Do I Know You?
Transferring to a new school was always difficult, but even more so when you're a teenager… And more so yet when you've just moved halfway across the country from the only home you've ever known.
That's the position Jason Woods found himself in when the Woods family arrived in town a week earlier. Let's just say Jason didn't make the greatest first impression. He was, self-admittedly, a bit of a dork who'd never had an easy time fitting in with other kids his age. This was mostly due to his absolute obsession with all things spooky and strange. While things like ghosts, monsters, and aliens were passing curiosities to most people, for Jason their existence were just facts that had yet to be proved. His passionate championing of these 'facts' had led to many a wedgie, afternoon spent stuffed in lockers, the odd swirlie here and there and even the dreaded Brown Melvin. (You don't want to know, trust me) Why so many denied the existence of what he considered the obvious was beyond him.
Believe it or not though, Jason was actually excited to move to his new town. Seriously, for a kid knee deep in the paranormal world as he was, he couldn't think of a more perfect town to call home. The area had no shortage of folklore ranging from haunted locations to cryptid sightings, and even a UFO sighting or two. Who needed friends when he had all these mysteries to dive into?... Well, friends could've been nice he guessed but… Maybe one of these days he'd figure out how to dial his excitement back a bit and learn to relate to other kids his age…
Speaking of those mysteries… Jason was excited to wake up that Sunday morning to find it raining outside, and the forecast was calling for a steady stream of showers pretty much all day. One of those mysteries just happened to tell tale of a local cryptid that apparently only appeared when it rained. He was already packed and ready to go when his sister decided to invite herself into his room.
"Hey Jason! Have you seen my…" the girl paused when she noticed her twin brother dressed in a raincoat and sporting a backpack. Her eyes narrowed in disapproval. "I've never seen someone so eager to assassinate their social life this quickly… It's pouring down rain, where exactly do you think you're going to go?"
"Ruggaroo."
The girl blinked. "I'm really going to regret asking what a Ruggaroo is, aren't I?"
"It's a local Urban Legend Madison! For decades, this town has had sightings of a white demon hog with blazing blue eyes! Allegedly it lives underground, and only ever comes out of its burrow when it's raining to feed on a very specific type of mushroom!"
Madison blinked again. "Yep, regret it already…"
"Why don't you come with me Maddie? You know, you used to enjoy going on adventures with me…"
"Those adventures didn't used to involve running around in the rain or spending all night in a freakin' cemetery! That was also back when I had no friends or a life… Which you could actually have for yourself if you'd stop with all the spooky stuff… Well, have fun playing in the rain with your ghost pig…"
Jason frowned as he watched his sister walk out of the room. They used to be so close… Well, if Madison wanted to call kids she'd barely known a week friends, that was her problem… Hopefully she wouldn't have to find out the hard way like he had.
Neither of his parents were home, but just to be safe, Jason snuck out the back door anyhow. He hopped on his bike and pedaled two miles south to a wooded area where a large number of Ruggaroo sightings had taken place. It wasn't the area with the highest number of sightings, but it was closest to his house, making it the most accessible to him.
The rain had let up a bit, but Jason wasn't concerned… There was supposed to be rain on and off all day, so a break from getting soaked while he prepared was welcome. The first item on his agenda was retrieving a batch of the mushrooms the Ruggaroo supposedly craved. He searched the woods for any disturbance in the ground that might've resembled a burrow for a fairly large animal. He found a promising location, he might've been stretching that opinion a bit, and attempted to lay out a crude trap to hopefully lure the beast out of hiding. He didn't have much to work with, but he did have some rope and a sandwich, so he did the only logical thing… He stuffed the mushrooms in the sandwich bag, tied one end of the rope around the bag and the other to a tree branch, allowing the rope to hang from the tree. Jason admired his handwork proudly, deciding his contraption was ingenious considering his lack of supplies and outdoorsman skills.
"That's not a very good trap you know?" chided a feminine voice from behind… And above him. He found a young girl about this age, wearing a raincoat, sitting up in a tree and looking down on him with an amused smirk on her face.
"It's more of a lure than a trap…" Jason responded defensively, blushing slightly. It was kind of true… What the hell was he supposed to do with a giant ghost pig if he actually caught it? He just wanted to see the thing, take a photo or two, and prove to himself it existed. Still, his pride was at stake here. "What exactly is so wrong with it?"
The girl gracefully jumped from the tree branch and walked over to him, as easily as if she'd just sat up from a chair. Jason's jaw hung open slightly half in awe, and half well… Kind of aroused. "Well, you don't have a net or any other type of snare trap to capture the thing… And your bait is almost seven feet off the ground, so unless the Ruggaroo can stand up on its hind legs she's not goin' to able to get to it."
"Yeah, I guess that's true… Wait you believe in the Ruggaroo?!"
"Of course! Ever since I got lost in the forest one night, and I could've sworn I saw this giant white pig creature darting through the woods! Everyone thought I was nuts, so I've spent the last two years trying to prove I was telling the truth!" The girl picked that moment to lower her hood, and Jason's heart practically jumped into his throat long enough for him to choke on it. He'd seen the girl before at school… Her shoulder length red hair and green eyes would've made her stand out in any crowd. Even the small smattering for freckles that dotted her cheeks Jason found strangely alluring. He'd been smitten with her almost immediately. No more than that… He'd felt almost drawn to her, but of course he never had the guts to approach her. He hadn't even worked up the nerve to ask anyone else at school her name. He'd already embarrassed himself to the point he'd already been labeled Monster Boy by the kids he did have contact with. She noticed the boy staring at her, and though she looked surprised at first, her expression morphed into a smirk that anyone that wasn't Jason might've described as flirtatious. "I'm flattered that you like what you see, but I'd appreciate it if you'd stop ogling me now. We did just meet after all…"
"Wha… Oh sorry! Sorry, sorry…"
"Don't worry about it dude!" The girl nudged him with her shoulder. "You're the new kid right? Mason… Something?"
