Winnie Jones was never, ever an early riser. That was a fact that everyone who'd met her knew.

Yet on Saturday morning at five, she was wide awake and in the middle of a painting in their sun room.

To her it made no sense what so ever, but then again she wasn't exactly in a conscious state.

She was shining, harder than she had in a long time.

Three hours later, Pete rolled over in his bed to find his speaker missing. He felt like he was going to burst, forcing himself out of bed in boxers and a Mallory Lacrosse tee. His hair was everywhere and he was the epitome of angry.

The music tumbled down the hall as he crossed the house like a time bomb.

Pete opened the door of the sun room, his fiery rage slipping away from him. His eyes widened, having to take in the whole room.

Then he saw his sister, painting on a canvas with paint all over her pyjamas. Just by the look on her face he knew she was gone.

Pete turned off the speaker she'd taken from his room and went over to her. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he called out. "Winnie."

Winnie coughed, her eyes regaining their light. It took her a moment to regain her composure.

"Winnie?" Pete gave her a second, looking around the sun room littered with morning light. "What are all of these?"

Winnie took in the canvases drying against the wall. There were fourteen, all of the same person.

Pete picked one up, eyeing the blue eyed, dark blond character. "Who is this?" He angled it to her, "Here's Johnny or no, Win?"

Winnie set down her paint palette and brush, grabbing a towel for her hands. "Definitely." She replied, taking a longer look around. "How long have I been up?"

"Do you know this guy?" Pete put down the painting and looked at another. "He's got a black eye in a couple of these."

Winnie dragged the alcohol soaked rag along her forearms, removing various paints. "No, not really. I drew him yesterday. I think his name's Isaac."

"Hey, he's got a jersey in this one." Pete said, pulling out a painting dominated by maroon.

Winnie came over to Pete, him holding it. She furrowed her eyebrows, the alleged Isaac character looking over his shoulder. "Lahey."

"So, this is Isaac Lahey." Pete looked down to his sister but she was too distracted by the painting to reciprocate the action. "Winnie?"

"Hm?" Winnie let her eyes drift up to the blue eyes of the portrait subject.

"What's this about?" Pete softly asked, "Why is this guy everywhere?"

"I have no idea." Her voice was a near whisper, only audible to Pete due to close proximity. "It's scaring me."

"It'll be okay, Winnie." Pete set down the painting and put a comforting arm around his sister. "It'll go away. They always do."

But Winnie wasn't so sure.

¥ ¥ ¥

Winnie kept only one of the paintings in her room, but locked all the others away in the attic. She wasn't sure what compelled her to keep it, but she did.

It was the one where he had on his jersey, the eyes as if they were looking at her directly.

"Five," Pete said, poking his head in her door before retreating.

Winnie agreed, the whole house dark except for her vanity lights. She'd curled her hair and winged eyeliner, wearing a black long sleeve dress that flowed from her waist and hit mid-thigh. She put on red lipstick, quiet in her actions as she picked out red heels from her closet. She slipped on a leather jacket, carrying her shoes and a small purse over her shoulder.

She wasn't new to sneaking out and neither was Pete. They did it best together, to be completely honest.

Pete and Winnie got outside, the taller of the two recoding the alarm as the other slipped on her shoes.

Winnie tossed Pete her keys, going around the other side of the car.

Pete was all smiles, climbing into Winnie's car and getting away from their house without waking their mother.

The twins exchanged a subtle high five, exiting their neighborhood.

Winnie tucked a piece of hair back, showing off her industrial piercing in her ear. She took out her phone, shooting a text in the group message of her, Libby and Jake.

"D D, right?" Pete asked her, already close to Ashley's mansion of a house.

"Yes, Peter."

"Oh, come on. I'm not going to get hammered," Pete retaliated, coming across a lineup of others past curfew drivers.

"Pete, I know you. Yes, you are." She held out her hand, making him give her the keys once they parked a couple houses away from Ashley's.

"I'll just do like two beers," Pete tried, the pair getting out of the car.

"I don't know what you're trying to convince me of. You've been piss drunk before and I'm fine with driving you home like that." Winnie lightly laughed, walking with him towards the house of the party. "Rules: Don't get alcohol poisoning and since it's eleven, we're out by two, okay?"

"Deal."

