The Party On The Moon

"Did you catch Sigmund's Halloween special last night?"

"Absolutely! Wouldn't dare to miss it! Can you believe the way he carved that pumpkin?!"

"I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it! Where do you even learn something like that?"

Kyle rolled his eyes , overhearing a conversation between two of his classmates. It was all everyone seemed to be talking about that morning. Almost everyone in school tuned in to Sigmund's weekly television show and they were always excited when he had a holiday special. With Halloween right around the corner, Sigmund had debuted his Halloween special two weeks early and it had premiered over the weekend. Nothing but talk of Sigmund all over the academy. It annoyed Kyle to no end, especially at this time of year.

With his birthday coming up, a Halloween baby himself, Kyle wanted the attention to be on him, not the sorcerer. It just couldn't be helped though, no matter how much he hated it, Sigmund had become the most popular person at Milkweed Academy. He shook off the annoyance and smiled down at a list he'd made in a notepad of people invited to his party. Rudy, Leslie, Griffin, everyone! He made sure to invite all of his classmates, except Sigmund of course, and was working diligently on making invitations for every one of them. On another page of the notepad, he listed all the items he'd need for his party. Snacks, drinks, party hats, a cake! He looked up from his notepad when he suddenly heard the room erupt in a round of applause. Sigmund had just walked in.

"Wonderful, wonderful special last night!" Professor Flan congratulated Sigmund. "It was simply incredible."

"Wouldn't have wanted it to be anything less." Sigmund grinned, walking over to his seat after a quick bow at the front of the room. Kyle mumbled anything but nice words under his breath as Sigmund took the seat next to him at their desk. Sigmund turned his attention to the red head next to him, propping his head up on the desk to lean into him. "How'd you like the special?"

"Didn't watch it." Kyle answered bluntly, keeping his attention on the invitation he was folding. He watched it, but he wasn't gonna let Sigmund know that he did and stroke his ego anymore than it needed to be for the morning. Sigmund pouted.

"Oh? Why not?"

"Because I don't care about your childish magic show." Kyle leaned over to write out details on the card he'd just finished making, taking his time to carefully jot down the time and date of the party in perfect calligraphy. Sigmund watched him for a moment before grabbing an invitation he'd already seemed to finish. Kyle gasped. "Hey! Put that down!"

"You're having a party?" Sigmund asked, reading over the card. Kyle snatched it away.

"Give that back!"

"What's the party for?"

"None of your business!"

"Oh, Kyle, don't be that way. Honestly, I really want to know." Putting his ink pen down, Kyle took a deep breath to calm himself and finally turned his attention to Sigmund, who batted his eyelashes in his direction, much to Kyle's annoyance.

"My birthday is coming up in two weeks time." Kyle answered. "It's my last birthday before I'll become a teenager, so I thought I'd have a party."

"Sounds fun!" Sigmund smiled. "What's the dress code? Well, considering it's your party, I'm sure it won't be an elegant affair. Is gifting optional?"

"It's not like that's anything for you to be concerned with." Kyle spat. "You're not invited." Sigmund sat up in surprise. It took him a moment to process what Kyle had just said to him. He'd never, not been invited to someone's party. In fact, it seemed like his classmates practically begged him to show up to their parties these days. He'd been to more parties in one semester at Milkweed than he'd ever been in his simpler life. Even outside of the academy, he'd been invited to all sorts of parties as a celebrity. Launch parties, movie premiers, red carpet events. Who did Kyle think he was, not inviting him to his birthday party?

"Excuse me?" Sigmund scoffed, holding a hand to his chest in disgust. "I'm not invited?"

"That's what I said."

"And why not?" Looking up from the envelope he'd dropped the finished invitation into, Kyle gave Sigmund his signature, dull expression.

"Are you seriously asking me that question? Think about it, Sigmund. Why would I invite you to my birthday party? Are we friends? Do I enjoy your company? The answer to both those questions is the same."

"Yes?"

"NO!"

Kyle cleared his stationary from the table and collected the filled envelopes on his desk, piling them together before putting them away in his messenger bag. Standing up from his seat when class had finished, he started out into the hall with Sigmund following close by. The sorcerer paused and watched as Kyle stopped their classmates in the hall and handed each of them an envelope. He'd made the invitations look so lovely. The envelopes were a deep maroon color, sealed off with a sparkling gold wax pentagram. The name of the classmate was written in well drawn calligraphy and handed off with a smile from the conjurer himself.

