This story is based off the age-reversed AntiGravity AU. Wendy and Soos are twelve, and the twins are fifteen.
AntiGravity Falls
Summer break. A time to relax, hang out, and take it easy. And Wendy Corduroy couldn't be more bored. It wasn't that she minded time off from classes, but being the tallest kid in her grade, coupled with braces and freckles, didn't exactly make her the most popular kid in school. In fact, it made her the second least popular. The least popular kid being her best friend Soos.
Soos was chubby, awkward, and eternally optimistic. The taunts from bullies never really bothered him (especially after they learned about Wendy's mean uppercut), he preferred to look on the bright side of things. And the bright side of this summer was the fact that he got a job at the Mystery Shack. He loved that place and its owner. Stan Pines didn't mind the affection Soos showed him, especially since it meant he could hire the boy as an 'unpaid apprentice.'
With her only real friend working, Wendy didn't have much to do. That's how she wound up spending most of her days at the Shack. It seemed like it was going to be another boring summer, that is, until Stan's great niece and nephew came to town.
Roadside Distractions
It was a typical day at the Mystery Shack. Wendy was sweeping the floors, Soos was installing some new shelves with Mabel steadying the step ladder for him, and Dipper was reading a thick book while manning the cash register of the empty gift shop.
After finishing a tour Stan walked into the shack carrying a bundle of planks, "Alright people, I need one of you to hang up these signs in the spooky part of the woods."
"Not it." The twins said in unison, followed shortly after by Wendy.
"I'll do it!" Soos shouted, eager to please.
"Get back to work Soos."
"Yes sir, Mr. Pines!" Answered the twelve year old, returning his attention to the rickety shelving.
"Alright, let's see. Eeny-meeny-miny… You." Stan pointed to Wendy.
"Aww, do I have to?" She whined. "It always feels like someone's watching me out there."
"Hey, I let you hang around here all day without even charging you. The least you could do is help out a little."
Wendy grumbled, but picked up the signs none the less. It was then that Stan looked at his nephew (who had gone back to reading) and said, "Dipper, you go with her. Make sure she doesn't slack off."
"Seriously Gruncle Stan?" Dipper groaned. "Do you really want Mabel working the register after what happened last time?"
…..
"You get a free keychain! And you get a free keychain! Everyone gets a free keychain!"
…..
"You make a valid point." Stan said, steepling his fingers together. "Let me offer this as a rebuttal: Get yer keister outta here!"
Dipper huffed while getting off his stool and slinging on his backpack. "C'mon kiddo, let's get this over with." Gesturing for Wendy to follow.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
"Why does Stan even want signs out here?" Wendy asked. "There's not even a path."
"He says it's to attract lost hikers." Dipper told her. "He says they'll buy almost anything if you promise they can use your phone."
The duo had wandered a fair distance into the woods, hanging crudely made signs along the way. Despite her earlier protests, Wendy found that she didn't really mind the work, it wasn't so bad with someone there to talk to. She liked Dipper, he was kind of a dork, but also kind of cool. He was fun to hang out with (not the same kind of fun as Mabel, but a calmer, more laid back kind of fun). And, despite their age difference, he didn't talk down to her or treat her like a little kid.
Wendy was about to drive a nail into another tree when Dipper stopped her. "Don't put one on that tree, use another one."
"Why?"
"Uh…" Dipper rubbed the back of his head trying to come up with an excuse. "Because it's too close to the other signs. Yeah. We don't want them all bunched together."
The preteen looked behind her at the work they'd done so far. This tree didn't look any closer than the rest were, but moved to a different pine. It may have been the generations of lumberjacks in her blood, but something about that tree didn't seem right anyway, it felt out of place. She shrugged off the feeling and continued her work.
The two had almost finished their job when they heard faint cries of distress coming from the Shack. "Dipper! I need you back on register. Mabel's been giving discounts to customers again!"
"Looks like I'm needed elsewhere." The teen said while looking to Wendy. "Think you can finish up here?"
"Sure, no problem." She said. There were only three or four more signs anyway.
"Hurry Dipper! She just gave away a bumper sticker!"
