Chapter 1

Trick or treat

"I am the terror that flaps in the night; I am the phone call that interrupts your meeting, I am DarkWi-ng Duck!" I shouted as the blue smoke cleared.

"You look cute, kiddo." Elisa smiled.

"I know, right?" Alex scooped me up.

"I'm not cute, I'm a superhero!" I frowned, turning to Alex. "Sidekicks aren't supposed to nuzzle their heroes."

"C'mon, Talia, smile for the camera. You too, Alex." Fox cooed. I smiled halfheartedly. "Pretty smile."

I smiled nice and then wiggled as he and Dad kissed my cheek. "Noo, stop it!"

"So, why are you Lanchpad McQuack?" David asked his son.

"I 'fit the aesthetic better.'" Alex shrugged. I played with the bit of hair sticking out of his cap. He smiled.

"Remember to stay close to Alex, Talon or Maggie. I don't want to hear that you ran off, Talia." David said.

"Do you have everything? Water, cell phones?" Fox asked.

"Yes." We showed her them.

"Good." She nodded.

"C'mon, we gotta meet up with the Labyrinth kids before all the good candy's gone." Alex took me to the elevator. It dinged and we got in.

"Talia?" Owen called. I looked at him. "Be careful and have fun."

The doors closed.

"He didn't say what I think he just said, did he?" I asked Alex.

"He did. You clearly haven't been causing enough trouble." He nibbled his bottom lip.

"I thought that was a good thing." I frowned.

"Not for tricksters." He looked at me. "Haven't you had any urge to do mischief?"

"I haven't really had time to plan anything good." I said.

"While we're trick or treating, you think up some pranks we can play when we get back home. And Tai, in Manhattan, we go to stores instead of houses. That's why we're going so early." He said.

The elevator dinged. We got some candy from the lobby and popped in and out of stores as we went to the subway. We got off at the nearest one to the Labyrinth. Talon, Maggie, Delilah and two other mutates were trying to keep the kids calm.

"Hey, we're here." Alex called.

"Hi." I waved. He nudged me. "Trick or treat?"

Maggie dropped a fun sized chocolate in our pillow cases. Deliah had some chewy caramel. The female panther gave us Skittles and the male lion threw in some hard candies. "This is our son, Theo, and our daughter, Claire." Maggie gestured.

"Hello." Claire smiled, curtsying. Theo bowed. Everyone else did too. I looked at Alex.

"The line between Fae and human get blurred around Halloween and such. It's better if everyone treads softly." He explained quietly.

"Ok, everyone. I know you're excited to go trick or treating, but I want to remind everyone of the rules. You are to stay in your groups and not wander off. That means waiting until everyone gotten a piece of candy to go to the next store. And no jaywalking either. Stay close to the adults. Everyone should be back here by 11 at the latest." Talon announced.

Then we split into three groups. Deliah was part of our group. We got the older kids. Then we went to the nearest place, a grocery store.

"Trick or treat!" We chorused. I let the other kids go first. Then it was my turn.

"Here you go, young lady." He was about to give me a Dum dum when something swooped down and I was smacked across the face and knocked to the ground.