The year Romain was five, his world turned purple.  This was also the year his big brother Romeo disappeared, but he didn't really remember that.  What he did remember was his mother tossing his entire wardrobe into a vat of red dye.

 

He had asked his mother why she was dyeing all his clothes, but she told him she was busy.  She suggested he go to the big mansion across the street and ask the nice man with the goatee called "Poet."  He could explain everything far better than she could.

 

And so Romain went across the street and found the man.  "Mister Poet sir," he said, "why is my mom dying all my clothes purple?"

 

Poet got a faraway look in his eyes and began telling Romain a story.  It was very confusing, all about his big brother Romeo and some girl and lots of people fighting.  "So you see," said Poet when he finished, "there never was a tale of more woe than that of Juliette and her Romeo."

 

Romain thought, “What a funny man he is: he speaks all in iambic pentameter!”  But out loud he said to Poet; “So that’s what happened to my brother?”

 

Poet nodded.  “Indeed it is my little Montaigu,” he said.

“When all the fighting stopped, your house and mine

“Decided to put all our hate to rest.

“And so we dye our clothes a purple hue

“To show that we are friends, just by our vest.”

 

And five years later, Romain was still wearing purple.

 

************

 

Muette was getting annoyed.  Romain was nowhere to be found, and Lady Montaigu would be coming home any second.  She paced around the mansion, poking Balthazar whenever she wanted him to call for Romain.

 

“Romain!” called Balthazar, after a poke.  “Where could he have gone?” he muttered.

 

Muette made some desperate signals with her hands, speaking in sign language.

 

“I thought you were supposed to be watching him!” said Balthazar, to which Muette shook her head.  “Well,” said Balthazar, “he couldn’t’ve gone far.”

 

Muette exhaled loudly and threw up her hands. She couldn’t lose Romain, not now! He would be found eventually, of course – he always was – but it would take time, and the Capulets were going to a ball that night. Muette was to take care of four-year-old Cathialine Capulet.

 

Just then, Benvolio came striding down the hall, looking absent minded, humming to himself.

 

“Oh, Benvolio!  Benvolio!” called Balthazar, as he and Muette ran up to him.  “Have you seen Romain?”

 

“Romain?  Hmmm,” said Benvolio, scratching his chin.  “I knew where he was an hour ago, cuz I was with him, but now I don’t know where he is cuz…I’m not.”

 

Balthazar looked at him in disbelief, and Muette shook her head.  “Thanks a lot, man,” said Balthazar.

 

“No problem!” said Benvolio cheerfully. And off he went again, humming something about kings of the world. He stopped after a bit, smacked his forehead, and turned back to Balthazar and Muette. “Romain said something about going to visit Frère Laurent. Why don’t you check with him?”

 

“Frère Laurent?” said Balthazar after Benvolio had left. “I wonder…”

 

Muette nudged him and waved him on ahead of her.  “All right, Muette, all right, you don’t have to push,” said Balthazar good-naturedly. He tried to hug her but she 65pushed him away with a smile and pointed towards the nearest exit.

 

Muette and Balthazar made their way to the church down the road, and asked for Frère Laurent when they reached the gate. They were admitted, and they hurried down the halls towards his cell. “Frère Laurent!” called Balthazar. “Romain?”

 

They turned the corner to enter the cell and stopped suddenly. Romain was kneeling on the floor before Frère Laurent, his uplifted hand holding a small vial.

 

Muette clasped her face in her hands as though she was going to scream.

 

Balthazar felt his stomach drop and he jumped forward. “No, Romain, no!”

 

But it was too late: Romain brought the bottle to his lips and swallowed the contents.

 

Muette sobbed (silently, of course) as Romain gagged and went rigid. Balthazar fell to his knees and buried his head in his arms. Eventually, he heard an odd snorting sound above him.

 

“Muette?” he said. “Did you say somethi- no, wait, duh.” He looked up and saw Frère Laurent suddenly having a very theatrical coughing fit.  Narrowing his eyes, he looked back down at Romain.  The boy was very obviously still breathing. “All right, twerp,” said Balthazar, shaking Romain, “wake up!”

 

Romain opened his eyes and grinned widely. “Got ya!” he cried. “Got ya good!”

 

“Yeah, you sure did,” said Balthazar as Muette's hands flew very quickly and very angrily. He got up, brushed off his purple leather pants, and turned to Frère Laurent. “I thought you learned your lesson with Romeo and Juliette!”

 

"I'm sorry, my son," said Frère Laurent humbly.  “The lad suggested it, and,” he shrugged and nodded honestly, “it was a good joke.”

 

"I admit that, but it hit too close to home," said Balthazar.  He turned to Romain.  "Don't try that one on your mother."

 

"I won't," said Romain, seeing how he had frightened Balthazar and Muette.  Suddenly he brightened.  "But you should've seen your faces!"

