My Sister Became God - Chapter 6

Dina is at home, enjoying breakfast with her brother when their mother shows up, confronting her.

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"You like?" Standing at the kitchen counter while preparing herself a cup of tea, Dina asked with a glow of pride while glancing over her shoulder at her now normal-sized brother sitting at the kitchen table.

Throgg was gobbling up a breakfast dish his kid sister had made for him.

He nodded vigorously. "Delicious!" he said while munching with his mouth full.

He swallowed the bite, took a big swig of milk, and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "What is it?" He eyed the piece of toast in his hand, curious about the ingredients.

Dina plopped down on a chair across from him and steeped a bag of green tea in a steaming cup of hot water. "It's breakfast toast with fava bean spread and capicola."

"Fava beans?" Throgg scrutinized the piece of toast held in his hand, inspecting it closely.

"Mmm," Dina hummed in agreement, carefully sipping her tea. "Highly nutritious, those green rascals. They are rich in plant protein, folate, and several other vitamins and minerals. They are also loaded with soluble fiber that can aid digestion and lower cholesterol levels."

Throgg gaped at his sister, wide-eyed, in total disbelief of what he was hearing. "I didn't know you were a chef?"

Dina shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm not. The regular Dina does not know how to make these dishes. Just like the regular Dina would never be able to recite the properties of fava beans. But hey! I'm anything but regular these days, aren't I?" she tittered.

"So, you've just… conjured it or something?" Throgg glanced warily at the toast while mentally asking himself if he still wanted another bite of something that had not been prepared in the usual way but had materialized by his kid sister's sheer will.

"After a google search, yes." Dina placed her cup of tea on the table. Her eyes twinkled with mischief as she rested her chin upon her interlocked fingers. "And even that is not necessary anymore, but ingrained habits are hard to break. My head is now like a Google machine. The moment I ponder about something, a mental order is all it takes to make the required knowledge seep in through the back door of my consciousness the very moment I yearn for it, ready to be spoken as if it had been stored in my memory all along."

"Which is not the case?" Throgg asked.

Dina showed a pondering face. Then, as a thought unpacked in her head, her nose wrinkled in distaste. "Ugh, disgusting!" She shook her head. "Anyway, sweaty feminine armpits, preferably generated by physical strain, is a flavor you desperately crave to taste someday. This is information that was not present in my head until a few seconds ago. I fished it out of your head."

Throgg's eyes went wide after hearing that revelation. "So, my head is like an open book to you?"

Dina sighed deeply and fixed him with an intense stare before replying in a serious tone, "If I ever feel the need to turn those filthy pages, then yes. I could do that. But believe me, brother. Besides this occasion whereby I needed to convince you of my abilities, I will never take a look into that filthy head of yours. I've probably already seen more than I can bear."

Throgg's eyes contorted into tiny prying slits. "What more have you seen?"

Dina smirked, not flinching away from his intense gaze. "I know you jerked off to me on a couple of occasions." She paused for dramatic effect before continuing. "Last time in the morning when you threw that tomato at me, and I discovered my powers. You came so hard then, didn't you? Sprayed that sticky load of yours all in a vile blanket you never wash while fantasizing about my tush and tits." Dina took a sip of her tea, not leaving her gaze on him, before adding, "I always knew you were disgusting, Throgg. But I got to say that even that took me by surprise."

"What took you by surprise, dear?" Lidi, Dina's mother, entered the kitchen. She approached the kitchen counter to grab a cup of coffee.

"Do you really want to know, mom?" Dina asked while giving Throgg a knowing glance. The latter's eyes grew to saucers, and he shook his head fiercely, not wanting his mother to know about his taboo desires.

"Yes," Lidi said, leaning her rear against the counter and crossing her arms after making preparations on the coffee machine. "I really want to know." She imitated the intonation her daughter used while uttering the sentence.

A barely imperceptible smile sprouted upon Dina's face as she saw Throgg's face blanch, glancing at her with eyes that pleaded not to tell a thing. "Well, for starters, mom." She allowed herself a moment to savor the feeling of power before speaking. "I'm pleasantly surprised to see that you're so content with your beautiful purple hair. I can change it back if you like."

"No, no, save yourself the trouble, dear!" Lidi waved her hand. "I like it!"

"And why is that?" Dina asked, shooting a pointed look at her brother, clearly saying, 'You owe me.'

"Because, for some inexplicable reason, everyone else likes it too!"

"Well, that's a good thing, right?" Dina smiled.

"It certainly is. It's just…" Lidi grabbed a freshly made mug of coffee, letting its heat warm her hands. "I don't know. Unexpected? I mean, who the hell besides an emo likes purple hair anyway?" She snickered.

