A/N: So, I got less reviews for the last chapter then the first one...But for those of you who DID review, XxX.vicious.angel.XxX, Where-the-crow-flies, CallistoLexx, DramaDork21, and the anon. BlueJean452. This chapter is dedicated to you guys. Thanks for reviewing, I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoy it! :) Anyways, so here's the chapter. Please read and review! No flames please!

Disclaimer: I still own nothing.

Just a small note: This chapter will contain a lot of quoted words from 'Eclipse' when Jasper tells Bella how he was changed. I wanted to stick to the storyline as much as possible so, yeah.


Chapter Two

BPOV

-Texas 1863-

"Are you sure that you two don't want to come with us?" Mother asked. She and Father were going to go to go on a picnic with some of the parents of the children that my father taught at the school.

I shook my head, "No, I think I want to stay home." I said.

"Me too." Jasper replied.

Mother nodded, "Okay, be good." She warned.

"Mother, Bella is seventeen and I am twenty years old—I think we will be okay." Jasper reasoned with a short laugh.

Mother sighed, "I know, I just—" she cut herself off. "Nevermind, I'll see you kids later, alright?"

Jasper and I both nodded and waved as our parents left the house. Jasper turned to me as soon as they were gone. "So what do we do now?" he asked.

I shrugged, "There isn't much to do here. Most of the boys who were old enough left to join the war and now it's only the younger kids, some girls my age and the adults." I explained to him.

Jasper nodded in acknowledgement, "How many men left to join the army?" he asked.

"There were at least 13 adults and many of the boys the same age of you did the same exact thing that you did, they ran away. I think there are only a small handful of boys left here in town that are older than me." I elucidated him.

Jasper was quiet a moment before he spoke, "So the town is practically a ghost town now?" he asked.

I shrugged, "Not exactly, there are still plenty of adults and children but not that many teenagers here."

"So what have you been doing, if there aren't any people here your age?" Jasper asked me. "What have you been doing since I was gone?"

I turned my head away, partly ashamed. I knew Jasper would probably be angry when he found out that I had practically been in a depression during his absence, "Nothing really." I said truthfully. "I help mother around the house and sometimes father if he needs me too. Sometimes I will watch the younger children if their parents ask me too but other than that I normally stay in my room and read or I sit in the parlor with mother and father."

"So you never have any real fun?" Jasper asked sadly.

I shook my head, "Well there isn't exactly anybody to have fun with." I pointed out.

Jasper looked guilty. He put his head down and scratched the back of his neck anxiously. He then decided to change the subject, much to my relief. "How about we go and take a walk, just like old times before I left. I want to see how the town has changed since I've been gone." He suggested. He was referring to the times when we used to walk around town until it got dark. Even when Jasper had still lived here there still wasn't much to do.

I nodded, "Sure, sounds like fun."

When then headed out the door and started out on our walk, unaware of the danger that was ahead of us.


Jasper and I had walked all around town at least twice. We were reminiscing on things that happened when we were little kids. I hadn't laughed this hard, or had this much fun in three years. I knew the reason for my sudden giddiness was that was because my brother was finally back.

"—and I remember when you were four, Tommy Briggins pulled your pigtails and pushed you off the tireswing. You started crying and so I went and punched him in the nose." Jasper said while laughing.

I giggled, "Yeah you did. I remember that now."

"What can I say, I'm protective over my little sister." He joked.

We now had left the center of town and were walking on a small road that led to another small town like ours. The road was narrow and made from dirt, not gravel. Forest surrounded the road on both sides. It was rare that there forests in Texas but we lived in the part of Texas that was right along the Arkansas and Louisiana line. If you went east you would cross into Louisiana but if you went north-east you would head into Arkansas. The forest that was here continued on from the Texas line and into Louisiana. (Small but important A/N: Please note, I have never been to Texas so I'm not sure there are forests but the forest is needed for the plot of the story.)

I looked up at the skies. It was already a light purple-pink mixed with blues, oranges and yellows. 'Twilight' I thought.

"Jasper we should be heading back, its starting to get dark." I suggested.

Jasper chuckled, "Oh come on Bella, it isn't dark yet." He said.

I shook my head, "It doesn't matter." I told him. "We should be getting back. Back before the war this would have been okay but you never know who you will run into now." I shuddered slightly. I turned to him and poked him in the chest. "And you are unarmed. If we ran into someone, it wouldn't be good." I reasoned.

