Letters to Romeo

When the sun rose the next morning, the lunchroom had reopened, welcoming students to have their meals. During lunch hour, Julie sat at the table with her friends. The helpers had emptied the tanks before refilling it, and by the time of the evening, the vampires were free to have their meals.

As the following day was a weekend for all the students and the staff, where the students were allowed to meet their parents and spend time the way they wanted, evening buses had been arranged for the students who wanted to leave early.

"What do you say, we go in the evening bus? Julie is free too," Melanie asked Conner, while Julie was almost done completing one of her assignments that needed to be submitted by the end of the day. "This way, we will give time for Julie to settle in and can go sightseeing tomorrow."

"I am okay with it," said Conner, nodding his head and then turned to look at Julie and asked her, "Did they cancel the rehearsals for the play?"

Julie raised her head and said, "Ms. Piper had initially decided to make use of the weekend to rehearse on the actual stage, but then she canceled it. Saying something about the stage not being ready."

"I am surprised that Ms. Piper didn't rope you into another play after what went down yesterday near the track field," commented Melanie, and Julie gave an awkward smile. "Did Ms. Dante scold you?"

"Not much," Julie shook her head, and she sighed, "But she did mention that it would be reported to the respected families."

"Are they strict? Your uncle and aunt," asked Conner.

"Hard to say," replied Julie with a smile and for a brief moment, she looked at her book before raising her eyes. Julie didn't want to disappoint her uncle, knowing how hard he had tried to support her when her aunt had spoken about the consequences they would have to face by having her in the same room as her cousin Joel. "I hope they don't worry about what I am doing here."

While they continued to sit and talk, Julie excused herself, saying, "I will go and get my food," and she stood up from the chair, walking towards the counter.

As Julie waited for her turn, she heard a familiar voice. It was Simon joking about something and laughing. She turned to her left and noticed Roman standing with his friends, not too far away from where she stood. She turned back to look ahead of her.

So he was here, thought Julie to herself.

It was because, even though last night she had written the letter and by the time of the morning, it had disappeared from the side of the window, he hadn't written a reply to her. She came to believe that he was busy with other things to do. It wasn't like they were best friends, and he didn't have other things to do. She bit the inside of her cheek while thinking.

After receiving her food, she started to walk when Simon leaned to the side and asked her, "Is the food enough for you and your friends?"

Julie offered a tight smile because she had ordered everything for her.

"That's some good appetite, Winters," commented Roman, and Julie turned slightly red.

"Not as good as you," muttered Julie, and Roman tilted his head as if telling her to repeat what she just uttered. This rude boy still owed her ten packets of chips! "I will be travelling later in the bus with others and don't want to feel hungry."

"Visiting family? Must be really nice," Simon's smile brightened, and Julie gave a slow nod.

"Friend's family," replied Julie, and she asked, "What about you?" Her eyes shifted from Simon to Maximus and then back to look at Roman, who stared at her.

"We? We are spending time with family too. Friend might be a far-fetched term but something like that," replied Simon, and Julie noticed Maximus' crooked smile on his lips. She wondered if it had any sort of different meaning to what Simon just said. "Hope you have a good time."

"You too," Julie wished him and walked back to where her friends were seated. Reaching the table, she placed her tray on the table before taking a seat.

"... it was strange though," she heard Conner say.

"What is strange?" asked Julie.

Melanie said, "Conner was saying that some of the students had fallen gravely ill last evening, and that is how they found out about the pipes and the water being dirty. The students who fell sick, their rooms were locked."

Conner looked left and right before leaning forward, and he said, "Yes, but the funny part is that they weren't in their rooms."

"Maybe they were in the infirmary," said Julie, and Conner shook his head.

"They weren't," whispered Conner.

"They must have been in a different ward or probably weren't in the mood to talk to anyone," shrugged Melanie, "I mean, the administrators always like to make sure to see that all the students are safe and healthy."

"Why did you go looking for the students?" asked Julie.

"I forgot to hand over one of the notes that was asked by a freshman, and he told me that he had a test today. So last evening, I went looking for him, but didn't find him in his room nor in the infirmary," explained Conner. "It was just a bit strange. Though the guy seemed to be in good health."

Julie tried to sink in the information, and she then asked him, "Conner, I wanted to ask you something."

"Yes?" he asked her.

"Do you remember the conversation that you had with Mr. Evans? The day when you came to relay the message to meet him in his office," Julie stared at Conner, who tried to recollect.

