Turned To Stone

Chapter 22 - Evan

[Potential TW: reckless driving, yelling, threats]

Evan braced himself heavily as Connor peeled out of the driveway, the car jumping to almost 60 miles an hour as soon as they were going forward. Connor glared down the road, silently fuming.

"She doesn't get it!" He suddenly snapped, taking a curve so sharply that Evan made a weak noise of protest.

"She's normal, she chose her part in the magical community, so she doesn't get it! She doesn't understand what it's like to be seen as just a monster, as an irrational beast that can be spurred into action at a whim! Use the monsters, she says. Use them, like they don't have personalities, souls, like they aren't individuals!"

He kept ranting, but Evan was more focused on keeping himself from rattling to pieces. He wasn't sure why Connor's ability didn't affect him, but something about it made him even more nervous than the fact that Connor was currently driving very dangerously and could probably kill them in moments.

The tires screeched as Connor whipped the car around another corner, then hit the brakes in front of the school. He killed the car engine and hauled himself out of the car, hissing and glaring down some beings in the parking lot. They shied away and he grabbed his bookbag and baseball bat out of the back of the car.

Evan nervously got out of the car, looking around before shuffling after Connor.

The gorgon marched up to the doors, shoving them open. they were miraculously open, but they probably didn't have time to lock up with the mess having started so quickly.

"It's weird in here. I don't like it being quiet." Connor said quietly. Evan didn't like the way he was swinging the bat back and forth, but he didn't want to say anything.

He had never seen Connor angry like he was in the car. He got plenty upset with teachers, with other students, with his family, but that was something else. That was scary, so scary that Evan didn't know what to say, but if he didn't say anything then Connor might do it again and if he did it again Evan was definitely going to have a panic attack and then he'd have to explain why and then Connor would be even more upset that he didn't say something and he'd probably yell at him and-

"Ev?"

He flinched sharply and looked up.

Connor was standing in the doorway to the library, frowning. "Are you okay?"

"I'm f-f-f-I'm fine." Evan stammered, wringing his t-shirt hem.

"You're gonna rip that." Connor turned away, walking into the library. Evan felt a nervous tug in his stomach, the gorgon boy was hiding something and he didn't know what it was.

He also wasn't sure how he knew so he wasn't going to say anything because then Connor would be annoyed that he thought something was wrong.

Connor was disappearing into one of the shelf aisles, so Evan followed nervously. He had no clue what he was looking for, but if Connor said anything he'd help immediately.

The gorgon swept three books off the shelf and dumped them on one of the study table. "These books are all about demon-fae, so lets start looking to see if we can find anything."

Evan nodded and pulled a book over to himself, burying himself in the pages and trying to ignore the rising panic in his chest that he couldn't figure out.

He usually couldn't figure it out so what else was new.

Connor was flipping the pages of the book so aggressively that Evan was sort of worried he was going to rip them. He stopped on one page and began to read it.

Evan jumped as something slammed outside. Connor ignored it.

There were footsteps in the hallway. Evan tried to shift away from the door as much as possible, and flinched when the library doors banged open.

"What is wrong with you?!" Zoe snapped, storming over to the table and slamming her hands down on it. "You don't tell us what you're doing, you steal my car, you go racing through the city- all to brush up on you reading?"

Connor ignored her.

"CONNOR MICHAEL MURPHY!"

His head snapped up and he grabbed his baseball bat. "You're not my sister and if you don't get out of my face I'm going to beat it in."

Zoe snarled at him. "You're crazy."

Connor stood, bringing the baseball bat back. He glared down his sister, who stared back before beginning to change shape. Halfway through the shift, the gorgon took a swing and the creature in front of them went flying backwards.

[A/N as always, tips on writing Evan's stutter, stammer, or his thought process when his anxiety is working overtime, any of that, are appreciated. This story is going to come to a close soon, but still]