It was difficult to find the proper words to respond to what Kira had just said. She was always this perfect girl who could do nothing wrong in Morgan's eyes. Always entering a room with a bright smile, being the kindest amongst her friends. But the more time Morgan spent with her, the more he realized that there was more to her than the perfect princess he had always seen her as. There are sides to Kira that he never thought about. She could be angry, annoyed, bitter, sad, guilty, and remorseful, among others. Morgan never really knew her outside of what he made her out to be in his mind.

The truth was, it was easier to like and admire the fantasy that Kira was from afar, but the more he gets to know her, the scarier it becomes, knowing that she may be way more out of his league than he already thought.

They finally reached the clearing in the middle of the greenhouse, and Doc was already there. He had just come back from a shift at the hospital earlier today, and his head popped into the living room for a quick hi. His eyes may have been too droopy to have even seen that there were other people in the house, and he went straight to his bed after that for a nap. But now he is here, spreading black powder, which must be the mountain ash, into a circle.

"Hey Morgan!" Doc shouted, his voice still hoarse, in need of a warm drink. He was still wearing his white coat, and his messy hair looked even wilder, not bothering to wash up as always. Riley was just a few feet away from him, helping herself to a cold bottle of beer fresh from Matt's mini fridge. She sat, legs crossed, pointing orders to Doc to add more mountain ash in some areas.

"Wow, you've got a whole living space here now," Kira said after noticing the sofa, TV set, heater, and bed spread that came with the mini fridge and table set in a corner.

"Yeah, Matt says it gets cold at night, so he brought down a heater... and the room that came with it," Morgan joked. "What's up, Doc?" Morgan shouted.

Doc's eyes fluttered as he examined them in closer view. "Morgan!" He shouted, but switched to a hushed voice. "And Kira. Surprised to see you here."

"Good evening, Mr. Luke," Kira said. Her voice was shaky and nervous. "I was actually here earlier. Matt invited us over."

"That doesn't sound like him. Inviting friends over... having friends."

"What am I, then?" Morgan scoffed.

"You practically live here," Doc said back, yawning.

Kira laughed at them but turned silent when Doc turned his attention to her. There seems to be an awkward tension between their greetings. The two of them were just looking at each other as if waiting to see who would want to get the next word in first. Come to think of it, this may be the first time that they have seen each other for a long time. Matt always said that their families used to be close. Enough to have family dinners every weekend.

"You look... well. Really great." Doc sighed, as if coming to a respite. "I'm glad to see you have grown well."

Kira smiled back, still obviously riveted with nerves.

"I have actually been waiting to see you come around. I am glad you came here," said Doc, which is surprising because never once has he mentioned Kira, as far as Morgan knows. Matt would have said something right away if he had. "How's your lolo, by the way? Still swimming in sweets and cakes, I suppose."

"You're not wrong," Kira answered, glancing at Morgan, knowing that they had delivered cakes from Crimson a few nights ago. "He asked about you," she regretted saying after they both retreated to silence, knowing that was highly unlikely. "No, not really. He hasn't."

Doc tried to laugh it off, but even his shaky laughter was not enough to break the tension, and the laughter drifted off into a light whistle. "That runs in the family—the love for sweets and the stubbornness."

Morgan was confused for a second, but he remembered that Matt once told them how close their families really are. It was not just that they used to hold Sunday dinners on a weekly basis. They are actually related, with the Lauzons being a branch family of the Francos from generations back. Matt and Kira are effectively distant cousins.

“They sound like a train wreck that’ll be more enjoyable to watch if I knew the context,” Riley muttered, handing Morgan a bottle of beer but then retracting it, remembering that he is a minor. Pausing again for a while, as if contemplating if she should give it anyway, she then decided against it. "May not be good while under the influence of the full moon.”

Doc and Kira continued their awkward conversation, heading to the shed when Doc asked for help about something. It was clear to Morgan that Doc just wanted to speak to Kira alone.

“You ready for tonight?" Riley asked. “You know, I find myself looking forward to these nights just so I can get out of the Castellan Manor, which makes my life really, really sad.”

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“The town’s very quiet, isn’t it?" Morgan said as he pulled out a small box of apple juice from the fridge and stuck a straw into it. “I always thought so too, so every so often, I wish for something crazy to happen. Now I'm wondering if I should get a flea bath sometime soon.

"Oh, don't worry too much. Though saying that probably wouldn't change much." Riley seemed to be in the mood for a conversation tonight. She is usually one to drop a snide remark before moving on with a smirk. "You seem to be the more anxious one between you and the chit-chatter. It'll get better though so don't be worrying too much.”

