Letters to Romeo

Roman watched Julie as if she was the only person in the entire room, and there was nothing there that could distract and divert his attention to something else. There was fascination in her eyes, a smile on her lips and her eyes fixed on the students who rehearsed at the centre of the stage.

It was good to see the innocence in her was still intact, but the question was for how long it would be before it would shed away once reality would come to appear in front of her.

He had tried to spend most of his time with her, spending every possible minute with her as if it was the last. And the reason was that he knew things wouldn't stay the same as it was now, once the Elders would wake up from their long rest.

Julie felt Roman's gaze on her from the side, and she turned to look at him. He didn't look away even after being caught staring at her.

"Is there something on my face?" Julie asked in doubt, raising her hand and tucking her hair behind her ear before touching her face.

"No," replied Roman, the expression on his face passive but his eyes expressive enough to continue to watch her. Julie smiled at him before turning back to watch the rehearsals one last time before showcasing their play tomorrow evening.

Feeling someone's gaze on them from where they stood, Roman's eyes snapped to look at the opposite side of the stage where some of the students stood. And out of them was Mateo Jackson, who stared at Julie, and as if feeling Roman's gaze, Mateo's eyes shifted to look at him with a threatening glare.

Julie had already informed him about the little exchange of words that had taken place between Mateo and her. Mateo was the kind of person who didn't try to mend his ways even after getting beaten by him. It made him wonder if Griffin was behind Mateo's actions, trying to instigate a fight. Because Dante had sent out a notice to all the vampires that the ones trying to create trouble would not be spending their time in the detention room but directly in the dungeon.

And Roman didn't want to leave Julie by herself, especially when her ability was slowly showing up and when Dante was planning to awaken the Elders somewhere around the corner.

Mateo brought his hand to his neck, moving it from one corner to another with a grin on his face as if to say he was going to die in a warning. In response, Roman brought his hand to his mouth to yawn and looked away, which irked Mateo.

"Alright, Julianne and Roman," called Ms. Piper, who stood below the stage and right in the front with a mic in her hand. "It's your turn next, step forward."

Once Julie and Roman finished rehearsing their parts, Julie went to stand at the side because the last scene of the play was where Atlas was marrying Eve.

"Students who are responsible for the costumes, have you brought it to the backstage rooms?" questioned Ms. Piper.

"Yes, Ms. Piper. All of them have already been kept in the racks. The accessories have been placed in the room's too," answered one of the students.

"That's good," Ms. Piper looked pleased, making sure she had got all the scenes covered during the rehearsal. "Eleanor, honey, you will need to be quick while changing your dresses as you need to change into the wedding gown at the end of the play. I need you to be quick in getting off and on the stage."

"You don't have to worry about that, Ms. Piper. I will be ready within a few minutes," Eleanor looked more than excited, happiness bubbling up in her whole body at the thought of what was going to happen tomorrow.

Not only was she going to have a wedding with Roman on the stage, but she would also be seeing the embarrassing look on Julianne's face. She wanted to humiliate the girl who had stolen the person whom she had eyed for so long.

"Keenan, I need you to stop the music with a much subtle tone. It's still not working for me," stated Ms. Piper with a frown on her face. "Change the music for the last two Act's and I will be here to listen to it before tomorrow noon." The pianist nodded his head. "Alright, I will see you all tomorrow at this hour. Don't be late as we need to start with the makeup and also have the props on the stage two hours before the play is showcased."

"Yes," came the chorus replies from all the students who were around the stage.

Roman said to his friends, "We'll be going out, see you here at seven in the evening."

"Yeah, Livi and I planned to see how Simon and Tori's makeup is going on," replied Maximus with a grin and waved at them, "Have fun."

Julie and Roman stepped down from the stage, making their way out of the closed theatre. While leaving the dorm this morning, Julie had left her glasses and her sweater behind.

Instead, she wore a honey yellow top with sleeves that stopped above her elbows with a bit of puff at the top of her arms. It had a V neckline, and she had tucked the shirt into her burgundy skirt that reached the length of her knees. The skirt had been adjusted to fit around her waist, making it look petite. The only thing that didn't change in her attire was the comfortable canvas shoes she found hard to let go of.

