was alone.

“H… Hello?” he called, not even an echo answering him in the pitch black. Actually, he wasn’t even sure it was black. It was nothing.

An eye split the nothingness, its slit pupil coming to rest on him.

“Oh hey there you are!” an all-too-familiar reedy voice broke the silence, and Gideon only stared in awe. “Man, you humans all look alike from the astral plane. S’up Gideon!”

“I told you the deal was off,” Gideon growled at the eye. “You failed me, an’ that’s that.”

“Yeah yeah, sorry. Funny thing about that though, I still need your end of the bargain one way or another. So I was thinking, you help me out, and I’ll get you whatever the heck you want when we’re through. Humans like ice cream right? How about free ice cream for life?”

“Anything, you say?” Gideon narrowed his eyes, mental gears turning.

“Yeah sure. It’ll be great!”

“What exactly does my end of the bargain encompass?”

“Oh, nothing big. Just the use of your corporeal form to manifest my powers in the real world. You know. Standard demon possession, you’ll get used to it.” If an eye could shrug, it did.

Gideon felt as though the void was slowly gripping him. He waved his hands at the nothingness, and the sensation seemed to fade. He thought for a bit, mind racing. Demons seldom sought out second chances on their own; whatever he wanted must be important. There had to be a way to turn this completely to his advantage—maybe there was someone else that made good possession material.

“I’ve got it!” Gideon exclaimed, and the eye widened expectantly. “What if I could get you a body with no occupant?”

“Kid, I won’t possess a dead body. I don’t do zombies, did it once, never again. Do you have any idea how disgusting it is? Limbs falling off, fluids leaking everywhere, and the smell! Lemme tell you it is not pretty.”

“No! I mean someone who can leave their body at will.”

“Oh…. You mean—”

“Yes.”

“Well, as much fun as it is crushing the spirit of whoever I’m possessing at a given time, I’ve gotta say that’s pretty good. Nice and quick, no struggle, and should crush their soul anyway. Alright Gideon, do we have a deal?”

“Deal.” Gideon nodded, holding his hand out, and felt the void take it. And then, there was even more nothing than before.

-- 

It came at dawn; pale red sunlight gleamed off the gold-leaf lettering and worn paint, with tattered banners flapping in a light breeze—a long caravan of trucks and wagons piled high with colorful odds and ends. Bumping and shuddering across uneven ground, the odd assortment of vehicles, from all eras and makes and models, pulled into a fog-swept clearing and formed a broad ring amongst the trees. Within moments of stopping, the first flurries of activity began as people prepared for the day ahead. Shouts organized unpacking efforts or woke sleeping families; only the very young were excluded from work.

A real, honest-to-goodness old-fashioned circus had arrived.

A small pair of laced boots kicked up dust and pine needles as their owner hopped from his family’s van, a steadily widening grin on his face as he stretched and breathed in the crisp morning air. Mentally, he greeted the trees and mountains as though they were good friends, and indeed they’d met before. But it wasn’t the scenery that had Raz smiling, nor was it performing with his family later that evening.

His father appeared and ruffled his son’s auburn hair before clambering up to the roof of his family’s home to start unpacking their things, tossing a few of the necessities to the young psychic while the older siblings helped their mother get breakfast and the younger kids ready. Raz didn’t mind the work so much anymore, not like he had a little over a year ago, and today there was even more reason to be willing to help and get everything done.

“Alright Razputin, I think that’s all the important things,” Augustus said, hopping skillfully from the roof even with arms full of a few remaining supplies. “Let’s go in and get cleaned up, then you can go.”

Raz nodded eagerly, holding the door open for his dad before heading in himself to join the relative chaos. His younger brother and sister were holding a messy eating contest while his mother tried in vain to stop them, and the older siblings were getting everyone else’s food ready in the midst. Weaving through, Raz headed to the sleeping quarters where he kept his few belongings and changed into his regular outfit before heading back out, happy to stay out of the way.

Strolling down the overgrown road the circus had turned onto to reach the clearing, the young psychic broke into a smile again as town came into view; where else could he look forward to visiting so much besides Whispering Rock? Gravity Falls had become something of a home away from home this summer, and he hoped his friends wouldn’t mind an early wake-up call. The way to the Mystery Shack was second nature anymore, and in no time the shabby house was in sight. Heading around to the back, Raz rang the doorbell and tapped his foot while he waited, wondering if anyone was up at this early hour. The door swung open to reveal Stan holding a cup of coffee and looking unamused.

“We don’t want any, now scram,” the old con artist said gruffly, promptly shutting the door.

“Hey!”

“Ah, I’m just messin’ with ya,” Stan said with a chuckle, opening the door again and waving him in. “I don’t know if the kids are up yet. Why don’t ya go kick their lazy butts for me?”

“Uh, sure.”

Raz headed upstairs rolling his eyes, leaving Stan to his coffee and the morning paper. He was pretty sure sleeping at this time of day was not laziness on his friends’ parts. A little twinge of envy pricked at him, but was quickly snuffed by the excitement of seeing them again. Knocking at the door, he heard Dipper say “Come in” and some other movement before he entered, then nothing besides a shrill, joyous scream from Mabel as she vaulted from her bed and tackled him.

“Raz! We missed you a ton! Maybe more than a ton, what’s bigger than a ton? A gazillion tons!” she babbled as she squeezed the air from the already winded psychic.

“Please don’t do that,” he gasped once she let him go, and massaged his sides while Dipper and Norman gathered around.

“What brings you here this time?” Norman asked once it seemed Raz had recovered, but as he opened his mouth to reply, an enormous bellow rang through the house.

“What?!” Stan roared, slamming the attic door open with one hand and the paper crinkled in the other. “You little punk! You didn’t say you were here to steal my customers!”

“What?!”

Stan threw the paper down between them all, and Dipper hastily unfolded it to reveal a sizeable ad. Mabel’s eyes instantly widened at the colorful old-timey spread.

“The circus? Oh my gosh, I love circuses! All the animals, and the lights, and the—”

“Acrobats?” Dipper finished his sister’s sentence, and they all looked up at Raz, who wore a cheeky grin.

“Surprise!”

With another squeal Mabel wrapped him in a hug again, and after some effort he managed to pry her off.

“I have a girlfriend you know,” he coughed, but she merely beamed.

“What, and friends aren’t allowed to hug their other friends?”

“No no, it’s just she’ll be really mad if you hug me to death.”

“You’re no fun,” she pouted, but only for a moment.

“Wanna know what else isn’t fun? Loss of business. The last thing the Shack needs is a trainload of circus freaks rolling in and taking all my customers,” Stan griped, snatching the paper off the floor and crumpling it up.

“Grunkle Stan, rude! Raz is right here!” Mabel cried, gesturing at him, and he nodded. Stan merely rolled his eyes.

“He’s already a psychic, it doesn’t get much freakier.”

“Grunkle Stan!”

“Um, hello? Friendly reminder from the circus freak that we’re only going to be town for a few days. So I don’t think we’re actually gonna hurt your profits too much. We might even bring some in.”

“Hmm…” Stan grumbled, eye narrowed. “Fine.”

“Yeah. Anyway, that’s why I came here this morning. I wanted to tell you I was in town, and not on official Psychonaut business for once,” Raz explained, turning to his friends, and they nodded. “I was hoping you guys could come, if you wanted. Then you could meet my family after the show or something. Actually, I think they wanted to meet you—I hope you don’t mind I told them you were all pretty awesome.”

“Uh no, that’s fine,” Dipper said with a shrug, glancing at the others for affirmation. If anything he was definitely okay with being called awesome.

“So can we go? Please?” Mabel begged her guardian, eyes wide and hopeful, hands clasped pleadingly. Stan arched his shoulders at the sudden assault of adorable, then waved his great-niece off.

“Yeah, yeah, sure. Maybe you can find something for the Shack while you’re there. Just don’t run off or anything. I’d hate to tell your parents you actually ran away to the circus.”

“I think we realize the circus is not as glamorous as it seems,” Norman said, and Mabel nodded.

“Alright. I’m going back to my paper.”

They watched him stomp back downstairs, then turned to continue their conversation.

“Okay, well, when’s the show?” Dipper asked.

“Not ‘til this evening. It probably said the specific time on that ad; I don’t know it off the top of my head. But you guys can come early and get really good seats.”

“Sounds good to me,” Dipper said with a nod, while Mabel looked thrilled and even Norman gave an agreeable shrug.

“Awesome! I expect you guys cheering for me in the front row,” Raz answered with a grin. “Now, I’d better head back. Still lots to do to get ready.”

“I bet. We’ll see you later.”

With a final wave to his friends, the psychic headed downstairs and out of the house, then summoned his levitation orb and sped down the road. Only a few early birds were out and about yet, and no one paid him any mind as he rolled by; really, they never had, even when he was a newcomer. Maybe they simply didn’t realize the sphere beneath his feet was made of nothing but pure mental energy. He made a note to do some mind reading and investigate the idea later, but for now, there was something in the road that required examination. Dropping to his feet, he slowly walked up to the still form, eyes narrowed with suspicion as he approached. An all-too-familiar figure clothed in a powder blue suit was sprawled on the pavement. While he still held the opinion that Gideon was a horrible excuse for a human being, Raz knew something wasn’t right, and it was his duty to find out what. Dragging the charlatan out of immediate danger, he did some basic readings; things Sasha had taught him about feeling for a pulse, internal injuries, and mental activity. Physically Gideon was fine, and his brain read as though he were simply sleeping.

“Maybe he sleepwalks,” Raz wondered aloud, then telekinetically lifted the child and headed to his house less than a block away. Reaching it, he rested Gideon just outside the door, and pondered ringing it or just leaving him. After all, he had somewhere to be, and his dad wouldn’t appreciate it if he took much longer. And as much as their rival undoubtedly needed mental help, he was underage and therefore illegal to project into.

It was then that Gideon began to twitch and murmur and Raz felt a pulse of something—deep and old and watchful— ripple through his mind. Now it had his attention; whether his dad liked it or not Raz’s duties as a protector against all threats paranormal in nature came first. And he was right to be suspicious; Gideon stopped twitching and sat bolt upright with a scream, eyes wide and glowing with a supernatural blue light. There was nothing for it— rules or no rules, something serious was going on.

He slid his goggles over his eyes and began projecting, working his way through Gideon’s mental walls. It was surprisingly easy to get in; Gideon was certainly not one to have the defenses for keeping others out of his mind— he was just too arrogant. Time to see what the mindscape of a would-be tyrant looked like. The world that swam into view was certainly chaotic, but he barely had time to process it before something broke.

He broke.

It was the only way he could’ve described it: a snapping sensation and suddenly feeling lost and weightless. Gideon’s mental world fizzled from view, and he scrambled to maintain the connection, to no avail. He couldn’t even sense the link to his own body anymore, and that meant… well, he only knew what True Psychic Tales #378 had to say on the matter. Trying not to think about it—that had been a very serious volume after all, one character lost their mind for good—he realized he was falling out of the astral plane altogether and was fading back into the real world, though he still felt numb, like being in a geodesic psycho-isolation chamber. Looking around, he saw Gideon stirring beside him, but no cause for his condition, which only deepened the mystery.

He could hear shifting and the familiar creak of his shoes just behind him, even the slight rattle his goggles made when he took them off, but he wasn’t moving and he definitely hadn’t taken his goggles off yet. And then something dark, both alien and familiar, walked through him, and he realized he was seeing his own back. Fighting off the rapidly growing sense of dread in his heart, he held both hands before his eyes and noted how clearly he could see straight through them.

He was still projecting— no, worse. He was nothing but a projection.

He could feel that same presence from earlier emanating from where the link to his body should have been, and soon not even that as it shut him out entirely. He couldn’t just stand by and let this thing take him—he had to get back in! Focusing everything he could muster, he launched himself at what he could sense was the walls of his own skull, only to crash against mental defenses he knew were both his own and foreign and far more powerful than anything he’d ever faced. Shaky from the effort, he was suddenly faced with his own image, which wore a sly smirk.

“Nice try,” it hissed, and passed him a wink before turning back. “C’mon kid, you can sleep later.” The thing that wasn’t him hoisted a groggy Gideon up by his collar with telekinesis. “Big plans, remember?”

“So it worked,” Gideon answered, rubbing his eyes as he got to his feet, and Not-Raz nodded.

“Like a charm. Poor kid’s consciousness is floating around here as we speak. Neat huh?”

“What’ll happen to ‘im? Can he still interfere?”

“Ah, he might just dissolve into space. What do I care? The point is we can get to work.”

Raz watched them head inside, ethereal form wavering with panic and horror. A trap. He’d fallen into the most diabolical, sick trap conceivable, and now this something was inhabiting his body, his brain— and cutting him off from it. This was worse than the brain-stealing incident by far. At least then he’d still had all his powers; now he’d be lucky if he could read minds or push an Ouija indicator around.

For a while he hovered between shock and consciousness, vaguely aware that if he lost it he might not come back in one piece. He was as good as dead, and no one would know until it was too late. Even if Lili or the others sensed something was wrong, it’d take them a while to get here, and by then…. No, no, that kind of thinking only led to panic, and in this state who knew what would happen if he let his emotions get the better of him. He had to think like Sasha. Control… calm… steady breathing... even if in his present state he didn’t actually need to; okay, much better now. Time to plan. What was a bodiless psychic to do? Whatever had his body was far too strong to try taking on like this, so that was out. Could he move at all? He experimented and found walking ineffectual, but thinking about the direction he wanted to go worked, so there was that. He didn’t want to hang around here if there was no chance of returning to his body soon, and it would feel like he was doing something, so he started off, quickly adjusting to the new form of motion. It was funny how the mind could adapt to almost anything.

“Okay,” he thought to himself; speaking was practically the same as thinking now. “If I were Lili looking for the disembodied spirit of my boyfriend…” A broad grin crossed his face as an idea dawned on him. If he really was as good as dead, then there was someone he needed to see.

-- 

The Pines had retreated to the attic with Norman in tow to maybe play some games, but now they simply relaxed as late morning sunlight filtered in through the triangular window; Mabel knitted a new sweater to wear for the evening while the boys read some of the books Dipper had gotten to pass the time. The laid-back air only masked the excitement of seeing their friend perform later. They’d all learned Raz was an acrobat almost as soon as they’d met, and they caught glimpses of his skill when he’d arbitrarily balance on fallen logs, and he tended to climb anything that looked like a challenge. But they never got to see what he was capable of with a full troupe and equipment, and could hardly wait to find out.

A scuffling commotion and movement out of the corner of his eye snapped the tension and made Dipper look up to see what was wrong. Norman was on his feet and wore a pained expression as he watched something only he could see. Mabel took notice too, and the twins exchanged looks before focusing on the one-sided conversation that was about to begin.

“You’re dead?!” the medium cried, and Dipper instantly had a sinking feeling it was someone they knew. They waited as Norman listened, his brows knitting at whatever he was hearing.

“But that doesn’t make any sense, how do you just lose—what?”

More silence.

“So what are we supposed to do? You can’t just stay like that.”

“Norman, who is it?” Mabel asked anxiously, and he slowly turned to the twins as though a weight sat on his shoulders, hands fidgeting with his sleeves anxiously.

“It’s Raz,” he replied mournfully. They stared at him, dumbstruck, so he frowned and turned back to the bodiless Psychonaut, who currently shared his troubled expression and hovered a few feet off the ground

“Look, I’m just glad you can see me,” Raz said, breaking the quiet, at least for Norman. “I mean, I’m not technically dead, so I wasn’t sure this would work.”

“It’s still your spirit, I guess,” Norman reasoned with a shrug. “Even without being officially dead, you definitely have unfinished business. Well, maybe that’s not the right words, but you know.”

“Yeah. But you’re right that I can’t stay like—”

“What the—what the heck happened?” Dipper finally stammered, unwittingly interrupting the psychic.

“Uh, I—I’ll try to explain what he just told me. He found Gideon unconscious on the street as he was leaving and well—you know, you can’t just leave someone in the street no matter how terrible they are, so he went to find out what was wrong, and something possessed his body while he was projecting. Now he can’t get it back… he’s stuck.”

“Wait, so some kinda spirity-thing is using Raz’s body as a meat puppet?” Mabel asked, and the psychic in question shuddered.

“Maybe you shouldn’t say it like that,” Norman said on his friend’s behalf, “but yeah… pretty much.”

“Uh, so…” Dipper started, “what do we do? An exorcism or something?”

“Maybe,” Norman said, a bemused half-smile on his face. He turned to the blank space just next to him and listened closely, eyes narrowing as Raz spoke.

“He says Gideon was acting strangely before he tried to go into his head.”

“If he was lying in the street then, yeah, I’d say—” Mabel started, but Norman cut her off.

“No, there’s more to it. I guess he was kind of twitching and mumbling, almost like he was dreaming, and then—”

“Wait, dreaming?” It was Dipper’s turn to interrupt. “An evil dream spirit?”

“Um…” Norman trailed, and looked to Raz. “Maybe?” he answered, “Raz doesn’t really know; he didn’t see anything.”

“And it’s working with Gideon… Mabel, sound familiar to you?”

“Aw man, not him,” she replied, her hands curling tightly around the unfinished sweater. Dipper rubbed the side of his face and sighed. Norman could only give them concerned looks, and Raz was equally perplexed.

“While you guys were gone for the three weeks Norman went home, one of the things we fought was a dream demon named Bill Cipher. He took over our uncle’s mind so Gideon could try and steal the deed to the house, but we managed to beat him.”

“Yeah, we were totally Psychonauts for like an hour, it was awesome. Well except for the whole nightmares part,” Mabel added, then her brother continued.

“Thing is, I thought their deal was off, and Gideon seemed pretty mad that Bill failed him. So why are they working together again?”

“And why would he want my body?” Raz wondered, even if only Norman could hear him. “What makes me the perfect dream demon possession candidate?”

“Well… he took it when you weren’t exactly in it. Uh… better that way than if you had, probably.”

“… I don’t even want to think about that. This is pretty bad already.”

“Oh yeah… Raz kinda does leave his body unattended when he goes insides people’s minds, huh? Remember when Gideon snuck up on him while he was helping Dipper and hit his head because he didn’t even know he was there?” Mabel babbled, and Dipper rolled his eyes.

“We were all there one way or another, of course we remember.”

“So Bill sorta did the same thing,” she said, “minus the whole ‘bash Raz over the head first’ part.”