"Jason… Um, Jason Woods…"
"Really? Huh, you looked like a Mason to me for some reason. My name is Winrey by the way… Winrey Levi, at your service!"
"Oh uh… It's nice to meet you W-Winrey!"
"Clearly," she smirked, noting back to Jason's previous ogling session causing the boy to blush. Winrey got a good chuckle out of his display of embarrassment. She couldn't help but find it impossible cute for some reason. "I guess I can't blame you for the trap… You're new here, so you're obviously an amateur… I'm kind of wonderin' how you even know about the Ruggaroo in the first place? It's kind of a local thing…"
"I did a lot of research on the local folklore before I moved to town!" Jason admitted excitedly and upon realizing this, toned it down. "I'm kind of a nerd for this kind of stuff I guess… I'd actually first heard of the Ruggaroo through this book I have…"
"Book?"
"Uh yeah… I'd show you, but well…" He spread his arms wide to point out the steady falling rain. "That book is kind of my baby… Can't risk getting it wet."
Winrey thought about that before grabbing Jason by the arm and dragging him towards a thick tree with an equally thick canopy of leaves above. Jason noticed immediately that none of the raindrops seemed able to reach them from there. "Whoa, this is some great cover by still…" To ease his mind further, Winrey produced a large umbrella that the pair could both easily fit under. "Well you seem awfully determined to see it so… How can I say no?"
The teens sat down at the base of the tree, where Jason took off his backpack and removed an insanely large book from inside. At least a thousand pages long and covered his lap almost entirely. Winrey's eyes shimmered in amazement. "Dude… That thing is huge! Were most books this big?"
"Not at all, this book is special… You haven't seen too many actual books have you?"
"Only on the internet, but I don't think those images do them much justice." Hearing that made Jason a bit sad. Finding an actual physical copy of a book nowadays, since everything went almost completely digital, was akin to finding a dinosaur fossil. Jason was very proud and protective of the small collection he'd managed to obtain over the years. This book right here was his pride and joy. Winrey read the cover aloud. "The Encyclopedia of the Unseen World… By Dipper Pines… Where in the world did you get this?"
"Well… Believe it or not… At a convention I went to a few years ago. I got to meet Amy Pines, the daughter of the author… He was the host of this old Paranormal based show I like to watch sometimes… She's the one who actually gave me this book… Because she said I reminded her so much of her father… Which really flattered me, since he's kind of my idol… I read his biography, and just the way he talked about his interest in paranormal things and what he went through when he was my age, I couldn't help but relate to him… Does that make sense at all?"
"Why wouldn't it? Wait… Are you talkin' about Ghost-Con?! Oh man, I've always wanted to go, but it's never been close enough to where I live..."
Jason couldn't believe his ears. Not only was this incredibly attractive girl, that he'd been crushing on pretty hard for about a week now, actually talking to him, it even seemed like she had a similar interest to him! Not just any interest, but the one that most people were immediately turned off by. "I got lucky, and the convention happened to be held near my hometown one year. I'm still not sure how I talked my parents into letting me go, I was only ten at the time."
"Lucky…" Winrey, eyed the book in the anticipation. "Well, what are ya waitin' for? I want to see what's inside."
The contents were pretty much as advertised. If something ever spoked, creeped, crawled, or might be from another world, it was included in the book… Each phenomena had its own passage dedicated to it, including details of the entries folklore, and even excerpts from the author's own personal experiences investigating said phenomena if he had any, as well as personal opinions if he didn't. Jason respected how Mr. Pines wasn't afraid to say if the stories behind a particular haunted location or cryptid were complete bullshit. He was particularly rough on most conspiracy theories, and especially Urban Legends born from the internet like Slenderman and the Rake. Almost like he was embarrassed to even have to include them in the book. To Jason's surprise, Winrey seemed legitimately engrossed with the book. She nearly squealed when they got to the page dedicated to the Ruggaroo. She was particularly impressed with its accuracy, though disappointed that the author doubted the legend's legitimacy.
"What the heck is a Gobblewonker?"
"Some lake monster in Oregon apparently… I…" Jason paused when he heard something that sounded like snorting. "Did you hear that?"
"Yeah, it sounded kind of like a pi…"
The two teens looked towards the sound of the snorts and were both shocked to see something white and very large, standing up on two legs… Apparently enjoying the mushrooms Jason had planted in his lure. Finished, the creature dropped down to reveal a razorback like form… And blazing blue eyes.
"Holy crap…" While Jason hastily put his book away, he didn't notice Winrey pull her phone out of her pocket. "No wait!"
He was too late… Winrey had already snapped the photo, and as he feared, the flash from the camera phone startled the creature… Which seriously pissed it off. "Uh-oh…" The creature's brilliantly blue eyes seemed to hold them in place, before it planted it's hoof in the dirt and began its charge.
"Run!" Jason didn't need to be told twice, but he quickly realized something… Winrey was much faster than he was. So much so, that the girl tried to compensate by grabbing Jason by the arm and dragging him behind her just so they wouldn't get separated. Jason did good just managing to stay on his feet.
