Runaways: A Romeo & Juliet Story

Chapter 1

"Light up, light up

As if you have a choice

Even if you cannot hear my voice

I'll be right beside you, dear"

- Run by Snow Patrol

ROMEO

His scream could wake the dead. And right now, I'd welcome that.

I pull the blade out of Paris' side. Blood spurts out onto my hand and my shirt. He makes a few whimpering noises before his limp body falls hard onto the marble floor. His smug face is somehow still in place as he takes his last breath.

I'm exhausted but I have to keep going. I have to see her with my own eyes. And if it's true, I'll end my life with this poison the apothecary made for me.

I look at Paris' face one more time. I think he's dead.

I can't believe this fucking guy came for me. He had to know it was me or him. This whole thing is a mess. I keep seeing my parents' disappointed faces in my mind. But they did this– them and the Capulets. It didn't have to be this way.

I stand in front of the private tomb. Carved on its door: Here lies our beloved daughter Juliet of the House of Capulet.

I push the door open and once I'm inside, I grab a lantern and light it with a lighter I always keep on me– a gift from Mercutio when I turned 16.

 The light from the lantern reveals the altar ahead of me. I'm not ready for what I see. The last time I saw her it really did seem possible that we could make it together. Maybe we'd manage to get our parents to bury their hatred. But now... that all feels like a fading dream.

Lying there on that altar is my beloved Juliet. The girl who made me stop short when I first laid eyes on her. A smile so warm and inviting. Lips that haven't been kissed enough. Hands that haven't held mine long enough. Eyes that haven't seen all the ways in which the earth tries to match her beauty.

After what happened with Tybalt, I had to leave town. I waited impatiently for her in exile and when Baltazar arrived I was so excited for news of my bride.

I felt that if she was fine, everything else would be fine. But he delivered the opposite news. Death. It was over. If she was gone I would follow. I came back to Verona with one thing on my mind, that I would be with Juliet tonight– in death.

We got married a few days ago secretly. Two 17 year olds joined together for eternity. Verona's traditional laws made it possible to marry young. Better for us and our independence but not great for our devastated parents.

Your only son marrying your rival's kid, forging your families together without your consent, is not something either of our parents could have imagined. It's a sin like no other.

My father and Juliet's father used to be business partners. They did a little of everything– legal and not so legal. There was an issue with the police– I never dug too deep into it, but it made them enemies overnight. Time went on, then each of them had kids. Us. We were never part of the good old days, just the days of war.

Now both sides have dead kin– Mercutio, practically a brother to me and Tybalt, Juliet's cousin. And Juliet...the most innocent of the group, lies here lifeless.

I try to calm my breathing after the adrenalin spike from fighting and killing Paris. It's so quiet here. I worry my loud breathing could wake her. Then I remember I want her to wake up. Maybe if I scream and shout she'll come back? I don't feel like this is real life. It makes no sense that God would let me meet this beautiful girl, who somehow saw right into my soul and saw me, not a Montague. Not my reputation. Not the fake bravado. She saw me and didn't turn away. She loved it all instantly.