Her eyes moved to look at Roman, the bad boy who had discarded his blazer. Even with the formal and crisp white shirt, his demeanour didn't change, and he still looked like a delinquent. He had rolled his sleeves up to his forearms, letting people see his inked tattoos on one of his hands, and from his ripped jeans, everything stayed the same.

They made their way to where Mel's food stall was, and Julie caught sight of her friend, who was in the company of three young-looking boys helping her out. Some of the students had come to eat near the stall, and on seeing Julie and Roman, Mel smiled.

When Roman had mentioned the help, Julie somewhere doubted that Roman meant it was Simon. But now it made sense why it wasn't Simon as he had his theatre play in a few hours.

Julie turned to Roman and asked, "When did you tell them to come help Mel?"

"I spoke to some of the freshman students, telling them they could get more points for their year-end progress if they would volunteer to help in the stalls," explained Roman, his eyes moved to look at the boys who offered a bow to him, and he gave them a nod. "Some of the students are short of help and every year to make sure the Annual celebration is successful, some of us make sure to let the freshman year students know what to do to improve their grades in the student ranks."

Julie nodded her head, "That's a good way to get help."

Melanie asked Roman, "Would you like to have a platter of crispers?"

"I am fine," responded Roman, something Julie had already expected what his answer would be.

Melanie then said to Julie, "I heard there's a picture booth that has been set up near the library. You should go there."

"What time do you close the stall?" inquired Julie, not wanting her friend to be left by herself.

"Probably by four or five. Don't worry about me," Melanie offered Julie a bright smile. "I will be busy with people who come to taste the door and it will keep me occupied. Go on, have your couple time," she shooed them away.

"Where do you want to go first?" while walking, Roman asked Julie, looking at the crowd and running his hand through his hair which had turned messy since he had stepped down from the dais.

"How about the art exhibition? It's supposed to be a gallery. Conner said they are displaying historical things that once belonged to this place before turning into what it has become now," proposed Julie, and Roman gave her a nod.

Making their way near one of the buildings, both of them stepped inside and saw some of the students hovering around the paintings or objects that were a century old. Roman's hands slipped into his jeans pocket, walking next to Julie. They walked past the paintings one by one that were brought out for display during the annual celebration and were taken back into the cellars, which would be locked away.

The crowd was less here, as this was repeated every year, and only the freshman year students came to take a look at it.

Years ago, today was the day when the town where many families had been killed. To think that Veteris had picked this day to celebrate, he tched in his mind.  It was the day a lot of them had lost family and had mourned. His face turned serious at the memory of the past.

'Initium novum et concordia', good luck with that, Roman dryly thought in his mind.

"These paintings are so beautiful," Julie admired, standing in front of one of the many paintings, and Roman came to stand next to her.

It was a painting of a family. Looking at it, Roman explained, "The Getrude family were renowned for their trade in textiles. Mrs. Getrude was a dressmaker. A shop for wealthy women, who belonged to high families from this town went to get their dresses stitched. It was said that she used fine filaments, thread of gold and silver in the dresses that glittered under light."

"Did the people preserve any dresses from her?" asked Julie, as Roman seemed to be quite familiar with the artefacts.

"Unfortunately no," replied Roman.

When they moved to the next painting, Julie's eyes widened when she saw the painting of a woman she had seen.

"This is the woman I saw in my vision," Julie whispered and took a step closer to the painting. The woman wore a pearl necklace around her neck, short curly hair, and chin up while sitting on a chair.

Roman's expression didn't change, knowing soon Julie would see more than glimpses of the events that had taken place in this town. An incident that had been hidden from the world except for the vampires. "This is Lady Lauretta. The manor you visited, it once belonged to her father," he responded to her question.

Lady Lauretta, Julie whispered the name, noting the woman's name at the corner of the painting.

Last week after returning from detention, that night, when Julie met Roman, she had let him know what she had seen. The memory of the past had been disturbing, where she wished she could help the woman, but Julie was a person from the present and not from the past.

Their conversation a week ago had gone with Julie saying,

'It was like a sea of bodies in the corridor, and people screaming in pain. Blood marring on the walls and the floor. An execution must have taken place. I feel like I keep seeing things I am not supposed to see. Caleb said I might be a Seer?'