"See you back at the Shack squirt." Dipper gave her a playful punch on the shoulder before running off to save his uncle from Mabel's generous nature.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Wendy struck her last nail with the hammer, but the cheap metal bent into a useless angle. Muttering, the girl tried to find a replacement, only to see that Dipper had left his backpack behind. Figuring that was the most likely place for the teen to keep an extra box of nails, she opened it to explore the contents. There weren't any nails, but the pack was filled with notebooks and loose paper. One book in particular stood out. It was older than the rest, and bound in red leather. Her curiosity overpowering her concern for privacy, Wendy reached in and grabbed it.
A six fingered hand and a number 3 were all the cover offered. Cracking it open she began to read:
June 18,
It's hard to believe it's been six years since I began researching the strange and wondrous secrets of Gravity Falls, Oregon…
It was some kind of journal. The author described all sorts of bizarre creatures and phenomena. It was completely ridiculous of course, Wendy had lived here her entire life and had never witnessed any of this stuff. But as she kept reading she began to wonder if she knew this town as well as she thought. Somehow things started making more sense. Those feelings of being watched, glimpses of something out of the corner of your eye, stories kids and crazy old people tell, those dreams that seem so real that you have to convince yourself they actually were dreams.
She flipped to the last page with writing on it, "In Gravity Falls there is no one you can trust." A shiver rolled down her spine. Was all this true? Is this what Dipper and Mabel did when they snuck off into the wood, why they came back looking disheveled and bruised? Were they out hunting monsters? No one you can trust. This thing was written thirty years ago, how does Dipper have it? No one you can trust. Why hasn't he told everyone about this? Who else knows? No one you can trust. What else are they hiding?
"'Sup Dawg!" Soos shouted as he jumped up from behind the log Wendy was crouched beside.
The girl let out a surprised squawk, and nearly lost her grip on the journal. "Soos! What are you doing here?"
"Lookin' for you dude." He said. "Whatcha' reading?"
"I-it's nothing."
"Aww, come on, you can show me!" Soos' curiosity was clear in his voice, but Wendy still seemed reluctant. "Dude, it's me, Soos. We tell each other everything!"
Wendy glanced around before saying, "Let's go somewhere more private."
::::::::::::::::
Back at the Shack Wendy snuck Dipper's backpack under the register and pulled Soos into the living room. When she was sure they were alone Wendy explained about the journal, its strange contents, and cryptic warning.
"Whoa, no way!" Soos exclaimed.
"This explains the whole creepy vibe Gravity Falls has around it." Wendy continued. "But I don't know why Dipper has it, or what he's using it for."
"Do you think they use the book to go out and fight monsters and stuff?"
"Maybe."
"That's awesome!" Soos shouted. "They're like the Mystery Twins or something!"
"Don't call them that." Wendy deadpanned.
"But don't you think you should give Dipper back the journal? It is his after all."
"I know. I will. I just need to figure out what all this means."
Their conversation was interrupted when the doorbell rang. Wendy asked, "Who's that?"
"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you!" Soos said, switching gears. "I made a new friend! She's coming over to hang out."
"A new friend?" Wendy quirked an eyebrow at the news.
The doorbell rang again and Soos ran out of the room. Wendy sat on the recliner to read through the journal, when Stan walked in. "Hey kiddo, whatcha reading?"
Wendy jumped in surprise and shoved the journal under a cushion. She grabbed blindly at the end table and brought whatever was there to her face. "Oh, I was just checking out uhh… The Sibling Brothers in The Case of the Caper-Case Caper?"
"Yeesh, you've been spending too much time with Dipper. That kid's rubbing off on you."
"Hey dudes. I'd like you all to meet my new friend." Soos ran back into the room pulling a girl behind him. She was taller than Soos and maybe a year or two older. She wore tight jeans and a black hoodie that covered most of her head. What could be seen of her hair was dyed purple, the same color as her makeup.
Wendy cocked an eyebrow. Not really knowing what to make of this new girl she just said, "Hey."
"How's it hangin'?" Stan added.
"'Sup." Was the only response they got.
