"Thalia! Honey, are you okay?" Her Tia shook her vigorously. Thalia opened her eyes again, still dazed by the glimpses of the past that rushed through her mind. She reassured her aunt that she was fine and explained how all the information about the origins of the behemoths and their family line had suddenly flooded into her head.
She chose not to share the memories of her father and mother before Theo's birth, as she wasn't yet sure how to process what she had seen. At that moment, Thalia wanted to dismiss it as merely a dream, believing that this would make it hurt less and feel less permanent.
Suddenly, her wristband vibrated vigorously on her wrist as a low-tone ringing sounded. Thalia opened her eyes to see her silver wristband flashing and vibrating. She pressed the green answer button in the middle of the holographic screen.
"Hey, little Diez, get your ass over here. We're just about to start the mission briefing. If you're late, I will kill you before the mission even starts. Comprende?" Dante's deep voice jolted her awake. Although he sounded irritated, she was still glad to hear his voice.
She brought the watch up to her lips. "Yes, I..." Before she could finish, the line was cut. "That son of a bitch hung up on me. He hasn't changed one bit." Thalia cursed under her breath.
Thalia was mostly dressed for the day. She wore a velvet green button-up mini skirt paired with a longer white blouse. She felt relieved not having to wear a specific uniform today. Embracing a slightly rebellious mood, she thought about matching her style to his, which made her cheeks flush with embarrassment.
Heading to her closet, she grabbed her favorite leather jacket and slipped it on. She found that her elastic pantyhose worked perfectly as socks. Not feeling particularly creative today, especially with the possibility of being sent out on a mission, she decided to stick with her steel-toed, high-heeled boots. They were likely the reason she didn't break her foot when she crashed into those trees a couple of weeks ago.
Thalia paused for a moment, turning on the lights around her full-body mirror. "Wow, girl! If looks could kill, I would be a serial killer!" she laughed, switching the light off afterward. She glanced down at her silver band and noticed the time. "Yup, he is going to kill me!"
Thalia rushed out of the apartment, skipping the elevator entirely. She was well aware of how much Theo hated it when she left through the window; however, he hadn't come home in the last two weeks, so she felt justified. Besides, she hadn't flown in a while, so why not?
Thalia plunged from her condominium window, dropping a few feet before the wind caught her, lifting and propelling her into the air. She summoned the breeze to be her guide, relishing the bright blue sky above. The air above the clouds was about ten degrees cooler than on the surface, making her glad she wore a jacket today.
She loved to fly! The only real downside was that it wreaked havoc on her hair, but she readily accepted that trade-off for the freedom of defying gravity. Thalia willed the wind to carry her toward the district city's west wing, home to the black wolves and the place where the institute gathered and stored its central intelligence.
As she descended from the clouds, the west wing unfolded below her. The district city resembled a fusion of an historic university and a bustling urban city. However, the west wing looked distinctly different, resembling a prison or compound. It was only from the sky that Thalia could clearly discern how different the west wing was compared to the rest of the city.
The area was completely gated off, with only one way in and out—the entrance was located directly in front of the Monorail platform. Upon entering through the 35-foot gate, visitors still faced a quarter-mile walk to the oddly-shaped building, its black walls soaring on every side.
The building was shaped like a pentagon, which made sense given that they referred to the west wing as the Black Pentagon. It was designed to create a dead zone for communications, rendering signals useless within its confines. The only way to communicate in or out was through landline receivers emanating from the central security tower. The tower cast a broad beam of light downwards, sweeping across the courtyard leading up to the building's entrance.
Thalia hoped that the call they had earlier ended due to the lack of signal in this area and not because Dante was annoyed at her tardiness. She landed gracefully on the platform in front of the gigantic black gate leading into the Pentagon. Thalia knew better than to attempt entering through any means other than the main gate; doing so would be a sure way to get herself killed. She hadn't counted during her descent, but it looked like over twenty elite black wolf contractors were patrolling the grounds. Moreover, another dozen were likely concealed to deter any uninvited guests.
Approaching the front door, she pressed a few buttons and held up her silver wristband. After it was scanned, the door opened. Thalia dashed inside, heading toward the entrance on her far right. She ran her fingers through her hair, sending a spark of blue electricity through it, which unraveled the kinks. Her long brown hair started straightening out as if she had just run a hot comb through it.
She scanned her wristband again, opening the door to the Pentagon. Thalia hurried down a long white hallway until she reached a door marked
Thalia reached out to press her arm against the scanner, but the door slid open before she could. Dante stood before her, looking down at her with that familiar intensity. Every time she was in his presence, she felt small in comparison. Thalia was decently tall for most girls, standing at 5'9", but next to Dante, who was 6'2", she felt dwarfed. She gazed into his striking light hazel eyes, which perfectly complemented his light brown skin. Today, his dreadlocks were pulled back, revealing the sides of his neatly shaved head.
Thalia had always admired Dante's unique sense of fashion. He wore dark blue cargo pants paired with black and white retro sneakers, a fitted V-neck shirt that showcased his impressive physique, and that long black coat he seemed to wear all the time.
Thalia first met Dante when she moved in with her aunt. She was only 9, while he was 15. At that time, he had already earned the title of the youngest prodigy at the institute. However, Thalia was unaware of that; all she knew was his phenomenal cooking skills.
He often played tag with her and Theo whenever he wasn't training or in class. Thalia wondered if he even remembered the fun times they had spent together as a family. It was around her 15th birthday that Thalia began to feel differently about him. Whenever she saw him or thought about him, a warm flutter would wash over her, followed by embarrassment that left her flustered.
