„The Grimreaper is dead, a mark appears on the deceased. Other people need to do the deed."

'I can't believe it appeared. Why now?' the girl' breath hitched and she had to force her breathing to calm herself.

Her pale reflection looked back her almost mocking the frightened girl. The deep claret stripe gracing her neck almost looked like a ribbon, hugging her else warm toned skin. Her wide eyes searched her reflection, her colorful nails digging into her skin softly.
When she woke up this morning, she had the weirdest shiver run through her but it to be this. This never crossed her mind. She could feel her thundering heartbeat under her fingertips.

The ring of death.

She was so sure, so so sure that it would happen when she was already an old and fat woman. Dying on her couch circled by her numerous cats. Slowly floating to Death's embrace.
Yet here she was, watching her reflexion in wide-eyed horror. It was almost like a new person, someone she has never seen before looked at her. Someone from the other side of the mirror. The girl with the same deep brown eyes was pale and her lower lip trembled.

Last night. her head spun uncontrollably as she tried her best to remember anything. Last night she went out with her friends.

When did she die?

Was that even such a big thing; pinpointing the exact time of her death. How long was she dead. Did everything happen just yesterday? Did the others already notice?
Funny she wasn't a tad bit sad. Mostly shocked. Her gaze lifted back to the mirror, where the girl wasn't scared anymore. Her facial expressions were neutral, resigned. Her eyes were filled with remorse, yet other than that none would be able to tell what a turmoil was going on inside her.

A list started to form in her spinning head, adding a new checkpoint with every tick of the old clock on her dressing table.

"You are awake."
Mabel froze, her turning ice cold she turned her head. The fact that she recognized this voice after all those years were somehow more frightening than that she died. Presumably last night.

"Gideon…" with her whole body turned now she examined the uninvited guest.

Or was he? He looked utterly comfortable leaning against her bedroom door's frame. His hands folded before his chest. His always-perfect hairdo was disheveled. The neat attire of his was dirty and coated in something dark.
However, all of that was secondary compared to the same claret line running on his skin.

"You are-"

"Dead," he said in the same snotty tone he used when they were just kids. Kids fighting over magic and manipulation.

Mabel fidgeted on the light orange pouf Dipper got for her last Christmas. Trying her best to look confident, and she didn't have to look up to Gideon's pitiful face to realize she wasn't doing a good job.

"To tell the truth," his voice changed and Mabel looked up again " we are both dead." he pushed himself from the wooden frame. "Marshmallow we-"

The clock smashed against the pastel yellow wall just inches away from the intruder's head. Rendering said boy motionless and silent, while he watched a string of hair fall into Mabel's face, her hand still stretched out.

"Don't. Call. Me. That." he voice but a hiss jumping back from her bedroom's walls.

The boy lifted his hand in his defense, his annoying grin widening seeing some color rushing back into his crush's face. "Listen Muffin-" he stopped when the pouf got dangerously into the air. Hovering over Mabel's head.

Her arms shaking from the extension. "What happened? Why are you here?" she ground between her teeth.

"You don't remember?" his eyebrows lifted and for the first time today his mouth quirked downward.

Mabel was about to feel pity for the grown man lingering in her home. Vaguely she could remember the party that Grenda threw. Yet no matter how hard she tried she just couldn't remember Gideon being there.

"I remember the party and the booze." she slowly lowered the furniture back, and then sit "Someone offered to take me home."

"That was me." Gideon said trying his luck and closing some of the gap between them.

Mabel looked at him questioning his sanity, her mind running rampant. "And I went with you?"

The boy nodded.

"By my free will?" her head crooked to the side. It wasn't a foreign question after all, given their past together.

Gideon's brows knitted in utter disbelief "Marshm- I mean Mabel, that was so long ago."

"Doesn't mean it didn't happen." her eyes snapped u, her hands restless fidgeting with the hems of her sweater made her more irritated at herself.

Gideon's shoulders slumped forward and he seemed more of a child than Mabel could ever remember him to be.

"Why were you at Grenda's party?" she leaned forward.

"Uhm…" the boy averted his gaze, finding something rather fascinating on the print adorning the wall. His hands found something in his pocket because he started to fidget with it. "I came to see you."

Mabel's eyebrows jumped up high in surprise and for a moment she felt her face heat up. But not for Gideon Gleeful. Never because of him.

"What happened?" when the boy lifted his gaze full of hope, she specified. "At the ride back."

At that Gideon became motionless again, not fidgeting anymore. His eyes drifted down, trying his best to remember. "We took your car. I drove." he smiled a bit, the corners of his lips trembling. " You told me I was ' Sooooo~ responsible' now."

