TRIGGER WARNING: I care about my readers! In this chapter I allude to depression and anxiety. You have been warned! Be safe my darlings!

The supermarket in Gravity Falls was fairly empty that day. Only Lazy Susan from Greasy's Diner (selecting numerous cans of cat food) and a burly lumberjack with vibrant red hair were there. He apparently was keeping the bacon industry booming single-handedly based on the contents of his cart. I was following a very detailed shopping list: eggs, flour, super glue, corn chips, electrical tape, syrup, cereal, and Pitt Cola. But, I was barely paying attention to the list. I wandered aimlessly through the aisles, thinking about how Ford had acted differently around me, and was it my imagination, or were people keeping their distance? I was probably just being paranoid.

Suddenly, my cart collided with something.

"OW!"

I pulled back my cart to see a small child holding himself up with a hand on the shelves. "I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" I asked.

He glared at me. He was very short and very pudgy, with rosy cheeks and a nearly white pompadour. He was wearing cartoonishly edgy clothing, as if he were trying to look like a skateboarder but failing hilariously. There was a fire in his eyes that made me uncomfortable.

"Watch where you're walking, maggot! Or you will rue the day you vexed Gideon Gleeful!" he shouted with a fist in the air, a heavy Southern drawl painted my ears. He paused, his face going slack. "I mean... Hey, dude! Look where you're stepping... up to the streets... and so forth!"

He sighed, and relaxed his body against the shelves. "Who am I kidding?" he muttered, probably talking to himself.

I crouched next to him. "I didn't see you! Are... are you alright?"

He regarded me in defeat. "I suppose."

"I know I'm just a stranger, but is something bothering you?"

"You are a stranger, aren't you? We don't get a lot of newcomers around these parts," he said, half-suspiciously and half-intrigued.

"I'm Carlos, the scientist. I'm studying alongside Stanford Pines at the Mystery Shack," I explained.

"Pines..." Gideon whispered.

"Do you know them?" I asked.

"Yes, especially the delectable beauty that is Mabel," he said dreamily. "Because of them I got a fresh start. But acting like a 'normal kid' isn't me!"

He crossed his arms. "But that's just my tale of woe. It was nice to meet you."

He started to walk away. "Wait! Can I help in some way?"

I was so desperate to be helpful and needed, that I was willing to help this perfect stranger! He stopped, and slowly looked over his shoulder. "That's mighty kind of you. But-"

"I know what it's like to be lost. You need to find yourself, right?" I asked. He turned all the way around and nodded.

"It's admirable that you're willing to step out of your comfort zone, but why don't you act like the you that you like, while also trying new things? Maybe you'll find a happy medium." I suggested.

Gideon brightened up immediately. He threw a fist into the air and slammed it down, releasing a smoke bomb that burst in the middle of the aisle. Once the fog cleared, Gideon was wearing a powder blue suit complete with Oxford shoes and a bolo tie. He giggled, "Gideon Gleeful is back and ready to start a new life!"

I stared in shock. He waved a hand at me. "Old performer's trick. You always need to be ready for a costume change!"

"I'm going to go help an old lady across the street!" he shouted, as he ran passed me and out the door with a tinkle of a bell. He met some very dangerous-looking bikers outside and they all turned the corner. I wasn't sure to be proud of my actions or worry that I may have let a madman loose upon this small town.

I silently finished my shopping and headed to the check out. I gently placed each item on the conveyer belt where they slowly were transported to a very grumpy looking girl. She looked about Gideon's age, so I was concerned about her working there. Weren't there child labor laws in this town? Her violet-colored eyelids sunk over her round eyes in a very un-bemused expression. Her platinum hair was pulled back in a high pony tail. Her large diamond earrings reflected the florescent lighting, nearly blinded me when I looked in her general direction.

I patiently waited for her to scan each item. Someone tugged on my lab coat. I looked down to see Gideon smiling at me, holding something behind his back. "I just wanted to give you something," he said.

He revealed a business card behind his back. It read, "Gideon Gleeful: Child Psychic. Shows nightly at the Tent of Telepathy."

He placed his white hands on his hips. "Any friend of the Pines family is a friend of mine."

The girl at the checkout perked up. "Did you say 'Pines?'"

Gideon regarded her with a smile. "Pacifica! I didn't see you there!"

