#zoasoneshots

Rey eyed the teenagers marching up the neighborhood street with suspicion. Yeah, sure, they seemed innocuous enough in their flannel shirts and sweaters and sneakers. But she had been a teenager at Halloween once, too. Teenagers, she knew all too well, liked to wear grotesque masks and frighten younger children. Especially in this neighborhood.

This was Benji and Ami’s first Halloween trick-or-treating on their own (which actually meant Ben hanging back a few feet behind them in a ghost costume) and Rey was not going to have the night ruined nor her kids traumatized by a few bored teenagers.

“Oi!” She stepped out onto the front porch of their quaint, craftsman home. “You lot!” The teens slowed and looked toward Rey, bewildered. “Come here!”

A couple of the kids Rey knew and they trotted over ahead of their more hesitant friends.

“What’s wrong, Mrs. Solo?” Bastila, a serious girl with a beautiful mess of tight, brown curls on her head, asked. Rey saw her helping the older neighbors at times with yard work or whatever else they needed, but that didn’t mean Bastila would refrain from the spookiest day of the year’s festivities.

Rey crossed her arms over her orange and black striped jumper. “I know the tradition is for the older kids to jump out and scare the little ones, but if Benji and Ami come back in tears because a group of zombies ran after them, I will absolutely take it up with your parents.”

“Aw, c’mon Mrs. Solo,” Carth, a member of the Onasi clan from next door, whined, “it’s just a joke. The kids get it.” His dark eyes implored her to understand but Rey wasn’t having it.

“I mean it. If you scare my children,” Rey leaned forward, eyes narrowed, “I will end you.”

Maybe that was bit a dramatic but it seemed to do the trick. Carth and Bastila exchanged a hesitant glance before meeting Rey’s still stern gaze.

“We got it, Mrs. Solo,” Bastila nodded.

“Sorry, Mrs. Solo,” Carth said sheepishly.

Satisfied, Rey told them to have fun and shooed them off. She returned to the house in time to see Benji and Ami come careening down the stairs in their costumes: both warriors from their favorite space soap opera saga. Rey jumped out of the way as they chased each other with their foam laser-swords, yelling phrases from the latest film.

“Be careful!” she called after them and while they both responded with an ‘okay, mommy!’, the game of tag didn’t slow. Rey heaved a fond sigh and looked up as the rambunctious kids’ dad ambled down the stairs, a white sheet draped over his arm.

“They’re very excited,” Ben said and Rey laughed.

“I see that.”

“I saw you talking to the neighbors’ kids.” His tone was pointed and Rey shrugged.

“Just a friendly conversation.” She looked coyly at Ben, who rolled his eyes and dropped a kiss to the top of her head.

“I love you.”