Preface


“Romeo. Quite an unusual name for someone to claim its ownership. It is surrounded by a very prominent hint of tragedy don’t you think?It is appealing though.Not only does it offer a variety of emotions to someone who would dare to call themselves a part of a romantic clan of ridiculous dreamers but it also defines very rigorously the finality of things. And yet here you are refusing or more properly
denying its acquisition. But I don’t think that you are oblivious to the above. On the other hand there are so many things you can’t do. So many things you don’t do.
You don’t cry.You don’t run.You don’t start a fire. You don’t speak.”
I heard all she said.Every word. Although, I felt as if she wasn’t talking to me.She never looked at me.That suited me just fine.














Chapter 1


Romeo....what a name! I hated it from the very first moment I was able to realize what is going on around me. I hated it
and its background. My sisters though, think that it is cute. Of
course they would. I’ve got three sisters and for those who are wondering that can be quite a painful and educating
experience as well.
All of them older than me.The youngest one is five years older than moi and her name is Penelope. The other two are twins although they are nothing alike.Their names:Petra and Dafny. I never got to know my mother as someone would expect it. She fled when I was a toddler.
Strange thing about me is that I never felt the need to speak
My father called all sorts of doctors in order to fix that situation but nothing worked. Well, they all seemed like a bunch of expensive charlatans to me, he obviously thought
otherwise. Brave man my dad...yes brave. Raising three daughters and a son with long blond curls and expressionless
Brown eyes whenever he tried to make him utter a single word is a hefty thing to do even for Surgeon Grimlock Van Petrovitch.
We moved around a lot and it wasn’t until I was six we finally settled permanently in London. Dafny was surely
enough, ecstatic with the idea of living there and never
ceased to make comments on Shakespeare’s homeland as
she called it,along with other rather ridiculous remarks regarding that stupid name of mine. It was my mother’s idea.It is all I got left from her along with the memory of her hands. There was nothing special about them, but for a reason I do not seem to understand her touch stays with me.
As far as my other two sisters is concerned, they were both in their teens and bored with the whole situation of moving.Of course that changed when it came to the house we were supposed to live in. It was everything that someone having watched all
time classic movies like “Gone with the wind” could imagine.
The mansion looked grandiose which was a good thing for me since I would get some of my own space.
It gradually became a home to me.I remember walking in it for the very first time.At first it seemed like I was entering a
museum, given the fact that every piece of furniture and every picture looked like it was taken from a different time quite older than the one we were living in. As I walked further inside it, everything looked bigger and soon enough I felt like a smurf in a vast forest of a foreign land waiting for the bad guy, Dracoumel to appear out of the blue.....
Little did I know, that my fears would come true.And the name of my nightmare Miss Helga.She was that big really tall woman dressed in an ugly uniform that fell just above her ankles,exposing a pair of grey socks and plain brown shoes.
Her hair tied back in a ponytail, giving full view of her face
which in return gave away her years:tiny nose, wide mouth
and finally round blue eyes with plently of wrinkles. Her Irish
accent revealed her origin, and the posture of her body made her whole appearance look severe.
No doubt, my father would adore her.She practically was the female version of him, only three inches taller.Her duty was to take care of us and mainly myself.That was one of
the many times in my life I wanted to say no, and once again I remained silent.
- Madam Helga, pleased to meet you. I am Surgeon Grimlok
Van Petrovitch.
- Pleased to meet you too, Surgeon Grimlok,at your service.
- Let me introduce you at my children:Petra, Dafny and
Penelope.And of course my son, Romeo.
- Excuse me, what is it the little boy’s name?She said looking
at me, expecting for an answer.
- His name is Romeo.Penelope replied, rather roudly.
- And I trust you need me to take extra care of the boy?The
woman said, a sparkle of kindness reached her blue eyes.
- Yes madam Helga I do. I am sure you are familiar with my
son’s capacity concerning expressing himself.
- Yes, of course. We will see what we can do for you little
Romeo.Madam Helga said mischeviously, like she was letting me in on a secret which I didn’t know.
That moment I realized I was wrong about her.She was everything my father was, in a strange but rather good way.
As soon as the conversation was over, my sisters scattered around the house in search of a room.I took my time...I didn’t rush, because I trully wanted to see the rest of the mansion. The halls were quite large and scarecely decorated with flowers hanging from the roof in wooden baskets. There were
of course paintings with golden and silver frames and from there to there you would meet a chair or two.
The second floor was pretty much the same except for the ceiling on which was painted the sun and there was a mirror
which took over a considerable length of the wall. Now the third floor was a different story.First of all it didn’t seem like it was another part of the house.It was mostly wooden and had barely any furniture;the most glorious and spectacular thing about it was the windows. They were as big as doors and tall as well...but what I was in awe of was the way the sunlight flooded the whole space.The sunrays looked magni-