After shaking on it, they split up at the door.

Ashley, slim in a leather skit and red crop top, was not only drop dead gorgeous but was captain of the girls' varsity lacrosse team. Not to mention she was one of the few nice popular girls at school.

She was also the first to see Winnie. "Jones!" she called, walking over to her in converse. She held out her arms, hugging Winnie. "I'm so glad you could come."

"No problem, Ashley." Winnie hugged her back, "Thanks for inviting me." But she also wasn't stupid. "Pete went for the kitchen. Grey tee."

"Thanks, babe." Ashley winked, going off towards Pete.

Winnie gagged inwardly, moving through the party, receiving hellos and a few whistles. Already slightly irritated, Winnie checked her phone and had already left her jacket in the car. She just wanted to find Libby and Jake.

"Decent music for once, don't you think?" Jake whispered in her ear, granting her wish.

Winnie let out a relieved breath, turning with a smile. "Thank God."

"Damn, Win," Jake admired, giving her a nod. "A plus tonight."

"I do try sometimes, dear Jake," Winnie replied with a grin. "Where's Libby and all of her hotness?"

"Getting hit on by one of Ashley's cousins. Question is, how will she politely tell someone she doesn't use safety scissors?"

"Wow, J." Winnie was slightly taken aback but really expected nothing less.

"Sorry, I've already had a couple," Jake apologized. "Remind me, how come you don't drink?"

"Because, it doesn't mix well with my shine."

"I'm not shiny! I just powdered!"

"Sorry, Gen, you're fine," Winnie called to a half drunk senior on her water polo team. She returned to Jake, "I just don't."

"Okay, but Jack Torrence was a raging alcoholic and you're obviously not," Jake countered, a red cup in hand.

"If you're getting drunk I'm not going to talk to you about this."

"It's already Pepsi. I only had pregames with the team." Jake was good with his alcohol; even more since he was afraid of spilling Winnie's secret. "You also didn't come to the lacrosse game. I asked Pete but all he said was that you had a weird morning."

"That's what I'm waiting for Libby for." Winnie glanced down the hall, "I'll go save her. Hang on."

"Atta girl," Jake said, leaning so he could watch Winnie rescue Libby from the lesbian cousin. He knew Winnie had no issue with gays, she just really needed to talk to Libby.

Winnie walked up next to Libby, who was practically cornered by Ashley's pretty cousin. "Babe, drinks?" She put a hand on Libby's lower back but turned to Ash's cousin. "Who's this?"

"Daliah, and I was just about to go find my cousin." With that, the brunette in a tight dress scurried off.

"Oh my God, thank you." Libby gushed as Daliah left and Winnie let go. "I didn't want to be rude and I didn't know how to tell her I didn't swing that way."

"It's okay, just come with me." Winnie took her back to Jake who was dying of laughter. "Come on, twinkie, let's go."

"Hold off on the slurs, sweets." Jake imitated the trans teacher from South Park, following Libby and Winnie.

"Oh shut up." Libby pinched his nipple through his shirt, earning a yelp from him.

Pulling the two into a spare room, Winnie shut the door. "Okay, sit."

"So demanding." Jake countered, taking a seat next to Libby on the bed. "What's up, Pooh Bear?"

"I woke up sometime before eight and I was painting for hours." Winnie handed over her phone. "Just scroll."

"Is this the same guy that you drew last night?" Libby asked, her expression changing with the pictures. "God, he's gorgeous."

"His name is Isaac Lahey," Winnie told them. "At least I think so."

"Why are you painting him so much?" Jake took the phone from Libby and flicked through the pictures. "His jawline could kill someone."

"I have no idea, but I want to know. I just-" Winnie's words fell off, her phone ringing a tone she hadn't heard in a while.

"Oh my God."

"Is that your-"

"Dad?" Winnie had a hand on her forehead, using the other to keep her phone to her ear. "Hey, how's Tokyo?"

"Not sure. Though, it would help if I was there."

Winnie could currently be described by panic, but luckily her voice barely showed it. "Are you at the London unit now or something?"

"Winowna?"

"Yeah, Dad?" She pinched her nose with her thumb and forefinger, blue eyes closed.

"Busted."

-Having a half day friday with no homework is a blessing in itself -Mel xxx