Revelations (Brighton Wolves #1)
*****
When they reached Rockford, Gabe made Gwen wait in the car while he ran into the first library he found. As she waited, she listened to the radio and tried not to let her mind run away at the possibility of what was to come. If they could find this Brent Benson, they might be able to get some real answers from someone who knew what he was actually talking about. Gwen was excited at the prospect of learning everything she could about werewolves, even as the thought simultaneously chilled her to the bone. Brent Benson was proof that werewolves were real.
Modern day monsters. Monsters that had killed Ginny, and tried to kill her and Gabe. If Brent wasn’t crazy and they really did exist, it meant she and Gabe were both in very real danger—danger that might be too much for them to escape. How did someone even fight a werewolf? Could a regular human ever hope to stand a chance against a paranormal creature? In the books that Gwen had read for years, werewolves were always stronger, faster, and they healed almost as fast as they were injured. Monsters like that would be nearly impossible to put down for good, but it would be even harder for someone as young and lacking in experience as her and Gabe.
Would it be best to just run away?
They were desperate for answers, but what would they do when they got them? Would they stay in Brighton and try to avenge Ginny? Or would they flee in the hopes of escaping the same fate as her? Gwen hated the idea of not making Roman pay for whatever he’d done to Ginny, but she didn’t like the idea of being killed if they decided to stay. It was something she’d have to talk to Gabe about. He was more knowledgeable about things than her and he would know what the best option for them to take was.
When Gabe finally came back to the car almost twenty minutes later, Gwen could tell just by looking at him that he hadn’t found Brent Benson’s number. He slid into the car and backed out of the library parking lot without looking at her, and Gwen waited patiently for him to tell her what happened. With a sigh, he said, “His number isn’t in the phone book. He must pay to have it private. We’ll have to go around town and ask people about him, which I really did not wanna have to do. We’re gonna attract unnecessary attention to ourselves and to him.”
“Why would attracting attention to him be a bad thing?” Gwen asked, confused.
“We know for sure that there’s at least one person keeping tabs on us,” Gabe said, keeping his eyes on the road. “There’s no telling how many more are watching us. This Skyler guy could be just the tip of the iceberg, and I don’t want anyone to know we’ve been to see a werewolf expert,” he said, with just a hint of doubt.
“You think Roman is watching us, too?”
“I’d say it’s definitely a possibility.” He frowned. “He was obviously keeping tabs on Ginny and I find it hard to believe that he wouldn’t be keeping tabs on us, too. If we’re right and werewolves do exist, it stands to reason that the wolf who attacked us would be Roman. He seemed to have no trouble finding us down by the creek and in the woods. We should be careful about who we talk to and what we say, just in case he’s got eyes and ears on us.”
I almost hope Roman is watching us, Gwen thought. I want him to know that we haven’t run away with our tails between our legs. I want him to know that we’re not completely ignorant about what’s going on.
Gabe drove them to a nearby restaurant, and this time she didn’t feel like waiting in the car. She followed him in, stopping at the doorway as she took in the small diner. It was definitely retro, and Gwen felt like she had just stepped into a TV show from decades ago. A long bubblegum pink-tiled bar ran across most of the restaurant, with cotton candy blue stools spaced evenly down its length. The floor beneath their feet was checkered black and white, and the walls were the same ugly cotton candy blue as the tops of the bar stools.
Old music played softly from a brightly lit jukebox in the corner, and a young boy stood on the tips of his toes in order to peek inside and pick the next song. Several neon signs hung from the walls, flashing, blinking, and humming quietly as they passed beneath them. Tables filled the open floor space, and bubblegum pink vinyl booths hugged the walls. Fake palm trees were shoved into the corners, and as they walked passed, a waitress rolled by on roller skates. She carried a silver tray in one hand and skidded to a stop at a table near the door.
Gabe went up to the end of the counter, where an older woman wearing the same outfits as the waitresses was busy looking over a stack of papers. He cleared his throat, and she looked up, smiling warmly at them. “Um, we were wondering if you could help us with something,” he said. “If it’s not too much trouble.”
“What do ya need, Suga’?”
Gabe’s ears turned pink, and the woman chuckled. “Um, we’re looking for someone, but we’re not from around here and don’t really know where to start. My sister and I thought we might have some luck if we stopped in some of the popular places around town and asked about him.”
“Who are you looking for?” the woman asked, raising an eyebrow. She sounded interested in their odd request, which Gwen took as a good sign. “I’ll help if I can.”
“He’s a writer named Brent Benson. Have you ever heard of him?”
A subtle change came over the woman’s face, but Gwen caught it. Her smile shifted to a slightly mocking one, and her shoulders straightened a bit. “Good ol’ Brent, huh? What do you two kids want with him?”
“So you know him?” Gabe asked, his eyes wide with excitement. “We found his book in the library of our home town and we wanted to ask him a few questions about it.”
The woman’s eyes narrowed a fraction, as if she were trying to scrutinize their intentions. Gwen was steady under her gaze, but she got an odd feeling in her stomach that told her the lady was unsure of whether she should help them or dismiss them as nuisances.
Quickly, she jumped into the conversation, blurting the first thing that came to mind. “I’m taking an advanced Creative Writing summer class, and I’m supposed to be writing a story that features supernatural creatures. I chose to do werewolves since everyone else was doing vampires, and while researching in the library, we found his book. It sounds like he might have some more realistic information than anything else I found. I’d like to ask to take a peek at his notes, if that’s alright with him. I’d like my story to sound real-ish, not like some made up children’s story.”
The woman studied her, and Gwen got the feeling she didn’t fully believe a word she’d heard. If she thought Gwen was a liar, she didn’t call her on it. Instead, she eased up a little and the smile was back in full force. “Alright. I guess I don’t see any harm in letting a future writer have a word with him.” She leaned over the counter, bringing her face close to theirs. “But I should warn you now; he’s a nut job. Actually thinks what he writes is real. There’s a good chance he’s not even gonna answer the door for ya—not after how he’s been treated by the community.”
Gwen refused to let her spirits fall. They had a lead and they were going to follow up on it. Things were going to go their way for a change. Gwen just had to stay positive and believe things were going to work out for the best. They just had to. If this didn’t pan out for them, she wasn’t sure what their next move would be. How else would they ever learn what they were up against?
Gabe took the receipt from the lady and handed it over to Gwen without a second glance. She flipped it over and felt her stomach do a little flip at the sight of the sloppy cursive writing on the back of the paper. She squinted her eyes, trying to decipher the red ink, but she couldn’t make her eyes work. She held back an anguished groan and nudged Gabe, silently handing it back over to him, ignoring the raised eyebrow the waitress was directing towards her. Gabe thanked the waitress, and Gwen followed him out to the car. As she slid into the seat, she could hardly contain her excitement.
“Well, where are we going?”
He glanced at the receipt, his face scrunched up as he tried to read the writing. He seemed to have more luck than her, because he pulled out his cell phone a
nd punched in the address. Gabe handed her the phone. “Tell me where I’m going.” Before she could protest, he said, “Don’t worry. It’s not too difficult. I made the font as big as I could, and all you have to do is read off the list of directions as we get to them. You don’t have to even look at a map.”
She let out a sigh of relief, glad that she wouldn’t have to look at all of the dizzying lines on a map. As Gabe eased out onto the road, Gwen glanced over at him, a smile twisting her lips. Thank you, she thought. Thank you for always watching out for me. I’m so lucky to have a big brother like you…