(OCTOBER 2010)

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RICH MUTATIO

By the time the moon had risen, the streets were packed with trick-or-treaters. The rich neighbourhood became a hotspot so it was good we started off here first.

On the way to the next neighbourhood, we bumped into Carrie dressed as Sailor Moon and her younger siblings. Our paths matched up for a few blocks so we ended up walking together.

"Your gang costume this year is the best so far," Carrie complimented.

"Don't you mean g-Aang?" Charlie laughed.

None of us gave a single giggle; we just shook our heads in disappointment. Except Carrie who was laughing hysterically with him.

Carrie read our map. "Why don't you cut through the forest instead of taking the long way around?"

"We're trying to hit as many houses as possible. Plus that place is a bit scary during the night."

We went to a good number of houses together. There was one with a bowl full of candy that said "Please only take one" so we did the only reasonable thing and took everything. We might have also wasted our time waiting at a house that had its lights off. A car was parked in the driveway so the homeowner was there; they probably didn't like the idea of trick-or-treating.

Carrie and her siblings split from us once we reached the plaza.

"Charlie," she said, "you look really good as Aang."

"Thanks."

The quality of candy dropped once we reached the next neighbourhood. But that didn't matter. Candy was candy and we could simply throw away the ones we didn't like.

One house was decorated as a convincing graveyard. Even though we were in the average neighbourhood, this house took the number one spot in terms of decorations.

When we walked towards the house, a man wearing a potato sack popped up from behind one of the graves and slashed a chainsaw at Mallory. Bond pulled her back just in time. We made our way to the house's porch where we stood our ground.

Mallory and Zoey frantically rang the doorbell while Bond, Charlie, and I waved the man off with our boomerang, staff, and dual swords respectively. Conan picked up a flower pot and threatened to throw it.

The man cackled as he took off the potato sack. "Calm down, big guy. Don't throw the pot or the wife'll get mad."

Conan placed the pot back. "You can't be doing that with a real chainsaw."

"Who said this was real?"

The man let us play around with the prop chainsaw. Someone in shock would definitely think this was real.

The man's wife gave us goodie bags and we continued down our path.

More kids started to come out as the night went on. There was even a lineup at one house that reached the street.

"Let's skip this one. It's not worth it," Bond suggested.

We crossed paths with a group of teens throwing rolls of toilet paper over houses and another group throwing eggs.

It took a while, but after an hour or two of going from house to house, we reached the halfway point; the school.

Mallory and Charlie dropped to the ground, protesting.

"This path is too long," Mallory whined, gulping down water.

"And this is only the halfway point?" Charlie cried.

Bond sat on the ground cross-legged. "Fine, let's take a break."

We only allowed each other to eat two bags of chips and a bite-sized chocolate bar to regain our energy.

Grant, Sam, Brianna, Seymour, and Penny stumbled across us.

Grant was wrapped in toilet paper and announced himself a mummy; Sam and Brianna wore Akatsuki robes; Seymour wore a two-piece suit along with a blank face; Penny wore a simple witch costume.

"We weren't expecting to run into you guys," Sam said. "How much candy do you guys have so far?"

Bond let Sam peek inside his bag.

"Only this? Pretty pathetic."

We let them peek inside our backpacks.

"Oh. You guys were putting the rest in your backpacks. Nevermind."

We need to make it look like we don't have a lot of candy so the people give us more.

Sam and the others left while we stayed, continuing to rest.

Mallory broke the silence. "Penny definitely won the gene game. She's so pretty compared to all the other girls in class."

"Compared to all the other girls? Nah," I said. "Only compared to you."

Mallory responded by punching me to the ground and stomping on my head.

This girl is crazy. I'm just trying to start some banter.

"Say that again! I dare you! I double dare you! Say that one more time!"

It took both Bond and Conan's combined strength to get her off and calm her down. Charlie and Zoey leaned me against the wall and tended to me.

Everyone gathered around except for Mallory who paced back and forth, talking to herself.

Everything became a Dutch angle and my vision began to blur.

"It was in the moment, so that's only manslaughter, right? Can't we just leave him here and say we got attacked?" Mallory asked.

"He's not gonna die!" Bond proclaimed.

"And if he does? I don't wanna go to prison."

"It's juvie, not prison. And you won't because he's not gonna die!"

I began to drift to sleep. "Let's just sleep here. I'm feeling tired."

"He might have a concussion. Don't let him fall asleep! Throw water on him!"

Charlie responded by slapping me in the face while Conan threw a water bottle at my face.

"Don't throw the water while it's in the bottle! Are me and Zoey the only normal ones here?"

We stayed at school for around forty-five minutes and left once my headache went away.

Our backpacks and bags were full by the time we neared the forest. Our energies were dwindling, my head was spinning, and Mallory and Charlie kept complaining about their aching feet.

We ran into the group of teenagers throwing eggs again. They were targeting this one house that had no decorations.

It wasn't smart messing with someone with no decorations. They hated Halloween for a reason and these pranks were just fuel to that fire.