"Well, maybe you've just underestimated people's appreciation for creative expression, Mom." Dina's eyes twinkled.

"Or maybe," Lidi took a sip of her steaming mug of coffee before landing her gaze on her daughter. "you had a finger in the pie. And do not lie to me because I immediately know when you do!"

"Just a single thought of mine could take all that suspicion away. Hell, I could even make you believe you always had purple hair from birth. Or better, rewrite your past and make that thought the holy truth."

Lidi sighed and shook her head slightly. "I know you can, dear." She walked up to her daughter and caressed her shoulder with fondness in her eyes. "You can do anything now. That Lamborghini under the carport and the fact that I'm the restaurant's owner proves it. I guess I should be thankful. And while I sincerely am. I can't help but worry."

"For what, Mom? Anything is possible now for us. I can make us a better life."

"You can do a whole lot more than that, honey. What if someone treats you poorly? How will you deal with it, knowing you can do virtually anything?"

Dina shrugged. "Nothing sinister, that's for sure... I'll probably just ask them to be nice to me."

"And what if they don't?" Dina's mother asked, her tone tinged with skepticism.

“Then I guess I will–"

Her mother cut in, her voice stern. "…make them? Punish them, dear?"

Dina leaped up from her chair, defiance brimming in her eyes. "I'm not like that, mom!"

"Are you not? Then why is good old Throgg here sitting all meekly at the table, huh? I've never seen the two of you have a normal conversation with each other for years. You're always either at each other's throats or busy treating each other like some piece of furniture that's not worth any attention. What did you do to him to make him behave like a gentleman?"

"I just asked him to be nice to me for a change, that's all," Dina said. "Isn't that right, dear brother of mine?"

Throgg cast his skittish gaze from his mother to Dina and then gave a curt nod before taking a quick bite from his toast.

"See?" Dina said as she plopped down onto her seat. "Nothing sinister here."

"And what if he steps over your bounds? You're going to shrink him again?"

"I…" Dina wanted to answer, but the words froze in her throat as she saw her mother stride towards something else she apparently found more interesting than their conversation.

Lidi stopped in front of a bottle stationed on the cupboard. "And what the hell is this?" Reaching out with both arms, she carefully picked it up and brought it closer for inspection. A glimmer of familiarity crossed her face in response. "Is this that cruise ship they've been talking about on the news? Have you shrunk it?"

"It's no big deal, mom." Dina walked up to her mother and took the ship over. She gazed at it lovingly as she held it up to the light, admiring its intricate details with wide eyes. "I just found it so beautiful. I could not resist it. I will grow it back after the weekend. I promise."

"Where are its crew and passengers? I sincerely hope you did not –"

"I've conjured them all home, Mom. Erased their memory of this happening, don't worry. It's all taken care of."

Lidi blurted out a sharp-edged laughter, arms crossing across her chest. "You're such a clever girl. When you decided to pluck them away, these people were on vacation or working. What about those memories? How will the people around them react when they suddenly find them home again while they are supposed to be on a trip? Have you ever thought about that?"

Dina snapped her fingers. "Done."

"Oh, so I take it you've altered the memories of not only the passengers on that ship but also all of their family members and friends at home to suit this new situation you've created?"

"Mmm," Dina nodded absentmindedly with a smile, her attention already on the bottled ship resting in her hands. With a single thought, Dina willed it to shrink down even further, making it breathtakingly tiny so that it was able to be lifted by just her finger and thumb. She blew a kiss at it before stuffing it in her pocket.

Lidi shook her head in disbelief. She glanced at her son, sitting there meekly at the table to eat a toast his kid sister conjured for him. "Are you okay with all of this, Throgg?"

Throgg shifted nervously in his seat before replying with a shaky voice, "C-Certainly, mom! Dina is nice. She's just nice, that's all."

"Oh, come here you!" Dina walked up to Throgg and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Lidi observed her son's body tensing up before he returned Dina's happy smile with an uncomfortable grin.

What have she done to you, Throgg? Lidi pondered in silence as she observed her once brazen son act like a skittish pup around his sister. She knew darn well that Dina could pick up on her thoughts. But there was no sign from Dina that she had noticed. Or maybe she did and was choosing not to show it.

"So, Is that how things work from now on in the world?" Lidi gestured dramatically. "If Dina likes something, she just takes it?"

"Hey! Don't paint me as some sort of tyrant!" Dina's face twisted in annoyance. "You heard, Throgg. I'm nice. I prefer to surround myself with nice people."

Lidi walked up to Dina. "Heed these words I'm quoting Dina, 'absolute power corrupts absolutely.' These words were written by Lord Acton, a 19th-century British politician, to a bishop. These famous words are timeless and still hold true today. And not even you, Dina, with your infinite capabilities, cannot resist their hold on human nature."