January 15, 1863

Jessamine walks swiftly through the streets of Houston. It was at the time of day when the sky slowly sunk on the horizon, when the light slowly gave way to dusk. If she wasn't careful, she wouldn't get home until the sky was such an inky black, she wouldn't be able to see an entire foot in front of her. It was already steadily covering the sky overhead with the beginning's of a dark blue and vibrant pink. Yes, it wouldn't be long now.

The last thing she wanted was her mother and father to worry about her safety. The town, and every other town in Texas, was alight with gossip of the continuous deaths of the residents. Jessamine wasn't sure what to make of the situation. Most of them were missing, as if the people just up and vanished in the night. Not a single one of these missing people had been found. The news had become so prevalent that the listings of soldiers killed-in-action, and the war, was secondary news that people had begun to mention as a way to keep a conversation going.

It sickened Jessamine more than anything.

They'd buried Augustus in an empty grave a few weeks before Christmas, something that deeply upset Jessamine. His body had never been returned to her and her family. Instead, his body had been "buried" where he was struck dead. He was to spend an eternity in a shallow grave filled to the brink with his fellow soldiers.

These burials were often crude. Some were worse than the others. If one were to happen across some Union soldiers, a trench was dug and they were left for the rain to bloat the stiff bodies of the dead. It was a horrific ideal that had begun some time ago during the first of the battles.

Jessamine reached her destination after walking another 5 minutes in the silent streets; she gripped her basket tightly in her fists and entered the General Store, the bell jingled over head to alert the shopkeeper to her presence. There was only four people in the tiny store including herself: The shopkeeper, a woman who looked to be in her early 30's that Jessamine vaguely knew through her mother, herself, and a woman who stood in the back facing away from her.

Jessamine found herself staring in wonder at the woman, she was so tall and pale. By George was she pale, far paler than a woman who lived in Texas should be. It was a rarity in these parts, especially for the males. She couldn't help but wonder what it is that the woman did. If she wasn't a married woman and she wasn't a farmer or the wife to a plantation owner, then what? Jessamine couldn't figure this mysterious woman out, 'perhaps she's one of the men and women that left the Union states?' Jessamine watched as the woman handed something to the shopkeeper and prepared herself to see the females features. She inhaled sharply once she'd turned around fully; every fiber of her being told her to turn and run. A little voice in the back of her head whispered that this woman was dangerous.

A shiver worked its way down her spine when she met the other woman's eyes. 'Her eyes, she is the devil!' Jessamine stared in horror at the red eyes of the woman. It felt as if the small store had dropped 20 degrees, a stone had wedged itself into Jessamine's stomach and it seemed to tug at her naval. The woman stared at her with a dark look, a twisted smile settled on her pale lips. She was so beautiful, Jessamine was sure this woman had to be a fallen angel.

As the woman grew closer, Jessamine screamed at herself to run. She needed to get out of here as quickly as she could, but it was as if her feet were glued to the wooden planks beneath her. She was right beside her now, she'd never moved from the door. 'Leave me alone!' she screamed at the woman in her head. She froze mid-step and her head turned slowly towards Jessamine; she stared at the smaller female in front of her with amazement. She opens her mouth to speak to Jessamine when the shopkeeper spoke, "Ah, Miss Randall! I've been expecting you for some time now, my dear." The woman seemed to visibly start, something shifted in her stance as she stared at Jessamine, her eyes grew a faraway look. As quickly as the look came, it was gone and without a word she left.

Jessamine let out a large breath, the feeling of danger hasn't receded and she tried to desperately calm her erratic heartbeat. It felt like a small furry woodland creature had been caged inside of her and was now trying to escape from her chest. She breathed in, making sure her chest got the chance to expand as much as possible. She crossed the small shop and reached the back of it quickly. A strained smile was forced upon her lips, she held no doubt of the plasticity the smile contained.

The townspeople were more than acquainted with her hostile nature that popped up after her twins death. There was nothing in her profile that appealed people to her. A perpetual dark cloud followed Jessamine everywhere she went.

"Hello Mister Green! I hope today has suited you well." Jessamine necessitated that she always greet someone the way she would have before. She set the basket she'd been hauling around with her onto the counter, "I'm afraid we're in dire need of some medicines. Momma put me off on coming for several days now and my father is sick as a dog because of this." Jessamine reminded herself to appear worried for her fathers health. She supposes it works, Mister Green shares a sympathetic smile.

"What are we in need of today?"

Jessamine doesn't stick around very long in the General Store. The light outside has become increasingly scant, she doesn't want to have her mother yappin' in her ear for an hour once she returns. But before she leaves, she feels compelled to ask, "That woman that was in here when I came in," Mister Green looked up quickly at Jessamine, "Who was she?"

