Mystique || Sweet Pea [3]

22

Chapter 22 || In Memoriam

The next day was Jughead's funeral. We were going to have the service down in the living room. I'd called all the Serpents down, inviting them to remember my brother in true Serpent fashion. It wasn't a surprise to see Serpent covered backs in the living room that morning.

They'd all started down in the basement, giving me their condolences before heading upstairs to speak with the others in the house. After greeting the Serpents, I got dressed in a black shirt and some black jeans, sliding my own Serpent jacket over my shoulders.

"Come on." I whispered to Sweet Pea, grabbing onto his hand. "Let's go upstairs."

When we got up the stairs, we greeted more guests. As we spoke, I tried my hardest to ignore the coffin laying in the living room. I knew my brother was in there, but I didn't want to think about it. Coming to terms that my brother was inside the coffin meant coming to terms with his death, and I wasn't ready to accept his death just yet.

"Hey, Kit." Eddie greeted softly, wrapping me up in a hug. I hugged him back tightly, offering him a smile when he pulled away.

"Hey, Ed." I smiled.

"You need anything?" He asked.

"Coffee?" I suggested. "And one of those cookies you and JB made last night."

"Sure." He nodded, ducking through the crowd and into the kitchen. I hung back, away from the coffin, watching the door as it was pulled open. The Stonewall Prep students stepped into the house, looking smug as they caught sight of my brother's coffin.

"What the hell are you people doing in my house?" I hissed, meeting the frightened eyes of Donna.

"You got a lot of nerve coming here." Sweet Pea stated, stopping at my side.

"Sweet Pea, it's okay." Betty said, grabbing Sweet Pea's arm. "Mr. Jones said they could come in."

Sweet Pea ripped his arm out of Betty's grasp and glared harshly at Bret.

"Baby, you want these guys gone?" He asked, glancing down at me.

"No, let them see what they've done." I sniffed, brushing past him to stand beside JB and Eddie.

"Closed casket." Donna commented. "Call me a doubting Thomas, but that seems like a suspect choice with such a handsome cadaver."

"Classy as ever, Donna." Betty shook her head. "The funeral home didn't even want us to have the casket here."

"But it's Serpent tradition." I tacked on, approaching the smug Stonewall students. "If you so much as make a single sound during this service, I promise you will be the next ones in the caskets."

"A threat?" Bret asked.

"A promise." I hissed, sitting beside JB.

The service started a few minutes after the Stonewall students arrived. The house was packed with people to remember Jughead. It was nice to see everybody there, but it made it way too real.

"I want to thank you for coming today." Dad started, standing at the podium. "I know you all... loved my son. Things weren't always easy for us. But my boy was, always resilient... and loyal... and loving. And, uh..."

Dad trailed off, darting out of the room swiftly. I stood to run after him, but Alice grabbed my hand. I sat back down, watching as Betty made her way to the podium.

"As many of you know, Jughead was a fan of crime fiction." Betty started. "Detective stories. So, to honor him, I'd like to read a passage from one of his favorite Sherlock Holmes short stories. The Final Problem. 'An examination by experts leaves little doubt that a personal contest between Holmes and Moriarity ended in their reeling over, locked in each other's arms. Any attempt at recovering the bodies was absolutely hopeless. And there, deep down in that dreadful cauldron of swirling water and seething foam, will lie... Will lie for all time, the most dangerous criminal and the foremost champion of the law of their generation.'"