'Caleb knows only bits and he doesn't know about Willow Creek,' said Roman, 'Seer predicts the future, not the past. Though like I said, witches used to have different abilities, but both aren't the same.'

'One of the students mentioned that he read online that people were murdered. But Ms. Piper denied it. We should google and see what can be found,' Julie had proposed to him.

At that time, Julie had been too engrossed in explaining her vision to Roman that she had failed to notice that he had quietly listened to her without giving much input.

Right now, if Julie did google about the murder that had taken place here, she would not be able to trace it, thought Roman. The last pieces of information would have been erased on Dante's word after Ms. Piper relayed the news.

In the exhibition gallery, Julie murmured, "How eerie, to think that they have planned to put up a horror house in the place where many people have been killed," giving another look at the painting, she walked forward with Roman.

"Isn't that the fun part," commented Roman. His eyes fell on Julie, who turned to meet his eyes. "To maybe live through something close that possibly might have happened?"

Julie saw the crooked smile on Roman's lips, and she shook her head, "That's very creepy and somewhat weird."

"What isn't weird, Winters. The world is filled with oddity, which we slowly come to accept," stated Roman, pulling out the chewing gum. Unwrapping it, he put it in his mouth.

They walked around the place, looking at the other things that were on display. The gallery had paintings, dresses belonging to some men and women of the past, and eye-catching jewellery with precious stones.

While Julie was admiring the clothes, Roman came to stand in front of another family painting. Even though many years had passed, and the paint on the canvas had dulled down, the memory of the people in there continued to stay in the back of his mind.

He must have been around twelve in the painting.

"Who is that?" asked Julie, who had returned to Roman's side. She didn't find a name in the painting.

"Lord Malcolm with his wife Lady Petronille and his two sons. And the family butler," Roman's eyes were fixed on the picture.

"It's so good to see some of the family paintings here. I got to see Maximus' great great grandfather. It looks like the people in this painting were important people," she said, looking at the painting. They had a poised appearance, letting one know that they belonged to the higher society.

"They were," replied Roman, and noticing Julie wait for him to explain, as he had done to the rest of them, he raised his hand and lightly flicked on her forehead. "Do you think I personally know every person in the paintings? If you have had your fill with the gallery, let's step out from here."

Julie nodded her head with a smile, "Is there something you want to check out?"

"I think there's one place that did catch my attention," Roman's fingers entwined with Julie's hand, and he tugged her away from the things that belonged to his past.

When they came to the place where Roman wanted to check, Julie noticed a picture booth with a small line in front of it. This was what Melanie had earlier mentioned.

Now that Julie thought about it since she had arrived in Veteris, she hadn't taken a single picture of her or anything. Not that she had anyone to share it with. It might have also been because of the lack of network, making one not use the device.

"You want to take pictures," commented Julie.

"I did tell I want to make the most of my time with you," Roman's words made Julie question if there was more than what he uttered. Was it because he wouldn't be here next year? The thought made her sad. "I would have taken it from my cell phone, but I prefer the physical print than the digital one."

"The traditional way," responded Julie, and before they could join the line, she placed her hand on his hand. "Will you come to attend the annual celebration next year?"

Roman stared at Julie, noticing the little cloud of worry in her brown eyes, "Spare a spot for me next to you, for the theatre play next year."

"I will," replied Julie.

When it was their turn, Roman and Julie stepped into the booth, where two sides were covered with a black curtain.

"Where do I stand?" asked Julie, not knowing where or what to do. The place was cramped, and she doubted more than three would fit in the booth. "I think taking pictures on the phone and printing is much easier. I should have checked the mirror," her hand reached to smoothen her fringes.

"It looks fine," responded Roman standing behind her. When he went to help by pushing her fringe to the side, they heard the clicking of the camera sound go off. "What kind of picture booth goes off without people being ready?" he glared at the lens.

They heard another sound, and Julie, noticing Roman frowning, laughed, "I think it's an automatic one. Wai-"

One more sound of the camera was heard, and Julie realized they would have funny pictures to look at. Roman cursed under his breath. Before they would finish their turn, he put his hands around her waist and pulled her closer to him while resting his chin on one side of her shoulder.

Julie felt small compared to Roman, with the way he wrapped her in his arms as if shielding and hiding her away from the world. Her cheeks couldn't help but burn while a smile appeared on her lips.