Morgan raised his juice box in response as Riley raised her bottle of beer for a cheer. He then took a seat, looking around a dense forest-like garden. It was a very quiet night, all things considered. Even with the lush green growth that had overtaken the greenhouse, one could still easily see the dark sky above. The moon's light was already gleaming, and Morgan would need to step into the circle anytime now.

“I felt the same when I first came into my powers." She took another drink. "Having magic was difficult enough, but when my sighlighter powers took over, I felt more displaced. I was really looking forward to being a witch.”

“Haven’t you always known you were gonna be a Sighlighter?”

“It was always a toss-up. Unfortunately, the Sighlighter genes were overpowering. I should have known since they came from my asshole of a father." Riley's speech was already slowing down, but she kept insisting the alcohol would go down her stomach soon enough. "So here I am, only able to stay in my mother’s hometown on special missions like this. Always going where the Institute tells me to.” Riley seemed like she did not want to appear to be bothered by this, but judging by how quickly she finished her drink and reached out for another one, she was as agitated as Morgan would expect.

“If you’re bored, then why are you still hanging around?” Morgan said, moving the conversation away from Riley’s family, sensing her discomfort on the subject. “From what I hear, Sightlighters are busy assisting loads of people throughout the country.”

"What do you think I'm doing here in Lawton?" Riley laid flat on her back against the chair, tucked her arms behind her head, and crossed her legs, almost quite ready to fall asleep. "The Castellans sent me here. The Insitute allowed it. Sighlighters and witches agreeing on one thing. It's rare but it happens, and when it does, you know it's serious. They asked me to do two things: tell the mayor something bad is gonna happen and sit still to wait for that bad thing to happen. Oracles and their prophecies. Psh."

It suddenly became difficult to enjoy the somber stillness Morgan found resting here in the middle of the greenhouse. Riley seems nonchalant in the way she delivered the message, but Morgan knew she was convinced that the warning she gave the mayor, the one Morgan witnessed in the mayor's office a while back, was not something to be ignored. A lot of things have already happened in the last few months alone, but it seems these are only the front acts before the main show begins.

Morgan got so lost in thoughts of what grim situation Riley may have been tasked to announce and watch out for that he did not even notice Doc and Kira were back until they were already a few feet away. There was no longer an air of awkwardness between them, which seemed great at first, until it was clear there was still some air of uneasiness between the two of them. Kira, especially, was looking conflicted, although she was quick to shake off the expression on her face when she noticed Morgan looking at her.

"Ready?" Doc took a deep breath, noting that they should do this quick, and he was right.

The moon has risen over the darkening sky, shining bright and clear. Its power was radiating, calling out to Morgan as it always does. Here it was again—the wild and powerful energy that takes over him during the night of the full moon. Although Morgan is only realizing it now, little by little, he is becoming a little more aware, at the very least. The first few moons, it was almost as if the darkness had comepletely swallowed him into an oblivion, and by the time he wakes up, he has no memories of what had happened the night before. But little by little, he is able to remember bits and pieces of what may have happened. Matt would have gotten away with feeding him dog food for a long time if Morgan had not bothered to ask if that was real or just his dream. He would be fully awake, even while in wolf form, at some point.

"Wait!" A voice emerged just as the doors swung open violently. Followed by the noise of someone tripping over anything and everything that was in the way. Matt showed himself, running and huffing, holding Morgan's cellphone up in the air. "Morgan. Morgee."

Matt's tone sent a dreadful shiver down Morgan's back. Matt was always one to make a joke out of something or retort with a sarcastic comeback, but Morgan knows his best friend well enough to know when he is about to deliver bad news.

"Morg. You left your phone in the room. It's been blowing up just now. It's your father. It's bad. really bad. There's fire at Crimson."

Matt's words traveled slowly in his mind, registering as echoes. Morgan looked up at the night sky. The full moon was beckoning him to turn. The circle of mountain ash on the ground in front of them suggested a safe space while he wisped away into the darkness to wake up with a fogged memory.

"Morgan, you have to get in the circle," said Doc, even though they all knew that it was not the easiest decision to make after what he just heard. "We can deal with Crimson Cafe right after this."

Morgan knew what he needed to do, and he also knew what he wanted to do. They are two separate things at this moment, and his feet cannot decide whether to enter the circle or to run. He needs someone to tell him that his decision would be an okay one. Not the best. Okay is fine.

Doc gazed at him, pleading for everyone's safety. Riley had a smirk on her face, waiting for something exciting to happen. Kira's eyebrows curled in hesitation, wondering if she should even say a word.

"Morgan!" Matt caught him with his eyes that had nothing but determination. He nodded his head, and Morgan knew.

"Okay," Morgan muttered.

The force of the moon was slowly creeping on him, transforming him into the beast that he has become. But this time, no magic circle of mountain ash will be able to protect him. Or, more importantly, protect anyone from him.