p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Staying emover /emat the Douglas house wasn't as strongawful/strong as Midnight chalked it up to. She liked the light pink decorations, coating the downstairs room to go along with a white sofa. It fit her perfectly; perking up her mood. She stronghad /stronggot in touch with her step-parents who couldn't quite make it back in time./p
p dir="ltr"The process of adoption is longer than what most might think, strongdepending /strongon the agency./p
p dir="ltr"Midnight is daydreaming of Claudia having her own children so she has more siblings. Yes, she found solace in being alone, but being around such a peaceful, loving blend of a dysfunctional family stronggave /strongher new opinions on the whole ordeal. She use to believe spending quality time with family was a waste. Her stronghomework /strongwas caught up so she was able to force herself into conversing with empresent /emcompany. In the living room, she has her nose in a book strongbeside /strongBaby while the rest of the house is eerily silent./p
p dir="ltr""DO NOT emGO /eminto the attic!" Baby suddenly shouts, clutching the book she is reading viciously. Her shouts causes Midnight to raise her eyebrows./p
p dir="ltr"Midnight giggles, halfway through with her story she had been strongreading/strong. She felt at peace in these moments, really confusing her inside. How could she have not found this sooner? "You emlike /emit?"/p
p dir="ltr""It's cringeworthy!" Baby counters, biting her bottom lip. Her eyes are glued to the pages, flipping crisp pages of an old book- Midnight kept close to her heart./p
p dir="ltr"Midnight nods, strongreleasing a /strongsoft sigh. She returns to reading her book emuntil the mother /emof the boys empeers/em into the living room./p
p dir="ltr""You girls, strongalright/strong?" Jessica asks, rubbing her hands. She narrows her eyes in curious question on the books./p
p dir="ltr""I emthink/em Flame came across the disturbing part of emFlowers in the Attic/em. I'm currently strongrereading /strongMy Sweet Audrina." Midnight notes, strongjabbing /stronga thumb in the red head's direction./p
p dir="ltr""It's strongmostly /stronggood for how horrifying the strongmother /strongand grandmother treats the kids lemocked /emin the attic. The incest is sick!" Baby wrinkles her nose, showcasing her shock at the story./p
p dir="ltr""Well, I wanted to emlet /emyou ladies know that the boys will be home in a few minutes with their grandpa. Their father will be working late, but strongpromises /strongto come to dinner." Jessica softly smiles about to leave when Midnight has an idea./p
p dir="ltr""Mrs. D, strongwould /strongyou like us to help? It's no bother before you object." Midnight pipes up, sticking a bookmark in the book to save her place. She lightly nudges Baby who scowls at the interruption./p
p dir="ltr""Midnight, you can call me, Jessica. Baby is allowed to since she's practically family. As for the help, I would love some." Jessica sweetly smiles./p
p dir="ltr""Mrs. D is my own personal nickname for you. You're already emcooler /emthan most moms I know. You strongdeserve /stronga nickname with jazz to show your strength." Midnight beams, hearing Jessica chuckle as she goes off to the kitchen./p
p dir="ltr"Baby sighs, shooting strongdaggers /stronginto Midnight. She places a bookmarker in her book, softly closing it. She sets it on the oak coffee table on top of the one Midnight is reading. Her hands find themselves on her hips. "Midnight, you've emturned /eminto Rocky! I don't work for free."/p
p dir="ltr""I'm not Rocky. Or Emily for that strongmatter/strong. I like being kind to people who are strongdeserving /strongof it. Of course, I like being kind to anybody, but shallow people are hard to get through to." Midnight shoots up off the couch, tugging Baby to her feet./p
p dir="ltr""I haven't had to do chores in forever!" Baby shouts, throwing a fist in the air. Her fist missed Midnight by eminches. /em/p
p dir="ltr"emMidnight /emscowls, chuckling at the girl. "Baby, it's polite."/p
