The Reveal
Our story is about a town. A small town. And the people who live in the town. From a distance, it presents itself like so many other small towns all over the world. Safe. Decent. Innocent. Get closer, though, and you start seeing the shadows underneath...
We can't tell you who we are. Or where we live. It's too risky, and we've got to be careful. Really careful. So we don't trust anyone. Because if they find us... well, we just won't let them find us. The thing you've got to know is that everyone is in really big trouble. Yeah. Even you.
The thing about Riverdale, Betty Cooper thought ruefully, is that the town itself seemed resistant to change, both publicly and privately, even in the wake of major events.
Yes, Jason Blossom had gone missing on July 4th, and his dead body had just been found with a hole seared through its head. Yes, her sister Polly had suffered some kind of breakdown that summer, and was now "in convalescence" at an institution somewhere - her parents wouldn't say where, despite all of her pleas. Yes, she had confessed her feelings to Archie, and been gently yet firmly rejected. All of these events should be earth-shattering - world-shattering, in fact.
And yet life went on. River Vixens practices were grueling, but regular. Betty's parents worked at The Riverdale Register, but came home in time for dinner. Sophomore classes assigned incrementally more homework, but not significantly different than freshman year. And as much as Betty wanted the universe to acknowledge the major changes going on, the year went on as meticulously printed in the planner Riverdale High gave out the first day of classes.
And so came the mid-September Day known as Mentor/Mentee Day.
"I don't get it," Veronica complained as they lined up at the entrance of the high school. "What's the point of having a day where kids from the middle school shadow us?"
"It gets them used to high school, so they won't be too overwhelmed when they get here next year," Betty explained patiently.
"But why now?"
"Rumor has it they do it in the fall so the eighth graders don't think of themselves as big fish," Kevin dropped in easily. "It works, too. Reggie Mantle was almost nice for a full three days after our visit. Then he started getting beer from his guide and it all went to hell."
"Okay, that makes a little sense. But why was I assigned a middle schooler to babysit? I've barely been here for a New York minute, I'm not - " Veronica paused as Principal Weatherbee's secretary handed her the info packet on her assigned student. "Wait, did they draft me as a guide because we're the only two Latinx students in Riverdale?"
Betty took a moment to note Veronica's pronunciation of "Latinx" for future usage before looking at her packet. In the upper right-hand corner was a headshot of a pretty blonde middle-schooler, while the rest listed her achievements and extracurriculars. They've really got to fix the printer at the front office, Betty thought, there's a blot that's completely obscuring her last name.
Veronica was already peeking over Betty's shoulder. "OMG, B! She's like your Mini-Me. Straight A's, tons of extracurriculars - Packard Foundation Outstanding Student, whatever that is."
"I got that award in middle school, too," Betty admitted.
"You guys are going to get along great. Meanwhile, I have some little baby boy who is super into - " she squinted at the paper. " - the M-C-U?"
Archie appeared then. "Guys, awesome news, my eighth grader is Tom Berenson's little brother! Tom just quit the basketball team, maybe I can get his bro into football instead by stoking the sibling rivalry!"
"Maybe you could interest him in music lessons with Miss Grundy, too, and start the next generation of musical jocks," Betty joked.
Archie's smile faltered. "Yeah, I don't know about that. Maybe I should just focus on football."
Betty frowned, but before she could ask anything more, the middle-school bus arrived in the parking lot.
"Mentors, go find your mentees!"
"That is the most ridiculous term I've ever heard," Kevin said as they started moving towards the buses. Veronica and Archie snickered.
Betty kind of liked the term, but rolled her eyes in agreement anyway.
She adjusted a wisp that had gotten free from her ponytail and prepared to be the best guide she could possibly be to her poor, confused mentee.
Betty had not been expecting her eighth-grade mentee to be taller than she was, or for her to be so model-esque. Like Veronica, Rachel strode through the halls of Riverside High like she had her own personal spotlight on her, but unlike V, she didn't seem to notice any of the attention she was getting, or care.
It was ridiculous for Betty to be intimidated by a girl two grades younger than she was. Utterly ridiculous.
