Una Extraña Aventura: A Zeppeli Tale [ON HIATUS}

Chapter One: Unsolicited Advice

July 1991, 9 PM

Maspalomas, Gran Canaria

The sun had become an orange sliver just above the horizon as it took its leave for the day. A young man gazed at the spectacle it created as it descended, a beautiful array of pink, yellow and orange, giving way to a calm twilight. Below it was the Atlantic ocean, its turquoise tides lapping at the golden sands of the beach, sprawling with visitors who gradually began to leave as the night fell.

So beautiful, the young man, wearing a pair of shorts and a sleeveless tee, thought to himself, the fading sunlight giving his short dark brown curls a shine. Shame I have this damned headache. Otherwise I'd be enjoying it just as just much as those folks.

Despite the mild annoyance given to him by the temporary condition, the young man was incredibly grateful to be visiting the distant Spanish islands. Days of monotonous work, making phone calls and chatting to prospective clients had taken a toll on him, and this vacation was a much-needed reset. Having done that day-in, day-out for the past five years had exhausted him. However, he wouldn't have changed it for the world. His job had given him a purpose, a reason to seize every morning. And despite how normal it sounded, all he wanted was to be normal.

He suddenly heard a door creak open. 

"The little shit's out," he said aloud in his native Italian, turning around to open the door out of the balcony and into the hotel suite he was sharing with his family. "It's my time to shower."

Inside, he was met with the figure of a girl, whose facial features resembled his greatly and was 10 years his junior. However instead of sharing his hair texture and tint, hers was straight and sandy blonde, reaching the middle of her back. It was drenched with water, clearly indicating that she had not even attempted to dry it. A simple red towel was wrapped around her torso.

"Dio mio, Carmen, you're gonna get the carpet wet!" the girl's older brother cried as drops of water dripped from the girl's head. "Do you want mold growing everywhere while we sleep?"

The 16-year-old snickered as she placed a palm on the crown of her wet head.

"You look bored, Vitale. Let me show you something cool."

Without warning, her hand and head were illuminated by brilliant golden sparks. The vibrant energy throughout her hair. Within an instant, all the moisture in her hair disappeared, briefly making it appear like uncooked spaghetti sticking out from her head, before relaxing and falling all around her like it had never even seen a drop of water.

Vitale offered a brief chuckle, before sitting on one of the two large beds in the room.

"Where are Mamma and Papa, by the way?" she asked, just noticing the absence of her parents.

"Papa wanted to take me and her for drinks, but I started feeling weird so I decided to stay."

Carmen sat opposite her brother, with a deep frown on her face.

"And they didn't offer me to take me? No fair."

"You're 16, piccola canaglia," silly goose, he teased. "And Papa wanted you to rest. You're not used to flying, and the flight from Rome wasn't exactly short. Or, that's what he said."

Carmen tiled her head sideways in confusion.

"So why'd you make that face when you sat down? You could care less where I go."

And it was right after I showed him my Hamon trick, too.

"Carmen, I mean this in the nicest way possible," Vitale spoke in a firm tone. "But that Hamon... I don't think you should take it any further than you already have."

"You--what?" Carmen spoke, astonished. "I've been training for four years! Why would I stop? Was it really that unimpressive?"

"It was cool, I'll admit," Vitale said. "But if you continue down the path of Hamon, there is no future. It's a dying art. You know why it was created it, right?"

"To kill the Pillar Men?" Carmen answered.

The monsters that killed Zio Cesar. They haven't been around in 52 years. I know the entire history, so why the lecture?

"Exactly. And where are they now? Gone. And I know it might still have some practical use, like you just showed me. Don't get me wrong, I studied it until I was about your age, too. But there's no need to train it anymore than you need to. You won't be able to do anything with it, Carmen."

"I'm aware of that, Vitale! Jeez, cut me some slack. I have so much time to think of what I wanna do when I'm older. Stop throwing it in my damn face." Carmen spat at her brother. If there was one thing she hated the most, it was being told what to do.

"I just wanted to give you some ideas, sorellina," little sister, VItale gave her a well-meaning smile, but one that she interpreted as a show of ego. "For instance, you could be an insurance salesperson like I am. Challenging work, but it's very fulfilling. And if you wanna go up a notch, there's the military like Papa did. Spent 40 years there... I can't imagine him doing anything else. You could also train side-by-side in Hamon while working, like he did. Pretty crazy to think he became a master with that crazy work-life schedule, isn't it? But the point is, Hamon shouldn't be your only option for the future."

"Your unsolicited advice is much appreciated," Carmen rose from the bed, pointing with her thumb to the door behind. "But I believe you were waiting for the bathroom?"

"Ah, right, nearly forgot," Vitale chuckled. "I almost forgot about my headache too. Anyways, give it some thought."

As soon as her brother left her sight, she dropped to her knees and shimmied towards a suitcase. She dug through it, flinging multiple articles of clothing through the air, until the one she was looking for one was in her grasp.

"I've been waiting to wear you for so long." she said to the gold-and-white sleeveless dress that reached midway down her thighs, bejeweled with sapphire gemstones. She picked out several pieces of gold jewelry to adorn her neck and arms, and finally slipped on a pair of leather sandals. She stood in front of a mirror, admiring herself.

"I can't not just keep this to myself. I have to go outside. And besides," she shuddered. "After that cretino's useless lecture... I think I need to go clear my head."

Would a simple walk around the resort suffice for her? No, certainly not for this ambitious girl. She set her sights on a bus stop just outside her hotel, intending to go where no Zeppeli had stepped foot before--the city of Las Palmas, capital of the Canary Islands.