MILO MORALES: backstory

{ EARLY LIFE }

Milo Juan Morales was born on June 28, 1974, in the city of Birmingham, Alabama. The first child of Nick Morales and Ember Morales neé Garcia. He is of Mexican, Cuban and American descent and speaks both English and Spanish.

Milo was described by his mother as a happy, easy going child, never causing his parents any trouble. Of course, what she left out of the story was his father's alcohol abuse. Nick Morales worked as an ambulance driver and the stress of work often led to him searching for release at the bottom of a bottle. Milo, not wanting to cause his mother any more grief or worry, worked as hard as possible to stay out of trouble, get good grades and help around the house.

He was closest with his mother and they often spent time together, leading to many comments about how much they looked like each other. Both kind-hearted, patient and with quick humor. Though Milo never joined her when she went to church. He didn't understand his mother's relationship with God. He believed thinking there was a reason for everything meant simply putting the blame of your actions elsewhere. Which was exactly the reason he struggled with his mother's approach to his father's addiction. As he grew older he wished his father would get help, but his mother simply prayed for healing.

When Milo was eight years old, his mother got pregnant and on January 3rd, 1982 his little sister, Quinn Ember Morales was born. But the birth was complicated and his mother had to be brought to the hospital for a C-section. His little sister survived, but his mother died on the operation table.

Eight-year old Milo was barely given time to grieve, instead he had to deal with his father who was unable to cope with the loss of his wife. His alcohol addiction only got worse and eventually got him fired from his job as an ambulance driver. His father blamed Quinn for the death of their mother which led to him abusing and neglecting her. This left the care of his newly born sister in the hands of his uncle Javier Morales and his aunt Miranda Morales. While Milo desperately tried to hide his father's condition from the rest of the world. He loved his sister dearly and always made it clear to her that he did not share his father's views and didn't blame her for their mothers' death. He also made sure to tell her everything about their mom, how kind she was and how much she taught him.

{ THE SACRIFICE }

School was the only place Milo could escape the fear of the situation at home. He loved learning and was especially interested in social studies. He loved the idea of making the world a better place so people like himself and his sister could grow up in a safer world.

So, when it was time to choose what kind of career he wanted, Milo decided on politics. He enjoyed his studies very much and even managed to find the time to get a job beside his school. With this money he provided for Quinn, who had her heart set on taking ballet lessons when she found their mother's old ballet shoes.

During his college days Milo met Aiden Stevens at a party. He was the local drug dealer and could often be found at parties. Despite Milo's initial worries about entering a friendship with someone struggling with an addiction - as he was very much aware of the damage such struggles could cause - the two couldn't stay away from each other. Both of them were dreamers and loved to philosophize together about how they were going to change the world. Friendship quickly turned into something more and the two men started a relationship.

Despite Milo still enjoying his studies very much, the stress of both keeping up his grades and providing for his sister was quickly growing on him. He quickly realized Quinn wasn't spending his money on just her ballet lessons. She'd grown addicted to stimulants to ease the pain of the situation at home. She became so much dependent on them that she couldn't perform without the drugs. Milo didn't make enough money to pay for both her drug addiction and his college. And so he approached Aiden for a job, knowing his boyfriend made much more money than Milo did. Before he knew it, Milo got caught up in a life he always preferred to avoid. He joined Aiden's street gang and quit college.

When Milo was twenty-one years old, his aunt Miranda gave birth to a son, Louis Morales. But Javier and Miranda didn't have the money to care for both their own child and for their niece. And so his sister came living with him. With the money from his job he had managed to get a small apartment. Though Quinn was still unaware of what he was truly doing.

{ THE FALLOUT }

Milo managed to keep his job hidden from his sister for a long time, not wanting her to feel guilty about him quitting college for her. All his life tried to help her, guide her and above all, protect her but he couldn't protect her from her own demons and they'd caught up with her. Her drug abuse spiraled out of control, forcing her to quit dancing. After losing the one thing that gave her life meaning, Quinn started wasting away.

But it was inevitable that Quinn would eventually find out about her brother's activities. One evening, after a job gone wrong, a photo of Milo and his crew was shown on the news with the question if anyone could provide information about their whereabouts. The guilt for destroying his career path and any chance at a normal life he might have had almost broke his sister. And though the two still cared deeply for each other, their relationship became very strained for a time. But that wasn't the only consequence. When learning of his true job, his aunt and uncle severed all ties in order to protect their children.

Milo moved in with Aiden, gifting his old apartment to Quinn. The much needed space gave the siblings time to heal. Though Milo didn't bear any resentment towards his sister, knowing very well he was responsible for his own choices.

One night, his crew caught word of the location of local crime boss Marcus, also known as The Magician. They'd been after him for a while and so they set out to kill him. When they arrived at the scene Milo realized his sister was caught in the crossfire. After a short struggle, Milo managed to kill the drug lord and thus freed his sister of the debt she owed Marcus.

But the police had caught word of the fight and so Milo and his crew were forced to flee. After a long chase the police managed to get the car off the road but a fire fight followed with heavy casualties on both sides. Officer Rick Grimes was shot and hospitalized. Gang Members Scott, Stephen and his boyfriend Aiden were killed. Milo was the only survivor of his group and was taken into custody.

The capture of her brother was enough for Quinn to turn her life around. She entered a rehabilitation program and managed to succeed. For the first time in 10 years Quinn was clean. She visited her brother as often as she could. Until he was moved to another prison too far away for her to visit often and so they kept contact through calling.

Milo knew he deserved to be in prison and accepted his life sentence. The loss of his friends and boyfriend weighed heavy on him. But despite his grief and guilt, he formed a friendship with fellow inmates Oscar and Axel, making his sentence a little more tolerable

The one thing he never expected though, was that his sentence would be cut short because of the world ending...

the lakes. milo morales