Emeline Rivera has done the same things since practically the moment she was born. Wake up, go to school, hang out with her friends, spend time with her mom, and have scarily realistic dreams at night. With some fainting mixed in of course. Forks's...
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July 1861
Major Whitlock helped me find Charlotte in no time at all. She had been fraternizing with some of the soldier boys, as I expected, and we were able to find her at the center of a group of them, dazzling all around her with her infectious smile.
The camp was filled with run down tents and not much else, though there were quite a few horses tied up all over the place. The muted red of their tents stood out against the grass of the clearing, and it was obvious to me then that they wouldn't be staying for long. The tents were only loosely tied to the ground, not the sturdy knots that would be expected if they were staying for a prologues amount of time.
I stormed forward to grab Charlotte by the arm, appalled at her behavior. As I dragged her away from the group a few of the boys began to complain, but I ignored them.
"How could you just leave me alone like that?" I pulled Charlotte behind one of the tents and forced her to look at me.
"It turned out well." She said with a laugh, and I couldn't help but frown. How had it turned out well? Night had fallen by the time The Major had led me to their camp, and now we had to traverse through the dark woods to get home.
With her face illuminated by the dancing flames of the fire not two yards from us, Charlotte grinned, showing off her perfectly white teeth. "I'd say that being in the company of an attractive man counts as turning out well. Though if you don't want him-" Charlotte bit her lip in a teasing manner, and I was suddenly struck by how much of a seductress my closest friend truly was. "-I'll take him." She finished, and my cheeks began to flare up again.
"He isn't mine to take." I said indignantly, and Charlotte simply laughed.
"Of course he is." She said devilishly, and I gasped when I heard a voice behind me.
"Are you ladies doin' okay?" A voice drawled behind me, and I turned around to face the gorgeous man the voice belonged to.
"We're doin' just fine, though we're about to head out." I said, and I was met with a small whine from Charlotte.
"Do we have tooooo?" She whined, playfully stomping we foot, though she stopped when I glared her way.
"Do you ladies need an escort back to town?"
"Thank you for helping me, Major Whitlock," I said, turning back to the kind man with a small curtesy. "But no thank you."
"It was my pleasure, Ma'am. Though do me a favor?" He asked, a small grin painted on his handsome face.
"Anythin'" I said in a light voice, and I was fairly sure there were stars in my eyes from how I looked at the Major.
His round face was being illuminated perfectly by the fire, setting the parts that remained unshadowed from his hat ablaze in light. His pale blue eyes light up with a golden hue from the flames, and i all but forgot about Charlotte's existence as he opened his mouth to speak.
"Call me Jasper." He said with a wink, and I swore my heart was going to burst out of my chest.
"Goodbye then, Jasper." I said, and I quickly turned around, grabbing Charlotte's hand and dragging her away.
My father was surprised at how late I arrived home, though he didn't scold me once I explained Charlotte's disappearing act.
I wished I could tell my mother about the kind Major who had helped me, and I found myself lingering on the door of her room for a second before turning to go to my own. The doctors had said she was contagious.
Several days passed before I saw Charlotte again, and she had a smile as she came into the shop, the first customer we'd seen all day.
"Anne, Anne, Anne!" She chanted, stepping behind the counter and taking my hands in her own.
"What are you going to drag me into today?" I asked. Charlotte had a pleading look on her face, sticking out her bottom lip as she practically begged me to do something.
"Visit the soldiers with me?" Charlotte prompted. "I thought we could bring some pie." She said, gesturing around her before she added on to the statement. "I'd pay of course."
I'm ashamed to admit that I readily agreed and forced Charlotte to bake a few new pies with me, not wanting the soldiers to have any that weren't completely fresh.
"You ladies look determined. I don't think I've seen you behind this counter a day in your life Miss Livingston." My father said as he reentered the shop after his usual delivery run. My face lit up when I saw him, and I smiled.
"Hi, Pa."
Charlotte stuck her nose up in indignation, snootily looking up, and I burst into giggles as I put a pie into the oven. "You look ridiculous, Char." She looked like she was having a stroke with her eyes fluttering like that, but I didn't say that much.
Though Charlotte was born from a wealthier family, she rarely played the part. Her parents were more relaxed about their standing than anyone I had ever encountered, and as she leaned against the counter I couldn't help but be thankful for that. It gave me her best friend, and I couldn't be more happy, even if Charlotte was a handful.
When the pies finished I expertly wrapped them up, putting them in a bag. They had made a variety, though I had made one apple cinnamon one with extra care, and I hoped that my major liked apples. My face flushed as I thought about the blonde man again, the biggest reason I had agreed to come.
Charlotte handed Pa some money, or at least attempted to. He turned her down, practically forcing her out of the door with me. Charlotte was family, and family didn't have to pay for food. It was ridiculous to even think of it.
I forced herself to walk at a normal pace instead of sprinting off and leaving Charlotte in the dust. We both carried a bag of pies, and it didn't take long for us to reach the soldiers' camp, my heart practically set ablaze as we entered the camp ground and I began the look for Jasper.
