The plan we worked should have gone flawlessly. It was so simple, yet made so much sense. The only problem was the one neither version of me factored in. Maybe it was wishful thinking to assume we could count on Romeo.
I almost couldn't believe it when the other me came running up to me as I was edging along toward the town square.
"What do you mean you can't find him?" I demanded. "He's your cousin; you should know where he is!"
"I'm sorry," the other me sighed. "I've looked all over for him, and nobody seems to know where he is. Even Lord and Lady Montague don't know."
That was definitely a hitch in the plan. But maybe it can still work, we told each other. We just have to find someone different. Now, as I search around for somebody willing to distract Tybalt so he can wear himself out, I'm beginning to feel less and less sure.
The sun is climbing higher in the sky, bringing about the most sweltering heat I've felt since that one day- the day I travelled back in time to and changed the outcome of. It's fitting that the heat today would match it- today's the day that just might make all that worthless if I fail. Luckily, the rematch duel wasn't scheduled until late afternoon, so I had plenty of time to find another candidate- or, I suppose, look for Romeo.
I have a sneaking suspicion I know where he is, or at least who he's with. Since going back in time, I've gotten used to staying undercover and keeping my face hidden, so I should be able to sneak around the Capulet household without being noticed. I'd say it's worth the risk, and I think I still know the way, so I walk along the streets until I come to a line of apple trees and a long fence.
Holding my hat over my face, I climb over the fence and creep around the back of the household- the mansion, really. It's a lot bigger and fancier than the Montague household, and when I saw it when we were all crashing that party, I was more than impressed by the size. In my timeline, the warring families started to get along better after the tragedy, so I was over here a few more times since then, and every time it impressed me. It impresses me even now, but I have something else to concentrate on today.
Nobody seems to be in the orchard- which provides some more-than-welcome shade form the blazing sun- today, or out on the balcony. It would be nice to have a balcony that overlooks an orchard, because you could climb down one of the trees and… pick some apples, I guess. Okay, maybe it wouldn't be that great in reality. But nobody can help but be jealous of somebody who has a nicer house than them.
Ivy crawls up the white walls of the building. I run my fingers along it, wondering if my cousin climbed this ivy when he visited Juliet. I wonder if he's visiting her right now. I suppose there's only one way to find out.
There's a tall apple tree growing not too far from the house. I hoist myself up onto a low branch, wobbling a bit but not falling, and grab the next branch. As I step off the lowest branch, it springs a bit, shaking free an apple with a thin stem. The overripe fruit falls to the ground and splatters; the sound makes me want to gag.
"What was that noise?" somebody says from inside, and I freeze, ducking behind a clump of leaves. A door rattles- or maybe it's a window- and a moment later, somebody steps out onto the balcony. "I-is somebody there?!"
I breathe a sigh of relief when I recognize Juliet. I haven't told her that I'm from the future, but she does know some of my secret- which is that I know her secret. That doesn't mean she'll be too pleased that I've come into her orchard, though, so I stay hidden. My hat starts to slip from my head and I try to grab it but it tumbles off, snagging on the lowest branch.
Juliet leans over the balcony railing. "Who's there?" she demands. "Is this somebody playing a trick on me? Nurse, I swear to God if this is you…"
Another voice calls from inside, too muffled to make out but in a pitch and tone and cadence I recognize as just the person I was looking for. So, Romeo is here again after all. I'm not exactly happy about that, but I can't say I didn't guess.
I stay still behind the clump of leaves. Maybe if I don't make any more noise she'll think she was just imagining it. Hopefully she doesn't notice the hat. I could reach down and grab it, but Juliet would certainly see the movement.
Romeo calls again, and this time he must be standing closer to the door because I can hear what he's saying: "Jules, don't worry about it. Apples fall all the time, right? It's probably just the wind."
"Maybe you're right," Juliet mutters. I relax for a moment, but then she adds, "I still want to check it out, though- just to make sure. We can't risk having somebody see us."