Mister Green cleared his throat and attempted to adjust the cloth around his neck, "Miss Randall, I don't believe that's a woman a girl like you needs to have any contact with." Jessamine resisted the urge to smack the man for telling her this. How idiotic could he be?

A sweet smile settles itself on her face and she places her hand on her heart, "Mister Green, thank you for looking out for me, honestly. However, I just want the woman's name. I don't plan on seeking her out. To be completely honest with you, I think she was a friend of Gus's" He squints his eyes at me, it was clear he didn't want to divulge any information on her, this only spiked Jessamine's steadily growing anxiety and curiosity.

"She comes by once every so often, not very often," he looks around the shop that had long since been vacated of anyone else, "the only thing I know her as is Missus Lokisdottir."

A foreign name, an incredibly strange foreign name. "Thank you, I need to be getting home now." She didn't wait for him to say anything in return, she left quickly.

Once she her foot hit the street outside, she realized how truly dark it had become. She bit down roughly onto her lip, she was going to be in so much trouble. She walked quickly, the number of people on the street was a scarce number. The few out here were situated in front of the tavern doors, from their looks, they were heavily intoxicated and had clearly been drinking for far longer than she'd been in the General Store.

Her pace picked up as she quickly passed the men, they called out jeers at her. "Hey baby, wanna come 'ere? We can show ya a real good time sweetheart." Jessamine didn't turn her head, not even when they called her a bitch and several other choice names. She knew their were plenty of women in that very tavern that would be more than happy to service these men. They wouldn't bother her any further.

She'd been walking for 15 minutes, the gas lamps long gone from the path. The only light Jessamine had was the silvery wisps of moonlight and the lightening bugs that fluttered about in the woods. Her breath came out in short puffs, she hadn't slowed down since her departure and it was taking its toll on her. It wasn't that the dark frightened her, because it didn't; but the things that hid in the dark were an entirely different thing.

Sweat rolled down her spine, her dress was damp with it. The night wasn't any cooler than the day they'd had, it may have cooled down a few degrees but it was not much at all. The air was still humid and her lungs still felt like she was breathing in water that had grown stagnant. She raised a hand up to her face and rubbed at her forehead and groaned in annoyance at the sticky feel to it.

Jessamine took in her surroundings, the forests were beautiful by day. By night they held such an eerie feel to them. The branches resembled claws as the light wind whistled through them. Leaves tumbled from some branches, falling towards the ground slowly in a dance only it knew.

Jessamine's breath hitched when she heard something rustle off the path to her left. She doesn't allow her head to turn, she just tells herself that it is nothing. If she acknowledges it, if it is even there, it could urge whatever it is on.

When she hears a branch on the ground snap, she quickens her pace. Her heart begins to beat erratically in her chest, she can sense the body that lies just beyond her eyes view. Jessamine doesn't want to outright run in case that spurs whatever is out there own, but the terror that grips her body is far too great. Another branch snaps followed by a rustle of leaves. Whatever it is, it is moving closer.

Her head snaps to the side when she hears fast approaching footsteps. Before she knows what has happened, a body slams into hers and knocks her down hard to the ground. Jessamine cries out in pain as her head connects with a rock, the pain is mind-numbing. It was nothing compared to her brothers death, but the pain! Her breath escapes her in a whoosh and she watches as her basket rolls to the side. The contents in the basket smash and the liquids quickly cover the earth. Jessamine brings her arms up to cover her face, in a backwards way to defend herself.

A man stands above her, it's a man she has never seen before in her life. Jessamine thinks for a second it may be one of the men from the tavern, but he isn't. An evil grin covers the mans scarred face. Severe burns cover every inch of skin shown and visible. It's such a grotesque sight, Jessamine finds herself cowering in fear.

"Hello, little one." He bites out sarcastically. Jessamine crawls to the side in hopes of putting distance between them. She doesn't get far when his hands grip her hair and yank her back towards him.

"What do you want?" Jessamine felt so weak, her lower lip was quivering in fear of the man. What could she do to fight back? 'Think Jessamine, think!'

"Isn't it obvious?" He yanks her closer to him. He pulls her up and presses his scarred mouth to her ear, "I want you." Jessamine screams in anger as she feels his tongue lick the shell of her ear.

Her hand comes up behind her and she rakes her finger nails down his face. The man lets out a grunt of pain. His hand comes up and then her cheek feels like it's on fire. She tries her best to fight back: she screams, she cries, she kicks and hits. It was to no avail. The man slams her quickly down on the ground once more and climbs on top of her. She kicks up and bucks in attempts to remove him.

One of his hands come up and roughly grabs her breast and squeezes. His other hand holds both of hers above her head. Tears fill her eyes steadily, blinding her from the world above her. She throws her feet out, tries her hardest to kick him. She screams when he starts to untie the laces on the front of her dress. 'Was this really happening?' Jessamine lets the tears free, they glide down her face swiftly. The man laughs loudly, he mocks her, speaking words that don't register in her brain.