Rachel was also proving to be far from the Mini-Me that Veronica had suggested. Far from having questions or being impressed - Betty still had a copy of the three-page list of questions she'd written down, before discovering that her mentor was her own sister and she could just ask the questions at the breakfast table - Rachel just seemed...tired. She actually fell asleep during third-period trig, to Betty's dismay.
What kind of late nights is an eighth grader having?
And why am I feeling so lame in comparison?
Rachel perked up a bit as lunchtime approached, and actually seemed vaguely interested in discussing the River Vixen routines on their way to the cafeteria. She was just explaining some basic gymnastics moves that the Vixens could incorporate into their routine when they ran into Principal Weatherbee standing at a hallway junction, deep in discussion with a man Betty recognized as Mr. Chapman, the assistant principal of the middle school.
"Ah, Betty Cooper! Just the person I wanted to see," Weatherbee waved her over. By her side, Rachel stiffened, but followed.
"Hi Principal Weatherbee, Mr. Chapman," Betty smiled.
"Mr. Chapman was just telling me about a very interesting organization he leads in the community, called - I'm sorry, what was it again?"
"The Sharing," Mr. Chapman said. He smiled, but it didn't touch his eyes. Betty was reminded that she'd never liked Mr. Chapman all that much as a middle school student. "It's a great group. In fact, I told Rachel here about it not too long ago. Rachel, have you been thinking about joining?"
Rachel pulled her lips back in what Betty could tell was a lying-to-adults smile, the kind that Betty gave to her mother on a nearly daily basis. "I'm just really busy hanging out, doing stuff."
"Well, Betty, if you're interested, Mr. Chapman is trying to get a chapter started at the high school, too! He just found a teacher to serve as an advisor, but he could certainly use someone with your drive to get it flowing."
"I'll think about it," Betty said. "I'm pretty busy right now, with the River Vixens and the Blue and Gold…"
She started to move, but Mr. Chapman stood in her way. "You should really think about it, Betty," he said, looking directly into her eyes. "It could change your life."
"I will," Betty said, still smiling. After a moment, he let her go, and she and Rachel continued to the cafeteria.
"That was weird," Betty muttered.
"You have no idea," Rachel agreed.
Betty led Rachel to her usual lunch table, where the rest of her friends were also sitting down. Everyone but Jughead had a mentee in tow.
Rachel, focused on her tray, froze in surprise when she saw the other mentees, who were all looking at each other with similar looks of shock.
"So, do you guys know each other?" Kevin asked after a moment.
All four spoke at the same time.
"Jake's my cousin - " Rachel said hastily, gesturing to Archie's mentee.
"Marco and I have been best friends since we were in diapers - " Archie's mentee, a big guy (as big as an eighth grader could be) stammered. Betty figured he must be Tom's younger brother.
"Rachel and I are BFFs - " Kevin's mentee, a black girl with close-cropped hair in overalls, squeaked.
Only Veronica's mentee seemed to be cool with the situation. "Jake and Cassie are in luuuuurve," he said, jerking his thumb between Archie's and Kevin's mentee. "Hey blondie, my name is Marco."
"So, you all do know each other. Could have just said so," said Veronica. "Hey, Marco, if Jake and Cassie are a couple, should I ship you with Rachel?"
Rachel groaned. Marco leered at her. "You could, V. What do you say, Rachel? You know I burn, I pine, I perish."
"Bug off," Rachel muttered. At least, Betty thought that's what she said. The first word was a little indistinct.
Marco grinned and turned to the rest of the table. "Alas for me, Rachel's more into birds than boys." Rachel bared her teeth at him, while Jake and Cassie snickered. "But if you're available, Veronica…"
"No way, mi enano."
"...Que?"
"It's okay, Rachel," Kevin said gingerly. "I'm also more into birds than I am into... chicks. You'll find that high school is way more accepting of these kinds of preferences than your middle school classmates."
At this point, Jake, Cassie, and Marco were all silently convulsed with laughter, while Rachel appeared to be counting to ten under her breath. Betty figured she better jump in and salvage her mentee's pride.