"You know the Pine's family?" Pacifica asked me. I nodded. "My father hates the Pines family. They're the reason why we're poor!"

Gideon rolled his eyes. "Pacifica, you live next door to me now. You're not poor, you just live in a smaller mansion."

"I'm used to a certain lifestyle, okay?! Why do you think I'm working here!" she snapped. She turned back to me. "Do you know when Dipper is coming back? I... I have to talk to him."

Gideon giggled. "Suuuure, 'talk.'"

Pacifica growled.

"I'm sorry, but I don't. But the next time I talk to him I'll mention you, okay?" I said. She started bouncing on her heels, joy radiating from her face.

I left the grocery store with a promise and a favor. My mind was clear. I didn't think about Ford, or Bill, or anything. I felt calm, like more than just a stranger in this town, but rather a potential friend to it.

It was a welcome feeling, but sadly it was fleeting. It felt that when I came home to the Pines family I was wearing a mask. The smile didn't feel like mine. Inside I felt worthless, guilty, and... at moments absolutely nothing. For the next few days I didn't feel motivated to do anything. It felt like a chore. Wendy tried to perk me up with a trip to the roof. She babbled on about her friends and the silly adventures she had with them, but it didn't take much to drown her out. All I could think about was the sunset, and how it would still set no matter what... even without me.

Wendy grabbed a soda from the cooler. She handed it to me. I stared at the can. Pitt Cola, it seemed to yell at me.

"Lovely sunset isn't it, Pretty Boy?" asked a nasally voice.

I jumped, and dropped the can. It plummeted to the parking lot below. "Bill!"

The colors surrounding me were muted. I knew I was dreaming.

"How have you been feeling the last few days?" Bill asked. He snapped his fingers and a thick, leather-bound book materialized a few centimeters above his hand. It gracefully fell into his open palm. "Have you been having sobering thoughts? Weight gain/loss? Feeling a little empty inside? Maybe a bit... depressed?"

I stayed silent.

"That's right, kid! I've been digging around your head and I thought it might be fun to add a bit of mental illness to your concussion. Maybe we should add a dash of anxiety next?"

"That's enough, Bill!"

"You're right, that might be overkill... Oh what the heck, let's do it!" he started to snap his fingers, but I grabbed his wrist. His eye widened. He morphed back to the tanned, blonde man he was when I met him. "I think you're starting to like me, Pretty Boy."

He pulled me closer so that I was inches from his white teeth. "What do you think, Carlos?"

"Get away from me."

"Huh, yeah I guess you would only have eyes for your future lover," said Bill nonchalantly. He casually shoved me off the roof. I shrieked, but hovered in air.

"Hey, want to hear more about him?" Bill offered. He morphed back to his equilateral form. His eye shone with a violet static, flashing images of barbed wire, a barbershop pole, a radio antenna, and a crescent moon. The images stopped. Bill cackled. "Woah, wait 'til you get a load of him! You might want to study your future beau rather than my boring old statue."

I swatted at him. "Go to hell!"

"Been there, thanks. It's lovely," said Bill. He managed to look bored with only one definable facial feature. He snapped his fingers.

I was back on the roof with Wendy. She handed me a soda. Pitt Cola.

"Hey, are you feeling better Science Du- Carlos?" she asked. I didn't feel much different, but I smiled back at her.

"Yeah, thanks."

Back inside the shop I met with Ford. I explained what Bill told me.

"This is serious, Carlos," he said. He spoke in a hushed voice so that the rest of the crew wouldn't hear from the living room. "Bill is trying to weaken you by any means possible. He's getting desperate."

"He sounded bored," I remarked. Ford stared back into my eyes, studying me.

I stared back. "Do I scare you?"

Ford trying to hide his shocked expression. "I'd recommend a doctor's visit. Maybe they can help you. I've struggled like you before."

I didn't move, or agree, or anything. "I said do I-"

"Goodnight, Carlos," Ford said, standing up. He made his way to the gift shop. I heard the vending machine buttons being pressed.

I looked at my reflection in the window. Dark circles clouded my eyes. I was perpetually tired. I squinted my eyes. I was looking a bit thinner, too.

I tore myself away from my reflection. Bill was trying to torment me. I feared that even after he was gone... if I could free myself from him in the first place... that I would never be the same.

I sat in silence. Ford had never answered me.