The girl squinted in return, almost not believing the dead guy before her.

"On the way back, we had an accident." he finished his voice hushed and he gulped, sparing a glance at the shell-shocked Pines.

"Oh my God…" Mabel's hands lifted to her quivering lips, it never occurred to her, that there may have been others affected in her death. Before she realized her hand shot out and she grabbed Gideon's sleeve. "Animal or…some..someone else?" her gaze snapped between Gideon and her door.

She just realized that the boy was blocking her way out all this time. Her body moved on her own, but she stopped when Gideon found his voice again.

"The other caused the accident, but he is still alive. But he escaped." his fist clenched, hidden in his pocket from the girl's confused gaze.

"And we died." Mabel finished, her head falling forward. How was she going to tell this Dipper? Then the realization hit her, Dipper will be devastated.

"No, only you died." Gideon continued, cutting through Mabel's chain of thoughts.

"What?"

Gleeful stepped closer to the girl, finally closing the gap between them. Mabel's fingers still attached to his sleeve unaware. "It was just you." he said looking down into those wide and right now cold eyes.

"What but how…" she tilted her head back so she could find the boy's eyes. Then slipping her gaze down his neck where dark red marked him dead. "You are dead too."

"Yes." he sighed, averting his gaze yet again, not being able to stand the girl's unbroken attention. "Yes, but I didn't die last night."

But how?

Gideon took her hand, making her realize she was still clinging to him. Mabel couldn't find in herself to tore her hands from the boy's grip. He led her down her foyer. The door opened with a rich sound, and way too slow for her taste.

It was still early, and the autumn fog lightly blurred every line. The pushed the feeling back that she should feel cold yet she could only feel the lifeless hand gripping down on her's. It was funny. The fact that right now she would be freezing, yet right now she could only feel a light prickling on her skin.
She heard the leaves crunch under their steps, when the boy stopped she took in her garden. The fence was dented in, and the oak tree-which she loved so much the first time she came here-had a big chunk missing from its bale. Her eyes, however, were drawn to the old pick up she got as a gift from Grunkle Stan.

The car's front was practically torn open, the glasses broken and it missed one of its tires. Her eyes roamed the old metal and the driver seat where the same shade of dark painted the carpet as Gideon's clothes.

"Oh my…" her free caressed the cold vehicle.

"We crashed here., you died immediately." Gideon clenched her fingers.

For the first time, she was afraid to look up at him. "And you?" she just couldn't stop her eyes examined the driver side of the car. Most of the damage was done at that side.

"I was already dead when I came." His eyes found hers and he lifted their hands to his chest. Both of them could feel the still beating heart.

"How?" Mabel tried to get her hand back, because not like with the cold she could feel the weak warmth oozing from the boy's heart.

"The reaper is gone like you know. My time was simply over." Gideon leaned over the remnants of the girl's beloved car. "I wanted you to kill me." he smirked finally letting the girl's hand go. 'And yesterday-'

"No way!" Mabel felt sadness wash over her whole body as she cradled her hand like it was burned. She even felt tears threaten her vision.

Gideon smiled, his face more honest than ever before "Yes, that's what you said." he sighed, lifting his gaze to the gray sky. "Then I took you home, and the accident-" his face darkened again. Both of his hands balling into a fist. "If we weren't in the car he would have run you over."

Mabel slid down to the ground, her back pushed to the protected part of her destroyed car. The fog was slowly lifting, and she could hear some birds chirp in her garden. Her eyes surveyed the street, none of her neighbors were awake yet. Even if they heard the ruckus yesterday, they must have been too afraid to come out.

Both of them remained silent for a while, then Mabel sighed, letting some of the absurd feelings swirling in her go. "What now?" even though she knew what was coming now, she just wanted to postpone it.

She had to talk with Dipper and then. Well, then one of those people who were hunting the dead would come and find her. Finish the deed.

"We could live together." Gideon offered a lopsided grin on his freckled face.

Mabel just rolled her eyes to that, not even sparing a glance at him. Then he invaded her vision, crouching before her, his face bright and a smile adorning his feature. Almost cute.

"Or you could kill me." his face was dangerously close as he leaned in. Tiptoeing on the borders of the girl's patience. "You could do that." his voice became smaller when he almost touched his nose with hers. Yet he stopped falling back when Mabel's deep brown eyes gleamed with betrayal.

"We will find Dipper for now." she decided, still sitting before the boy, who was towering over her.

His face broke into another smirk, this time a bit hurt. "Whatever you say Marsh-"