p dir="ltr""Oh, there you go quoting Rocky some more." Baby giggles, lightly nudging Midnight as they walk into the kitchen. She grew strongrather /strongfond of Midnight emafter /emthe girl strongdared /strongColt to kiss her. She could emsee /emMidnight had no interest in emchasing/em Colt or hooking up with him so she wasn't about to hold it against the girl. Now, Colt, on the other hand, she could tease about daily just to gain a reaction so she would./p
p dir="ltr""Ooh, are we helping to cook dinner?" Midnight asks, rubbing her hands together in a emmalicious /emmanner./p
p dir="ltr""Dinner's already in the oven." Jessica spoke while adding, "I'm making pot roast to feed us all."/p
p dir="ltr""What do you want us to help clean or cook then?" Baby asks, attempting to stand on her tippy toes- the way she saw Midnight strongdo /stronga thousand times. She is peering around at the sleek, marvelous, cozy kitchen; finding no dirt./p
p dir="ltr""strongWould /strongyou like to help me bake cookies?" Jessica asks, thinking up a dessert or snack for later./p
p dir="ltr"Midnight took this as a strongpersonal /strongchallenge. Beaming, she nods while the other two catch the glimpse of insanity in her grey eyes. "I'll get the flour, where is it?"/p
p dir="ltr"Baby arches an eyebrow. She gestures to the cabinet on the bottom beside the fridge. "You bake?"/p
p dir="ltr""I'm emcreative /emin all aspects of my life. I bake, I dance, I'm making costumes for the school play the high school strongpromised /strongto produce. It's about strongtaking /strongon the man." Midnight informs, grunting as she picks up the flour./p
p dir="ltr""You are a young woman with many talents, aren't you?" Jessica asks, baffled by the new information. She grew to like the youngster more. She didn't think she would or could./p
p dir="ltr"Baby picks up a silver bowl, grabbing some eggs and a wooden spoon. She is eyeing Midnight as if she saw her in a new light. "What emelse /emis the school play about?"/p
p dir="ltr""It's set for the upcoming spring. It revolves around taking on the man in charge emwhile staying /emtrue to who you are. Believe in yourself; never give in to the wants of society." Midnight gushes, helping Baby crack eggs./p
p dir="ltr"Jessica is strongwatching /strongin silent awe./p
p dir="ltr""Do you have a working title for the play?" Baby asks, beating the eggs in the silver bowl./p
p dir="ltr""I'm emsitting /emon it. I'll let you know." Midnight returns to the small bag of flour. She is eyeing the bag longingly./p
p dir="ltr""Midnight, dear, are you alright?" asks Jessica, taking note of the girl's stiff posture./p
p dir="ltr""I'm fine. Your kitchen might not be so fine with it once we're done. I apologize in advance, Mrs. D." Midnight solemnly states, tearing into the flour./p
p dir="ltr""Why are you strongapologizing/strong? I mess the kitchen up all the time when I force Colt to help me cook. It's a team effort so I mostly stick to munching on Skittles." Baby shyly grins as her thoughts emflitter/em to the blue ninja./p
p dir="ltr""It's true. They do." Jessica chuckles, nodding her head in agreement. She is sporting a soft smile./p
p dir="ltr"Midnight sighs, strongholding /strongno regrets. She slings flour into the silver bowl Baby is holding, tossing some onto her glasses covering some of the freckles on her nose. She uneasily, sucks in a sharp breath. Her war in flour, baking, and making a mess of the kitchen had begun./p
p dir="ltr""Midnight, you should have not done that." Baby sets the bowl on the counter, walking over to the flour bag./p
p dir="ltr""That's what I meant when I was apologizing. Kitchen wars have begun. Take shelter, Mrs. D for no one is safe." Midnight briefly glances over her shoulder to the woman./p
p dir="ltr"Jessica softly laughs, watching the two girls as Midnight proves right./p
p dir="ltr"Midnight emis coated /emin flour from head to toe as a bit of flour gets strongaccidentally /strongtossed on Jessica./p
p dir="ltr"Jessica strongdoesn't /strongget mad. She already had the roast off, left in the oven for protection. She joins in on light roughhousing./p
