* Hey everybody! If you read my last author's note you know that I am renovating this story from the beginning. I am going back to the beginning and starting again. If you were an older reader, and don't want to read it again, fine. If you want to read it again because it's going to be a little different, also fine. The chapter order is still going to be the same, and the characters are the same but they might have different names. I really want you guys to let me know if this is better or worse than the original. If you're a new reader, just review and let me know what you think! Thank you and I hope you enjoy the story. *
MIA POV
You know that feeling when you have no idea about who you are anymore? When you've changed so much that you don't even feel that you're still who you were before? Well, I'm there. Sitting here, at my old house, looking at an old picture of my family, I know. I'm there.
Born Amelia Rae Whitlock, I was born in Houston, Texas in 1846. My mother and father were very respected people in the city, and my brother and I looked up to them. My brother admired my father, and always said how he wanted to be just like him. My father died when I was fourteen and my brother was just out of school. He had a job and he was supposed to be getting married soon. It was a really bad time for my father to leave.
A year later, my family and I were really low on money. The civil war had just started, and everywhere you went you heard of young men joining the Confederate Army. My brother was one of those people. Although he was only eighteen, he had always been taller for his age, and he was very strong. My mother finally allowed him to join. It was a bad mistake on her part.
*FLASHBACK*
"Why do you have to go away Jasper, I don't know what I'm going to do without you!"
"Don't worry Amelia, I know how to take care of myself. Trust me, if I had a choice, I would've stayed with you, but I can't. It is my job to take care of this family now, and this is the only way I can do it."
"I'll go, I'll fight instead of you-"
"Amelia, give it up. You're crazy if you think that I'm going to even consider you going out to war. I'm sorry Amelia, but I have to go. I have to represent the South."
"Fine."
"Amelia, don't do this to me!"
"I'm sorry, it's just I don't know how I'm going to get through the day knowing that you are risking your life, and I can't do anything about it! I won't have anything to do here except worry! I have no more important jobs here except fetch water!"
"But Amelia, you have the most important job. When I leave tomorrow morning, it will be your job- no, your duty to take care of Momma. You're going to be the "man" of the house while I'm gone, and I'm going to need it in tip-top shape. You understand me soldier?"
"Sir, yes sir!"
We ran around for a little while longer until I had started to get tired. Jasper picked me up and carried me home, knowing it could very well be the last time he would ever get the chance. Any other day, I would've argued that I could walk, but given the circumstances I gave him his moment.
He brought me home and I changed into my nightgown. Before I went to bed I wanted- I needed to ask Jasper one last thing. This was probably the most important thing I would need to ask him.
I walked quietly downstairs, and I found Jasper in the main room reading. Of course.
"Jasper?"
"Amelia, what are you doing awake? You should be in bed, darlin'."
"I just need to ask you somethin'. Can you do me a favor tomorrow before you leave?"
"I guess, what do you want me to do?"
"Wake me up so I can say goodbye. I may never see you again and there's something I need to give to you. A good luck present, something to remember me while your out fighting."
"Of course Amelia."
"Do you promise? Promise you'll wake me up Jasper, I'm not kidding."
"Yes Amelia, I promise. I'll wake you up before I leave."
"Thank you. Goodnight Jasper"
"Goodnight Amelia."
I awoke the next morning to the sound of about five horses. Jasper! He must've forgotten about me!
I ran outside as fast as my legs would allow, to find my brother inside the carriage that would take him out to war. My mother was bidding him farewell, and crying at the same time.
"JASPER!" I yelled, I wanted to pull him off of that carriage, but my mother held me back
"JASPER!" I yelled again, but again, my mother held on to me tight. I knew that I wasn't going to get to him, so I yelled my final words to my brother.
"JASPER, I LOVE YOU!"
I was being held tight in my mothers arms, half of it comfort, half of it making sure I didn't jump onto the buckboard that was being carried away by speeding horses.
*END FLASHBACK*
I never really forgave Jasper for not waking me up, but I understand now what I couldn't then. He was trying to protect me. Over the course of the next few months, my mother was a wreck. I did most of the chores, and I had learned to take care of myself. I taught myself how to read, and read most of Jasper's old books.
Jasper was a good person. He fought for what he believed in, and he was always able to comfort me. We used to spend our afternoons hiding from Momma in a meadow about a mile into the woods behind our house. We would play football and laugh and just have fun. We would talk about Jasper getting married and how Jasper was going to protect me from every boy in the county.
Jasper taught me right from wrong and he taught me how to stay strong when you couldn't take the pain anymore. Even though I can't really remember my parents anymore, I can remember him very well. I think about him when the blood lust takes over. He's the reason I'm here. He's the reason I haven't killed a human in over thirty years.
