1 Chapter One – Day Begins Pt. 1 (Homestead Arc)

Barren Valley, Mourne State, Country of Ganghe, Kingdom Drende

Menlo Homestead – 4 a.m.

Cock-a-doodle-do!

Cock-a-doodle-do!

Moo! Moo! Moo!

Hooves clattering and animals braying and barking emitted so much noise that Camellia couldn't sleep any further. Such was life in the homestead in Barren Valley. "Ugh, I was having such a nice dream too." She moaned in frustration.

"Doesn't matter. We need to get up, Cami." Reina called over to her. "You, too, Nanna."

"I'm up, I'm up…Cami stops sleeping. Do I need to whack you with a paddle?!" Nanna threatened.

"No, you don't." A few grumbles and curses later, she roused thoroughly. "Bah, I'm awake." She yawned, rubbed her eyes, and saw that her sisters were also boosted in similar states of grouchiness. "What do you think of today's weather, Nanna?" She inquired because not doing so would offend her already morose older sister.

Nanna grunted sourly. "Hot and no sign of rain as usual." She groused and frowned. "Though that'll change sometime in the eve, around 9 p.m. perhaps?" Confused, she shrugged over the anomaly. "Anyway, don't you have somewhere you need to be in a couple of hours?"

Huh? Oh right. Her shift at the trading post began early that day. Camellia grimaced. She'd almost forgotten in the flurry of last night's preparations for midafternoon traveling. A sigh escaped her. "Are you sure you don't want to accompany me, Nanna?" She regarded her older sister with concern.

Nana brushed rumpled black hair out of light green eyes. "I'm fine. I'm more concerned about whether or not you'll be able to make your way to the train station unhampered."

"Whether or not that happens, first, we must get through the day." A quiet voice interrupted them. "Nanna, stop sulking that our sister is leaving us. Focus on your upcoming marriage to Blake Hann." They were reminded of whom else they shared the room.

Petite, dark brown-haired, brown-eyed, and fair-skinned, Reina was the shortest at just five feet tall. She also had a knack for healing and herbology. She was the current star of the valley. At least until her apprentices managed to catch up and surpass her. Cami thought that would happen sometime soon.

Born into a set of quintuplets and the middle one, Camellia rarely had a moment's peace no matter where she wandered. "Sorry to disturb you, Reina." She spoke courteously to her oldest twin.

Reina shrugged. "It is a fact that you're going to leave, Camellia." She smiled. "Don't worry too much about it. Papa is going to give you his blessing." Reina sobered. "Let's just go about our usual daily chores, yes?"

"Yes, that would be the practical thing to do." Camellia agreed with a sigh. She also needed to concern herself with their mother, who was recently taken ill. No one knew if it was from some natural cause or troubling attempts of sabotage again.

Reina yawned. "I stayed up all night with Mum. She's over the worst of whatever was in that food Mrs. Tamish brought with her in the last week." She scowled. Dark green eyes glimmered with anger. Her silvery blond hair crackled around her. "That woman hates all of us." She shook her head.

Camellia bit her lip. "Well, I fear she's one of many in that case." She disliked half the women in town anyway. Jealous females who only wanted to associate with them due to their not-so-distant connection with the royal bloodline Drande.

Nonetheless, we can't ignore that they're becoming overtly hostile rather than merely subvert." Nanna murmured. "Father and Uncle Humboldt have finally narrowed down the suspects."

The three sisters exchanged glances and sighed. "Well, I shall get a start while you two figure out what you're going to do." Now that Camellia knew Reina had stayed up with her mother, she wouldn't discuss chores. Nanna was another situation entirely. She glanced at Nanna and frowned. "What were you doing last night anyway?" She recalled her sister had gone out with Daphne and Silvia again, accompanying them to the train station.