p dir="ltr"Midnight strongtwirls/strong on her tip toes to the kitchen, allowing Baby to miss her. She ends up crazily dancing around the kitchen, emaccidentally /emheaving herself onto the table. She jumps off, landing emswiftly/em in front of Baby stronglightly /strongbooping her nose./p
p dir="ltr"A dot of white from the food ingredient is coating her nose fully./p
p dir="ltr""Midnight, no fair!" Baby chimes, pouting having lost./p
p dir="ltr"Jessica left to go wash herself up a few minutes into her laughing and cutting up with the girls. She forgot how it was to have fun especially while one was a teen girl./p
p dir="ltr""I win!" Midnight shouts about ready to clean up the kitchen as she grew aware of new pairs of eyes on her./p
p dir="ltr"On them, really./p
p dir="ltr"A cough came from the doorway, causing both girls to tense./p
p dir="ltr"Midnight emis /emslower than Baby to turn to the doorway./p
p dir="ltr"Baby has gone tomato red in the face, clashing with the flour covering her small body./p
p dir="ltr"There stood Rocky, Colt, and Tum Tum strongaccompanied /strongby an old man of Asian descent./p
p dir="ltr"Colt covered his mouth, forcing himself to kill snickers at the sight of what they bore witness to./p
p dir="ltr""How long have you been standing there?" Baby asks, pointing to no one in particular. To her, it's like getting caught with her pants down. Sure, she shouldn't feel embarrassed given her long history with the Douglas family, but the kitchen was a bigger mess than she usually created with Colt./p
p dir="ltr""emLong /emenough to bare witness to Midnight dancing while acting like a child strongtowards /strongand with you." Colt burst into laughter, holding a gleam in his eyes as he sees Baby grow flustered./p
p dir="ltr""Can I strongjoin/strong?" Tum Tum asks, widening his eyes./p
p dir="ltr"It emappeared /emas if they were having so much fun./p
p dir="ltr""I, uh, the uh..." Midnight splutters, trailing off in her embarrassment. She kept her dancing to herself along with her silly, childlike mannerisms for reasons she didn't need them prying her for. She was waiting for the grandpa to start yelling at them to clean up the mess./p
p dir="ltr""strongThese /strongare the young ladies you were telling me about?" The grandpa asks the boys who turn bright red at the acknowledgement. He chuckles at his grandsons embarrassment./p
p dir="ltr"Baby never emformally /emmet the grandfather of the Douglas boys. She would sneak with Colt to train at the cabin, but emonly /emwhen the old man was busy. She never got why; always wondering if he were ashamed of her. That is until he came home from his grandpa's one summer; emyelling /emto her about her new ninja name bestowed upon her by the grandpa she had yet to meet. Of course, she kept strongmeaning /strongto ask Colt how the grandpa could give her a ninja name without formally meeting her./p
p dir="ltr""Is that how I got my ninja name?" Baby softly asks, quickly changing topics./p
p dir="ltr"Midnight keeps her stronggaze /strongon the ground, softly smiling at the curiosity of the redhead. She thought it was a cute gesture./p
p dir="ltr"Colt is the one on the hot seat, bright with embarrassment. "Uh, strongmaybe/strong."/p
p dir="ltr"Midnight was wondering when they'd make introductions. She looks up, growing confidence as she walks over to the grandpa./p
p dir="ltr""I'm..." Midnight strongtrails /strongoff, casting a hesitant gaze to her flour coveted hand. "Oh, uh, covered in flour. strongI'm Midnight/strong," finishes the girl, wiping off the flour onto her mid-riff. She mentally slaps herself./p
p dir="ltr"Colt snorts, briefly glancing over to Rocky who is blushing like a madman. He notes it's another thing the pair have in common./p
p dir="ltr""I'm Mori Tanaka. It's nice to meet you; Oh, uh, covered in flour Midnight." Mori gives her hand a firm shake, jokingly adding the last bit./p
p dir="ltr"Baby is reluctant, but steps up beside Midnight. She lightly grazes Midnight, extending an arm to introduce herself to the grandfather. "And I'm Baby. Formally."/p
p dir="ltr"Mori shakes hands with her. He can see why his grandsons were so taken with the girls./p
p dir="ltr"They had a different rather unique vibe of their own./p
p dir="ltr"He welcomed the change with open arms./p
