Dipper and Gideon got to work on revising their plan. Dipper was full of restless, angry energy after his encounters with Tyler and Pacifica, and he was so fidgety that Gideon quickly banished him from the window seat. He talked with Gideon from various positions around the attic (standing, sitting, lying down with his legs sticking in the air), and he found himself an extra pen to twirl around his fingers while Gideon used the other pen to make notes.

To start, Dipper told Gideon what Tyler had said about the rift down main street. "It's like the whole forest is split into islands. Do you remember that sound we heard, during the earthquake? The crunchy asphalt sound? I think that was the street splitting apart."

Gideon listened with wide eyes. "Well," he said when Dipper was finished, "I guess we can't go that way."

"No, we can't," Dipper said. "We'll have to go to June." When first making their plans, he and Gideon had come up with two different ways to get the Northwest Manor: either make a break for it across the street and go up to the Manor from there, or leave out the back of the Museum and try to get Juniper the hamadryad's help in escaping through the trees. They didn't know how easy it would be to get June's help, but now it seemed she was their only option.

"You said Tyler described it like islands?" said Gideon. Dipper nodded, and Gideon frowned. "Will June be able to take us through the trees, then?"

"I dunno," said Dipper, "but if she can't take us up to the Manor, then I'm sure she can at least take us to someone who will help. Like the minotaurs."

Gideon pursed his lips. "I don't want to go to the minotaurs."

"Why not?"

A guarded expression came over Gideon's face. "They would stop us from doing anything. Remember how they wouldn't let us help at all last week? Andrew and Ford insisted on working alone, and Andrew still messed it all up."

"Messed it up? What do you mean?"

"He spent days putting up this barrier, but Pacifica still got through it in an instant," Gideon said. "And nobody else could get through to help us, because the barrier blocks out our friends as well as our enemies."

Dipper folded his arms, his eyes flaring. "It is not Andrew's fault that Pacifica hurt Mabel. He worked harder than anyone to protect us! I heard him telling Ford once how complicated this barrier spell was compared to other ones he's seen before, but he still managed to do it for us. Andrew helped us, and he can help us again."

"I don't want his help," Gideon said. "I don't want to rely on anyone else to rescue Mabel. We're not going to the minotaurs."

The boys glared at each other for a moment before Dipper dropped his gaze, sighing. "Fine. Are we still going to ask June for her help?"

Gideon took a calming breath and nodded. "Regardless of what she can do to help us, she's still our best option. So, how do we get to her tree without getting caught first?"

By "her tree," Gideon didn't mean June's actual tree; that tree was somewhere deep in the forest. He meant the tree behind the Museum that June had been using to transport the Symbols to and from their home. The trees in the forest were connected in the hamadryad network, which allowed the hamadryads and their passengers to move instantly across the forest. June had traveled through one specific tree behind the Museum, so that was the one the boys would go to.

"That tree is smack-dab in the middle of the open space out back," Dipper said. "Dim light or no, they'd see us coming if we just went right for it. We'll have to approach from the side, in the trees."

"Which side?"

"Doesn't really matter. Let's do the west side, with the gift shop. When should we try for it? Are the servants out there 24/7?"

"Undoubtedly. I'm sure they have constantly rotating shifts."

Dipper frowned. "So at least one person is probably catching sleep at any given time. Bill could show up and warn them of what we're doing, no matter what time we're doing at." His frown deepened. "Except. . ." What had Tyler said about Bill, again?

"I don't think Bill is watching us all the time," Gideon said. His voice was careful, like he didn't want to get his hopes up. "Pacifica let slip earlier that she misses Bill, like he hasn't been visiting her. I don't think she's seen him at all since Friday. And I haven't had nightmares from him since Thursday night."

"Really?"

"Yeah. . . I mean, I've still had nightmares," he said uncomfortably, "but. . . Bill has a certain style that's been missing. I'm not entirely sure he's stopped sending them, but they don't feel like his nightmares anymore, and he hasn't come to talk to me at all."

Dipper nodded thoughtfully. "Tyler told me that he couldn't talk to Bill right now," he said. "And he said Bill put the servants in charge, like he wasn't going to be here himself. Do you really think he's not watching?"

