He was running in the forest, the wind whipping his hair behind him. His lungs screamed from the exertion, but he didn't care. He was just too worked up, filled with a sensation of freedom. Not a single mind demon lurked in here, well, none noticed. He locked his eyes on a startled rabbit that had immediately taken off as soon as it heard him. The hare ran ahead of him, and he kept in hot pursuit. He could hear its heartbeat in his ears, darting left and right as it tried to shake him off. He was gaining ground on it. His eyes were wide, a growing smile spreading across his lips. Almost got it. He pounced. Sailing through the air for a few seconds, he descended, hands outstretched.

Dipper twitched, waking up. He snorted a puff of air from his nostrils, wide-eyed, pupils dilated. Fingers clenching his blanket, his pulse hammering in his ears, an itch on the nape of his neck. The echo of a growl died in the back of his throat. He blinked, relaxing. His pupils reverted back to their normal shape, his eyelids lowered. His fingers eased their grip, his breathing a little heavy but was regaining control. Though, his neck still itched and, when he traced his fingers over the area, his didn't feel and bumps. He sighed and pushed the blanket away, sitting up and swiveling his legs over the edge of the bed. He gathered some clothes and went to the bathroom, getting ready for the day. Stepping out of the shower, he caught a whiff of bacon, an involuntary shudder trailed down his spine. He wiped the drool that had started collecting at the corners of his lips. He glanced in the mirror, and would have sworn his eyes were a pale golden yellow. His left eye twitched and his head snapped to the side, another shiver running down his vertebrae. Dried and dressed, he finished his bathroom routine and headed downstairs, licking his lips. His fingers were at his neck as he sat down, scratching at the irritated area with growing annoyance. He took a break from scratching as his breakfast was set down in front of him. Finished in seconds, he carried his plate to the sink, sucking bacon grease from his fingers. Now with both hands unoccupied, he doubled his efforts on his neck, digging into the skin.

"You got a bug bite or something, kid?" Stan called after Dipper as he started out of the dining room.

"I, ugh... I don't know. Argh! Maybe?" He replied between his groans of annoyance, distracted by the itch. He half turned and sat, feeling the itch spread to behind his ears and over his scalp. His digging fingers roamed, trying to relieve his head. His fingers settled back to his neck. He redoubled his efforts, groaning in desperation.

"Uh, Dip? You, uh..." Mabel started, brows furrowed. "You okay?"

Dipper's hands had moved to the floor, supporting him as he scratched behind his right ear with his foot. He froze when Mabel spoke, foot right behind his ear. He lowered his foot, watching at it as he set it back on the floor. He stared at his hands, silent for an moment before the itch began to irritate him once more. With a whining growl, he went at his neck again, using his fingers this time. After a moment, he stood and started walking out of the room, still working at the nape of his neck.

"Dipper!" Mabel cried out, darting after him and catching him by the shoulder.

He turned to her. "What, ugh...is it, hnng... Mabel?"

"This!" She reached behind his head and snatched his wrists, pulling them out so he could see.

His breath caught in his throat for a moment. Small layers of flesh were under his nails and the tips of his fingers were wet and red with blood. He had scratched away his own skin. He looked up at Mabel her worried expression parallel to his own fearful one. He ripped his hands free from her and darted off, running upstairs and locking the attic door behind him. He heard Mabel chasing him, stopping just outside the door and trying the knob. She pounded against the door, screaming at him to let her in.

He leaned against the door, sliding down it as he sat down, head down and arms crossed over his knees. Tears streamed down his cheeks from fear of himself and the pain in his neck that had just hit him. He felt like he had been shrunken down by Gideon again with those growth crystals he found in the woods some time ago. He rocked back and forth as sobs wracked his body. The thumping had stopped but he knew Mabel had her ear to the door. He could hear her softened breathing from the other side. 'How can I hear her? This isn't natural!' "What have I done? What did you do to me?" he murmured to himself. "What's happening to me?"

After some time, he started to calm down, enough so that his sobs were hiccups and sniffles. He lifted his head and inspected his fingers for a few seconds. Deciding to clean up, he stood and unlocked the door. still debating over whether he should tell Mabel about his deal. He swung the door open and Mabel pounced on him, knocking his head on the floor as she bowled him over and pinned him down. "What's going on, Dipper?" she demanded, her face full of concern. Looks like he was telling her anyway.

"I- Let me get cleaned up first. Then I'll tell you everything." He glanced up to his hands held down by his sister. She nodded and stood, helping him up along the way. "Everything," she responded. He answered with a small nod, the pain in his neck resurfaced.

He allowed Mabel to drag him to the bathroom and he sat down in front of the tub. She grabbed bandages, disinfectant, some cotton swabs and a rag. Wetting the cloth, she wiped away the drying blood. This elicited many winces and cries from Dipper as she brushed against the exposed areas. After a while she appeared to have finished, the rag no longer coming into contact with his neck. "Are-ah! Are you done yet, Mabel?" No response came from behind him. He turned his body, aware that if her were to turn his neck, the pain would worsen and his bleeding might worsen. He was already lightheaded. "Mabel?"

Her eyes were large, her mouth a faint frown. She had one hand balancing herself on the edge of the tub, her other wielding the rag, now soaked with blood. Her voice came out in a faint whisper, "What did you do, Dipper?"

A.N.- Sorry for the delay. I've been busy with school, work, and bits and pieces of another GF fanfic and a crossover that I've been writing. I haven't really had time to work on this.