“Well that’s reassuring,” Raz huffed. “This Bill guy was being nice to me. And what’s a demon doing with a name like ‘Bill’ anyway? I can’t take him seriously.”

Norman shrugged; he could tell the psychic was getting impatient. “So if you guys beat him before, how’d you do it?”

“Actually, I guess we didn’t really beat him…” Dipper trailed with a shrug. “He was impressed with our fight, but he kinda left by himself.”

“Great. So there’s not even a way to beat this guy?” Raz grumbled.

“What about the Journal, Dipper? Did it say anything?” Norman asked, trying to keep the conversation focused on finding a solution. He knew if panic or negativity set in now, they were probably doomed.

“Well yeah, it’s how we were able to save Stan. I think I remember the incantation well enough.”

“I’ll even help you remember,” Raz said, forgetting only Norman could hear him, and the small detail that he couldn’t project either.

“Hmm… if we can capture Bill, I’d be able to recite the spell and get in there to kick him out. Easy right?” Dipper continued, and the others agreed.

“You’ll have to be careful though. He has all my powers, and not to brag or anything but I’m not exactly a wimp either,” Raz mused, and Norman relayed the info, to which Dipper nodded sagely.

“Right, right. We’re going to need a plan. And not a list-y thing,” he added, pointing at Mabel before she could speak, and she clapped a hand over her mouth.

“Okay, we don’t know a whole lot about Bill’s motivations for… anything, I guess, but he’s probably going to come to the Shack sooner or later…” Dipper began, and the rest listened intently as he laid the groundwork. With Norman’s help, Raz pointed out details a psychic would render useless, and Mabel—though her ideas weren’t always perfect—added a touch of unpredictability.

“And we have until the show tonight to do this,” Norman reminded them when the plan seemed finished.

“Yep. Which means we’d better get started,” Dipper said, gathering the notes he’d taken. “Everyone clear on what to do?”

They all nodded, then Mabel led the charge downstairs, closely followed by her brother. Norman lagged behind; he could tell Raz was reluctant about the plan even if it meant getting his body back. Maybe if they hadn’t been involved he’d have been more like his usual self, but right now he looked pensive and nervous. He’d certainly never thought about all the ways his psychic powers or even the strength of his body alone could be used to hurt those he cared about, and it obviously unsettled him in much the same way Norman had felt about his own abilities. But what other options did they have?

The plan was to first locate Bill and Gideon, then learn anything they could about the duo’s plot. This part was up to Raz; he was the only one able to easily sneak into Gideon’s house, though he’d have to be careful since apparently Bill could still see him. After that, he’d relay anything he’d learned to Norman, and hence the rest of the group. Then, depending on the situation, they’d either move on or lay in wait. Mabel had penned a fake love letter they hoped would distract Gideon long enough to ambush Bill and pin him down so Dipper could recite the spell—which Raz theorized opened up all the minds involved and allowed otherwise normal people to astral project. Once they were in, it was a simple matter of kicking Bill out for good. It all sounded easy enough, but the twins knew first-hand how tricky the dream demon could be. Hopefully his attention would be on other things and they’d be able to catch him off-guard.

Keeping away from the busier streets, the group made their way to their enemy’s house, sneaking around the back. Even Mabel was in full stealth mode; Dipper lost track of her a few times only for the normally noisy girl to pop up beside him unexpectedly. Taking cover under some bushes, they regrouped and looked to Norman, their only way of knowing Raz’s activities. The medium nodded to his invisible friend, and watched him move across the yard and vanish into the siding. Now there was nothing to do but wait. While Norman stayed vigilant, Mabel toyed absentmindedly with the letter and her brother gnawed on the end of a sharpie, going over every conceivable sequence of events to make sure everything was accounted for.

“He’s back already,” Norman said quietly, turning to face the others and looking concerned.

“They weren’t there. I did a whole sweep of the house, and only Gideon’s mom was home. Man, I feel sorry for her,” Raz explained, coming to rest in an empty spot between his three friends. Norman relayed the info, and Dipper frowned.

“Any sign of where they are?”

Norman looked to the psychic, then shook his head, and Dipper gave an exasperated nod.

“Of course. Okay, well, any ideas on where to look for them?”

“Hey, it’s Raz’s body right? Maybe he can sense where it is, like a metal detector,” Mabel suggested.

“He already explained he can’t feel anything,” Norman replied solemnly. “Not even us, and we’re right here.”

“Yikes. I can only imagine what that’s like,” Dipper said, rubbing his forehead thoughtfully. “Time to get searching I guess. Come on.”

They crawled out of the brush and took to the streets, alert for Gideon, Bill, or even anyone they might be able to ask about their whereabouts. But most people were already working or simply passing through; they wouldn’t have known if Gideon had left his house. The only thing for it was to look everywhere they could think of. At least Gravity Falls was a small town.

--

Augustus, in the middle of a stretch, paused. Something was missing. Looking around his family’s camp, he could see everyone getting a last-minute practice in, but there was a notable absence. With a sigh, he scratched at his beard; where was it Razputin was always hanging out around here? Well, he could ask for directions in town if he needed them. Setting out with long purposeful strides, he left the bustle of the circus behind to look for his son. The problem wasn’t so much that they couldn’t perform without him, because they had for a while now. Raz was away on missions or training quite often, so there were times when they wouldn’t see him for months and had to adjust accordingly. It was that for once, he should be performing with them, and he knew how vital it was to be in top form and not slack off even in the hours before he was set to appear. Friends were important, yes, but so was one’s duty to their family.

With the noise—both audible and psychic in nature—finally starting to quiet down, he could home in on the boy. Augustus was not really a practicing psychic; he had more things to worry about than levitating or reading minds, but he was no mental pushover either, and had always endeavored to form strong mental links with his family, even if most of them couldn’t return the favor, and the one that could… well, there’d been more than just strong mental barriers in the way of that. But the link had been there regardless, and it’d led him to Raz before. And now…

Augustus paused, his brow furrowing as he wracked his brain. Much like the camp, every signal that should be there was— except one. Running a hand through his hair, he started again at a blazing pace. Surely his son would know if he’d gotten into something over his head, or could defend himself….

But no. A broken psychic link meant only one thing to Augustus Aquato.

-- 

Three worn-out kids slumped on a park bench. Unbeknownst to any onlookers there was a fourth, hovering invisibly over his friends and looking just as tired. They’d just finished searching the whole of Gravity Falls with no luck, not finding a single clue as to where Bill and Gideon had gone. The only thing Dipper could think of was that they’d gone somewhere into the forest, and that would take forever to search thoroughly; who knew what the villains could get up to in the meantime. They were out of options.

“Wanna head back to the Shack?” Dipper asked, sounding defeated. His friends—well, all the ones he could see—nodded, seeming equally as downtrodden. They got up slowly, with Mabel practically dripping off the bench before standing properly, and headed back. Maybe their best option had been to simply wait at the building in the first place. Dipper felt like smacking himself in the face; even his attempt at a straightforward plan had been too complicated to work right, and this time there was more than a chance at love at stake. A good friend, and possibly reality as they knew it, could both meet their end and it’d be because Dipper Pines couldn’t pull off a dumb plan.

He flinched as an elbow met his side, and looked over to see his sister not exactly beaming, but giving him a reassuring smile anyway.

“Don’t worry bro, we’ll get this sorted out in no time. In case you forgot, we’re all kind of amazing.”

“Yeah I just… can’t help worrying. Raz is flying around without a body for crying out loud. What’ll happen to him if—”

“Uh, he’d like it if you didn’t finish that thought,” Norman interrupted, and Dipper sighed.

“I’d like to not finish that thought too, but… Gah, sorry for being such a pessimist.”

“Sometimes it’s hard not to think like that,” Norman said with a shrug, “but we have to keep trying. If that means we have to wait at the Shack for them to come to us like some kind of slasher movie? Well, it worked out for the slasher guy right?”

“So you’re saying we have to become the bad guy?”

“Not become him, just think like him. Besides, from Bill and Gideon’s perspective, aren’t we the bad guys already?”

“Whoa! Norman, you’re on fire!” Mabel cheered. “This could totally work. Oh! Oh! Does this mean Dipper and I get to do the creepy twin thing?”

“Uh, I dunno. If it works out?”

“I’ll admit that sounds fun,” Dipper said, grinning. “The chance to freak out Gideon would be awesome, but our first priority is getting Bill out of Raz’s body. The less we stall on that the better.”

“Agreed.” Mabel said with a nod, not terribly disappointed. Thinking about it, she was too cute to pull the whole creepy thing off anyway, and Dipper too much of a dork. If anyone here could be considered creepy by the standard population it’d probably be Norman, but he didn’t have a twin. Plus, he was still kind of cute. Oh well.

“Speaking of Raz, he’s doing okay right? Sorry if he’s been trying to get in on this too,” Dipper said, turning to look over the group nervously. “I wish we had a way to keep track of him besides ghost-vision.”

“He’s right here,” Norman said, pointing to the space just over and behind his left shoulder, and Mabel waved. “He waved back, and he says he’s okay.”

 It was only a half-truth though, Norman knew that. He’d used that hollow “I’m okay” himself, but he knew Raz didn’t want the twins to know how he really felt. Dipper was enough of a worry-wart as it was, he didn’t need anything to add to his anxiety. Not that the psychic seemed in any immediate danger; he simply looked exhausted, and wasn’t his usual talkative self— presumably he was focused on keeping his projection up. But for the sake of the other’s morale, it was probably good only Norman could see him.

They finally reached home base, glad to see it looked just as run-down and cheap as ever. It wasn’t pleasant to think about, but without them there the old house was basically defenseless. No one else knew what Bill could dish out besides Soos, and while they all knew Raz was a powerful psychic they’d never suspect his demon-possessed body. Gideon was simply too easy to write off. Norman’s plan to wait for their enemies to come to them was looking pretty smart.

“Hey guys,” Wendy greeted them lightly as they entered the gift shop. “Oh man, you won’t believe what happened earlier.

“Uh, try me,” Dipper said nervously, eyes darting around the room. Everything looked normal, but not only was there a deranged nine-year-old and demon team running around, he was talking to his crush.

“Okay, so this crazy circus guy came in and started asking me all these questions about you guys. It was really weird and definitely creepy. I don’t even know how he knew you guys lived here; Stan made him leave, but I figured you’d wanna know about it.”

“Circus guy?” Dipper said with a frown, and the ginger nodded.

“Dad…” Raz trailed.

“Uh, he knows us, sort of,” Norman started, and Wendy blinked. “He’s Raz’s dad and was probably looking for him.”

“Well he’s not with you guys. That’s what Stan told him too.”

“…Yeah. We’re going upstairs now,” Dipper said, and Wendy shrugged and went back to her magazine. They quickly left the gift shop behind and headed into the privacy of the attic where they could talk a bit more freely.

“Sorry Raz,” Dipper said when they’d all settled, once again not sure where to look until Norman pointed him out. “Man, maybe we do need something to show where you are.”

“A balloon! We could get one from the circus and draw a face on it, and then Raz just hangs out with it so we know where to look,” Mabel suggested, grabbing a notebook and drawing a diagram.

“Uh, maybe,” Norman said, bemused. “So… what do we do now?”

“Good question. Should we go tell Mr. Aquato what happened?”

They waited expectantly while Raz thought; on the one hand, telling his father he’d lost his body to a demon was probably not a good idea, but on the other, he didn’t want him thinking he was dead. Neither option was good; they weren’t even guaranteed to fix things before the show tonight, so they couldn’t promise that either.

“Raz, you said your dad’s psychic too. Maybe he can help us?” Norman suggested, interrupting the psychic’s thoughts.

“Well yeah but… I just don’t want him to worry.”

“But he was looking for you, which means he’s already worried,” Norman pointed out, “and I think he’d rather be able to help than not be involved at all.”

“…Good point.”

“I didn’t think about that,” Dipper said, breaking into a smile. “I have an idea: me and Raz will wait here in case Bill and Gideon show up. Norman, Mabel, you guys can go get Raz’s dad and bring him here so we can fill him in. Sound good?”

“Man, that’s like the third plan we’ve had all day Dip,” Mabel said, rubbing her head.

“I’m learning to be flexible. Go on, we probably don’t have much time. We’ll see you in a bit.”

“Promise not to ignore Raz?”

“I’m getting used to not seeing him. I promise.”

They bumped fists, then Mabel grabbed Norman by the wrist and charged downstairs without another word. It was awkward at first, but eventually Norman fell into step with her pace and they hurried across town once more, finally reaching the dirt road into the clearing where an enormous multicolored tent now stood. Mabel gaped in wonder until Norman waved her on and she remembered their mission. Despite her distraction, she led the way through the bustle, grinning at clowns and waving at the jugglers as they passed by, and they even had to dodge an elephant as the animal’s handler led her on. There was so much happening the two weren’t sure how they’d ever find Raz’s family.

“Can I help you?” a kindly but gruff voice sounded from behind them, and the two spun to find a rather imposing but lean figure standing over them. It was Mabel who figured out who he was.

“Omigosh! You have awesome purple hair, just like Raz! You must be his dad, we’ve been looking all over for you!”

“And I’ve been looking for you!” he said, relieved, and crouched to their level. “Where is Raz? Is he alright?”

“That’s why we came here,” Norman replied, picking at his nails. “We were hoping you could come with us to the Mystery Shack so we could explain everything.”

He gave the two a quizzical look, then turned and strode over to his family’s caravan and disappeared into it. Mabel and Norman exchanged concerned glances, shifting nervously. But it wasn’t long and he was out again and rejoined them.

“I’ve just let them know I’ll be out. But please… where is Razputin?”

“He’s at the Shack… but you won’t be able to see him,” Norman replied, trying to be upbeat but more nervous than anything. Rubbing his arm, he stole a glance at the elder Aquato, who seemed to be processing what he’d said.

“You’re the one who talks to spirits, aren’t you? Norman?”

“Uh… yeah. I know this sounds bad, coming from me.” He managed a lopsided smile.

“Don’t worry Mister Aquato, Raz isn’t dead. He’s just a disembodied spirit at the moment!” Mabel piped up, smiling, but only received a deadpan gaze in return.

“…I guess I better come with you and find what all this nonsense is about,” he finally said, and motioned for them to lead the way.

Coming to the Shack, they weren’t sure whether to feel relieved or be worried that everything seemed quiet. At the very least there were still no signs of demon-derived chaos, so they headed inside through the gift shop again. There was no sign of Stan or Wendy either, but perhaps that was to their advantage; while Wendy probably wouldn’t have cared, it was unlikely Stan would have wanted them bringing this strange man into the house. They ushered him upstairs and found Dipper reading, but he quickly stood to introduce himself when they all came in.

“Mr. Aquato, nice to meet you,” he said, holding out his hand, and the man shook it firmly.

“Yes, yes. Now what’s going on? I was told Razputin was here, but that I couldn’t see him…”

“Uh, Norman?” Dipper turned to him, and the medium pointed to a spot right in front of Augustus.

“He says he’s sorry for worrying you,” Norman said, looking away, and the grizzled acrobat stared at him.

“You said he wasn’t dead.”

“He’s not, Mr. Aquato,” Dipper began. “A demon possessed his body while he was projecting, leaving his spirit stranded.”

 At this, Augustus had to sit down. He massaged his temples, and Norman looked over at Raz, who hovered with shoulders slumped but fists clenched, his face drawn. The twins could only wait anxiously until Augustus broke the quiet at last, and dramatically.

“A demon… How did he even get into this?!”

“It wasn’t his fault!” Norman desperately leapt in, “It wasn’t any of us. Raz was just doing his job, or he thought he was, but it was a trap.”

“We have a rival— well, rival is putting it lightly I guess—named Gideon, and he summoned this demon to help him get the Shack. Or at least that’s what we think,” Dipper explained as quickly as he could, trying to keep things calm. “He’s a demon, it’s hard to know what his goals are. But for whatever reason he stole Raz’s body, and now we’re here.”

“We’ve been trying to get it back all day, but we can’t find either Gideon or the demon, so we kinda thought maybe you could help,” Mabel added, poking her fingers together. Augustus sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“And all this happened today?”

They nodded in unison.

“But if Raz is right here, why can’t I feel him? That only happens if—”

“He can’t feel anything either,” Norman interrupted, hands spread haltingly. “He’s pretty sure the demon is cutting everything off.... He wants to know if you can use clairvoyance?”

Augustus blinked. “I’ve never had reason to, but I can try.”

“Use it on me,” Norman said, giving him an encouraging nod.

Augustus tilted his head curiously, then assumed a familiar pose—two fingers touched to his right temple and left hand extended, focusing his inner sight on the small boy. The shift in perspective took a moment to get used to, but as he acclimated and his vision cleared, he resisted gasping. They hadn’t been playing a cruel joke on him; his son really was here, standing before him and wearing a somber expression under his goggles. He wanted nothing more than to hug him now, but if he was completely intangible there was no chance of that.

“Thank you Norman,” he said, having seen enough. “Well, this wouldn’t be the first time Raz has gotten in over his head. Or out of it. Do we have a plan?”

Dipper grinned. “Of course, sir. We’re pretty sure Gideon and his demon buddy are going to show up here eventually. We’ve beaten them both enough times to be confident about that. The idea is that some of us will distract Gideon so he can’t do anything, and then the rest will tackle Bill—that’s the demon by the way, I don’t think we mentioned his name—and get into Raz’s brain so we can kick him out. Thing is, we don’t know when they might show up or if they’re already up to no good.”

Augustus pondered the plan for a while before nodding. “If you’re certain they’re coming here, then perhaps it’s best to wait. I can stay for a while, but I’ve still got a show to do tonight. But if it means getting my son back I’ll do everything I can.”

“So… you still can’t sense where his body is?”

“Trust me, if I could I would have found him by now,” the acrobat replied sadly. “But both these characters sound dangerous. I’m not sure I would have wanted to find him on my own.”

“Raz says he understands,” Norman spoke up. “He… wouldn’t have wanted you to find Bill either.”

“Oh man, yeah,” Dipper sighed. “I don’t know what he can do now that he’s in the real world, but it can’t be good.”

“I wouldn’t mind seeing Craz and Xyler again,” Mabel wondered dreamily, and Dipper snapped his fingers in front of her.

“Focus Mabel. Remember what else happened? Bill attacked us with nightmares, and the Journal talked about chaos. I’m willing to bet that’s what’s in store for Gravity Falls if we don’t stop him.”