"So, what's your name?" Wendy asked.
The girl looked panicked for a moment, her eyes darting around the room as if searching for something. They finally landed on the entrance to the gift shop. "I'm… Door… uhh…"
"She means Dora." Soos explained.
"Is that blood dripping from your mouth Dora?"
Again she stiffened in panic before saying, "It's fruit punch."
"All right! I love fruit punch." Soos was practically jumping now. "Do you like it in box or pouch form?"
"Umm… Box?"
"Nice." Soos offered his fist for her to bump, but when she just stared at it in confusion he gave her a gentle jab to the arm instead.
"So… Do you wanna go do… Stuff?"
"Dude, I love stuff!" Grabbing Dora's arm Soos turned to leave shouting, "See you guys later!"
Something seemed off about that girl, but Wendy wasn't sure what. Deciding the most responsible thing to do would be to voice her concerns to the nearest adult, she turned to Stan and said, "Did any of that seem strange to you?"
"I'll say it was strange…"
Wendy was surprised that Stan actually noticed something wrong, with his help she could make sure her friend didn't get into any trouble. Now all she had to do was-
"…Soos got himself a girlfriend." And there it was. "I never thought I'd live to see the day."
::::::::::::::::::::::::
Since being responsible didn't work, Wendy decided to do the practical thing instead and take matters into her own hands. Retreating to the second floor she consulted the journal, nothing matched until she found one entry:
This species of demon feeds off the life force of humans (particularly males). She will bind herself to a host, changing her appearance and personality to become irresistible to that individual. Once under her sway, the host will be slowly drained of energy over the course of days or weeks. If the demon is not exorcised the host will die.
Beware the Succubi of Gravity Falls!
"No way." Wendy gasped. "Could it really be true?"
"Oh it could. It very could." A voice sounded behind her. "What are we talking about again?"
"Mabel!" Wendy screamed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"My bedroom is over there." She said, pointing to the adjoining attic room.
"Oh. Sorry."
"Aww, that's okay." Mabel ruffled up the younger girl's pig-tails. "I talk to myself alone in dark rooms all the time. Don't let anyone try to convince you it's creepy. Now, what's the problem here?"
"You've seen Soos' girlfriend right?"
"Yep-yep."
"I think she might be a succubus."
Instead of the laughter and insults Wendy expected, Mabel adopted a thoughtful look. "Yeah, I could see that being the case."
"Really? You believe me?"
"Sure, I've dealt with succubusses before."
"You have?" Wendy couldn't believe it. Maybe the twins really were monster hunters.
"Oh, wait. Are we talking about succubi figuratively or literally here?"
"Uh… literally?"
"Hmm. Okay, then I haven't dealt with succubi before." Mabel's face turned thoughtful again. "You should really be talking to Dipper about this, it's kinda his thing."
"No!" Wendy could feel the journal pressing against her back where she had hidden it. "Um, I mean, I want to keep this low key, ya know? For Soos' sake."
"Good point. When you're messing with stuff like this you've gotta be sure you're right before you jump into things. Otherwise you just wind up in Canada having to win a dogsled race against an evil space lizard."
"Wait. What?"
"So what proof do you have so far?"
"Well, I've got a bad feeling about her in the pit of my stomach."
"That's a good start. But it could also just mean you're constipated. You're gonna need something more substantial if you want people to believe you."
"You're right Mabel, as always."
Their conversation was interrupted by Stan shouting from downstairs, "Mabel! Get down here and keep this pig under control before I make him into bacon!"
"I must go now. My people need me." With that the teen marched out of the room, leaving Wendy to contemplate how to get proof of Dora's true nature.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Seeing no other options, Wendy tailed Soos and Dora on their date. Soos was bringing her to all his favorite hangouts:
The laser-tag place: They tied for last place.
The arcade: She was surprisingly good at the antiquated fighting games.
The diner: She nearly ripped the door off the building, but didn't order anything.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Wendy was at a loss. Nothing about the girl was right, but she still had no hard evidence. It looked like she'd have to confront Soos, and hope he'd understand. She found her friend in the attic changing lightbulbs.
