WINK: Daytime's for working, nightime's for living

Chapter Eight: Waiting for fresh meat to tear into, young bones to snap...

*Omniscient POV*

The next day, when Anastasia would usually come to check on Wink (about quarter past four), Christina came instead. Not realising the absence of it's childhood friend, the snowy skinned creature flung itself at Christina as soon as she entered.

"Last night, there was a witch, and a sword lady, and she was in here, and-" Wink caught the expression of Christina, which was a mildly creeped and confused one, and back off.

"Sorry" It mumbled.

"S'ok." Christina replied lightly, expression unchanged. "Anastasia couldn't come, she went to her Grandpa's"

"Oh yes. It's Wednesday then?" Wink blinked.

"Yeah. Err, anyway, I brought you food, Anya said you don't drink much so.."

"Oh, thanks!" Wink took the well made hamper out of the dark haired girl and opened the lid appreciatively.

"So, anyway, what-" Christina began but it cut her off lazily.

"Ooh, who made this hamster?"

"Hamster?" Christina laughed. Wink looked puzzled for a while before it noticed it's mistake.

"Hamper" It said correcting itself. "Sorry I'm going insane."

"And you weren't already?"

They laughed for a while, the tall girl and the spindly THING.

~*~

"So, what were you talking about when I first came in?" Christina asked after a bit of eating. A shadow passed over Wink's pale face when it replied.

"It's a long story, really." And it began explaining what had happened the night before. When it had finished, Christina sat back with a concerned expression. Wink was expecting her to say something intelligent or foreboding, so was taken by surprise when a grin was washed onto Christina's face.

"So we know why you changed! That's good!" She chirruped. Wink found it had to agree.

"Yeah. At least we have something to go off. Hey, tomorrow can you make sure that you and Sky come as well as Anya? I have a feeling that something big is going to happen, and I need all the help I can get."

"Sure." Christina said then dug out her phone to check the time. The phone was black and had a battered, purple leather case surrounding it.

"I need to go. You'll be ok?" Christina got to her feet as Wink nodded.

"Awesome. Oh, and, the books Anya put in there are really good. You should read them, if you can work out how." And with that she left.

~*~

Later, when Wink was thinking about the conversation it had had with Christina, it realised something.

"Why on earth did I invite Christina and Skylar?" It wondered aloud. "It isn't like I need them here, they won't contribute....much.. and since when did I call Skylar by her nickname...?"

~*~*~*~*~

Nevertheless, Skylar and Christina did come the next day, armed with felt tips and an A3 sketch pad. Skylar looked a little happier than the last time Wink saw her, but it still avoided her chestnut eyes.

"Anything happen last night?" Anastasia asked immediately in her concerned way. Christina had obviously told them what happened. Wink shook her head. It had stayed in the warehouse, a decision it was now regretting. Oh well, it could have been worse, Wink had those weird, backwards Japanese books to keep it occupied.