Jessamine sobs once she begins to feel the air against her chest. She struggles and tugs at his grip on her hands, she hopes that he'll loosen his grip so she can attack him. When he brings his face down towards her breast, she spits in his face.

"Yer gonna regret that." He pulls a knife out of his boot and brings it closer to her neck. He presses the tip of it to the pulse point in her neck and she freezes. The blood wells up to the surface, threatening to be released with the help of the blade.

The next few minutes are a time of her life she doesn't want to retell ever, she doesn't want to relive the horror of the moments that come to pass. She'll make it simple. She fights back. She fights back and it gets her a knife to the throat and the man slitting it.

As she lays there gurgling on her blood as the man rapes her, she finds her thoughts going to her brother. She pictures Augustus in her mind and sees his smile, sees him. He appears in the distance, standing just to the side of a tree. He's giving her that comforting smile reserved just for her and he brings a finger up to his lips. He's shushing her? But why?

She's vaguely aware of the man suddenly being ripped away from her, a white blur throwing him against a tree. She doesn't turn her gaze from Augustus. He's beside her now, he's touching her cheek and whispering that it is going to be okay. Jessamine opens her mouth to speak, blood spills out of the sides. He shakes his head, telling her not to speak. He points to the man. Jessamine turns her head slowly. The woman from earlier stands over the man.

"You couldn't kill me if you tried a hundred years." The woman spits at her attacker. Jessamine looks back to Augustus to find him gone. She begins to panic, she wants him to come back! She needs him!The woman appears over her suddenly, her face is covered in blood, it's soaked in her tan dress. She smiles down at Jessamine, "it's going to be okay." Her voice has a strange lilt. It's soft, but Jessamine hears the power in it. Her eyes slide closed, her last image being of the beautiful devil that saved her.

And then she feels fire.

The burning goes on forever. It spreads throughout her entire body and it consumes every inch of her. It's so prevalent that she can think of nothing but the fire. Her throat is the worst. It burns the most, but then she realizes that she's adding to the fire with screaming. She screams so loudly with no breaths in between. She screams so much and so often, her voice gives out.

Jessamine doesn't know how long she is like this. She's vaguely aware of her being carried at one point, being moved and placed on something that feels like a bed. She thinks that someone lays their hands on her forehead. The hand is so cold, against the fire that burns her skin and insides, that hand is a tiny piece of heaven.

Jessamine assumes that she must be in Hell. It is the only explanation for this, this never-ending fire that torches her body. She cries in horror at the thought of being in Hell. What is it that she's done to deserve this?

The fire leaves her fingers and toes first. Then her hands and feet are freed. With the relief of these appendages, the fire around her heart grows worse. When the fire slowly escapes her legs and arms, her screaming starts again. Her throat has been soothed with a substance that escapes her and she uses this small freedom to wail. She sounds like one of the mountain lions that she and her brother would hear in the woods during the night. Once the fire leaves them, it slowly drains from her head and throat and stomach. Soon enough, it is just her chest and it is so excruciatingly painful. When the fire surrounds just her heart, she assumes this is it. This is it, she's finally going to be free.

And she is. She's freed when her heart stutters to a stop.

Then she opens her eyes.

January 15, 1864

Jessamine runs quickly through the trees. She weaves in and out of the way of trunks that speed past her face at a dangerous speed. She can feel her right behind her. She makes a sharp turn to the left and roughly collides with a tree.

She grunts in annoyance at the now fallen tree and speeds up again. Jessamine can't let her catch her. If she does, it's all over. It will be her death. 'Does it count as my death if I'm already dead?' She thinks in mild curiosity.

She sees a large trench fast approaching and speeds up. Once she gets closer, she throws herself onto a rock and leaps through the air. If she can cross this, then she can get away!

A solid body collides into the side of her, a thundering crash sounds and animals near scatter. When they land, Jessamine throws a punch to the woman's face. It catches her slightly by surprise, she hadn't expect Jessamine to go straight to punching. Cracks spread across her cheek, but they heal instantaneously. She rears back and slams her forehead into Jessamine's nose.

Jessamine growls fiercely at the pain spreading through her face. The woman smirks down at her, "what did I say? Use your powers!" She rolls her eyes in annoyance.

"Gunilla, if I use my powers, they're only going to hurt you!" She shouts back to her.

Gunilla glares at her harshly, a hiss leaves her clenched teeth and slams a fist into the side of Jessamine's face. "Do you not think I can handle it? I assure you, I am quite capable." Gunilla rolls off of her child and stands. She quickly leaves Jessamine laying there in the dirt, "You forget who I am, Jessamine."

