Chapter Fifteen
Gwen got more sleep that night than she had since she first set foot in Brighton nearly two weeks ago, managing to sleep in until almost noon. She awoke feeling more determined than she ever had before. After last night, she had a purpose, and it was to find out who Roman was and what part he had played in Ginny’s death. She wasn’t sure how she was going to do it, but she had no doubts she would. Nothing was going to stop her or stand in her way. This was something she felt she had to do, for Ginny. It didn’t matter how dangerous it was or how long it took. Nothing was going to make her back down.
She dressed for the day, not even bothering to make sure she matched. Honestly, it didn’t matter what she was wearing. A quick glance at the nearby alarm clock told her that she was already running a little late, meaning she didn’t have time to waste worrying that her socks were two different colors or that her green shirt didn’t totally go with her pink skirt and she looked a little like a watermelon. She just pulled on her shoes and was down the stairs, where Gabe was already waiting for her. He was twirling Ginny’s car keys around his finger as he waited, his eyes looking from their father to their uncle.
Gwen barely spared them a glance as she passed by the silent kitchen, where they were all eating an early lunch. Even though she was eager to get out of there, she stopped for a split second, noting that her father had a dark bruise around his throat from where Geoffrey had nearly squeezed the life from him the day before. Her uncle was obviously the loser in the fight, sporting a busted nose, fat lip, and two blackened eyes. Surprisingly, his injuries weren’t as terrible as she thought they would have been given the ferocity of her father’s unprovoked attack. In fact, it appeared that both brothers had managed to escape a brutal fight without too serious of injuries.
She was surprised to see that their bruises were already changing colors, something she thought only happened after several days of healing. When Gabe cleared his throat, she tore her attention away from them and kept making her way to the front door. Their mother looked up from her food, her eyes wide and curious, but she didn’t bother to ask where they were going. They’d been keeping their own secrets and Karen knew she wouldn’t get much out of them.
“Be safe,” Karen said sadly, going back to her food.
Gwen almost stopped and said something, but she thought better of it, instead following Gabe out the open door. It swung shut behind her, and she made her way to Ginny’s car, where Gabe was already waiting for her. He had the air conditioning cranked, and she sighed in relief as she slid into the passenger seat, getting buckled. She leaned back against the seat, trying to relax as Gabe backed out of the driveway and made his way into town.
“You know, I’m surprised you were the one who texted Tiff and asked to have lunch,” she said, peeking at him out of the corner of his eyes. “What made you reach out to her instead of waiting for me to do it?”
He shrugged, never taking his eyes off the road. “I don’t know. I just figured you two are friends, and she’s probably pretty lonely right now, just like you. It couldn’t hurt to have friends in town, especially one that knows Ginny as well as Tiffany does.”
“Knew,” Gwen said before she could stop herself.
For a minute, the only sound in the car was that of the radio as it played some summer pop song, and Gwen felt as guilty as if she’d just slapped Gabe across the face for absolutely no reason. His hands tightened on the steering wheel, making the material moan. His eyes narrowed a bit, and Gwen sighed. “I’m sorry,” she said, turning to look out her window in shame.
“Don’t be,” he said quietly. “Ginny’s gone, and we’ll have to get used to thinking of her that way eventually. If we keep talking about her like she’s still here, it’ll just make it harder to heal and move on…especially for Geoffrey and Sandra. They’re having a hard enough time dealing with this without me talking about Ginny as if she’s still here.”
Gwen swallowed past a lump in her throat, her heart feeling heavy as they pulled into the coffee shop—just about the only decent place in town to eat. She knew Gabe was right, but she couldn’t help but feel that correcting him like that was going to do more damage than good. She hadn’t meant to make him feel bad. The correction had slipped out before she even realized what she was really saying.
