Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I never will, poor me.
Chapter Five
Jasper P.O.V.
I closed my eyes and shuddered as the memories came to the front of my mind.
"I joined the Confederate Army in 1861. I was only seventeen but I was tall enough to pass as twenty. People always listened to me, and they liked me. I was quickly promoted through the ranks over older more experienced men," I drew in an unnecessary breath before continuing. "I was the youngest major in Texas, and that was even acknowledging my real age.
"I was in charge of evacuating the women and children from the city when we reached the harbour. It took a day to prepare them and then I left with the first column of civilians to move them to Houston. I remember that one night clearly.
"It was dark by the time we reached the city. I stayed long enough to make sure the entire party was situated safely. After I had done that, I got myself a fresh horse and headed back to Galveston. I didn't have the time to rest.
"About a mile outside of the city I found three women walking around. I dismounted to offer them my aid because I assumed they were stragglers. When I could see their faces in the dim moonlight I was stunned into silence. They were, without a doubt, the three most beautiful women I had ever seen.
"They had very pale skin, I remember wondering about it. There was a little black-haired girl, with features that were clearly Mexican, even she was porcelain in the moonlight. All of them seemed fairly young, still young enough to be called girls. I knew that they weren't from our party, I would've remembered seeing these girls.
" 'He's speechless,' the tallest girl said in a clear voice, like wind chimes. Her hair was fair and her skin was a snowy white.
"The other girl was even blonder, her skin just as chalky. She had a face like an angel. She leaned towards me, her eyes half closed as she inhaled deeply.
" 'Mmm,' she sighed. 'Lovely.'
"The brunette, the tiny one, put her and on the girl's arm and spoke quickly. It sounded as though she meant her voice to be sharp, but it was too soft and musical.
" 'Concentrate, Nettie,' she said.
"I was pretty good at sensing how others related to each other, and the brunette seemed to be in charge of the others. If they were in the military I would've said that she outranked them.
" 'He looks right – he's young, strong, an officer…' The brunette paused, and I tried to speak but failed. 'And there's something more…do you sense it?' she asked the other two girls. 'He's…compelling.'
" 'Oh, yes,' Nettie agreed quickly as she leaned toward me.
" 'Patience,' the brunette told her. 'I want to keep this one.'
" Nettie frowned, seeming annoyed.
" 'You had better do it Maria,' the taller blonde spoke again. 'If he's important to you. I kill them twice as often as I keep them.'
" 'Yes, I'll do it,' Maria agreed. 'I really do like this one. Take Nettie away, I don't want to have to watch my back while I'm trying to focus.
"My hair was standing on end, even though I didn't understand what these beautiful creatures were saying. My instincts were screaming at me that there was danger. That the angel had meant it before when she spoke of killing. My judgement overruled my instincts though, I had been taught not to fear women, but to protect them.
" 'Let's hunt,' Nettie said enthusiastically, reaching for the tall girl's hand. They turned around – they were so graceful! – and ran towards the city. Their feet didn't seem to touch the ground they were so fast. Their white dresses blew out behind them like wings. I blinked in amazement, and then they were gone.
"I turned to stare at Maria, who was watching me curiously.
" 'What is your name, soldier.' Maria asked.
" 'Major Jasper Whitlock ma'am,' I stammered unable to be impolite to a female.
" 'I truly hope you survive, Jasper,' she said in her gentle voice. 'I have a good feeling about you.'
"She took a step closer to me, and inclined her head as though she were going to kiss me. I stood frozen, even though my instincts were screaming at me to run."
I paused and looked at Alice, wondering how she was taking all this information in. She stared at me, her ice blue eyes wide. I smiled a little; her mouth was open into a little 'o'.
"Are you alright?" I asked her, making sure it wasn't too much information.
"Yeah, wow," she mumbled.
I laughed before continuing. "A few days later woke up, and was introduced to my new life.
"Their names were Maria, Nettie and Lucy. Maria had rounded up the other two not long before that, all three were survivors of recently lost battles. The partnership was purely that of convenience. Maria wanted revenge, and she wanted to get her territories back. The others were eager to increase their territories. At that time a lot of armies were put together for hunting grounds. If you could successfully eliminate any other competition you would have all the humans in that area. Maria was more careful about it though; she wanted a superior army. She was careful about which humans she chose, she sought out specific humans who had potential. She gave us more attention, more training than others normally bothered with. She taught us how to fight and how to be invisible to humans. When we did well, we were rewarded…" I didn't go into any detail.
