Anytime you need my aid, just call out my name.
Whatever. Like I'd ever need your help.
"Dipper, are you excited to finally be back in Gravity Falls?" Mabel leans on me.
"Sure, hopefully it isn't as bad as we left it." I turn the page in my book. The last time that we were in Gravity Falls, which was three years ago, Bill had managed to destroy the town. We still overcame his chaos, but Gravity Falls was in shambles. Stan sent us away, at our parents request, for the end of the summer. This year, he was finally ready for us to come back.
"I hope that I'll be able to see Grenda and Candy again!" She smiles.
The bus drops us off at the edge of town, and we get off with all of our luggage.
"What're we going to do this summer, Dip?" Mabel skips along the side of the road.
"I don't know about you Mabel, but I'm going to catch up on reading." She glares at me.
"Dipper, are you seriously going to spend your whole summer /reading/? Why can't you just relax for once in a while?" She giggles. "We have a break, treat it like one."
"That is my relaxation." I say. She huffs at me.
"Whatever. At least I'll have fun." She speeds up to skip in front of me.
When we finally reach Grunkle Stan's, he is waiting for us on his porch, setting down a beer can next to his chair. Mabel waves high above her head and runs to him.
"Wow Grunkle Stan, you got really old!" I hear her giggle. He grunts and gets up to give her a hug. I get up to the porch and muster up a smile.
"Nice to see you kid, you've definitely grown a bit." He stands up tall, but he isn't taller than me anymore. I smile.
"Yeah, well it's been three years Stan." I pat him on the back and we walk inside.
"Dipper! Where are you?" Mabel looks around the corner from the hallway. "Get up here! I wanna look at our room!" Mabel and I decided to still share the same room up in the attic. I take my suitcase upstairs and open the door.
"Wow, nothing's been moved." I say, glancing around.
"I know, all of my posters are still here." Mabel smiles and touches the large sheets of paper above her bed. Mabel starts unpacking her things right away, and I follow her lead.
After we finish unpacking, Mabel and I go downstairs into the gift shop. I walk into the room, reading my book. Mabel suddenly stops, and I bump into her.
"Mabel, watch where-"
"Hi Wendy!" I hear Mabel greet a certain red-headed girl, and my heart skips a beat. It had been years, but my feelings lasted.
"Hey guys, it's been awhile." Wendy leans over the counter.
"You're still working at the shack?" Mabel asks. I keep standing in the doorway, pretending to read my book.
"Yeah, it's better than most jobs in town." She laughs.
"Nice to see you Wendy." I wave lamely, trying not to make eye contact. I walk into the other room, eyes on my book.
"It's so nice to be back." Mabel sighs.
"Yeah." I respond, pulling the blankets up to my neck. It was a weird feeling, but I couldn't help but feel like someone was watching me. I figured it was just because I hadn't been here for such a long time.
The next morning, Mabel and I walk to the diner. Wendy and Soos come along with us. I was planning on just staying home, but when I heard Wendy was going, I had to tag along.
"What are you going guys going to get?" Mabel asks and leans over to look at my menu. I glance up and down the laminated sheet of paper.
"Pancakes." Wendy and I say in unison. She smiles at me and I blush behind my menu. Why was I so awkward? I thought I was done being nervous. I just couldn't help it around her. We sit at the diner for about an hour, before Mabel and I leave to help Stan clean the house.
"Alright kids, I need the basement cleaned, and also your rooms might need to be dusted." He announces. Mabel and I walk to the basement, where Stan created the portal to bring back his brother.
"Where do you think Ford is? He was here the last time we were here." Mabel picks up a piece of debris from the last time we were here.
"Random question, Mabel. I bet he probably left somewhere. I don't know why he would want to stay anyways. Gravity Falls doesn't really seem like his cup of tea." I start sweeping.
"Yeah I guess. But wouldn't you think he'd come back for us?" She mumbles.
"People change." I shrug. She hums, and we continue our work in the basement.
"Hey Dip, what was your deal with Wendy yesterday?"
"I'm not sure," I sigh,"I was certain that I was over her. I guess I was wrong. But when I saw her.." She comes over to pat me on the back.
"Don't worry Dipper, you'll find the right person someday, hopefully someone around your age?" She laughs at me. "We have the whole summer, so let's make the most of it. Besides, this could be the last year we visit Gravity Falls." She says sadly. Our parents barely let us come this year, after the last incident.
I grab a backpack from my room. I also grab a notebook from my nightstand. I rush down the stairs, and grab a bottle of water on my way out the door.
"Dipper? Where are you headed to?" Mabel asks.
"Going for a walk." I answer quickly. "See you later." I wave her goodbye. I needed alone time, to think. Also, Stan had been giving Mabel and I chores all day, and I wanted to get out of that. I jog for awhile, until I am deep enough into the forest so that no one could find me. I slow my jog down to a walk and look around. I sit down with my back against a tree trunk and breathe in the fresh air.
On the way to Gravity Falls, I had sketched out most of the journals' pages from memory. It was another thing I had planned for the summer, rewriting the journals. I sat by the tree for about an hour, re-writing more of the second journal. I heard a snap of a twig behind me, and I freeze up. I wouldn't think there'd be anything this deep in the woods. I turn around slowly, peeking around the tree. I see nothing. I sigh and turn forward again, coming face to face with a pair of big bright green eyes. I make a squeaking sound, and cover my mouth. The creature exhales into my face, and I smell it's awful breath. I stand up and slowly walk backwards behind the tree.
I whip myself around and start sprinting. I don't hear anything for a few seconds, but then I hear the creature bounding after me. I glance behind me, and see how big it actually is. It's about two times taller than me, and much longer. It runs after me on four legs, and is catching up to me quickly. Not looking where I'm going, I trip, and roll down a large ravine. I groan, and try to get up. My knees buckle under me and I fall.
I can hear loud, pounding footsteps coming my way. I shake and start crawling, trying to find a way to escape out of the ravine.
Anytime you ever need my aid, just call out my name.
I curl up with my hands above my head in fear.
My name.
I panic.
"Bill!"