Surprisingly, Tiffany’s car was already in the parking lot when they pulled in. Gabe parked beside her, looking just as surprised as Gwen to see her already there. Tiffany wasn’t a flake, but she wasn’t the most time sensitive girl, and Gwen could only remember a handful of times where she had been the first to arrive anywhere. She was waiting for us at the Rockford mall, she thought, sliding out of the car. She was so excited to spend time with Ginny again that she actually beat us there for once…
Gabe held the door open for her, and Gwen muttered a quiet thanks as she made her way into the shop. She was thankful the place had air conditioning, as a lot of places in Brighton were too old-fashioned or outdated and made do with standing fans that didn’t help much. She breathed in deeply, inhaling the scent of coffee and pastries. Her stomach grumbled as she passed the front counter, but she forced herself to keep going and take a seat across from Tiffany in one of the back booths.
“Hey, guys,” she said quietly, looking up as they sat down across from her. She didn’t smile, but Gwen hadn’t expected her to. It hadn’t even been a week since Ginny’s death, and nobody was to the point where they could even pretend to be happy yet.
She had a menu in her hands, and Gwen noticed there were two more on the table. She and Gabe looked it over, though he didn’t seem all that interested in the food that was listed. Gwen nudged him. “If you don’t want food, just go up to the counter and order a drink. You’ll get it a lot faster that way than waiting for our food.”
He shrugged. “I’ll eat something.” He sounded like the thought of food was going to make him sick, but Gwen didn’t argue with him. She just looked over the menu more closely, trying to find something light that wouldn’t leave her feeling slow and sick later once she was back out in the heat. She had just settled on a panini when the waitress came over to take their orders.
Gwen noticed that the waitress couldn’t take her eyes off of either her or Gabe, even as she took their orders. She scribbled in her notepad carelessly, staring at them as if they were three headed aliens from some far away planet. It took Gwen only a minute to realize why. Ginny. By now, she was sure everyone in town had heard all about the odd circumstances surrounding Ginny’s disappearances and her death. The look in this woman’s eyes wasn’t pity like Gwen thought it might be, but instead a morbid curiosity.
Gwen half expected her to ask about Ginny’s death while taking their order, probably completely oblivious to the pain and discomfort it would cause. She could feel Gabe bristling angrily beside her, and the woman finally seemed to pick up on his hostility. She hurried to finish taking their orders before bustling away, leaving a disgusted Tiffany in her wake.
“Unbelievable,” she muttered, shaking her head. “I can’t believe the nerve of some people. She’s definitely not getting a tip from me.” She sipped slowly at her half-empty glass of water before sliding it off to the side. When she met Gwen’s eyes, she could see the concern in them. “How are you guys doing? I know it’s a stupid question, but someone has to ask and I’ve gotten the impression over the years that your family isn’t all that supportive.”
Gabe snorted. “You’ve got that right. I’m surprised more people don’t comment on it.”
“Probably because it’s considered rude,” Tiffany said, her lips tilting up in a smirk. “It’s a good thing I don’t care if others think I’m rude for speaking my mind.” When she looked at Gwen, her gaze softened. “Be honest, how are you doing?”
“Better than I thought,” Gwen admitted, though it nearly killed her to do it. “I think right now I’m more numb to it than anything. The day we found her was the worst, and the next couple of days were bad, too. But now
the initial shock is wearing off and things are just kind of how they are. It’s hard to explain.”
“I get it,” Tiffany said softly. “At least you two have each other to lean on at a time like this,” she said, smiling at Gabe appreciatively. “Every girl should have a big brother to take care of her like you do.” Her cheeks turned red and she grabbed her water, taking another sip. Gwen glanced at Gabe out of the corner of her eyes to find him looking down at his hands in his lap, playing with them nervously.
Huh.
Gwen shouldn’t have been so surprised. Tiffany was a beautiful person inside and out, and it wasn’t like Gabe was creeper old or anything. They were only a few years apart in age, and they’d known each other for years. She could even recall Tiffany having a crush on him as a young girl, one that had earned her quite a bit of teasing from both Gwen and Ginny. It clearly hadn’t gone away over the years despite the distance, and Gwen wondered if anything would blossom between the two of them.