"It's gaining on us! What are we supposed to…"
Winrey's answer was to find a good tree and start climbing it at speeds that it almost appeared like she was running straight up the trunk. Essentially one-handed, she lugged them both high into the tree, high enough that the gigantic hog shouldn't be able to reach them unless it knew how to climb up after them. Upon finding a branch thick enough to support their weight, Winrey finally let go of her burden. Jason latched on to the branch for dear life, flailing just a bit as he struggled not to slip off the moist wood. He managed to pull himself up to a sitting position next to Winrey who was breathing heavily.
"Winrey… That was frickin'…"
"Awesome?" she panted trying her best to look smug. "I know!" Winrey suddenly grabbed the boy by the face and practically shouted, "Speaking of awesome, how awesome was that?!" She let go of the boy's poor cheeks, practically squealing as she kicked her legs excitedly. "I can't believe I actually saw the Ruggaroo again! I've been looking for two years, and you come along and find him on your first try! It's like you're good luck for something!"
"The type of luck I bring might be debatable… We are stuck in a tree with a potentially dangerous creature circling below us…" Jason said as he watched said creature sniff around the trunk of the tree, though it made no attempt to pursue them up the tree. "You're right, it is amazing though… I've always hoped, but I never thought I'd actually get to see a ghost or cryptid with my own eyes…"
"I knew you were real," said Winrey as she watched the pale razorback root through the dirt. "And now I got a picture to prove it!"
Winrey showed Jason the picture and he had to admit… It was a great quality image of a beast that supposedly didn't exist. "What do you plan to do with that picture?"
"Duh, show it to everyone and finally prove I wasn't just seein' things or makin' up stories like everybody accused me of! You can't dispute photographic evidence like this…"
"Not to rain on your parade Winrey, but it's pretty easy to manipulate a photograph… People who are determined not to believe you are going to find plenty of reasons to call that photo fake."
Winrey, still admiring her photo, frowned knowing he was right. "What would you do with it then?"
"Well… I know what we saw here today is real… So I'd keep it as a trophy to remind me of it. My interest in the paranormal has always been to satisfy by own curiosity anyway. I've never really cared much about getting validation from others. Besides, if you could get people to believe that photo was real, I'm not sure I'd want everyone to know… The last thing I would want is some crazy drunk guys with shotguns out hunting for this poor thing. It should be protected, not somebody's trophy…"
"Yeah… I never really thought about it that way." Winrey shivered at the thought of being responsible for this beautiful creature's death. Even if it did seem intent on mauling her.
The teens remained in that tree for quite some time, but the Ruggaroo seemed content to wait them out. The stalemate had gone on long enough that the kids were beginning to formulate backup plans to escape other than just waiting the beast out… It would turn out that somebody else had a much better idea. Jason nearly fell out of the tree when a large crack of what resembled an electrical burst exploded near the Ruggaroo's head. Not only were the kids startled by the development, but so was the Ruggaroo, the pig monster squealing in fright as it ran off into the woods, it's survival instincts telling it to escape. The confused teens looked on as a strange looking man walked into view, dressed in an explorer's hat and a trench coat. While the stranger didn't look up directly at the kids, he titled his head towards the tree as if to let them know they'd been noticed.
"I don't know how long that thing is going to stay distracted… You kid's best get out of these woods before it comes back." Without another word, the man disappeared into the rain-drenched forest.
"That… Was weird…"
"Do you think it's actually safe to go down now?" Jason asked.
"I dunno… The Ruggaroo could be waitin' for us to climb down so it can ambush us," she half teased, giggling as the boy noticeably tensed. "I'm just pullin' your leg! Whoever that guy was spooked her good, so I doubt she has any more interest in us…"
"How do you know it's a she?"
"Call it a hunch… Now let's get out of this tree! I'm tired of being cold and wet!"
Winrey descended the tree with relative ease despite the wet footing. Jason had considerably more trouble, but his potential new friend waited patiently for him to get down regardless. Winrey then wasted little time showing Jason the quickest way out of the woods and hopefully out of the path of a potentially still angry Ruggaroo. The rain had even let up almost entirely as they exchanged goodbyes.
"Thank you… For saving my butt back there Winrey… I guess I'll see you at school then?"
Winrey gave the boy a wiry smile. "Can I see your phone for a minute?"
"Uh… Sure…" Jason handed her his phone. She typed something and handed the phone back to him a few seconds later. "What did you…"
"Put my number in your contact list."
"Oh!" Jason's face turned beet red. "Umm… Did you want me to give you my number too?…"
"Nope! I'll have your number in my phone once you decide to call me… Later dude!"
Jason was still blushing as he watched the redhead walk away. He couldn't think of a more direct yet subtle way to say I'm not calling you, you're going to have to call me. He just wasn't sure exactly what that meant. He'd also be blushing harder if he realized how hard Winrey was trying not to look back at him.
Jason had only taken a handful of tentative steps home when he saw a familiar bike pedaling this way, coming to a stop right next to him. "Maddie? What are you doing out here?"
"Well, you were gone forever, so I started to get worried…" Madison trailed off before she finished. "And… I may have felt a little bad for being mean earlier."
"I'm used to it," Jason shrugged, a slight smile on his face. "I'll tell you all about what I found when we get home… Hopefully before it starts raining again…"
"You found it! No way! You're just messing with me because I didn't want to go with you!"
"No, I'm serious! It's real! White with bright blue eyes… It even chased us up a tree!"
"Us?"
"Uh, yeah… There was this kid I met in the woods that just happened to be looking for the Ruggaroo too…" Jason explained, for reasons he didn't quite understand, purposely leaving out the information that this other person was a girl.