"I don't know if he's watching or not," said Gideon, "but it sounds like he's not visiting people. Which is the problem we have."

"Why would he be watching but not visiting people?"

"Maybe he can't visit. I don't know. Pacifica seems to know a lot about it, but she's not sharing."

Dipper scowled. Of course she wasn't. "Well, if the servants and Order members are here all the time, and Bill isn't visiting anyone, then I guess we can just go whenever we're ready," he said.

"We still have to be careful, in case he is visiting people. We have to assume the servants know we're coming. But yeah, we can probably do it at any time. But we can't just make a run for it."

"Why not?"

Gideon held up a finger, like he was about to count off the reasons. "The snow is deep, which slows us down," he said. Another finger went up as he added, "The snow is loud, so they'll hear us coming. And"—a third finger went up—"if they grab hold of us while we're passing through the barrier, then they can push us back through it and get in themselves. And that's just three reasons."

Dipper rolled his eyes. "I'm not saying we just run through the open area behind Ford's lab. I was the one who suggested going through the trees, remember? Why don't we sneak through the trees, find a spot where no people are, jump through the barrier, and then go to the tree from there?"

"If they catch us before we get there, they'll still be able to take us back through the barrier and get in themselves," Gideon said, a touch of exasperation in his voice. "Then they could break into the Museum and get the dagger."

The dagger was safely hidden in the gift shop, concealed among the usual shelves of trinkets and the displays that had been moved from the Hall of Mysteries. But the best protection for the dagger, Dipper knew, was the magical barrier around the Museum. Their enemies couldn't be allowed to get through it.

Still, "There's a risk of them catching us no matter what," Dipper pointed out. "My suggestion still sounds like the best way."

Gideon rubbed at his eyes. "I wish I had my amulet," he said, not for the first time. "Then we could just fly out of here."

"What if," said Dipper as an idea dawned on him, "we went up to the barrier, as close to June's tree as we can get, and called to her before we even went through? Then she could come, we could run across the barrier, and she could take us just like that!"

"And the servants would hear us, come running, and probably shoot her as soon as she appears."

"Can bullets hurt her?"

"I don't know, but I don't want to find out."

Dipper sighed. "Okay, then, we wait until there's an Order member standing near her tree. We get the Corduroys to go up and talk to that Order member. And while they're distracted, we run off."

"That might work," Gideon said. "But. . . I like your first idea the best. Sneak through the trees, past the barrier, and go around to June's tree. Then we can call for her quietly, without the servants even noticing that we're leaving. I just don't know if there will be an empty spot for us to go through the barrier."

"We'll just have to look," Dipper said with a shrug.

Melody called them down for lunch a few minutes later, and Dipper quickly told her that they were leaving soon. "We don't know when, but we're not really waiting for anything."

Melody wanted to know the details of their plan to escape, so they told her. Gideon didn't mention any part of the plan after that, though. On Sunday, the boys had talked about what they would do once they got to the Manor, but Gideon obviously thought Melody didn't need that information.

"Really, if we can find a chink in their armor, we can just slip out," Dipper said. "And it'll be easier to slip out the back than the front anyway, since there are more trees to hide in."

"Why not go out the front?"

The boys glanced at each other, and Dipper told Melody (and Fidds, who was also eating with them) about the rifts. They were surprised, though they also remembered hearing the asphalt split apart during Friday's earthquake.

For the rest of the day, Melody helped the boys make backpacks with food and supplies. Dipper hadn't even thought of that, so he was glad Melody was on their side. After dinner, Dipper was ready to leave right then.

"Can you go in the morning?" Melody asked. "You should get a good night's sleep first."

"I don't think I could sleep tonight anyway," Dipper said. But Melody made him wait. It didn't really matter what time they left — there was no sunrise or sunset to visually mark time, anyway — but Melody was adamant about keeping a normal schedule with meals and sleep times. She still thought it best that the boys leave in the morning.

So Dipper spent a restless night trying to get some sleep and mostly failing. Finally, when his clock read five A.M., he gave up. He patted Waddles (the loyal pig had stayed by his side despite his tossing and turning), then got out of bed and turned on a flashlight. By the light of the flashlight and the blue rays from Mabel's moon that shone through the window, Dipper got dressed, put on his dark red hiking shoes, and checked that everything was in his pack. Sandwiches — check. Water canteen — check. Mabel's grappling hook — check. He'd used it before to rescue Mabel and Ford, and he'd use it again for the same purpose. A bag of heat mushrooms — check. Flashlight and batteries — check. Stun gun and a handful of knockout patches — check.

