Being Shot

P h o t o #29 - Captain Connor

We all cheered, Cooper swinging his arms under his brother's armpits and throwing him onto his shoulders. After grabbing the plastic orange pumpkin bucket we had plucked out from the attic next to where we had found the fake Christmas tree, we were on our way out just as the sun began to set.

Cooper set his little brother down on the sidewalk as we all kept moving along. We all watched as the small boy walked down the path towards his first house of the night.

Once we saw him get to the door safely, everyone briskly turned to face me. "You really are great with him!" Kayla gushed as Jonas exclaimed in surprise, "Who knew you were so great with kids."

Only after Kayla smacked him upside the head did the arguing ensue. Even if they seemed to be taking steps to forgiving one another lately, they still couldn't break the chain they were so used to following. I sighed, my pulse still spiking from the sudden attention I was attracting.

I didn't think it was too big of a deal. I was always used to dealing with kids at my job (which I was currently taking a break from, since Zach was filling in on my position for the next few weeks, courtesy of Janice), especially the ones of the more fussy type. After having to deal with them and their aggravated parents everyday, I began to get the hang of how easily a child's emotions changed with my words and actions. And when they began cooperating with me and their parents, everyone seemed to feel better in the end. I didn't mind helping them out a bit.

Connor came rushing back towards us, his face fighting back a look of pure excitement as he held up an oversized Hershey's bar. He ran straight up to Cooper and waved it in the air.

"Woah!" Cooper exclaimed, his eyes sparkling, "It's huge! You'll have to share it with me."

"No way!" Connor retorted, his voice laced in the same brotherly teasing as Cooper's was, "I can finish it all by myself!"

Cooper laughed loudly, and Connor once again looked like he was fighting off a grin that he wished to not show us.

We continued walking down the street, watching little children in costumes ranging from simple to extravagant and their parents or guardians trailing behind them. Once Connor ran up towards the next house over, a group of slightly bigger kids taking the same route, I turned to Cooper.

The sound of Kayla and Jonas still feuding was a sound I had to speak up over, "You know," I began, trying to slip in my opinion quietly but still trying to make sure he actually heard it, "You're a really good big brother."

Even in the dimming light of sunset I could still see the faint flush of his cheeks, "You..You think so?"

I smiled at his cute reaction, "Of course."

Immediately after I responded, a thin arm made its way around my shoulder, as it did with Cooper. Kayla pressed her head in between ours. "Come on, kiddos, let's keep this train moving." Her enthusiastic voice sounded a bit forced, it almost made me feel as if I had heard her wrong.

In the small amount of time Cooper and I had talked, Connor had already made his way back to our group and was tugging at Elliot's shirt in hopes that we could keep moving. Elliot just stood silently like he had been since we left the house.

Off we went, for a good hour we walked around Cooper's all-too-large neighborhood, stopping at each house that had its lights on. It seemed the more we walked the more excessive the Halloween decorations were. I was even surprised by it all, remembering how practically no one in my neighborhood decorated for Halloween.

By the time we decided to head back around and go to the houses that led the way back to Cooper's house, Connor had even made a friend at one of the stops we made - a little black-haired boy who introduced himself as Alexander, looking no more than two years older than Connor himself - and they both eagerly chatted in front.