"Soos, we need to talk."
"What's up?" He set his work aside.
"It's about Dora. I don't think she is what she seems."
"What do you mean?"
"I think she might be one of these." Wendy lifted up the journal for Soos to read the page.
"Barf Fairy?" Soos said incredulously. "That sounds awesome!"
"Wait, wait. Sorry." Wendy quickly turned to the right page.
"A succubus? ...That sounds awesome!"
"It's not awesome! It's a horrible demon that wants to suck the life out of you!"
"Aww, Dora wouldn't do anything like that. She's cool."
"That's just her way of luring you into her trap!"
"No way, she's rad. I bet you two would get along great. In fact we're hanging out again later, you should come with us."
This floored Wendy for a moment. "Uh… I don't really think I want to come with you two on one of your dates."
"Dates?" Soos laughed. "We're not dating, we're just buds."
"Then why were you guys doing all that dating stuff?"
"Laser-tag is date stuff?"
"Look, that doesn't matter. What matters is your life's in danger, just look what the journal says."
"I don't know dude. I think that book has gone to your head." Soos spoke with genuine concern. "Maybe you should just give that thing back to Dipper."
Wendy looked at the book in her hands then back at her friend, unsure of what to say.
"I'm meeting Dora around four if you change your mind about hanging out with us." Soos packed up his tools and left the attic.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Maybe Soos was right. Maybe there really wasn't anything wrong with Dora. Wendy had recorded everything that afternoon, hoping she'd catch proof of her claim. But even replaying it there was nothing. Just Soos and Dora hanging out. Soos looking tired and drained. Dora staring at Soos while his back is turned, her eyes glowing an unnatural shade of purple. Wait, what?
Wendy rewound the tape and looked again. Her eyes were glowing, if that wasn't proof she didn't know what was. She had to show Soos before he left. She looked at the clock 4:15, she was too late.
The girl ran out of the Shack calling Soos' name. She had no idea where to look. That's when Dipper drove the golf cart up to the porch. Wendy ran over to him panting.
"Dipper! Dipper! Have you seen Soos?"
"Yeah, he and his girlfriend just headed into the woods. Why?" He said as he got out.
"Dora's a succubus and I need to take the cart to save him!"
Dipper stared at her for a beat then said, "Are we talking literally or figuratively here?"
"Uh… Literally."
The teen groped in his pocket and pulled out a small spray bottle. "You'll need holy water then."
"Why do you have holy water in your pocket?" Wendy asked, taking the spritzer.
"No reason." He said while his eyes darted back and forth. The boy tossed her the keys to the cart and went inside before she could ask any more questions.
As she was pulling out of the property she was stopped by Mabel who handed her a baseball bat. "Take this in case she's not a monster, and just a jerk."
"Um… Thanks." Wendy took the club and drove past the waving Mabel. Man, those twins are really weird.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::
Dora had invited Soos to take a walk through the woods with her. The boy had never really been a fan of walking, but he didn't want to disappoint his new friend. Besides, she'd promised him a surprise at the end.
"So Dora," Soos said, more out of breath than usual. "What did you want to show me out here in this secluded forest with no one around to see or hear anything that happens?"
The girl turned away and took a deep breath, "Soos, now that we've gotten to know each other, there's something I need to tell you."
"Sure dawg, you can tell me whatever."
"I'm not who I've said I was. I am…" She pause and a bright purple flash blinded the preteen. "The leader of the Fairies!"
When Soos' vision cleared he saw a dozen tiny figures floating in front of him. Each one glowed a different color of the rainbow, and tiny sparkles fell from their wings.
"I am Cindy." The purple one said. "And my people have long been searching for one like you."
"Um… Okay."
"And now that we've dated for a while, I'd like to ask you to marry us, and become our king."
"Whoa, whoa. Hold on a sec. Dated? I thought we were just hangin' out as buds?"
"B-but the laser-tag…" Cindy started to sniffle.
"Aww man, don't cry." Soos didn't mean to hurt the little creatures. "I really did have fun with you guys. But marriage is kinda like, a big deal. Ya know? Plus I'm twelve, so I'm pretty sure that would be illegal."
