Jasper's Story

[Jasper Hale]

OOC: Just so you all know this is a story of my own, it’s based around the rough outline given in Eclipse but there were A LOT of things I needed to be imaginative about. I hope you like it. The first chapter is quick but there will be more detail in the others to come



Inside Page My name is was Jasper Whitlock. This is my story, a tale I remember perfectly and have told many times. Every time I tell it, it never gets boring or loses interest. It is not a happy story but has a happy ending. So reader if you have found this put it down, unless of course you choose to be swept into the story of my life.

[Jasper Hale]

Chapter One: Jasper Whitlock

I was born in the year 1843 and was raised in Houston Texas by my mother and father. As a boy I was normal enough, just an average Texan kid. There were only two things that set me aside from the rest of the boys my age; One was my height, I was very tall, the tallest of all my friends. The other was my personality. It didn’t seem to matter what I did I was always liked. People tended to like me and listen to my thoughts, for reasons I never knew at the time. My father told me that it was my charisma. When he first told me that I was too young to understand what charisma was. Eventually I asked my mother and she explained the meaning to me. For any of you who don’t know what it is I’ll define it for you. Charisma is an appealing personality trait that gives an individual the ability to inspire a large amount of people.

Now you must remember reader that my human days were a long time ago. I do not remember much of the litle details in the years I was growing up. I could try and tell you how I grew up, what my parents looked like and who my friends were. However I don't remember those details. It's something that comes with being what I am, the human memories fade.

I took this charisma with me throughout my childhood and my teen years. I had many friends and we did normal things. I went to school and did well, mostly for the sake of my mother. As I approached my late teens my thoughts began to drift away from school. I was a young man-to-be with only one thing on my mind, the army. I planned to join as soon as possible. My friends agreed with me and before I knew it we planned to try and sneak in before we were old enough to.

A few months before my seventeenth birthday we tried to join. I didn’t ask my parents, nor inform them of what I was doing. I just up and left one day. I told the recruiters that I was twenty. They believed my words, mostly because I was tall and looked old for my age, they didn’t suspect I was sixteen. I suppose that my charisma may have had some power in it too… In any case they accepted me into the ranks of the Confederate States Army. Two of my six friends made it in and before we knew it we was a part of the Civil War.

I lost contact with my friends within my first three months in the army. However I wasn’t too upset by that, I had made other friends. Besides, senior members warned me not to get too close to others that I might see killed before my eyes. I understood the warning and took it. I kept my distance in the way of friendships but found people were drawn to me, despite my attempts. Eventually I gave up on trying to keep away and admitted that I was a popular man.

I flew through the ranks. I surpassed many men that were far older than me and took on the rank of Major a before my twentieth birthday. After The first battle of Galveston, I was made the youngest Major in Texas. To the others I wasn’t even twenty-three. I was the youngest Major in Texas, and they didn’t even know how young I truly was. I was one of the youngest generals in the entire Civil war as well, something I prided myself on. I knew my father and mother would be proud but never sent a letter, too afraid they’d insist I came home. I could always deny but then they could reveal my age and I was not willing to risk my position.

I could bore you reader with war stories for hours. I won’t put you through that torture, but perhaps I will tell you about one battle later on. For now I’ll continue my tale. At the First Battle of Galveston I was charged with the safety of some women and children. I was to help them get to Houston and avoid Union ships. I got the first group there with no issues. Immediately I got a horse and set back to get the next group. That was my final night as Major Jasper Whitlock. [/font] [/size]

[Jasper Hale]

Chapter Two: Maria

I rode as fast as I could manage, or rather as fast as the horse could manage. I didn’t want to kill the creature but kept it at a stable trot. My mind of course wandered, thinking about battles fought and battles to come. My lust for battle had waned a bit in my time in the Confederate Army. Of course I was still eager to go into battle and prove my worth but it wasn’t the want I’d had when I was sixteen. My travel went fairly fast, as I had a fresh horse. He was a good steed, clever and strong. My compliments to the trainer.

It was dark of course. After all it had been dark when I arrived with the civilians in the dark, it was very late by the time I’d made sure they were well taken care of. I was on my way back to Galveston until I reached only a mile outside of the city. There I found three women. I assumed that they had be separated from my first convoy and immediately dismounted to offer them assistance. However I knew that that was not the case the moment I could actually see them clearly. The moonlight wasn’t very much at the time, very dim but even in that light I was stunned.