But that was also the time Dante stopped coming around. He had moved in with a girl, and she heard rumors that he was getting married. Thalia only met her once, but she got the impression that the girl was just a superficial blonde. With time, Dante visited Thalia and Theo less frequently until, eventually, he ceased coming altogether. She thought he had completely forgotten about them, at least until the test occurred.
"Little dove!" Dante said, a hint of amusement in his deep voice.
Thalia straightened her back as if she were standing at attention. She didn't understand why he always made her so nervous; it felt almost like being in front of a drill sergeant. She was determined not to make a single mistake or embarrass herself. Her face was hot, and she couldn't help but blush at the sound of that name. She hadn't heard him call her that since she was little. The thought of that embarrassing encounter, which even prompted him to nickname her that, made her melt into a puddle of embarrassment.
Thalia's mind was flooded with memories of her childhood and her experiences after moving in with her aunt, Tia. She felt upset because Dante chose to continue training instead of playing with her as he had promised. Frustrated, she had the bright idea of running off into the woods a few blocks from their condominium.
A few hours later, after finishing his training, Dante went into the woods to search for her. He found her almost immediately and apologized for not being there. Thalia pouted, realizing that the sun was nearly down and they would have to return home soon. To make the most of their time together, she suggested they play hide-and-seek before heading back.
Those times were so much fun because Dante was the only one who allowed her to use her powers. Thalia would often fly through the trees, discovering new and creative places to hide. It didn't matter, though, because no matter where she hid herself, Dante would always find her with a huge, cocky smile on his face. However, this time was different. She was trying to choose a hiding spot where he would never find her.
As she searched, Thalia came across a small bird's nest filled with baby chicks. She remembered how much she wanted to pet one, but her Tía had always warned her never to disturb any animals in the forest, especially the young ones. She said it could scare away the chicks' mother.
So, she decided to watch and admire the baby birds from a distance. That was when everything went wrong. Their mother, a large blue-black and brown hawk, swooped down, attempting to attack Thalia. She narrowly avoided its strike by calling upon the wind to lift her swiftly. The strong gust shook the bird's nest, causing one of the chicks closest to the edge to tumble toward the ground.
Thalia gasped in terror; she was going to be the reason that poor chick fell. She beckoned the wind around her and dove at top speed toward the baby chick. She reaches her hand out and grabs the chirping baby bird out of the sky but not before the hawks talons tear through her shirt piercing her skin. Thalia felt a sharp sting where the talons had struck, and she could feel the warmth of her blood trickling down her shoulder. She cried out in pain, and the sudden shock caused her mind to go numb. This loss of focus led her to release control over the wind, causing her to plummet toward the ground. As she struggled with the shooting pain in her arm, her grip on the baby chick loosened, and she felt it slip from her hands.
The ground was approaching quickly, and she couldn't find the strength to summon the wind to heed her command. Just as she closed her eyes, she heard Dante frantically calling her name. She saw him running toward her, and with a single blink, he caught her in a princess-style embrace as they plummeted. They crashed into multiple branches before finally hitting the ground. Dante let out a labored sigh, followed by a blood-filled cough.
Thalia finally opened her eyes to see Dante smiling at her. Surprisingly, she felt fine, but she couldn't say the same for him. There was a small cut on the side of his forehead, and blood was trickling over his right eye. The sight of his injury made her heart ache, causing her to burst into tears as she clutched his shirt. She cried so hard that it was difficult to understand her words, but Dante could hear her whisper, "I am so sorry. This is all my fault."
Dante's eyes closed, and his breathing was labored as he placed his large hand on her small head and whispered, "It's alright little dove."
Thalia stopped crying and looked up at him with red eyes and snot running down her nose. "What did you say?" she asked, wiping her eyes with her shirt. Dante sat up as Thalia rolled off of him.
"Look over there," he said, wiping the blood from his eye. Thalia followed his gaze and saw the huge hawk that had attacked her earlier. It was standing over the chick she thought she had dropped. The hawk cooed as it lifted its little one by the scruff of its neck and soared into the sky, heading back to its nest.
"It was alive! I thought I had dropped it," she said, sobbing into her hands. Dante approached her from behind, using a piece of his ripped T-shirt to wrap around her bleeding arm.
"Let's go back home, too, little dove!" Dante said, helping her to her feet. Thalia began to wipe the debris and leaves off her skirt, shaking her head in defiance. "Why do you keep calling me that?" she asked, cocking her head to the side with curiosity.
"Well, for all intents and purposes, you're like a little dove. Cute and capable of flying wherever you choose, while also being utterly helpless and useless at times," Dante said with a chuckle, though the laughter made him wince as he gripped his ribs.
"Ugh, I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that last part," she said, slightly pushing him. Dante sighed in pain. "Hey, be careful! I just crashed twenty feet into a bunch of tree branches for you!" Thalia ran in front of him, spun around, and stuck her tongue out. "Shut up, you jerk!" she said in a playful tone.
"How long do you plan to keep us waiting? Hurry up and come inside. We're just waiting for one more person before we can start," Dante said, his voice snapping her out of her memories.
"Shut up you jerk!" Thalia shook her head, a soft smile tugging at the corners of her lips, and brushed past him, her eyes focused on the ground. She felt a flutter of nervousness, hoping he wouldn't catch a glimpse of her amusement as she walked by. A heavy sigh escaped his lips, a sound filled with unspoken thoughts and frustration.
"Some things never change," Dante remarked, a wry smile dancing on his lips as he chuckled softly, the warmth of nostalgia lacing his voice.