"I think it was about you. He was making sure to see that you have adjusted well in your dorm and if you need any help in the classes. I think, he thinks that you are too shy to come and speak to him, so he asked me about you," explained Conner like it was a normal thing, and it happened all the time. "We then ended up speaking about Hallow and about the costumes we wore. I don't know how time passed so quickly. It felt like only ten minutes passed, but I ended up missing a class."

"It always happens when speaking with Mr. Evans," Melanie's smile widened, and she said, "He is such a nice person, and handsome that it feels only a minute has passed when we are talking to him."

Was he that easy to speak to? Julie asked herself. Why was it that in her case, a minute with the counsellor felt like an hour had passed? Was it because she was wary of him? He seemed a little too polite and unnerving Mr. Evans.

"Why do you ask?" questioned Conner, and Julie shrugged her shoulders.

"I just happened to remember it now and thought to ask you," Julie smiled.

After finishing their meal, Julie went back to her dorm, and she packed the things that she would need over the weekend. Her eyes looked at the space next to the window before she went to hand out the assignment.

In the evening, Julie placed her backpack on one side of her shoulder, and she closed the door of the dorm and locked it. Both Julie and Melanie stepped out of the Dormitorium, making their way to where the buses stood, waiting to be filled by the students, who would travel back to their homes or other places.

Soon Conner joined them, and they made their way inside the first bus, and Julie picked the window seat. She caught sight of Roman outside, who seemed to be taking a stroll with his friends.

Roman wore a white T-shirt along with his usual ripped jeans. It seemed like he had left his jacket behind in his dorm. He brought his hands towards his head, running his fingers through his black mane, ruffling it even further than before. His long legs moving at a steady pace and his mouth back to chewing gum.

It took more than half an hour for the bus to fill up, and when it was ready to move, a paper rocket swooped through the window and fell on Julie's lap. A frown appeared on her face, and she looked outside the window and saw Roman walking back. His expressionless face didn't give away anything, except his eyes looking at her for a brief moment before he walked away from there.

Thankfully, Melanie and Conner were busy talking to each other to notice the paper land on her lap.

Picking up the rocket paper, Julie looked at it when she noticed something written on it. Unfolding the paper, she read—

After the continuous tutoring, I thought you would have turned smart and decided to test it. But it seems like you still need more tutoring on the subject as you failed to solve them. I will be taking my book back from your dorm. I am somewhere torn to disown you as my apprentice.

There isn't much to do in Veteris except catch bugs. Didn't I already mention it? But maybe go on a ride, as the motorcycle is now in good condition. If you travel in the opposite direction from the entrance of Veteris, there are mountains, a good place to throw someone, and no one will ever know where the person has disappeared.

PS: Didn't know you were such a wild cat.'

Julie stared at Roman's dark humour.

She looked outside the window, the forest dark and the moon shining bright in the sky. Cool breeze fell on her face, and she leaned the side of her head against the window before closing her eyes.

And as Julie had closed her eyes, she had failed to notice that in the darkness, there was something amid the trees.

On reaching their stop, the three of them got down and started to walk towards their houses. "Did you tell your parents that you are bringing me home with you?" asked Julie.

"I did and it is totally cool," said Melanie, making their way towards her house, and they stepped on the porch. While her friend rang the bell, Julie looked around the neighbourhood that appeared to be calm and quiet. After a while, the door opened, and a woman having similar features as Melanie appeared at the door.

"You are home early, Mel. I thought you were going to come in the morning," said Mrs. Davis, and her eyes fell on Julie.

"They arranged the buses for the evening and we decided to come as quickly as we could. Mama, this is Julie," Melanie introduced Julie to her mother and then said, "Julie this is my mother."

"Of course, I am. It is good to see you Julie, also good that Melanie and Conner have another friend apart from each other. If I didn't know them better I would have thought that they are going to get married in the future. Not that it is a problem-"

"Mama!" Melanie turned red in embarrassment as her mother had started to speak without a stop.

"You don't have to be shy. Please come in," Mrs. Davis pushed the door wide open for both the girls to step inside the house. "Make yourself comfortable. I have got the guest room prepared. Mel, why don't you show Julie around."

"Thank you, Mrs. Davis," Julie smiled at the warm gestures that she noticed between Melanie and her mother. Seeing the affection reminded her of her own mother.

"Let me show you the room," said Melanie, hooking around Julie's arm and leading her inside the house.

Even though Mrs. Davis didn't know that Melanie and Julie were going to arrive this early, she still managed to prepare many dishes for them for dinner.

