The dining table was upstairs.
It had to be.
From the outside, this house was normal. Perfectly suburban, perfectly average. Two floors, a neatly trimmed lawn, a mailbox that bore a last name none of them truly owned.
And inside—
A dinner table, long enough for ten but set for five. Wooden chairs, clean plates, glasses filled with water.
The perfect illusion.
The family sat in their places.
Nikola Tesla at the head, one arm lazily slung over the chair, a smirk playing on his lips.
Wesson Tesla on his right, back straight, hands folded, eyes empty.
Mother Gaia sat on the opposite side, silent, unreadable, picking at her food with mild disdain.
Thallium Gaia hummed to herself, swinging her legs under the chair, her hands resting beside a plate of untouched food, twirling a lollipop between her fingers.
And at the far end of the table, Kid.
Still. Watching. Present in a way that defied explanation.
The clock on the wall ticked.
6:00 PM.
Dinner began.
Nikola picked up his fork, lazily stabbing at his food. "Alright, family meeting," he drawled. "Now that we've got the whole underground empire of wonders, what's everyone's favorite part?"
Thallium hummed. "The lab."
Wesson said nothing.
Mother Gaia barely concealed a scowl. "The only living thing down there."
Nikola smirked. "You mean your forest dungeon? Yeah, that tracks."
Kid said nothing.
The clock ticked forward.
6:01 PM.
And then—
The front door slammed open.
A rush of movement. A figure in black, face masked, a gun clutched in one shaking hand.
A robber.
A man who had just made the worst mistake of his life.
The intruder moved quickly.
"Hands up!" he barked, his voice laced with forced authority, like he was trying to convince himself he was in control. "I don't wanna hurt anyone—just gimme your wallets, jewelry, cash—now!"
The family did not react.
Not the way he expected.
No screams. No frantic shuffling.
They simply… stared.
Nikola exhaled slowly, setting down his fork. "You know," he said, sounding almost disappointed. "I was really hoping to finish this steak before something stupid happened."
The man's grip on the gun tightened. "I said—hands up!"
Thallium leaned onto the table, chin in her palm. "Oh, this is fun."
Mother Gaia flicked a glance at the intruder, then at the clock.
6:02 PM.
She said nothing.
Nikola sighed, finally lifting his hands just enough to humor the man. "Alright, alright, don't get twitchy," he said lazily. "We'll do this your way."
The intruder exhaled sharply. He hadn't expected them to comply this easily.
"Good," he muttered, trying to regain control. His gun hovered between them, indecisive. "Now—where's the safe?"
Nikola tilted his head. "Safe?"
"Don't play dumb!" the intruder snapped. "A house like this? You've got a safe. Where is it?"
A pause.
Then—
Wesson spoke.
"We don't need one."
Her voice was flat, empty, like the words themselves were a meaningless obligation.
The intruder's pulse spiked.
Something about her felt wrong.
His instincts screamed at him, telling him to run, run, run, but he forced himself to ignore it.
He jabbed the gun toward Nikola. "You. Take me to whatever valuables you've got. Now."
Nikola arched a brow. "Can't."
His smirk widened.
"Family dinner."
The intruder hesitated. "What?"
Kid finally spoke.
"Rule three," he said softly.
The intruder's pulse quickened. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Nikola grinned. "Oh, you'll love this one."
He gestured toward the clock.
6:05 PM.
"See, buddy, the thing is—" Nikola leaned forward, resting his chin in his hand. "We can't leave the table until 7:30."
The intruder blinked.
"…What?"
Wesson nodded. "Dinner rule. No leaving. No powers."
Mother Gaia barely contained a sigh. "A useless rule."
Kid watched the intruder.
"You should sit."
The words were soft, calm.
But something about them pressed against the air.
The intruder's grip on the gun trembled.
For a second—just a second—he almost obeyed
He shook it off. "You think this is a joke?" he snapped. "I've got a gun. You're gonna do what I say."
Nikola chuckled. "Oh, I really wouldn't test that theory."
Thallium grinned. "You should play along," she whispered, eyes shining. "It'll be more fun for you that way."
The intruder swallowed.
He was losing control.
No, he never had it.
The family sat in perfect ease.
Not afraid. Not tense.
Just… waiting.
He gritted his teeth. "You're all insane."
Mother Gaia sipped her water. "You have no idea."
The clock ticked forward.
6:10 PM.
Minutes crawled by.
The intruder paced, gun shaking in his grip.
Something was wrong.
Something was very wrong.
They weren't scared.
They weren't acting like people should act.
Every minute that passed tightened the tension in his chest.
Nikola chatted idly, throwing glances at the clock, smirking like he was in on some inside joke.
Wesson sat unnervingly still.
Thallium licked at her lollipop, watching him with the kind of innocent amusement reserved for things that didn't truly understand consequences.
Mother Gaia was barely present.
And the child.
The child was the worst.
It did not blink.
Did not shift.
Did not fear.
The intruder could feel it.
Something wrong.
Something bigger than him.
Something watching.
Tick.
7:29 PM.
Nikola stretched. "Ohhh, would you look at that," he said, voice light, playful. "We're almost there."
The intruder licked his lips. "Almost… where?"
The family smiled.
The clock struck 7:30.
A shuddering, heavy pause.
Then—
Nikola grinned, wide and sharp.
"Time's up."
The intruder felt it before he saw it.
The air changed.
The atmosphere snapped.
The thing in the room with him—the thing that had been waiting, watching, pretending—stirred.
The temperature dropped.
The house groaned.
The walls shifted.
And for the first time since stepping foot in this house—
The intruder understood.
He was never holding them hostage.
They were holding him.
Thallium tapped her chin. "Soooo… who gets to clean up the mess?"
Nikola sighed. "I did last time."
Mother Gaia stood. "Throw him in the woods. If he can make it out, he deserves to live."
The intruder tried to run.
Wesson moved first.
A blur. A single, deafening crack.
And then—
Silence.
Kid stood.
Dinner was over.