Cipher [A Gravity Falls Tale] #Wattys2016

Fifteen

Will sat on the edge of the hill, watching the sun slowly set. Layla sat next to him, eating some snack she had packed. It was one of their last days of the break before secondary school began. Just a few years between now and their future, but those years were said by all to be the worst.

"I wish every day could be like this," sighed Layla. "We spent all day just... I dunno, doing what we felt like. We had fun. But secondary? Everyone says secondary is the roughest four years of your life."

"I wouldn't be so sure," encouraged Will. "Secondary will have a lot more advanced classes to choose from. There's so much out there to learn about-- I think we'll have a better chance to do so now." He swept his hand across the flat crimson sky above them. "I mean, seriously, don't you ever wonder what else is out there?"

"You've got a big mind," Layla said with a mix of a laugh and a sigh. "Me? I just want to be able to start living. Do something normal with my life. Kryptos, in the other hand, well, I worry about him with how he's practically got the next twenty years planned out. And then there's you and Lee, somewhere in the middle."

"Kryptos wants to do great things," pointed out Will. "I just want to learn. I want to learn about what's out there-- what we can do with ourselves. Our world is so advanced-- surely there's more we can do."

Layla nodded. "Yeah. Do you have any sort of plan with all that?"

"I think I may apply to an academy," said Will, holding his hand out to the sky. "Maybe even try to finish secondary early and apply a year or two ahead. The university may have the best means for doing what I want to do."

"And that is?"

"Well, ya know, I've always had an obsession with the unknown and the unexplained. I want to know what's out there, what's beyond what we do know."

"And you don't see any problems with applying to an academy?" Layla asked, hesitantly eyeing his three sides.

"No," he replied bluntly. "After Kryptos, I have the top marks from primary. I work hard, and I'm not afraid to make sacrifices for these things. Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Layla said, though a bit too quickly. Her parents had not been as quick to shield her from the system, because they had more of a middle-class standing. Still, she was considerate of all, especially her friends.

"You're right," Will admitted, looking out at the darkening sky. Stars were slowly creeping out against the two-dimensional background. "Sometimes, I do wish these days could last forever." They sat in silence for a while, still just watching the sky. Finally, he sighed.

"Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end," he pointed out. He stood and brushed himself off. "It was fun, though."

"Yeah!" exclaimed Layla. "Tell Lee we need to do this more often."

"Sure," smiled Will. "I think he and Kryptos are still playing that game on his viewer. I must say, I think that viewer and Kryptos's game system combined cost more than our house, which is why he's so into it. Our viewer is just a little box."

"Well, money isn't everything," Layla replied. "Neither is technology. Just think: they missed this."

"I'll go grab him," Will said, walking off. "See ya at secondary, Layla."

"Yeah! See you then!" she called back. Grinning, she put her hands on her hips. Layla had lots of friends, but that Will was something else. She looked back up at the starry sky. A big mind, indeed.