My older brother sighed heavily, "Okay." He finally said. I knew he was only agreeing for my safety. "Let's head back. It will take us a good ten minutes or so but I guess it doesn't matter. We will get back before it gets too dark."

We turned around and started to head back in the direction that we had come from. We walked a few minutes in silence before we started to talk. Jasper started the conversation, "Sometimes I forget that things have changed a lot since I've been gone." He said sadly.

"They haven't changed that much. You just have to be more alert and careful around here now." I pointed out, trying to cheer Jasper up.

"I know but still…" he trailed off. "Sometimes I wonder if going and joining the army was wrong."

I sucked in a sharp breath, "Why would you wonder that? You are a Major and are helping our country earn its freedom."

He shook his head, "Well great job that I'm doing." He said in a bitter sarcastic voice. "We lost Vicksburg and Gettysburg both which were too very important battles. We lost many men in Pickett's charge which I still say was the stupidest battle tactic I have ever heard of in my life. I can't believe General Lee made his men run across wide open ground, right into the Union armies hands. It was practically suicide. He should have listened to General Longstreet. Don't get me wrong, General Lee is a fantastic General and I don't know who would do a better job at what he does but..." Jasper trailed off. "I guess..." He cut himself off again and sighed with frustration. "Then the next day we get word from Vicksburg saying that the Union army overtook it. Now they have complete control over the Mississippi river." He stopped and looked at me. "Things are changing and they are changing fast. With Grant as their new General…" I watched as he shuddered. "Who knows what he will do next." (A/N: Sorry for the 'history lesson' there. Blame my History teacher. Lol.)

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I knew that we had lost the battles but all this information was completely new to me. It was also difficult to see my brother so broken up and confused and angry at himself when it wasn't even his fault. "This is really tearing you up, isn't it?" I asked after a few moments.

Jasper shrugged, "I guess. I just think that me being in the army hasn't really done us any good. I mean I may be a Major but they could have done it without me. Sometimes I wish I would have just stayed home and helped here at home." He said and then he looked over at me and caught my gaze. His eyes were giving away all of his emotions. "It was wrong to leave such a responsibility with you Bella and I'm sorry. I am very surprised that you didn't rat me out though." He said.

I was a little hurt by what he thought. Did he really think that I would rat him out. "Oh course I didn't rat you out. I promised didn't I?" I said in a stern voice. "Mother and father only found out because of your name in the papers when you got promoted to Major." I explained while looking at the ground.

"If I would have never left you would have never went into that horrible depression and mother and father wouldn't have been so stressed and worried all the time." Jasper reasoned.

I gasped slightly. I never told Jasper about my depression. 'How did he find out?' I wondered silently.

Jasper continued on though, like he hadn't heard me. "I was a seventeen year old who didn't think his decision through. War is a hard thing Bella, I hope you never have to discover what it is like first hand." He said and left it at that. He began walking again towards town with me right on his heels.


It didn't take much longer before we were less than half a mile away from town. I could see the small town upon the horizon. I had been staring at my feet in silence, concentrating on trying not to trip, when I noticed three women appear from practically no where. Each of them had deathly pale skin. One was short and tiny with long, curly dark brown hair and had noticeable Mexican features. The second was tall with shoulder length black hair and chalky white skin. She looked English for the most part. Her eyes were as black as Midnight though, which surprised me. The last one had long, straight blonde hair and an angel's face. She had the same pale skin as the other three. They were all completely gorgeous and totally unfamiliar. After living in the same place all my life I was surprised, I didn't know who they were at all.

Jasper and I both stopped and stared at the three girls as they walked towards us. I knew Jasper assumed that they were harmless, probably fascinated in their priceless beauty but I couldn't help the feeling bubbling in my stomach that was telling me something was horribly wrong.

"Their speechless." The tall black haired girl said in a beautiful voice—it was so smooth, almost like wind chimes. It was completely mesmerizing, even for me. I knew Jasper was long gone. He was staring at the three girls in complete amazement. I had to resist the urge to giggle at him.

The blonde haired girl stepped forward towards us. She leaned towards Jasper first and then myself. She half-closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, like she was smelling us. I wrinkled my nose at the thought.

"Mmm," she sighed in contentment. "Lovely."

