Following my promotion, life with Maria fell into routine. I watched as Jasper obeyed Maria’s every whim, his scarred body always ready to kneel to her, to do her bidding. How long had he been here, serving her so loyally, so completely? He would give me no clear answers and I eventually stopped asking. I admired my commanding officer, idolized his unquestioning loyalty to our leader. Maria, in contrast, I did not understand. Jasper wasn’t much help there either; apparantly, questions were forbidden in this new world. All I could do was try and show the same devotion and loyalty to Jasper that he showed to Maria.
One day, following a fierce battle which we won, Jasper entered the main room of the compound, looking almost ashamed. Maria didn’t so much as glance at him or the stranger at his side. Keeping his head bowed, his voice rough, he ordered the stranger to join us. “Peter, you have a new recruit. Start training her immediately.” “Yes, sir.” My response was prompt, the words nearly pulled from me as I recognized his impatience and Maria’s anger. Why?
Once the newborn reached me, I immediately understood. Long blond locks pulled away from crimson eyes, the scent of a dying body still clinging to every breath, my newest soldier was a woman. A quick glance upward, to our commanders, told me all I needed to know. Maria’s gaze may well have been enough to bring fire to engulf Jasper on the spot. This would be a fascingating day. Rather than explain anything, I ordered her outside, somewhat surprised at the ease of her compliance. Once we were far from the compound, Maria’s orders to the rest carried on the wind, I told her everything, taught her to fight. We stayed out there, Charlotte receiving benifit of my full attention, for days. By the time Jasper called us back, it was clear most of the tension had blown over. Charlotte’s presence brought on a new problem.
As the only female in the compound besides Maria herself, fighting increased amongst the troops. Everyone had been drawn in by the charms of this apparantly demure Southern belle; everyone wanted her attention. Many simply wanted her body. In the early days, I became her protector, doing all I could to ignore that instinct to tear apart whichever newborn had recently tried to force himself on her. Neither Jasper nor Maria commented on the loss of lives, simply replacing those that were destroyed. The day I saw Maria, watching from afar as we practiced sparring, speaking quietly to Jasper, her gaze on Charlotte, I tried hard to listen. Concern came immediately; would they destroy her? Charlotte’s presence had changed much of my demeanor. Being around her, easily claiming time alone to speak privately with her, was part of what kept me sane. I waited, hardly noticing my partner’s blows glancing off my torso, and released a breath I hadn’t known I was holding as Maria nodded and Jasper replied. Even from this distance, I knew what he had said. “As you wish, Maria.”
Knowing that Charlotte would not be destroyed, watching her prove herself in battle, was enough for me. No longer did I watch her so carefully, only intervening when one of the men refused to take no for an answer. Things were slipping into routine again, but everything was different because she was there. As it always seemed to, everything changed soon enough. I was moving through the compound, ready to report on the progress the newborns had been making, when Maria’s voice stilled me just outside her door. Since becoming a vampire, my language skills had improved considerably. I understood every cursed word, saw Jasper knelt before her, fresh bite marks visible through his torn shirt. “Their strength is dropping. It’s time to cleanse. Do it tonight, Major. Destroy them all.” I fled, thanking whatever gods may still exist or care for me that neither of them had been aware of my presence. My silent heart felt as if it were being squeezed by a vise as I frantically worked the math in my head.
It was true. All of the troops, Charlotte included, had just passed their year mark at least. The strength of newborn vampires only lasted so long and it was only while that strength remained that they were any use to Jasper and Maria, whom I’d come to think of as two halves of one whole over the years. I did not expect Jasper to come for me that night. Would I be killed as well? No, I quickly learned. I was expected to help rip and burn the bodies of my brothers in arms while they lived. Jasper’s moves were automatic, his attacks sure and strong, his eyes dead. How many times in the past had he done this? I had no idea. As the endless night wore on, I tried to plead a few cases, tried to save a few lives. My best efforts did no good. “Maria gave orders. We spare none.” Jasper was unshakable. I grew more anxious, unable to save any of them, until the moment he called her name. “Charlotte.”
She came in, looking so trusting and sweet I might have cried, her eyes darting and nervous as the smell of the burning pyre behind us grew stronger. Jasper paced between us, leonine and dangerous. As he smiled at her, my resolve to stay silent broke. “Charlotte, run!” I crashed into Jasper, growling, just barely registering the sound of her running feet. She had obeyed. Jasper seemed stunned. The fact that he didn’t truly fight me surely saved my life that night. As soon as I could, I ran out through the door, listening for sounds of pursuit. Charlotte, still fleeing, only slowed when I took her hand, when she recognized my scent. As we crossed the unmarked border of Maria’s territory, I looked into her eyes and spoke three words I finally knew to be true. “I love you.”
Together, we ran, going to the North. Maria would not follow us here. Once we were safe, we took a look around, two young vampires in an unfamiliar world. Life in the North was so different, the cloud cover allowing us to be out in the day. We kept to ourselves, only going amongst humans to feed. There was no fighting here; there were no soldiers. We had found peace.
After five years with Charlotte, each of us posing as human backpackers and stealing what we needed from our victims, my thoughts turned back to the South. That life had been hurting Jasper, ensnared by Maria’s will for who knew how long. We went back for our friend. After a single conversation, he followed us to our new home, not looking back once. For nearly a year, I respected his privacy, not speaking with him about the world he had left and helping him adjust to the world we had discovered. Peace never lasts until all tension is gone.
We met in an explosion, nothing like the reunion between friends one might expect to see. Accusations and harsh words flew, eventually accompanied by fists. Once we had released enough anger, we began to speak civilly again, exchanging apologies. He apologized to Charlotte as well. That night, sitting beside my brother with the woman I loved curled in my arms, I asked Charlotte to marry me. On March 9, 1950, we were wed. With no wish to re-live my human marriage or be reminded of it, I was glad to take my wife’s last name. Refusing the position of best man, Jasper served as witness to the simple ceremony. We exchanged vows in the early evening while the local justice of the peace complained over the lack of light. I barely heard him, eyes only for my mate, my wife, my Charlotte.
Life was blissful, peaceful, even after Jasper left us to find his own path. Feeding from humans was too much for his empathetic abilities; it drove him into regular depressions. I left him to it and he swore to keep in touch. The next letter I got from him was astounding, a hand delivered note put into the mailbox of the courthouse I’d been married at. He wrote from Philadelphia and had just met Alice. They were traveling together to locate a family of vampires who lived solely from the blood of animals.
Eventually, Jasper found the Cullens and settled down with his new mate. He had his peace, I had mine. We keep in touch on a semi-regular basis, exchanging letters, phone calls, and e-mails. Anytime we’re near Forks, Charlotte and I will visit with him for several days. My brother has changed, keeping up a silly masquerade as he denies his baser instincts and his longing for human blood. I keep my mouth shut and leave him to it, enjoying every minute of existence as long as Charlotte is by my side.
Sugarcane, I love you.
Dear readers, I hope you have enjoyed my tale.
- Peter Devereaux