He went to the door to his room and paused for a moment, looking around. If all went well, he would be back here soon with Mabel.

His eyes alighted on Mabel's sketchbook, which was still sitting on her bedside table. Should they take that? He quickly decided that, yes, he would seal it in a waterproof bag, take it with them, and keep it safe. Then Gideon could take it to Mabel once he got his amulet.

She would get it back.

He grabbed the sketchbook and went down the stairs, careful to walk quietly. Gideon was already up and dressed, sitting silently on the couch. "Are you ready?" he whispered to Dipper without a greeting.

"Yeah, but we should wait for Melody to get up," Dipper whispered. "We'll want the Corduroys out there, too, to distract some of the Order members."

Since it would be a few hours before that, Dipper settled on the couch next to Gideon, and they sat together with only their flashlights and the blue light coming in through the window on the door.

"I've been thinking," Gideon said, keeping his voice low so as to not wake the Corduroys or the Valentinos, who were sleeping in the Hall of Mysteries. "About one of your ideas. You said we could go up to the barrier and call to June from there."

"Yeah," said Dipper, also quietly. "You want to try that?"

"No, I still think we should stick with our current plan," said Gideon. "But I've been wondering. . . why haven't any supernatural creatures come to the Museum? Why has it just been us and the enemy?"

Dipper shrugged. "Like Tyler said. . . the forest split into islands. They haven't been able to get to us."

"Does that mean June won't be able to get to us when we call to her?"

Dipper hesitated. "We have to try," he said.

"I know, but. . . what if she doesn't come?"

"Someone will," Dipper said adamantly. "We've only met June, but there's a whole bunch of hamadryads who all hear things through the same trees. Someone will come and help us."

Gideon was quiet for a moment. "Or maybe they've all abandoned us," he said. "Maybe they're choosing not to come."

"Why would they choose not to come? We Symbols are the most important people in the area right now. Don't get all paranoid."

Gideon rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine, you're right."

The boys sat there for a few more hours, both of them dozing on and off, both fully dressed. They were woken up at eight A.M. by Melody, who was smiling at them. "You're all ready to go, aren't you?" she said.

"Yes," said Gideon, getting to his feet and pretending he hadn't been asleep. "Let's get some breakfast and get out of here."

Thirty minutes, one breakfast, and a dozen hugs from Melody later, the boys were finally ready to walk out the door. They went to the gift shop entrance to be closest to the trees they needed to sneak through. Melody went with them, gave them both one last hug (she hugged Gideon very gently, and he seemed to both dislike it and enjoy it at the same time), and told them, for the millionth time, to be careful.

"We will," Dipper promised.

"Come back with our family," Melody said.

Dipper nodded. Gideon opened the door, and they quietly stepped outside.

Greg, Janice, and Robbie Corduroy were already outside, fanned along the back part of the barrier to distract the people there. Dipper saw a silhouette in the distance, standing on the path that led to the gift shop, but he and Gideon ignored it as they walked off the gift shop porch and slipped into the shadowy trees.

It was terribly hard to walk quietly through the deep snow around the Museum. Whoever was waiting on the path probably had seen them, and they could probably hear them, too. But Dipper tried not to think about that; he kept walking with Gideon. He had the grappling hook in his hand, ready to launch himself into the trees or destroy a servant's gun — he'd done similar things in the Order headquarters before, so he felt confident he could do them again.

They stayed close to the edge of the trees, only a few feet away from the clearing behind the Museum. Their pace was slow: They were trying to be quiet, and it was hard to see and avoid the trees in this light. But they'd get to the barrier soon. Then they just had to slip through and sneak away to June's tree.

Dipper could hear the Corduroys in the distance, talking to someone outside the barrier. He couldn't make out the words, but it was comforting to know that the Corduroys were there. Would their distraction be enough? He could only hope.