* FLASHBACK *
I was in the meadow, waiting for dinner. It had been a two years since Jasper left. I was seventeen now. Momma said that I could take a break, for I had been doing a lot of the chores lately. Momma was growing very weak and fragile, and I didn't think she could take much more. When Papa died, she had been a mental wreck for weeks, but she recovered. Now, I was lucky if I could get her out of bed. I didn't like her, I never really liked her, but she was my mother, and I was worried about her.
I decided that against Momma's wishes, I would go help her with whatever she was doing back at the house. The least I could do was chop some fire wood. I had taken on a lot of the masculine chores since I knew my mother couldn't handle those. Jasper had taught me how to do them when I was little, and I helped him as I got older and stronger. Now, it was my time to shine.
I was almost at the path when I heard a voice behind me:
"Look at those muscles, she's got to be strong"
I turned around to see two people standing on the other side of the meadow. One man and a woman.
"C-Can I help you with something ma'am?" I figured I should try to be polite. I was a woman after all, even if I didn't like it.
"What is your name?" The man asked me.
"A-Amelia Rae Whitlock, Sir"
"Stop stuttering!" He ordered, "Do you have a brother, Amelia?"
"Yes, Sir, Jasper Whitlock, he's currently in the Confederate Army." I looked down at my feet. Bad idea.
"She'll do." I then felt a pair of hands grab my wrists and pull me to the ground. The hands were cold and small. It had to have been the woman. She was too strong for me to even think about getting up. Then, the man came over to me and bent down so he was eye level.
"You're going to be a great addition, I can feel it."
He then lowered his head to my neck, and bit me. I could feel the fire racing through my veins. It was like nothing I had ever felt before. Worse than my brother tackling me, causing me to fall down the stairs, a thousand times worse than me tripping because I was running to catch up with Jasper on his way into town. This was fire, and it burned. Bad.
I don't recall how long I was unconscious for, but when I woke up, I saw two faces looking at me. The man and the woman from the meadow.
"Welcome back Amelia, how are you feeling?" Until he mentioned it, I had felt fine, but now, I could feel the fire lingering in my throat.
"My throat hurts, sir."
"Don't worry, we're going into Dallas tomorrow night, you'll get your feed then. By the way, I'm Kurt. The other woman in the field was Martha, my wife. Pay attention to me Amelia, I am going to give you a set of directions, if you don't follow them, you will be killed. Understand?"
"Yes, sir,"
"Outside of this building, there is a path. About a mile down the path there is a man. His name is Fredrick. Fredrick is going to take you where there are others like you. If any of them attack you, kill them. If not, leave them be. You are going to be a good fighter Amelia, don't ruin it."
"Yes, sir."
I left the building, still pondering what the heck this guy was talking about. Feeding? Fighting? I didn't understand anything anymore, and I had loads of questions, but as my father once said, "All relevant questions will be answered in time if you pay close enough attention to your superiors." I had a feeling that this Fredrick guy was my superior. If I listened and did what I was told, I would get all the answers that should be needed. Well, I hoped that was the case.
* END FLASHBACK *
I remember that day perfectly. It's my first memory as a vampire, so it's pretty clear. Turns out most of my questions were answered in time, and Fredrick and I became pretty good friends. He taught me how to fight, and I helped him with others like me. Other Newborn Vampires. We were partners for a little while, but I got switched around a lot because I flew up the ranks pretty fast. Like Kurt said, I had been a good fighter. They put me where I was needed, and no where else. Usually, I spent my days training newborns with Fredrick, but sometimes I would get out during the day and go home. I would go to my meadow and tell my brother everything that was happening to me.
One day, another newborn came, and he scared me. He scared me because I usually didn't pay attention to the newborns when they came. They were animals to me, and nothing they did affected me. I could kill them if I wanted, and I wouldn't think twice. But this one, this one had something about him that I just couldn't keep my eyes off of.
* FLASHBACK *
"What's your name, kid?" I asked him as he was walking up the path. He was no doubt confused, everyone was when they came here. You looked around and all you saw were barracks of vampires who were fighting, and most of the time you didn't even know what vampires were yet.
"Tyler, ma'am." He said, and bowed. Okay, so he was from around here, and he was a gentleman. This could work.
"Amelia!" I heard Fredrick yell from one of the barracks. One of those ding-dong newborns must be giving him a hard time.
"Tyler, come with me." I said, and he did what he was told. He must've already met Kurt. Poor kid.