"I'm assuming you have some kind of proof of this encounter," Madison snarked, clearly not believing him. "Like a picture or something?"
"Actually there is a picture! But…" Jason groaned as he recognized the problem with that. "That's right! She took the picture, and I forgot to ask for a copy…"
"How convenient," Maddie snorted.
"I guess I could always text her and ask if she could send me the photo…"
"You can?... Wait a second?! She? Text?! As in a *girl* gave you *her* phone number?"
Jason mentally cursed himself for letting that slip. This is exactly why he wanted to keep that part quiet in the first place. "Yeah so? If I want the picture all I have to do is…"
"Forget the picture of the stupid pig thingy! An actual girl you're not related too willingly giving you her phone number is the big story here! Did you give her yours too?"
"No… I offered, but she didn't want it… She said she'd get my number whenever I decided to call her…"
Maddie made some indescribable throat sound as she began gyrating in excitement. "Oh my God Jason! What the heck are you waiting for Bro?! Go call that girl right now!"
"What?! No! It's barely been an hour since I last saw her! I can't call her already! Won't that look desperate and pushy?"
"You are desperate bro, and who cares about the other thing! The girl is obviously expecting you to call her! She couldn't have been more obvious about it if she slapped a post-it note on your forehead that said 'Call Me Dumbass'!"
"Wait, are you calling me a dumbass, or does the note say dumbass?"
"Both obviously… Now who is this girl?! Does she go to our school? Is she pretty? What's her name?!"
"Yes, she goes to our school… Yes, she's ridiculously pretty, and her name is umm… Winrey… Levi, I believe she said her last name was…"
Madison's jaw hung in the air, glaring at her brother in disbelief. "Shut your face hole! Did you say Winrey Levi?!"
"Uh yeah…" Jason's eyebrow raised. "You know who she is?"
"Um, let's see… Tall green-eyed redhead, who also happens to be one of the most popular girls in the school! That's who you're telling me was playing out in the rain with you hunting for ghost pigs?! Why in the world would Winrey even care about something like that?!"
"Because she apparently spotted the creature a couple years back and nobody believed her, so she wanted to prove she wasn't making the story up… And now she has it! She also appeared really into my book, which surprised me."
Madison sat there for a moment, regarding her brother. "Be honest with me Jason… Do you like Winrey?"
Jason blushed and rubbed at the back of his neck. "Well… Um… Maybe… Ugh, yes! Ever since I first saw her our first day of school… I couldn't believe it was actually the same girl I ran into out the woods today…"
Maddie stood up and pulled her brother up to his feet by the wrist. "That settles it! You're going to call this girl right now!"
"No! You realize telling me she's really popular was actually going to make me much less likely to call her right?"
"Listen to me Jason… A girl you like, an attractive popular girl just gave you her phone number… And against all odds and laws of human nature, she seems to be into the same dorky paranormal crap you are! If meeting her out in those soggy woods wasn't fate on some level, then I don't know what is! A chance like this isn't going to fall in your lap again!"
"Maybe but…" Jason tried to analyze his situation. Maddie had some good points, but he felt he had some decent points of his own. "Tell you what… I'll wait for another hour, and then I'll call… I can use the excuse of getting that picture sent to me as a reason to call her… That way she's not left hanging if she is expecting a call, and I don't look like a total idiot if she was just being nice by giving me her number…"
"That's… Actually not a bad idea at all! I'm going up to your room an hour from now to make sure you don't chicken out though!" The nervous look already plastered on her brother's face was a clear hint that her intervention would likely be necessary. She gave her brother a friendly sock in the arm. "Come on! You've got this Bro-Bro!"
"Bro-Bro?" Jason blanched at the unfamiliar nickname. "Where did that come from?"
"I dunno… But I kind of like it! Yeah how about that! From now on your Bro-Bro!"
"I'd really rather you not…"
"Bro-Bro it is! I'll see you in an hour! Hope you don't drive yourself insane having to wait that long… Bro-Bro."
"Ugh…"
Madison wasn't wrong. Waiting the agreed upon hour was an excruciating wait. At least he wouldn't need Madison's reminder, seeing as he only made it 45 minutes before he broke down and called. To his shock, she picked up almost immediately after the first ring. "Yo!"
"Oh umm… Hi um, Winrey." Jason stammered through the greeting drawing an unseen smile from the girl he was calling.
"About time dude. It's rude to keep a girl waitin' you know?"
"Sorry… I just didn't… I… Um… Can you tell I'm new at this?"
Winrey laughed out loud. "No, I couldn't tell in the slightest. So, is there a special reason you decided to call me so quick?"
Didn't she just jokingly admonish him for keeping her waiting? "Yeah actually… If you don't mind sharing, I'd like to get a copy of that photo you took of the Ruggaroo… My sister still thinks I'm making it up."
"Oh… Okay…" Winrey's tone took a noticeable dip. She sounded almost like she was upset over something. Had he said something wrong? "I guess I can do that… Is that the only reason you called me?"
"Well… Not exactly… Honestly, I just kind of used the picture as an excuse to call you… So, I wouldn't come off so much like a desperate dork I guess…"
"Oh really?" Winrey's demeanor seemed to rebound considerably. "What exactly did you need to talk to me about then?"
Turns out, a little bit of everything. Their conversation lasted the entire afternoon and into the evening, only coming to a close when Jason needed to get off the line to go eat dinner. An hour or so later, Winrey began texting him, which result in a not so insignificant number of messages being exchanged between the two, reaching well into the night. It was slightly before the clock hit twelve, when Jason's sister let herself in his room yet again.
