combatant

noun

1. a person or nation engaged in fighting during a war.

2. a person engaged in conflict or competition with another.

"Eyva, have you had a chance to show Lily around the place yet, my girl?" Mrs Overmeyer has obviously noticed the teen girl is a lot more quiet than normal. "Take her into the house and show her your room. Have her choose a room for herself and then lead her to the entertainment rooms and the kitchen."

Eyva, who was still standing nearby nodded demurely to her grandma and smiled sweetly, turned to me and waved me to follow her. This is one of these times when the White Witch would normally set me up or trap me into hurting her or saying something that would show my ignorance. I look at my mother and frown at her, asking her non-verbally if I really have to follow the step sister around.

"Go on. Be good. She'll look after you." I just raise an eyebrow in contention to that statement. "Don't be silly. She wont hurt you." And that's what I needed, my mum to voice out concerns in front of the grandparents and everyone else around us. I sigh in resignation and move towards where Eyva has left and move through the lovely garden party to the large doors of the mansion.

"Hurry up," she says as I finally catch up. I raise an eyebrow at her rudeness, challenging her to do that again. She huffs at me and turns around and take me through the lounge, then a series of corridors by the kitchen and up the back servant stairs. She stops outside a small room that is at the back of the first floor, right next to the butlers quarters. Not impressed. I fold my arms and look at her with indifference.

"What are you staring at. This is perfectly fine room for a country bumpkin like you." I raise my brow at her blatant rudeness. "What? Do you think you deserve anything better? This is probably the richest room you've ever lived in. You'll fit all of your rubbish and tacky clothing and it even has room for your sports equipment. Don't you think its perfect?" She smiles mockingly at me.

Without saying a word, I turn around and leave, walking back down the servants stairs, then going a few wrong directions in effort to pretend I am lost. When I find the kitchen where the catering is being plated and serve up from, I turn to the head maid who is a no-nonsense kind of lady who I know will give an objective report of anything she has seen or heard.

I wait here for about ten minutes, which should be enough time for Eyva to get back to the party with a sob sorry about how horribly I'd treated her. I even bet she has a broken lamp or her favourite photo frame, broken of course.

The first time it happened 'before', it was her favourite bracelet that came out broken. She cried so sadly, as it was a gift from her mother. I had only pointed it out how pretty it was to her when she showed me around her room the first time. She had handed it to me to look at, then took it back and promptly broke it, right in front of me. Yeah, learned my lesson about her rottenness she was fairly early on.

The catering kitchen starts slowing down with more waiters and maids our serving the wedding guests. I stood there out of the way, watching the busy bees moving around the busy hive of activity, waiters and maids moving in and out of the large kitchen with drinks and trays of food. When Mrs Hepburn finally acknowledges me I give her a little bow and explain that I am lost.

"Um, I'm Lily Twice. I think I'm moving here this coming week. My mum just married Mr Overmeyer." I give her a lovely smile.

"Oh yes, I understand, Miss Lily. How can I help you, dear?" I have always loved Mrs Hepburn. Even with the crazy job of catering and organising for the party, she still has time to help me with my problems.

"Well, Eyva, Mr Overmeyer's daughter, was asked to show me around and to help me maybe choose a room but after she showed me really lovely room next to the butler's quarters, she kinda left me there and I got lost trying to find my way back to the garden party." I give a self-depreciating giggle and cover my mouth.

"Next to the butler's quarters, you say?" She raised an eyebrow, as if she didn't believe that's where Eyva had lead me.

"Oh, yes. It was really lovely and had a huge window over looking the garage. It was across from a bathroom, the one with the large purple flowers. Wow, those were so pretty." That bathroom always had purple flowers in it so she would think I'd been in there today which would pinpoint the exact room Eyva had offered me. It was a servants room, for those like Mrs Hepburn or her family guests. It wasn't even in the main house, nor was it on the third floor where family members visit and stay.

"Oh, that child." The forty something woman growled, shaking her head.

"What's wrong? Did I do something wrong? If I have, I will apologise and make it right. Um... Could you maybe have someone lead me to the garden party?" My voice petered off as I watched the head maid's face get angrier and angrier.

"Hang on a moment." She says, then turns about to the young man next to you. "Grant, take over here, Love. I'll just be a moment." Grant is her son. He nods his head then starts doing exactly what she'd been doing, coordinating the whole kitchen affair.

"Come with me, my dear," she grabbed my hand and quickly lead me back through the house to the main kitchen and lounge area, and out into the garden party. I follow her towards the pagoda where the family heads are sitting and watching Eyva's current soap opera. As we walk near, I can hear how I'd apparently stolen into her jewellery box and dumped it all on the floor, stomping on it all. She held a series of broken pendants and crystal bangles that had been smashed.

"I don't know why she hates me so much, but why would she do this?" She sobbed into her grandma's arms who was standing before the rest of her family like a shield before a tsunami of rodents.

The way she was looking at me as we approached, I could tell 'rodent' was exactly what she thought of me. And because Mrs Hepburn looked like she was dragging me along in her haste to report our side of the situation, it really did look like I'd been caught where I shouldn't have been.

I quickly look at my mum and Wallace. My mum looks confused and Wallace looks disappointed in me. Jac-jac looked like he was crying after seeing his sister cry and Mr Overmeyer looked like was intrigued more than anything, probably having realised Mrs Hepburn was almost cradling me rather than apprehending me.

"Who hates you?" I ask in faux confusion, out of the blue.