"Are you sure he's gonna get home alright?" Carmen asked as she stood in the hotel lobby with Vitale and Rosalia.
"Enrique's Stand is very powerful," Rosalia assured the girl. "The strongest I've seen yet in my time as a Stand User. I'm sure he'll get home fine. Very few people will be get away from a confrontation against someone of his caliber unscathed."
Why am I even asking that? Carmen asked herself as she gave the Spaniard a smile of relief. The guy would sell me out for a chicken wing.
"So what's the plan now?" Vitale asked. "I need to know ahead of time so I can at least try to spend some of this vacation in peace."
"Idiota!" Carmen cried, punching her brother in the ribs, causing him to stumble backwards. "Watch what you say!"
"No, no. It's alright. I understand you came with your family, so spend time with them," Rosalia spoke humbly. "Enrique and I agreed that we'd be the ones finding Menudo. Tomorrow afternoon, we'll meet in Las Palmas after my shift is over. I doubt they'd attack us in the biggest city in the Islands. You two don't need to come. You've helped us enough."
I wanted for all of us to spend some quality time together, but with this turn of events, it can't be that way, the words of the Zeppeli siblings' father echoed in his daughter's head.
Whether or not Rosalia's case is separate from Papa's, he's right. This isn't just a regular vacation anymore.
"No, Rosalia," Carmen took the older girl's hand in hers, giving it a squeeze. "We did come here for a vacation. But you've also become our friend. Us Zeppelis don't leave our friends hanging, so we'll help you as best as we can."
"Y-You're so sweet, hermanita," Rosalia smiled, squeezing Carmen's hand back. "You have a noble heart. The blood that runs through your veins calls for justice, and you choose to answer that call."
A pair of footsteps frantically entered the lobby as an elevator door opened. The three youths turned around, finding a shorter woman hurriedly coming their way. She wore a light-pink shirtdress, her waist defined with a white belt. Her dark curls, reminiscent of her son's, were tied behind her head in a chignon. Her round, plump face indicated that she was on the chubbier side, though she was not quite obese. The features of her face however were charming, reflected in the appearance of her daughter.
"Vitale, Carmen, there you are!" Angelica Lorenzo sighed with relief as she rested a hand each on her children's shoulders. "Do you realize what time it is right now? You had me worried!"
"S-Sorry, Mama," Vitale offered to speak on behalf of him and his sister. "We were so caught up, we lost track of time. It's almost midnight, right? Well, you see, the truth is... we met a new friend!"
Vitale pointed at a confused Rosalia, who offered an awkward wave.
"Hola, Señora!" Rosalia put on a professional front, much like the one she showed customers at Cafe Tacvba. "My name's Rosalia. I just met Vitale and Carmen here a couple of hours ago. Vitale's right, time really does go by fast. I'm sorry for keeping them here so late."
Wow, she's really good at reading Vitale's wavelength, Carmen noted. Even though they have nothing in common.
"Oh, Rosalia, was it?" Angelica asked with a smile. "You don't have to apologize for anything. If anything, I should be disappointed in Vitale for keeping you here so late. You seem like a very sweet young lady. I have no worries leaving Carmen in your hands."
"Mama, what!?" Zeppeli was so taken aback that he cried out in English. "I promise I wanted to leave as soon as I could, but--
"Vitale, please be a gentleman. Were you going to allow Rosalia to walk home at such an hour?"
YOU ARE READING
Una Extraña Aventura: A Zeppeli Tale [ON HIATUS}
Fanfiction[Loose prequel to Thin Air, you may read it first but it isn't necessary] The Zeppeli Bloodline lives. On a seemingly ordinary vacation to the Canary Islands in 1991, 16-year-old Carmen Zeppeli expected a short, relaxing couple of weeks enjoying her...