The brunette with Mexican features walked up and settled her hand on the blonde haired girls shoulder and pulled her back. Her voice was sharp yet soft at the same time, "Concentrate, Nettie." The girl said.

I stared at the three, analyzing them. There was something different about them. Almost as if they weren't even human. I shuddered at the thought. The three girls were analyzing us as well. I felt strangely small under their criticizing stares.

"He looks right—young, strong, an officer from the looks…" the brunette paused in the middle of analyzing my brother. "She does too. It looks like she has a good tendency and could probably put up a good fight when needed." She pointed at me this time. I narrowed my eyes at her. "Very perceptive and smart too, I think. But there is something more to the both of them…do you sense it?" the woman asked the other two girls.

The two nodded, "Oh yes…" Nettie agreed, batting her eyelashes at Jasper again and leaning towards him.

"Patience." The brunette snapped. "I would like to keep them both." She announced.

Nettie frowned, almost in annoyance. Jasper was looking at me curiously. I could tell that he finally sensed that something was wrong. Yes, something was very wrong but yet I just couldn't put my finger on it. I was confused, what were these three women trying to do?

"You better do them both, Maria." Nettie said softly to the brunette, "If you like them so much, I mean. I end up killing them more often than actually changing them."

"Yes, I will do it." Maria agreed, eyeing Jasper and I carefully. "Yes, I really do like these two." She said. She turned to the black hair girl, "Take Nettie away will you? I don't want to have to protect my back while I'm trying to focus." She said to her.

My hair was standing up on the back of my neck now and I through Jasper I wild glance. He looked exactly how I did now, tense, confused and scared. I didn't understand anything about what these inhumanly beautiful girls were saying. My instincts were screaming at me that I was in danger but something was keeping me from running away. The thought of three girls, or rather one girl, killing us was a little bizarre.

"Let's hunt." Nettie said excitedly to the black haired girl next to her. My eyes widened in shock as they turned and ran, sprinting in the direction of town with a certain kind of gracefulness that I only wished I had.

I turned to find Maria staring at my brother, "What is your name soldier?" she asked him.

Jasper gulped but spoke anyways, "Major Jasper Whitlock ma'am." He stammered. He raised his hand and put in on the small of my back in protection. "This is my little sister, Isabella Whitlock." He said, introducing me.

Maria nodded, "I truly hope you both survive." She whispered. "I have good feelings about you both."

Maria stepped closer to my brother, inclining her head like she was about to kiss him. I watched as Jasper's eyes widened and he took a small step back. Making me stumble back with him for he now had his arm wrapped tightly around my waist in defense.

Suddenly Maria lunged and settled her head into Jasper's neck. I could see her teeth bite down for a moment. She kept her head there for a moment before she let go. Jasper's eyes were wide with complete shock. As were my own. I shrugged Jasper's arm off me and turned to run. I got two feet before I tripped over air and fell to the ground. Maria was at my side in a minute, looking at me with bright crimson eyes. I knew she was not human.

"I wouldn't run, Isabella. You can't outrun me and you can't fight me. I'm going to make you like me though." She said with a wicked smile. "Jasper and you will both be like me and you will help me get back my territory." She said.

I looked over at Jasper. He looked like he was in extreme pain, he was holding onto his neck. "Run Bella, Run!" he managed to yell at me. It sounded strangled though, like it was hard to speak. "Trust me, Bella. Don't trust her."

Maria shook her head, "It won't hurt too bad, I promise." She said in a sticky sweet voice. She didn't waste a moment or even wait to see my reaction. She brought her face into my neck and sunk her teeth down into it. I screamed out in pain and began trashing around, trying to get Maria away from me but she was too strong.

It was a few moments later when the fire started. It burned from my neck and started to run through my veins. I trashed around even more, trying to get away from the pain. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." A soft voice said in my ear. I recognized it as Maria's. "It only makes it worse." I stopped moving immediately.

I heard footsteps and another person's voice, it was the voice of the black haired girl. "Do you need help?" I heard her ask. It was fuzzy though, the pain was almost too much to tolerate. "Yes Lucy, help me get these two back." Maria said.

Suddenly cold hands were grabbing at me and lifting me up into their arms. The pain rushing through me was so intense I couldn't stand to open my eyes to even see who was carrying me or even where we were going. I felt the wind hitting my back, ruffling my hair along with it and then…black.


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