Tragedy brings people closer together. Except in the case of my family…
“How are you doing?” Gwen asked.
The waitress returned with their drinks, setting them down and withering under Tiffany’s glare. She hurried away, leaving them alone once more, and Tiffany answered. “I’m holding on. I’m sure things will get better and more difficult as time goes on. I’ll have time to mend, and then school will be starting and it’ll sink in that I’ll be starting senior year without my best friend and things will get worse for awhile. I’m trying to prepare myself for highs and lows. I guess I shouldn’t say highs. More like plateaus and lows.”
Gwen was shocked by such an in-depth answer from Tiffany, mainly because she hadn’t thought about her future without Gwen nearly as much as Tiffany clearly had. She’d thought about the soul crushing pain of now, but she hadn’t really contemplated the consuming emptiness of later. She and Ginny had planned so many parts of their futures to be intertwined, and now it was all gone. Gwen had so much of her life that needed to be rethought and planned again now that her cousin was gone.
It was too soon to tell, but maybe those future plans could include Tiffany. It would be nice if she could come away from the most terrible point in her life with a lifelong friend by her side. She was sure Ginny would have loved for the two of them to stick together.
Their food arrived moments later, and the three of them made small talk as they ate. Gwen and Tiffany made tentative plans to hang out later in the week, with Gabe promising to drive her and pick her up. When they were all done with their food, Gabe picked up the check, and they made their way out the door. True to her word, Tiffany had not only refused to tip the waitress, but she’d refused to let Gabe tip her as well. Gwen felt a pang of guilt and almost pulled out a few bucks, since she knew how little waitresses made, but when she thought about the woman’s behavior, she just followed Gabe and Tiffany out the door.
Tiffany surprised her with a tight hug in the parking lot, and Gwen returned it just as tight. They both lingered for a minute, neither of them wanting to let go of the other. For a second, Gwen was worried she would start crying in the middle of the parking lot, in front of strangers who were as eager as the waitress for some gossip. Tiffany was the first to let go, and she saw tears in the other girl’s eyes. “Keep in touch, okay? Don’t be a stranger.”
Gwen nodded, her own eyes starting to burn with unshed tears. “I will. You’ll be seeing a lot of me. Promise.”
“Can I have a minute alone with Gabe? I wanna talk to him about something. It’ll only be a minute.”
Gwen glanced from Gabe to Tiffany and back to Gabe, trying to read the situation. She wasn’t sure what to make of it, but she just shrugged her shoulders like it wasn’t a big deal. She left the two of them alone, going to stand by Ginny’s car. They were parked in the shade of a nearby building, and she thought it would be cooler than waiting in a stifling hot car. She leaned against the passenger side door, waiting for the two of them to finish whatever private conversation they were having. Despite being extremely curious, she tried not to pay too much attention to them in case they thought she was trying to eavesdrop.
As Gwen waited, she heard the sound of footsteps across the pavement. Before she could blink, there was a man standing beside her, partially hidden by the shade of the building that was giving her relief from the heat. She had no idea where he came from or who he was, and his sudden appearance unnerved her. It was like he had come out of nowhere to stand beside her. She almost paid him no attention, until she got a better look at his face and realized it was the man from the library—the one who had been out in the parking lot watching her once before.
Up close, she realized that he was probably a little older than she had initially thought, at least twenty-two. If not a little older even. His flawless skin was likely a natural light brown color, made darker by the summer sun. Before Gwen could even call out to Gabe, he spoke, silencing what objection she’d been about to give.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said, his eyes dark and mysterious. There was a frown on his face, one that made Gwen think he was very unhappy to see her. “I would have thought Ginny’s warning would have been enough to get you to pack your bags.”
She froze at the mention of her cousin’s name, her eyes going wide and her jaw going slack. “How—”
“That’s not important,” he said, waving his hand and dismissing her. “What’s important is that you and your brother both leave Brighton and never return. Ginny wasn’t being paranoid, you know. Something terrible will happen to both of you if you’re stupid enough to stay. No answers you may get will be worth it.”