"Hey Jay! Are you still…" She stopped asking if he was awake, as she could clearly see he was still on his phone. She couldn't help but smile at the sight. "You're still gabbing away with that Winrey? Is she doing all the talking because I know you're not that interesting!"
"Winrey seems to disagree with you," Jason fired back playfully, in too good of a mood to let this sister's teasing get to him. "And it hasn't been constant conversation or anything… Just a text every few minutes or so…"
Maddie smiled in response. It was kind of nice to see her brother acting like a normal teenager for once. "Who would've thought… My brother goes hunting for a monster pig and finds a girlfriend instead!"
That comment did get an anxious reaction out of her brother. "It's way too early to be declaring that! I may have found a friend though… That's one more of those than I usually have."
Madison could've easily made another wisecrack, put some doubt in his mind, teased him about his obvious fascination with this new girl, but she decided not to do that this time. He needed this, and she didn't have the heart to take it away from him. She tried to slip out the door quietly… Only for her brother to stop her with a most unexpected question.
"Hey Maddie… Have you ever seen or met someone and felt instantly drawn to them? Like you've known that person your entire life even though you clearly have never meant them before?"
"Nope," Maddie said for lack of a better response. That question was a tad too deep for a quick offhanded response to suffice. "But I hope I do someday… Kind of sounds like meeting your soulmate if you believe in that kind of thing… If you're attracted to this girl enough that you're thinking like that Jay, then don't do anything stupid like overcompensate… Just be you, it sounds like she likes that for some reason…"
"Just be me huh?... That's the first time I've heard someone tell me that and actually didn't think it was terrible advice… Thanks Maddie…"
"No problem Bro… Good night!"
Springwood Academy was a large campus consisting of two primary buildings… One that was home to the middle-school crowd, encompassing 6th through 8th grade, and the other the local High School. Out in front of middle-school building was a short but long marble slab with the school's name etched into the face of it. Seated atop that statue was Winrey Levi, kicking her legs and humming jovially to herself. Her friend Abby had a pretty good idea as to what Winrey was so giddy about, but that didn't mean she couldn't have some fun with her over it.
"Why exactly are we out here again?"
"Just waiting on something," Winrey sang cryptically.
"Something or someone? Let me guess, another boy?"
"No, not just 'another' boy Abby!"
"But it is a boy?" Feigning ignorance, Abby played up her ah-ha moment. "Wait, it's the new kid you've been so curious about is isn't it? Was he the guy you talked about meeting out in the woods?"
Winrey merely smiled. "Maybe…"
"I don't get it… He's kind of cute I guess, but he's nothing particularly special. Why have you been so interested in him ever since he first showed up in school?"
That accusation actual brought a blush and slight frown to Winrey's face. "Oh please… I haven't been that bad."
Abby snorted. "The first time you saw him, your reaction was akin to watching a long-lost lover walk off an airplane… Not to mention that I've noticed what you've been paying attention to in Biology class, and it hasn't been studying…"
Winrey had lost interest in whatever it was her friend was saying. Her target had come into view. Her chest tightened slightly when she noticed he was walking with another girl, but that pressure eased once she noticed the girl walking with him shared an uncanny resemblance to him… Which meant, this must've been the twin sister Jason had mentioned.
"Hey, isn't that your boy there…" Abby asked, but Winrey had already jumped off her perch and was jogging in that direction. She couldn't help but smile despite being ditched. She saw the look on Winrey's face before she took off, and Abby couldn't recall ever seeing another expression from that girl that was so bright. "Maybe she really does like this one…"
"So you didn't even try to text her this morning?"
"No Maddie…" Jason sighed. "Again… Trying not to come across as pushy or desperate? Besides, I'm pretty sure she was busy getting ready for school just like we were…"
"Maybe, but you never know… Maybe she lives nearby and you two could've walked to school together?"
The image popped into his head… The idea was definitely appealing if possible. "I'll file that idea away for later… No need to rush things right?"
Before Maddie could answer, they were interrupted, no bombarded really by an energetic red blur. "Rush what dude?"
"Winrey! Um… Hi…" Was all he managed to stammer out, as his face did its best impersonation of a tomato. The reaction appeared to please Winrey greatly.
"It's only been a few hours dude. Did you forget how to talk to me already?"
Maddie chuckled, thoroughly enjoying the brief exchange. Oh yeah, she could tell already just from the way they were looking at each other that there was something between these two.
"Okay… Well, I need to stop by the library before first period… I'll leave you to chat with your new friend Bro-Bro! It was nice meeting you Winrey!"
"Bro-Bro?" Winrey repeated with a bemused smile.
"Something new she's trying out, I'm pretty sure for the soul purpose of annoying the crap out of me…"
"So, you can still talk to me without stuttering? I was worried there for a second."
"I'll… Get better at that I promise…"
"Good. Not too much though… It's kind of cute." Winrey smirked, she had him blushing again. "Walk me to class?"
"Uh…Sure… Um, what do you have for first period?"
"English." She noticed Jason's expression falter a bit. "Is that a problem?"
"No, it's just… I have Social Studies clear on the other side of the building… I'm not sure I could cross the building in time to beat the tardy bell…"
"And?" Winrey asked innocently, with a slight tilt of her head. The look Jason gave her in return was priceless.
"Well, I guess if I booked it I might make it…"
"You see, there's a solution for everything." She then nearly short-circuited his brain when she took him by the hand. "Now come on! Don't want you makin' me late too because you're busy draggin' your feet."
Jason nodded dumbly, as he almost subconsciously allowed Winrey to guide him towards the school entrance. He managed a good-natured smile as he tried to joke. "Why do I get the feeling this isn't the last time I'm going to risk getting into trouble for you?"