And so the waiting game began. They left the attic behind and stationed themselves at both entrances to the Shack, ready to alert the others should their enemies show themselves. At one point Mabel brought out lemonade for everyone when the trees around the Shack no longer shaded them, but the shadows soon grew long again, and the most they’d had to fight off was a swarm of persistent gnats. Augustus rose from where he’d been seated on the porch next to Dipper with a stretch and passed a worried look to the boy, who shrugged, looking just as perplexed.

“I guess you’ve gotta go, huh?”

“I’m afraid so. I’ll keep my eye out for anything suspicious, but I have a duty to perform.”

“I understand. We’ll let you know if anything happens after the show,” Dipper said, and they shook hands.

“Thank you. Let Norman know he’s in charge of making sure Raz doesn’t get into any more trouble,” Augustus replied with a bittersweet smile, and Dipper couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Will do. See ya later.”

He watched the patriarch break into a jog and vanish down the road, then sighed and got up to check on the others. He headed around the corner and found them playing ‘I spy’, but they were quick to notice him and looked expectant as he approached.

“Raz’s dad had to leave. What time is it anyway?”

“Almost five,” Norman replied, checking his phone.

“I can’t believe Gideon hasn’t shown up yet. He’s usually up in everyone’s business about how awesome he is,” Mabel sighed, “Or how I should come be his queen. Ugh.”

“Yeah. It seems like every time he comes after us, his plans get crazier, and he likes rubbing it in our faces. So why not this time?” Dipper pondered, scratching his chin.

“Raz says it’s either because of Bill or he’s planning something,” Norman suggested, and Dipper nodded.

“Bill was really over the top too though. Thinking about it, they’re sorta made for each other.”

“I ship it!” Mabel joked, and her brother rolled his eyes.

“Anyway, either they’re going to do the whole ‘showdown at sunset’ thing, or they’re waiting for us to come to them so they have the advantage. I dunno, what do you guys think?”

“Seems like… we all decided to play the waiting game today,” Norman sighed. “Raz thinks we could do nighttime investigations if they don’t show up, but I… I dunno, that sounds even more dangerous. No offense Raz.”

A loud slap interrupted the conversation, and Mabel gagged as she examined the large ex-mosquito now stuck to her hand. “Blech! Another one bites the dust. Though it bit me first.”

“Um. Let’s take this inside, shall we?” Dipper said, waving off another of the six-legged vampires as it bobbed around his ear, and the others agreed wholeheartedly. They wound their way through the museum and gathered at the dining room table, confident they’d know if their enemies decided to show up after all. But rather than pick up where they left off, a gloomy silence fell over the group. They’d done everything they could think of, but where had that gotten them?

“I don’t suppose anyone still wants to go to the circus,” Mabel sighed from where she sat with her head propped on the table, and the boys shook their heads.

“Raz says there’s probably not much point now.”

“Well, we could still go meet the rest of his family,” Dipper suggested.

“Maybe,” the medium shrugged, glancing over at his beleaguered friend. The group fell silent once more, only this time Dipper realized something about the hush.

“It’s late, but Stan’s still not here. And we haven’t seen Wendy since this afternoon… did Soos even show up?”

The others shook their heads.

“Now that’s really bizarro,” Mabel said, sitting up. “He’s always here. Sometimes Grunkle Stan has to make him leave.”

“Yeah. Stan didn’t say anything about errands… though come to think of it we haven’t been home a whole lot. But something still doesn’t add up,” Dipper wondered, finger perching thoughtfully on his chin. “I don’t know about anyone else, but there’s something wrong with this whole deal.”

“Don’t worry Dipper, I’m sure Stan’s just out doing… Stan-things. Watch, he’ll show up to yell at us any minute now,” Mabel said cheerfully. “The only definitely weird thing is the severe lack of Soos.”

They fell back into quiet thought, then Norman perked up, a focused look on his face but gaze distant.

“Something up?” Dipper asked, but the medium shushed him. They all listened now, but Norman was especially good at noticing softer sounds; perhaps it came from years of picking up on things no one else did. It was a skill that often came in handy when they were tracking creatures through the woods, or trying to find spirits trapped where they could only be heard. Paying attention to him was always important, but it was especially so when their lives may depend on it.

“Someone’s here,” he finally answered, getting up, and the others followed suit. “I heard a car door, and footsteps I think. At the back.”

They hurried through the living room and reached the door just as a loud series of knocks sounded. They exchanged nervous glances as they hung back, not sure who to expect, but the knocking sounded again, loud and urgent. They couldn’t just leave it, could they? What if it was someone important, like a friend, or Soos or Stan? They edged closer, and with his friends backing him, Dipper cautiously opened the door.

“Where’s Raz?!” a distraught Lili greeted them, barging her way in. She was certainly the last person they’d expected, but not entirely unwelcome.

“He’s here, he’s here! Don’t worry!” Dipper said quickly, holding his hands up defensively. “Come in and we’ll explain what happened.”

“You’d better! Just ‘cause we’re friends doesn’t mean I’m not mad,” she replied sharply, and followed them back into the house. By the time the others had related the whole story she was furious, but at least it was no longer directed at them. “We’re finding this Bill and Gideon and I’m killing them both myself! They messed with the wrong girl!”

“Uh, killing’s an awfully strong word—”

“I don’t care! They’re gonna regret everything they ever did to you guys, and especially Raz. Let’s find the creeps and get ‘em.”

“That’s just it, we don’t have any idea where they are,” Dipper repeated, trying to calm the angry psychic.

“And you dorks are sure you looked everywhere?”

“Yeah… but maybe we could do another sweep though. To make sure,” Norman suggested, and the others nodded.

“Well I didn’t use an official government car to get out here just so we could sit around while some paranormal entity prances around in my boyfriend’s body. Let’s go!” Lili insisted, lifting everyone from their chairs, much to their surprise. She carried them out of the house, only setting them down once the door had shut behind her, then took the lead.

“Your girlfriend really is scary when she’s mad,” Norman muttered to Raz, and he nodded.

“I’m pretty sure she’s going to punch me when this is all over. Still, I’m glad she’s here. Bill and Gideon are seriously in for it,” he replied with a smile.

The group headed into town and started working their way through once again, combing each street for clues as the shadows lengthened and the sky turned golden-orange with early evening sun. It was odd how quiet it was; they hadn’t spotted a single car, a single pedestrian in the whole town. It was like everyone had up and left. Nothing bode well, especially when Norman noticed something else about the town.

“Uh-oh… Uh, guys? There’s no ghosts.”

“What?”

“They’re not here. I haven’t seen any since we started searching.”

“Well that’s encouraging,” Dipper said, swallowing hard. “Any thoughts on… where they are?”

“Um… the only other time I saw this happen was when Aggie, uh, woke up. Everyone was afraid of her… even the dead.”

“You know things are bad when even the ghosts are afraid,” Lili sighed, and the others nodded.

“Guys, you know what this means though right?” Dipper said, his voice wavering. “Bill’s already done something to scare everything off… or get rid of it or something. He’s already started… whatever it is he’s trying to do.”

“And we’re the only ones left to stop him,” Raz said, which Norman relayed to the others.

“You know though,” the medium added, “it’s not like we haven’t faced these kind of odds before.”

“Norman’s got a point,” Dipper agreed, sounding more confident now. “I definitely feel better with Lili here too.”

“You should. Gotta admit, I’m actually excited. It’s been a long time since Raz and I got to do anything really cool like save the world,” she said with a grin, then glanced up with eyes narrowed. “…What did you guys say Gideon looks like again?”

“Um, short, white hair, blue suit…” Dipper listed. “Why?”

“Because I think I see him coming now,” Lili replied, pointing down the street. But her pose was more than to direct the attention of her friends. They heard a distant squawk, and suddenly Gideon was midair, hanging by his collar and floating their way.

“Put me down y’ little firestarter!” Gideon demanded, to no avail. Lili stared at him from under half-lidded eyes, jaw set.

“Hm… no,” she replied tersely, and he growled.

“Fine, but I will ask that y’all release me soon. I ain’t stickin’ around for what that maniac demon has planned!”

At this, they all exchanged looks, eyes darting from one another in worry.

“…What’s he going to do, Gideon?” Dipper asked warily.

“Somethin’ about th’ dawn of a new era, I’m not sure,” Gideon replied, surprisingly cooperative. “All I know is things are ‘bout t’ get real ugly, and if I don’t get any power of my own then I want no part of it!”

“That’s what you get for making deals with demons,” Norman said matter-of-factly, Raz nodding invisibly beside him. “Like it or not, you were in this from the start.”

Gideon scowled at him, but held his tongue.

“Norman’s right. And now you get to help us clean up,” Lili said sharply, “and get my boyfriend’s body back or so help me I will—”

“Lili, Raz says you should calm down,” Norman interrupted, and the wavering air around Gideon calmed as Lili unclenched her fist. She sighed, then snapped a glare at their rival when he chanced a smile at her, promptly wiping it off his freckled face.

“I guess we can’t really expect you to be much actual help, but you can at least tell us where Bill is,” Dipper said, folding his arms and frowning as Gideon broke out laughing.

“Y’all mean to tell me that between all these brilliant minds, you didn’t figure it out? Oh, that’s rich!” he hooted, and still smiled smugly as he was fixed with angry glares. “Hold on, hold on, I wanna savor this jus’ a bit more.”

Lili feinted dropping him.

“Alright, no need t’ be so forceful,” he grumbled. “I’ll give y’all a clue, though heaven knows it’s more than you lot deserve. If you wanted t’ gather all the lil’ people a’ this town in one place for some nefarious plot, where might you take ‘em?”

“Town square,” Dipper suggested.

“The convention hall!” Mabel shouted.

“Your place,” Lili hissed, eyes narrowed at Gideon.

“Raz says…” Norman started, gulping nervously, “the circus.”

--

The beleaguered group of five trudged slowly up the overgrown road, full of apprehension but left with no other choice. They’d let Gideon head on his way; he’d only be a hindrance if things went down and was just as likely to sell them out as anything. More than likely, really, but one could hope.

The circus looked amazing, banners flying and ready to receive folks eager to be wowed by animal tamers and clowns, or try their luck at the variety of carnival games tucked just behind the main tent. The furthest tent held such wonders as the World’s Smallest Pony, sword swallowers, and musclemen, while the tent on their left held animal rides. But only the main tent was lit, and it was silent. A silent circus was a dead circus, and Raz couldn’t help but shiver as he wondered if his family was okay.

A clang echoed across the grounds, and instinctively they huddled together until a distressed trumpet betrayed its cause, and Raz further clarified.

“It’s one of the elephants… I wonder if they can sense something’s up and are trying to get out,” he explained, and Norman reported to the rest of the group.

“Are elephants psychic?” Dipper wondered, and they waited on the reply.

“Not that I know of,” Raz answered, “but they’re really smart. Once I think I almost read whatever thoughts they have. It was weird and sorta cool at the same time.”

“Maybe we can get the elephants to help us,” Mabel suggested eagerly, and the others chuckled.

“Easier said than done, believe me,” Raz said, and once Norman had relayed his words she simply shrugged.

“Bill’s gotta know we’re coming. The last thing we need to do is ride in on a group of multi-ton pachyderms,” Dipper reasoned as another loud clang echoed. “Still, thanks to them we know we’re on the right track.”

They walked a little more quickly, passing a vacant ticket booth and food vendors where Dipper had to slap Mabel’s hand away from the racks of cotton candy. He had to resist grabbing a bag of chips himself; it was approaching dinner and after a long day he was sure they were all hungry… well, at least everyone who still had a corporeal body. He sighed and looked up at the main tent’s entrance, glowing with the warm golden yellow of giant stage lights. Rather than inviting as any other circus should be, the light only filled him with dread.

Lili pulled aside the flaps for everyone, and got a thumbs-up from Norman once they were all through so she could close the entrance. Filing through the aisle of well-worn wooden bleachers, they looked up to see every row was full. All of Gravity Falls had turned out, but not for the show they’d expected, that was sure. Mabel silently pointed out their great uncle and Soos to her brother, and he nodded grimly. Most of the crowd consisted of familiar faces, actually, but there were a variety of tourists and people who he guessed were the circus employees. Yep, there were three clowns in full paint and costume in the back third row, so that suspicion was confirmed.

“They’re in some kind of trance,” Lili whispered, confirming one of Dipper’s other suspicions.

“Bill must’ve hypnotized them somehow. I just wish I knew what he wanted all these people for… and how come he didn’t get us,” Dipper wondered aloud.

The spotlights snapped on, catching them all in the hot white light, forcing them to shield their eyes.

“Great question, Pine Tree,” a voice rang out from somewhere high in the rigging above. Lili twitched; the pitch, timbre, texture were all right, but the words and how they were said were all wrong. While the others huddled close, she stood stock still as the spotlights went down and a figure descended before them, the right shape but wrong disposition. He held himself stiffer, prouder, and his strides were off. The demon had taken the liberty of dressing himself too, decked out in a flamboyant yellow tailcoat, black fitted pants, a bow tie, and a top hat that seemed like it should fall off at any moment but didn’t. He leaned forward a bit, studying them with a smug gaze. “Hypnotizing a whole town when you’re partnered with a kid with access to broadcasting equipment and bugs scattered all over town is easy. One psychic radio message later and you’ve got one circus tent full of idiots. You guys must’ve just lucked out and not been near any speakers when the news went out.”

Lili listened with grit teeth. Her mind ached with something old and watchful where her connection with Raz should be, and she wondered if he could feel it too, cut off as he’d been. But they were here to fix that, and hopefully soon. She wasn’t sure how long she could take looking at her boyfriend’s face knowing it wasn’t him behind those eyes, and she hated every moment of it.

“Whatever you’re up to Bill, cut it out now!” Dipper demanded. “I don’t know what you want with all these people, or why you stole Raz’s body, but we’re not gonna let you keep doing it! Whatever… it… actually is.”

“Aw, and spoil all the fun?” Not-Raz taunted. “Y’know, I haven’t even gotten started.”

“Yeah, seems like you waited for us,” Raz said, knowing Bill could see him. “That was awfully nice of you.”

“Ah, Goggles, still floating around I see. I’ll admit I’m impressed,” Bill commented, folding a leg over a knee and floating himself. “Most people would have lost their minds hours ago if they didn’t disappear completely. So congrats kid, you’re in the top percentage of people who can actually use their brains. Not that you’re all that connected with yours at the moment.” He smirked, tapping the side of his head.

“Yeah, and you’re the reason for that. Care to explain why?” Dipper prompted again, only to squirm as Not-Raz’s gaze fell on him.

“Not really. You kids are smart, I’ll hand you that, but this is demon stuff you wouldn’t understand. I actually need your minds functioning, believe it or not. I’m glad I started watching you two actually. You brought me some good ones a little ahead of schedule.”

“Well you better plan a vacation, because your schedule’s about to open up!” Mabel shot, beaming at her one-liner, but it was quickly snuffed as everyone jumped at raucous laughter.

“Maybe I’ll take you with me, Shooting Star. How about dimensions of endless horror? You like animals, there’s a room with a large antlered cervine with your name all over it,” he said, grinning broadly.

“What’s a cervine?” Mabel whispered to her brother.

“A deer, I think?” he whispered back with a shrug.

“Ah, but that’s all beside the point,” Bill continued, stuffing his hands in his coat pockets and leaning forward like some kind of weird hawk. “Let’s get this show started!”

The crowd opened their eyes in one moment, glowing blue-white spots like so many Christmas lights, only creepier. The stands and rigging creaked alike, and minor objects like trash cans lifted off the ground. Dipper barely had time to put two and two together before Bill was speaking again.

“Welcome, ladies, gentlemen, disembodied minds—to my circus of nightmares! Let’s see… why don’t we spruce this place up a bit? I think we have our first nightmare up and ready, folks!” Bill cried, gesturing with arms wide. Raz barely had time to utter an ‘oh no’ before he snapped his fingers, transforming the circus into something the psychic had hoped to never see again.

“Oh my god!” Lili almost screamed, covering her eyes, and the Pines were hugging each other, apparently frozen in place with shock. Even Norman, who easily had the most experience with gore, looked pale and ready to pass out. Raz couldn’t blame any of them.

The Meat Circus was not for the weak-willed.

“Oh man, you should see your faces,” Bill chuckled. “How’s that for shock and awe? Psychics always get the best nightmares, believe me. Now that we’ve set the mood, let’s move on to our next act, shall we?”

They’d have to deal with the raw flesh and bone surroundings for now, and could only wonder whose fears would be laid bare next. Bill’s gaze seemed to fall and linger on Norman before coming to rest on Mabel.

“Y’know Shooting Star, I don’t think I picked your worst nightmare the last time we faced.”

Another snap, and suddenly she was bound to a spinning wheel, with someone Raz recognized as one of the knife throwers aiming at her.

“Mabel!” Dipper cried, and she waved at him even as she spun.

“How is this my worst nightmare, Bill?” she asked, brow furrowed. “This is actually kinda fun.”

“Oh, that’s only the setup,” he replied smugly, and snapped again.

Dipper found himself on a tightrope high overhead, with no net and only a pole to balance with. He was pretty sure the rope was actually sinew or something; the pole was mercifully still plastic, but it was only a small comfort. Between the disgusting surroundings and his nerves, and Mabel in danger far below adding to them, he felt sick.

“Funny how both of your guys’ worst nightmares is losing the other and not being able to do a thing about it,” Bill explained succinctly, still grinning as he watched Dipper wobble unsteadily high above. “Makes things interesting. Now while they’re busy with that, who’s next?”

Norman looked from Lili to Raz, hoping one of them had a plan. He’d tried remembering all the demons that had ever appeared in his movies and how they’d been defeated, but he’d always paid more attention to zombies. How could he expect any of that b-movie stuff to work anyway? Dipper had said there was a spell, but he was the only one who remembered it and he had to be close to use it. They were completely at Bill’s mercy.

“I thought you wanted our minds intact!” Dipper shouted from where he was still balancing desperately, and the demon laughed.

“True, but who said they had to be trauma-free?” he retorted, and the Psychonauts in the room flinched. “The less sane you are the better, actually! Anyway, for my next trick, it’s time Water Lily took the stage.”

“Water lily? I think I’m more of a tiger or day lily myself,” Lili stated, and Bill’s face fell.

“Hey, I don’t come up with these. Well in a way I do, but it’s complicated and you wouldn’t understand if I tried to explain. The universe says you’re Water Lily, deal with it. And this is already a nightmare for you, isn’t it?”

