Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! I'm sorry this chapter is a little shorter than normal but the next one will be twice as long to make up for it.

Chapter Two: The Mystery Twins Start a New Mystery

"What was that thing?" Mabel asked while pacing the attic that was their bedroom for the summer.

"I-I don't know, I can't find anything in the journal about it, but then again, it's not like we actually saw it." Dipper was on his bed leafing through the journal he already had memorized by heart.

"We didn't need to see it! We heard it!" Mabel exclaimed. Dipper had a hard time trying to figure out if Mabel was feeling scared about what they almost encountered, or excited. Judging by the grin on her face, Mabel was excited.

Dipper shuddered. "Yeah, that screech was terrifying. It was so loud, but nobody in town seemed to have heard it."

The Mystery Twins had been following clues about four separate disappearances in the woods. While they were searching the forest, a horrid shriek almost blasted their eardrums apart and sent them bolting out of the forest in a blind panic. The two twins weren't easily scared, but they had found themselves running out of the forest before their brain was able to catch up with what was happening.

"Four separate men have disappeared in the past few days," Dipper continued. "One guy that disappeared had his girlfriend with him, but she stumbled out of the forest, terrified, but fine. She said she had heard noises in the woods like something was stalking them, and when she turned around her boyfriend was gone. Why would it take him and not her?"

"Maybe the creature is a girl-monster who really wants a boyfriend and so she only kidnaps guys!"

"Hmm, there is stuff in the journal about monsters who only prey on guys, and ones that only attack girls, and some that only go after children… maybe you're right."

"She's probably really picky! We should set her up on a blind date!"

"Mabel, this is serious!" Dipper reminded her with a frown. "If this monster is only after guys I doubt it just wants to date them. All the men in this town could be in serious trouble!"

"It didn't go after you though," Mabel countered. "Maybe you're too young for it?"

Now that hit a nerve. Dipper's eye twitched.

"We don't even know if the shrieking monster and the monster that has been kidnapping people are the same," Dipper reasoned. "Maybe the kidnapping monster didn't see us. We can't rule anything out!"

"Dip, are you jealous that a monster didn't want to kill you or date you or whatever because you're not manly enough to be kidnapped?"

"No! I never said that! And I am too manly enough!"

"Wow, you are totally jealous!" Mabel gasped, and then she started laughing.

"Mabel…" Dipper growled, annoyed.

Mabel laughter subsided when she saw the look on his face. "Sorry, bro, you are very manly." Dipper could see her trying not to laugh. "And any lady-monster would be lucky to eat your internal organs." His sister started laughing again and Dipper rolled his eyes.

The next morning, the missing men were on the news again, or at least, one of them was. From the four men that had gone missing, only one body had been found in the woods. Norman had heard his father and mother talking about it as they listened to the news.

"I knew coming to this town was a bad idea," Perry grunted

"Now Perry," Norman's mother soothed. "My parents and I used to vacation here every summer and nothing like this has ever happened before. I'm sure the police will find the missing men soon. They seem to think it might have been a mountain lion attack because the body they found was… well…"

"That still doesn't explain why the three other bodies are still missing," Perry countered. "If there is some maniac out there those police better do their job and find the guy!"

"Good morning, sweetie!" His mother finally seemed to notice him walk in the living room. "Do you have any plans for today?"

Norman shrugged. "Not really."

"Haven't you meat any kids your age yet? It's been a week," Perry asked, causing Norman to wince.

He didn't really want to admit that, no, he had no friends, and he wasn't exactly holding his breath either.

Before he could answer, Courtney strode into the room. "Norman can't hang out with anyone today because he promised he'd spend the day with me," Courtney lied, saving Norman a very embarrassing moment. "Isn't that right, Norman?"

Norman nodded emphatically. "T-that's right!"

"Oh? And what will you two be doing?" Their mother asked.

"Umm… shopping, of course!" Courtney lied with just a hint of hesitation. "I need an extra pair of hands to help hold by bags, and Norman owes me for something, so this is how I asked him to repay me. Sorry Norman, but any plans you were going to make will have to wait until tomorrow."

Norman attempted to look downcast. "O-okay…"

"Aww, well isn't that sweet?" their mother cooed. "My two babies are hanging out together."

Courtney rolled her eyes and headed for the kitchen presumably to eat breakfast. Norman followed her.

Norman pulled out the box of cereal and sat at the dinner table. "Th-thanks..." he muttered under his breath, but Courtney heard him.

"Yeah, well, whatever. It's not like mom and dad are that hard to fool. And don't get any ideas about actually going shopping with me today!"

When Norman didn't say anything Courtney stopped what she was doing. It was another minute before Norman realized she was staring at him.

"What?" Norman asked nervously, and Courtney frowned, her eyes growing tender.

"Norman… Dad is right, you know. If you want, I can see if any of my friends have some younger siblings…"

Norman quickly turned back to what he was doing, effectively shutting her out. "N-no, that's okay."

Norman could feel her taking a seat at the dinner table next to him. "Norman, you don't have Neil while you're here and you need to make some friends." Courtney put a hand on his shoulder, but Norman shrugged it off.

"I have friends here," he assured her a little too quickly.

Courtney sighed. "I know you do, but you need living friends too, Norman."

Norman bit his lip. He could feel his throat begin to close up. "Who says?" he demanded weakly, attempting to fight the urge to cry.

And suddenly, unexpectedly, Courtney was hugging him. "J-Just don't listen to what the people in this town say about you… I-I know I don't."

Norman couldn't understand why his sister was stuttering too. Was she also fighting tears? That seemed impossible. Norman had seen Courtney cry a lot of fake tears throughout the years to get her way, but it had been a very long time since Norman had heard her come close to crying for real.

"They just don't know you yet. They don't know what a hero you can be." Courtney pulled away from him and looked at him, really looked at him in a way his father never seemed to have the time or patience for. "You know I love you, right?"

Since the incident with Aggie, Courtney had been saying those words more and more. Ever since Norman had told her that Aggie had been a little girl that was just like him, with powers just like him… Courtney had been there to make sure Norman knew he was never alone.

And Norman did know that. He knew his family loved him and that Neil would always be there for him, but sometimes, when things got really bad and the world started to feel like it was slipping back to that time not too long ago when everyone hated him and no one cared, Norman would start to forget.

Courtney and Neil were usually the only ones that could remind him. They were usually the only ones that could sense when Norman was starting to doubt that anyone cared at all, and they always pulled him back.

"Thanks Courtney," he said with a relieved smile. "I-I needed to hear that. And I love you too."

Courtney ruffled his head full of hair. "Anytime, little brother. And if you really want to come with me I guess that would be okay…"

Norman shook his head. "No thanks, I really don't want to carry your bags and hear you talk about boys with your friends." Norman made a face.

Courtney laughed. "I didn't think so. What are you going to do?"

Norman shrugged. "I'll just hang out around town I guess…"

"Mabel! I think I've figured it out!" Dipper shouted as he attempted to shake his sister awake. "I went through the whole journal this morning and I found out what that screech was! I think I know what's been kidnapping those men! Come on, get up! I know where it lives!"

Please review! And yes, Norman actually gets to meet the twins next chapter.