Revelations (Brighton Wolves #1)

by Samantha Hoffman

Chapter Seventeen

  Gwen stared at herself in the floor-length mirror in the corner. Her hair was a wet mess, her dark, tangled curls hanging down her back. She could feel the strands soaking the fabric of her black dress, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. She had been getting ready for the last hour, taking far too long but not wanting to get this over with. She half hoped that if she took too long, her family might leave her behind and she would be able to escape the dreadful day, but she could never disrespect Ginny’s memory like that. She was going to have to toughen up and get a move on.

  She slipped on her black flats and grabbed the comb from the desk beside her. She tried her hardest to tame the snarled mess, wincing every time the comb snagged and she lost a handful of hair. Finally, she managed to work her hair into a passable braid, and already she was starting to sweat from the weight of it. It pulled tightly at her scalp, forcing her to keep her head high and her shoulders back. She was surprised to find that she actually looked presentable, and for just a second, she thought, Ginny would be proud of me for pulling this off…

  When she could put it off no longer, she took a deep breath and left the comfort of her bedroom. Gabe was at the top of the landing, waiting for her to be ready. He was in a black button down shirt with long sleeves and black dress slacks, and she winced at the sight of him. He looked good, but he was going to have a heat stroke before the day was over with. Already there was a light sheen of sweat across his forehead, and they were still in the cool, air conditioned house. He was going to die before the service even started.

  They stood together, neither of them speaking but both drawing comfort from the other. It wasn’t long before the rest of the family was downstairs, ready and anxious to get the horrible day over with. Gabe and Gwen met them in the kitchen, and for once, there was no real tension in the air. Grant and Geoffrey were making it a point to ignore each other no matter what, but Gwen didn’t sense any sort of hostility between the two of them. She was surprised, since she had assumed today would be the worst day since they’d arrived in terms of tempers flaring. She knew there was all kinds of blame going around, but it was looking like it was all going to be put on hold for the day.

  They’re only pretending to be civil, but at least it’s something.

  Finally, they were out the door and heading for the church where the service was going to be held. Gwen spent the entire ride fidgeting in the back, wondering how she was going to be able to say goodbye to her cousin and her closest friend. By the time they arrived at the church—one of only three in Brighton—her heart was racing and her palms were sweaty and she could hardly control herself. She was borderline having a panic attack, and as she neared the open double doors of the church, she felt the strongest desire to turn and flee—away from the pain and misery she knew awaited inside.

  The only thing that stopped her was Gabe’s hand as he took hold of hers. His touch was enough to calm her, and together they walked into the church. There were already a lot of people lingering around the church. They were teary-eyed and wearing black, hanging around in small clusters as they passed time until the service was set to start. Many of them glanced at Gwen and Gabe as they walked up to the front row hand in hand, and she could see a few whispers and pitiful glances, but she kept her head high.

  Her family took up the first row, their mother sitting beside Gabe, with Sandra taking up the spot between Grant and Geoffrey. A few people that Gwen didn’t know came over before the service started to offer their condolences, but Gwen paid them no attention. Her gaze was fixed solely on the framed picture of Ginny that took center stage beside the podium the pastor would be speaking at. The picture was about two years old, but Ginny hadn’t changed much since it had been taken. She was bright eyed and happy, and Gwen remembered that day vividly.

  We were down by the creek, having a water balloon fight with some other kids. Gabe was forced to chaperone, and we ganged up on him, making him get up and join in the fun. Ginny and I were a great team, playing smart and ambushing others. We were the only ones not soaked by the end, until she turned on me and bombarded me. We laughed it off after I pushed her in the creek as revenge.

  That fight was one of the happiest memories Gwen had, not that there were many bad memories where Ginny was concerned. They almost never fought, even as smaller children, and they got along like the best of friends. Ginny’s smile in that picture was contagious, and it almost had her smiling in that front row, despite the tears in her eyes. While she waited patiently for everyone to finish arriving and for the service to begin, she spent the time recalling all of those fond memories that she would cherish for the rest of her life.

  Finally, everyone was in attendance, and they all took their seats so the service could begin. Gwen listened to a man she didn’t even know give a speech about Ginny’s life. She’d been an involved member of her community. She had volunteered frequently at school functions, broken more track records than anyone else in Brighton before her, and had attended a few services at that very church. All around her, she could see the obvious signs of mourning, and it was making her uncomfortable. She could hear some of the kids from school that Ginny had been friends with crying over his speech, and the only attention she paid them was a quick cursory glance to see if Tiffany had joined them.

  Surprisingly, Tiffany wasn’t seated with the other students from their school. As Gwen looked around for her, she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked back to find Tiffany in the row behind her, her eyes full of tears. She was sitting beside her mother and an aunt, both of which were crying as well, and not bothering to hide it. Tiffany met her eyes and nodded her head slightly, and Gwen turned back around to listen to the pastor finish his speech. After he was done speaking, it was time for Geoffrey and Sandra to get up and speak. Immediately, she could feel Grant bristling at the sight of them behind the podium.

  She tried her best to ignore her father’s attitude—chalking it up to the sweltering heat inside the church—but she didn’t have much to focus on. She had been expecting some grand speech from Geoffrey and Sandra about their daughter, but that wasn’t what she got. Instead, all he said was, “Ginny was the most precious part of our lives, a true miracle we thought we’d never get to experience. Though she was taken far too soon, I’ll always be grateful for the short time she was a part of our lives. Sandra and I would like to thank everyone who came out to honor her today, and we respectfully request that only family and her closest friends journey with us to the grave site.”