p dir="ltr" /p
p dir="ltr"Staying emover /emat the Douglas house wasn't as strongawful/strong as Midnight chalked it up to. She liked the light pink decorations, coating the downstairs room to go along with a white sofa. It fit her perfectly; perking up her mood. She stronghad /stronggot in touch with her step-parents who couldn't quite make it back in time./p
p dir="ltr"The process of adoption is longer than what most might think, strongdepending /strongon the agency./p
p dir="ltr"Midnight is daydreaming of Claudia having her own children so she has more siblings. Yes, she found solace in being alone, but being around such a peaceful, loving blend of a dysfunctional family stronggave /strongher new opinions on the whole ordeal. She use to believe spending quality time with family was a waste. Her stronghomework /strongwas caught up so she was able to force herself into conversing with empresent /emcompany. In the living room, she has her nose in a book strongbeside /strongBaby while the rest of the house is eerily silent./p
p dir="ltr""DO NOT emGO /eminto the attic!" Baby suddenly shouts, clutching the book she is reading viciously. Her shouts causes Midnight to raise her eyebrows./p
p dir="ltr"Midnight giggles, halfway through with her story she had been strongreading/strong. She felt at peace in these moments, really confusing her inside. How could she have not found this sooner? "You emlike /emit?"/p
p dir="ltr""It's cringeworthy!" Baby counters, biting her bottom lip. Her eyes are glued to the pages, flipping crisp pages of an old book- Midnight kept close to her heart./p
p dir="ltr"Midnight nods, strongreleasing a /strongsoft sigh. She returns to reading her book emuntil the mother /emof the boys empeers/em into the living room./p
p dir="ltr""You girls, strongalright/strong?" Jessica asks, rubbing her hands. She narrows her eyes in curious question on the books./p
p dir="ltr""I emthink/em Flame came across the disturbing part of emFlowers in the Attic/em. I'm currently strongrereading /strongMy Sweet Audrina." Midnight notes, strongjabbing /stronga thumb in the red head's direction./p
p dir="ltr""It's strongmostly /stronggood for how horrifying the strongmother /strongand grandmother treats the kids lemocked /emin the attic. The incest is sick!" Baby wrinkles her nose, showcasing her shock at the story./p
p dir="ltr""Well, I wanted to emlet /emyou ladies know that the boys will be home in a few minutes with their grandpa. Their father will be working late, but strongpromises /strongto come to dinner." Jessica softly smiles about to leave when Midnight has an idea./p
p dir="ltr""Mrs. D, strongwould /strongyou like us to help? It's no bother before you object." Midnight pipes up, sticking a bookmark in the book to save her place. She lightly nudges Baby who scowls at the interruption./p
p dir="ltr""Midnight, you can call me, Jessica. Baby is allowed to since she's practically family. As for the help, I would love some." Jessica sweetly smiles./p
p dir="ltr""Mrs. D is my own personal nickname for you. You're already emcooler /emthan most moms I know. You strongdeserve /stronga nickname with jazz to show your strength." Midnight beams, hearing Jessica chuckle as she goes off to the kitchen./p
p dir="ltr"Baby sighs, shooting strongdaggers /stronginto Midnight. She places a bookmarker in her book, softly closing it. She sets it on the oak coffee table on top of the one Midnight is reading. Her hands find themselves on her hips. "Midnight, you've emturned /eminto Rocky! I don't work for free."/p
p dir="ltr""I'm not Rocky. Or Emily for that strongmatter/strong. I like being kind to people who are strongdeserving /strongof it. Of course, I like being kind to anybody, but shallow people are hard to get through to." Midnight shoots up off the couch, tugging Baby to her feet./p
p dir="ltr""I haven't had to do chores in forever!" Baby shouts, throwing a fist in the air. Her fist missed Midnight by eminches. /em/p
p dir="ltr"emMidnight /emscowls, chuckling at the girl. "Baby, it's polite."/p