 

“I know, you little punk,” said Balthazar, mussing Romain’s dark hair like an older brother.  “Now off with you,” he said, giving him a playful nudge towards Muette.

 

“Okay, okay,” said Romain. “We have to get home before Mom does, right?” Muette signed in the affirmative and began dragging her charge back towards the Montaigu mansion.

 

“See you at the Capulets’!” called Balthazar, heading to the mansion across the street. He was to go ahead and make dinner for Cathialine while Muette gave Romain back to Lady Montaigu.

 

************

 

Lady Montaigu admired herself in the grand mirror that touched the ceiling of her bedroom. She wore her party outfit for the evening: a subtle swan costume. She struck a pose and looked at Muette and Romain in the mirror, who stood behind her. "How do I look?" she asked.

 

"Very pretty, Mama," said Romain, and Muette clapped.

 

"Well, I'm off then," said Lady Montaigu, who turned from the mirror and made for the door with a sweeping motion. Muette fetched the lady's purse and mask off the dressing table.

 

Lady Montaigu leaned down to Romain and took his face in her hands. "Be a good boy, Romain," she said, "Don't tire Muette and Balthazar."

 

"I won't," Romain promised.

 

"And if you go across the street, don't play too rough with Cathialine, and don't act so that Lord Capulet won't invite you back to his house," she added.

 

"Mama," said Romain, rolling his eyes. "I'm not eight anymore."

 

"I know," she said. "Bon nuit, mon petit."

 

Lady Montaigu kissed him on both cheeks before sweeping out of the room and heading off down the hall. Muette followed her, and Romain decided to tag along at a distance.

 

Suddenly, from behind a nearby pillar someone whispered, "Psst! Romain!"

 

Romain spun around.  No one was there.  A voice giggled as Romain looked all around, scratching his head.  “What’s going on?” he asked.

 

Something rubbed up against Romain’s legs.  “I’m down here!”

 

Looking down, Romain saw a splotchy white, blue, pink, and purple cat.  “Who are you?”  he asked.

 

“My name is Cara,” said the cat.  “I’m your niece, sort of.”

 

“Dude, you’re a cat,” said Romain.  “No way you’re my niece.”

 

“Suit yourself,” said the cat.  “Just don’t tell that to my parents.  It’s bad enough they had to be reborn as cats and then spend all that time teaching me to speak human without you not believing me.”

 

Romain shook his head.  “What?” he asked.

 

“Uh oh, have I confused you?” asked the cat.  Romain nodded.  “Don’t worry about it,” it said with a wave of its paw.  “Things will sort themselves out sooner or later; you’re a smart kid.”

 

Just then, Muette returned the way she and Lady Montaigu had just gone, but now Benvolio had joined her.  “Romain!” called Benvolio down the hall.

 

Romain turned around.  “Yeah?”

 

“We’re going across the street.  Come on!”

 

“Coming!” he replied.  But when he turned around to look at Cara, she was gone.  “Weird,” muttered Romain, and he ran up to join them.

 

************

 

“Kitty?” asked Cathialine, her eyes wide.  “Talking kitty?”

 

“Yeah,” said Romain.  He had just told Cathialine about Cara, figuring she had a right to know.  “Don’t tell any grown-ups, okay?”

 

“Kay,” said Cathialine.  “Kitty tell them!”

 

Romain groaned.  Sometimes he wondered about Romeo and Juliette.  That is, he wondered if Juliette had been anything like Cathialine, and if so, what the heck had Romeo seen in her?

 

Just then, Muette and Benvolio came in with three TV dinners, followed by Balthazar who carried Cathialine’s dinner.

 

“Who’s hungry?” asked Benvolio.

 

“Me!” said Romain.

 

“Chocolate!” said Cathialine.

 

Muette shook her head and smiled sweetly, and Balthazar said, “No Cathy, you can’t have dessert until you finish dinner.”

 

“Mommy not here,” said Cathialine.  “Don’t have to tell Mommy!”

 

“Uh, oh,” said Benvolio.  “Someone’s aspiring to be a very sneaky teenager!”

 

"Sneaky?" asked Cathialine.

 

 "Yeah, like this!" said Romain, and then crept up behind Cathialine and shouted "BOO!"

 

 Cathialine just rolled her eyes.  Then she reached behind her.

 

 "Ow!" squeaked Romain as a small hand grabbed his hair.  "Okay, you win, you're way sneakier than me!"

 

 "Okay okay okay!" said Benvolio, pulling the kids apart.  "You're both sneaky, now sneak over to the table and eat your dinner!"

 

 Balthazar shook his head as Romain and Cathialine clattered to the table.  "And you thought secret marriages were bad?" he muttered.  Muette clasped a hand to her mouth to hide a giggle.

 

MORE TO COME!!!