As they walked along further, Gideon tapped Dipper on the arm, pointing to a silhouette in the trees. Oh, no. Someone was standing directly in front of them, guarding the barrier in the exact spot that the boys were hoping to pass through. Gideon led Dipper to the left, further into the trees, in the hope that they could slip through at a different point. They moved until they could just barely see the silhouette (they didn't see any others, thankfully), and then moved forward carefully, keeping an eye on the figure.

It didn't move at first. Then the person started walking along the barrier, towards them. "Dipper?" a voice asked in a whisper.

Oh, no. That sounded like Tyler. Dipper shared a look with Gideon (though they couldn't see each other's faces very well in this light). What should they do?

"Dipper," Tyler hissed. It sounded like he was calling to him. Dipper glanced again at Gideon, then decided it was too late; Tyler had already seen them. Dipper walked up to the figure.

"I'm sorry, Dipper," Tyler whispered. "I shouldn't have acted the way I did yesterday."

Yesterday's anger reappeared in Dipper's chest; he didn't say anything, because he'd probably explode again if he did.

"Northwest," Tyler said in surprise as he looked closer at Gideon. "What are you two. . . ?" He paused, seeing their packs and the grappling hook in Dipper's hand. "You're leaving," he said.

Neither Dipper nor Gideon answered. Would Tyler raise the alarm? Would the Order and the servants stop them?

The three of them stared at each other in wary silence. Tyler didn't call for help or anything like that. Dipper didn't know what was going on in the man's head, but he knew he personally was getting more anxious by the second.

"Go," Tyler finally said. "I'll leave and pretend I didn't see you. Go. . . go save your sister."

Even in the dim blue light, Dipper could clearly see the surprise on Gideon's face — and Tyler's. The man looked shocked that he was offering to help them sneak out. But he did as he said: He moved away, leaving the way open for Dipper and Gideon to safely leave.

Dipper felt a wide smile spread across his face. He took Gideon's hand and pulled him across the barrier. Thank you, Tyler, he thought. Thank you.

The anxiety turned to relief as Dipper moved through the trees on the other side of the barrier. They were out! They weren't too far from June's tree! They could make it! Gideon had to pull Dipper back to stop him from running through the snow. "We're not safe yet," he whispered in Dipper's ear.

Dipper shrugged off the comment. They might as well be. It was only a few more yards to June's tree.

"Who's there?" someone called.

Gideon made a frustrated, fearful noise in his throat. "I told you!" he hissed. He grabbed Dipper's arm and pulled him further into the forest, away from the servants — and away from June's tree.

"Stop! I'll shoot!" The voice sounded like that woman who came to interrupt Dipper and Tyler on Sunday. Dipper couldn't help but roll his eyes as he and Gideon ran away. What happened to "Of course I wouldn't try to shoot you"?

A gunshot went off. Dipper's heart leapt to his throat. He had a theory that the Symbols could only die if they were stabbed by the dagger — but he certainly didn't want to test that theory! The sound of running feet followed the gunshot: The servants were giving chase. Dipper followed Gideon deeper into the forest, even as he knew that the servants would catch up any second. "How are we going to get to June's tree?" he asked Gideon frantically.

"We'll have to use another one! She told us she could access any tree if she really tried!" Gideon raised his voice and yelled, "June! Juniper! We need your help!"

Dipper joined in. "June! Or somebody! We need you! We have to travel through the trees!"

More gunshots rang through the forest; one hit a tree not too far from Dipper's head. "Please, June!" Dipper cried. "Someone help!"

He wondered if he should use the grappling hook to pull Gideon and himself into a tree. But wouldn't the servants be able to hit them easily if they went up into a tree? Dipper tightened his grip on the grappling hook but didn't raise it. He just kept calling for help with Gideon — although that was dangerous, too, because it meant the servants easily knew where they were.

There were quite a few times that he slammed into tree branches or even tree trunks as they ran, but he had too much adrenaline to feel the pain. When he or Gideon hit an obstacle, the other would pull him back to his feet, and they'd run on together.

"June, please!"

And suddenly someone was there. Hands grabbed Dipper and Gideon and yanked them to the side with superhuman strength. Another gunshot rang out, and Dipper thought he could feel the bullet whiz over his head.

Then their rescuer pulled them into the trees, and the forest disappeared.