"Why aren't you a mentor, Juggie?" Betty asked.
"I bet Weatherbee didn't want my lack of school spirit to infect the incoming classes," Jughead replied easily.
"Hold up. Your name is Juggie?" asked Marco.
"Jughead, actually. Is that too weird of a name for you?" Jughead asked through a mouth full of fries.
"Nah, I'm pretty used to weird names," Marco said casually. Around the table, the rest of the eighth graders suddenly went straight-faced, as though trying not to laugh. Strange, Betty thought. It wasn't really that funny of a joke.
"Kev, any update on the Jason Blossom murder?" Jughead asked abruptly.
"Kevin's the sheriff's son, and he found Jason's body last week," Veronica explained to the middle schoolers in a stage whisper.
"While in the course of doing totally normal and platonic things that I'm not explaining to kids who have barely entered puberty," Kevin said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "No, nothing new. Though I will say, I have a new appreciation for the destructive power of guns. They're not just phallic symbols anymore."
"It wasn't a gun," Betty said. Suddenly every head at the table swiveled toward her, and she flushed at the attention. "Not to ruin everyone's lunch, but my mom got the autopsy report from a friend in the medical examiner's office - Kevin, please don't tell your dad - and it's weird. Like, doesn't make sense. She doesn't want to publish it until she can talk to someone at the university."
"What's so weird about it?" asked Archie.
Betty took a sip before milk before answering. "It wasn't a gunshot wound. There was no trace of residue of gunpowder anywhere on his skin, which, okay, that might have been because of the immersion in Sweetwater River. But the body was iced for a while before it was released in the river. But the wound itself is perfectly symmetrical, and goes all the way through the skull. And - it's too neat. Kevin, do you remember seeing a lot of blood?"
Kevin shook his head. "I was more overwhelmed by the whole finding-the-body thing to notice all the details.."
"You didn't notice it because it wasn't there. Because whatever was used to shoot Jason Blossom in the head cauterized the wound as it went. Whatever was used to kill him burned as it went through his skull."
Jughead tilted his head at her as he went through the implications. "So...like a phaser? Like Star Trek?"
"That's what it's like, but that's ridiculous." Beside her, Rachel stiffened, gripping her fork tightly. "My parents have no idea what it means. And that's not even the weirdest part." She lowered her voice further. "When the ME was going through the autopsy, he had to cut around in Jason's skull. And he found something in his brain that wasn't supposed to be there."
Archie wrinkled his brow. "Like...a tumor?"
Betty shook her head. "It was, like, extra material surrounding the brain. I don't know how to explain it. My mom's convinced it was because of some kind of drug Jason took, but I don't know how that would get in his brain. So she's at the university today talking to a contact there in the neuroscience department to get an expert opinion before she publishes the article."
Betty picked up her milk carton again, but realized she had completely lost her appetite. She looked up and realized all of the eighth graders were staring at her with looks of horror.
"Don't worry, guys, murders like this never happen like this in Riverdale," she said, automatically slipping into caretaker mode. "My parents are just a little obsessed with this because Jason was dating my older sister, and…"
"It's okay, B." Veronica patted her hand. "Don't worry about the kids. They've got to grow up sometime."
"Personally, nothing has shocked me since I googled 'tubgirl'," Marco said. Jughead's and Kevin's eyes both lit up, while everyone else looked at Marco with varying degrees of bemusement and exasperation.
"Marco, if you devoted half the time you devote to your hair care to - " Rachel started, and then broke off, head slightly inclined, as though she was listening to something no one else could hear. "Sorry, guys, I gotta - cramps," she said hastily, grabbing her bag from the table and heading towards the cafeteria door.
"Yeah, I, er, have her tampons," Cassie said, "she's going to need them." She, too, grabbed her backpack and left suddenly.
"And I have the - uh - tampon-holders," Tom's brother said, "so I'm gonna - see ya." He, too, headed out, also forgetting his tray on the table.