Lili was suddenly next to the demon who wore her boyfriend’s body like a costume, his arm around her shoulders. She froze, not hearing whatever Bill was mocking her about in that voice. She didn’t think, just act.

Raz cringed as he basically watched himself get punched out by his girlfriend’s psychic fist. Bill landed hard on the sawdust-coated floor, the Meat Circus gone. The various small objects that had begun floating earlier fell with clatters all over the tent, and the rigging sighed as it settled back in place. The demon groaned as he got back on his feet, rubbing his jaw, only to be cuffed over the head again. Mabel cheered, and her spinning wheel disappeared from under her, depositing her on the floor.

“Keep punching! It messes with his powers!” Dipper shouted, nearly losing his balance in the process. At least with Mabel out of harm’s way, he could focus a little better and maybe work his way to the platform only a few yards away.

“Uh, except I’d like to get my body back in one piece,” Raz grimaced. Lili wasn’t as good at combat as he was, but she still threw a mean punch. He exchanged looks with Norman, who’d taken to crouching near one of the bleachers but shared his concern.

“Um, maybe—not so hard though,” the medium called, and Lili looked up at him, the crowd, then back at Bill before seizing him by the collar and dragging him towards the exit. Dipper realized what she was doing and mustered all his courage. Inhaling, he started across the rope, steps coming faster as his confidence grew. By the end he was almost running, and his shoes made a reassuring thud as they met the platform at last. Tossing the pole, he grabbed the ladder and began the long climb down.

On the ground, Lili was in a mental tug-o-war. Bill had broken out of her physical grasp and was now locked in her psychic one, and while she was a master at telekinesis, Bill was just as strong, if not more so. They stood opposed to each other halfway to the exit, Lili in full fingers-at-temple pose and Bill braced against her pull.

“Looks like I’m gonna have to pull in the final act sooner than I thought,” the demon managed to grunt, and cut the lights. “With a bolt from the heavens, Frankenstein brought his monster to life. Be amazed! As Zombie Skull wields the same power!”

A spotlight snapped on in the center ring, its glaring beam falling on Norman. At first, his gaze darted in panic as he realized where he was and what Bill intended to do, but it gave way to resolve. The Pines had said how when they’d faced the dream demon before, he’d underestimated them, and now, maybe he was underestimating him.

“You are a freak you know,” Bill said, floating out of the shadows. It stung, coming from what part of him still knew as Raz. But he knew better and matched the demon’s gaze as he circled him. Recalling all the times he’d worked with the psychic to deal with the baggage of his past, he took a breath and focused.

“Maybe. But so what? As long as I’m not hurting anyone, what’s it matter?” he replied, and Bill narrowed his eyes.

“You do want friends right?”

“Yeah, and I have them. And you’re going to tell me it’s not true, because you’re a demon, and that’s what you do. You might know… a lot of things, but I know that about you,” he answered again, rewarded by a falter in Bill’s grin.

“You kids really are smarter than you look. Maybe I should just kill you.”

Norman inhaled sharply, taking a step back. “Don’t you need us for some plan?”

“Only a couple of you,” Bill replied calmly, examining his nails. “The rest, not so much.”

Norman backpedaled a bit more, mind racing. But he’d almost expected this, counted on it even. He had to focus, visualize, feel. He wasn’t strong enough to do much with his fists, and he couldn’t project like Raz or Lili, but he did pack his own brand of power. What he was confident Bill didn’t know was that he wasn’t so afraid of using it anymore.

Crack!

The artificial darkness Bill had created vanished as the lights flickered back on. Norman still stood in the center ring, his hands trembling but otherwise alright, a stunned Bill at his feet. The Pines were the closest to him and ran over, though Lili wasn’t far behind. Mabel wrapped him in a hug just in case, and Lili grabbed her partner’s body and the demon contained within, determined not to let go next time he startled her by shutting the lights off. As Dipper noticed though, the most important thing seemed to be that the crowd appeared to be out of Bill’s control at last.

“Okay, ready to finally get rid of this guy once and for all?” Dipper asked, looking to the others, who all nodded eagerly. “Great. Lili can probably join us anyway, but the rest of us need to put our hands on his head if you want to be included in the spell.”

“Um, remember that Raz has like the strongest mental walls ever, and that was before he had a demon possess him. I’ll take my chances with the spell, thanks,” Lili said, planting a hand on her hip.

“Fair enough,” Dipper said with a shrug, and they all snapped their heads in his direction as Bill groaned and tried to stir. “Quick, before he wakes up!”

But it was too late. Not-Raz’s eyes snapped open and flashed at them as he assessed the situation. Flicking his arms out, he bowled them over with a burst of telekinetic force and dusted himself off as he got to his feet.

“Not bad, kids. You actually managed to knock out my influence over these chumps,” he said, gesturing at the stands. “Looks like I’ll have to—ah!”

A bolt of violent magenta barely missed Bill’s head. Lili was on her feet with fingers pressed to her temple and ready to fire again. “Get out of my boyfriend’s body right now!”

“No way, I’m not done with this plane of reality!” he shouted back, ducking as another blast sizzled by, and another.

“Do it!” she demanded, punctuating her words with another shot.

“Uh, Lili, Raz would like it if you didn’t… if you weren’t so enthusiastic with the psi-blasts,” Norman piped up, but wasn’t sure Lili heard him. Bill was forced to dodge more as she kept the assault up—until he finally turned and fled.

“Were you trying to do that the whole time?” Dipper asked, and she simply smiled at him before summoning her levitation orb and chasing after the demon.

Norman was happy to see his friend smiling at his partner’s brilliance, but they couldn’t afford to dwell on anything yet. Dipper lead the charge after Lili, and they eventually managed to catch up with her as Bill fled through town on foot.

“So do you have another plan or what?” Dipper called after her, and she sighed.

“Not really. I can’t just punch him out like I want, but I don’t know how we’ll get close enough to use the spell. Even without all those people to siphon off power from he’s still really strong,” she replied, and Dipper nodded.

“I wish we knew more of Bill’s weaknesses, or if Raz does that he can’t make up for somehow…” he trailed, lost in thought.

“Um…” Norman spoke up, wincing as he listened. “There is one, but…”

“But what? Spit it out man!” Mabel cried, waving her arms. “Or else Bill’s gonna get away!”

“…Water.”

The others practically skidded to a halt to look at him. He cringed under their horrified expressions, and wrung his hands. “Look I don’t like it either, but it was Raz who suggested it.”

“Raz… Raz thinks it might get rid of Bill?” Dipper said quietly, and the medium nodded.

“We better hurry if we don’t want him to get away. We have to get him to the lake… somehow.”

They formed the plan along the way, and split up. Lili hoisted Mabel onto her levitation orb, helped her balance on the ephemeral energy, then took off to flank their target. Dipper, Norman, and Raz would keep up the pressure on their end, hopefully meeting up with the girls at the lake where they’d corner Bill and give him no choice but to leave.

Somehow, through persistence and encouragement in the form of Lili’s psi-blasts, they managed to steer Bill in the right direction until it was finally a headlong charge down the road, five determined kids chasing after one impostor. He ran all the way to the end of the dock, looked back at his pursuers, and smiled before summoning his own levitation orb. Still yards away, they could only watch as a globe of vivid red light orbited by electric blue formed under his feet, and with a jaunty wave he rolled off the edge of the dock.

Raz saw the phantom hand, but to everyone else it looked like Bill tripped, his levitation orb bursting as he fell. With a little boost of psychic power he managed to bounce himself back onto the dock, and as they drew near they could see how confused he was. He looked over his shoulder at them, his expression alone almost begging for an explanation.

“It’s over Bill, you’re cornered!” Dipper said, striding purposefully down the dock. “You either get out, or we’ll force you out! That body is cursed to die in water, and it’ll take you with it!”

“And how do you plan to do that? I’m an incorporeal force, you really think I care about whatever body I happen to be possessing?” Bill retorted, back on the offense.

“Considering how we managed to knock you out, I think you’re a little more attached to that body than you realize,” Lili replied, instantly deflating the demon.

“You know that if this body dies, so does your little friend,” Bill stated, satisfied at the dejection that passed through the kids’ faces.

Norman took a breath before he spoke on Raz’s behalf. “Yeah, but… that’d mean you couldn’t do whatever it is you’re planning… and it’s his job as a Psychonaut to keep the world of free thought safe. He’d do anything.”

Bill frowned; these kids were practically unscathed by anything he’d thrown at them, and he’d nearly given it his all. There were limits to this body after all, and they all knew it. He hated using force, it was so unbecoming of a mind demon, but it was the only way back to the shore.

They managed to duck his own psi-blasts, and his attempt to punch his way through only met the shimmering pink of Lili’s shield. When he paused to change tactics, she dropped the shield and grabbed him, putting him dangerously close to the dock’s end.

“Like I said earlier. Out. Now,” she commanded.

“You wouldn’t really doom your boyfriend, would you?” Bill jabbed, and Lili sneered at him as she put him over the water.

“I’m sick of you wearing his face, using his voice—everything! If he dies, it’s all because of you and that pest Gideon. Having him as a ghost would be better than you parading around and conquering the world in that body! But he won’t die because you’re going to leave before that happens!” she shouted, voice ringing across the lake surface.

Norman was keeping a worried eye on the person in question. His fate was entirely in the hands of a demon and his girlfriend, and all he could do was watch. Raz seemed more resigned than anything; from all the times he’d regaled them with stories of what it meant to be a defender of free thought, Norman knew he was committed to his duties as a Psychonaut. He’d just hoped they wouldn’t end so soon, but here on the shores of Lake Gravity Falls, there might not be any other options. Bill seemed to have entered a staring contest with Lili, his will against hers, and neither were budging.

“Come on Bill, we can’t stand here all day… or night,” Dipper urged, noting the ever-sinking sun. “Just leave us alone. You live to plot another day, we keep our friend and stop bugging you. Okay?”

The demon sighed, finally breaking the contest of wills. “You’ve got a point, Pine Tree. You kids are a good bunch, I think I’ll be glad I didn’t kill you after all. You two remember the warning I gave you last time?” he asked the Pines, and they nodded. “Good. It still stands. Well kids, I guess this is it. For now.”

He winked, and with a final blast of energy broke both his and Lili’s hold on Raz’s body. Raz felt his world expand to include the astral plane once more and an undeniable pull that yanked him from where he’d been hovering just behind Norman all in a split-second. As his body and mind finally reunited, his last thought was that he hoped Lili was faster with her telekinesis than the watery hand of Galochio.

Lili grunted, barely managing to catch her partner before he could sink more than an inch into the lake’s surface. Something seemed to fight her, but she’d been doing this all day and managed to tear away from it and deposit Raz’s limp form safely on the dock, and they all gathered close. Her own connection to him restored, she gave him a mental nudge and read his vitals, grateful they all seemed normal. With a groan, he finally stirred, and Lili squeezed him in a hug.

“Sorry for the lag,” Raz croaked, “but Bill left a mess in here. Had to sort some of it out.”

“We’re just glad you’re back!” Mabel cried, joining Lili in the hug, and they exchanged mischievous looks before squishing him in a bear hug. He coughed, then laughed, and they helped him stand and walk back to solid ground.

“It can wait, but we’re definitely getting you out of those ridiculous clothes,” Lili said as they trudged back up to town, and the others agreed wholeheartedly. “It was bad enough when he looked like you, but now you look like him and it’s gross.”

“I am with you on that,” Raz said, shedding the damp tailcoat and incinerating it. “Better?”

“Oh yeah,” Lili grinned. “See now you’re actually kinda cute.”

“Darn right, sister,” Mabel concurred, and Raz felt the heat rise in his face. Dipper was off rolling his eyes, and Norman wasn’t even paying attention; with Bill taken care of the ghosts were back, and he was doing his best to fill in the curious among the spirits as concisely as he could as they passed by.

Raz was exhausted himself. After almost a full twelve hours of keeping himself focused at all times and then suddenly not having to, the full weight of his effort was coming down fast. On the physical side, he was no better off; Lili really hadn’t held back at all when she’d punched Bill, and then the demon had run across town…. Adding it all up, he wasn’t sure how he was still standing. Chalk it up to stubbornness.

 “Um…” Norman suddenly piped up, breaking away from communing with the dead. “Isn’t there a whole tentful of people we haven’t dealt with yet?”

“You think they’re still there?” Dipper wondered, and the medium shrugged.

“Maybe, But we should probably go see Raz’s family anyway. They need to know he’s okay.”

“Good point,” Dipper agreed, shifting directions so they were headed back to the circus.

The group slowly made their way back down the old road, this time with weariness rather than dread. It was still quiet, but not quite the eerie silence that had once hung over the clearing, and the elephants seemed to have calmed down as well. They entered the main tent again, and found it still held the citizens of Gravity Falls, but without a dream demon lurking to steal mental energy from them it was somehow… peaceful. Like they were just waiting.

“They’re asleep,” Lili uttered.

“Which is what I’d like to be doing. Right now,” Raz said, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Soon, but we’re gonna need your help,” Dipper said, a hand perched on his chin. “We can’t just leave all these people here.”

“Dipper, Raz has been through so much today. You’re really gonna make him work?” Mabel said, gesturing at him. “He looks miserable!”

“Well yeah, but it’ll go faster if we all work together. If we had something really big that could carry a lot of people all at once, it wouldn’t be so bad.”

Raz blinked his eyes wide. “Hey Mabel… remember your idea earlier? I’m too tired to do heavy lifting myself…”

They looked at him expectantly, and he smiled.

“But I know a few gals who’d be happy to help.”

--

Mabel could hardly contain herself. She was soaring, no, sailing, down the streets of Gravity Falls on the back of a trusty circus elephant, delivering residents to their homes or tourists to the lobbies of their hotels. Raz was with her, making sure they arrived at the proper destination, and despite his state helping lift each person to a safe spot in or around their homes. Norman, Lili, and Dipper were off somewhere doing the same thing; Raz had walked them through the basics of guiding the elephants after picking the two he knew were the most gentle and the favorites amongst the little kids for rides. They’d already been decked out in the saddles and gear for a performance that never happened, so it was just a matter of leading them out, loading them up, and heading into town.

The group was grateful Gravity Falls was so small. Even at the elephant’s lumbering pace, they managed to get everyone home within a few hours, and reconvened back at the circus. They decided they couldn’t leave the workers either, and with Raz’s direction they took everyone to their appropriate campsite and made sure they were comfortable. Their work done, the elephants were rewarded with a variety of fruit and fresh hay, and left to doze in their pens.

“I think that’s everyone,” Dipper said as they gathered under a streetlight, and he double-checked a list of names. “Yep. Good work everyone. Um… I don’t think we’ll be seeing anyone tonight. I guess Bill messing with your head takes a lot out of you, psychic or not.”

“You can say that again,” Lili said, poking her boyfriend in the temple. He was so out of it by now he nearly fell over, but she caught him before that could happen, and gave Dipper a look. “We crashing at your place?”

“I think we count on it anymore,” Dipper replied.

“I vote we build an awesome pillow fort and all sleep in that,” Mabel suggested, clearly the only one with any real energy left.

“Maybe tomorrow, Mabel,” Norman said softly, looking over the group. “I think even pajamas are going to be optional tonight.”

The Mystery Shack finally poked through the trees; though they’d been here earlier to drop off Stan, only now could they finally say they were home. A weight seemed to lift as they headed inside and upstairs. It would be a cozy sort of crowded; the twins had their beds, while Norman had his sleeping bag in its usual spot along the wall, and Raz and Lili shared a few blankets in the center of the room. Raz was already out cold, and Lili was letting Mabel braid her hair before crawling into bed herself. Norman laid on his back decompressing, but sat up as with a laugh, Dipper realized something. The girls exchanged looks, then gave him their full attention too as he elaborated.

“Guys, I just remembered something amazing. Gideon skipped town and doesn’t know we stopped Bill.”

“So… he could be super far away by now?” Mabel asked, eyes lighting up.

“Yep. He’ll probably come crawling back eventually, but for now we can enjoy a completely Gideon-free summer,” Dipper said, and the group raised a muted cheer that faded back into a comfortable quiet.

Norman heaved a sigh and settled back into his sleeping bag. Today had… not quite been a whirlwind. Parts of it certainly were, but a lot of their time had gone by on the steps of the Shack, waiting for something that had actually been waiting for them elsewhere. He wondered about Bill and what sort of dimension he might be terrorizing now, and remembered that deep, raw part of his psyche he’d never thought he’d have access to of his own free will. A rush of exhilaration washed over him; it was scary and cool all at the same time, realizing all the meditation and training he’d done with Raz at Sasha’s behest had worked. He hoped the senior agent would be pleased, and looked forward to telling him about it. But that would have to come after everyone had gotten some proper rest. Lili’s hair was done, and with everyone settled in, Dipper blew the lantern out.

A nearly full moon hung low in the sky, framed perfectly by the triangular attic window.

---

MK: Strengths

And just like that, it's done! 

When I first started this, it was because I needed to work out some events that impact the next novella-length (yeah, found out MK: Beginnings is a novella! I'm planning on the next one being about the same length) fic in detail and make sure my character arcs actually had solid footing. It was more for myself, but it has important and maybe interesting things for the next main stories I have in line, so I might as well share, right?

Summary: It's alright to be scared. Norman knows this better than most, but what can he do when the thing scaring him is himself? Luckily, the Psychonauts may have some answers for him; the problem is, they lie in Whispering Rock.

-----

“Hey Sasha,” Raz began slowly, turning an idea over in his head. He was watching the senior agent as he analyzed data from over the top of the computer console, leaning on his arms and letting his feet dangle from time to time while Sasha worked. As it turned out, this was the only arrangement that let Sasha feel like there wasn’t someone hanging over him.

“Yes Razputin?” the stoic German intoned, eyes still on his work.

“Well… you remember Norman, right? The kid who can talk to ghosts?”

“Ah, your medium friend, yes.”

“Well… the kid has really good mental walls for one, and I know it’s against the rules anyway, but… I still can’t help but hear what he’s thinking. I’m kinda… not really worried, but… concerned I guess?”

“That happens sometimes. But I sense that’s not the issue you were planning to talk about.”

“Heh, yeah. He’s been thinking about what happened a lot—you know, between us and Gideon. I think it’s really gotten him down. I mean, he says he’s happy we beat the kid, but… I don’t think he’s happy about how we beat him. If you know what I mean.”

“Ah, you’re referring to the electrokinesis? No pun intended but the sudden manifestation of supernatural abilities can come as a shock. Under the conditions he was in, I’m not surprised they revealed themselves.”

