Meeting Melody
Dipper and Mabel sat at the back of the bus, Mabel practically brimming with anticipation though Dipper was also excited. They had managed to convince their parents to let them go to Gravity Falls for the summer again. "What do you think we'll do this summer," Mabel questioned her brother as she bounced up and down in the seat. Waddles sat beside her, and Dipper had a momentary flashback to when the pig had been a genius. As for why the pig was on the bus in the first place, the bus driver remembered him and the twins very well. "I don't know yet," Dipper admitted, "but we'll figure it out when we get there." The intercom buzzed to life then, announcing that they would be reaching the bus station in ten minutes.
Dipper smiled as Mabel started talking to her favorite pig with optimism. They weren't expecting to see their Grunkle Stan or Great Uncle Ford this year which would tone down the liveliness, but no day in Gravity Falls was normal anyways. If Dipper were being honest, he was just glad Bill was gone. Dipper stared out the window, lost in thought which, of course, were about Wendy. He accepted the fact that their age difference was an issue that couldn't be solved, that he knew of anyways, but he still thought of her now and then.
"Earth to Dip! Come on, we're here!" Dipper shook himself back to reality to find that they were indeed stopped at the Gravity Falls bus station. Glad to back in the back-woods town, the technically teens grabbed their stuff and got off the bus, Waddles right on Mabel's heels. Of course, who better to see when they first arrive than the girl that just couldn't leave Dipper's thoughts, Wendy Corduroy.
"Hey guys," Wendy greeted with a wave. "H-hey Wendy," Dipper replied with a smile, his voice sounding the same was it did last summer. "Wendy," Mabel said happily, still hyperactive as ever. "Glad to you guys remember me. Come on, let's head for the Shack. I've gotta get back to the register." The twins agreed to this idea and the trio, quartet if you count the pig, made their way to the beloved tourist trap.
When they got to the Mystery Shack, Wendy opened the door to the gift shop and announced their presences. "Hey dudes," Soos greeted. He wore his attire from last summer before he'd been declared the new "Man of Mystery." The reason was soon clear on why because Stan came in from the house wearing his "Man of Mystery" suit with his signature fez, saying, "Hey kids! Glad you could make it!" "Grunkle Stan," the twins exclaimed together, dropping their belongings and racing to hug him. The old man chuckled and hugged back. It was later explained that Soos wanted Stan to run the Shack while he was in town. He lead the kids back to where the house was, carrying their possessions. "I'll put this upstairs," Stan offered and made his way upstairs. Mabel and Dipper made their way to the kitchen, mainly to grab Pitt-Cola, and wound up finding Ford. "Hey Great Uncle Ford," Dipper greeted with a smile. Ford turned around and smiled, answering, "Hey Dipper, Mabel." Stan then walked in after placing the teenagers' items in the attic.
The family chatted happily, glad to be reunited after almost a year. "Hey Stan," Wendy interrupted, peeking in from the doorway, "your 'siren' is wondering if her morning shift is over with yet." "Yeah, yeah. Tell her she can come in," Stan answered distractedly with a wave of his hand. "Siren, " Dipper questioned. "Another one of Stan's rip-off attractions, " Ford explained in a slightly annoyed tone. The door entering the house opened and a girl Dipper and Mabel's age walked in with a towel wrapped around her, though she was wearing a bathing suit underneath from what they could tell, and said, "Stan, please don't leave-" She stopped when she realized that there we're other people. "Um... I'll just go get changed, " she said awkwardedly, a blush present on her face as she slipped into another room. Mabel piped up, "Who was that? " Stan chuckled awkwardly and explained, "Oh, um... That was the 'siren' Wendy was talking about. " Mabel hopped up and down in her chair and declared, "I wanna meet her and so does Waddles! Isn't that right Waddles? " Said pig looked up at her as if knowing he'd been acknowledged.
A couple minutes later, the girl returned dressed in normal clothing. The first thing Dipper and Mabel both noticed was her blue hair. "Whoa, nice hair! Did you dye it or something, " Mabel asked excitedly. "Mabel, you don't just ask someone if they dyed their hair, " Dipper said exasperatedly. However, the girl merely chuckled and replied reassuringly, "I don't mind. To answer you question, my hair has been this color for as long as I can remember. " "Dipper, Mabel, this is Melody Adams, " Stan introduced. Dipper noticed Ford was rather quiet as if he was not pleased that Melody was there. "So Melody, when did you move here, " Dipper inquired. "Actually, I've always lived here. I was away visiting friends last summer, " Melody answered, adding the last part when she saw the younger Pines' twins confusion. "Cool, " Mabel exclaimed and the two girls started chatting while Dipper took in the details of their new acquaintance.
Melody was about an inch shorter than Dipper at most. She wore an outfit of a tank top, skirt, and flats that matched the color of her waist long hair. She was slightly pale but was lean as if she were used to the outdoors. Dipper noticed a glint and looked at what it was. Around Melody's neck was a silver necklace with a music note decorated with four diamonds going up the note's stem, the bottom two blue and the top two blackened with age.
"Cool necklace! Where did you get it from, " Mabel asked, breaking through Dipper's thoughts. Melody looked at her necklace and pulled the charm forward slightly, saying, "Oh, this? My parents gave it to me. " She had a sudden look of anxiousness for a moment though it disappeared when she asked Stan about her next shift while avoiding eye contact with Ford. After they all had a bite to eat, Melody went up front to chat with Wendy.
The rest of the day went by peacefully. After Stan finished the evening tours, Melody yet again pretending to be a siren, she exchanged her swim suit for her normal clothing and bade the others good night and headed home. Soon, it was only Stan and the teenagers in the gift shop, Stan counting money. "So, what did you two think of Melody, " he asked as he pulled a stack of money from the register. "She seems pretty cool, " Dipper replied casually. Mabel looked at her brother and went, "Pretty cool?! Try pretty AMAZING! I definitely want to be friends with her!" Stan chuckled at Mabel's enthusiasm and replied, "I'm glad y'all like her. She's a pretty nice girl. A word of advice though. She's not fond of being touched. Don't ask me why because I don't know anymore than that!." Dipper and Mabel grew curious and pestered Stan for details but if he knew anything more, he refused to tell. Eventually, the two gave up and went to go back to the attic.
As they we're about to go upstairs, Dipper and Mabel saw Ford and stopped. "Hey, Great Uncle Ford? You seemed a little off whenever Melody was around. Is everything all right, " Dipper questioned. Ford shook his head and explained, "There's something strange about Melody. I assume my brother told you about her unwillingness to be touched? " When the two nodded, he continued, "Well, she also seems to grow anxious on the subject of her parents. Anyways, it's getting late. You two should be going to bed. " They said good night and Dipper and Mabel made their way to the attic.
Dipper later laid in his bed and mulled over what Ford said about Melody. "Dipper, you're not still thinking about what Grunkle Ford said, are you, " Mabel interrogated from across the room. Dipper answered, "I don't know, Mabel. What he said was true." "It could just be paranoia, " Mabel tried to reason. Dipper, though unconvinced, said nothing more on the subject for the night. He fell asleep wondering if Melody was truly as she seemed.
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Hey guys. I know I need to update other stories desperately but this story is something that I've been wanting to do for a while. I will TRY to update this as often as I can but I can't promise anything. However, since my third block class is a computer class this semester, I should be able to get a little done. Maybe. By the way, comment if you can decipher the message above and if so, tell me what you think it says. Before you ask, I won't be leaving any hints, and yes, I will be doing something like this every chapter so have fun! ~shadowpixie01