Jenna watched the sunset.
It was melodic, the blood red of the sky heralding softer orange lights, soon keeping the darkness at bay. If only the bonfires had been enough at Echo; she always thought it was a silly belief of her brother and the rest of the tetanus gang, but now she wasn't quite as sure. If she were to get analytical, Halloween was a celebration of renewal, fighting the longer nights with light and life, even if it through horror movies and celebrating the forces that ironically were being purged.
But she was no Celt. She was Meseta.
"Alright, everyone ready?"
"Just a second" TJ said, fussing over Jin's pirate custome much to his son's annoyance.
"Remember, don't stray far from aunt Jenna's car" Chase said.
"Fine" the kids communally groaned, before excitedly going into the back seats.
"You sure you don't mind this?" Kudzu asked, leaning on the window.
"It's fina, plus I get to know the kids better. Ain't that right, Jane?"
Jane rolled her eyes, and Jenna smirk. Yup, that young lady would grow up to be just like her.
With the kids tightening their seatbelts, Jenna drove off.
***
Much to her astonishment, the kids kept their promise.
Granted, this was largely enforced by RJ who, dressed as a ghost, might as well had been the leader of the group. His younger brother didn't stray far from him, Jane couldn't be bothered either way, and Chase's, Leo's and Kudzu's kid, Shams the mummy-dressed cheetah, was clearly in love with the olinguito. Simple social cohesion, not that Jenna would stray far.
Occasionally she received a text from TJ or Kudzu asking if everything was alright. Figures, they were always the more attentive parents. She quickly reassured them, and gradually the texts became more sporadic. TJ certainly still saw her as the mother of the gang, and Kudzu was quick to respect her once they got to know each other.
Jenna reminisced about Halloweens past. As kids, Echo was not very safe for trick-or-treating. Sure, some adults like Duke's wife were angels, but in a small town of hicks and methheads there was no reason to not drive off to Payton and let them join school friends in the festivities. If they were lucky, they got two trick-or-treatings: one in Payton and another reserved among the few good company in Echo.
After an hour, the kids stopped, having amassed enough candy that it was worth to sit down and eat. Jenna decided to park her car, walking up to the kids.
"Everything good?"
"RJ and Shams might start eye-fucking each other but otherwise everything is just fine" Jane said, motioning her wings like the Pacha meme.
"Jenna, what is eye-f-" Jin started, before Jenna booped his nose.
"It's a naughty word, sweetie."
"Oh" Jin said, before giggling "Jane said a naughty word!"
"Yeah" RJ said, staring daggers into his sister, who raised her wings dismissively.
"Anyways" Shams said, swallowing some strawberry candy, "Since we're stuck here, how about some spooky stories."
"Yay, spooky!" Jin said.
RJ looked conflicted.
"What's the matter, RJ?" Jenna asked.
"I don't want to be a party pooper, but I don't want to scare Jin. Jane has no self-control."
"Aw, blaming Jin when you're scared yourself" the cormorant cooed.
Shams put a paw on RJ's shoulders.
"It's fine, with us by his side Jin has nothing to fear. Isn't that right, Jin?"
The chevrotain nodded, and Shams carried him into the air, playing airplane with him. After he sat the younger kid down, Jenna interjected.
"Oh, what if I start?"
RJ looked apprehensive, but the other kids were ecstactic.
"Yay aunt Jenna!" Shams and Jin said.
"Any Native Wendigo lore you want to share with us?" Jane said.
"Sort of."
Jenna sat amidst the kids by the stairs.
"So, when I was a kid my parents argued a lot. And when they did, a creature came out of the darkness to watch me. It had no skin, no eyes, not even a nose. Just a blank face and red, bloody body."
"Oh, so like a rip-off Slenderman" Jane said.
"Not quite. For you see, that creature seemed to be losing parts of itself. Every time I saw it, something was missing: a bit of flesh, a corner of its face. It stood and watched, and I never quite made sense of it."
"That's not very scary" Shams said.
"Speak for yourself" RJ said, "Get watched by that thing all the time sounds horrifying."
"In a way, it was" Jenna continued, "But with time, I stopped fearing it. It was quite harmless."
"I echo Shams here" Jane said, "It seems like a boring SCP."
"Well, maybe it was" Jenna said, smirking.
Jane threw her wings, while Jin was enraptured by Jenna's description of the Socket Man. The kids soon resumed trick-or-treating, RJ holding Shams' paw nd trembling slightly while Jin walked at the front, cheerfully.
***
Two hours later, Jenna drove by to the waiting parents. The kids were fast asleep in the backseats.
"Thanks again, Jenna" Chase said, picking up Shams slowly.
"Hope they weren't any trouble" TJ said.
"Nah, we actually had a lot to say" Jenna said, "Told them some spooky stories."
Sydney scoffed.
"Yet they're sleeping peacef-"
RJ yelped in his sleep.
"Actually, nevermind" Sydney said, picking his son and softly cooing at him.
***
It was not one in the morning.
Jenna stared at the night one last time. There was no moon, but the streelights and the overcast sky almost made it bright as day.
Darkness had no perch here, even in the night. She supposed her earlier observations were correct.
Tired, Jenna headed inside.