“Heh. Maybe, but I think there’s more to it. Like… he’s been afraid of it before the whole psitanium-brainwashing thing went down,” Raz wondered, kicking his legs a bit. “He mentioned his long-lost relative could do all the lightning stuff too, but she even raised the dead and almost destroyed his town.”

“So you think he figured this connection out for himself, and it’s troubling him?”

“Probably.”

“Do you think talking to him about it might help?”

“Well yeah, but… I kind of wanted to know if there was a way to show him his powers aren’t as dangerous as he thinks. You know, a scientific one.”

“Mm, I see why you came to me now. Milla’s much better at the ‘talking things out’ solutions anyway, but yes, I believe we can help your friend either way.”

“Awesome! So what are we gonna do?” Raz said with a grin.

“There are a few standard tests I can run, and then ones meant specifically to detect mediums. If we can determine what sort of medium Norman is, we can give him some solid answers—something he may need at this time. I… think I can squeeze it into my current research. I’m only speculating but it’s not every day you get a chance to test such a powerful medium, and I’d rather not let the opportunity slip by,” Sasha answered, raising his head to stare into the distance as he spoke, running through all the possibilities in his mind. He tapped a button on the console, pausing the analysis before meeting Raz’s gaze.

“My current work isn’t nearly as exciting. Shall we pay Norman a visit?”

Raz broke into a grin and hopped off the console, joining his mentor at his side as they headed out of the sparse lab.

  --

  It took longer than the jet, but it was easier to justify to Cruller, so Sasha had borrowed one of the government-issue cars kept at the camp. The ride was relatively dull—Sasha didn’t play road games, it turned out—but Raz had spent most of his life in the crowded back of a caravan. This newer car was luxurious by comparison. He watched the scenery whiz by, rising and falling with the mountains, farmland and forest trading places regularly until finally the forest won out. Sasha made a turn, and suddenly Raz knew exactly where they were, though the garish signs directing them to a certain tourist trap certainly helped. They drove past quaint shops and worn-looking houses to the edge of town, then Sasha turned down a gravel road and into the parking lot, joining a few other cars. But there was no need for a tour; Raz found Norman quietly reading a book at the picnic table behind the Mystery Shack in the pleasant afternoon shade. He looked up as the two psychics approached, and set his book aside, scooting over to make room even though there was already plenty.

“Hey Raz, Agent Nein. What’s up?”

“Uh, well…” Raz started, not actually sure what to say now as he slid onto the bench next to his friend. “We were wondering…. Well, I try not to, but I’ve kinda overheard you thinking about things lately… about the fight with Gideon.”

Norman’s expression fell. “Oh.”

“I think it’s been holding you back, and well, I happen know some people who could help—the best in the world, actually. You wanna maybe… talk about it?”

Norman’s gaze darted from the ground to meet Raz’s, then Sasha’s, before falling back to the distance. “I—I guess… I think maybe I should. I just didn’t say anything before… because I didn’t want to scare anyone,” he finally answered with a sigh.

“Thinking about it only seems to have scared yourself,” Sasha pointed out, and Norman chuckled.

“I guess so.”

“If I may ask, what exactly is troubling you?” the super-agent said, head inclined ever so slightly.

 Norman made to speak but hesitated, hands fidgeting. Oh nothing, only the fact he could unleash terrible destruction on the people he cared about. But it was easier to think that than say it. Sasha seemed to frown, dipping into his coat and taking out a cigarette.

“Forgive me, but I heard what you were thinking,” he said solemnly, lifting the cigarette to his lips. Noticing the children watching him, he crushed the cigarette with a thought. “Sorry, bad habit. Milla’s been trying to get me to quit for years. Norman, it’s perfectly reasonable to be afraid of what you can’t control. Many of the children at Whispering Rock struggle with their own powers and learning to harness their full potential. But I think the first step with you is determining just what sort of potential there is.”

“Besides hurting people?” the medium shot skeptically.

“Well, yes. Lots of psychic powers are dangerous without the right training, so you are not alone in that aspect. I can think of some tests I can perform that might give us some insight into how your abilities work, and then we can go from there,” Sasha replied, sounding optimistic.

“So… we could find out why I can do all this stuff?” Norman asked, looking more contemplative now. “That… that might be good.”

“You’d have to come with us to Whispering Rock, where I have all my equipment, to be sure.”

“Oh man, that’d be cool! You’ll finally get to see where it all started,” Raz piped up, thrilled. “You’ll get to meet all my friends at camp, and Milla and Oleander, and Cruller—don’t be weirded out by him though, he shows up all over camp with different personalities, long story, but hopefully you’ll get to talk to him when—oh.”

“Oh?” Norman asked, watching Raz’s face contort with sudden realization.

“Oh… yes. That is a problem,” Sasha said, joining in with a frown. “You see, Whispering Rock lays directly over the psitanium mother lode, and there are smaller deposits scattered throughout the area. Its influence is… quite strong.”

“What!?” Norman suddenly burst, shocking both psychics as he stood and faced them, looking hurt. “And you expect me to just go over there and lose my mind?!”

“I’m sorry Norman, I totally forgot,” Raz said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I should’ve known. Sasha… I’m not so sure we should do those tests now.”

“They’re the only way Norman can put his fears to rest,” Sasha replied, frowning. “It may be worth the risk.”

“Are you sure though?” Norman said harshly, fists clenched by his side, glaring at Sasha coldly. The Psychonaut seemed taken aback, thinking carefully before he spoke.

“Well no, we can never be completely sure of anything. But I think it would do you a lot of good in the long run,” he replied, folding his arms and leaning back against the table. “It would put all of your fears to rest.”

“But what are we gonna do about the psitanium?” Raz pressed.

“Well, there are areas that are shielded against psychic influence of all kinds, and my lab is… partly shielded. I think we can reduce your levels of exposure to manageable amounts,” Sasha replied, waving a hand. “We’ve had non-psychics tour the facilities without incident before.”

“Um… and glass can block it too right? Kinda funny something so simple can do that,” Raz added, and his mentor nodded.

“Some types, yes. The high silica content of the Earth’s crust is one reason we believe the psitanium fails to impact much of the land outside the Oblongata valley.”

“So… it’s not… actually as bad as it sounds?” Norman asked hesitantly.

“No, and it occurs to me there’s another device we can use. It’s usually used to dampen powers when transporting psychic criminals, but the shielding works both ways,” Sasha answered, leaning forward again.

“What is it? Some kind of psychic wave-canceling generator or something?” Raz asked, a light in his eyes.

“No, it’s much simpler than that. It’s a helmet.”

That didn’t sound so bad. Norman relaxed a bit, his gaze softening as he thought about his options. On the one hand, he was still afraid of what the psitanium could do, but on the other, maybe he’d finally get some answers—about himself, his abilities, and Aggie. He took a deep breath, then looked back up at the two psychics who waited eagerly on his word.

“Just a couple nights after… that night with Aggie, I wondered if since we’re related, if she really was no different from me… that maybe I could do the same things. Curse people, hurt them… lose myself. I tried not to think about it, but then I realized my uncle had done some of the same things too, after he died. My grandma tried to tell me it wasn’t possible, and it did help… but thanks to Gideon, now I know for sure, and I’m scared all over again. I’d never want to hurt anyone, not like that anyway, but… I need to know. If… if people really should be afraid of me,” he finally said, looking back at the ground. The ground couldn’t judge him, couldn’t reject him, couldn’t fear him. He knew these were the last people he should expect to leave him… but that didn’t stop how he felt, and it was agony.

Raz looked over to Sasha, and found he seemed to be wearing a surprised expression. Apparently the agent hadn’t expected that reply from his friend, and he couldn’t help but grin.

“So… you’re agreeing to the tests?” Sasha asked, the surprise on his face reflected subtly in his voice.

“Well, yeah. If they’ll help me figure out… stuff, then… I probably should, right?” Norman replied, looking solemn. He fiddled with his sleeve a bit before speaking again. “Aggie got killed because no one understood what she could do. Maybe… maybe this’ll help more than just me.”

“Very well,” Sasha said, still looking surprised as he stood. “Why don’t we stay the night here, and leave in the morning? That will give me time to inform Cruller and develop a plan, while you kids have some time to relax and prepare. Sound good?”

The pair nodded. Raz could tell his mentor hadn’t expected Norman to agree, not after his initial reaction. But Norman was tougher than he looked, and whatever trepidation he might have he was willing to work through if it meant things would be better in the end. He still looked a little daunted as they headed into the house, but Raz couldn’t blame him. Who knew what Sasha’s tests would be—and reveal.

---

“I’m truly glad you agreed to come along, Norman. Hopefully now we can find some answers for you,” Sasha spoke, adjusting a few knobs on the machinery the skilled scientist had fired up for just this occasion. Norman sat anxiously on a chair, uncomfortable despite its padding. Raz stood nearby, watching his mentor with arms folded and an uncharacteristic look of skepticism and concern on his face.

Of course he knew his friend’s brain was in the hands of one of the most skilled psychics in the world, but they’d already spent what felt like an awfully long time just sitting in the starkly furnished lab. Never mind that the super-agent had explained that previous psitanium exposure meant the effects would crop up even sooner upon a new encounter with the mineral; something about pathways in the brain being formed. At least some of the time had been spent with Norman detailing everything he knew about his relatives and his encounters with them, and his own experiences of a lifetime of speaking with the dead, context Sasha needed to know. Thankfully Cruller had left the custom child-sized psychic cancellation helmet waiting for them, but even with it on Norman was pretty anxious—or maybe that was just his hair bothering him. No, no, definitely anxious. At least Sasha seemed to be wrapping up whatever he was doing at last.

               “Alright, the brain scanner should be calibrated. Norman, when you’re ready, take a seat here and we’ll begin,” Sasha said, indicating a reclining chair with the scanner suspended over the headrest. It didn’t look like any normal medical scanner though—sort of like a cross between one of those old-fashioned hairdryers and a Tesla coil.

 If he wasn’t about to be subjected to it, Norman would have laughed at how much it was like something from one of his horror movies. But this was real life now, and just like his encounter with actual living dead, he wasn’t so excited about it. Swallowing nervously, he rose and approached the equipment, looking it over one last time before sliding into the chair and getting as comfortable as he could.

“Helmet off, please. I need a clear reading, and it will interfere. This won’t take long though, don’t worry,” the psychic instructed, and Raz glanced from him to his friend. Norman looked hesitant as he pulled his headgear off, hair springing to its usual shape as though the helmet had never been on, and set the device on the floor next to him. Then he leaned back, and looked resolutely into the scanner’s operational end with balled fists before closing his eyes to wait.

“Alright, beginning scan,” Sasha announced, and the machine sounded like a jet warming up as it whirred to life. The two psychics turned to watch, Sasha’s attention on the scanner while Raz kept an eye on Norman for any signs of trouble. Not that he really expected any—he just wanted to be sure, and Norman would be glad to know he was looking out for him. They had, after all, decided if anything did go wrong it’d be Raz administering any psychic help, having already been in the medium’s mind and someone he trusted.

Obviously Sasha’s idea of ‘not taking long’ was different from the boys’; the scanner still hummed even though Raz was certain it’d been at least ten minutes now, and while Norman still looked focused, his hands were starting to fidget anxiously. It was a relief when the machine finally gave a sigh and fell silent, the lab returning to its regular level of low humming. Hands darting for the helmet, Norman hastily pulled it back on.

“The psitanium got to you that fast already?” Raz asked, and the medium shrugged.

“A little, I think. I could feel something wasn’t right… kind of like pressure inside my head.”

“There’s a reason mediums are occasionally referred to as sensitives,” Sasha mused from the console. “Like psychics, they’re simply more attuned to supernatural wavelengths, like spirits, astral beings… and psitanium, of course.”

“So anything back from the scan yet?” Raz asked, trying to peer at the screen, but it was numerical gibberish as of now.

“Well, nothing major. I’ll have to do more digging, and we may need to do another scan. There are other tests I’d like to conduct as well, but so far Norman seems to be an average eleven-year old boy.”

“So… nothing?” Norman asked, slowly getting over his nerves.

“Not yet. It’s possible I put it on the wrong setting; it’s… been a while since I’ve scanned a non-psychic’s brain.”

The boys exchanged skeptical looks before Sasha continued.

“From what I know of other mediums though, this is to be expected. It’s one thing psychics and mediums have in common—brain activity appears normal until you scan certain wavelengths or while an ability is in use. It’s part of the reason science took so long to accept us.”

“Yeah yeah, we can talk more history later. If you’re gonna analyze data for a while, I bet Norman would like to see more of the camp.”

“I… don’t really want to stay here.”

“Very well. I’ll contact Raz if I find anything.”

The scientist waved them off, and they headed up the winding stairs of his lab, out through the psycho-isolation chamber, and into the warm late-morning light of Whispering Rock. Raz took a deep breath of the fresh air; nothing against the man but Sasha’s lab wasn’t exactly the most relaxing nor well-ventilated of places, and they’d spent all morning there. Norman looked pleased to be outside too, even with his head still firmly encapsulated in the helmet. Maybe Milla would let them borrow some paint from the craft closet so he could at least customize it; the only thing more dull than the flat metal was Sasha explaining proper Psychonaut paperwork procedure.

“Hey guinea pigs,” a voice teased from somewhere below, and they peered over the edge of the walkway to find Lili smirking up at them. “How’d it go?”

“Hey Lili! Nothing yet; Sasha’s looking at the data but he might have done it on the wrong setting,” Raz replied, leading the way down. “We’re gonna hang out up here until he needs us again.”

“I don’t blame you. It’s cramped down there, and there’s nothing to talk to,” she replied, falling in with the two as they headed down the path.

“There’s Sasha—”

“Not when he’s got science to do,” she interjected, and Raz conceded that with a nod. “Anyway, I’ve heard a little bit, but what’s your story Norman? Most mediums are total ripoffs or psychic posers, but you’re the real deal huh?”

“Uh… yeah,” he replied. Lili was a little more abrasive than he’d expected, even with Raz describing her. Of course, he was biased.

“I already told you how he broke the curse on his town,” Raz said with a grin, and Lili rolled her eyes.

“You told me how it’d make a great True Psychic Tales issue, dork.”

“Oh yeah. It would though!”

“That’s that comic book you guys read, right?”

“They’re only the greatest comics ever. I’ll let you guys borrow some when we get back to the Mystery Shack,” Raz replied. “But your story would totally fit. A lot of psychics would relate to it. I wonder if we can get a petition going to have you featured…”

“I… guess that’d be cool,” Norman said with a light chuckle. He liked comic books well enough himself; to be in one had always seemed far-fetched, but maybe Raz had some pull, being an official Psychonaut and all. It was fun to think about.

They made their way to the main lodge where Milla was overseeing an outdoor lunch, managing rowdy campers with all the grace and skill she was renowned for in the rest of her work. And she seemed truly happy; even if it vanished from her lips a smile radiated from her eyes the whole time, and eventually even the fussiest kids settled down to enjoy cold sandwiches under her gentle hand. With everyone else occupied, it was no surprise when she floated over to join the three as they trudged up the hill.

"So good to see you all this morning,” she chimed, and they greeted her just as brightly. One did not stay glum for long with Milla Vodello around. “And Norman, in the flesh! You’re even cuter than I imagined. So good to have you, darling!”

“Uh, thanks.”

“Sasha’s not being too hard on you is he? I promise not all Psychonauts are like that,” the lovely agent said with a laugh, and Norman shrugged.

“Hey Milla, I was wondering if we could borrow some paint. Norman’s helmet needs some cool designs and stuff,” Raz said before he could say anything.

“You know I’m all for self-expression, darling, be it dance or art projects.” She closed her eyes for a moment. “Alright, I’ve unlocked the art cabinet for you. Don’t go too wild or you know Cruller will have you raking for weeks.”

“Heh. Understood. Thanks!” Raz said, grinning broadly and charging up the hill, leaving his friends behind. Lili rolled her eyes and looked to the others; Milla was chuckling and shaking her head softly at the young agent’s eagerness, while Norman just passed her an uncertain look.

“We’ll see you later, Agent Vodello. I guess my boyfriend’s more excited about crafts than I thought.”

“It’s alright darling. Just call if you need anything, I’ll be right outside.” With that, she floated back to the noisy picnic tables where Bobby Zilch was trying to sneak extra sandwiches into his hair.

“Okay Norman. We could just walk up there, but I bet Raz is making a mess already. Why don’t we travel in style?” Lili said with a smirk, and a rich fuchsia orb sprung up beneath her feet, glimmering with lighter magenta and orbited by an emerald ring. “I’m not Raz, so I can’t put you on my shoulders, but I can lift you with telekinesis. Is that okay?”

“Um… the last time I was picked up by a psychic, it wasn‘t fun.”

“Did Raz prank you or something?”

“I wish. Try megalomaniac nine-year-old trying to mind control me.”

“Oh. Sorry. Hmm… Guess we’re walking then,” she decided, the orb evaporating. “So, what is your story? I wanna hear it from you.”

With some reluctance, he began. It was now well rehearsed, the tale of how he’d broken the curse on his hometown, and Lili listened, feigning mild disinterest but really soaking up every detail. She had to agree with her boyfriend; even now she could picture the tale in the stark limited palette of a comic book, and it looked fantastic. Wouldn’t Vernon like to be able to tell a story like this!

Norman finished just as they entered the lodge, and found a table inside already spread with newspaper and supplies. Raz came out of a back room toting a bin of paint cans and bottles, and beamed at them as they all sat down.

“Look at all this great stuff. I don’t know why you guys took so long, this is gonna be fun. Okay, Norman likes zombies, so I was thinking… a brain maybe? Or maybe a hand bursting out of the dirt like you always see.”

“I’m pretty sure he can design his own helmet,” Lili said, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh. Yeah. Here,” Raz said, handing over a paintbrush. Norman took it and thought on his design. Raz’s brain idea was kinda cool, but there were other things he wanted to try. For starters, he’d paint the helmet black. With a little trepidation, he pulled it off and got to work.

About half an hour later, he’d finished, and was quite pleased with his handiwork. A ghoulish skull emblazoned the front, and the back and sides swirled with tendrils of eerie green fog. It was pretty good considering Norman didn’t think of himself as an artist, but he’d had some help; Lili was quite skilled with a paintbrush. But shadows had begun to dance at the edge of his vision, things that set his heart beating hard against his chest—not because they were terrifying in and of themselves, but because he knew what was coming if he let it continue. It was a relief then when Raz lifted the still-drying helm back onto his head, blocking the psitanium’s influence and chasing the half-visions away. He could see in the psychic’s face that he’d sensed his distress, but they said nothing about it to Lili; she could be filled in later. Their project done, the trio cleaned everything up and headed back outside. No doubt their hard work would draw some attention, but they were also hungry and there was the promise of sandwiches.