Wondering if he was smiling, Julie turned to look at him, and he met her gaze.

The faint smile on Roman's lips lowered down, and he moved closer to her, and her heart skipped a beat. At the same moment, the camera clicked again. Roman didn't kiss her as if making her yearn and anticipate for it.

Julie looked slightly perplexed. But with his eyes still on her, he pulled away from her and said, "Let us see how the pictures have come."

What was that? Julie asked herself.

Stepping out of the picture booth, Roman gave the money to the person handling the booth. Taking the strips of photos, Roman took a look at it and asked her, "Do you want a copy of it?"

Julie nodded, and once they received the copy, they made more rounds around the campus. When the time was nearing the drama directed by the counsellor, Mr. Evans, they made their way back to the closed theatre to take their seats to avoid sitting at the back. Both Roman and Julie's friends joined to sit with them, to cheer the two friends who were taking part in the play.

The lights of this place were beautiful, and so were the seats, as if it was built way back in time.

Almost every student had come to watch the play along with the teacher and the headmistress. A buzz filled around the place, and seeing the large crowd, Julie slightly started to feel dizzy at the thought that they would have the same crowd tomorrow.

Soon the lights dimmed down, and the students who sat in front of the stage with different musical instruments slowly started to play the music. Everyone stopped speaking, leaving the place quiet so that others could hear every tone of music played.

The curtains soon drew away from each other, where Simon stood with another man. From what Julie had heard at the table in the lunchroom, Simon played the role of an obsessed King while Victoria was playing the female lead's sister.

Maximus, who sat on the other side of Roman, commented, "I don't think Simon had to put much effort into the acting. He fits the role perfectly."

"Probably that is why Evans thought he should play the role," Olivia's voice was low so that it wouldn't disturb the audience around them.

On Julie's left side,  Melanie and her friends sat. Melanie was still upset with Conner and had barely spoken a word or two with him.

Ten minutes into the play, Julie watched the costumes each person wore and the dialogues they uttered, following the story with interest.

The girl, who was supposed to be the love interest of the King, said, "I got a ride."

Simon stared at her, "From the castle? Did you charm one of the servants here to help you leave? Who was it?"

The girl looked genuinely scared and said, "Your aunt was passing by in the carriage-"

"How kind of her," Simon walked around the girl, saying, "They dropped you in the middle of the road," and he chuckled.

Julie wondered if she would be able to enact so realistically like them. She hoped she would. After all, she had decided to play it to show everyone that she could do it.

Simon, who had walked behind the girl, said, "What a silly girl you are. How does it feel to be back in the castle?"

The girl then said, "I am not used to being alone. I want to go home."

"You have me," Simon then looked to one side of the stage, as if looking at someone and said, "Get her things shifted to my room."

"No!" the girl's voice echoed, where the lightly played music in the background paused, leaving the entire theatre quiet.

Simon tilted his head, "You said you were feeling lonely."

By the end of the play, everyone clapped for the students who had taken part in the play. Even the counsellor of Veteris had stepped on the stage, bowing his head, as everyone applauded for the play's success.

Later the same day, at midnight, when the students had gone back to their Dormitoriums, and the campus had turned quiet, three people stood in the room.

Ms. Dante, the headmistress of Veteris, stood with her arms crossed against her chest. Along with her was Mr. Borrell, who now stood looking at a chart with a circular design that had writings in an unknown language. The counsellor had joined them, standing next to Mr. Borrell vampire, while looking at the chart.

"Day after tomorrow. That's the right time, the moon will reach its highest peak," stated Mr. Borrell, looking up from the white chart to meet Ms. Dante's eyes.

"And what if there are clouds hovering in the sky? Wait for next month?" questioned Mr. Evans.

"The weather is clear, I checked it before picking the time," replied Mr. Borrell and then said, "We have made all the arrangements. The blood has been collected and preserved, it is on standby if we fall short of it."

Ms. Dante unlocked her arms, taking a step closer to the table and said, "Then it is decided. We'll start the procedure of awakening the day after tomorrow. What time did you say?"

"Around seven. Everything is planned to start at seven. It is the time when the match starts," remarked Mr. Evans, the smile on his lips widening. "It is finally time."