Winrey smiled coyly. "Dude, if you're gona run with me, gettin' into trouble just comes with the territory!"
As the new friends walked into the school that morning, neither fully realized what they had just started though they'd definitely enjoy figuring it out over the years.
Just like neither had any idea that two people who lived literally a lifetime ago had finally made good on their final promise to each other.
End Chapter 9
-Bonus Track:
The night before, a mysterious figure in a trench coat watched the two kids he'd helped save from that hog monster converse before eventually splitting up to go their separate ways. He couldn't be sure what exactly he'd felt that drew him to them, but he had a feeling that connection ran much deeper than those uncannily familiar faces they wore. "I still can't believe it…"
The man was in for another surprise when he took a look at his watch. "Oh crap! That took way longer than I thought! It's going to be late when I get home… Ah man, Wendy's going to kill me…" Removing a tape measure like object from his coat, he adjusted the parameters on the device to take him home.
It was 1:30 in the morning when Dipper arrived back in the present, what was present day for him anyway. It was pitch black in his bedroom. He looked towards the bed to see his wife thankfully sleeping soundly, bringing a smile to his face. Now differen't people preferred to sleep differen't ways. Some didn't like to be touched as they were trying to fall asleep. Wendy was the type of person who enjoyed using her husband as an extra pillow. In fact, it wasn't uncommon for Wendy to have trouble sleeping when Dipper wasn't in the bed with her, so he was thankful his wife was still able to get some rest despite his absence.
Dipper, very quietly removed his hat and trench coat, stuffing them both in the closet as well as sticking the time tape back in the safe, determined it was going to remain there indefinitely if he had anything to say about it. This first and final trip into the future had been more than enough to satisfy his curiosity and convince him that time travel of any form was just not worth the risks involved.
After putting on his night clothes, Dipper took one last look at his wife as she wiggled around in bed, reaching for something and seemingly annoyed that she was unable to find it. Not wishing to wake her, he decided to go sleep on the couch.
"Robbie…" Wendy muttered in her sleep, causing Dipper to stiffen and glare at his wife like he'd just been betrayed. He couldn't be angry at her, it was just a stupid dream, but still… "Get out of my way before I knock you on your ass…"
Dipper struggled not to laugh, watching affectionally as his wife flopped all over the bed like a fish. He carefully opened the door and quietly closed it behind him. After a brief check on the sleeping twins, he retreated to the family room to try and get some sleep of his own.
Dipper didn't awake to the rising sun the next morning, or even an annoying alarm clock, but rather to an expected weight on his chest. His eyes slowly opened to see the smiling face of his wife staring down at him… Only with brown eyes and twenty-seven years younger. "Mornin' Amy…"
"Good morning daddy!" The six-year-old greeted cheerfully. "Mama said to come wake your lazy ass up and go to the kitchen! I think she wants to yell at you!"
"That's a safe bet after last night… Though your mother should know better than to cuss around you by now…" Dipper sat up abruptly, giving his adorable and giggling little alarm clock a squeeze and a kiss on the cheek before shooing her away with instructions to go wake up her brother. Orders she was more than happily willingly to carry out.
When Dipper walked into the kitchen, he found his wife with her back turned to him, seated at the dinning room table while enjoying some morning coffee and reading the newspaper. Yes, somehow, someway, Gravity Falls still had one of those. The paper more closely resembled the National Enquirer than the New York Times when you considered the crazy goings on of Gravity Falls but it existed none-the-less. Dipper could tell Wendy was aware of his presence but was choosing not to dignify him by acknowledging that presence. Dipper wasn't certain if she angry with him or just annoyed. Well, there was only one way to find out.
"Morning…"
"It definitely is," Wendy replied coldly. "So, what happened to a 'two-hour' test run of the time tape?"
Straight to the point as always whenever he was in trouble. "Yeah… I guess I got carried away… I'm sorry Wendy."
"I waited up half the night for you, with no idea if anything had gone wrong," Wendy continued, sounding angrier with each word. "It's bad enough that I have to worry if you're coming home in once piece every time you have to go out on a dangerous case without me… Do I have to worry about you screwin' around in time, havin' to wonder if you're comin' back now too!"
"No… After last night, unless there's absolutely no other choice, I never plan on using the time tape again."
Wendy's anger appeared to wain considerably, though she tried her best not to let that show to her husband. He wasn't getting off the hook that easy. "Why's that? Don't tell me something did happen while you…"
"Nothing bad no… It was just that, rather than being excited over seeing what the future had in store, I spent the entire trip worried I was going to screw something up or what might happen if I talked to the wrong person… And this was in the future! I'd hate to see what a nervous wreck I'd be if I ever had to go to the past where there really was a risk of damaging the timeline… So no, I promise you never have to worry about me playing around in time ever again…"
"Well… Good… I'm gona make sure you keep that promise…" Wendy lowered her newspaper, looking for something else to get onto her husband about. She still wanted to be mad at him. "You never came to bed last night…"
"I didn't want to wake you up."
"Not a good reason Dip… I don't like wakin' up alone… I told you, the only acceptable excuse for me to ever wake up and you not be there is if you're makin' me breakfast."
"Is that a hint?" Dipper chuckled, as he put his arm around his wife's neck. She made no attempt to fight him off,.
"It's a start."
"What would you like then" he asked, mouth close to ear.
Wendy smirked coyly. "Everything."
"The works huh? Okay, if this is my penance, I'll be happy to pay it." Dipper gave his wife a quick kiss on the cheek. Wendy was hardly satisfied.
