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It had been one of the more peaceful nights Danny had had in a while. Although that irritating presence he was so certain he could feel when he lay down to sleep still hung over him when he first went to bed, it had actually had the courtesy this time to vanish after a few minutes, and for the rest of the night, Danny was finally able to sleep unencumbered by those curious dreams.

Which was a good thing, too, since Danny certainly needed that good night's rest to get through breakfast the next morning. After having spent the day with Stanford Pines, Jack and Maddie were more than eager to share all their new knowledge of paranormal creatures and repeat the stories Ford had told them about past experiments and investigations.

"He's really a brilliant man," Maddie gushed between bites of her morning toast. "He's got such an, oh, holistic approach to ghost studies, I guess you could say. He's not a specialist like us, but what he does is, he takes what he's learned working with all sorts of paranormal entities, and he sees how he can apply it to others."

"Hmm," was Danny's only reply, trying his best to look at least a little interested, although really, he wasn't sure whether his parents were even looking for any reaction.

"What was that thing he had suggested for the Fenton Thermoses?" Jack asked. "The freezing thing?"

"Cryogenesis!" Maddie said. "Oh, it's such a neat idea! He told us about this method he used for the containment of a creature he studied," she explained to Danny. "A shape-shifter. Isn't that something? Anyway, he was telling us about how with cryogenesis, you can basically suspend a creature's sentience. They will be entirely frozen, not even aware of the passage of time. He says it's more humane than extended sensory deprivation – which, of course, doesn't really make much difference, considering that ghosts don't have such a concept, but it would certainly make escape more difficult."

"That's great," Danny muttered, and he was fortunately saved having to think about what that would feel like by Jack starting to describe an exorcism ritual Ford had told him about.

By the time breakfast was over, Danny had listened to about a dozen descriptions of new ways the Fentons could fight, capture, and study ghosts, and it was enough to make him feel somewhat ill by the time the dishes were cleared. Jazz seemed to have noticed that the talk was getting to him, because on the drive to school, she kept up a non-stop chatter about her new classes, barely pausing for breath and giving Danny no time to dwell on any thoughts of his parents' new ghost-hunting ideas. He kept up a pretense of being annoyed by her chattiness, but honestly, he was grateful for the distraction.

The distraction didn't last long, though, since when they arrived at school, scant minutes before the first bell rang, Tucker and Sam were waiting for Danny in homeroom, eager to hear about his experience with the scientist.

"So?" Tucker said as Danny took his seat in the desk beside his.

"So?" Danny repeated. "So what?"

"So, how was that scientist dude? He as kooky as your parents? Kookier? Or did he give off any supervillain vibes?"

Danny shrugged. "I dunno. I mean, I guess he was a little, uh, 'kooky'. I suppose you have to be to study ghosts. Other than that, he seemed… okay."

"That's all we get?" Sam asked. "Come on, give us a few details at least. Like, what is he working on with your parents?"

"Pretty much everything, as far as I can tell," Danny said. "Apparently he's been sharing heaps of his own research with them, and giving them ideas for their inventions. Only thing I don't think he's getting in on is the actual hunting. He just doesn't really seem like the type to actively go out and fight ghosts."

Sam quirked an eyebrow. "Right, because you can always tell. Danny Fenton, for example, always struck everyone as a ghost hunter extraordinaire."

"Fair point. But, no, he was just, I dunno, so scholarly and stuff, you know? He made me think of a librarian. And he's old, I'd say in his sixties or so. He'd probably break a hip if he tried chasing me down."

"Well, I guess that's good news," Tucker said. "You've already got enough guns on your tail when you're out on patrol."

"More than enough," Danny sighed. "Oh, and one other big thing: he brought kids."

Sam and Tucker both leaned forward in interest. "No kidding!" Tucker remarked. "See, guess your parents aren't that weird after all. They're not the only ones trying to get their kids involved in all this ghost stuff."

"Not his kids, actually," Danny said. "They're his niece and nephew. Or, great-niece and great-nephew. But apparently they're living with him."

"How old are they?" Sam asked. "Our age?"

"A little younger. They're freshmen this year – both of them, they're twins. Actually, you've met one, Sam. The girl, Mabel, she was in our study hall. She was the one behind us, in the panda sweater."

"Huh. Would never have pegged that girl for a ghost enthusiast."

