The Warrior's Equal

Chapter Four

The rest of the week went by smoothly. I continued sparring; although Cal only joined me one other time, surprisingly, a new person came each time, stating they had missed morning practice which gave me a partner each day. It was a nice change; although some sparring partners were nicer than others, it still gave me the training I needed. Ezra and Tara were still excited about the party, which gave me time to meet them. We would meet up at Tara’s place then head to the packhouse afterward. It was a good plan, except Tara lived five miles away from the school and six from the orphanage. Meaning I had to walk for at least an hour or two to get there. It was a bother, and I considered just bailing, but the thought of actually having friends gave me pause. It would be worth talking to people my own age, I concluded. That’s how we got here, Me walking towards Tara’s house the minute I got off work. We were supposed to meet at 7:30 since the party started at 8pm, but I didn’t get off till 6:30, meaning I had an hour to get to Tara’s house. I had the clothes I would wear in my bag and made sure to dress in sweats this morning if I had to run. My hair was still a bit damp from the pool water, and I reeked of chlorine. Yet it was nice outside, taking in the calm wind as I walked alongside the road. I checked my phone to make sure I was still heading the right way. I was, and it seemed I hadn’t even gotten that far. I still had forty-five minutes to go. How wonderful, I decided this would be an excellent time to start jogging; the feeling of dread was welling up inside of me, knowing it was unreasonable but having no way to combat it. I started racing to get to her house faster and hopefully improve my mood.

I stood outside the door, panting, trying to catch my breath. I was not the most athletic, and I could feel my lungs constrict against my ribs as if they could never get enough air. It didn’t help that I had to knock on the door. I didn’t have Tara’s number, so I couldn’t text her that I was here. 

I went up to the door and began knocking. Hoping that Tara or someone I knew would open the door. If she didn’t, I had phrases ready in my mind to say. It was slightly past the meeting time, but I hoped it wouldn’t matter. The door slowly began to open, and I was greeted by an older woman. She looked exactly like Tara. 

“Hello, my name is Evanne. I am friends with Tara? She said to meet here before the packing party, so we could go together.” I began mumbling. 

“Of course, dear, why don’t you just head upstairs. Her room is the first on the left. Ezra should be up there already.” She smiled, and I could tell that she was indeed a kind woman. 

“Thank you very much,” I replied, returning her smile, before heading up the stairs. Tara’s door was open, and I could hear music and laughter coming from inside. I didn’t know if it was okay for me to go inside, I didn’t want to be rude, so I knocked on the side of the door to announce my presence. 

“Ah! See, I told you she would come!” Tara sang at Ezra before motioning me inside. 

“sure, sure you were right.” Ezra mocked. 

“Thank you for inviting me,” I said, nodding towards Tara and Ezra, who looked to be in the middle of putting on their makeup and doing their hair. 

“No problem. It’ll be fun tonight.” Tara remarked as she continued to straighten her hair. 

“Is that what you are going to wear?” Ezra asked, pointing up and down towards the athletic wear that I was sporting. 

“No, I have the clothes in my bag, it was just a bit of a walk to get here, and I didn’t want to ruin my outfit,” I responded. 

“A walk? Could your parents not give you a ride? I am sorry if I would have known, I would have picked you up!” Tara stammered; her eyes seemed to be filled with sincerity and worry. 

“NO, no! I am sorry, no, it’s fine, it was good. Do you mind telling me where the bathroom is so I can get changed?” I replied, hoping she would gloss over the questions she had asked that I clearly did not answer. It looked like Tara was about to say something else before Ezra said 

“Ya, you take a left from this room, and it’s the first door on your right.” I was glad that Ezra seemed to not care as much as Tara, and I went quickly to the bathroom. I didn’t have many nice clothes, but I could find an adorable sundress a couple months ago that was crying to be worn. It might have been a bit cold for it, but it should be fine since we would be indoors. I quickly slipped off my clothes and put on the dress. I then put on some deodorant and a light spritz of my wildflower perfume. I really did not want to smell like sweat and chlorine. I brushed my hair slightly then went to meet the other girls. I had makeup, but I thought it would be more fun to do together. As I opened the door, I ran right into someone. It looked as if he was about to enter the bathroom just as I came out. 