"Get over here!" Wendy grabbed Dipper by the collar of his t-shirt and pulled him in for what she considered a 'real' kiss. As they separated, Wendy looked up at him with an expression that was equal parts stern and pleading. "Don't ever scare me like that again Dipper… Understood?"
"Understood…" Dipper agreed before kissing her again. As he got to work the kitchen, he brought up the most interesting detail of his trip to the future. "I did encounter something interesting on my trip to the future… Two kids that caught my attention actually…"
"Oh yeah… What was so special about 'em?"
"Well… There was a boy and a girl… And they both looked almost exactly like us when we were fourteen…"
"Seriously?" she asked, her full attention now on her husband's story.
"Yep… And they both seemed to be into cryptid hunting to boot. They actually found one… Some kind of strange ghostly razor-back looking thing that chased them up a tree. I actually had to step in and help them out so they could get away."
"That's a freaky coincidence… Did you actually talk to them?"
"Only to try to urge them out of the tree and to get away from the forest… I didn't want to risk interacting with them too much. I did listen in on one of their conversations though… Same speech patterns as us and everything. If those kids hadn't been the same age, I might've wondered if I accidently went back in time…"
"Weird dude… What are you thinking? Descendants of ours or somethin'?"
"I hope not! Let's just say I sensed some vibes between them that would be problematic if they were blood related," Dipper pondered. "I did feel a strange connection to them I couldn't quite understand. That's why I wound up spending more time in the future than intended… I just had to find out more about them if I could… Good thing I did, otherwise they might've been Ruggaroo food."
"Oh hey! Isn't that the name of one of those cryptids from that book you've been wokin' on?"
"Yep. Shows how much I really know about the paranormal," Dipper laughed. "I would've sworn that legend was just a story. Yet, there it was chasing our little doppelgangers up a tree."
Wendy took a moment to analyze the information her husband had given her. "So, if these kids weren't related to us, what could explain the resemblance then? Or the weird vibes you were gettin' off of 'em…"
"Well, the only two explanations I can come up with are either the world's strangest coincidence or… Reincarnation, if you believe in that kind of thing.
"All the weird things we've encountered in our lifetimes, I wouldn't surprised." Wendy put down her newspaper again and smirked over at her husband. "It's funny how little things change though… If the future you is still positively enamored with my mini-me."
"Don't act so full of yourself," Dipper laughed, as he pulled the eggs out of the fridge. "From what I saw, the future you was just as into him as he was interested in her."
Wendy shrugged, watching her husband affectionately as he moved about the kitchen. "Can't say that I blame her."
Dipper delivered as promised, providing a hearty breakfast for his family to enjoy. After their belles were full, the kids were sent off to play, and the dishes cleared, Dipper participated in one of his favorite activities. Admiring his wife as they sat on the family room sofa, relaxing after the large meal. Wendy would be lying if she claimed it bothered her, but she liked to pretend all the same. "You think you'd have memorized every freckle on my face by now dude."
"Sorry… Nah, that's a lie, I'm not sorry at all." Dipper quipped, drawing a chuckle from his wife. Now that was the kind of flirting she liked. "I just never want to take my life for granted is all. Married to the girl of my dreams… Two wonderful kids, and I'm basically my own boss making my own hours for a job I'd never thought I'd get to actually do for a living in my wildest dreams. I believe I'd be doing myself a disservice if I didn't take a moment to appreciate how lucky I am once-in-a-while. Not everyone gets to live their dream, and I don't ever want to lose sight of that."
"I think that's something we can both agree on Dipper," Wendy cooed, as she slid her hand into Dipper's and nuzzled against his neck, grinning in satisfaction at the feel of her husband shiver as her breath made contact with the nape of his neck. "You expect me to believe that you've never wondered what might've been? Like if you'd married Little Miss Terror?"
Dipper shivered again, this time in horror. "Probably be divorced and completely miserable by now. Thank you for saving me from that fate Wendy."
"You saved yourself from that disaster Dipper… I was just the girl who benefited from her mistakes." Before Dipper could retort, Wendy leaned in and pressed her lips to his neck and refused to move them until Dipper was wriggling mess beneath her.
"Wendy please!... You know that's my…"
"I know," Wendy cooed seductively before resuming her work. "I see your third knee has made an appearance…"
"Yeah, thanks for that," Dipper moaned, struggling to keep his composure.
"Awe, I'm sorry… If you're good, maybe we can do something about that…"
"I'd love to take up on that, but there's one problem I think you're forgetting."
Before Wendy could ask what that something was, one of those sometimes made themselves known from somewhere upstairs. "Mom! Dad! Tell Amy there aren't any ghosts living in my closet!"
"Yuh-huh! Who do you think put them there!"
Wendy snickered as she rolled her eyes. "Oh right… Those guys…" The eyes of the wife and mother widened in alarm. "Wait we didn't actually…"
"Of course not!" Dipper started to laugh before a thought occurred to him. "Unless, Amy found the urn in the garage and decided to mess with her brother with… I'll got check his closet in a minute just to be safe."
Less than a minute later, the pair of first graders were standing in front of their parents, their recent squabble all but forgotten when they noticed their mother shamelessly sitting in their father's lap and showing no signs that she planned to move. Dipper wasn't sure why his wife like to tease the kids by acting overly affectionate in front of them, so he just went with it.
"Ewe…" Greg grimaced. "Were you guys doing all that kissy stuff again?"
"Yup. You know the risks when you barge in on us!" Wendy finally sat up off her husband and reached her arms out towards her kids. "No need to be jealous! Get on up here with us!"
