Milkweed: Short Stories for Wizards

Wizard Camp (Part I)

Wizard Camp (Part I)

"This is stupid..." Kyle grumbled, looking himself over in the mirror in the entryway of his family's Veronstone home.

Having returned from his visit to Sigmund's estate in Germany, Kyle had been greeted with a surprise from the sorcerer that he hadn't exactly asked for. The preppy uniform that had been sent over to the home in the midst of his departure for Wizard Camp, an activity he was involuntarily signed up for, was an ensemble that was completely out of his comfort zone. Exceptionally stuffy with a boy scout feel complete with a deep purple neckerchief, purple badge sash and pointed, black hat to match. The amount of pageantry was nothing short of uncomfortable. Kyle's mother, Kristen, shook her head.

"It isn't stupid." She spat, sternly. "It's Milkweed's traditional camp uniform and you're very lucky to have been invited for the outdoor retreat this year."

"I didn't want to go to any outdoor retreat..."

"Keep your mouth shut!" Kyle's father, Oliver, shouted. "Enough of your whines and complaints!"

"But—!"

"The retreat is VERY expensive and you're attending for free, so you BETTER be on your BEST behavior or else!"

Kyle folded his arms and turned away with a pout. He knew his father was just as frustrated as he was. Knowing the retreat had been paid for, in full, by a Nightbreed embarrassed his father to no end. For the sake of appearances though, sending Kyle off for the retreat was a good look on the family considering only the elite and well off were able to afford the extracurricular, seasonal activity. It would be something else for his parents to brag about, even though they hadn't been the ones to fund the endeavor.

With the sound of a horn honking outside of the home, Kyle's mother quickly rushed over to the door and opened it to peer outdoors. An audible gasp escaped her and she spun around in an instant to lift Kyle's backpack from the floor.

"The camp shuttle is here!" She announced, handing him the overpacked, overweight backpack. Kyle nearly fell over backwards when he swung the rucksack over his shoulders.

"Ugh..." He groaned, turning to the door. Before he could leave, his father left him with another threat of a warning.

"You better be on your best behavior!"

"I heard you the first time..."

"I mean it!"

"Bye!"

Heading out to avoid anymore nagging, Kyle started down the walkway. Being spotted by the mutant bus driver, the door to the shuttle bus was opened for him. Peering up at the black tinted school bus, Kyle spotted an enthusiastic blonde waving from the window midway in. Sigmund. The wizard's eyes narrowed in his direction before he finally boarded the bus and made his way down the tight aisle to sit across from him.

Sporting the same boy scout uniform, Sigmund somehow made the ensemble work for him. The extra flare of it all just matched his personality a lot better than Kyle felt it did for him. Though he'd wanted Kyle to sit beside him for the journey, he brushed off the snub and faced him anyhow to start up a conversation as the bus started down the road.

"Kyle! Aren't you excited?!"

"Why would you sign me up for this?!" Kyle spat immediately, motioning to the uniform. "I look like a bloody fool!"

"We're going up into the mountains~!" Sigmund giggled, ignoring Kyle's obvious distaste towards the entire situation. "We'll hike all the way up together! I heard the views are just incredible! We just had to do it!"