Nanna's mouth tightened. "Guarding our idiot sisters, what else?" She snapped. "Those idiots don't know the meaning of common sense." She shivered. "The Drande men were prowling and causing all kinds of chaos." She shook her head. "I'm worried because some of them threatened to destroy our property again, both in town and elsewhere."

Camellia shook her head. "Well, I guess I can do nothing right now." Rising to her feet, she headed to the washroom and carefully bathed. Then, she went and dressed carefully for the day. Her cases were already settled nearby, but she would only remove them from the room once she was prepared to begin her day in the store. That wasn't for another two hours. She needed to work on gaining more time with her mother before she left. "I'll go speak with mother." She quietly shut the door behind her.

*

When the door shut behind Camellia, Nanna, and Reina stared at each other. Their mouths tightened angrily. They knew what their sister faced. However, neither could prepare her for the final trial of courage that met her in the store. "Shall we forget about sleeping in?" Reina inquired.

"I'm afraid so." Nanna nodded soberly. "Besides, we have to treat some newborn kittens." She smiled a little. "They're going to attempt escaping. I just know it."

Reina laughed. "That is true." The wild kittens resembled Camellia, who rarely followed orders unless they suited her. Reina sobered. "What really happened to them?" She referred to Daphne and Silvia.

"They're going back to Abalone Bay." Nanna shivered. "They're bearing children later in the season, but for now, won't speak of who sired them." She shook her head slowly. "I think it was Carolan in one of his blind rages."

Reina frowned. "He's targeting Camellia, isn't that right?"

Nanna nodded. "I think he's going to make a last-ditch effort to prevent her departure this afternoon." She swallowed hard. "I don't know what to do."

Reina sighed. "Well, for now, we just cover all the chores so Camellia can eat peacefully. Otherwise, she won't get any sustenance once the other older ones realize she's awake."

The two sisters frowned at each other. Since Camellia was in the middle of everyone now, she was picked on and made to do everything. Their older sisters had become seriously lazy, as well as their brothers. They were determined to fix that state of affairs as soon as possible. "When is Papa going to be available?"

Reina frowned. "Before breakfast?" Sometimes he made the meal. Other times it was Nathan or Jasper, one of their adopted brothers, who did the prep work.

"I wonder when Enoch or Alistair will return from their travels?" Nanna murmured. "They seem rather delayed this time." Their eldest brothers had gone on several seafaring voyages. They sought to locate some missing relatives in another part of Ganghe.

"No matter. At least Fern and Dalia will be here for another week." Reina cheered up. Their oldest sisters always brought some good news from wherever they traveled. Like their older brothers, Fern and Dalia opted to leave Barren Valley for months on end.

Before they met, they all knew what had happened to their fathers, Fern's, Dalia's, Enoch's, and Alister's lives. Danovan married Maisie, their mother. The fact that he'd survived all those disasters with them was a testament to his perseverance and sheer dumb luck in some cases.

They sighed heavily. Far from being a relaxing lazy morning, it looked like they needed more free time. "Camellia had better thank us later for this," Reina muttered grumpily. She then noticed Nanna frowning at a small tablet in her hand. "What is happening now?"

"Trouble," Nanna stated abruptly. "It seems mischief is afoot in Abalone already and not through our sisters." Her face darkened angrily. "Why does no one want Camellia in the academy?" She scowled.

Reina thought about her question and the implications. "First of all, who're you communicating with?"

"Timothy Cranston." Nanna waited for the name to sink into Reina's consciousness.

Timothy was the neater version of Tierney or Tierney, Reina recalled. "Are you serious? He actually survived?" she shivered as she remembered those events. "I'm surprised he's even willing to continue talking to any of us."

"He wasn't originally." Nanna shrugged. "I finally told him a few good reasons why he should cooperate. He listened and thought the terms reasonable."

Reina blinked. She didn't even want to know what Nanna knew that gained his agreement. Instead, she contemplated what else might happen. "Is this all right?"

"Yes." Nanna nodded. "You know that Cami always liked him, right?"