But Sasha Nein had impeccable timing. Raz grimaced as he listened to the agent, and sighed. Milla was starting to clear plates away as other campers drifted off, their meals finished. So much for lunch. Well, he’d just have to deal with a trio of hungry kids if his results were so important. They headed back down to the GPC, this time with Lili in tow, and once again into the minimalistic lab.

“I’ve finished my analysis,” Sasha greeted them as they came down. “The good news is, the scanner was on the right setting.”

“And… the bad news?” Norman posed warily.

“Actually, there is none. I suppose my phrasing threw you off. My apologies. Anyway, I’ve confirmed Norman is a medium. So there, scientific proof you can show to your parents that you’re not insane,” he joked, handing over a sheet of graphs and readings. “More interestingly, I’ve also determined you possibly fall into an unusual class of medium—one with psychic-like projection abilities, Class 0. I presume the lightning Razputin informed me of is part of this.”

Norman blinked. “Wait. The lightning is only part of it?”

“Well, probably. You described seeing visions outside of your normal spirit encounters as well, correct? And the relatives you interacted with seemed to be able to conjure these at will, even creating a pocket dimension of sorts at its strongest, while other ghosts had never performed such feats. Conjecture of course, but it stands to reason your strengths far exceed your knowledge.”

“So… he’s got powers not even most psychics have?” Raz said, an undertone of awe in his voice, and Sasha nodded.

“Indeed. Though, Norman would have to work very hard to unlock these powers, and they may demand more of him than he can cope with. At least, that’s how it’s been for other mediums of the same class. His relatives were deceased when they had access to such methods, but it may be possible to slowly train oneself to use them while living. We’d have to do more tests to be sure.”

“Oh man, not gonna lie, that sounds really cool.”

“Earth to Spock, you two,” Lili hissed, jerking a thumb over at the medium in question. They hadn’t even noticed him go into a mild state of shock.

“Uh, Norman? Hello?” Raz waved a hand in front of his friend’s eyes and made him blink, bringing him around.

“Sorry,” he hastily apologized, but Sasha shook his head.

“No, don’t be. I should have realized what this revelation means for you. Not everyone can handle knowing they have such… skills.”

“I… I just can’t believe…” Norman trailed, his voice soft and halting. Sasha brought a chair over for him, and he took it gratefully, hands limp in his lap as he processed what the scientist had told him. He could wield electricity, he knew that, but it went even further. He could curse people and raise them as the living dead. He could create visions, alternate realities, shatter the world around him. Everything Aggie had become, he could too. Or worse. A cold hand seemed to wrap around his heart, and he thought he might faint right then and there.

“Uh, Norman… you okay there?” Raz put a hand forward, rightly concerned for his friend. He looked especially small hunched over on the chair, and even paler than usual. Raz wondered what he was thinking, but not only was it rude to mind-read without someone’s permission, the helmet blocked him anyway. Still, just judging by the look on his face, it wasn’t anything good.

“Focus, Norman,” Sasha said sternly, apparently picking up on what Raz had noticed. He stepped over and gently redirected the boy’s gaze from the floor to him with a hand. “If it is truly so terrible for you to know, I can help you lock this memory away so that it is contained. The psitanium may also be affecting you; the helmet only provides protection from most sides, so some radiation may be slipping in. Let’s go discuss this somewhere safer for your mind and see how you feel then.”

Norman managed a small nod, and they headed above ground once more, only to regroup in one of the other isolation chambers. Sasha pried the rusted lock apart with practiced telekinesis, and they all clambered in. The chamber was old and in even less repair than the main one that lead to Sasha’s lab, but its shielding was still sound; Raz could feel his connection with the outside world and most other minds fade, a foreign and unnerving experience. No wonder Bobby liked to shove his unfortunate victims in these things; it was awful enough only being able to feel the two other psychics in the room, so he could only imagine what it was like alone and in the dark.

“Alright, I know this isn’t pleasant, but it’s the only place Norman is completely safe. Let’s all take a moment to relax and meditate,” Sasha instructed, sitting cross-legged on the cushioned floor. “Breathe in and out in an even, calm manner; hold each breath to the count of four, then exhale. Envision your troubles leaving you with each breath…”

For several minutes, the four simply meditated in silence. Even Raz, normally so anxious to get everywhere and do everything as soon as possible, knew it was important not to rush this, especially in a psycho-isolation chamber where you were suddenly alone with only your own thoughts. At least Norman looked considerably better. His face was still tight with worry, but the color had returned to his cheeks and the rest of his body had loosened up.

“Now, to business. Norman, I realize now perhaps this was not the best of ideas. You are quite young to have such a burden on your shoulders, but please know it was never my intent to inflict you with any harm. I can seal this knowledge away from you so you are no longer troubled by it. Is that something you’d like me to do?”

Norman thought about Sasha’s offer for a while. He was feeling much better, and suspected the psychic had been right, that even with the helmet the psitanium had started to worm its way into his skull. It didn’t make the fact he apparently could warp reality and curse people any easier to take. But this gave him an idea.

“Can you seal my powers instead?”

“That is the difference between psychics and mediums, Norman,” Sasha said with a sigh, sliding the glasses from his face and cleaning them. “A psychic’s abilities are based on the power of the human mind. A medium’s are based on the power of the human soul. While there is some crossover between areas of the brain involved in focusing them, your energies have a different source, and not one that can be manipulated by external forces. I’m… sorry.”

“There’s nothing you can do?”

“Nothing that won’t affect the very basics of your personality.”

“They’re really that closely tied?” Lili asked curiously, and the mentor nodded.

“Specifically to emotion, I believe. If I were to attempt to nullify Norman’s powers this way, it’s possible I’d prevent him from feeling deeply ever again. Also, it would get me fired.”

“Maybe that’d be good…” Norman muttered, hugging his knees, but noted Sasha’s frown. “Not—not the ‘you getting fired’ part.”

“There’s gotta be more though, right Sasha?” Lili asked, folding her arms.

“Well, yes. There is some hope in this. The chances of ever naturally accessing the majority of these powers are quite slim,” Sasha pointed out. Now this got the kids’ attention, and they waited for him to elaborate even further. Not one to disappoint when it came to science, Sasha obliged. “The lightning manifestation seems to be the easiest to use, as you’ve demonstrated while under the effects of psitanium, which must have rendered you emotionally unstable enough to set these powers in motion.”

“Don’t remind me,” Norman griped.

“Yes, sorry. But there’s a high probability your other powers only come with or after death… though being able to guess at your family history, this may simply be bias in that no one we know of has ever tried.”

“Sasha, that’s not reassuring,” Lili shot, and he pursed his lips before continuing.

“Well, it may be in that if Norman never tries, then he has nothing to worry about.”

“What if he could control them though? That could be pretty cool, right?” Raz wondered aloud. “You know, without the associated emotional turmoil and death.”

“It’s possible. There are a few documented cases of Class 0 mediums doing so, but they were far more experienced and had psychic coaching.”

“I’d… I want to just leave it alone really,” Norman finally spoke. “It won’t cause problems if I do, right?”

“No. It will be unrealized potential, but it might be safer in the long run,” Sasha replied, and they nodded collectively. “But do know that if you decide otherwise, you have a support group to keep you going,” the stoic German added, a thin but kind smile on his face, and Norman returned it, somehow feeling reassured. “Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to get out of this death trap. Who’s with me?”

There was a cheer from the psychic kids, but Norman was fine with staying in the chamber. It was keeping his head clear for one, and two, it was pretty quiet and he wanted some time alone after a busy morning. Relaying his feelings, he was happy when they didn’t bother him about coming with, and Raz promised to bring him something to eat soon. He waved them off, then leaned back against the padded wall and heaved a sigh. If he thought too much about what he’d learned today he knew he’d get overwhelmed, so he practiced the breathing technique Sasha had taught them and focused on enjoying where he was.

The door was propped open slightly, so he could see out into the lush green forest and watch the birds and squirrels go about their lives. Apparently there had been a bear around here too, but he’d heard the story of how Mikhail, Russian bear wrestler extraordinaire, had bent the beast into submission with a special psychic headlock. It had fled the area, never to be seen again. A breeze filtered in, and Norman closed his eyes as he simply listened to life for a while.

Feeling sufficiently relaxed, he allowed his thoughts to turn to what he’d learned in such a short span today. He’d never thought there could be other kinds of mediums, and now apparently he was one of the most powerful types. It was scary to think about, that he’d had this strength all along and could have unleashed it at practically any time.

But he hadn’t.

The realization dawned on him so suddenly he had to sit up properly. His power was scary, yes, but even when he’d been left bruised on the schoolyard, or harried all day by the awful jeers of his classmates and wanted nothing more than to silence them all, or had his things trashed—or even the night he stopped the curse, with a mob hungry for violence and a vengeful ghost who threw him from a building, then tried impaling, electrocuting, and finally just beating him—he’d done nothing but try to move on, make things better even. He hardly blamed Aggie for lashing out the way she had—there’d been times he would’ve wished he really had done the same as her. But ultimately it had kept her from finding the peace she deserved, and now the same abilities were keeping him from finding peace, though at least in this case it was peace of mind. The difference was, what happened with Gideon had been extraordinary circumstances. The power-hungry nine-year-old had warped his mind with a psychoactive mineral, then taken away what kept him grounded and played up his deepest fears, but that was hardly how his mind always was—he wasn’t vulnerable like that. His grandma had been right when they talked those late evenings after Aggie had been laid to rest at last; even if he could do everything Aggie had, there was no reason to believe he ever would.

Feeling much relieved, he took a deep breath and let the last of his stress go. And then realized how hungry he was; where was Raz with lunch? With a huff, he stood and climbed out of the isolation chamber, closing the rusty door behind him and scanning the area for any sign of the young psychic. Of course there was nothing, and instinct based on years of horror movies told him he should stay put. As soon as you left the safe place, you were doomed. Frowning, he opened the door to the chamber again and sat on the edge to wait.

And wait.

And wait.

His stomach twisted with a grumble, wearing out the last bit of patience he had. That was it. Standing forcefully, he trotted down the stairs, out of the little fenced-in area—and straight into Bobby Zilch.

“There you are, new kid,” the bully sneered, snatching Norman by the shirt. “I’ve been lookin’ for you. I heard you’re not even psychic. D’you know what I do to people who aren’t psychic?”

“You leave them alone,” Norman shot. He was having none of this, but neither was Bobby.

“You’re gonna wish that’s what I did!”

A telekinetic hand wrapped around him, and the thuggish psychic grinned wickedly as he set off with his new target. Norman writhed in midair to no avail, but eventually just gave up, remembering how not even Raz had been able to break out of a telekinetic hold. For now, he’d wait for the bully to lose interest; that always worked with Alvin, though he certainly wasn’t above glaring daggers at his captor while he wasn’t looking.

“You’re here at this stupid summer camp to learn, well here’s your first lesson,” Bobby said, turning to face his victim. They’d ventured pretty far into the forest now, and he was confident no one would interrupt. He released his mental grasp, making sure Norman landed as roughly as possible before he spoke again. “I’m the boss around here, especially of new kids. And since I’m the boss, you gotta listen t’ me, and I say you gotta earn it before you get cool stuff.”

Bobby swiftly plucked the psychic-cancelling helmet from Norman’s head. He looked it over, kind of jealous it fit this newbie’s hair but would never contain his, and Chloe wouldn’t wear it; maybe it was too cool for anyone to have.

“Hey!” Norman shouted as the bully sped off on his levitation orb, mocking him.

“Try and catch me! Zilch strikes again, yeah!”

Norman watched him speed off as he picked himself up, a pit in his stomach where he’d been hungry before. The GPC—safety—really wasn’t that far, but if he didn’t go after Bobby, how would he get his helmet back? It’d been made just for him, and now he’d lost it. Well, he could look for a little while, he told himself; maybe he’d find Raz and could tell him what was happening. Dusting himself off, he broke into a run.

Back at the main lodge, another hat-based crisis had arisen—Dogen’s hat had been blown away by a particularly strong gust of wind down on the beach, so now a camp-wide search was in order, and several of the kids—including Raz—had been enlisted to keep the boy calm up at the main lodge while the rest looked for his hat or tried to make him a new one. Dogen was petrified, his eyes squeezed shut while he tried to think of anything but the situation. He didn’t want to explode any heads accidentally, especially not his friends’.

Eventually they managed to fashion a hat that suited him well enough, and he wore it happily. After all, it’d been made by all his friends at camp—even if they never found his old one, this one had new, good memories attached to it. Raz was uncertain how good those memories really were, but at least the crisis was averted. Regrouping with Lili, the pair went to get sandwiches from Cruller, who’d given up on being camp grillmaster for the year after an unfortunate incident involving a cobweb duster, some dream fluff, and lighter fluid. Only Lili seemed to realize how much time had passed.

“You know, Norman probably thinks we’ve ditched him by now.”

“Oh man, I can’t believe I forgot. Must be the GPC blocking my connection. Let’s hurry!”

Grabbing their meal and leaving payment (in the form of a pile of arrowheads) on the counter before Cruller could so much as look at them, the two sped off. Taking the fastest route they knew, they headed for the cave that linked the beach to the GPC and passed Bobby looking pleased with himself as he kicked up sand at the seagulls. They exchanged glances but kept on; Bobby knew better than to mess with their friends.

“Norman, we’re back! You like peanut butter right?” Raz called cheerfully as they headed up to the chamber, but the door was open with no sign of the medium. The two exchanged glances, and knowing each other’s thoughts they began the search. Lili noticed the footprints in the loose dirt—one set they knew belonged to Norman headed out, and stopped at another set of bare-footed prints.

“Uh oh,” she said, kneeling to look at them, and Raz hurried over. “I think I found our problem.”

Raz said nothing, for once. A sour look pulled at the corners of his mouth as he pictured what had happened. Now that he thought about it, he could sense Norman, which meant…

“Bobby stole his helmet.”

“You mean we’ve got another hat emergency?”

“Yeah, only Dogen’s not in danger of losing his mind. C’mon.”

“Wait,” Lili said, closing her eyes. Raz obliged, realizing what she was up to, and was overcome by how this girl, amazing and beautiful and smart, had picked him of all people. He watched her as she concentrated, eyelids fluttering ever so slightly as she connected with the world around her and listened to what the plants had to say about a medium and a bully. With a sharp inhale, she stood and called up her levitation orb, and Raz followed suit.

“He’s near the reception area. Let’s go.”

Without further hesitation they rolled off, through the fallen log that served as a bridge to the GPC and following the path to their right. Passing the swamp and Cruller’s trailer, they came to the circle of logs and the stage carved into a massive tree where one fateful day, Raz had made his debut. But there was no sign of Norman there; listening to the trees, Lili indicated he was just up the hill, where Raz knew of a tiny, mysterious graveyard. Somehow he wasn’t surprised Norman had found his way there, but what was he doing? He should know he didn’t have time to talk to any ghosts.

“Norman!”

They could see him standing in front of the tombstones, staring into thin air, but not talking, and Raz could feel his presence but it was like it was distant—his mind was elsewhere. Approaching him, Lili waved a hand in front of his eyes and got no reaction, and looked to Raz, who shrugged.

“Looks like some kind of trance, but we’ve gotta get him out of here. Hey, Norman!” he said again, shaking him gently by the shoulder. With a sharp inhale, the medium blinked and shook his head out, looking disoriented before finding his friends’ faces.

“Sorry,” he said reflexively, wringing his hands, and Raz shook his head.

“No, don’t worry about it. We’ve gotta get you back to the GPC until we get Bobby to cough up your helmet.”

“I was actually headed back, and then something happened… somehow I ended up here,” Norman explained as they began walking, glancing around worriedly.

“Probably some kind of vision right?” Lili suggested, and he nodded.

“You can tell us about it later. Try to keep focused on us right now,” Raz said, noticing his friend’s gaze shift to the distance as he spoke. Norman blinked again and nodded, knowing the psychic was right. As long as he was focused, the visions were less likely to overtake him. At least now, without Gideon’s influence to guide his thoughts, he saw almost anything. Still, even on a normal day his mind wasn’t exactly sunshine and rainbows, so he tried to ignore when a horde of zombies apparently broke out of the ground and started shambling towards them, only to vanish the next instant. There was a repeat performance of the zombie uprising further down the path, then Neil playing with his dog, and finally a real crow that became a flock of thousands that blotted out the light over the GPC. And then it was into a psycho-isolation chamber and peace as his head cleared. But his friends hesitated, and it sank in that no matter what, he wouldn’t fit in anywhere, and a hollow sadness set in.

“Hey,” Lili said, climbing in and scooting over to him, and he blinked. “Without that helmet on, you know you’re an open book right?”

“Sorry.”

“Stop apologizing for everything, jeez. It’s not your fault the psitanium affects you. And why do you want to fit in anyway? Fitting in’s for posers.”

“Thanks,” Norman said with a light chuckle.

“Probably the psitanium still affecting his brain,” Raz wondered, then scooted in next to his girlfriend and handed out the sandwiches. For a while they just focused on eating, each keeping to their own thoughts. It was Norman who eventually broke the quiet.

“It’s just… I tried being alone for so long, then when I finally got friends, it hurts to be apart from them even more. These chambers… they’re not fun for you guys, I know that. Even Mr. Nein called it a death trap.”

“So you’re pretty special if we put up with it for you. I don‘t even know you that well,” Lili said with a grin and punched him lightly in the shoulder. “But Raz thinks you’re pretty cool, so I’ll take his word for it.”

“Really?” Norman said, turning to him.

“Duh? You’re pretty awesome. Ghost powers, horror movie buff, it doesn’t get much cooler than that.”

Norman thought to rebuke him, but steps outside drew their attention instead.

“Ah, there you are. No wonder I couldn’t reach you,” Sasha said, levitating the rest of the way over and landing just next to Raz. “I was wondering if Norman would be willing to do a few more tests, so I… Where is his helmet?”

“Uh…”

“Bobby took it,” Lili spoke up, and the senior agent lightly shook his head.

“That child must learn to control his impulses. Do you know where the helmet is?”

It was their turn to collectively shake heads.

