The brisk nighttime air and a glowing golden moon greeted the girls as they made their way out on the promenade. Mena’s stomach was churning, but the open air proved to be a much-needed elixir. As they walked past the labyrinth of hedges, Mena’s curiosity took her mind off the monumental night for a second. “You know,” she said. “What’s at the center of these hedges?”

Janus’ eyes glimmered in the dark of the night. “It’s an urban legend, but they said that during times of royalty, a moonchild would dance before the king and queen in a private performance.”

“What’s a moonchild?” May asked.

“A childlike dancer that only appears in the light of the full moon,” Janus said. “It’s a shame that no one has managed to get to the center of this mystifying maze in a long time.”

Mena took one last look at the hedges, swearing she saw a shimmer of pale light rise from the center, before stopping at the end of a long line. Every single student in the school was standing outside the antechamber of the ballroom. Caligari and Stellaris stood at the front, preventing them from going any further.

There were grumbles and murmurs from the crowd, but Stellaris, wearing a golden ball gown that went perfectly her golden, spikey hair said to them, “I’m sorry, Gemini is still making some last-minute preparations. But since I was once in your place, let me tell you a bit of advice. Just try to find people you have something in common with and don’t try to be someone you’re not. If you do, you’re in for a night of magic!”

“Why must we listen to zis hippie crud?” Laetitia moaned in a dress as silver as the moon. “Let us in!”

Marie in a sequined purple dress joined in her sister’s chant, and soon, Ashlan in an emerald corset and dress followed. Their “Let us in!” chant quickly spread to the rest of the crowd, and Stellaris smiled nervously at Caligari.

“Ok,” Stellaris said, “We’ll let you in.” And she winked at Caligari as the tall wooden doors of the antechamber opened into complete darkness.

The two professors stepped out of the way, and a stampede of girls charged into the ballroom. Even Mena and her friends were picked up in the drama. But as the girls charged into the darkness, something strange happened. As soon as they entered the ballroom, they went through a black void that took them right back out to the garden again. It didn’t take long to realize that everyone was running in a complete loop.

As soon as everyone realized their efforts were futile. Caligari giggled into her hand like a mischievous schoolgirl and Stellaris laughed with an equally wide grin, “And people think Cere doesn’t have a sense of humor.”

Unfortunately, that made the outcry grow even louder. Soon, there were cries for Stellaris and Caligari’s head. But before the angry mob could advance on them, Gemini arrived out of the black void. He wore a purple tuxedo with a comical, clown-faced flower carnation and white gloves. “Alright kiddies!” The clown prince said with a sardonic smile.” There will be no need for blood tonight! You are all welcome inside to the Homecoming Party of the Millennium!”

Without a further warning, everyone screamed and charged forward, causing Gemini to dive out of the way to avoid being crushed. With a graceful roll, he moved out of the way along with the other teachers and everyone could finally see what they had been awaiting all week.

Before May entered however, she took a bottle of pink perfume and doused herself with it. The repugnant smell caused Mena to plug her nose. “Aww man, May what is that awful stuff?”

“Swoon Perfume,” she said in her deep voice. “Also, from my mummy’s store. It makes you smell like whatever boys like.”

“Ugh,” Mena said, pinching her nostrils tighter. “It just makes you smell like raw meat.”

“Do boys like that?” May asked with innocent eyes.

“Maybe if you think they’re animals,” Janus responded with a wry smile.

Mena and her friends headed into the ballroom to see what awaited their senses. They were greeted at the door by Caligari. Mena noticed was wearing quite a standout outfit too. It was a draping, black gown, jagged like the edge of a nightflower and the cosmic patterns of a blackhole at the center of it. She wore an enormous golden scarf, that twirled around her body and a bevy of rainbow roses in her hair. “May the night be in your favor, Mena,” she said gently with her head bowed.

“You too,” Mena said back with a smile.

The ballroom had been dimmed with the overhead chandeliers burning low, but to make up for this, an enormous five-chamber fountain had been erected at the center of the room. A translucent and glowing red beverage poured from one of its mouths, while a bright green, blue, purple and orange liquid streamed from the other ones. Tables had been set up, filled to the brim with all kinds of high-class party snacks ranging from wrapped prosciutto, tri-color rotated pastas, celeries with cream cheese and Mena’s favorite, shrimp crostinis.

The stained-glass windows had been removed entirely (perhaps to spare Gemini the heart break of further horses crashing through it) and a stage had been set up. On top of the stage, the Lollypop Quartet performed with cellos and violins, playing elegant chamber music to accompany the party. A tiny piano player in a top hat, who Mena soon realized was Lol Pops, was playing a spritely theme as playful as a nighttime parade of pixies.

Mena and her friends made their way to the snack table. Dinner had not been served this night to save room for the ritzy party food. The young witch immediately stacked her plate with crostinis and pasta, (her cravings for fancy food outweighed her fear of carbs) but she raised her eyebrows over the beverage flowing from the fountain.

“Is this wine?” she asked.

“Of course not, my dear witchy poo,” Gemini said, suddenly appearing out of nowhere, clutching a crystal goblet. “This is sparkling fruit juice! Nothing says ‘I’m a high-class teenybopper’ than a glass full of fruit juice. I hear the cranberry juice goes great with crostinis, moonlight and a sophisticated raise of your pinky.”