"You didn't have to trouble yourself, Mrs. Davis," said Julie, because noticing Melanie's look of surprise, it was apparent that they didn't have a feast every day.

"Oh, hush dear. You don't have to be formal with us," Mrs. Davis waved her hand. Mr. Davis seemed much more composed compared to his wife, where he had a faint smile. "Now sit down and let us have dinner together."

Julie felt a certain heaviness in her chest, and she took a deep breath before taking a seat at the table. The Davis family was warm, and it looked like Melanie had inherited her mother's looks but her father's nature. Mrs. Davis did all the talking, and she seemed too fond of feeding her, every once in a while picking up a bowl of food and ready to serve it on Julie's plate.

After dinner, Conner arrived at the door in casual clothes, and the three of them decided to watch a movie in the living room.

Their families reminded Julie of her own. Even though she had friends, it still felt lonely to not have her parents with her.

Julie wondered what went wrong that had forced her father to pull the trigger at her mother first and then at her. But he had missed shooting her. It was as if all the good memories had been washed away, only to be replaced by just the painful one.

To hide her emotions, she dug her nails into the palms of her hands until she felt less tormented.

Julie and Conner sat on Melanie's left and right sides.

"Can't we change the movie? All the three of us have already watched this one before," asked Melanie, and Conner put his arm around Melanie's neck.

"Just this once, Mel! It has been so long since we last watched it," Conner tried to persuade her. "I know you love me. Say yes!"

"Unfortunately," muttered Melanie. Even though they had dimmed the lights in the room, Julie caught sight of Melanie, whose face had turned red. When both the girls' eyes met, Melanie looked as if she had been caught.

It seemed like someone in the room was in love with another person in here.

Once the movie was over, they wished each other goodnight, and Julie went to the guest room. Closing the door, she went to brush her teeth, and when she was getting ready for bed, she heard someone knock on the door.

The doorknob turned, and Melanie peeked her head through the little space. There was a look of awkwardness on her face.

"Can I come in?" asked Melanie, and Julie nodded her head.

Before Melanie could run her lines on what she was going to say to her, Julie said, "You don't have to explain to me, Mel."

"No, I want to," said Melanie, her lips pursed before she came to sit on the edge of the bed and Julie sat next to her. "I didn't get to discuss it with anyone, but now I have you. If my mother found out about it, it would reach Conner's ears and our neighbours would come to know about it too."

The last time when Julie had mentioned it in front of both of them, they both had refused the idea about them being together.

"Why didn't you confess your feelings to him?" asked Julie because they had spent time together even before Julie had entered Veteris.

"He doesn't feel that way and I don't want things to turn weird between us."

"You know what they say. If you haven't tried, you won't know," Julie tried to provide Melanie courage, and her friend smiled at it.

Melanie looked at the surface of the bed, taking a moment, and she then said the words, "I know Conner doesn't see us that way. I have known him for quite a long time, which is why I am sure. Please don't tell it to him," said Melanie and Julie nodded her head, before making an action as if her lips were zipped.

"I won't," Julie promised her, and Melanie smiled.

"I am so glad you are here, Julie," Melanie put her arms around Julie before pulling away. "I will be in the next room. Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything."

"Mm," Julie nodded, watching Melanie stand up. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," and Melanie stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

It seemed like Melanie was in love with Conner, and she had been good at hiding it.

Turning off the side lamp, she slipped inside her blanket. The light from the street light passed through the crack of the curtains, and Julie stared at it. Pulling the blanket closer to her body, her eyes shifted to look at the ceiling, which wasn't the same as her dorm's ceiling that she had gotten used to.

'Mama! Please don't go!'

Julie heard her own scream in her head as her mind took her to the time of that particular bloody night. On one side, her father, whose hands had been cuffed, was dragged into the police officer and inside the car. Her father didn't turn to look at her and instead had a lost look on his face. The blue and red lights from the vehicles blinked.

And on the other side, her mother was being carried by two men in the stretcher from her house and into the ambulance.

'Mama!' Julie called her mother, whose hand hung outside the stretcher, lifeless. Her mother's eyes had been closed, and there was a wide and open wound on her head. Her mother's face had already lost colour, pale as if the skin had started to change colour.

Julie's eyes welled up with tears, blurring her vision as she continued to see her mother's cold body.

When Julie closed her eyes, warm tears slipped from the corner of her eyes, sliding down and falling into the surface of the pillow.