All or Nothing

Chapter 4

Dipper lay curled up in his bed. The alarm on his bedstand read 1:27.
"What had happened was just a dream, right?"
He wasnt talking to anyone, just finding confirmation in the silence. He rolled over, eyes closed and already halfway asleep.
"Just...a ...dream"

The next morning he was tired, not any more that usual though. Dipper seemed to exist in a state of mental and physical exhaustion these days, so it didn't bother him. He still lived at home, which his parents preferred, as they claimed 'him being out there would cause too much trouble'
Any work he did sent the money straight to them anyway. Walking into his ensoute bathroom, he watched the figure in the mirror. Curled brown hair messy from sleep, brown eyes slightly dulled and dark circles. Dipper picked up the concealer with a sigh. He didn't normally wear makeup, but concealer had become a necessitie. When buying it he'd told the cashier he was running an errand for his sister. They understood nothing.

Deciding to shower before he put the makeup on, he stripped, only to stare at the mirror in shock. On his left shoulder a large mark, two puncture wounds and blue veins, stood out against his pale skin.
"Bill..."
The previous night had been real. Leaning forward, he ran his finger over the two indents, tracing the visible veins. He showered quickly, covering the mark before going downstairs to eat.

The tv was playing somekind of infomercial channel, the kind that was used for background noise, amd he could smell vanilla. Walking into the kitchen, Mabel stood by the stove in her 'pajamas', which in reality were a baggy shirt and pants higher than fuel prices. She also wore an apron coated in copious amounts of glitter.
"Morning Bro-bro!"
"Morning"
Rubbing at his eyes, Dipper headed for the coffee machine.
"Making pancakes, you want any?"
Dipper smiled
"Mabel, if I ever say no to that quetion I want you to shoot me"
"Dipper!! Dont say things like that!"
She was angry, but happy. Flattered. As sad as it was, she was easy to satisfy. Glory of the innocent, Dipper thought to himself.

They sat at the table, eating quietly.
Mabel, out of nowhere, hugged.
"The tv's boring, mind if I change it?
Dipper waved his hand.
"Don't ask me"
Dipper's eyes followed Mabel as she walked to the Tv, picked up the remot and started switching channels. Most of it was news she skipped but...
"Stop!"
Mabel turned to look at him
"What?"
"Go back a channel"
She did as he asked, giving him an odd look. Dipper stood up, walking towards the couch. He leant on it as the man on the screen spoke.

"Alpha and Beta claiming has always been a hot topic. Taking a person as your own, leaving a permanent mark unhealable. It's a heavy thing to do. But how do you tell the difference? Monica Ausbry from...
Dipper ignored the droned introduction.
"Claiming comes in two forms. Alpha and Beta. The two look completely different.
Beta is signified by red veins, usually spreading out along the bitten limb. This lasts up to a week. Alpha however, is special. Blue veins close to the wound will stay that way for months, which has been scientifically connected to
...

Months. Dipper would have to hide that mark for months.
Alpha. Bill was an Alpha. It was too much to process.
Mabel started towards him.
"Dipper?"
"Y-Yeah?"
"Are you ok? You just went pale"
"I'm ok"
Mabel didn't look convinced.
"You went out again last night didn't you?"
Dipper shrugged.
"Jesus boy, you're going to kill yourself. Off to bed, now"
Dipper laughed
"What are you, my mom?"
Mabel just shook her head at him.

Dipper sat on the edge of his bed. There was no way he'd be able to sleep with his head this full.

Obviously, he was wrong, because he was out as soon as his head hit the pillow.