"She was in a hurry though. Maria wanted to act while we were strong, as the massive newborn strength began to wane around the one-year mark.
"When I joined Maria there were six of us. Within a fortnight she had added four more. We were all male – Maria wanted soldiers – and that made it slightly more difficult to keep us from fighting among ourselves. I fought my first battles against my new comrades in arms. I was quicker than the others, better at combat. Maria was very pleased with me, even though she had to keep replacing the ones I destroyed. I was stronger because I was rewarded more often.
"Maria decided to put me in charge of the others, she was a good judge of character. It suited my nature exactly. The casualties went down dramatically, and our numbers swelled to hover around twenty.
"Maria grew quite fond of me – she began to depend on me. In some ways, I worshipped the ground she walked on. I didn't know that there was any other way to live.
"I pulled together an army of twenty-three in the end, I was eager to prove myself. We fought, and won, a lot of battles against other covens. We were well trained, and did it without attracting any attention to ourselves.
The success made Maria greedy though. In the first year she had control over most of Texas and northern Mexico. Some covens from the South came to try and dislodge her."
I looked at my hand, brushing my fingers along one of the many scars covering my arms.
"The fighting was so intense that many worried the Volturi would return. Out of the original twenty-three, I was the only one to survive past the first eighteen months. We won some, lost some. Even Nettie and Lucy turned on Maria eventually, but we won that battle as well.
"Maria and I were able to keep a hold on Monterrey. The wars continued though it quieted a little. The idea of conquest was dying out.
"Maria and I kept a few dozen newborns ready. They didn't mean anything to us, as they were disposable. We did dispose of them when they were of no use. The years passed and my life continued in the same pattern. I was sick of it for a long time before anything changed…"
Alice P.O.V.
Jasper looked at me. I shuddered as he described the life he had had, making me wonder if I would have followed the same path.
"Decades later I developed a relationship with a newborn that had remained useful and survived the first three years, against the odds. His name was Peter, I like him, he was civilised. I guess that's the right word. He didn't really enjoy the fight.
"He was helping me dispose of newborns when I felt his emotions change. He suddenly got angry as I called the next newborn, a female called Charlotte, out. He yelled at her to run and took off after her. I could have pursued them, but I didn't.
"Five years later Peter snuck back for me. It was a good day to arrive as Maria was mystified by my ever-deteriorating frame of mind. I wondered why she was different as she'd never felt a moment's depression, Her emotions started to change when she was around me-sometimes there was fear… and malice-they were the same feelings that had given me advance warning when Nettie and Lucy struck. I prepared myself to destroy my only ally when Peter returned," Jasper looked over at me again, warily. I stared at him, not really believing what I was hearing. He'd been through so much.
"Peter told me about his new life with Charlotte, told me about things that I had never dreamed of. They'd never had a fight in those five years, even though they had met others in the north. They could co-exist without the constant mayhem.
"In just one conversation he had convinced me. I was ready to go and kind of relieved that I wouldn't have to destroy Maria. I walked away without a backwards glance.
"I travelled with Peter and Charlotte for a few years, getting used to this new life. The depression didn't fade though. I didn't understand what was wrong with me until Peter noticed I was always worse after hunting. The emotions of the humans I killed always affected me. I could feel their fear and horror before I killed them." Jasper shuddered once again.
"The depression got worse and I eventually left Peter and Charlotte. Even though they were civilised, they didn't feel the same aversion I was beginning to feel again. They only wanted peace from the fight. I didn't like killing anyone, even mere humans.
"After wondering about for a few years I found Carlisle out hunting one day. He was feeding off of the blood of animals, an idea I had never even thought of. I talked to him, and his family welcomed me with open arms. I learned to control my thirst, and this is where I am today." Jasper smiled at the thought, seeming happy to be away from the fighting and the depression. I silently thanked who ever was listening that I never had to face that life.
So, the end of another chapter. Jasper's story went longer than I thought it would, but I just kind of let it go the way it was going. Review please, a lot of people are reading this but not reviewing. I like to know what you guys think!
Jasper'sPixie97