"And the other one?" Tucker asked.

"Dipper. He's actually the one I ran into in the hall yesterday. I'll point him out to you if I see him."

"Do you think they – ?" Sam began, but she was interrupted by the school bell ringing, and since their homeroom teacher was the type who called class to order the instant the bell was rung, she didn't give a chance to finish. Instead, after a silent acknowledgment between the trio that they'd pick up their discussion later, they turned forward in their desks to listen to Ms. Stark read the morning announcements.

Danny had gym right after homeroom, a class he had been dreading, but at least had it at the same time as Tucker, who despised it even more, so the latter was the one willing to do all the complaining during passing period and as they made it into the locker room.

"They still haven't taken up my suggestion to separate the gym classes into fitness groups," Tucker told Danny as they started changing into their uniforms. "Which means, huge surprise, we're stuck with Dash again. I don't know how many more dodgeballs to the face I can take."

"If it helps, we only do dodgeball, like, once a semester," Danny pointed out.

"Like that makes any difference. Dash is just as happy breaking my nose with a basketball or soccer ball. And I don't think I can survive another swimming unit with him. Literally; I think he'll try to drown me. Didn't Sam get out of doing the swimming stuff last year? How did she do that?"

"She told Tetslaff it was her time of the month."

"Oh. Yeah, guess that won't work for me."

"Well, you've got time to come up with something. We'll probably start the year with just track anf field stuff or – " He looked up when he finished getting dressed, and elbowed Tucker sharply in the ribs.

"Ow!" Tucker yelped. "What was that for?"

Danny pointed across the locker room. "I told you I'd point out Dipper if I saw him. Looks like he's in our gym class."

Tucker turned to look in the direction Danny was pointing. Sure enough, there was Dipper Pines, shuffling out of one of the shower stalls in his gym uniform; apparently he was one of those kids who was too shy to change in the locker room proper like everyone else. He looked oddly younger without his hat and vest on, their absence making his doe eyes and the lack of bulk in his shoulders more noticeable.

"Wait, that's Dipper?" Tucker asked. "That kid's in my Algebra II class! I didn't realize he was a freshman, I just thought he was short. So, what is he, just some sort of whiz kid?"

"I guess," Danny said. "Maybe Ford tutors him. The guy is apparently really into quantum physics or something." He watched as Dipper went to one of the lockers and tossed his backpack inside, shutting the lock and testing the padlock on the door.

Danny narrowed his eyes. Dipper had kept that backpack right at his side the entire time he'd been at the Fentons' house, and Danny still didn't have the slightest idea what had triggered that burning in his hand when he'd reached into it yesterday.

The locker room was beginning to clear out, and it seemed like this could be Danny's chance to get that little mystery out of the way. He told Tucker to go ahead, intending to stay in the corner of the locker room to wait for a chance to get into Dipper's locker, but the boy spotted him right before he left into the gym, and doubled back to greet him.

"Guess we have a class together, huh?" Dipper asked as he approached. "Even if it is just gym – doesn't really count as a class."

"Yep," was Danny's curt reply. Go on, Dipper, go to class, he thought. Just give me a minute alone in here.

Dipper, though, apparently didn't receive the telepathic message, since he didn't budge. "You should probably get out there," he said. "Looks like we're the last ones out to class."

"Yeah, looks like it." Was this kid just being clueless and stubborn, or did he suspect Danny was up to something? Either way, he seemed in no mood to leave Danny alone in the locker room. "I was just going to… retie my shoes. The knots are too loose." Danny lifted his foot onto a bench, making a show of undoing the laces. "You go on ahead to class."

"I can wait for you," Dipper said. "I know it's embarrassing to walk in alone when you're the last to class."

"No, no, I'll be a couple minutes. I'm terrible with knots."

"I can wait."

Yeah, he definitely suspected something.

Danny bit back a groan of frustration as he retied his shoes and fought the urge to glance back over at Dipper's locker. Dipper, for his part, hovered by the doorway keeping a firm eye on Danny, and held the door open when he finally left the locker room.

As irritated as Danny was by Dipper's little strategy here, it at least had one thing going for it: it confirmed that Dipper was hiding something in that backpack of his, and he was determined to keep Danny away from whatever it was.

Which, of course, made Danny all the more determined to find out.