Gemini teleported a glass into her hand and filled it up. He clinked her glass with his pinky raised. “Here’s to having an air of debonaire!”

Mena bit hit shrimp crostini, savoring the spread on it and took a swig of her juice. “My my, you’re right!” she exclaimed. “I do feel more debonaire!”

Laetitia and her gang snickered quietly off in the corner as she muttered, “More like a wind of dairy air.”

“Aren’t I always?” Gemini responded to Mena who was trying her best to ignore her rivals, “And now that you’ve wet your whistle and nibbled your nellies, it’s time for me and the Madame Electra to make our grand announcement.”

Gemini teleported to the top of the stage where Electra and the other teachers had gathered. Even Gaia was standing there with a shifty look in his eyes. “Keep an eye on him, Janus,” Mena whispered.”

“Is this good?” Janus asked, having popped her eye out of her socket with a grin, causing a girl next to her to faint.

“Please,” Mena said. “I’m eating!”

Janus giggled and popped it back in. “Just a little black humor to start off the night!”

“Ladies…and soon, gentlemen,” Gemini announced, as the Lollypop Quartet ended their chamber piece. “Tonight is a momentous occasion: the 100th year this Dream Castle has devoted itself to educating Groundborns and Dulalites in Dream Arts and…”

“Yadda yadda yadda,” Electra said, shoving Gemini out of the way. She was dressed even more outrageously with a low-cut corset of yellow and grey and a mini skirt with electric zig zagging patterns.

“Enough about your vanity show, let’s get to the moment that these young girls…and I… have been waiting for. The stunning debut of my boys!”

She blew a whistle, and everyone gasped as several white blurs gracefully zoomed through the open windows. Every rider mounted a pale white horse with a different colored iris. The horses shot multi-colored beams from their eyes, creating a dazzling rainbow of colors in the dark. Each horse flapped at an equal length apart from each other. The leader with silver spurred boots, kicked his horse with a “Yah!” and lead the horses in a perfectly choreographed spiral. Everyone ooh’d and ahh’d as the colors traveled around and around, shining in their eyes. Even Mena had to admit, it was a miraculous light show.

Electra gave a clap, and the riders paused in midair. “And without further ado, the boys of my Dream Castle.”

The horses flapped their feathered wings like carpets being aired out and the riders soared down upon their prey. The leader dismounted first, performing a front flip, which everyone applauded. As he stood up, Mena gasped. He was tall, dark, muscular and handsome…but more importantly, he had a jagged, reddish-brown lion’s mane and sideburns. With a brimming confidence in his eyes, he let out a mighty roar in his emerald tuxedo. “Who wants a taste of this man-beast?”

“Oh no,” Ashlan gasped, and her face turned bright red. “I totally forgot my bone-head brother goes to that school.”

The Tessellations giggled as he approached May. His nostrils inhaled, and his fiery eyes became dead-focused on the large but timid girl. His eyebrows wiggled and he extended his hand.

“Leo,” he said with a bow.

“Um…I’m a Virgo,” May responded.

“That’s his name,” Ashlan said with a grimace. “Leo O’Ryan.”

Ignoring his sister, Leo started sniffing May. “You smell so…delectable,” he growled. “Please, be my date tonight, my scrumptious morsel.”

May removed her round glasses, and with her deep voice, swooned. “Take me away, big boy!”

“I guess, I was right,” Janus giggled. “That perfume does work…if you’re a man-beast.”

A bone rattling voice filled the air. “Why, I didn’t know there were girls from the Nightmare Void here,”

Mena had to rub her eyes for second to make sure she was not dreaming. A skeleton in shades, a black suit and a fedora knelt before Janus. “I’d like it if you whipped your skull on me, baby.”

“Sorry, I don’t like men with bones,” Janus said and turned aside to the girl from infirmary with the backwards leg.

In a pink dress, short brunette hair and a backwards leg brace, the girl shuddered before Janus.

“Care to be my date tonight?” Janus asked.

The girl stammered in fear. “I-I don’t want you to think I’m some freak who likes dead people…”

Janus gave a wink and blew a kiss. “Not even cute dead people?”

“Well ok,” the girl said, her cheeks glowing bright pink. She took Janus’ hand, causing the skeleton boy’s mouth to drop off his head.

In a jet of purple smoke, a unicornea landed in front of Mena. Mena held her hands to her mouth. “Fabias?” she asked.

“At last,” a dark, smokey voice announced. “The object of your desire, the apple of your eye, the center of your universe, your fantasy in the night, I, Fabias the famed, have arrived.”

The purple smoke enraptured her and as his silhouette emerged from the smoke, Mena looked him over. He had the same golden blond hair down to his shoulders, blue eyes like crystalline pools of lapis lazuli and impeccable kissable lips that pouted if they did not get their way, but something was off.

“I…I don’t think you’re Fabias?” Mena said, at last.

“Why…why not?” the man purporting to be Fabias said in utter shock.

Mena exclaimed loudly. “You’re even shorter than me!”