𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐂𝐘; trevor spengler

chapter twelve

AFTER CATCHING THEIR SINGLE TARGET, Trevor reclaimed his place in the driver's seat so the other's could finally make it home. Athena hadn't been to her house in over twenty-four hours, which was unusual for her, so of course she missed it dearly. She wanted to see her father, to catch him up on the groups memorable yet frightening experience, but was also extremely terrified to step foot into the Warren residence incase she came across her mother. She really wasn't in the mood to deal with her mother.

"Does any of this bother you?" Trevor asked his sister, glancing up in the rear-view mirror to lock eyes with the younger girl in question.

"What do you mean?" She answered vaguely, not particularly interested in the conversation as her fingers fiddled around with the wires and batteries attached to the proton pack resting in her lap.

"Dude, your grandfather was a legend! You can literally be anything you want, like an influencer or a DJ," Podcast suggested from the back of the vehicle, listing the numbers on his short fingers. Trevor quietly sighed, which Athena clearly heard, therefore causing her to glance over at him with sympathy. 

Athena had only met their grandfather a handful of times - all of those times being when he came into the library when she was on duty. He was always interested in the supernatural or scientific books, never anything else. He was quiet yet hard-spoken, mature, and serious, not a playful side to his lanky body. She didn't think he was that bad of a man, much to everyone else's dismay. It was his house that bothered her so dearly.

"I guess I just thought it was easier when I thought he went nuts," Trevor explained as he focused his attention on the road in front of him, trying to avoid releasing any of his pent-up, saddened emotions.

"He didn't go nuts, Trevor," Athena whispered softly from the passenger seat. She sent him a  sincere glance, wanting to do something - anything - to make him feel better, but the car they were driving in restricted her from doing such a thing. She wanted to hold his hand; comfort him in anyway. Yet, she couldn't.

"Exactly," Phoebe agreed from the back after Trevor had spared the girl beside him a glance, instantly frowning at the sight.

"Then why did he leave mum?" Trevor fired back immediately, his grip on the dark steering wheel tightening at the mere thought of it. The boy always thought that his mum didn't deserve the suffering their grandfather had caused. He was the beginning of all their problems, the match that lit their ever-burning fire of struggles. No matter how hard the Spengler's tried, they could never put it out.

"Maybe he had-" Athena began to suggest lightly before sirens sounding from behind them cut her off. Trevor looked up in the mirror with annoyance whilst Athena turned in her seat, looking out the window whilst a nervous pool of panic started to bubble in the pit of her stomach. "No, no, no. This cannot be happening," she stressed aloud as Trevor threw his head back in anger. 

Phoebe and Podcast shared an anxious look in the back before glancing back at the panicking girl in front of them.

"My mum's going to kill me. She will actually kill me," the girl continued to dread, catching Trevor's attention as he slowly let his head fall down before turning to face her with furrowed brows. The girl could feel herself falling into a never-ending spiral of anxiety. She didn't want to have an attack in front of Trevor, or the kids, or anybody for that matter. She would rather have to deal with her problems alone.

Athena wrapped her shaky fingers around her knees, grasping tightly - too tightly for Trevor's liking - onto her skin as she tried to suck in breath after breath, but alas, she couldn't even heave one. 

"Athena," Trevor started with concern as he drove the car onto the side of the road. "Breathe for me, okay. Can you do that?"

He slowly reached over and carefully removed her hands from her pale knees, holding them in his own so she could squeeze them if need be. She focused on his actions and words, parting her twitching lips to gasp in a needed breath of fresh air as the children watched hopelessly from the back.

"That's it. There you go," the kind boy whispered as he tried to plan his next move. Moving both the girl's hands into his right one whilst she was busy focusing on her struggled breathing, Trevor leaned over her shaking legs and reached towards the glove box, popping it open with the smallest hint of a sound. To his luck, there was nothing but a moldy Twinkie. That's when he really registered that they were royally screwed.

"Fuck," he mumbled under his breath before an officer knocked on his window. Fumbling to roll it down, he smiled convincingly at the policeman whilst Athena slowly peeled open her eyes, carefully unravelling her fingers from his and placing them back in her lap.

"License and registration," he ordered apathetically with a flashlight pointing down to the illegally-driving teens face. He knew he was guilty just by looking at the boy. Even Phoebe and Podcast knew they didn't have a chance of driving off with impunity.