Spirit Falls ~~TEMPORARILY DISCONTINUED~~

10 - Outing

Wendy POV

   I gently shake Mabel and Dipper awake, bending down over the pile of blankets I arranged on the floor of my room for them. Mabel wakes up first, yawning widely and stretching out her hands towards me. I pick her up and set her on my hip, nudging her sleepyhead brother awake. He groans loudly and burrows deeper into the blankets, not even properly opening his eyes and waking up. Guess he's already picked up some habits: I'm not a naturally early riser. In my defence, though, I'm exhausted from taking constant care of them. 

   I haul the double stroller up from the basement, but then change my mind. Dipper would be hard to fit into it, given he's half deer and all that... I think for a bit, debating where I should get them clothes and toys. The supermarket isn't too reliable, and I can't order anything on Amazon since my father constantly monitors my bank account in case I buy alcohol or shit like that. Of course I wouldn't do that. I go back down into the basement and pick up an old child leash for Dipper. I could carry Mabel in a Mayan sling for now, but I have to find a way to transport them. 

I walk back up the stairs to the main floor, and search for Dipper. I find him under the coffee table, wedged so hard he can't get himself out. I laugh and pull him out, planting a kiss on top of his head and nuzzling his hair.

"Silly." I murmur. "Now it's time to get this on you."

I bring out the child leash from behind my back, and gently try to slip it over his head. His eyes go wide and his pupils dilate to black pits from fear. He scrambles away from me, whimpering for fault of screaming. My eardrums are shot through. I decide, from his reaction to the offending object, that it might not be the best idea...

Two hours later, after a lot of screaming and repeated stripping of clothes on the part of the twins, and a lot of cursing and putting back on of the said clothes on my part, we're finally out the door. I walk down the road to the mall, going over what I might need. Food, clothes, etcetera. Food, check. I have a fridge full of it, and human three-year-olds are already weaned. Clothes? Not so much: still have to work on that. I look up from my thoughts at the sound of a gang of teens further up the sidewalk. I squint to see better. Oh man. That's my gang. Tambry looks up from her phone a moment and calls to me:

"Hey Wendy! You up for... oh my god, are these kids from that freaky rift?"

She rushes over and fawns over them, patting their hair, their faces, their hands. I can see Dipper getting a little scared, so I tell her to go easy, but Mabel seems delighted by all the attention.

"What a sweetie!" Tambry remarks in a baby-talk voice, lifting Mabel into her arms.

I chuckle and say: "Just watch your quills, dude. Don't hurt my 'sweetie'."

She appears to remember that she's half porcupine and brushes back her hair, shifting her quills at the same time.

"I should really get into the habit of tying them back... So what are you doing with these two stinkers?"

I sigh and gather Dipper up into my arms.

"Trying to go buy supplies for them. I found them by the rift a few days ago, so I took them under my wing. You know how I am..."

She finishes for me.

"... irresponsible risk taker, but a true Robin Hood when it comes to that poor deer that you found hurt in the woods."

I laugh.

"You said it."

The rest of the gang catches up with us, a knot of noisy, crude, pure testosterone. Tambry waves them off for me, telling them "we have more important things to do, and they can't include guys." They protest and plead, but she remains inflexible, and they finally give up, daring each other to graffiti the police station.

The next few hours are spent retrieving the twins, laughing at their antics, and picking out toddlers' clothes and shoes. We even manage to find a pair of miniature Converse. I can't remember a time where Tambry has stayed off her phone for so long. At the end of the day, I'm totally pooped, but at least the little dudes have stuff to wear besides my shirts.