Mabel liked Randy.

He was very kind and funny and always was nice to her. Well, granted, they'd only known each other for about two hours, and she didn't have much to go on, but she could tell he was a good person.

She had to admit, having someone carry her through the forest was a lot easier than running with her brother. Even though the trees had cooled them down with shade, it was really hot. If they had been moving at the speed, she had started her day off with, she would've definitely collapsed by now.

"…and then, I tripped into the trashcan! My scarf was caught in a tree branch above me and it took me twenty minutes to get it untangled. Can you believe it, Mabel?" Randy joked as he gracefully skipped over a large stone in the road.

Mabel laughed, but then she went back to her earlier thoughts. The heat was pretty intense. Was Randy okay to keep going?

"Randy, you clutz! You're just like Grenda. She missed kicking a ball one time and landed face first in the sandbox. There was this much sand in her hair after! "Mabel took her hands and pulled them as far apart as her small wingspan would let her.

Randy looked back at her and snickered a bit. The little girl was pretty cute and sort of reminded him of himself when he was little. His mom always used to say how much of a handful he was.

He felt a slight pang in his chest at the thought of her but ignored it and returned his attention to Mabel.

"Hey Randy, aren't you tired yet? You've been walking for, like, a gwajillion hours!" She stated as she leaned closer to his head to look at him from the side. Randy smiled at ther.

"Oh, come on, Mabel. I know I look small, but I'm tougher than I look."

Mabel nodded, but she was still gonna keep an eye on him just in case. If it came to it, she could always try to walk for a bit. She looked down at her leg, which still looked pretty banged up. There were several cuts and bruises, but it looked like most of the damage was cleaned and bandaged thanks to Randy.

Randy reminded Mabel of Dipper a lot. They were both kind and really smart, especially when it came to injury and safety stuff. Something that Mabel really noticed, though, was how sad they both looked.

Even with a smile on his face, Randy looked really tired, just like Dipper. It was almost like they both watched a scary movie late at night and couldn't sleep. This moved Mabel's thoughts to Dipper.

Mabel could remember when Dipper was fun and excited all the time, just like her. Something happed a few months ago, though, that made him different. Lately he had been super nerdy and kind of paranoid. He was always asking her about their parents and all the adult talk they would bring up. Mabel never listened though.

Now he always had this weird look in his eyes, like he was playing tag all the time and always worried that IT was around the corner. Mabel wasn't sure what happened, but she was worried he was losing his marbles.

After all of this? She was sure of it. What kind of scared her was that he was all on his own. She knew that Dipper was good with directions, but this seemed like a lot of distance for him to cover by himself.

"Hey Randy, do you think Dipper will make it to the bus stop okay? Do you think we should go back and wait for him?" Mabel asked, an unsure look scrunching up her nose and lifting her eyebrows.

Randy sighed and thought about it for a second. He had also wondered if they should just wait for her brother there, but something unnerved the ninja. He knew that the trail was relatively clean for two kindergarteners on the run. He knew a cover up when he saw one, and the way their footsteps were erased and the secluded pathway Mabel was hidden along was not accident. One of these twins were undoubtedly understanding of the situation, and the way Mabel talked about her brother ensured him that she wasn't the one that was in-the-know.

"Aww, come on, Mabel. You said Dipper is a smart guy, right? He seems to know the area really well. I'm sure he's already there waiting for you." Randy said as they continued on.

"Oh, yeah, Dipper and I used to play here all the time! Our parents always wanted us to go into nature. Dipstick even has a map of the place!"

A map? Hmm. This was interesting. If Randy could get his hands on a similar copy, maybe he didn't even need to wait for Dipper to arrive at the bus station. If he could see the available routes, then he's positive he could find a place to trap the kid. By the looks of his efforts to stay hidden, he wouldn't go quietly.

"He had a map of the trails, Mabel? Any idea as to which one it was?" Randy asked.

"Of course! He had a Kidd Kamp map! When we went to the bus station to go to Oregon for our family vacation, we stopped in the gift shop and got one. It's really cool and very colorful. The fox on it tells you bad jokes about the plants that live here. I think Dipper brought it in his backpack."

Bingo. By having that exact map, Randy was sure he could catch Dipper.

"Ahh, well if he has a map, then I'm sure he'll find us just fine. Dipper seems like a pretty cool guy."

"Pffffttt, cool guy? Dipper is a big nerd. The biggest nerd! That's why I gotta go to the bus station. I need to make sure he's safe and doesn't get into any trouble or anything. I'm the alpha twin, so it's my job." Mabel puffed up her chest and put her arms to the side. Randy had to stifle a giggle.

"Alpha twin?" Randy asked, barely holding his laughter in.

"I'm bigger, stronger, and faster than Dipper. And I can knit better scarves. That makes me the alpha twin!" Mabel said in her lowest and strongest voice, eyes looking forward in the most imperial fashion she could muster.

Randy looked at her and grinned as he walked over another log, the trail head in sight. There was a small motel and the bus stop just over the horizon.

"Okay, alpha twin. Let's go get you cleaned up."