The lights in the house turned on, causing the teenagers to gather their stuff and run in our direction.

They handed the egg cartons to Charlie and Conan and disappeared just as the door to the house opened. A plump lady stepped out, swinging a red jacket around her shoulders.

"You damn kids do this every single year!"

The Tomato Lady closed the door behind her, sprinting towards us.

Charlie's legs were shaking. "Wait, it wasn't us."

Conan tossed the cartons aside. "Don't reason with her."

Bond sighed. "Not again."

He shoved Mallory so that she sprinted in front of him.

"Don't you run from me!" the Tomato Lady cursed.

Bond and Conan were right, she was surprisingly speedy for someone her size.

The others had made good distance, but Zoey simply stood where she was, eyes bulging. I grabbed her hand, pulling her along as I sprinted to catch up with the others, who were a dozen houses ahead.

Wait a minute!

If I remember correctly, Zoey and I got caught by simply trying to catch up with the others. We had to separate from them and figure out another way to lose her. It was better to try something different rather than do something that was bound to fail.

I spotted a hole in the fence that was separating the forest from the neighbourhood. It was wide enough for me and Zoey to fit, but too small for a regular adult, let alone a fat one.

I threw our stuff over the fence, widening the opening so that Zoey wouldn't get scratched as she went through. The lady rattled the fence once I got to the other side. Once she stared at us with desperation, I knew there was nothing she could do.

Zoey gathered our things and hid behind me.

I pointed at the Tomato Lady. "Listen, obesity, we didn't throw eggs at your house. Someone just gave us the eggs when they were running away."

The Tomato Lady took out a flip phone and dialled three numbers. "Hello. Yes. There are these kids throwing eggs at my house."

"Oh, crap." I turned around, urging Zoey to go ahead. "Go, go, go."

"We're gonna walk through here?"

"Yeah. One of the exits leads to a park near Charlie's house."

"It's kinda dark."

I took out my flashlight and turned it on.

She sighed, turning hers on. "Fine."

The Tomato lady's voice disappeared once we walked deep into the woods.

"Shouldn't we tell the others that we're okay?" Zoey asked.

"Yeah. That's probably a good idea."

She handed me her walkie-talkie.

"This is Zuko and Toph, does anyone copy?" I asked.

Charlie's answer was immediate. "Yes, we copy. Where are you? Over."

"We managed to lose her by going through the forest. Over."

"You guys are in the forest? Isn't it pitch black? Over."

"Yeah. It's actually pretty terrifying. The Tomato Lady is guarding the hole we entered through so we're gonna walk through the forest and meet up at the park near your house. Where are you? Over."

"We pretended we were part of another group and followed them to the plaza. We're walking down Victoria Park right now to get to my place. We'll wait for you at the park. Over."

Mallory butted in: "Don't have too much fun on your little field trip!"

"Shut up! Over and out."

Charlie's voice returned. "Over and out."

Our eyes finished adjusting, but we could still only see a few feet ahead. The flashlights hardly helped. They only made the dark darker.

"Do you listen to music when you draw?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah. I always have headphones on in the house."

"Who do you listen to?"

"Uhh, Pink Floyd. I'm a 70s girl."

"Finally, another Pink Floyd fan that's the same age as me! I listen to them too. The others don't have the patience to listen to them. They say twenty-three minutes is way too long for one song."

"What?! Their songs being long is what makes them good. They make us wait for the payoff so it hits harder."

"That's what I'm saying. The longer we wait, the more satisfaction we'll get. My mom collected CDs when she was younger and she was a fan of them. I'm constantly listening to their albums—especially when I'm doing things. What's your favourite song?"

"It has to be Wish You Were Here. You?"

"Mine's gotta be Time."

Wow. With the recent events in mind, that song being my favourite is now ironic.

Zoey observed our surroundings. "What animals are in this forest?"

"The usual I guess. Squirrels, raccoons, foxes, and the lot."

"Aren't foxes dangerous?"

"Not really. We run across a few from time to time. I'd say you have a higher chance of getting mauled to death by a chihuahua."

She chuckled. "What about bears and wolves?"

I let out a laugh. "Bears and wolves? You know this forest is still in the city, right?"

"So nothing to worry about?"

"There is a legend that someone released their mutated hound named Basker. Other than that, there's nothing to worry about."

"Aren't you scared of the dark or the things in it?"

"Either there's something in the dark or there's nothing. Being scared won't change anything. What about you?"

"I outgrew my fear of the dark when I was in kindergarten." She tried to sound assertive but her voice trembled with her delivery.

"Yeah?"

"Uh-huh."

"Are you sure, sure?"

Zoey nodded her head. "Yep."

"The bald spot is up ahead." I clicked my flashlight off. " I'll race you there."

"Wait! No! Rich! I don't know what this bald spot is!"

I sprinted a good distance ahead of her, taking cover behind a tree. When she caught up, I let her walk ahead and crept behind her, grabbing her shoulders as I let out a high-pitched scream.

