Romeo, Romeo, where art thou Romeo?

A chill crawls up my spine.

Off to slay the snake that hath harmed the fair maiden. *scoff* Fair, right? Wrong. The snake had taken the maiden's innocence, so we might as well label her a slut, huh, Bumblebee?

Bumblebee did what? I stare at the creamy door, and visualize Bumblebee telling a girl off for being raped. Even I can't see that.

The snake held the maiden-slut in his dark castle, beating her every second he could get her away from the other villagers. The villagers saw nothing strange, for they only knew of the snake as another trustworthy man, but his venom lay deep in his soul.

I take it that the dark castle is Titans East Tower, and the Titans are the villagers. But is Raven talking about Speedy or Robin?

The villagers saw the maiden-slut as an outcast, and not cared if she had seemed forlorn, because no one ever cares for an outcast; a freak.

One day, the maiden-slut broke away from the clutches of the snake, and sought help in the caring hands of the seaman, who saw the slut in a different light. He watched her from afar, and looked through the pained mask to see a troubled maiden, pleading for help behind the shadow of the snake. And so she sought refuge behind his fury.

This sounds like a fairy tale by the Grimm Brothers, before it could be changed to the happy Disney version for little kids. That thought makes me feel sick. Those tales never end with a happy ending, but rather a sick, twisted resolution.

The seaman confronted the snake, calling him on his lies and his mask. The snake denied everything, claiming to be a simple man with simple interests. The villagers sided with the snake, because "any side with the slut is the wrong side." Guess which villager said that.

Naturally, the slut fell back in the snakes clutches, and the beatings became worse and less secretive. The maiden wore a cloak that covered most of the cuts and bruises, but the seaman could see the damage in her eyes, which still plead to be saved.

The seaman confronted the snake once again, and this time, there was not a jury. The snakes mask fell, and from there he became a dragon. The seaman and the dragon fought, the seaman with his pure ocean, and the dragon with his venomous strikes, until the dragon was forced to draw power from the villagers, who stopped the fight and contained the snake and the seaman. The slut, however, was nowhere to be seen. She had fled during the battle, her fear overwhelming her body and controlling everything. She would have been back in the claws of the snake if she had stayed.

And that, my sea loving Romeo, is why was forced to leave the tower. My pathetic fear had gotten the better of me, so know this. You are not to blame, Garth, I am.

The End.

The tape clicks, so I pull it out and rest it on the dresser. I quickly change into my Red X uniform, and scribble a note on the pad of paper resting in one of the dresser drawers. I back the tapes into my suit, and jump from the window, when I pass Garth's window I glue the note with a cohesive shuriken. Hopefully, no one enters his room before he sees it.

….

Damien isn't in the medical bay. Garth is not surprised, but he had hoped Damien wouldn't flee, because Titan's East would have to hunt him down. Garth lets a sigh escape his lips. Slowly, Garth ignores the flurry of Titans running throughout the tower and strolls to his room. His headache can't handle the busy-ness and confusion.

He flops onto his bed, and almost ignores the obvious blob of red goop on hi window, because fish flop themselves against the window whenever he feels forlorn, as if they try to enter and heal his pain, but the fish hardly ever splatter their guts against the window, so he gets up to investigate. Underneath the goop there is a small sheet of paper. It reads:

Dear Garth,

I am sorry for leaving without saying goodbye, but I have unfinished business with Robin. Please keep an eye on Silkie. He is probably still in the guest's room.

Also, watch Speedy. I don't trust him any further than I can throw him, and you shouldn't either. Do it for Raven.

Sincerely, Damien

P.S. Don't take everything on the tapes so seriously. I don't think everything on them is completely true.

Garth ponders the last bit. What does Damien mean, 'the tapes aren't true.' Garth's headache increases, and he flops back onto his sheets, preparing for a long night of shadowing Speedy, and maybe going to the market to pick up some pet food.

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