I DON'T OWN TWILIGHT!! NEVER HAVE NEVER WILL!!

A Time of War

"Name?" Asked the woman at the desk before me. She sounded bored. Probably too many people coming to do exactly the same thing. That must get tedious.

"Jasper Whitlock," I responded.

"Age?"

"20," was my reply. I was bending the truth just a little. I was actually 16, but the important thing was that I looked 20.

"Hometown?"

"Houston, Texas.

"Report to Richmond for training in one month," she said and waved me on, calling "Next!" before I'd even turned around.

I was in!!! I was ecstatic. I had dreamed of this since the day the war had started! I was a soldier!

Now all I had to do was run away to training and not get caught in my lie. My father had always said I had charisma, so maybe I could get them to believe everything without actually having to try to hard. I hoped this would work. I didn't really like lying to anyone, especially my parents, but I knew they wouldn't approve of what I'd just done. They would be proud that I'd joined the Army, but they would be disappointed that I'd lied to do it. They raised me better than that. I sighed. I hated making my mother hurt, and this was going to hurt her.

I hurried home only to find the house empty, except for the house-slaves.

"Is there anything I can get for you Mr. Jasper?" said a female voice. I whipped around to find its source, a young girl. The African girl was only about 12 years old, her dark skin was still smooth, unroughened by wind and weather. She had been a house-slave all her life. I was fairly certain her name was Amber, but I wasn't sure. They all looked about the same, dark-skinned and black-haired. And stupid, although that wasn't really a look. Some of the more intelligent ones were allowed to be over others, a captain of sorts, over a division of privates. Most of the other ones that were almost intelligent enough to pass as a school dunce worked in the house. The rest worked in the fields of our plantation, picking cotton and tobacco. Well, this girl ought to know to do whatever I tell her.

"Just make sure that no one, and I mean no one, disturbs me tonight! That includes my parents!"

"Of course sir."

"Thank you. You may go," I said dismissively. She wouldn't be offended, those people, if you could call them that, didn't have feelings. Everyone knew that.

I hurried to my room and started to pack. One bag. That's all I would take, and not even a full bag, just an old flour sack.

What to take? Just one set of clothing, I wouldn't need more. Some money. I had to get to Richmond somehow. Some travel rations and a couple of portraits of my parents. That's all I need.

I make my way to the door of my room and check to see if the coast is clear before stepping into the hallway. I quietly make my way through the house to the back stairway I used earlier, coming in. Once outside, in the woods surrounding my home, I turn back to the old mansion that had been my safe haven for so long. Mentally I say my final goodbyes before returning to the task at hand. I will return. I will!!