Chapter 5: Are These Real Ears? Quit Being a Baby and Take Them Off!
"Is this some kind of crazy... tribal status thing?" Isabella muttered under her breath, scanning their arms.
Her gaze flickered from one male to the next. She wasn't sure what those marks meant—some had two lines, some had one, and others had none—but she knew one thing for sure.
Whatever was happening here, it was going to end soon. She wasn't going to sit around and let things happen to her.
But God, she was exhausted.
Her entire body ached from wandering aimlessly for hours, and she felt—no, she knew—she looked like a complete disaster. She had always prided herself on her appearance, but right now? Right now, she looked like a woman who had fought a war with the jungle and lost miserably.
Her expensive golden-blonde hair, once glossy and styled to perfection, now hung in tangled, greasy clumps. Her once-flawless skin was streaked with dirt, her designer clothes long gone, replaced by a makeshift outfit of poorly-stitched animal hide that itched. The damn thing smelled like a wet dog had rolled in something foul and then died.
And speaking of smells...
She stank.
She didn't even need a mirror to confirm it—she could feel the grime on her skin. It clung to her like a second layer, and every movement sent a fresh wave of sweat and filth wafting up to her nose. Disgusting.
Isabella had never in her life gone more than a few hours without a shower. Now, she didn't even want to think about how long it had been.
As she trudged forward, her leafy, makeshift sandals flopping awkwardly against the dirt, she was dimly aware of the way people were staring.