“You knew Ginny?” Gwen asked, finally finding her voice. It was strained and thick with emotion, but she was able to speak clearly.
“I did,” he said, casting his gaze downward, away from her prying eyes. “I did my best to help her, but I’m sad to say it wasn’t enough. I know now that nothing could have helped her, not with how deep in she was. That’s not the case with you, though. There’s still a chance for you, but not if you stay here. You have to leave, just like Ginny wanted. She’d be so unhappy to know you were still here, waiting to suffer the same fate as her.”
Gwen let his words sink in. As they did, she felt a flash of annoyance begin to build within her. Who was this mystery guy and what made him think he had the right to tell her to leave? “Who are you?”
“A friend,” he said, his voice deep and unwavering. “That’s all you need to know about me. I promised Ginny I would help her, and since I failed her, I’m extending my promise to you as well. She wanted to see you safe and sound, so I’m going to make sure that happens. No matter what. I won’t let her down again.”
Realization finally dawned on her, much slower than it should have. “You’re her mystery contact. Sky.”
“Skyler,” he corrected automatically, wincing as he said it. With an irritated sigh, he folded his arms across his chest, making them bulge. “Yeah, I was her contact. I wasn’t happy to be getting messages from you, you know.”
“Why didn’t you reply to me?” Gwen asked, her voice taking on a hard edge to it. “You’re telling me now that you wanna help me, but where were you when I wanted answers. I wanted help. If you had answered me then, things might be different now. Ginny might somehow still be alive!”
He winced. “Her fate would have remained the same. There’s nothing that could have been done to save her, not by the time I got involved. She and I both knew the chances of her surviving Roman’s wrath were slim, and by the time she died, she had already given up hope. By the end, her main concern was your safety, not hers.”
Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest, and she clenched her hand, digging her nails into her palms so hard they hurt. Even though she knew it wasn’t healthy, the pain was a welcome distraction from the emotional trauma she was feeling right now. Ginny had accepted her fate. She knew she was going to die, and she was still worried about me and Gabe…
Gwen s
hook her head, casting off the dark thoughts she was about to get. “How do I know anything you’ve said is the truth? What proof do I have this isn’t all a lie?”
Skyler’s eyes narrowed a fraction, as if he was trying to study her. “I guess I should be thankful that you’re not some blind, trusting fool who took a complete stranger at his word.” She wasn’t sure whether she should take that as a compliment or not. “But I don’t have any proof to give. All I have is my word that I was on Ginny’s side, doing my best to help her. That’ll have to do.”
“No, it won’t,” Gwen said, putting her hands on her hips and glaring. “I’m not an idiot. How do I know you aren’t the one that killed her?” she asked, nearly choking on the words. “For all I know, you could have abducted her, killed her, and come for me now that she’s gone. You’re insane if you think for one second I’m just going to believe whatever you say.”
He almost smiled. She could tell by the way his lips twitched. “You’re smart; I’ll give you that. But you’re stupid for still being here after Ginny told you to leave, and you’ll suffer the same fate as her if you’re not gone soon. Roman didn’t get what he wanted the first time around, but that won’t stop him from trying again.”
“Who is Roman? Ginny mentioned him briefly in her journal, but I’ve never heard the name before.”
Skyler hesitated. “I’ve already told you too much,” he said, his eyes flitting across the parking lot nervously. “If he found out I spoke to you, he might do the same thing to me that he did to Ginny. And that would leave you in trouble.”
“Please—”
“Don’t you understand?” he asked, exasperated. “There are things going on here that you don’t know, things that you don’t need to know. Right now, you need to trust in Ginny—and me—and get out of Brighton before it’s too late. I’m sorry I can’t tell you more than that, but I’m playing a very dangerous game here, okay? A game that might get me killed. You don’t need to know who Roman is; just that he’s a very dangerous man. One you don’t wanna cross.”
