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Every night at Midnight, the purple clouds came out to dance with the blushing sky. It was during this time that Morgan felt most herself. When she was a small child, she and her mother and grandmother would all go out and sit under that sky every Midnight and bask under those clouds. Her grandmother Ruby would say it was because this time was made for them that they were special.

Morgan didn't feel special most of the time, but at Midnight, wrapped in the arms of her mother, Barbara, and grandmother, Ruby cuddled under those voluminous purple clouds; she couldn't help but feel like the most special person on the planet. During the day, Morgan felt like a cowardly nobody and a mistake to the world. She was scrawny with coarse hair and dark skin, her under eyes incredibly dark as if she had two black eyes.

She was soft-spoken with almost everyone besides those she was close with, which was only a few, not including her mother and grandmother. She was bullied and treated coldly by her peers. She would often come home in tears. Her grandmother would warmly cradle her in her arms, trying to soothe her sorrows away.

Ruby looked similar to her granddaughter, but their personalities differed. Ruby was outspoken and courageous with a mischievous side. She was from the community of Blackwood, where she, Barbara, and Morgan currently resided. Ruby left at 18 to follow some desire to escape country life. Only to return when she was 21 with a little Barbara in her arms. Though those in the community tried to mock her, she never let it falter her self-worth.

This is what she hoped to impart to Barbara as well as Morgan. "Even if we fail, it doesn't make us failures so long as we get up and keep going." While Barbara had her own issues to overcome, she seemed to take hold of this ideal and live confidently. She was an accomplished chef who had opened a successful restaurant in the bustling area just north of Blackwood, in Edinburg. Like Ruby, Barb left the town at eighteen to attend culinary school on a scholarship. After school, she traveled around the country, stopping off to work in different restaurants and cafes of varying success. During this time, Ruby would get a few letters from her daughter telling her she was alive and well.

After a few years, she appeared on her family's land, lying in the grass before their house at Midnight, basking under those purple clouds. Her belly was big and round under a tattered oversized t-shirt. Rudy, drawn to the outside like always, stumbled upon her daughter and, without words, sat down beside her, hummed aloud, and rubbed Barb's belly.

Soon after, Morgan was born with the assistance of her grandmother in her mother's bedroom. She was a tiny baby, so small she fit in the palm of her mother's hand. But she was, in her mother's and grandmother's words, "absolutely perfect." And so their family went from two to three, and the days, months, and years were filled with love, smiles, and tears.

Despite her love and happiness with her family, she only felt cold when she entered the world. She felt rejected by the community but more than that, she felt different from them. The way they walked and talked seemed so unauthentic. Their notions of what beauty was and what was considered socially acceptable felt more like a falsehood pushed onto them. You had to be only one way; if you weren't, you were rejected.

Though this was her conclusion, she couldn't help but want to fit in sometimes. To be as they demanded that she be. She hated the cold, judgmental gaze that fell upon her when she was out. Her every action being criticized and the whispers, oh, how the whispers followed her into her dreams. But while she felt tormented by all of this. Her mother and grandmother were unfazed by any of it. They received the same looks and whispers as she did; how could they act so unbothered by it all.

They bounced about their way unchanging. And while the people of Blackwood seem to hold some disdain for their family. Outside the community, it was a different story. Her mother had thoughtful interactions when working in her restaurant, aptly named Midnight. She was considered to be charming and talented by those outside of Blackwood. She would tell Morgan that the people of Blackwood were dull and their opinions didn't matter.

But these ideals her mother and grandmother hoped she would embrace struggled to take hold, so Morgan remained the same quiet type dreaming of more. She managed a friendship with a girl named Sofie, who came to live with her aunt and uncle when Morgan was eleven years old. Sofie had soft brown eyes, flaming red hair, and a face full of freckles. When she smiled, a significant gap was in-between her two front teeth.

Sofie was outgoing and playful; she always seemed to be smiling. She never cowered away from a fight or challenge. Though everyone warned her to stay away from Morgan, the two became closer and closer to the dismay of her aunt and uncle, who did just about everything to keep the two apart. Sofie was determined to be friends with Morgan, and so their friendship blossomed into more of a sisterhood.

The only other person within the community to befriend Morgan was Warren. Warren Blackwood's family had started Blackwood back in the day. They were revered within the community, and most sought their guidance on different matters. All but Morgan's people, of course. And, of course, the community was upset at the friendship between Morgan and Warren. But even more so because he was the beloved son of Blackwood. It was only assumed that, like his father and forefathers, he would take the helm and be a leader or guiding voice for the community. And he couldn't really be revered while associating with someone like Morgan. Even with all this weighing on his mind, he couldn't turn away from her. Morgan was a good girl, clever and caring. When she smiled, something inside him stirred that made him want to clutch his chest, which gave him pause when he saw her.

Morgan was aware of what her friends faced due to their friendship with her, and she often joked that they could leave her, and she wouldn't hold it against them. This was often met with annoyed sighing from Sofie and an uncomfortable "no" from Warren. She loved them dearly but didn't want to cause them trouble. She was used to being alone since neither could devote their entire time to her.

And now, in their last year of high school, they were busy with all types of activities. Most that Morgan excluded herself from and had to browbeat Sofie and Warren to participate in. She didn't want them to miss out because of her. Though the two felt the events were rather hollow without her. They still went to appease her and would promptly come to regal the events mocking their peers as easily amused.

Senior prom, graduation, and Morgan's eighteenth birthday were quickly approaching. And all Morgan felt was fear and dread of what lay next for her. What had her life been all this time? And what would it become in the years ahead? Her mind swirled with questions as she descended the town's main street. Her eye locked on a gorgeous tan cat with brown ears, paws, and tail.

Her speed slowed as she watched the cat weaving between people too busy to notice. She watched as the cat entered the street, attempting to cross. But her stomach began to knot with fear. And with the sound of a blaring horn and screeching wheels rang out. Morgan found herself crouched, holding the cat in her arms in front of an annoyed driver who barely missed hitting them. She squeezed her eyes shut as she quivered in fear. After a moment, she looked around only to see the faces of the irritated Blackwood residents.

She tried to compose herself, but she began to hear their whispers. Anxiety began to well up deep within her gut. The faces of the townspeople started to blur from the tears in her eyes. She had worked hard these years to keep a low profile. But now she'd done something odd, something that confused her. How did she get from where she was to here?

"We should go; these people don't look friendly," said a voice.

Puzzled, Morgan looked around, wondering if she'd gone crazy on top of everything. A soft tap on her hand brought her eyes to the cat she had saved. It was looking right up at her, tilting her head, questioning whether the two were connected. She shook her head, trying to convince herself it wasn't so.

"Your right. It's me whos talking to you." Said the cat. Morgan's eyes widened in surprise. She took another glance around at the townspeople glaring and whispering. She looked back to the cat, breathed, and nodded in agreeance. She pulled the cat tightly to her chest, forcing her wobbly legs to stand.

She made her way as quickly as she could home. Relief filled her body when her feet hit the soil of her family's land. She fought back the tears as she pushed forward to the house. She had almost forgotten she was holding the cat when it jumped from her arms. The air became thin as the wind seemed to swirl around them. And right before her, it took the form of a young man. His back was to her as she stopped in her tracks, and a wave of disbelief washed over her.