p dir="ltr""Oh, there you go quoting Rocky some more." Baby giggles, lightly nudging Midnight as they walk into the kitchen. She grew strongrather /strongfond of Midnight emafter /emthe girl strongdared /strongColt to kiss her. She could emsee /emMidnight had no interest in emchasing/em Colt or hooking up with him so she wasn't about to hold it against the girl. Now, Colt, on the other hand, she could tease about daily just to gain a reaction so she would./p
p dir="ltr""Ooh, are we helping to cook dinner?" Midnight asks, rubbing her hands together in a emmalicious /emmanner./p
p dir="ltr""Dinner's already in the oven." Jessica spoke while adding, "I'm making pot roast to feed us all."/p
p dir="ltr""What do you want us to help clean or cook then?" Baby asks, attempting to stand on her tippy toes- the way she saw Midnight strongdo /stronga thousand times. She is peering around at the sleek, marvelous, cozy kitchen; finding no dirt./p
p dir="ltr""strongWould /strongyou like to help me bake cookies?" Jessica asks, thinking up a dessert or snack for later./p
p dir="ltr"Midnight took this as a strongpersonal /strongchallenge. Beaming, she nods while the other two catch the glimpse of insanity in her grey eyes. "I'll get the flour, where is it?"/p
p dir="ltr"Baby arches an eyebrow. She gestures to the cabinet on the bottom beside the fridge. "You bake?"/p
p dir="ltr""I'm emcreative /emin all aspects of my life. I bake, I dance, I'm making costumes for the school play the high school strongpromised /strongto produce. It's about strongtaking /strongon the man." Midnight informs, grunting as she picks up the flour./p
p dir="ltr""You are a young woman with many talents, aren't you?" Jessica asks, baffled by the new information. She grew to like the youngster more. She didn't think she would or could./p
p dir="ltr"Baby picks up a silver bowl, grabbing some eggs and a wooden spoon. She is eyeing Midnight as if she saw her in a new light. "What emelse /emis the school play about?"/p
p dir="ltr""It's set for the upcoming spring. It revolves around taking on the man in charge emwhile staying /emtrue to who you are. Believe in yourself; never give in to the wants of society." Midnight gushes, helping Baby crack eggs./p
p dir="ltr"Jessica is strongwatching /strongin silent awe./p
p dir="ltr""Do you have a working title for the play?" Baby asks, beating the eggs in the silver bowl./p
p dir="ltr""I'm emsitting /emon it. I'll let you know." Midnight returns to the small bag of flour. She is eyeing the bag longingly./p
p dir="ltr""Midnight, dear, are you alright?" asks Jessica, taking note of the girl's stiff posture./p
p dir="ltr""I'm fine. Your kitchen might not be so fine with it once we're done. I apologize in advance, Mrs. D." Midnight solemnly states, tearing into the flour./p
p dir="ltr""Why are you strongapologizing/strong? I mess the kitchen up all the time when I force Colt to help me cook. It's a team effort so I mostly stick to munching on Skittles." Baby shyly grins as her thoughts emflitter/em to the blue ninja./p
p dir="ltr""It's true. They do." Jessica chuckles, nodding her head in agreement. She is sporting a soft smile./p
p dir="ltr"Midnight sighs, strongholding /strongno regrets. She slings flour into the silver bowl Baby is holding, tossing some onto her glasses covering some of the freckles on her nose. She uneasily, sucks in a sharp breath. Her war in flour, baking, and making a mess of the kitchen had begun./p
p dir="ltr""Midnight, you should have not done that." Baby sets the bowl on the counter, walking over to the flour bag./p
p dir="ltr""That's what I meant when I was apologizing. Kitchen wars have begun. Take shelter, Mrs. D for no one is safe." Midnight briefly glances over her shoulder to the woman./p
p dir="ltr"Jessica softly laughs, watching the two girls as Midnight proves right./p
p dir="ltr"Midnight emis coated /emin flour from head to toe as a bit of flour gets strongaccidentally /strongtossed on Jessica./p
p dir="ltr"Jessica strongdoesn't /strongget mad. She already had the roast off, left in the oven for protection. She joins in on light roughhousing./p
p dir="ltr"Midnight strongtwirls/strong on her tip toes to the kitchen, allowing Baby to miss her. She ends up crazily dancing around the kitchen, emaccidentally /emheaving herself onto the table. She jumps off, landing emswiftly/em in front of Baby stronglightly /strongbooping her nose./p