“I see. Well, one of the tests I wanted to do requires you to take it off anyway. We can do that while Razputin and Lili investigate the location of your helmet.”

“You’re sure that’s a good idea?” Raz said, folding his arms.

“I… I think I can do it,” Norman said hesitantly. “I had a chance to rest.”

“Very well. I expect to meet up again soon.”

With that, the two young psychics sped off to begin their search, and Sasha escorted Norman back down to the lab. The tall fellow indicated a seat nearby while he adjusted his machines once again, and besides the low hum of his devices it was quiet. Norman sat and drummed his fingers on his knee anxiously. It was hard to not be nervous even with one’s mind in the capable hands of one of the world’s premiere psychic agents. Granted, one that had no qualms about performing possibly illegal tests on children, but Raz had assured him Sasha seldom got into things he couldn’t get himself out of.

“Alright Norman, everything’s ready.”

“What’s this test for?”

“Basically to confirm your standing as a Class 0. I have good reason to believe you are, but this will provide solid data. What’s more, learning about you will help us understand the class as a whole, and how to better handle their cases. You know, it wasn’t long ago that you would have been considered a true psychic, Norman.”

“Really?”

“Yes. The distinctions weren’t always so clear, but thanks to individuals like you stepping forward, we were able to build a much clearer picture. Your specific abilities may not match what other mediums could do exactly—come to think of it, I don’t think they do—but they add to our collective knowledge about what humans are capable of.”

“I wish my parents could hear this,” Norman said quietly with a half-hearted laugh.

“Hm, well, that can be arranged. Now, how are you feeling, calm?”

 “I guess so,” Norman answered with a shrug.

“Good. Now, I’d like you to sit under the scanner again, but this time, I will also be entering you mind and we’re going to perform a few exercises. Nothing too elaborate; I’ll be taking a look around, but if any changes are made it will be because you willed them to occur, not me. Is that alright?”

“Um… yeah.” He stood, and walked over to the Tesla coil- hairdryer thing and laid under it again.

“Do you remember the meditation sequence I used in the psycho-isolation chamber? Good. I’d like you to use it, and focus inward. Try to find your center…”

Norman did as he was instructed, and found he had a much easier time relaxing now. The whirr of the machine as Sasha fired it up simply faded into the background. Eventually he felt like he was floating in a comfortable darkness… it was the most peaceful he’d felt in a long time.

“Norman? We are now in the outer layer of your mind. How are you doing?” Sasha’s voice echoed through his head, but somehow he was even more focused now.

“I’m okay,” he replied.

“Tell me, do you see anything?”

“No…”

“That’s to be expected. You’re in a state of self-hypnosis, which should be enough for our purposes. Before the invention of the brain tumbler, this was how investigation of one’s own psyche was done, and it is still useful in cases where a brain tumbler is potentially dangerous.”

“Why… would it be dangerous?”

“Well, if we used it on you, you might not have the ability to pull yourself out. You’d be trapped inside your own mind.”

“Oh. That sounds pretty bad.”

“It is. But self-hypnosis is safe to practice for almost everyone, so it is the best alternative. Anyway, let us proceed. Now do you see anything?”

A blurry figure came into view, slowly sharpening like the focus on a camera until it was obviously the legendary Psychonaut standing before him.

“I see you?”

“Very good. Now, let’s go deeper into your mind. Focus on my presence, and follow me,” he intoned, and began walking. It was hard at first, but soon Norman felt like he was being pulled along by Sasha’s wake rather than merely following him. A scene faded into view; a meadow with grass that came up to his knees and surrounded by a forest of straight-trunked, dark-barked trees that seemed to have no real tops; they merely faded into a yellow-green haze of leaves instead. Dominating the meadow was a sprawling oak, and beyond it a path into the woods. It all felt familiar, like he’d been to this place many times, and yet he knew he’d only seen something like it once. Sasha was standing under the tree, examining it, so he joined him.

“Is this really what my mind looks like?”

“Only part of it, and the part we’re interested in. Intriguing that it manifests as a tree…”

“Why? I don’t… think I like trees all that much.”

“The mind is fond of symbols and allusions, and they often don’t make sense at first. Haven’t you had dreams like that?”

Norman nodded; he supposed he’d had some like that and hadn’t even been asleep. “So… do you know why it’s a tree?”

“Hmm… the tree of life is a motif in cultures all over the world, so that’s a possibility. In some European cultures, trees were believed to be the link between the heavens, the earth, and the underworld as well…”

Norman blinked at him. “…So the inside of my mind is one big symbol for how I can see ghosts?”

“Um, well no, not your whole mind. But I certainly think this tree represents your link to the spirit world, and yes, your power as a medium. It also appears to represent the things you live by, mottos or unwritten personal truths. Very wise for one so young.”

“Um… yeah. Now that I think about it, Raz told me that’s how Gideon got to me. He hurt it, and… by extension, me, I guess.”

“My suspicions are confirmed then. By disturbing the internal connection, he was able to upset your personal balance between the real and spiritual worlds. And now you can see why it would be unwise to try cutting off your abilities.”

Norman turned to the tree, somber. “It’d… it’d be killing this, wouldn’t it? I’d be killing part of my mind.”

“Precisely, though ‘killing’ is a strong word for it. Now, what we’re interested in is the power represented by this tree.”

“What are we going to do?”

"Nothing drastic, don’t worry. First, a visual assessment. Hmm…” Sasha looked the tree up and down, a finger perched thoughtfully at his chin. “It certainly looks strong. Good size, leaves in full form. No structural weaknesses or broken limbs…”

“Raz told me it was bare when he was in my mind. What does that mean?”

“It was probably a reflection of the enormous amount of stress you were under. Tell me, what did it look like while he was helping you channel energy when you were battling Gideon?”

“I don’t know. I guess he wasn’t in the right part of my mind.”

“Hm, that’s unfortunate. It would help determine the extent of your abilities.”

“…We really need to find out?”

“I suppose not. I’ll admit I am intensely curious, but if you aren’t comfortable proceeding then we can call the tests off. I’m only concerned for your peace of mind.”

Norman thought about what the agent had said, and reflected on his own feelings. Would not knowing about his abilities really bother him? He didn’t think so…. But they’d come out here to learn about this. Was it scary finding out all these things? Of course, he’d already determined that. But his grandma wouldn’t have wanted him to be afraid. His abilities were scary, but that was because he didn’t know how they worked or whether he had any control over them. Before now, he hadn’t, but Sasha was telling him it didn’t have to be like that. He could do something about it, make it better—maybe even for more people than just him. And he’d done that before.

“Agent Nein… what if I did want to use my powers?”

The psychic turned to him, a brow raised in mild surprise. “A change of heart?”

“…Sort of. I came out to Whispering Rock to find out about this stuff… and it was a lot more than I expected. But if I really can learn about how I can do all this stuff, and why, then maybe it won’t be so scary.”

“Ah. Understanding is the best antidote to fear. Razputin wasn’t kidding when he said you were secretly a very brave individual, though trust me, he didn’t say it quite like that,” Sasha said with a smirk, and Norman chuckled. No, Raz certainly wouldn’t have put it that way. “Well, all the more reason to find out what you can do so we know what we have to work with.”

“Uh… and how do we do that?”

“Good question. Let’s see…”

As the agent pondered, there was a distant rumble that gave them both pause.

“Um…”

"Well, I was hoping we wouldn’t be interrupted so soon, but this may be the opportunity we need,” Sasha said hopefully, and Norman gave him a look. “I suspect the psitanium is beginning to take hold, but remember: your personal beliefs are still intact, you are still in control.”

Norman nodded, though still a little uncertain. It was reassuring to know that one of the top psychics in the world believed in him though, and if worst came to worst, he’d be there to back him up. There was another rumble, closer this time, and a breeze whispered through the forest. He backed up, closer to Sasha and the tree. What did hallucinations look like inside one’s own mind anyway?

Apparently, just like regular hallucinations, only Sasha could see this one too. The ground trembled, and the light green of the forest shifted to red. Everything began to stutter like old film, accompanied by the rising sound of static. Shadow figures flickered in and out of existence all around them, some uncomfortably close, but the firm hand on his shoulder was only Sasha.

“Alright Norman, consider this your first test! Do whatever you think is necessary to banish this vision from your psyche. Remember, control is key!”

Norman nodded, and looked back at the terrifying scenery. A shadow figure snapped into existence right in front of him, leering with a smile with too many teeth, forcing him to jump back with a cry. His back met the bark of the tree—his strength.

This was just a vision, imagined by himself. Surely he could turn it into something better? Glaring at the figment advancing on him, he pictured it fading away into nothing.

Sasha watched in awe as something came over the boy. He closed his eyes and pressed his hands to the bark, and the tree began to shimmer a gleaming yellow. The shadow that had been threatening moments ago burned away from the inside out, its edges smoldering like paper over a candle. The effect spread from there, and the crimson forest was replaced by one filled with redwoods and other evergreens, plain white light filtering through the thick branches. It was vaguely familiar, and Sasha realized why: Norman had summoned a memory of the forests in Gravity Falls. It didn’t last long, going the same way it’d appeared, but it left things as they’d been before the Psitanium-induced vision.

“Norman, that was quite impressive. Were you aware of what you were doing the whole time?”

Norman blinked his eyes open, happy to see the original forest was back. He stepped away from the tree and made sure nothing about it had changed—and it hadn’t. Shaking out the tingling sensation in his hands, he turned to answer the agent.

“I had an idea, and could sorta feel what was happening. Does that count?”

“Well, not really, but that’s alright. The important thing is that it worked, and you did it by tapping into your latent abilities as a medium—using the energy of your spirit to interact with and change the world around you.”

“That… sounds pretty cool,” Norman said, breaking into a small smile, and Sasha gave an approving nod. He’d done it… he’d controlled his powers and even the influence of the psitanium. Where he’d been afraid before, now he was excited.

“Of course doing this inside your mind is one thing; doing the same in the real world is another step entirely, and one you may not be ready for. Let’s get out of the lab and discuss this later. I have a feeling more visions are on their way. Alright?”

“Uh, okay. How do I… un-hypnotize myself?”

“Oh, yes. I’ll help you get back to the outer layer of your mind, then from there it’s fairly simple. Focus on your breathing again, then on waking up. Understood?”

“I think so.”

“Good. Come on then.”

Once again he followed the agent’s presence through his psyche, and his mindscape faded away to black once more, and then even Sasha faded as he left his mind. He was left feeling peaceful once more, and did as Sasha had instructed to pull himself out of the trance. Blinking, he heard the machine winding down, and slowly rose, surprised he felt so rested.

“Good work Norman. I think today alone you have made excellent progress, and looking at the preliminary data there is no disputing you are a Class 0.”

“Hm,” Norman said, coming over to look at the readings himself, even if he didn’t really know what they meant. Class 0, the most powerful….

“Only the most powerful; not necessarily the most dangerous,” Sasha said reassuringly, looking down at him with a soft smile. “In fact, I have reason to believe you are among the least likely to ever abuse your talents. You are far less reckless than Razputin, and he’s considered a full Psychonaut you know.”

"Yeah,” Norman said with a laugh. Raz didn’t always have the best judgment, but he did when it counted most, and that’s what really mattered. Not wanting to linger, they headed back up, and though he didn’t feel like it was hanging over him quite so much it was still a relief to feel the faint buzz of the psitanium leave his skull.

“Ah, it appears we have good timing,” Sasha noted, gesturing at the two familiar figures walking into the GPC as they exited the chamber. Norman waved, and they hurried over, apparently glad to see him okay.

“So you survived Sasha’s top-secret testing huh?” Lili teased as they got close, Norman nodded, though he noticed they didn’t have his helmet, as did Sasha.

“No luck recovering the helmet? That’s a shock.”

“Bobby threw it in the lake. We tried to get Linda to find it, but she didn’t know where it was either,” Raz explained, looking dejected.

“Ach, how frustrating. Well, I’ll work on retrieving it later, but for now we have something to discuss.”

“Yeah! What’d you learn?”

“Uh… I have superpowers,” Norman joked, and the two young psychics broke into grins.

“You could put it that way. Technically we all do, following that logic,” Sasha said, shrugging.

“So, before, you weren’t so sure about these powers. You changed your mind?” Lili asked, folding her arms but seeming genuinely curious.

“Well… yeah. I didn’t want to be worrying about them the rest of my life. Maybe if I can learn how to use them, they might even do something good.”

“That’s the spirit. From what I’ve gathered though, even the most destructive of your talents has proven useful already.”

“Yeah, against Gideon! If we hadn’t been able to team up and use your lightning against him, who knows what he would’ve done to any of us. I would have had to save all your minds again,” Raz piped up with a smile.

“Probably,” Norman agreed, eyes downcast. If Gideon had won, well, there was no doubt he’d be using his powers already, and not of his own accord. But no, things wouldn’t be like that again, he promised himself.

“I’m glad you’re feeling more positive about yourself, Norman, but there is something further to discuss regarding the development of your skills,” Sasha began, commanding everyone’s attention. “You will need others around you to keep you grounded, and particularly a psychic’s help to guide your practice.”

Raz broke into a grin; he knew where this was headed. “You mean I get to help Norman with his powers?”

“That’s where I was going with this, yes. You know Norman’s mind the best out of anyone; his fears and his strengths, his hopes, how he reacts. I can give you the literature and techniques, but I have my own work here I need to attend as well as my duties to the camp. You are not so tied down”

“Help train Norman, got it. Uh… how do I do that?”

“I have everything for you. Let me retrieve the files from my lab and we’ll continue.”

“So…” Lili started once their mentor had left. “Do I get to help too? This is pretty exciting. I mean, it’s not every day you meet the strongest medium in the world.”

“Haha, I’m not the strongest,” Norman replied, shaking his head. “I just want to know how my powers work so I’m not afraid of them… and not afraid of misusing them.”

“You? Misuse?” Raz broke into a laugh. “I’d like to see you try.”

“Well I’m glad someone’s confident about this,” Norman shot, raising an eyebrow before laughing himself. “I think… it might be scary, but it could be cool too. Like, I dunno… maybe it would help me figure out how to help ghosts that are trapped here. Or keep something like what happened with Gideon from happening again.”

“You can’t really tell most of the time, but most of the kids here actually do want to use their powers for good. Even Bobby, believe it or not. Seems to me you’re not much different,” Lili observed, and Norman shrugged.

“I guess not. Sasha told me I would’ve been called a psychic not too long ago.”

“Heh, seems like it’s a good thing you’re not now though. If they’d sent you here for psychic training, well, I don’t think it would’ve gone too well,” Raz mused, and his friend made a face.

“Yeah, definitely not.”

“That would indeed have been unwise,” Sasha spoke, suddenly touching down behind them, a few chunky manila folders tucked under his arm. “But it’s no concern now. This is.”

 The file folders floated into Raz’s grasp, and his mouth fell open as he realized all this material was his to read. Frowning, he briefly flipped through it, page after page of technical jargon and nonsensical graphs he was still learning to understand. Looking up, he gave Sasha a look of betrayal. “Okay, I know I’m like, a prodigy and stuff, but I don’t know what half the words in this even mean. You can’t seriously expect me to know what it’s telling me to do, and then teach Norman about it. Right?”

“Um…” Sasha trailed, taking the folders back and flipping through them. “Right. I forget not everyone is so well-versed in Psychonautic terminology. I’ll see what I can do… though it might mean Norman has to stay here a bit longer than we intended.”

“Uh… how much longer?” the medium in question asked, eyes narrowed with concern.

“Only about a day more, I think. We’d have to come up with sleeping accommodations… perhaps we should talk to Milla and Ford,” the scientist replied, turning to lead the way out of the GPC, but halted as Raz spoke up.

“But Sasha, unless we get his helmet back, Norman’ll have to stay in a psycho-isolation chamber all night. You know how smelly and gross those things are. You won’t really ask him to sleep in one, will you?”

“Well, there is one other room that would be suitable…” Sasha replied, but pursed his lips. “It has the strongest shielding in the entire camp in fact, but there’s good reason for that.”

“Cruller’s observation room,” Raz breathed, and put a hand to his chin. “It’s definitely more comfortable. Spacious, well-lit, furnished… but Sasha’s right. There’s a slight problem with getting there.”

“What?” Norman asked, wondering just what was so terrible.

“The psitanium mother lode,” Lili answered, a bit too ominously for the medium’s liking. As though her reply hadn’t been ominous enough. He sighed, then nodded with brows raised and a sardonic smile.

“That does sound like a problem.”

“It wouldn’t be once you were in the observation room of course,” Sasha noted, “but the time spent traversing the sanctuary could be enough.”

“Maybe… it’s not worth it…” Norman murmured, his excitement thoroughly quelled. He didn’t want to lose control before he’d even had a chance to learn anything.

“Don’t worry Norman, we’ll figure something out. If Bobby hadn’t taken your helmet we’d have a way easier time with this whole thing,” Raz said, trying to be reassuring, but it only made Norman feel worse.

“It’s my fault he got it in the first place. If I hadn’t left trying to find you guys, I wouldn’t have bumped into him, and then…” Norman trailed, looking into the distance. Bobby was right there, jeering at them and waving the helmet over his ridiculous hair. Dull stirrings of hate swirled briefly through his heart, but a snapping in his ears broke the illusion, and he found Sasha kneeling beside him, still managing to be taller while Raz and Lili looked on in concern. Norman studied their faces for a moment before dropping his gaze to the ground and hugging his arms to his chest. It was an old gesture, learned from too many years spent under scrutiny for the smallest hint of weird and being ‘caught’.

“Norman,” Sasha said firmly, “you cannot blame yourself for the actions of another. Bobby took the helmet because he cannot resist his impulsive nature. You were very brave to go after him despite the danger, you mustn’t forget that. But I think it’s time you rested in a chamber—we lost you for a moment there.”

“Yeah,” he managed to reply weakly. Maybe it was the psitanium, but he was suddenly very afraid. And here he thought he’d conquered that.

There’s nothing wrong with being scared, so long as you don’t let it change who you are.

The familiar words echoed through his head, but it was not his grandma’s voice he recalled. Was it… Sasha? He looked up at the agent, who gave an almost imperceptible nod before standing and beckoning the kids on back to the open isolation chamber. Norman clambered in again, feeling a weight lift from his mind he hadn’t even noticed building over the course of the conversation. It was like he could finally breathe, but the ups and downs of the day were starting to wear him out.

“Better?” Lili asked, poking her head in, and he nodded.

“I’m starting to get tired though… a lot’s happened today.”

