Fairytale • Robby Keene

twenty two

Odette let out a frustrated groan, slumping against the back seat of the car. She glanced at her Spanish textbook with a pout, feeling the weight of endless studying hanging over her. Even though she was suspended from school, she had kept up with her assignments, mainly focusing on Spanish.

But right now, it felt like the last thing she wanted to do.

Spanish is the official language of 20 countries... Her eyes skimmed the textbook, but the words felt like a blur. She sighed again, letting her head rest against the back of the seat, her mind drifting as she stared out of the window.

"Why is Spanish so important anyway?" Odette  muttered aloud, barely paying attention to her own question.

From the front seat, Daniel's voice came through the rearview mirror, patient but firm. "Well, Odette, by learning Spanish, you'll be better able to communicate with Spanish speakers. Latin American countries are our most important trading partners. Being able to speak Spanish greatly enhances your resume. If you're bilingual, you're more competitive in the workplace."

Odette let out a huff of disbelief. "Spanish takes around 75% of its history from Latin, but also maintains influences from Ancient Greek and Arabic. It also borrows words from other languages, such as French, Italian and Sardinian. The complex grammar and linguistic nuances in French don't exist in English. Why did I choose to take Spanish? I should've chosen Astrophysics."

Daniel didn't respond immediately, probably processing her words with a mix of amusement and concern, knowing how deeply her mind could spiral when she started questioning everything. But right now, she wasn't in the mood to debate the virtues of a foreign language.

Her thoughts returned to Robby. It had been two weeks since he'd disappeared, and every passing day without hearing from him felt like a slow burn. He had vanished without a trace, and she was desperate to find him. It was the reason she was here—sitting in the back of Daniel's car, scanning the streets, hoping for some kind of clue that could bring Robby home.

Daniel had been trying to track Robby through the car he had stolen from the LaRusso lot, but the GPS had been disabled. After a few failed attempts, he had convinced Johnny to help look for Robby, knowing that the bond they shared with the boy ran deep. Odette had insisted on coming along, even though Daniel was hesitant to let her tag along on what felt like an increasingly desperate mission.

The car hit a bump, jarring everyone for a moment. Johnny, who had been peacefully asleep in the passenger seat, jolted awake, his eyes snapping open in confusion.

"Hey. Got you a juice." Daniel said calmly as he handed Johnny a green drink. "Advil's in the glove compartment."

Johnny squinted at the drink with skepticism.

"Looks like sewage." He complained, but he accepted it anyway, cracking open the bottle with a grimace.

"Suck it up. If we find Robby, you might wanna be awake." Daniel shot back, his tone matter-of-fact, focused on the road ahead.