p dir="ltr"A dot of white from the food ingredient is coating her nose fully./p
p dir="ltr""Midnight, no fair!" Baby chimes, pouting having lost./p
p dir="ltr"Jessica left to go wash herself up a few minutes into her laughing and cutting up with the girls. She forgot how it was to have fun especially while one was a teen girl./p
p dir="ltr""I win!" Midnight shouts about ready to clean up the kitchen as she grew aware of new pairs of eyes on her./p
p dir="ltr"On them, really./p
p dir="ltr"A cough came from the doorway, causing both girls to tense./p
p dir="ltr"Midnight emis /emslower than Baby to turn to the doorway./p
p dir="ltr"Baby has gone tomato red in the face, clashing with the flour covering her small body./p
p dir="ltr"There stood Rocky, Colt, and Tum Tum strongaccompanied /strongby an old man of Asian descent./p
p dir="ltr"Colt covered his mouth, forcing himself to kill snickers at the sight of what they bore witness to./p
p dir="ltr""How long have you been standing there?" Baby asks, pointing to no one in particular. To her, it's like getting caught with her pants down. Sure, she shouldn't feel embarrassed given her long history with the Douglas family, but the kitchen was a bigger mess than she usually created with Colt./p
p dir="ltr""emLong /emenough to bare witness to Midnight dancing while acting like a child strongtowards /strongand with you." Colt burst into laughter, holding a gleam in his eyes as he sees Baby grow flustered./p
p dir="ltr""Can I strongjoin/strong?" Tum Tum asks, widening his eyes./p
p dir="ltr"It emappeared /emas if they were having so much fun./p
p dir="ltr""I, uh, the uh..." Midnight splutters, trailing off in her embarrassment. She kept her dancing to herself along with her silly, childlike mannerisms for reasons she didn't need them prying her for. She was waiting for the grandpa to start yelling at them to clean up the mess./p
p dir="ltr""strongThese /strongare the young ladies you were telling me about?" The grandpa asks the boys who turn bright red at the acknowledgement. He chuckles at his grandsons embarrassment./p
p dir="ltr"Baby never emformally /emmet the grandfather of the Douglas boys. She would sneak with Colt to train at the cabin, but emonly /emwhen the old man was busy. She never got why; always wondering if he were ashamed of her. That is until he came home from his grandpa's one summer; emyelling /emto her about her new ninja name bestowed upon her by the grandpa she had yet to meet. Of course, she kept strongmeaning /strongto ask Colt how the grandpa could give her a ninja name without formally meeting her./p
p dir="ltr""Is that how I got my ninja name?" Baby softly asks, quickly changing topics./p
p dir="ltr"Midnight keeps her stronggaze /strongon the ground, softly smiling at the curiosity of the redhead. She thought it was a cute gesture./p
p dir="ltr"Colt is the one on the hot seat, bright with embarrassment. "Uh, strongmaybe/strong."/p
p dir="ltr"Midnight was wondering when they'd make introductions. She looks up, growing confidence as she walks over to the grandpa./p
p dir="ltr""I'm..." Midnight strongtrails /strongoff, casting a hesitant gaze to her flour coveted hand. "Oh, uh, covered in flour. strongI'm Midnight/strong," finishes the girl, wiping off the flour onto her mid-riff. She mentally slaps herself./p
p dir="ltr"Colt snorts, briefly glancing over to Rocky who is blushing like a madman. He notes it's another thing the pair have in common./p
p dir="ltr""I'm Mori Tanaka. It's nice to meet you; Oh, uh, covered in flour Midnight." Mori gives her hand a firm shake, jokingly adding the last bit./p
p dir="ltr"Baby is reluctant, but steps up beside Midnight. She lightly grazes Midnight, extending an arm to introduce herself to the grandfather. "And I'm Baby. Formally."/p
p dir="ltr"Mori shakes hands with her. He can see why his grandsons were so taken with the girls./p
p dir="ltr"They had a different rather unique vibe of their own./p
p dir="ltr"He welcomed the change with open arms./p
p dir="ltr" /p