“I am sorry,” I muttered, looking up at him slightly. He was handsome. He had sharp features, curly dark brown hair, and Sepia ( a reddish-brown) skin. His eyes were sensitive and questioning. 

“Ah, no problem, you must be my sister’s new friend.” He replied. He was standing close, and I couldn’t help but catch a whiff of Hot chocolate and pine coming from him. I quickly maneuvered out of the doorway and to his side so I could escape. 

“Ya, I guess. I will    oitio5k     head back now—nice meeting you,” I shyly replied before rushing towards Tara’s room. Tara and Ezra seemed to have moved on from their hair and now doing each other’s makeup. Tara had beautiful straight hair, and Ezra went for tight curls. They both looked stunning. Tara was focusing extremely hard on making sure Ezra’s eyeliner was perfect before she looked up towards me. 

“Wow, that’s a really nice dress Eva” Tara exclaimed. I don’t know why, but I could hear a low growl that seemed to come from Ezra; she seemed to dislike Tara’s attention. 

“Oh, thanks,” I replied sheepishly before heading over to the mirror they were sharing. 

“Do you mind if I use a bit of the mirror to put on my makeup?” I asked shyly. 

“Not at all; we weren’t really using it anyway,” Tara said as she scooted Ezra over. 

“Thanks,” I said as I began to put my makeup onto her cabinet next to the mirror. I had a routine that I always used after watching multiple make-up videos and taking quizzes on what I should do. I was not a pro by any means, but I knew enough to not look bad. I put on a light cream that is supposed to make pores smaller; I then put on BB cream and a contour stick, making sure to blend it in. I used a light bit of blush. Then onto my eyes. I used a white eyeliner stick which made my tiny eyes pop. I used medium purple in the crease and light pink for the eyelid. I then put a bit of white and put it in the corners of my eyes. Then curl eyelashes, mascara and brush my eyebrows. The lipstick I used was a light tan making it look like I hadn’t put anything on them. I then spritzed myself with a setting spray. This all took about thirty minutes. By the time I was done, Ezra and Tara were just finishing. To say they looked stunning would be an understatement. They were gorgeous. It made me think I would be the ugly one of the group. 

“Tara, we are heading out soon,” Her mom yelled. 

“Alright, we will be down soon!” Tara replied. She took a quick look in the mirror to make sure everything looked alright, then looked over Ezra and me before smiling. 

“We are ready!” She stated, then began to head down the stairs, me and Ezra I followed suit. When we got down, Tara headed straight towards the front door. 

“My parents are impatient, so they are probably waiting in the car already.” She stated, holding open the door for us. I made sure I was in the back of the group so I would know where to sit. Their car was a black SUV, we entered the car, and they immediately went to the seats in the back. There were three back seats, two in the middle, then the drivers and passengers. Her brother, I assume, the one I ran into at the bathroom, was sitting in the middle seat. I gave him a quick nod before taking my seat in the back next to Tara, who sat between Ezra and me. She was taller, so she needed the leg space. 

“All ready, seat belts on?” A deep voice echoed through the van. 

“Yeah,” We all replied in unison. He then started the vehicle and headed off. The party was being held at a new auditorium. They stopped at a house in between to pick someone up. He was the friend of Tara’s brother. I don’t think I have ever seen him before. He jumped in, saying hello to Tara’s brother, and thanked their family for the ride. I couldn’t tell what he looked like because I was sitting behind him, but he had a pleasant voice, and he smelt like firewood. The car was alive with conversation and excitement for the party, but I could only feel the exhaustion from the ordeal. I didn’t know if I would be able to do this. 

