Fairytale • Robby Keene

ten

Life can be strange.

One minute, you're a person who feels completely lost, unsure of anything, and then, suddenly, you wake up to find yourself someone you hardly recognize — someone who thinks they have all the answers, but deep down knows nothing at all.

For Odette Johnson, it had always been this way. The sharp contrasts between her past self and the person she had become were glaring and uncomfortable. She could remember a time when she thought friendship was sacred, when honesty felt like an absolute and when she would never have imagined the world could be so full of contradictions.

But now, here she was, lying in bed with her thoughts tangled like the mess of her hair. She had always tried to do things the right way, to stand up for what's fair, to act with integrity and to believe that there was a certain goodness in people, despite all evidence to the contrary. But the people she had once called friends were willing to betray someone they cared about in order to win — to win at all costs. That idea, that willingness to hurt others to get ahead, left a bitter taste in her mouth. It didn't sit well with her.

But the world was full of choices, and sometimes, life didn't give you clear answers about how to navigate them.

Odette couldn't shake the feeling that she had somehow lost her way. How had she ended up here, questioning who she was and where she was going? The uncertainty felt heavy, like a weight she couldn't lift off her chest.

She dragged herself out of bed, her body sluggish with exhaustion, her mind still foggy from restless thoughts. As she moved through the quiet house, her feet shuffled down the stairs, each step a little slower than the last.

The kitchen smelled faintly of baking, and there, on the counter, was a plate of fresh muffins — warm and inviting. She smiled slightly. Oliver was sitting at the kitchen table, casually eating his cereal, his bright eyes scanning the room as if everything was perfectly normal.

"Hey, I heard Daniel LaRusso is opening his dojo." Oliver informed as he looked up at her.

Odette raised an eyebrow, clearly uninterested. "So?"

"Well, I think with all the Cobra Kai drama going on with your friends, it might be a good opportunity for you. Just like the time when Mum and Dad passed." He told her.

His words hit Odette harder than she expected. He was right. When everything felt like it was falling apart, she had turned to something else — something that took her mind off everything, something that made her feel like she could reclaim some control over her life. The dojo. A place to focus, a place to breathe.

"Maybe." Odette replied quietly. She reached for a muffin, taking a tentative bite as she mulled over Oliver's words. It did make sense. It could help her regain some sense of direction. "I'll drop by later in the day."

Oliver smiled. "I think you should. "

And maybe he was right. Maybe it was time for her to stop focusing on what everyone else was doing, and focus on herself for a change. Life might be strange, but she didn't have to get lost in the chaos. She could choose a different path — one that might not have all the answers, but one that would at least bring her a little peace.