She hops over the edge of the balcony and Romeo gasps even though she lands safely on the highest sturdy branch of an apple tree- the same apple tree I'm in. The impact of her foot on the branch makes two more apples fall, and one of them whizzes by a centimetre from my face. I almost scream, but stop myself.
"It's not worth it," Romeo mutters, standing in the doorway now. "I'd hate to see you fall and hurt yourself only to find that there was never anyone there at all."
"Better than to not check, and to find someone there, now knowing about the two of us," Juliet retorts. "How kindly do you think your parents would take that news?" She lowers herself down a few more branches, and suddenly I can see her feet when I look up, standing on the branch right above the one I'm crouching on.
She jumps down the rest of the way to the ground, marches around to the back of the tree, and pushes some leaves aside. All the while, I tense up, squeezing my eyes shut as though if I can't see her, she won't be able to see me. Of course, that's not how things work, and the rustling of leaves is followed by a short gasp.
"What is it?!" Romeo demands, running up and leaning against the balcony rail. "Did you find somebody?"
Juliet doesn't respond at first. I slowly turn around to face her, gulping at the strange mix of terror and terrifying in her eyes. "You again," she breathes. "Why have you come to spy on us?"
I don't answer. I can't answer. The real answer in its entirety is far too long and complicated and highly implausible for her to believe it. But Tybalt wanting a rematch with Mercutio- although it's technically the other way around, but this is the way I'm more comfortable thinking about it as-, and me wanting Romeo to help me out? That's something I can explain to them. I don't need to tell them about the whole time travel thing.
"Who'd you find?" Romeo repeats, leaning over the railing as far as he can and almost falling. "Whoa," he mutters when he catches himself. "They should make this railing higher."
"Get down from that tree," Juliet tells me, her voice flat but commanding. I comply, and I hear Romeo sputter in shock and confusion as soon as I turn around.
"B-Benvolio?! What the heck, cuz? How'd you find out about this?" He shakes his head and jumps over the rail, shimmying down the apple tree with slightly less grace than Juliet. "You know what; I don't need to know how you found out. I just need to know what you think you're doing."
They've more or less got me cornered. I sigh, wondering if it's okay for me to grab my hat now. "Okay, I'll tell you," I say. "But it's a long story, so we should probably head inside first."
I can't tell them the whole story, of course. They'd never believe me. But I give Romeo the same story I gave Juliet when she approached me before, with a little more detail this time. I say that I saw them together at the party, and then that Mercutio and I saw them afterwards talking about getting married. We didn't actually see them, of course, but telling them otherwise would mean confessing that I was from an alternate timeline where both of them are dead.
Then I go on to explain how after their first fight was interrupted- I conveniently leave out the detail about how I was actually the interrupter- Tybalt and Mercutio want to have a rematch this evening. I also leave out the part about them being bitter ex-lovers. I don't know how Romeo would feel knowing that about his best friend. I explain how I want Romeo to help by tiring out Tybalt before the match, so he'll be easier for Mercutio to defeat.
Once I've said all that- all that I feel I can afford to say to these people- Romeo seems doubtful- and still upset that I was spying on him. Oddly enough, I can't help but be a bit glad he's upset with me, because it prevents him from noticing that I'm five years older than I should be.
"So you want me to help you out," he grumbles. "And you expect me to do that after you've spied on me?! Not to mention that you knew about me and Juliet the whole time and didn't say anything about it!"
"I mean, it's better than if he had told somebody, right?" Juliet points out. "I know he's your cousin and all, but that kinship never stopped Tybalt and me from tattling on each other."
She catches my eyes and smiles slightly, and I wonder if this is her way of repaying me for defending her when Paris was harassing her. I smile back before turning my attention back to Romeo, who's still scowling at me.
"Why do I have to help, anyway?" he demands. "I've known Mercutio my whole life- and so have you, so you should know just as well as I do that he can handle Tybalt all on his own!"
"He wasn't handling him too well the last time they fought," I argue, knowing full well I can't fully convince him unless I tell him the whole truth- which I can't do. "Who knows what would have happened if that guy in the cloak hadn't shown up?"
