Chapter 5

*Author's note*

So, I know I earlier said I'll upload every five days, but as the book is already completed, I decided to upload more on a daily basis.

Thank you for reading, from yours truly

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"How could you bring a stranger to the house, Arba?!" Mama asked in a harsh whisper after she had dragged Arba to a corner in the kitchen.

Arba ended up bringing the stranger home for Mama to treat his injury. This wasn't her best idea this year, Mama was pissed. Good thing Pa isn't home at the moment, who knows how livid he would be.

"Do you know the young man?" Mama asked immediately after she asked the first question and then she went on talking about all the dangers of Arba's actions, giving the young girl no chance to answer her questions.

After Mama's ranting, she asked again "How could you bring a strange man to our house?!"

Arba took a deep breath before answering, her eyes downcast, her posture smaller as though she is trying to shrink into the ground under Mama's belittling angry gaze. Arba has long since grown taller than Mama, at least a head taller, still it felt as though mama's looking down at her with her belittling gaze, especially now.

"He is injured Mama" she answered as though that should be sufficient reason for her actions "I thought maybe you could help him"

"Mama, you always say it's good for us to help one another when in need. I was following your words" she added, hoping to reduce any punishment that was coming her way.

"Ah Arba, I didn't mean to just bring any stranger home" Mama seemed more scared than angry with her at this point.

"What if he tells the town about you and they come after you or…." Mama held herself, stopping midway her sentence. "I don't want to lose you, my dear"

As Mama held her hands, saying those words, Arba looked into her eyes and realized that Mama wasn't angry because she spoke to someone or just because she brought someone home. No, Mama isn't angry with her, rather she is scared. Scared that she could lose her, her dear Arba.

"Mama, fret not" she replied, "he has seen my eyes and he wasn't scared"

"He even called them beautiful" she added, her cheeks taking a slight rosy hue as she said so.

Mama looked at her suspiciously, hoping that the actions of her daughter today weren't because she was swayed by a simple compliment.

"When have we ever made you feel any less than beautiful, hmm Arba?"

"No. Never. I…"

"Good you know. Y'ar beautiful, you know that. Your eyes are too. Know that, my dear and you would never be a woman who gets fooled by just any man who takes a second of his time to praise her looks" Mama said seriously.

"Now I'll go see to him. Just so he can leave faster" Mama said going to tend to the stranger. "I hope your father doesn't meet him here"

Arba hadn't really thought of Pa and how he could react all this while, that as soon as Mama mentioned him, she froze momentarily.

~.~

Arba entered into the living room to find her brothers interrogating the poor stranger, who didn't seem at all as intimated as she expected. She realized she didn't even know the name of the man she brought home.

"Leave him be" Mama said to her boys, as she entered the living room. "What's your name dear?" she asked the stranger

"Nice to meet you, ma'am" the young man respectfully replied, "Its Caleb, ma'am. My name is Caleb"

Arba noted that he purposely omitted his last name. Either he didn't have one or he didn't want them to know for some reason.

"Alright Caleb, can I have a look at your ankle?" Mama said to him seating by him on the smaller couch, where he was seated. "Arba said you had sprained it"

Caleb adjusted himself on the couch to put his legs up in order for the girl's kind mother to look at it. His eyes briefly meeting Arba's who quickly looked away. As he looked at her mother, he saw where the damsel who had saved him, whose name was apparently Arba, had gotten her beauty from and unlike her brothers, her hospitality too.

It didn't take long for mama to be done caring for his leg, a little this here and some that there was all it took. All the while she kept the five younger sons who had been drilling the young man occupied out of the living room. Once she was done however, and went out, as though on cue, they all trickled back in.

"Where are you from, Caleb?" asked Erc

"You certainly don't dress like someone from around here" Cedric, brother number two who rarely ever spoke, said

"And we most certainly don't know you from around town" Renart added

Arba was about to ask her brothers to lay off of him, but she then realized that she too was curious to know

Caleb cleared his throat a little before answering, "Truly, I am not from here" he replied. "I am from some town a bit far away from here, I am afraid"

"What town is that?" Erc asked immediately

"If it is so far from here, how did you find yourself lost on our property then?"-