  There was some mumbled annoyance, but one harsh look from Grant and it quieted down inside the church. The Grady family got up from their seats and filed out of the still open double doors, and Gwen noticed that nobody else dared to follow them out aside from Tiffany and her mother. Gwen could feel all eyes on them as they walked past, and incredibly, there was obvious resentment from some of the townsfolk in attendance. She gritted her teeth to keep from turning around and screaming at them like her father might have if he’d been the one to notice. How dare they feel angry for not being allowed at her grave site? Most of these people hardly knew her!

  The trip to the cemetery was spent in merciful silence, and Gwen was glad that nobody was trying to be cheerful or positive. As they walked among the rows of old headstones, she saw Ginny’s grave had already been dug and her closed casket was nearby, along with a single row of black chairs. Her eyes caught the casket and her legs locked up, refusing to carry her the rest of the way. The others all left her behind, taking their seats while they waited for the rest of the service to begin. Gwen took a minute to linger in the back, trying to calm her breathing and keep from crying before the service even started.

  Gabe motioned for her to sit beside him, and she found her legs unfrozen. Her heart was filled with dread as she walked the short distance to the grave, and she found herself unable to look away from Ginny’s casket as she sat down. She nearly missed the chair, and Gabe had to steady her and guide her into it, his light eyes filled wi
th worry as he watched her. Before he could ask her if she was okay, a man cleared his throat, not that anyone had been making any noise.

  “Is this everyone?” he asked, sounding a little unsure. He glanced around, as if expecting others to jump out of the shadows, ready to attend the funeral. “We can wait if—”

  “There’s nobody else,” Geoffrey said, his eyes closed and his voice slow, as if each word physically pained him to say. Gwen wondered briefly how long it took Geoffrey and Sandra to mentally prepare themselves this morning. “Please, continue.”

  Gwen didn’t hear a word of his sermon, and she highly doubted the others did either. Gwen closed her eyes against the emotions that were raging inside of her, and she held tightly onto Gabe and Tiffany’s hands, refusing to let go. She was grateful for their presence and equally strong desire to not let go. The three of them had a shared need to be comforted, and there was nobody better to do it. They were in for a long road of healing, and nobody would know how they were feeling better than each other. The way they would all miss Ginny was unique—different but no less powerful than the adults.

  There was an awkward moment of silence when he finished giving his sermon, and he looked like he couldn’t decide what he wanted to do next. Eventually, he cleared his throat again and motioned to the spot beside him. “Do any of you have any final words you’d like to say?” Gwen thought he almost looked desperate for one of them to get on their feet and join him. She wasn’t really surprised that he was so nervous—everyone had been talking about Ginny and the mysterious events surrounding her death, and a lot of people were unsure of how to act around the Grady’s now that she was gone. Even though the official cause of death was listed as an animal attack, a lot of people thought her family had had something to do with it.

  When nobody stood, Gwen released Gabe’s hand and wiped the tears from her face, sniffing as she stood. All eyes turned towards her, and she thought she saw a grateful look on Geoffrey’s face as she took the open spot beside the pastor. He seemed surprised that she had been the one to take his offer, but he didn’t say anything. All he did was fold his hands in front of his waist and hang his head, listening to her words.

  “I don’t have a speech planned, so this probably isn’t gonna be as nice as Ginny deserves. But then again, none of this was planned, either.” She took a deep breath, centering herself before she continued. “Ginny and I had both been meticulous planners for years when it came to our future. After being separated for years, we were planning to have our whole lives revolve around one another. The two of us decided we were never going to be alone again, no matter what. I guess even the best plans can come apart in the blink of an eye. It all seems so strange right now, like this is nothing more than a nightmare I can’t wake up from.

  “Ginny was always my rock; she was always the glue that seemed to hold everyone together. Nobody was more loved than her, and she brought happiness to the lives of everyone she ever came into contact with. That was just who she was—a perpetually happy person. Nothing could ever get her down. Her outlook on life was the most positive of anyone I’ve ever met, and I hope that someday I can reflect her personality and become more like her. Things will never be the same without Ginny; I have so many plans to remake, and I know they’ll always feel a little hollow without her. I’m not sure what my future holds without Ginny’s brightness in it, but I can only hope she’d be proud of me no matter what I make of it.”

  Geoffrey got to his feet and came to stand in front of Gwen. Before she could say anything, he pulled her into a tight hug, nearly squeezing the life out of her. He kissed her on the forehead, and she felt tears plop onto her cheeks as he sobbed above her. “Thank you,” he said quietly, for her ears only. “I love you, Gwen.”

  She had more tears in her eyes when he pulled away, and she quickly wiped at them with her hand. When she opened her eyes again, Geoffrey was beside the pastor. He took a deep breath, but it didn’t appear to do him any good. When he spoke, his voice was still shaky. “I just want to thank you for being here for Sandra and I during this trying time. None of us could have ever predicted that something like this would ever happen, and even though every parent’s worst nightmare became reality for us, I’m thankful that my family is here for us. You’ve shown us remarkable kindness and you’ve been an invaluable support system. Thank you.”

  His eyes had moved over the entire family—even Tiffany—yet they had skipped over Grant completely. Gwen was positive her father realized he’d been slighted, and when his shoulders tensed and his hands clenched, she was terrified there would be a brawl right over Ginny’s grave. She closed her eyes, silently praying that her father wasn’t that much of an asshole. When nobody started shouting or hitting one another, she opened her eyes tentatively and was surprised to find her father still seated. His hands were still clenched, but he wasn’t looking at his brother. His eyes were on Ginny’s grave, as if he was focusing entirely on her instead.

  She couldn’t believe that her father had actually managed to control his temper, if only for a moment. He must be in even more pain than I thought. Maybe there’s still a chance that Ginny will heal the rift between them.