Midnight ensues Mars to help her sneak into her house. She hands over six neatly wrapped presents each in a different pastel color.
"Midnight, what is all of this?" Mars curiously asks, arching an eyebrow.
"These are my gifts for the Douglas family including Baby. I meant to give them on Christmas, but they've all been mourning a good, kind, fierce man who passed. Their grandfather. I liked him." Midnight briefly saddens, gesturing to the pile.
"Oh, Midnight, I'm so sorry-" Mars is about to apologize profusely yet she cuts him off.
Midnight takes the light pile from his arms, gently reaching on her tiptoes to peck his lips. "Don't apologize. I didn't know the man long. I would have liked to, but higher powers have their ways."
"Do you want me to accompany you?" Mars quizzes, shooting his dark eyebrows up on question.
"Nah, I should give them by myself. Thank you for the kind offer. I'll catch you around school, Greaser." Midnight chirps, climbing from the window.
"Ooh, my girl has already given me a special name." Mars chuckles, heaving himself out the window. He gently shuts it, sticking his hands into his pants pockets. He walks to the sidewalk with her.
"That's how you know you mean something to me. Special or not!" Midnight giggles, waving at him upon her jogging across the street.
Mars sighs, knowing he'd have to come up with a nickname for her.
Midnight opens the door to the grey household of the Douglas family household. She is happy to see they're all, sitting in the living room. A sudden fear riddles around in her ribs. Are they sick of her?
'Knock it off! They're grieving, you idiot!' Midnight angrily scolds herself. Taking a deep breath, she walks into view gathering half of their attention.
Rocky has his nose stuck in a book with a creased forehead. His nose was scrunched up in disgust. His eyes drinking in every page. He picked up the book Midnight recently finished, curious about why she was so enamored with the V.C. Andrews author; semi coming to understand her obsession. He didn't look up from the book.
Colt, Tum Tum, and Baby were sitting around the coffee table playing a board game.
The parents were sat on the sofa, eyeing the children.
Midnight took a minute to soak in the family dynamics, feeling a peace overcome her.
"Midnight, what are those?" Sam Douglas asks, noting the pile of pastel colored wrapped gifts the girl was carrying.
"I, uh, wanted to give these to y'all on Christmas. I sort of forgot I had them sitting in my closet." Midnight gently replies, causing all eyes to snap to to her.
"When did you have time to make gifts for their parents? Or the time to stash them next door?" Baby curiously chirps. Her black thick, rimmed glasses had been replaced by a dark cherry red pair gifted to her by Colt.
Midnight found glasses the day she'd been scouring the mall with Claudia and Tum Tum. She cited it better for Colt to give Baby the present since he had nothing, and wanted to give her something that she'd use daily. She shifts uneasily on the ball of her feet.
"Samuel, left a key so I've been sneaking in and out of there. The day I retrieved my leather jacket is when I stashed them. As for the time to create; sometime during class." Midnight replies, saddening at the mention of her step-father.
None of them happened to miss the sadness overcoming the girl by the mention of her step-father.
Even Rocky snapped his gaze from the book. He put a bookmarker inside, relyxtanly shutting the book.
Midnight said nothing more, handing each of them a gift. She had a feeling Baby would fall in love with hers since she hadn't seen another like it.
"You sure love the pastel colors don't you, Midnight?" Sam Douglas softly chuckles.
"Midnight, you didn't have to-" Jessica Douglas is about to reassure the girl who cuts her off.
"I don't have to do a lot of things, but I do. I don't do them for myself either. It's no fun that way." Midnight sends her a soft smile as the woman glances down at the grey wrapping paper in her lap.
Sam Douglas recieced a light gold wrapping paper while the ninjas got one fitting pastel colors of their ninja colors. "Well, thank you, Midnight."
Baby is staring down at the pastel red wrapping paper. Her eyes anxiously roam to Colt who slowly opens his gift.
