Mabel Pines
Mabel stretched, dressed in her customary pink shooting star sweater. She'd outgrown her last one, so she made a new one. Her skirt was a little longer than when she'd last come to Gravity Falls at seventeen, a lilac colour. Her hair was much thinner than when she was twelve, and she reflected on the decision to cut the floofiness out. Now it hung in a braid.
"Dipper. Dipper, hey, wake up!"
"Hmm...Mabel?" Dipper yawned. He'd changed his style. He was in a blue hoodie, half zipped-up, a reddish-orange T-shirt and golden dog tags. His jeans were a faded blue.
"What is...we're here!" He said excitedly. He loved Gravity Falls more than Piedmont, California - their home. At fifteen, a week after school had started, he'd begged their parents to move to Gravity Falls.
They promptly said no.
Dipper grabbed his rucksack and Mabel her purple suitcase. They yelled out a hurried "Goodbye" to the bus driver and practically flew down the steps.
Gravity Falls hadn't changed much since the last time they'd been here - a year ago. The bus stop area was empty except for Stan and Ford's red vintage car, idling across the street. Stan waved lazily, then went back to chatting with Ford.
They were excited about their discoveries in the Arctic. Since they'd retired, they renovated the Mystery Shack - after it was destroyed so many times by zombies, Bill Cipher...it was a little sturdier and there was an extra room for Soos and his abuelita. Stan and Ford spent their days either running around the underground lab studying their finds or getting excited about the sequel to Duck-tective - Goose-tective.
It was literally no better than Duck-tective, but everyone rolled with it. Dipper and Mabel were about to cross the street as the bus drove away, but Mabel noticed someone sitting against a tree, paging through a black hardcover book marked with a yellow triangle on the front cover.
She didn't seem interested in Dipper and Mabel - she only glanced up for a split-second - but Mabel hadn't seen her before, so of course she ran over and smiled at her.
"Hi! I'm Mabel, Mabel Pines. I'm staying in the Mystery Shack with my great-uncles for the summer. Who are you?"
The girl's black bobbed hair, ombréd aqua, shook around her as she smiled at Mabel. The smile was strained.
Pink letter jacket and a canary-yellow T-shirt. White shorts. New black high-tops with rainbow laces. Mabel liked this girl's style.
"Look...I'm in the middle of a book right now, but I'm Julienne. Welcome back to Gravity Falls -" She caught a glimpse of Dipper, tapping his foot impatiently next to the car. "-Pines twins," Julienne finished.
"I've heard about you. I also didn't manage to get much out of anyone, because of this stupid Never Mind About That Act, but a friend told me everything. He was really willing to spill."
Mabel laughed nervously. "Well, um, that was five years ago. See you around, Julienne?"
"Please, call me Jules," She flashed a smile, but she was already smiling, so she just smiled bigger. Then she closed her book gently, stood up, brushed the dirt off and left.
Dipper Pines
"Who was that?" Dipper asked as Mabel skipped up. "Her name's Julienne. I think I'm gonna knock around to her house tomorrow."
"Fine by me," Dipper shrugged.
"Are you kids gonna stand there talking forever? We're gonna be seen by someone soon!" Stan yelled from the driver's seat.
"Yeah, yeah," Dipper muttered, opening the car door and sliding in after Mabel. "Another summer!"
"Our last in high school," Mabel moaned. It struck Dipper like a sack of bricks.
"University," he breathed. The twins had miraculously landed themselves in the same university. It wasn't too far from home, and only about seven hours' bus ride from it to Gravity Falls.
It wasn't Backupsmore or West Coast Tech, but it was good enough for the Pines twins. As long as they were together, they could brave anything - except homework. Dipper insisted Mabel use her own mind for that.