“Oh, I forgot to introduce you to everyone!” Tara said while knocking her hand against her head a bit. 

“Gosh, I can be such a klutz sometimes .” She remarked. 

“Nah, it’s okay, I understand,” I replied, stretching my smile. 

“Well, You’ve met my mom. The guy driving is my dad; the ugly guys upfront is my brother, Ike, and his friend Walter.” 

“Hey! We aren’t as ugly as you!” Ike remarked Tara stuck her tongue out in response. 

 “They are two grades above us. And this is Evanne; she is in our gym class,” She remarked as she pointed to each person, then me. She seemed excited, and I smiled through it all, waving Hi to each other as they did the same. 

“Nice to meet you, Evanne,” Walter smirked as he turned around to face the back seat. He had short blonde hair and stubble, which most likely hid his baby face. 

“You too,” I replied, smiling. I didn’t really talk the rest of the time; they all started to joke and chide with each other; I was okay with just watching. Laughing occasionally at the things said. I  felt left out, but I was also consumed with the feeling of cheer that it was tough to hide my insecurities. 

“Alright, we are here. “ Tara’s dad stated; we stopped in front of the main entrance. When I got out, I was hit with millions of different scents. There were a lot of people here; it almost stunned me. I looked around, but all the others seemed unaffected, so I assumed this must be normal. Her mother and father drove off to park the car, and we five entered the building. There was a desk right as we entered and what seemed to be a receptionist. 

"Are you here for the ceremony?" She asked. Ike responded right away

"Yes. We are a party of seven. My parents are parking the car." 

"Okay, the event is being held in the double doors to my left." She pointed to her left before facing forward again. We walked past and into the double doors. I could barely contain all the different smells that surrounded me. Stepping inside, the room looked like an auditorium, with a vast stage upfront. All the front seats seemed to be taken, and only a few people were standing and mingling—the aisles. We maneuvered around people before finding a row of seats halfway back. We couldn’t see well, but we got seats in the middle row instead of the sides. 

"Got lucky there's one left! I'll text parents our location," Ike stated. We all just slightly mumbled in response before sitting down. Walter and Ike started whispering before standing up.

"We are gonna find our friends," Ike spoke. 

"Sounds good; gives us time to hang out without you losers," Tara responded. Causing Ezra to giggle and Ike to stick his tongue out at her before leaving.  Tara was in between both me and Ezra. They started talking And laughing amongst each other; I couldn't really hear that well. I could smell something amongst all the others; it was vile and sweet at the same time. As if something was rotting, it was a stark contrast to the other smells, which were all charming or musky. 

"Do you guys smell that?" I asked, looking at Tara and Ezra. Tara lifts her nose a bit, looking confused. 

"No, nothing unusual. Why? Do you smell something?" 

"Ya, it smells rotten like someone left out a fruit or meat to go bad. It's messing me up" I crinkle my forehead, slightly holding my breath to not let the stench in. 

"Huh, that's weird. Idk what you smell, but if you need to go to the bathroom or outside or something, go ahead." Tara said, smiling but looking confused and sad. 

"Thank you," I said, standing up to leave the room. 

"I told you we shouldn't have invited her. She doesn't even want to hang out with us." Ezra said to Tara, I doubt she meant to be loud enough to hear, but I did anyway. It hurt that they thought that, but I couldn't stand the stench any longer. I needed to clog my nose or maybe just refresh it. I headed out of the auditorium. The stink just got worse; I quickly ran towards the doors that led outside. My eyes were blurring, and I could feel the vomit rising. I clasped my hand over my mouth. "I just needed to get outside. It would be over If I just get outside." I thought to myself as I sprinted towards the opening door. I didn't notice the people opening the door as I rudely pushed past them and ran towards the bushes near the building. I immediately vomited into the bushes. The feeling in my stomach seemed to ease. Thankfully. Because of the vomit, I couldn't smell as well. Thankfully. 