Zoey spun around falling to the ground as she pushed me away. She began to crawl backwards.

I pointed my flashlight at her and clicked it on. "Got ya."

I helped her up and she thanked me by punching my arm a couple of times. Thankfully her hits were weaker than Mallory's.

"Ow!"

"Don't do that again!" she demanded.

"So you are scared of the dark."

"I'm not!"

"The bald spot is still up ahead if you want to race again."

"Fine. I am scared of the dark. More specifically not being able to see."

"Oh. I get it. You wanted to be Toph to hint at it."

"I wanted to be Toph because she's the coolest character. Not to hint at my fear."

"Yeah, right."

"What about you?"

I scratched my head. "Me? I like Zuko because of his redemption arc."

"That's not what I meant. What are you scared of?"

"Oh. In that case, the answer is nothing."

"Everyone is scared of something."

I shot a thumb at myself. "Not this guy."

Zoey stuck close to me until we reached the town square of the forest—the bald spot. The path to every available exit was available at the bald spot.

We stepped out of the woods just as the clouds dispersed, revealing the white Waning Crescent and stars sprinkled throughout.

The painting above widened my eyes. Even Zoey couldn't help but gape. As a fellow artist, she must know how captivating this sight was.

The fact that we were chased by a crazy lady earlier seemed to have slipped my mind. The past and the future didn't matter. Only now.

"The moon is beautiful, isn't it?" Zoey asked, her eyes full of awe.

I wanted to reply with, 'Too bad you can't see them, Toph', but all I could say was, "Yeah, it sure is."

The nearby bushes rustled a bit before two foxes chasing each other hopped out. Zoey moved closer to me as they circled around us. One lay on its back while the other one bobbed its head up and down, cackling. The one lying down ran ahead with the other in pursuit, disappearing back into the bushes.

"Do you think they're a couple?" Zoey asked.

"Yeah."

We continued our way to the park once the sky became cloudy again. Zoey kept tripping on roots that were sticking out the ground so she spent the rest of the way clinging to my arm.

"You're actually not gonna tell me what you're scared of?" she asked.

"Nope."

Zoey began to whine. "Come on. Please. I told you mine. It's impossible for someone not to be afraid of something. My fear actually has a biological explanation. Humans were prey back then and our vision became useless at night and we became easier targets. We were designed to be scared of the dark so we wouldn't get killed. Being scared of something is good because it tells us not to do it. If you're not scared of anything you're just stupid. Or maybe you are scared of something but—"

"Okay, okay. Fine. Heights. I'm scared of heights."

Zoey giggled. "You're making fun of me for being afraid of the dark. Meanwhile, you're scared of a little elevation?"

"Shut up! Don't tell the others."

"Don't tell the others about me too. Your fear of heights will be spilt the moment you do."

"Fine. I'll settle for a stalemate."

"So mouth locked?"

"And throw the key away."

Neither of us talked until we reached the park. Bond, Mallory, Charlie, and Conan had made themselves comfortable by lying on the benches.

Mallory shone her flashlight at us "You two are closer than I thought."

Zoey and I realized that she was practically hugging my arm. We separated, brushing ourselves off.

"Um. I was her seeing dog."

"She's not even wearing the contacts," Bond pointed out.

We got back to Charlie's house a little past 9:30. Since we were dirty, Charlie's mom told us to take showers before eating. We waited for an hour because the girls took too long. After eating nothing but chips and candy for the night, the Chinese takeout was fulfilling

All the walking, running, and in my case, getting beat up by a girl, was tiring. I was sandwiched in between Bond and Zoey when we huddled on the basement couch. Charlie put on the recording of The Walking Dead but I was so tired that I dozed off ten minutes in.

"Wake up, you two. It's a school morning," I heard Bond say. "We still have to put on our costumes again."

I opened my eyes to beaming sunlight.

Bond and Conan sat by the table drinking hot chocolate. Mallory stood in front of me, snickering while the flash on the camera Charlie was holding went off, blinding me momentarily.

Charlie waved around the photograph that printed out.

Mallory grinned.

"Why are you in such a good mood?" I asked.

"Because of this." Mallory showed me the photo. It was me and Zoey wrapped in the same blanket leaning on each other.

"Huh?" Zoey asked, waking up.

We made momentary eye contact with each other before yelping and staggering away.

What's next on Rich Re:grets?

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Thanks for reading this far and don't forget to comment and vote as it would help push this story out a lot.

This is the first chapter that focuses on the group, what did you think of it?

Did this feel like Halloween?

My favourite scene was the forest scene, what did you think of it?

The character that got a lot of focus in this chapter was Charlie, what did you think of him?

Author's Note: The title 'Operation Bonbon' was inspired by the chapter title 'Operation Kino' in Inglourious Basterds. Charlie's middle and last name(Archie Hickox) is also a reference to Michael Fasbender's character, who's only featured in the 'Operation Kino' part of the movie.