Volatile Shadow

10. The Funeral.

"How are you holding up?" I glance over to Galan, who's bruises have healed quite a bit.

Cassandra applied some makeup on him to conceal the damage on his face; he looks less beat up and more presentable now.

"I can move a bit better now, if that's what your asking." He smiles, attempting to stretch his body to show that he's made progress.

"The painkillers should still be in effect, so you should be able to move freely, without a hitch." Reese is sitting opposite of me and Galan in the limousine, beside Cassandra. "But please, Galan, don't pull something like this again... I got chewed out by both your father and sister."

"Even with the reprimand I gave Reese, the problem was still on you, Galan." Cassandra crosses her arms, giving a disappointed look at her brother. "Honestly Galan, that's the most reckless thing you've done this year."

"I told you, I'm sorry." Galan actually looks apologetic while saying this. "I didn't think it would get that bad, I was gonna get back to Reese before that shit in the alley happened."

"The hell were you even doing in the Archangel district?" Reese asks Galan a question that has been on all our minds since I rescued him. He hasn't spoken about anything of what he was actually doing there.

"I just... wanted to go there. That's all." He's still blatantly lying about it again...

Why is he so adamant?

"That's all?" Reese crosses his arms as well.
Both him and Cassandra look like disappointed parents with how they are glaring at Galan. "Seriously...?"

"Y-yeah..." Galan doesn't even look at us, only gazing at the floor as to try and not look guilty; but it does the exact opposite.

"You're not making this situation better for yourself..." I tell him, my frustration with him also growing. "You really not gonna tell us?"

He stays silent, not responding to any of our questions.

I only sigh at the quiet attitude, already not interested in hounding him further. It seems useless at this point.

"Fine." A discontent sigh is also let out by Reese. "We'll deal with this later. After all this."

Cassandra still looks at Galan, with a more worried expression than anything else at her older brother.

"And just so you know, Galan..."

Reese doesn't stare at him any more, only at the tinted window. Watching the street outside.

"Your father will find out what you were doing there in the Archangel district."
His words sound more like a threat than good advice.
"...I hope what you are hiding is worth it."

Galan still keeps quiet, gaze still to his feet. His face is unreadable, but I'm guessing it's not how he's truly feeling.

"The day only just started..." Cassandra says softly, also deciding to stare out of her respective car window, waiting for the ride to be over.

Unfortunately for all of us, it's a long one. And the dead silence in the limousine doesn't help either.

...

"We've just about arrived..." Reese informs all of us as he looks out the window, to our approaching destination.

The funeral is taking place in the Angel residence, a mansion that is undisputed to being the largest home in this entire city. It's quite a daunting landscape.

The personal vineyard doesn't exactly help lessen the area's already intimidating beauty.

Both the mansion and the vineyard combined nearly covers the entire hillside overlooking the city.