All eyes turned to Marco, who gave a theatrical sigh. "I just saw three teens with a complete lack of cool, I've gotta go teach them how to get it back. Or in Jake's case, get it at all. Guys, girls, it's been fun." He paused by Veronica's chair. "Adios, mi princesa. Is using Spanish working for me at all?"
"Not even a little bit," Veronica replied, her eyes dancing with amusement.
"Great, I don't really know any other words." Marco placed his hand over his heart and said, "until we meet again," before sauntering off. Too late, Betty realized that his byplay with Veronica - sincere or not - had kept her from investigating what was going on with his friends.
The remaining high schoolers sat in bemusement for a moment, until Archie broke the silence. "Did we just get ditched by a bunch of eighth graders?"
"Yes," said Jughead. "Welcome to the ranks of being decrepit and ancient. JB has been making me feel this way since she was 8."
"What made them all run off like that?" Betty wondered.
Kevin shook his head. "Don't bother trying to figure out the ways of kids these days, Betty. They probably just found out that someone was shitposting their woke bae on Instagram and they had hashtag FOMO."
"Do you know what any of those words mean?" Jughead asked.
"Not really, but at least I'm making an effort."
"Hey V, congrats on being a cougar," Betty teased.
Veronica laughed. "He's a little heartbreaker, that one. If only he were taller."
"So, speaking Spanish is a turn-on for you, then?" Archie asked interestedly.
The bell rang then, saving Betty from witnessing more flirtation between her oldest friend and her best friend. It still gave her a bit of a pang, as much as she was trying to be okay with it, and she didn't know what to do except distract herself.
Which is why she snagged Jughead's arm as they were leaving the lunchroom, even though she was balancing her own tray and the trays the middle-schoolers had left behind.
"We're still on for investigating today, right?"
Jughead nodded. Up close, she could see how deep the shadows were under his eyes, and she felt guilty for adding one more thing to his plate.
"Yeah. Up for a field trip?"
"To where?" It was automatic, and a ridiculously pedantic and useless rule, but Betty would be hanged before she ended a sentence with a preposition.
Jughead smiled wryly. Betty couldn't remember the last time she had seen him smile non-sarcastically. "Where Jason Blossom's body was found."
"So have we gone full Nancy Drew?" Betty asked as they stood along the river edge.
"Please, Betty, my masculinity is fragile enough. I'm a Hardy Boy," Jughead responded, but the response seemed automatic. For all that Jughead had instigated the trip, he seemed remarkably uninterested in the scene of the crime - scene of the discovery? - and was instead focused on the woods and sky around them.
Betty tried to focus and see what Jughead was seeing, but it was useless. There was the trickle of water from the river, the foliage beginning to be tinged with fall, some kind of big bird circling lazily overhead, and - what else? Why look away from the river?
"Juggie, are you going to let me know what you're looking for?" she asked finally.
There was a long pause before he answered. "I'm looking for...a connection," he said finally. "I know we think of Riverdale as being completely idyllic, but there's been a lot of strange stuff the last couple of years."
Betty shrugged. "Jason Blossom. A new mayor. The Bulldogs had a losing season. Archie's into music. What other weird stuff?"
"Bigger. On a more cosmic level."
"What, is Mercury is in retrograde again?"
"Not…" Jughead shook his head. "Look, Betts, if I tell you something that might sound a little crazy, will you trust me?"
"Of course, Juggie." She sat down against a maple tree, its leaves a delicious green canopy above her. He stood in the shade next to her, steadily refusing to meet her gaze.
"I've been doing some background research on Riverdale for my novel. There's a lot going on here, but no one's putting the pieces together. Did you know that Riverdale has the second-highest rate of reported extraterrestrial sightings in the country?"
"Extrater - you mean, aliens?" Betty tried, and failed, to keep her mouth from dropping open in shock.
"Roswell is number one, but we're number two. And the rate of people reporting sightings is increasing."
"Again. Aliens?"
"It doesn't have to be aliens," Jughead said, a little desperately. "It means that something is going on, that people are thinking happens to be aliens. And - did you know that Riverdale has one of the highest rates of institutionalizations in the country?" Jughead asked.