I know exactly what would have happened, but again- I can't tell them. I wait for either of them to respond; Juliet chews nervously on her fingernails and I'm reminded of just how young she is. Romeo looks at me intently, and I shrink back, hoping he won't notice what it's a miracle he hasn't noticed already. But from the dawning puzzlement in his wide eyes, I think he's just noticed it.
"Hey, Benvolio, did you have a rough night or something?" he asks, gesturing at his own face as if to point out how mine is different from the last time he saw it. "You've got, like, bags under your eyes. And your forehead is way more creased. And how'd your hair get so long?"
I shrug, unable to give him any explanation other than the truth.
But Romeo isn't accepting my shrug as an answer, and I can't blame him. If I were him, I'd be just as confused. "Oh my God, do you have stubble?" Romeo actually laughs, like it's that unbelievable. "When did you get so… rugged, cuz? Are you trying to impress some lady?"
Well, that's one answer my cousin is willing to believe, even though it wouldn't explain how my hair could grow so fast. It's funny how people will ignore the truth, coming up with far less explanatory "explanations" instead, if they don't think the truth to be possible.
"Actually, I am trying to impress someone," I say, going along with it. "They say they like this look better than the one I had before- too squeaky-clean. What do you think?"
"Whoa, who is it?" Romeo asks, ignoring my question- which is just as well, since it's just a cover story, but still a bit insulting. "Is it anyone I know?"
Well, I do have a crush on someone you know, I think but don't dare say aloud. It's someone you know very well, in fact.
"I don't think so," I say instead. "She actually lives over in Mantua. She came here with her family a couple months ago for a few weeks and I met her."
I study Romeo's face to see if he believes me, and from the lopsided grin on his face I can assume he does. "That's so sweet," he says, leaning over to ruffle my hair a bit. "Aw, man, you've gotta meet up with her again. If you're willing to change your look for her, you can't let it go to waste like this."
"R-right," I mutter, hoping to steer the conversation away from my nonexistent female crush. "But, um, back to Mercutio-"
"Oh, don't worry about him," Romeo insists. "He'll be fine! I mean, weren't you just going on and on about how great he is just a few days ago?"
Was my past self really going on and on to Romeo like that? I blush a bit, keeping my eyes just a centimetre or two away from Romeo's searching gaze. Since he bought that story about wanting to impress some girl, I hope he won't suspect that my feelings for Mercutio could be anything but platonic- but if he does, I'm almost more scared about what he'll think than I am about him learning I'm from the future.
Romeo turns to Juliet. "You should have seen him," he tells her, pointing at me. "Ben here just would not shut up about him! All I did was mention that he'd said he looked cute the other day, and suddenly it was 'Mercutio really thinks I look cute?!' and 'but how did he say it? I need to know how he said it!' and 'ummm… if it's not too much to ask, could you… tell him he's cute too? No I take it back don't tell him I said that!' It was embarrassing." His impression of my voice is horrible, but Juliet seems entertained by it, and I guess that's enough for him.
"Hey," I remind him, "I'm not the one who fell in love at first sight and decided to get married the next day."
Juliet prods Romeo in the side. "He's got a point, you know," she murmurs. When Romeo looks offended, she leans up to give him a kiss on the forehead. "Aw, darling, I don't mean it."
I did mean it, but I guess I shouldn't get in the way of love. They seem to make each other happy, and that's good enough on my account. When my cousin was dead I hated him for falling in love so recklessly, but now that I see him here alive with Juliet I can't blame him for a thing. It's no more rational than my own ill-advised feelings for Mercutio.
However, it's clear that I'm not going to convince Romeo to help out this afternoon, and a quick glance outside sends alarms spiking through my system. It's already well past noon! Getting to my feet and staggering over to the balcony, I mount myself on the railing and prepare to jump down. "The rematch duel is going to happen soon," I warn the lovers. "It's in the town square like last time, so don't hesitate to show up if you change your minds."
Romeo nods from the doorway, but somehow I doubt he'll be there. But there's no time to think about that now, because I have to get to the town square as soon as possible. The other me is probably waiting on me right now, and I don't want to let myself down yet again.