Jessamine climbs to her feet and quickly brushes off the dirt from her back. She considers attacking Gunilla from behind and shoving her into the nearby puddle of mud, then she realizes how she's more than likely to have her arms removed and hidden for a week. "I'm very aware of who you are, Gunilla. Hard to forget when you changed me."

Gunilla spins around and is in front of her in a blink. "Exactly! I did not change you only for you to end up a weakling!"

Jessamine grits her teeth and clenches her fists, "I am not weak!" She hisses at her maker. A spark of red dances from her closed fists, but in a wink it's gone.

Gunilla raises an eyebrow at her, she seems to think for a second. Finally she speaks, "If you are not weak, you are going to have to prove it. Otherwise, what use do I have for you? The great Shield-maiden Gunilla... Creating a weak child! I would be a laughing stock and you would be tossed out of our village!" She spits at Jessamine.

A growl rips through the air and seconds later, Gunilla finds herself embedded a good foot into the sidings of the trench. Laughter spills from her lips as she stares over to Jessamine. Jessamine's eyes glow a brighter red than normal and a red haze surrounds her closed hands like a cloud.

"Good. Victory or Valhalla."

"I have to leave for a while." Gunilla states that night once they'd returned to their cabin deep in the woods of Texas. Jessamine lifts her head from the arm chair she'd been lounging in and looks to her maker. She takes a moment to study her profile.

Her blonde hair is up in the intricate braided design that she seems to prefer. She's wearing a dress that she asked Jessamine to help her make a few months back. (It had been a test of her patience, something that had seemingly disappeared from her the second Jessamine had awakened as this being. She'd failed the test, but her dress came out wonderfully once she'd used her powers to do it.) Her red eyes watched Jessamine intently from Gunilla's spot by the window.

Jessamine felt her throat tighten in discomfort and she cleared her throat unnecessarily. The thought of Gunilla leaving her here alone had her panicking. She tried to not let it show, but Gunilla is an ancient being. Not much got by her.

Gunilla had been born long ago. She was born in Scandinavia in the year 745 and lived under the reign of King Horik. She'd fought along side the men in the Shield Wars and was a famous Shield-maiden in her time. She'd been changed when she had fallen on a raid in Paris. This was something that Gunilla loathed to this day. She'd killed her maker a few years later. She hated that her chance to enter Valhalla had been taken from her. She'd mentioned to Jessamine that if she was to die now, she would spend eternity in Hel, and that was not an option.

"Have you seen something?" Jessamine questioned her. She tried to appear nonchalant about this. Gunilla had stated from the very beginning that she would not stay with her. She would train her, teach her to defend herself, but then she must leave. "Has something happened?"

When Jessamine met Gunilla exactly a year ago, Gunilla told her that when they'd met, Jessamine had spoken to her with her mind. Gunilla told her that she'd had a vision when she'd looked at Jessamine. Gunilla had planned on leaving then and had been on her way out when she'd smelt her blood.

Gunilla's vision had been of her changing Jessamine. Something she'd sworn to herself to never do.

"The Gods let me see what they wish." She chided Jessamine softly. "I will not be gone long, Jessa, a few years at the most." She told her.

"A few years." Jessamine replied bluntly. "That is a long time. A single year is a long time!" She sat up stood quickly from her chair, the chair flew backwards with the force and slammed into the wall.

"When you live as long as I have, a year can pass in a blink." Gunilla said softly. She stood up and crossed the room to Jessamine's side. "It will pass quicker than you think."

"So you have seen something." Jessamine stared intently into her makers eyes, bright red staring into burgundy. She reached out with her mind to find the vision, Jessamine sifted through many memories of herself and Gunilla when a door was mentally slammed in her face. Gunilla's eyes had turned black in their anger with her.

"If I wanted to share this with you, I would have said as much." Her voice was soft, but it held an edge to it. If it were a physical object, Jessamine held no doubt it would crack her skin. Gunilla turned from her then, she was headed straight for the door. A moment of panic overcame Jessamine and she considered following after her. "You will stay. Someone will come for you and you will go with them. Goodbye, dear one." Jessamine felt a tingle in her mind from the bond that tied her to Gunilla and she nudged it back. A farewell that was connected to their hearts.

Gunilla left in a blink. The house was quiet, the only sound was the settling of the walls and the bugs that crawled along the flooring and walls. Jessamine was alone.

It was a few months later when the person Gunilla said would come, came. She was a Hispanic woman with long curly hair that tumbled down her back in waves. She knew automatically that she was a vampire, her thoughts gave it away as did her appearance. Jessamine learned her name was Maria and that Maria wanted her help.

Maria's mind was so jumbled in certain places, Jessamine couldn't quite grab hold of her intentions. She didn't feel right, she felt dangerous. But Gunilla had said that she was to go with her, so she did.