Amy didn't have to be told twice and immediately jumped on the couch in-between her parents. Greg took another few seconds to break down, but he finally smiled and joined his family on the sofa. The giant group hug soon broke out into a full-fledge tickle war/wrestling match with throw pillows and little bodies flying everywhere. Through all the chaos, Dipper and Wendy exchanged glances that both said the same thing. If those kids Dipper had seen in the future really were future versions of themselves, both agreed unapologetically…
They'd do this all over again in a heartbeat.
End: Through the Years
-Originally, this story was going to end with Jason and Winrey entering the school… But then I decided this is Wendip week… So shouldn't my Wendip week story actually end with Wendip? Thus, we get a few extra pages of family fluff.
I'd like to thank everyone who's read and supported this story throughout the week… All thirty of you who are still left, LOL. I know it probably seems crazy of me to devote 160 pages to a rapidly diminishing fandom, but I also don't care. I love the pairing of Wendy and Dipper, and I don't care if this ship is the size of a damn lifeboat, I'll be rowing this thing until it sinks. You don't see a lot of good Wendip floating around anymore, so I do my best to provide one at least once a year to anyone who still needs that fix. I could probably play it safe and stick with short and fluffy cookie-cutter one-shots, but that's just not me. I know my writing style isn't for everyone. I take risks most wouldn't and try to think outside the box with some of these prompts, and not everybody likes that, and I understand it. When 75% of readers open chapter one and say a collective 'Nope', it's pretty telling, but that's okay. I do this for fun, and if I can entertain a few people along the way, that's all that matters.
A special thanks to everyone who supported this story throughout the week, as well as anyone else who's silently read along. Thanks to Fereality for helping to keep this tradition alive for at least one more year. I don't have a Tumblr account, but it was still kind of cool to see links to my stories up on the Wendip week page… Made me feel a bit more involved. I had a blast writing this, and if this happens to be the last Wendip week I get to participate in, it was worth every second.
-johnnyc, since you asked about the changes to the timeline, I have included a list of the more important breadcrumbs I left for the readers in that first chapter below, though I would strongly recommend rereading the first chapter first and you'll probably find the discrepancies for yourself! Whenever you see a character say something that doesn't happen throughout the main story or happens differently, it's mostly likely not a coincidence, and definitely is not an accident. (Pay special attention to the dinner scene in the first chapter, and when the kids place the note in attic for the biggest clues) For anyone still curious if they missed anything, I am including a list of the breadcrumbs below for fun. Happy Wendip week everyone, that's a wrap for me for this year!
1. Start off with the most obvious I'm sure everyone noticed. In Chapter 1 I bring up Greg's eye color at least five times so the change from brown to green at the end is recognizable. If I'd only mentioned his eyes one or twice in passing, this detail could've been overlooked.
2. In a similar vein to 1, Greg remarking that Amy had gotten taller was also alluding the shift in parental lineage just like with Greg's eye color. This detail was also some subtle foreshadowing that these two kids would be returning in Height Difference, as the sudden shift in their heights was the key to meeting the prompt requirement.
3. Another minor detail in Chapter 1 that some readers might've overlooked, or not thought much about, was the disappearance of the cabin when the kids arrive back in their own time. When Greg and Amy first head into the past, they're standing right outside of Wendy's cabin, but when they return to the exact same quadrants they're now in an open field. Earlier in the chapter, it's mentioned that Manly Dan built the cabin for Wendy and Amy after her father took off. Since, in the new timeline, this event never takes place, meaning there was no need for the cabin to be built, so it no longer exists. The house they'd been expecting to return too was the Pines home featured in later chapters.
4. When Greg shows Amy the secret compartment in the attic to hide the primary note, he mentions that his father didn't locate that compartment until he was in college, around the time Chapter 5-Lost Key would've taken place. However, in Chapter 3 right after Dipper's prom, he's shown to already have the note in his possession, meaning he found that compartment and the note years before he was originally intended too. This is the most major change, and the nexus point of the change in the timeline.
5. While Dipper doesn't take the note too seriously at first, he does view it as a source of inspiration which helps increase sense of self-worth a bit. Early in Chapter 3, I made it a point to mention that Dipper had broken up with Terra… A girl he was supposed to eventually marry and have a child with. The self-confidence boost he received for Amy's note helped him realized it was okay to put an end to what was obviously a very toxic relationship.
6. During their dinner conversation, Wendy confesses that she had developed a crush on Dipper the summer after his second year of college. This coincides with the events of Chapter 4 in Prank War. Wendy admits that she never pursued her developing feelings for Dipper because he was engaged to Terra at the time. Well, now that Terra is no longer in the picture, it opened the door for Wendy to finally accept her feelings for Dipper without that major obstacle in her way.
6. In Lost Key, it's mentioned that Dipper found the compartment in the attic wall earlier than expected because the kids neglected to fully close the hidden compartment all the way.
7. In Chapter 6-A Nice Ring to It, Wendy bringing up Dipper's tendency to be a workaholic is a callback to Chapter 1 Wendy's concerns that Dipper throwing himself into his work to run from the pain of his failed marriage. Since that marriage never happened in the new timeline, Dipper is much happier and never needed to throw himself into his work quite like he did in the original timeline. It also shows Wendy as being much more supportive of his passion, and even working along side of him.
8. In Chapter 1, the kids having keys for the Mystery shack given them to by Mabel was some more foreshadowing on Mabel's mini-arch to reopen the mystery shack.
That's all I believe… I'll update this if I can think of anymore.