"Oh wow! I'll be there!" One of their peers marveled, holding the invitation up. Sigmund's eyes narrowed in anger. As Kyle turned the corner and out of view, Sigmund quickly stopped the classmate who'd just been invited to the party.

"Hallo!" He smiled as a plan unfolded in his mind. "What do you have there?"

"Oh wow! Sigmund!" The classmate gasped. He flashed the invite to the celebrity sorcerer, who looked it over carefully. "It's an invitation to Kyle's birthday party! He's having it Halloween weekend."

"Oh, is he?" Sigmund chuckled, his evil grin growing brighter. "That's a shame. I'm having a Halloween party of my own the same weekend. A costume party..."

"Y-you are?"

"Ja! I was gonna invite you, but seeing that you've been invited to Kyle's..."

"U-uh...don't worry about it! I'll totally be at your party instead! A costume party sounds so rad!" As the student went off down the hall, Sigmund waved him off.

"Spread the word!" He called out to him. "Let everyone know and tell them to see me if they want the details!" If Kyle wouldn't invite him to his party, he'd just have his own.

As the weeks went by, Kyle grew more and more excited for his party. He collected what he needed, everything from plates and cups to chips, soda and candy. Everything for the party was kept in a basket in the corner of the dorm room he shared with Sigmund. Sigmund watched the pile of supplies grow bigger and bigger as the days went by and he couldn't help but laugh to himself. He'd been doing party planning of his own and the ideas had gotten more dramatic than originally planned.

To persuade his classmates to attend his party instead of Kyle's, he'd decided to do what only a few upperclassman had done for their own big bashes. He reserved a spot on the far side of the new moon, a place where only the best parties in the wizard world were held. Mainly because it was an expensive thing to do. Parties on the moon required a port of transportation to get you and all your guests up there. Then a set up on the moon had to be reserved to make sure there were enough zero gravity suits for everyone. And of course, a DJ, sound and light system was needed. Not that any of the extra dramatics were needed in the first place. Word of Sigmund having a Halloween party after his television special was more than enough. It was a lot of work to be spiteful, but Sigmund thought it was worth it to stick it to the conjurer.

The day before his party, Kyle walked into class with a pep in his step, early as usual. He couldn't wait for the school day to be over so he could fully submerge himself into the excitement of the weekend ahead of him. He pulled his Necronomicon from his bag as he sat down at his desk and read to himself, though he was too excited to focus much. Two of his classmates walked in together, deep in a conversation of their own. They too seemed to be excited for the weekend. Kyle was sure it was in anticipation of his birthday party.

"I just finished my costume last night!" One of them spoke. "I can't wait for tomorrow!"

"I know, neither can I! I've never been to a party on the moon before!"

Kyle raised a brow. Party on the moon? Who in their level was having a party on the moon? And tomorrow at that? He'd invited both of his peers to his birthday party tomorrow evening. Closing the book quickly, Kyle stood from his seat and walked in on the conversation, his Necronomicon floating behind him, eager to listen in on what was going on.

"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation..." Kyle started, folding his arms. "A party on the moon? For whom?"

"O-oh..." The classmate choked. "Well, uh, Sigmund is having a costume party." Kyle's eyes grew in shock. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"SIGMUND?!" He gasped. "But, what about my party? I invited you both!"

"Well, I've never been to a party on the moon before..." The other classmate muttered. "It'll be the first time in my whole life."

"Yeah, me too. Sorry, Kyle.."

Kyle's face burned red in anger. As the sorcerer himself strolled in, Kyle rushed him, catching him off guard. He grabbed Sigmund by the collar of his school uniform and brought him down to eye level. Sigmund gasped when he was pulled down so suddenly.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Kyle shouted.

"What are you on about?!"

"YOU'RE THROWING A PARTY ON THE MOON?!"

"Oh..." Sigmund chuckled, pushing Kyle away forcefully and rather easily. "About that-"

"You knew I was having my birthday party! You knew it was this weekend!"

"Well, ja, I knew about your party." Sigmund nodded. "But what does it matter to me? I wasn't invited, remember?"

"You sneaky little parasitic, cretin!" Sigmund only laughed at Kyle's insults as he walked to their desk and sat down.

"You didn't give me a choice, honestly." Sigmund giggled. "I would've been soo lonely spending the weekend on my own, so I just planned it last minute is all."

