The director appears behind her and bends down, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Everything is alright, Chiquita. I am here now."
The crowd that was building behind them started to cheer and rejoice with the arrival of the director. They were screaming out comments like "Kill the demon!" and "Slay the beast."
Thalia felt a surge of rage building in her chest. She didn't care about her brother's appearance or what he had done. "All of you need to shut—" Her Tia squeezed her shoulder and shook her head silently. Thalia clenched her fist tightly, understanding the silent message her Tia was conveying.
She stood back up and turned her attention to Theo, still holding the incapacitated Kenny up like a rag doll. "You no longer scare me, woman. And besides, the boy let me out of his own volition. He wanted me to kill this boy." Theo holds up the unconscious Kenny for everyone to see.
The director sighed and shook her head in disappointment, as if the demon were nothing more than a child throwing a tantrum. She snapped her fingers, and Kenny disappeared in a bright flash. He was teleported to his mother, who caught him in her arms. "Take him to the infirmary. I will send two wolves with you!"
Two men in black cloaks and masks suddenly appeared beside Kenny and his mother. They grabbed both of them, pulling them into their cloak, and then vanished instantly.
"Now, what to do with you? Hmmm, I wonder. "First, let's remove the audience." The director ascends higher, her white aura enveloping the area.
"Zone"
The entire area turned a blinding white, and the scene shifted. Thalia looked confused and a bit scared as she stood up and glanced around. They were no longer in front of their luxury condo in District City 7. In fact, they were nowhere. It was difficult for her to describe the surroundings as anything other than a bright, piercing white.
Theo let out a loud roar that made Thalia cover her ears. He began running around, jumping, and looking for a way to escape. Thalia noticed that the space wasn't endless; there were walls on all sides, and the ceiling was visible above them. She realized they were inside a cube-like structure.
"You are too loud. Be quiet." The director's eyes flashed with fury, stopping Theo in his tracks. "Get back inside your cell while I am still asking politely." The director floated at eye level with Theo.
Thalia found it amusing to see her brother, who was towering at 9 feet tall, making her aunt look like one of her dolls in comparison.
The vein on the side of Theo's head was bulging, and his eye twitched from irritation. "I will kill you one day, tiny woman." The monster said in a frustrated sigh of reluctance.
Theo's body began to shrink slowly, but his eyes remained locked in hatred as they stared at the director. Smoke curled off his form, filling the air with a faint haze. The director chuckled, her soft voice echoing in the room once more. "I will be waiting, Demon."
Thalia picked herself up, trying to regain her balance. The pure white room was disorienting, throwing off her equilibrium.
Finally, the smoke dissipated, and Theo returned to his normal size, looking like an ordinary ten-year-old once again. His skin was no longer gray; it had returned to its usual dark caramel hue. Thalia cautiously approached him, still struggling to believe that her little brother could transform into such a formidable monster.
Thalia wanted to reach down and touch him, but she hesitated. Deep down, she knew that the figure before her wasn't her brother, and that thought frightened her. Just then, her aunt walked up behind her and picked him up.
"Let's go home," her aunt said. In an instant, they transitioned from an all-white cube to their living room, where Thalia could hear the whir of the ceiling fan. She looked around but saw neither her brother nor her aunt.
Thalia checked Theo's room first and found her aunt tucking him into bed. He looked completely exhausted. "I bet it was incredibly draining to transform into the Incredible Hulk and terrorize your big sister for an afternoon," Thalia muttered.
Her Tia saw her in the doorway and gestured for her to follow as she walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind her.
"I'm so sorry, Chiquita. I was in a meeting when I was informed of the situation," the director said as she entered the kitchen, reaching for two glasses in the cupboard. "I instructed the black wolves to refrain from engaging because I didn't want your brother to get hurt while subduing that demon." Thalia sat on a barstool at the kitchen countertop.
"I know you probably have a lot of questions. I planned to wait until you both were a bit older to explain, but it seems circumstances won't allow that," the director continued, pouring milk into both glasses.
Thalia grabbed her glass and gulped it down in one go, slamming it back onto the table. "I keep hearing you call it a demon. So you know what that thing is?"
The director paused, considering her words before taking a sip of her milk. "Hmm, how can I best explain this?" After a few more sips, Thalia looked at her intently, waiting for her Tia to reveal the truth.
"Well, you see, Theo was born with a bloodline trait like mine and yours. However, one significant difference in Theo's case is that his bloodline was inherited directly from your mother."
Thalia gasped. She didn't know much about her mother, as she had died in childbirth when Thalia was just two years old. She did know that her mother passed away giving birth to Theo and that their father had always held that against him. This resentment was why, when Theo turned eight, their father tried to send him away to live with their aunt. However, Thalia refused to leave Theo and was allowed to stay with their Tia instead.
Now, things were starting to make more sense to Thalia, especially considering the last thing she overheard her father say. He had called Theo a hellspawn, a demon who did not deserve to live. It seemed that Theo's transformation and bloodline trait must have been what their father was referring to.
"So wait, how can Theo be such a sweet and kind-hearted boy if he has the bloodline of a demon?"
The director's expression darkened. "Theo is not a demon; I can promise you that. It's just that your mother's ancestors have always been protectors of a sort."
Thalia raised an eyebrow. "Protectors of what?"
The director sighed. "Well, perhaps a better term would be vessels. I have already told you that a bloodline trait is a manifestation of an ego within one's mortal body. As bloodline trait holders, we are similar to relics in that we are vessels for greater power. Once you reach maturity and push your powers to a certain extent, you will understand more of what I'm telling you."
Thalia was beginning to grasp the concept. "So, in Theo and my mother's case, they are vessels for demons?"
The director cracked a smile, pleased with Thalia's comprehension. "Well, you're almost correct. They were both chosen to be vessels for a specific demon, which means they share the same affliction. There are definitely other demon vessels in this world. However, unlike the others, one person from each generation of your family line holds the grand demon Behemoth within themselves."