"Yes, I'm aware," Betty replied coolly.
Jughead immediately gave her a chagrined look. "Christ, Betts, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."
"It's all right, Juggie." She tried to keep focusing on what he was saying, but the image of Polly trapped in a building somewhere swam in front of her eyes as he went on.
He started ticking off points on his fingers, his voice pitched low. "Multiple buildings have suddenly collapsed, but there's been no investigation into any individual construction firms. I found out that one because Mr. Andrews complained he has to pay higher rates to get bonds even though none of his buildings have been the ones that collapsed, so he's not at fault. There have been a bunch of missing people. Usually adults. Their bodies are never found. Last spring, there was a couple of girls who got lost somewhere along the river. They were separated, and they only managed to survive by eating mushrooms, but the point is, they were actually found. Most people aren't. We're definitely not in a drought, but there have been three or four major fires, and no investigations into why. And people keep saying they see wild animals at weird places downtown, but The Gardens never reports any animals being missing. There's something going on."
"And you think it's aliens," Betty said flatly.
"I think there's something going on here," Jughead said. "I don't know what it is. I don't think it's aliens, but I'm trying to rule out the impossible, not the improbable. People reporting aliens just means that people are noticing aspects of something weird and trying to fit it into a pattern that makes sense. And I think it's all connected with the Blossoms, too. Maybe they're running some kind of human trafficking program, or practicing genetic manipulation on the local wildlife, or there's some kind of drug in the maple syrup, or - "
"But you want it to be aliens, Juggie," Betty said softly, affectionately. "I know you. I know the books you read and the TV shows you watch. You love science fiction. You want it to be aliens."
Jughead's mouth worked silently for a moment, before he gave her a sweet, sincere smile. Something twinged in Betty's chest at the sight of it: she hadn't realized until then how much she'd missed it. "I forgot how well you know me, Betts."
"It's hard to forget, especially considering how many episodes of DS9 you made me sit through," Betty grinned back at him.
"So maybe you're right. Maybe I'm full of wishful thinking. Maybe there's nothing there. Or maybe - "
Jughead stopped suddenly and froze in place. Betty waited, but he said nothing. "Or?"
"Betty." Jughead tried to speak without moving his mouth. "Don't move your head, or make any sudden sounds, but look to your left."
Betty resisted the urge to sigh noisily as she slowly turned. About thirty yards downstream, she saw a hoof in the water of Sweetwater River, the water rippling around it.
"Is that it? A deer?"
"That's not a deer," Jughead breathed. "Not unless deer have blue fur."
Betty squinted. The fur on the deer did seem kind of bluish, blue and tan together. And there were...hands? A torso? Was that a human nearby? Or was it...a centaur?
Wait, what?!
"Take out your phone, slowly," Jughead said, "and take a pic. This might be it."
Betty reached into her pocket and grabbed her phone, and pressed the button for the camera. It was in selfie mode - she'd tried, and failed, to get Rachel to pose for a selfie - and it took her several tries to get her shaking fingers to hit the right button and zoom in.
The hoof was still in the water, and as she zoomed in closer, she saw that the creature had horns, and on the end of each horn was an eye. And the eye was looking at her.
Suddenly, the creature was gone, running out of sight so quickly it was just a blur. Jughead cursed. Betty started furiously checking to see if she had gotten a clear picture saved, when suddenly -
"BETTY!" Jughead shouted.
"TSEEEEEEEEEER!"
A giant bird of prey was zooming straight at her, attacking her - Betty cringed, throwing up her hands to protect her head - and was suddenly flying away.
"Hey! My phone! The bird just stole my phone!" Betty shouted, dumbfounded. She silently damned herself for setting Dropbox only to sync while charging.
"They are genetically manipulating animals!" Jughead shouted. "This is proof!"
THWAPP!
Jughead was suddenly collapsed next to her, unconscious.
"JUGGIE!" Betty screamed.
THWAPP!
And suddenly Betty was sinking down, down, down.
The last thing Betty was aware of was not-quite-hearing her mentee shouting, "What the fuck is Betty fucking Cooper doing here?!"