"You don't plan a party on the moon last minute." Kyle spoke through gritted teeth, sitting down himself. He didn't even want to sit next to Sigmund. It was taking every ounce of him not to pounce on him and beat him to a pulp. He shook off his negative feelings quickly. Just because two of his peers had declined on his birthday invitation, didn't mean all of them would, right? He kept his hopes high, but things slowly started crumbling as the day went on.

With every class, Kyle's classmates approached him with excuse after excuse to get out of his birthday invitation.

"I have to take my griffin to see a vet this weekend."

"I'm visiting my folks off campus, so I can't come to the party.."

"I just realized I have an appointment to get my braces tightened, sorry."

"I think I'll be sick on Saturday...I uh, saw it in a crystal ball so yeah...can't come.."

Kyle's high hopes had sunken by the end of the day. He dragged himself into his dorm room and hopped into his bed, pulling his blankets over his head in a fit of sadness. His Necronomicon tried it's best to make him feel better.

"Oh, cheer up birthday boy!" The book grinned from it's spine. "Sigmund is an amazing sorcerer, and he's popular and he's got a wonderful sense of style, but that doesn't mean no one will show up!"

"Will you just close your hard cover and shut up?!" Kyle groaned from under the comforter. "You're not helping!"

"All I'm saying is give it till tomorrow! I'm sure your birthday party will be one for the books!" Peeking out from his blanket, Kyle gave his Necronomicon a weak, teary eyed smile. He really hoped the book of the dead was right about that.

On the morning of his birthday, the preteen wizard was woken up by loud, euro beat music blasting in his dorm room. Shooting up from his sleep, Kyle's eyes rested angrily on Sigmund, who was dancing around the room in time with the beat of the music. The conjurer tossed a pillow in his direction, which narrowly missed Sigmund's head and caught his attention.

"Oh, Kyle! Guten Morgen!" Sigmund laughed, not missing a beat of his music. Kyle wasn't impressed. Checking his clock, it was eight o'clock in the morning.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

"It's party day!" Sigmund responded with a body roll and eyebrow wiggling that only made Kyle more upset. "Aren't you excited?" Before Kyle could give him a sarcastic response, Sigmund jumped when his eyes fell on the clock hanging from their wall. "Oh! I've gotta get going! Gotta make sure all my preparation is going as planned." Kyle climbed out of bed carefully and watched Sigmund throw his satchel over his shoulder.

"Auf Wiedersehen, Kyle! Happy birthday! Enjoy your party tonight!" The sorcerer waved as he opened their room door. "I know I will~!"

"Just get out!" Kyle groaned, slamming the door behind Sigmund with magic. He rushed over to the boombox the music was blasting from, conjured a baseball bat and beat it till the music stopped playing. Felt good. One thing was for sure, if that was the music Sigmund planned on playing at his party, Kyle knew his own would be a hit. That music was terrible.

Being awake, he figured he'd get himself cleaned up and ready to set up his own party. There was work to be done anyhow, especially with all the decorations he'd managed to get together in time. Once he was all dressed, he gave himself a smile in the mirror after tying on his cape and headed out with his big basket of supplies and his Necronomicon behind him. The book blabbed as they walked out to the courtyard, where Kyle decided to have his party near the picnic benches by the playground outdoors.

"I wonder what costume Sigmund picked for his party..." The book pondered out loud. "I think I saw him looking through a few costume catalogs while you were asleep. He seemed to gravitate towards the Victorian styled vampire costumes-"

"I don't care!" Kyle spat, pulling streamers from his basket.

"I think that's a wonderful choice for him though, considering his aesthetic tastes. I love the bed sheets and curtains he went with on his side of the room. You should ask him where he shops for-"

"SHUT IT!" He pulled his wand, poofing the book away and back to his room. He didn't want to hear any talk of Sigmund. It was only upsetting him more than he already was. Though it made him happy to set up the decorations, he couldn't help but feel worried. A party on the moon was the best it could get and at the back of his mind, even he wanted to see how Sigmund would be able to pull off that event. Still, Kyle had an ounce of faith left in him and he grinned proudly once everything had finally been set up.