"Yes." Reina agreed reluctantly. She wasn't entirely sure what her sister wanted to impress upon her.

Her sister gazed at her calmly. "Well, that hasn't changed in all this time." Nanna shrugged. "It is why she won't be serious about any young men, including Andrew." She scowled in distaste. "Although it seems he wasn't serious about her either."

Oh, Andrew. The brownnosing scumbag who was worse than Colin. Reina sighed. "I hope he finds a female who'll curb his tendencies and fast." She growled sourly. "I don't want her having a broken heart because of his stupidity."

Nanna shook her head. "Not possible. She isn't serious about him. Granted, she might feel slightly insulted by his choice, but she'll get over it as soon as she steps onto the train."

"I see." Reina nodded thoughtfully. "We just need to ensure that she gets onto that train."

"Yes." Nanna smiled. "For now, we should get more sleep. No, one'll bother us for another couple of hours." She patted the bedcovers.

Reina grunted and fell back asleep. She didn't want to get up so damn early, not even for a beloved sister.

*

As Cami walked along the corridor, she reflected on thoughts roaming her head and shook it wearily. "This is going to be rough." She wasn't going to give up her dream no matter what.

Word had spread about her achievements, and a lot of hostility and anger emerged from the siblings towards Camellia and her mother. She had just recently found out that Maisie graduated from Harmonious Glory Academy. They didn't really speak since there was so much to do.

She tapped on the door of her parent's bedroom.

"Come in, Cami," Maisie called. "I take it your sisters went back to sleep."

Cami smiled. Her mother knew everything about the farm. "Yes, Mother." She twisted the knob and opened the door. She walked through and studied her mother as she moved around the room briskly. It was as if she'd not fallen ill.

"I think you're ready to complete your last shift?" Maisie glanced at her.

"Yes, Mother. I am concerned about who'll take over after me." Cami had suggested that some of the boys could take over. She remembered that Stephen and a few others were interested in learning how to handle merchandise and dealing with people individually.

"Hmm, I think that you had some recommendations. I will discuss them you're your father after you've departed. I'm sure we'll be able to let you know later." Maisie had noticed her achievements, however, and was determined to give her more options other than living in Barren Valley.

Cami bowed her head. "I thank you for this opportunity to leave Barren Valley for a while at least."

Maisie nodded. "It would be a waste of your skills, Camellia." She shrugged. "As for me, I think it is interesting that of all the girls, you and only three others can produce such clever notions for teaching youngsters."

Maisie smiled at Camellia. "Never doubt that you're not going to succeed." She'd viewed it as an opportunity for Camellia to discover what she wanted to do with her life.

"I'll do my best." Now, Camellia was determined to make it happen. Only she wished her father supported her in this decision. However, he had yet to say a word about whether he approved.

Maisie smiled slightly. "I'm quite sure you will." She eyed Cami. "Don't worry about your father. He'll come through. He always does."

"All right, I'll focus on the present." That discouraged Camellia, but she was leaving today, no matter what happened. If her father gave her a blessing, that was a bonus. Danovan Menlo had a knack for providing good fortune to those he favored though he rarely acknowledged it as a gift or skill. Instead, he mainly relied on his hard work and used that achievement to express his pleasure.

Even as she walked toward the kitchen with her mother, Camellia saw her father finishing the last of the preparations. "Morning, Papa."

Danovan glanced at her with a smile. "Morning, Cami. Please enjoy the spread. The other pests made inroads before running off already."

Cami laughed because she knew exactly to whom he referred. "Oh my, I'll bet they weren't pleased with the morning alarms, were they?"

The latest crop of fostered children had arrived fresh from various areas of Ganghe country. Cami noted which ones still needed to be fully settled into the pace. "I'm sure they'll acclimate soon enough with anything that comes to shake them up." She shrugged because their mettle came through whenever something unpleasant occurred.