Saving Juliet by Suzanne Selfors Read Free Book Online

wringing his hands. "We'd consider opening early for a lady, if she's got the means to pay." He looked at my soiled dress and pursed his lips. "Perhaps you're looking for the dress shop, two doors down."

    I backed up, stumbling into the square. A group of children ran past. More people made their way toward the growing crowd. I suddenly felt numb. I now know it was shock. Shock serves a purpose by turning off your brain for a moment so it doesn't self-destruct. Shock creates a barrier so that you can gradually let the experience in, like slowly wading into frigid water.

    "Mimi!" a man called. I spun around but didn't see any familiar faces. Was I hearing things? No, there it was again. "Mimi!"

    "I'm over here!" I replied, waving my hands in the air. Which direction had the voice come from?

    "The prince is speaking," people told each other as they hurried by. Men dressed in tights and short pants climbed the fountain, stretching their necks for a better view. Women in long dresses pushed into the square. I kept spinning, searching desperately for my caller. The sea of bodies forced me toward the center of the square.

    "I'm over here!" I called again.

    "Quiet! You must listen to the prince," a man scolded. The crowd stilled and a voice burst forth from somewhere ahead. I couldn't see the speaker but he spoke familiar words.

    "Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace, listen to the sentence of your prince!" I found myself squished between an enormously fat woman and a guy who smelled like onions. I could just make out a hat with a red feather that bobbed as the prince spoke. "Three times now, the Capulets and Montagues have fought in our streets, spilling their own blood as well as the blood of innocent bystanders. I will stand for no more. If either house disrupts the peace again, the punishment shall be death! That is the word of your prince."

    The Capulets and the Montagues? Okay, this was getting stranger by the minute.

    The crowd began to murmur, many nodding their heads in agreement. The fat woman glared at me. "Did you heat that, Capulet?" She was missing a few teeth. "Tell your menfolk that they'll hang by their necks if they keep fighting."

    Another woman purposefully bumped into me as she walked by, spitting at my feet. "Capulet scum," she hissed.

    I didn't know if I should burst into tears or start giggling hysterically, so I did both. I stood there like a crazy person, in my mud-splattered dress. This was just like the opening of the play, when the prince makes his proclamation. Just like the play that I was trying to escape. How could this be happening?

    "Move on, move on," a group of men ordered as they swept across the square. They wore matching red capes and red felt hats. "Move on, orders of the prince." The crowd obeyed and the spitting woman moved away as well. "Back to your business, everyone. You there!"

    Turns out, I was the "you there."

    One of the men strode toward me, a unibrow dripping over his dark eyes. "I don't recognize you."

    What was I supposed to say? I had nothing to say. I couldn't have been more confused if I had landed on Mars. Then I remembered the ashes that I had inhaled. What if they hadn't been fireplace ashes after all, but had been magic mushroom ashes, or some other kind of ashes that bring on hallucinations? Okay, that was possible. That sounded good. I had never done drugs before and I hadn't ever intended on doing drugs, but it was possible that I was in the middle of some sort of acid trip.

    The man grabbed my arm and squeezed real hard. "You're wearing Capulet colors. It's against the law to pose as a noble. You want that pretty little neck of yours hanging from a noose?"

    My mind spun as I stared into his angry eyes. How could a hallucination hurt? And why was he yelling at me, spattering my face with spittle? Another panic attack ignited in the soles of my feet, ready to shoot up through my core. I will not lose control. I can deal with this. I can deal with the