As the sun went down, Kyle checked his pocket watch. Any moment now and his peers would be showing up for his party. He pulled on a party hat in anticipation and turned his radio on, cranking the volume up. All the snacks had been set out across the picnic table, with his birthday cake set in the middle of it, covered in candles. He even had a cauldron full of candy, since it was Halloween weekend after all! At another picnic table, he set up party games and goodie bags full of party favors for his guests. It was a humble party set up, but one that he was happy with. Kyle sat at the table and waited.

One hour passed...

Then another...

And another...

No one. Not one classmate had shown up for his birthday party. Kyle conjured his Necronomicon as the sun finally set and sunk down as the book gave him a saddened expression.

"Oh, Kyle..." The book sighed. "Don't be down on yourself. Your decorating is wonderful!"

"Thanks..." Kyle frowned. The book paused for a moment before coming up with an idea.

"Don't let your cake go to waste!" It smiled. "The candles, you should make your wish!" Returning the book's smile, Kyle used his wand to light the candles on his birthday cake. He clasped his hands together in front of him, closing his eyes tightly as he processed his wish in his mind.

"I wish to become the most powerful wizard that's ever graced the halls of Milkweed Academy. Wizard of the year even!"

As he blew his candles out, the sound of fireworks exploding startled him and turned his attention to the sky. It was coming from the party on the moon. In the distance, he swore he could faintly hear the same euro beat music that had woken him up that morning. He trembled with anger and stood up from the picnic table. Conjuring himself a zero gravity suit, he grabbed his Necronomicon and hopped on his broom. The book was beyond excited. At the back of it's index, it was secretly hoping to be able to go to Sigmund's party all along.

The dark side of the moon was full to the brim with Milkweed Academy students, including the ones who'd given Kyle excuses. Sigmund grinned, false vampire teeth flashing as he watched everyone dance from his spot behind the DJ's turn tables. He grabbed the microphone from the DJ when it was handed to him, opened the helmet of his zero gravity suit and waved to his guests.

"Is everyone having a good time?" He asked happily. That earned a roaring cheer from the costumed students as a response. Sigmund laughed to himself. There was no way anyone had actually shown up to Kyle's party at this point. He could only imagine the expression on Kyle's face, realizing no one had actually shown. Looking into the crowd again, Sigmund stiffened up for a second. Through the flashing strobe lights, he swore he saw Kyle, himself, approaching the DJ booth. With every flash of the lights, he seemed to inch closer and closer. And just when he thought it couldn't possibly be him on the moon, Kyle blasted the DJ booth.

"THE PARTY IS OVER!" The conjurer shouted over the screams of the party goers when the lights went out. The dark side of the moon was pitch, black. You couldn't even see your own hand in front of your face. Sigmund stumbled from behind the booth, the cape of his vampire costume fried from the blast. Before he could catch his balance, Kyle had snatched him down by the lace of his Victorian cravat. "YOU!"

"AH! H-hold on!" Sigmund gasped as Kyle held his wand over his head. "L-let me make this right!"

"YOU RUINED MY BIRTHDAY!"

"N-no! Hold on!"

Kyle hesitantly let Sigmund go and allowed him to straighten up. Quickly, the sorcerer conjured up a new booth and turned the lights to it back on, quieting the screams from the panicked party guests. He inched over to the microphone at the booth, grinning sheepishly as Kyle watched from the crowd in anger.

"Hallo everyone..." Sigmund chuckled nervously. His head was still a little rattled from the earlier blast. "Sorry for the scare. It's Halloween after all! Haha!" No one was amused, but Sigmund continued. "Our guest of honor is here! We sing for him now! Come on!"

It was the most awkward happy birthday Kyle had ever received, and the singing was even worse, but when Sigmund bought a cake to him, he actually smiled. Sigmund handed Kyle the microphone while his other classmates held the cake up to him. Kyle blushed, looking around at his peers shyly. This whole display was something he was looking forward to at his own party, but this was just as nice. He opened his helmet to talk into the microphone.

"None of you came to my own party, and I was really upset about that because I worked really hard to make it a good one..." He started. "But right now, I'm so happy and I just wanna say thank y-!"

A wave of gasps swept over the crowd of party guests when Sigmund had pushed Kyle's head down into the massive cake in front of them, mid speech. Slowly, the conjurer lifted his head from the frosting, revealing a face covered in buttercream and sprinkles and a helmet packed with crumbles of cake. The eruption of laughter around him didn't even phase him at this point. He figured he should've known better.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KYLE!" Sigmund cheered into the microphone. "ALRIGHT EVERYONE! COME ON! WE DANCE!"