"So, in time you may learn to love us?"
"Uh, sure dude. Maybe." The boy reluctantly agreed.
"Oh Soos! You've made me so happy I could- BLARG!" Foul smelling glittery liquid erupted from the fairy's mouth. As if it were a signal, the other miniature humanoids puked as well, the contents of their stomachs glowing the same color as their auras.
"Eew." Soos cringed. "But also kinda cool."
"Thank you Soos." Cindy continued. "We will now take you back to our glade where you can complete your larval stage and marry us when you've grown."
"Huh?"
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Trees blurred past Wendy as she raced through the forest. She had no idea where she was going, but she needed to get there fast. At any moment her best friend could be drained of his life force and left to whither into dust.
"Help!"
There in the distance, she could hear Soos calling.
"Help!"
Wendy turned a sharp left and drove into a bright meadow. There was Soos surrounded by colorful motes of light. He was encased in some kind of slimy green cocoon hanging from a tree. Every now and then one of the dots of light would release a Blargh! sound and another layer of gooey resin would be added to his prison.
The preteen slammed on the breaks and stared at the scene in front of her. She was only snapped out of her shock when Soos said, "Wendy, Wendy! Dora turned out to be a bunch of Barf Fairies! It was cool at first, but now it's just really gross!"
"Barf Fairies? Dang, I was way off." Wendy pulled out the journal, but the entry on the little creatures was of no help. "Hey! You guys let go of my friend!"
Cindy turned around to face the intruder. "Oh, don't worry! Everything is fine. We're just cocooning him until he completes his metamorphosis and can become our king."
Wendy had no idea how to respond to that. She had come expecting to fight off an evil demoness, but apparently her friend was being forced to marry a colony of tiny winged humanoids with IBS. "You can't do that!"
"Yeah!" Agreed Soos.
"You dare challenge the might of the Fairies?" Shouted Cindy, flying close to the redhead's face.
Not really knowing what else to do, Wendy took the bottle of holy water out of her pocket and started spritzing the purple creature.
"Hey, stop that!" Cindy whined. "Ack, my hair!"
Wendy kept spraying, the water eventually weighing down the fairy's wings enough that she fell to the ground. Grabbing the bat she ran over to the cocoon and swung at it like a piñata. As soon as Soos fell to earth she grabbed his arm and dragged him to the cart. Wendy floored the gas pedal and turned towards Shack.
"You think you can get away that easily girl?" Cindy cried. "Fairies! Swarm! Swarm!"
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::
"Hurry up Dude! Before they catch up!" Soos shook Wendy's arm as the path they were on grew wider.
"Calm down!" Wendy pushed him off herself. "They're the size of bugs. How fast can they be?"
As she spoke a shadow fell across the cart, as if the cloudless sky suddenly became overcast. The pair looked up to see thousands of fairies hovering above them, blocking out the sun.
"Oh dang." Wendy almost-swore.
Soos just covered his eyes and whimpered while snapping a few pictures with his cellphone.
"Give back our king, or suffer the consequences!" Cindy shouted from above.
Putting her entire weight on the accelerator, Wendy drove off the path and began weaving through the trees, trying to shake of the pursuers. It did no good, the Barf Fairies glided between the trees like water. The magic beings kept pace with the preteens, but made no sign of attacking. Until Wendy heard the command, "Ready… Release!"
BLARGH!
Vomit fell from the sky in a torrential rain. If the smell alone wasn't enough to make the kids sick, then the sound of the bile hitting the carts roof was. However, their nausea was quickly surpassed by fear as the sparkling fluid began eating away at the canopy above their heads. Their only protection was dissolving before their eyes, and it became apparent that they'd need more than a shower if they got the stinky goop on their skin.
"Release!"
BLARGH!
Wendy turned a hard right to avoid the onslaught.
"Release!"
BLARGH!
Left. There was a clearing ahead and… Yes! The Shack. If they could just make it inside.
"Release!"
BLARGH!
