Prologue
BPOV
I could hear gunshots all around me, the bleak field with sparse trees stained with blood. Vultures were circling above, waiting for their turn to feast. Bodies were piling up, reeking of rust and salt, the smell nearly making me sick. But it was all worth it. This was what I did. The army was my life.
I was born on July 4TH, 1838. My brother, Matthew, died at 19 from a fever; I only knew him for a few years. My dad is Charlie, from America; my mom Renee was originally from Italy, thus my name- Isabella. Normally only Bella.
Our little house in Pennsylvania was perfect for us; small, quiet, and home-y. We had just enough money for the necessities of life, but we were happy. Then Charlie lost his job.
Very quickly, our life went from good to not so good. We had to sell two of our three cows, and three out of our 5 chickens just to keep the house.
That's when I heard about the army.
It was 1864, and I was 16. Our family really needed the money, and the army paid its recruits handsomely. My mom thought it was too dangerous for me, and I was too young anyway. That night I cut off my hair with a knife and snuck away, my brother's self-portrait and I.D. in my hand.
I now looked almost exactly like my brother- people always said we looked like identical twins- he was short for his age. I slowly made my way to the army base. Once there, the General was pleased to have another soldier and quickly swept me up into his training class.
I'm not bragging, but I was always smart, and General Whitlock was pleased with my work. He told me to call him Jasper, and I quickly began to become one of his favorite students. A couple weeks after I joined the army, Jasper came up to me and whispered, "I know who you really are Isabella Swan. I'm not gonna tell anyone though, if I did I would lose one of my best soldiers." I thanked him over and over, I told him why I joined the army in the first place.
A few months had passed and I got called "Swan!!!! You're needed on the battlefield!!!!!" My time had finally come.