"I am from the capital, Caledun" Caleb replied, Arba now understood why he had asked for 'ice' earlier. Caledun, the capital is cold, mostly snowy. "I came into town yesterday, while I was exploring your beautiful town this morning, I somehow found myself lost on your property where I hurt my ankle and was saved by dear Arba here"

After a few more minutes of interrogation, the answers supplied by Caleb seemed to appease her brothers, for now. They left him to rest for some time in a different room, while they went about their different activities, Pa and the other brothers who accompanied him were yet to return from town. Arba didn't have much to do, her few chores left can be done when they are all at the ball anyway she decided. She opted to stay with and Caleb for now. Her brothers were against living their brother sister with a stranger, one who is male for that matter. Mama, on the other hand allowed it, for she felt Caleb was in no physical position currently to hurt Arba, and he didn't strike her as bad, however, he was in a perfectly fit condition to steal their possessions. Who knows how sticky his fingers may be?

"Arba" Caleb said as though, he was testing the name on his tongue "It a beautiful name, befitting a beautiful maiden such as yourself" his charm was effortless and it did not go wasted on the already flustered Arba.

"Thank you" she said, finding her voice "I think you have a beautiful name too"

Caleb scoffed, "Don't flatter me, lady, neither my name nor I can be put in the same sentence as beautiful" he answered, lightly "except it's a statement purporting that I called a lady such as you that, beautiful"

"You flatter me" Arba stood up from opposite him and walked to the window, fanning her face.

"On the contrary, I think you are as close to an angel as I would ever meet. Your eyes, they are something, divine even"

Before Arba could refute this, Caleb asked, "Would you be attending the ball tonight?"

"I thought you are from far away, how do you know about the Neverland Royal ball?" Arba asked, casting him a wary look.

"I actually came into town for the ball, milady" he replied

"Oh"

"You were invited by someone from town or are your relatives here" she asked

"Something of that nature" he vaguely replied, answering nothing. Arba saw he didn't really give her an answer and nodded rather than commenting on it.

"So, you didn't answer me" he said, going back to question that arose the conversation on the upcoming ball "Are you going to be at the ball tonight?"

"Something of that nature" Arba replied, throwing back his words at him. Caleb regarded her for a few, before laughing out and she soon joined him

"Alright" he said, "I would love to see you tonight, though"

Just then Cedric and Erc entered, their faces showing their obvious displeasure at the jovial atmosphere. He was a stranger after all, with their baby sister, they can't be all that pleased..

"I think it's time to get going, young man" Cedric said, emphasizing his seniority b00y his address of the younger man. Though, the age difference between Cedric and Caleb is probably not up to a decade wide.

The jovial mood took a deep plunge once the brothers entered and was lost entirely once Cedric spoke. The two youngsters just realized that their time has come to an end, there won't be much feeling of melancholy if they were to see the next day. But as it is, in their case, they may never see each other again.

"You heard the man" Erc said, "Time to git"

Caleb lifted himself up the couch with not much difficulty and took a few steps before Erc came to his side to aid him out.

At the front door, before he and Erc crossed the threshold, Caleb looked back to Arba, who stood holding the door behind them.

"It has been nice making your acquaintance, Arba, I do hope we meet again. Sooner rather than later." He said with a warm smile, making his handsome face look more appealing.

"Thank you for your hospitality and all your help, Ma'am" he said to her mother who was a few feet behind her, in the living room. "I'm much obliged to you too, kind sirs, for all your help and assistance" he said facing her brothers.

There he goes, Arba thought as she watched him walk away, the only contact with the outside world she has ever had, probably the only she would ever have too. As she closed the door and walked back to the back room where they conversed, she looked around her immediate surroundings, her future was beginning to look extremely bleak, what if she never left this house, never saw the outside world, never saw Caleb again. All because of her blasted her coloration, she wished she could change it or cover it up or something, a mask perhaps. A mask, hmm. Suddenly, she brightened, she had an idea it seemed, concerning tonight's ball. She just might attend if her plan works out.

Who knows? If she is lucky she might have get to see the outside world and even meet Caleb again.

She has a chance to change her future to a less bleak one and she is going to take that chance. She looked outside, a few hours to the ball, time to begin preparations. She went to hurriedly finish the chores that were left, least it holds her back from attending, throwing a wrench in her plans.

'Are you going to be at the ball tonight' he had asked

'Something of that nature' she had replied.

Indeed, it seems, it just might be something of that nature.