Their tactic had changed. Instead of bombing the kids the fairies retched ahead of them, making a slick Wendy couldn't avoid. The cart skid through the puke and spun out as all four tires burst. The duo were thrown from the vehicle and forced against a wall by the closing army.
"Give it up girl." Demanded Cindy. "Return our king or perish!"
"No! He's not your frickin' king man!" Still holding the bat Mabel gave her, Wendy lashed out in front of her. But it was like trying to hit smoke.
"Alright, you asked for it." A group of fairies had positioned themselves above the redhead and looked ready to spew.
"Wait!" Soos pushed himself against Wendy, making it impossible to hit one without the other. "I'll do it Cindy. I'll marry you guys. Just let my friend go."
"Soos! What are you doing?" The girl hissed.
"It's okay Wendy, I got this."
"But-"
"Just trust me, okay?" Soos put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a pleading look.
No one you can trust.
No one you can trust.
No one you can trust.
"Okay Soos, I trust you." Hands raised, Wendy backed away from her friend.
"Alright Cindy, I'm ready."
"Yes! All right!" The purple fairy shouted. "Let's get you back in your cocoon babe."
"Sure thing." Soos paused for a moment. "Oh wait! I forgot I promised to fix this thing for Mr. Pines. You mind if I do that real quick?"
Cindy crossed her arms and huffed, but said, "Fine. As long as you're quick."
On a nearby picnic table was what looked like and electric lantern. Soos picked it up and started fiddling with it with a screwdriver. Once he was satisfied he set it down and picked up an extension cord off the ground. He plugged the thing in and let out a, "Yus!" as it hummed and glowed blue.
"Okay. I'm done." The boy turned back to his captors, but Cindy paid him no mind. She and all the other fairies stared at the blue glow.
"It's beautiful." The leader of the swarm flew closer to the device and reached out her hand, yearning to touch the divine light before her. ZAP! She was gone in a puff of ash.
The fairies furthest away from the bug zapper screamed in terror, but those flying closer couldn't resist the siren call of the buzz, or the hypnotic beauty of the light. More and more flew towards it, only to disintegrate with a CRACK! Those far enough to resist finally realized they couldn't pull their doomed comrades away, lest they too fall victim to its deadly enchantment. To this day the Barf Fairies of Gravity Falls tell the story of the King Who Was Stolen, and the Blue God of Death who took him as a husband.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
When all the fairies were gone Wendy turned to her friend, "Soos, that was amazing!" She grabbed him into a hug. "How did you know the bug zapper would work?"
"Oh, I didn't." He admitted. "I had this totally different plan going when I noticed I still needed to fix that thing. I guess we were just lucky. It's a good thing too. Looking back, I'm not really sure how I was gonna teach all those squirrels to parachute."
Wendy buried her face in her palm and just patted her friend on the shoulder, "I'm glad you're safe Soos."
::::::::::::::::::::::
The Shack's gift shop was empty save for Dipper reading one of his mystery novels behind the counter. All Wendy wanted to do right now was sit in front of the TV for a few hours and decompress. She hoped the teen would just ignore them as they walked passed. No such luck, "So how'd that thing with the succubus go?"
Wendy tried to come up with a noncommittal response, but Soos cut her off, "Oh dude, it was so cool! Turns out Dora wasn't a teenager or a succubutt, she was a bunch of Barf Fairies in a girl suit!"
"Barf Fairies?" Dipper cocked an eyebrow. "How'd that turn out?"
"Aw man, it was so cool! I mean, it was super gross and scary, but it was so cool!" Soos went on to narrate their adventure.
"So how'd you guys get away?"
"Bug zapper dude." Answered Soos. "Turns out it's like, a bug zapper to them."
The teen adopted a thoughtful expression, "Makes sense. Good to know."
Soos bounded off to the next room and Wendy began to follow.
"Hey Wendy." Dipper called. His voice was its usual amiable tone, but the redhead couldn't help but think there was accusation behind it. "Thanks for bringing my backpack back here, I forgot I left it in the woods."
"Oh sure, no problem." She began to edge towards the door.
"Before you go. You haven't seen an old book around here, have you?"