"I need to clean myself up," I thought to myself, still bending over the bushes with vomit splatter. That's when I felt a soft hand touch my shoulder. I jolted up and turned around, not expecting to see Tara there. Her eyes were downcast and her mouth in a twist, as if she was deciding on what to say. I spoke first

"I am sorry I left so suddenly. I didn't mean to make you feel bad." I stammered. 

"Are you okay? I am sorry I shouldn't have pushed you to come. I didn't realize this would happen" she was looking at me, and I couldn't help but feel like she actually cared. 

"I am fine, and no, it wasn't that I didn't want to come at all! I was actually really excited! I just smelt something overwhelming that caught me off guard. I am not used to strong scents." I looked back at her, hoping she would understand I meant no harm. 

"Whew, I am glad that it wasn't because of me." Tara beamed. She had gotten her smile back and looked better with it. 

"Um, I didn't know where the bathroom was.." I stuttered. 

"Haha, it's a new building. I don't think I even know! But I am sure the reception would. Let's ask, okay? I need to go anyway as well". Tara spoke.

"Thanks, I really appreciate that," I answered. 

We went walking up to the receptionist, who seemed irritated at me. I looked down to avoid her hateful gaze. 

"Do you know where the bathroom is? My friend needs to clean up. She wasn't feeling well early." Tara chirped. This seemed to make the receptionist ease herself, 

"Of course. It's straight down the hall; there are signs. You won't miss it." She stated a bit harshly. 

"Also, young lady. Make sure to apologize the next time you run into other people." She remarked. 

"Of course. I am sorry". I stuttered in reply. Upset with myself and how rude I had been. Tara lightly pulled me ahead, whispering in my ear. 

"Maybe you should've puked in the building with how she was acting," Tara smirked. 

I couldn't help from giggling, covering my mouth unconsciously as a smile appeared on my face. She seemed to be laughing as well. 

We found the bathrooms reasonably quickly; I entered and went to the sinks to wash my face and blow my nose. I regretted doing that as the smell hit me once more. Not as strong, but still present. I covered my nose quickly.

"You must have some sniffer. I can't smell anything, and here you are, smelling something so strong you puke. Can you tell where it's coming from?" Tara asks. 

"No, but I can tell that the smell seems to be lingering. And more than one person is carrying it. Whatever it is." I say. 

" How do you know it’s a person?" Tara asks. 

"I don't know for sure. To be honest, I am just guessing because it seems to be moving. It's not like it's centered at a certain spot." I say, grabbing a paper towel to dry my hands, then stuff some in my nose. 

"Now that's a fashion statement!" Tara joked. I giggled in response which unhinged one of the wrappers. As I was redoing it, Tara asked. 

"Does that even help?" 

I take a quick inhale-exhale through my mouth before answering. 

"Yes and no. I won't puke with these at least." I say. Stuffing it in a bit further. Before motioning towards the door. 

"Wait. You're actually gonna go out like that?" She asked, looking baffled. 

"Well, I don't want to miss hanging out. And if that means I look a little weird, so what." I reply, smiling and giving her a light tap. 

"As long as you're fine. I just don't know if I want to be seen with you," Tara joked, smiling as she walked in front of me. 

"Haha, well, if that's how you are going to be, I will have to make extra sure to embarrass you" I laugh fully this time, making sure to walk beside her as we walk down towards the auditorium. 

There was a man in front of the doors; as I walked closer, I could feel his smell; it was him. He smelt of rot. I unconsciously slanted towards Tara and slowed my pace, not wanting to get closer. 

"You okay?" Tara whispered. Aware of the man unmoving in front of the doors. 

"Yes, that guys just creepy," I say. I don't tell her he smells because I feel that something terrible will happen. As we get closer, the smell gets stronger and stronger. I start to hold my breath. Before we enter, I look up at the man who smells like death, without anyone else aware.