I walked inside the barrack where he was demonstrating how to kill another vampire. You rip them apart and burn the pieces. We all knew that by our second day. It was the first lesson you learned in army camp.
"What do you want, Fredrick?" I asked him, and he just glared at me.
"Watch it Amelia, or I'll take you down. I'm not afraid of beating up a woman, if that's what you are." He said.
"You wanna check?" I asked him, smirking. He rolled his eyes, but then noticed Tyler who was standing awkwardly behind me.
"You the new kid?" Fredrick asked, walking up to him.
"Yes, sir. I'm Tyler. Tyler Lowden." He said, good thing he didn't studder. They hated that around here.
"Well, Tyler, join the group. You look like a good fighter. How old were ya?" And the interrogation begins. I really didn't want to stay, but something about Tyler just made me want to make sure that he and Fredrick were going to get along.
"I was twenty-two sir, a confederate soldier." Bonus points. I wonder if he knew Jasper?
"Good job, kid. Now, get in line." He ordered, then turned to me, "Amelia, are you gonna stand there or help out?"
"I can help if you need me Fredrick." I said, and walked over to him.
After the lesson was over, Tyler came up to me.
"What's up, Tyler?" I asked him.
"Do we really have to kill like that?" He asked. He looked really upset. Nobody really liked killing when they first came here, I didn't, but it's something you need to get used to.
"Yeah, I'm afraid you do." I said, and walked off.
"So, you're Amelia? So far, you're the only girl I've seen here, even though I haven't seen much. How did that happen? Girls can't be soldiers, can they?"
"Not many, Tyler, but don't worry about it. I like you, Tyler. Don't get yourself killed, okay? Just do what they say, and listen to Fredrick. He knows what's happening, and he's a good guy to have on your side."
"Alright. Hey, it was nice meeting you, Amelia."
"You too, Tyler."
* END FLASHBACK *
Tyler ended up being a good fighter, and we practiced together during the day. I told him everything about my family, and he told me about his life in the Confederacy. We didn't hide anything from each other, and soon, we became partners in battle. A few months later, we fell in love. Other than Fredrick, Martha, and Kurt, we were the oldest here. Everyone came to us for advice, and we were happy to give it.
Over the years, I also kept Martha and Kurt impressed which was a good thing. If you slacked, you were killed. If you disobeyed orders, you were killed. If you attacked another member of your cult, you were killed. Overall, if you weren't really good at following directions, and keeping yourself in control, you were killed. With Tyler, I didn't have to worry about any of this. We watched each other's backs and kept each other in check. We had our fair share of fights, but for the first time in a long time, I was happy.
My happiness didn't last very long after that. Pushing my hundredth year with Martha and Kurt, I wasn't doing as good as I once had been. In a battle, I almost died because I made stupid mistakes. You can't make mistakes, or you get killed. Martha and Kurt noticed that I was slipping up in battle, and they didn't like it. Fredrick told me to smarten up, or they were gonna put me on the list. Of course, Tyler got defensive, but I knew Fredrick was right. I just didn't fight as good as I used to be able to. I needed to run away.
I talked to others in the camp, and I found out that the north was a lot more civilized. They were at peace with one another, and there weren't any battles. When the Volturi came and wiped out pretty much our whole army, I had to leave. Tyler was with Fredrick, and Kurt had been killed. Martha was too busy dealing with that to worry about any of us. I ran, with no one else on my mind except for Tyler. This was gonna kill him, but after 100 years of fighting, I had to do it.
I didn't stop running until I hit Tennessee. That was where my life changed the most. Well, other than me becoming a vampire. I ran up to the mountaintops, not knowing what to find. Maybe some hikers or campers or something. I just wanted to make sure I was far enough from the city. I knew that I needed to camouflage myself now, and I couldn't be seen in public.
What I saw was almost better than a hiker or camper. It would've been better if I killed her. I saw a girl laying there, and she was crying. She was pinned back against a tree, and she was terrified. I remembered how I felt when I saw Martha and Kurt for the first time in that meadow. Fear. Uncertainty. Helplessness.
"Are you alone?" I asked her.
"My brother was just killed." She replied in fear. I knew that she wanted to run. I knew that she wanted to try and fight me off, but she had no hope. I took a step towards her and she screamed out in terror. Unfortunately for her, no one was going to hear her.
"What's your name?" I asked her in the smallest voice I could make. I had a feeling I knew what I was going to do with her, but I needed to know her name. Maybe it would take the guilt away.
"L-Layla." She whispered. She was so scared.
"I really hope you don't die, Layla." I said, and I bit her neck, not sure if I was going to be able to stop or not.