ficent turning into different colors lighting up the room making it bright and peaceful.
There was only one room up there, and I instantly knew that it would be mine.I opened the door and found one bed, a wooden chair with beautiful carvings and a small iron desk in the corner.Now, in the contrary with the light I had come across earlier the room held only one small round window from which the light reached just the bed and nothing else. The rest of it was discretely hidden in the shadows.
Suddenly something sparkly caught my eyesight. It was an
old camera hidden behind one of the chair’s legs.It is not a bad idea to take some pictures after all. That is if it still works.
And it did.
School didn’t work out for me, so instead of going there I had tutors at home.One of them miss Rose gave me a harmonica as a gift. She said that it could possibly help me
say with notes whatever crossed my mind. I carry it at my back pocket now and then and play sometimes.My sisters on the other hand went to school and graduated successfully.As for myself I am not in senior year yet.
I can’t say that I am really into something, so my lack of
vocal ability suits me when it comes to answering the future
question.I find pleasure in taking pictures though.My portraits
Give me piece and I enjoy capturing moments.They do not have a specific theme or whatsoever..they are not for someone to see and value them, they don’t mean anything in particular, but to me they are the stenography of the universe.My universe.
So here I am at the age of seventeen totally lost for words
looking in the grand mirror of the hallway outside of...Dafny’s
room.Why did I ever agree to escort her to that party? Oh,
right because I’m blond.
-C’mon R it’ll be fun.
-?????
- Ok, mostly for me, but you know how these things are..
-.....(looking at her motionless)
- Besides, do not tell me that you have something better
to do here wandering everywhere and nowhere in
particular?
- ......(practically crying out loud ‘’are you serious?”)
- Υeah, I know there is always that insolent guy you hang out
with..what’s his name again?oh yes Jeremiah, the peniless
waitor,but he is not around anymore is he?
- ........( moving my hands above my head, signaling that
she’s nuts)
- You are the only brother I’ve got and who knows you might find your J
-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- You might find an intersting landscape you would like
to capture with your camera and a party can’t possibly
be that an unpleasant experience for you!
-......(not a chance)
- It is all about people’s expressions you know...letting
go and be free, something you don’t see every day.
It is like looking deeper, and noone ever bothers to
hide that when they are dancing or take a realistic
photo...
- ......(starting to think about it...perhaps I could capture
her in a particularly embarassing moment)
-OK, you remember that blue sweater I bought you from France right?It will match perfectly your hair color and make you stand out...you should defenately take advantage of that....
-...........(raising my shoulders indiferrently)
-It’s settled then...GREAT!
Watching her come out of her room after approximately two endless hours of waiting the first thing that crossed my
mind was:this can’t be good.This thought came to me not because of what she was wearing which was a costume but of what she holding which were a cloak and a mask.
-Before you even try to protest , I must tell you that this
party is of great importance to me since my whole class
is going, and as it was mentioned you are the only eligible
choice.
I was just about to turn my back on her and walk away when her voice broke and told me the next words.....
-I haven’t given you anything extragavant to wear and
given the circumastances and everything I’ve asked you
very nicely....
The next thing we both heard was the sound of my footsteps.
- Please brother....I will tell you about her, promise.
Alright that stopped me on my tracks....I turned around and took the insaulting fabric and the mask from her hands. Her
nails grazed my skin and I flinched away from her touch...
- Sorry....She whispered.
Dafny was the only one of my sisters who didn’t leave London when she graduated high school.She was always interested in theatrics and London provided what she needed. As for our Dad he thought that she would make a great lawyer someday which I believed she would(given her flaming tamperament and art of lying whenever she had the chance).
Speaking of this, my other two sisters had moved out.Petra was in Greece as she finds interest in History and every -
thing concerning archeological facts.She travells all around the world to feed her hanger for the past, and Penelope does the same in order though, to feed a different hanger that of a fashionista.She is in Paris making notes for her new clothes collection and possibly new wardrobe.
The car driver a middle aged man with grey hair and manners which suited perfectly the ones of a well trained buttler was waiting for us at the door.
- Miss Dafny, little Romeo sir, the car is ready for you
- Why, thank you Mr.Bewley.C’mon R.
Dafny never found the kindness to shut up during the whole ride.She found the decency to cease talking when the car came to a stop.When we got out of the car the familiarity
of the humid air of London cleared my mind.That lasted for a few seconds until we entered the room in which the event was scheduled to take place.As I took in the sight before me holding my mask, I felt as if everyone turnrd their heads to look at us.Everybody had their masks on and their more than extravagant costumes.I put my mask on and thought to myself:So much for people’s expressions...I hid my camera in the cloak.
- C’mon R, let’s put this show on the road
- ........
I wanted to say then: for once Dafny, my words.