“That’s not good enough,” she said stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest just like him.
“Well it’s gonna have to be,” he said flatly. He looked around, shifting nervously as if he was being watched. “I have to go now. I’ve been here too long.”
He turned to leave and Gwen reached out, catching his arm. She dug her nails into the skin, earning a hiss from him. “You’re not leaving until I get more answers,” she said, her voice quiet and sure. “Tell me who Roman is.”
“No,” he said, jerking his arm out of her grasp. “I’ve already told you; you don’t need to know.”
“Dammit!” she shouted, startling him. “Stop playing around and just tell me!”
His eyes widened and he looked around in a panic. His eyes locked on something over her shoulder, and she turned to find Gabe rushing over. His eyes were narrowed and his nostrils flared, making him look like some kind of avenging angel as he bore down on them. Before she could tell him to calm down, she realized that Skyler was gone. Somehow he’d managed to slip away in the blink of an eye, leaving her alone in the parking lot again.
She looked around for him, feeling conflicted about what had just happened. Part of her regretted shouting at him when he was trying to offer her help. She knew that if she had managed to control herself, she might have gotten a bit more information out of him in time. But after yelling at him, he was long gone, and there was a chance she might not ever see him again. This could be her only chance to get the answers she was so desperate for, and she’d blown it.
“Gwen!”
Gabe was by her side, looking around frantically for the guy that had just disappeared. “Are you okay? Who was that guy?”
She looked around the parking lot one more time, hoping to catch another glimpse of him but knowing that he was long gone. She’d scared him away, or more likely, Gabe had been the one to scare him away. She had just been the one to call unwanted attention to him when he was trying to be discreet. She wasn’t sure why he had even bothered to show himself if he couldn’t tell her more without putting himself in danger. He could have just emailed her all of this and stayed hidden.
“Gwen?”
“He said his name was Skyler,” she said slowly. “He said he was Ginny’s secret contact.” Gabe froze, the anger fading from him. She could see his shoulders lose some of their tenseness, and he waited patiently for her to keep talking. “He told me that we should leave Brighton, just like Ginny did. Or something terrible will happen to us.”
“Was he threatening you?” he asked, his temper flaring again.
She shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. I think he really cared about Ginny. I really think he did everything he could to save her—it just wasn’t enough. Now he wants to help us to make up for it. But I don’t know. I don’t like how dodgy he was when it came to answering my questions. But I guess he did prove something to me.”
“And what was that?”
“He proved to me that Ginny wasn’t crazy,” she said, glancing over at him. “He mentioned Roman, and told me that he was a very dangerous man. One we wouldn’t wanna ever cross. If this Roman person is as dangerous as he said, it makes me wonder what else in Ginny’s diary is the truth.” The rest of her words remained unspoken, but they both knew what she was implying. They hadn’t mentioned the possibility of werewolves since finding Ginny’s diary, but it was always there, hanging in the air, waiting to be addressed. Whether it was confirmed or denied still remained to be seen, but Gwen had a feeling which way it would turn out.
Gabe looked around the parking lot, squinting his eyes against the harsh light of the sun. “Come on,” he said, gesturing to the car. “We should get home. I don’t like the idea of being out here when we know someone is watching you.”
She followed him back to the car, sliding in beside him. “So…what were you and Tiffany talking about?” she asked with a sly smile.
His cheeks turned red and he ignored her as he pulled out of the parking lot.
Maybe it was the wrong time to be joking, especially since tomorrow was Ginny’s funeral, but Gwen wouldn’t last much longer if she had no light to keep her sane. There was a part of her that felt disgusted at the thought of smiles and laughter, but a larger part of herself knew it was necessary and healthy. She had a feeling there would be plenty of darkness in her life in the near future, and she was determined to grasp any form of happiness while she could get it. And like he always did, she knew that Gabe would understand where she was coming from.
Whatever the future holds for us, we’ll face it together...