They were by far and without any question the most beautiful women I had ever seen in my life. They were all different, yet the same. Every single one had ivory skin, white as the moon above but more so. They all had bruise-like circles below their eyes but they were still beautiful. Each was young, so young they could still be called girls. But yet, they seemed older than what they looked. And yet each was very different. The first girl was small, and black-haired. She had the features that were clearly Mexican, despite the tone of her skin. The other two were both blonde and looked as though they had walked from an angel painting. One was much taller than the other.

I knew instantly that they were not from my party. There was no question that I would have remembered them had they been. Their beauty held me in a mystified silence. The tallest girl seemed to find this amusing and stated so,

“He’s speechless,” She had said. Her voice had me in awe. It was musical and delicate. It reminded me of wind chimes. I tried to speak but still found myself unable to form words. It was a strange thing to me. But not nearly as strange as what happened next. The smaller blonde girl then leaned towards me and inhaled. Though I didn’t know at the time she was smelling me. Apparently I was appealing as a human.
“Mmmm,” She had said, her eyes half-closed “Lovely,” It was a strange gesture I knew, but I didn’t mind. My brain seemed to switch off.
“Concentrate Nettie,” The small, brunette girl said next, laying her small hand on the small blonde’s (Nettie) arm. I have always been good at telling how people relate to one another. To me it was instantly clear that the Mexican girl was the leader, even if she was the smallest. “He looks right-young, strong, and officer…” The brunette spoke then. I again tried to speak but was still incapable. “And there’s something more…do you sense it?” She asked, turning her pale face towards her companions. “He’s…compelling.”
“Oh yes,” Nettie agreed, leaning towards me yet again. It was a confusing gesture but I couldn’t speak nor move. It was as if I was frozen completely in the spot but some unimaginable force.
“Patience” The brunette warned her companion. “I want to keep this one,” Nettie frowned at that. She seemed quite annoyed by whatever the Brunette was talking about. Of course her words didn’t make any sense to her. But still I could not speak up.
“You’d better do it, Maria,” the taller blonde said. “If he’s important to you. I kill them twice as often as I keep them,”
“Yes I’ll do it,” Maria agree. “I really do like this one. Take Nettie away, will you? I don’t want to have to protect me back while I’m trying to focus.” Her words made no sense to me at the time. The hair on the back of my neck was standing up though, and all my instincts were telling me to run. They told me these beautiful angels were talking about killing, that I could be next. However my 18th century judgement denied, they were only women. I was supposed to protect women, not fear them. How could I fear a single woman?

“Let’s hunt,” Nettie said with a beaming smile and an excited voice. She took the tall blonde’s hand and they wheeled away. They sprinted toward the city. At the time I was in awe, they had seemed so graceful. They looked as though they were flying, their white dressed billowing like great feathered wings. My eyes followed them and I blinked. After the blink they were gone. I turned my gaze to Maria, trying to figure out how the other two could have just vanished like that. I’d always been a logical person you see, I was never superstitious. I never believed in ghosts or witches or any of that nonsense. That moment I doubted that, the existence of ghosts seemed to be very clearly right in front of me. I believed the women had to be ghosts with their pale skin and ability to vanish.
“What is your name soldier?” Maria asked me curiously.
“Major Jasper Whitlock, ma’am,” I had stammered. I was unable to not be polite. She was a female, ghost or not I was polite.
“I truly hope you survive, Jasper,” She said in her soft, musical voice. “I have a good feeling about you,” After speaking she stepped closer to me, her beautiful head inclining to one side as though she were going to kiss me. Of course at this time every fibre in my body was shrieking for me to run, flee and never once look back. Yet I stood in that place, still frozen and unable to move.

Of course as you imagine she did notkiss me. Instead she did something very unexpected. She bit me. Of course at that moment I flinched away, backing up quickly. I had never been bitten on the neck, it seemed a silly thing. Even so I saw my blood on Maria’s lips and grimaced in disgust, raising a hand to the bite. It came away wet and I turned my furious gaze to Maria. She was watching me, her posture tensed and her lip pulled over her teeth in a snarl. I was shocked at the snarl and stumbled back, falling over my own feet. When I hit the ground I started to feel a burning on my neck. The bite was burning, as though it was on fire. I let out a cry and forgot about the girl as the fire began to spread through my… I’ll stop here. You don’t need to know the pain of changing nor what happens. It’s painful and takes a few days, for me three. That is the only information you need to know.
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Too be continued…