Colt retrieves a royal blue leather jacket from the package. He flips the jacket onto the backside to find where her uniqueness truly came into play. His ninja name in rather large, cursive white letters were laced on the back with a small brown pony under the 'C' and 't.' A smile formed on his pink lips as his eyes flitted to Midnight.
"Midnight, this is outta this world. I love it, thank you." Colt gushes, making the girl blush. He'd cherish the gift no matter what. His eyes turn to Baby, waiting for her to open her gift.
Baby shakily does so. She peels the wrapping paper to find a vibrant red cherry leather jacket inside. She turns over the jacket to see the name Flame embroided in the back in cursive with white. A few cherries were above the word while below the 'F' a blaze of orange flames were while the 'e' on the end held the same thing underneath.
"I love mine too, but are you trying to induct us into your gang?" Baby softly chuckles, tugging on her new favorite thing.
Comt copies her action. He wraps an arm around Baby without thinking twice.
"Gang?" Jessica asks, appalled by the revelation. Her eyes flit to Midnight in shock.
"Nah, she's kidding." Midnight half lies. Technically, her father is the one in a partial gang. She wouldn't tell them that though.
Sam Douglas opens his to find a light grey, light gold stripes tie. "How did you guess?"
Jessica copies her husband's action in opening her gift. A look of awe befalls the woman. She holds up a soft pink knit sweater. The words 'Mrs. D, cool mom' were stitched into the front and back. "You really put your effort into the gifts for someone who hasn't been here long."
"If I can't be happy somebody should so I make my clothing with effort, time, and care. Some are quicker than others." Midnight explains, feeling warmth bubble inside of her. She's happy they enjoy their gifts. It's what she was aiming for.
Tum Tum opens his to find a yellow knit sweater in the palm of his hands. He can be a handful at times, but nobody deserves to be treated bad. His eyes come into contact with the fabric. His ninja name were stitched into the front and back. A soaring eagle were above and below his name on both sides.
Rocky was reluctant in opening his gift. Surely, he couldn't see her being so kind as to give an actual gift to him like his family got. Sighing, he peels off the pastel green wrapping paper to find a soft green knit sweater lay inside. His ninja is stitched on the front and back in cursive with three open books above his name.
Midnight smiled at how in love with the gifts they all seemed. Their looks said everything she needed to confirm she could rest easy. Even her eyes taking in Rocky's look of astonishment made her giddy.
"So, what's your motto in your family for gift giving, Midnight?" Sam Douglas curiously asks, starting a conversation with the girl.
"We don't really have one. Our gifts to one another spawn from gifting one another with what we hold dear to our hearts. Samuel has asked me several times my reasoning for the gifts I give, but it doesn't really matter." Midnight informs, folding her arms.
"No, tell us!" Tum Tum pleads, pulling the sweater up and over his shirt. His bow cut of dark brown hair is a mess.
"This we've got to hear." Baby and Colt speak in unison.
All eyes grace them in how creepy of an agreement they gave.
"I generally create a piece of clothing for people on special holidays and occasions. I feel you should always know you're important, and that somebody is always thinking about you wether it's voiced or not. Or wether, you're traveling to the Goddess only knows where. You should have some comfort in knowing aomeone cares a lick about you even if actions don't hold up." Midnight dreamily voices, staring off in a daze.
"Even your worst enemy?" Baby softly asks.
Midnight shrugs, clasping her hands behind her back. She really couldn't answer, briefly allowing thoughts of Birdie to stir inside her. "Can't answer that."
"So, why only tops?" Rocky finally speaks, curiously glancing at her.
"You can pair a sweater, jacket, or tie with an odd combination of bottoms. You'd be suprised." Midnight concludes.
"I wonder when you're step-parents will return." Jessica pipes up, noting how they hadn't heard a peep from them.
Frowning, Midnight briefly locks eyes with Rocky. She had already voiced her cold worry to the boy where her step-parents were concerned. She nods, "I don't know."
Nobody did.