“I bet. Being a guinea pig can really take a lot out of people. No offense, Sasha.”

“None taken. Taking a break is probably wise. In the meantime I’ll see what I can do about the… manual. I’ll keep you updated.”

They waved to him as he levitated back up to the entrance to his lab, then the two remaining psychics scooted in to join Norman once more. For a while, they all just relaxed; Norman rested with his eyes closed and back to the padded chamber walls, while Raz and Lili sat together near the open door. A slight breeze brought fresh air in, and despite everything it was actually peaceful.

“So… what should we do if Sasha makes you stay here overnight?” Lili asked, finally breaking the quiet.

“I… guess I don’t know,” Norman replied after a moment’s thought. “I mean, I guess I still want to learn about what I can do. But if Sasha can’t put it in a way either me or Raz can understand, it might not happen.”

“Well I know I’d hate trying to sleep in one of these things,” Raz said, poking the worn cushioning. “Psychic or not, they’re not exactly comfortable. Or sanitary.”

“Yeah, no,” Lili nodded in agreement. “The last time anyone cleaned these was probably never.”

Norman made a face.

“I’m gonna talk to Cruller. He might know something we can do to get through the sanctuary without Norman losing his mind,” Raz said, sliding out of the isolation chamber and leaving the two to wait.

Lili watched her partner go and shrugged; it was just like him to get an idea and run off right away. Once he was out of sight, she turned back to Norman and studied him briefly. His gaze was distant. It was rude to telepathically eavesdrop, but occasionally she’d pick up on the odd word or phrase—mostly thoughts about what he’d learned today. She couldn’t blame him for being occupied, but maybe it’d help him to talk about it. It helped her, even if her only audience was a flower.

“So… why’d you even agree to come out here?”

Norman looked up quickly, blinking at her like he was surprised someone was talking to him. “Uh… well, I didn’t. Not at first, anyway.”

“Changed your mind?”

“Yeah. I mean, the psitanium was definitely the main reason I didn’t want to, but Sasha said he could help me learn why I can talk to ghosts. It’s something I always wondered anyway, and then finding out about Aggie…” he trailed, rubbing the back of his neck. “And then with what happened just this summer, with Gideon torturing me and Dipper and Mabel… I needed to know if I was a danger.”

Lili nodded sympathetically. She’d never really had trouble controlling her powers, but there were so many kids she’d met over the years that did. Norman was in the same boat.

“I just wish the psitanium wasn’t such a problem,” he finally huffed.

“I think maybe you’re just extra-sensitive to it,” Lili reasoned, trying to cheer him up. “It does help us psychics, but I hardly notice it when I go home, and some other kids say it’s like someone handed them an energy drink when they get here. So even with us it just depends.”

“Hm. I guess that makes sense.”

“It also doesn’t help most of your life sucked.”

“… There’s that.”

“It tends to dredge that stuff up. And don’t worry… mine kinda does too,” she said softly, playing with the strings of the friendship bracelet that never left her wrist. “Being a girl that would rather talk to plants doesn’t get you many friends.”

“Neither does talking to ghosts,” Norman chuckled half-heartedly.

“Yeah… just saying you’ve got a ton of junk the psitanium can mess with. It’s kinda no wonder you’re having issues, really.”

“Guess so,” Norman mused. “Hopefully though…”

Lili watched him expectantly.

"Hopefully, with whatever Sasha ends up doing, it won’t be a problem anymore. Like he said… if I understand why I can do these things, and how… they won’t be so scary. I won’t have to worry about repeating the past and hurting anyone. I’ll be able to do things for myself… instead of everything happening to me.”

Lili smiled at his resolve. He was hardly the doormat his first impression suggested; underneath that quiet, somber demeanor was something strong, resilient. Like a tree.

  ---

  “Hmm. And Sasha’s sure it’ll take him more than a day?” Cruller asked, a hand perched at his chin.

“Yeah. All those folders he handed me were huge,” Raz replied, trying not to sound dejected.

“You know, Sasha’s not the only one who has literature on this kind of thing,” Cruller said with a wink before turning to the ever-circling panels of surveillance and data he constantly monitored. With a gesture, he pulled a screen up and enlarged it, and a smaller screen with a digitized keyboard popped up under his hands. Raz watched awestruck as he pulled up file after file of exclusive documents only a select few could say they’d ever read.

“A few things have changed with new research, but these are the exact techniques the Psychonauts’ very own Eli Speck developed a few years back for dealing with powerful mediums,” Cruller elaborated as he arranged all the files into a larger folder.

“Yeah, I think I remember reading about that guy. What happened to him anyway?”

“Well accordin’ to True Psychic Tales he vanished after a séance, but I know for a fact he’s happily retired. Now, there’s nothin’ dangerous in here, but because mediums are so rare we just don’t go handin’ this stuff out. There can be a little, uh… animosity between psychics and mediums. It’s all a misunderstandin’ but I think Norman’s already had enough of that, hm?”

“Yeah. So my mission’s like top secret but not, right?”

“Pretty much. Now, I’ve sent the files to Sasha, and it’s fine that you report to him on your progress and discoveries, but there’s something else I want you to promise me, Razputin.”

“What?”

“I want you to be careful. Practically every Class 0 to date has been different, so even these detailed instructions may not always be helpful. If that happens, it’s down to you two boys working it out and figuring what works best for Norman; this may mean his mind is in your hands,” Cruller warned, deadly serious. “On top o’ that, you’re both young, and your minds are still developing. Now from what I can tell Norman’s pretty mature for ‘is age, but that doesn’t mean you can sort through his mind willy-nilly, y’ hear? Respect his boundaries and don’t push ‘im too hard. I know you can be too curious for your own good.”

“Heh,” Raz said, scratching the back of his head.

“As long as you can do that, I’m sure you’ll be fine. Promise?” Cruller finished, fixing Raz with a sincere gaze.

“I promise,” he answered, equally sincere, and Cruller relaxed, satisfied.

“Alrighty then, where were we? I’m gonna give Sasha the evening to look over those files; in the meantime, our medium needs a place to sleep for the night, correct?”

“Well yeah, but—”

“Ah, now y’ don’t think we’d host government inspection officials without havin’ a place for ‘em to stay, do ya? Can’t have our laymen liaisons loosin’ it, can we?”

“Uh… no sir.”

“Milla’s offices have an extension just for this kind of thing; just a few rooms with full shielding, and a view I might add. We don’t use ‘em that much so I don’t blame Sasha for forgettin’ about ‘em.”

“He sounded like he was really busy with research too,” Raz put forward, and the psychomaster nodded.

“That too, heh. Kid can’t concern ‘imself with anything that isn’t science sometimes. Bah, look at me callin’ him a kid. You run along now, and I’ll have Milla meet you down at the beach. She’ll getcha all settled in.”

“Thanks Agent Cruller!” Raz called, already on his way out. He hopped down to the rapid transit system, listened to the husky computer voice recite its usual spiel, and selected Agent Nein’s lab. Man, Cruller really should see about getting his cart some new lines; after the thousandth time these were getting pretty darn old.

--- 

“So… what exactly do plants like to talk about anyway?” Norman asked, looking around at the trees just outside the GPC.

“It kind of depends on the plant. A lot of them like talking about the weather, or what bees came and pollinated them today, or if there are herbivores moving through to look out for. And it’s kind of weird, they don’t really talk in words either, but I always know what they say,” Lili explained. “Sometimes they’ll sit there really quietly when it’s sunny and just photosynthesize. I can’t really explain how that feels, but I like listening to them the best when they do that.”

“Hm,” Norman hummed, smiling. At least Lili’s telepathy talents were peaceful; he could recall many a time when a ghost had pestered him about their unfinished business, or more distressingly, latching onto him after being alone for too long and realizing he could see them.

“They can get really excited about rain. That can be funny or annoying, depending on your mood,” Lili continued. “But they like hearing from me too. I’ve had a lot say it’s neat to hear from an animal’s perspective.”

“Animal?”

“Yeah, they’re not always so good at distinguishing us.”

“I guess not.”

“Trees are better at that. That’s how I found out where you’d gotten to after Bobby attacked you, by the way. What did you even see over there? You said it was a vision…”

Norman frowned, trying to recall it. He remembered being on his way back to the GPC after failing to catch up with Bobby, and then… the scenery had burnt out, and figures had flickered around him like a high-speed video—pioneers, miners, natives, all passing through and exchanging glimmering purple. But amid the flurry of lost souls, three figures had stood vigil, once fine clothing ragged, their worn faces obscured by dark shadows. He’d drawn closer to them, and a dry voice no more powerful than leaves in the wind whispered to him.

This valley is cursed.

“Whoa,” Lili pronounced when he’d finished describing it to her, and he nodded sympathetically.

“I thought the whole… seeing visions thing was just related to Aggie, but now…. Now I think it can be related to a place too. I just hope I’m not expected to break this curse too,” he said, and managed to smile, and Lili laughed.

“It could simply refer to the decline of Shaky Claim,” Sasha suddenly said, joining them. “After the initial boom, things rapidly deteriorated. Being a superstitious lot, the townsfolk were likely to blame some kind of curse for their misfortunes and increasing rates of mental health issues.”

“That makes sense,” Norman said. “But… Shaky Claim?”

“A town now long flooded by Lake Oblongata. Silver mining was the main draw, but psitanium was occasionally sought as a ‘miracle cure’ and hallucinogen. Little did people know its other side effects; eventually there were more people in the local sanatorium than the town itself, so the government had everyone evacuate and flooded the crater to prevent further issues.”

“Whoa,” Norman uttered. So there was an entire abandoned mining town under the gleaming lake he’d glimpsed? And how many ghosts still inhabited it, left behind by everyone? He wondered what it was like down there, alone in the dark and murk and ruins of what had once been home…

And then Raz landed next to Sasha wearing a grin, interrupting his visualization, but at least he came with good news.

“Oh… oh yes. I did forget about those,” Sasha said when Raz had relayed Ford’s solution to staying overnight. “Which is rather sad, considering I’ve stayed over there myself. Well, let’s go meet Milla, shall we?”

Lili and Norman clambered out of the isolation chamber, then the trio of kids followed their mentor out of the GPC. Sasha led the way, with Raz and Lili not far behind. Norman brought up the rear, content to follow along. He wasn’t nearly so afraid now; he’d had a good rest in the isolation dome, and though he might’ve been following them, he knew they had his back and would be there for him if something went wrong. It also helped the walk to the beach wasn’t nearly as long as the one to the main lodge—a cave made for a convenient shortcut.

“Hello darlings!” Milla called when they emerged on the sandy shore. “I’ve got it all set up for you already dears, now it’s time for the grand tour, ah?”

“I can’t believe that in all my years coming here, this is the first time I actually get to see your lab,” Lili said, planting her hands on her hips as they gathered around the vivacious councilor.

“Well darling, you once came when you were very small, I don’t blame you for not remembering,” Milla said, tweaking the feisty redhead’s nose. “C’mon, let’s get started, maybe it’ll jog some memories.”

“Sasha forgot about it too. Do you blame him?” Raz pointed out with a cheeky grin, and Milla couldn’t help but laugh as she glanced over and saw her partner’s sour expression.

“No darling, I do not. It’s been… oh, months for sure. Ay, there’s going to be some dust even Cruller didn’t get to before camp opened,” Milla replied, patting Raz’s head. “Now, enough chit-chat. Follow me, dears.”

Sasha cleared his throat. “I’ll take my leave. Apparently I have some reading to do. I leave you three in capable hands.”

They watched him go, then Milla beckoned the kids on, through the boathouse and out onto the floating rafts. They walked all the way to the end to where the bathysphere was floating securely, and Milla opened the door for them.

“Now, I know it’s a little cramped but we won’t be in it for long. This thing isn’t just for field trips to the bottom of the lake, you know,” she explained with a smile as they clambered in, then sealed the hatch.

“Or for following a mind-controlled mutant lungfish who just kidnapped your girlfriend,” Lili added, elbowing Raz as they sank beneath the surface, guided by Milla’s expert touch.

“Technically you weren’t my girlfriend yet, but yeah,” Raz replied with a smirk. “Milla’s lab is super-cool though, just you wait.”

Norman chuckled softly, then turned to watch as they passed a small school of fish, then blobby pillars of algae as it grew towards the surface. Rock formations faded in and out of the murky half-light, and he frowned slightly as a glimmer of violet caught his eye. Then they passed into shadow close to a rocky wall and ascended, breaking into a small chamber with a dock and rounded door set into the wall. Milla anchored the bathysphere, then opened the door with a pop. The air was cool and damp, and it smelled like pond scum, but even that couldn’t curb the kid’s excitement as they filed out of the bathysphere and into the first room in Milla’s underwater lab.

After a short, sunken hall where they left their shoes, the room was carpeted with lush orange. To their left, the wall was really nothing but a window out into the lake, letting soft natural light filter in. The opposite wall was lined with white bookshelves, and an old fashioned TV—kind of like the ones in her mindscape, Raz thought—was nestled in the middle. Artsy, modern chairs with odd swooping forms were arranged in a half-circle around the TV, and Milla lit some equally funky lamps now that the sun was going down. But they moved on past the parlor, through the actual lab part of Milla’s offices (which was very bright and almost fun, contrasting sharply with Sasha’s), and on to a back room that was lined with wood paneling, had a couple beanbag chairs, and a low table scattered with fashion magazines along one wall. Milla flicked on the lights in here too, and Norman noticed the door-shaped seams set into the paneling. He glanced up at the glamorous psychic, and she passed him a wink before with an invisible touch, she opened one of the inset doors.

“Secret room! Awesome!” Raz exclaimed, his whole face lighting up as he charged in—then immediately almost stumbled, a hand at his temple while he found his footing.

“Raz?” Lili started forward, but he’d recovered already.

“Dang, now that’s some really good shielding,” he said as he backed out. “Guess I should’ve seen that coming, huh?”

“I thought you guys were psychic,” Norman said wryly, and for a moment they stared at him before Lili snorted and Raz burst out laughing, while Milla shook her head, covering her smile with a hand.

“Okay, that was good,” Raz admitted, still chuckling. “But only some psychics can tell the future, okay?”

“I know,” Norman smiled, then turned to Milla. “So this is where I’ll be staying?”

“Yes darling. Go on, take a closer look,” she replied, shooing him in.

It was a relatively small, almost square room, plainly furnished compared to the rest of the lab. Once again, the left wall was a window out to the lake, though it bowed outward and gave the room a little extra space. A couple chairs were placed near the window, and there was a nightstand next to the bed. There was a door to a private bathroom along the back wall; overall it was like one of the nicer hotels Norman had stayed in with his family on their trip out west. One thing this room had that those hotels definitely hadn’t though? The shielding that had chased a faint pressure out of his mind and a weight off his shoulders.

“Well? Think you’ll be able to sleep in here Norman?” Lili asked, leaning in through the door, and he nodded.

“Definitely. Um… what about you guys though? Are you going back to the cabins?”

Raz passed a glance at Lili, then spoke. “Well… we might be highly trained psychic agents, but I don’t know if me or Lili could handle sleeping in a fully shielded room. You grow up connected to the world, and then try to sleep somewhere where you’re not, it can mess with you,” he explained, shrugging. “So I guess I don’t really know.”

“Oh come Razputin, you think I’d pass up a little slumber party?” Milla cut in with a wink. “Nothing too wild, but I think I have some popcorn and some movies we can put on until you kids want to sleep. Always good to have things on hand when people need a little TLC, you know?”

Milla definitely didn’t have any zombie movies, but they found a couple to watch anyway, and about halfway through she brought out some popcorn for them, and hovered in the back working on some paperwork of her own while she kept an eye on them. At one point there was a dull tapping on the glass behind them, and Norman jumped as he turned to see huge, glowing eyes peering out of the darkness behind Milla. But Raz happily explained it was just Linda, and greeted the mutant lungfish. To Norman’s surprise, a deep, sepulchral voice answered, broadcasting itself telepathically, asking what they were up to. The giant fish ended up sticking with them to watch the rest of the movie, then bid them goodnight, vanishing into the nighttime murk of Lake Oblongata.

It was only a few minutes into the third movie when the day finally caught up to Norman, like someone had dumped a heavy blanket on him. Suddenly there were things flickering in his vision again, and he realized the movies had kept his attention so well he’d forgotten the psitanium could still bother him here. That was a pretty definite sign it was time for bed. Raz was a little disappointed they wouldn’t get to finish the movie, but his friend’s mental health was priority. Milla got out some extra blankets for them and Raz and Lili pushed the beanbags together and made a sort of nest, laying a sheet over the top and tucking the edges under to make a sort of mega-beanbag. As they got cozy, Norman settled into his own bed. He’d been in a sleeping bag for a while now, and while he didn’t really mind it the Mystery Shack floor wasn’t exactly the most comfortable place. Needless to say a real bed was a welcome change.

With everyone tucked in, Milla turned out the lights. Moonlight filtered in through the lake, and Norman watched it gently undulate on the carpeted floor. He could hear Raz and Lili talking softly to each other through the cracked door, and listened until their murmuring finally trailed off. As tired as he was, there was no chance he’d fall asleep right away. Too much had happened today, too much to think about. For a moment he wondered if the Psychonauts could tell him if he really had insomnia, or just an overly-active imagination like his mom thought. Maybe he’d ask about it tomorrow, but for the time being he just let his mind wander. It was awesome he had such good friends who weren’t afraid of him despite everything, and it’d be neat to tell the Pines about what they’d learned. As scary as some of those visions had been, they were pretty inspiring too. Hopefully he’d remember them so he could draw them later. Whoa, what about psychics fighting zombies? Or psychic zombies? That could make a pretty cool story; he’d have to tell Raz about it and get his input. With Raz training him in all things extrasensory, they’d have plenty of time, for both serious and silly things. Hopefully, a good mix of both.

---

I'm alllmost done with the fic I needed to polish up before I post the first fic I mentioned, so thank you for being patient! I hope to get it up in the next couple of days, so stay tuned! ^^

---

So is it just like a crossover between the movies/shows? Like kind of a free crossover or is it like a certain crossover? Sorry if i'm not clear

Yup! Like I mentioned in a previous post, the usual group is the kids from Coraline, ParaNorman, Gravity Falls, and Psychonauts, but people have added Courage the Cowardly Dog, Invader Zim, Scooby Doo, and probably more I’m forgetting; it’s really flexible. I have certain ones I like to add more than others, but really it’s down to personal preference. ^^

---