"Book?" Her cheeks started to turn red.
"Yeah. I lost it earlier and haven't been able to find it." He wasn't glaring, he wasn't even frowning at her, but he had a knowing look on his face. It's as if his eyes were saying, I know you took it. There's no point in lying. Just fess up and hand it over.
Wendy hung her head in shame and walked up to the counter. She took the journal from under her flannel and slid it across the counter. "I didn't mean to take it, but when I looked at it I got curious and things started making sense, and I was gonna give it back, but then the thing with Soos happened, and… well… yeah…"
She felt like a jerk. That book said there was no one you could trust, and she just proved it right. No one's going to trust the girl who goes through people's private junk and takes their stuff. Bracing herself for the disappointed stare of the older boy, Wendy looked up. Dipper was smiling. He flipped through the pages of his journal, giving no indication that he had even listened to her.
Apparently satisfied with the condition of his book, he set it down and smirked at the redhead in front of him. "So. You ever think your home town was weird before today?"
Taken aback by his nonchalance, Wendy just shook her head.
"What do you think now?"
"I think," She paused, choosing her words carefully. "I think there's a lot going on around here that people don't know about. And I wanna find out what."
Dipper seemed lost in thought for a moment, lightly tapping his fingers on the book. Apparently he came to a decision when he smiled at the shorter girl and slid the journal back across the counter to her. "In that case, maybe you should hang on to this."
"Really?" Her eyes widened as she reached out to grab it.
"Yes. But…" Dipper pressed down on the cover, preventing her from picking it up. "If I'm gonna let you keep it, we've gotta set up some ground rules."
"Of course. Anything."
"First off: No raising the dead. Second: No summoning demons. And third-" He leaned closer, looking at her eye-to-eye. "Keep me in the loop. This stuff can be dangerous. Some of it is really dangerous. Don't just run off into the woods without telling me your plans. The info in that journal can keep you safe, but it can also get you into trouble."
He took his hand off the book and Wendy clutched it to her chest like a sacred relic. "Thanks Dipper. I promise I won't mess up." She thought for a moment and said, "But won't you need it? I see you and Mabel sneaking into the forest all the time."
"Naw, we'll be okay." Said the teen. "I've got notes and practically have it memorized anyway. Besides, I don't think either of us is going anywhere soon. If I need it, I'll know where to go."
He gave her a wink, and she gave him a brace filled smile before running out the door to tell Soos the good news. Wendy may still be the second least popular kid in school, but Dipper and Mabel didn't go to her school, did they? This summer she and Soos had two more friends, and two people they could trust.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
"So you let her keep the journal?" Mabel sat on her bed, brushing her long curly hair.
"Yeah. I mean, they know this stuff is out there now, which means they'd go looking for it with or without the journal." Dipper neatened a stack of papers lying on his nightstand. "I'd rather they have it and be safe."
It was late and the twins were already in their pajamas, preparing for bed. Dipper was collecting a bundle of notebooks and loose-leaf paper. Mabel finished with her hair and put in her retainer.
"It still sounds risky to me."
"I know. But we'll be there to keep an eye on them. And we were only twelve when we started all this." Dipper walked over to his closet, pushing some clothes out of the way.
"I guess." Mabel snuggled under her covers. "Does this mean you're gonna let them in on everything? Tell them what's going on?"
Frowning, Dipper shook his head. "No. As much as I hate to admit it, Gruncle Stan is right. Some secrets just shouldn't be told."
Pulling a chain from around his neck, the teen revealed an old brass key that had hidden under his shirt. He set it in a nearly invisible hole at the back of his closet, and turned until there was a click. A false-wall swung forward revealing a series of shelves and cubbies on which were all manner of strange and magical items. Jars and potions were neatly labeled. Teeth, bones, and other specimens each had their own place. One cubby held an apparently normal flashlight with a crystal attached to it, another had a b-movie styled ray-gun and a series of glass cylinders. On the floor was the severed head of a wax Larry King. The top shelf is where Dipper put his stack of papers, next to them were two books bound in shabby red leather marked 1 and 2.