the beginnings of jasper whitlock

The Sun Shines Brighter in the South

I reach for my canteen, the blinding sun beating down hard on the back of my neck. The ride further south has been full of blistering winds and nights so cold, that our packs are doubly stuffed with thick coats suited for snowy winters. Though full of the regular amount of missteps, this trip has so far gone smoothly aside from a bit of a rough start. And no ride can go off without some hitches. I take a swish of my canteen and store the rest for later today, knowing it'll only get hotter.

The desert crawls by as we make our way through her barren land. Clusters of cacti and half-dead bushes dot the landscape. Every once and a while, there'll be a breath of cooler air in the shade of a lonesome plateau, but all too soon the land thins out again and we're alone with that sun.

Removing my dust covered hat, I shake the sweat clinging to my my hair.

"Look at that," I hear Jenkins shout from the back of the squadron, "Whitlock's finally showing off his flowing locks. Show us your prettiest pose, Whitlock!"

The rest of the squad rumbles with laughter. I crack a smile. "Nice of you to finally notice, Jenkins. Thought you'd gone blind after your tumble from ol' Roper yesterday."

Everyone cracks up at that. We ended up riding through last night after an unexpected delay from our last town, Quitman. Lenny Jenkins hadn't slept a wink the night before. He claims it was because of 'a terrible cough'. But if 'a terrible cough' is the name of his newest lover, then, yes, I believe him.

He tries to hide it, but his face goes beet red. Well, redder than it is from the burning sun. So easy to get worked up. But he's smart enough to know not to insult his sergeant so he goes after someone else. "Shut your trap, Daniels. He just tripped over a dip, that's all. Roper's not got the sharpest eyes, but he could beat your Winnie in a race anytime." He's fuming now.

"Aww, come on now, Jenkins-" Hernandez turns around on his horse and spits his chew at the ground. I hear he's been chewing since he was 6. His mom and pop encouraged it. Said it strengthened his teeth or somethin' like that. I think that's bull. He thinks he's tough as hell 'cause of it. "-he's just kiddin' around. Stop makin' a fuss over a joke."

I sigh, knowing I shouldn't have spoken up in the first place. Now this would only get worse, with Hernandez and Jenkins getting into it. Maybe even ending with a fight that I'll have to break up. Or maybe not. Everyone has to let off steam somehow.

Jenkins is always ready to pick a fight anywhere, anytime, with anyone. It's just in his nature to finish arguments with his fists rather than his lips. Although, those come in handy when he's sweet talkin' his way in with a group of ladies.

As Jenkins and Hernandez heat up and go after each other's mothers, Tarrants rides up beside me. He's been awfully quiet these last few days, only commenting on which direction he thought was best when I'd asked him every so often.

"Sergeant, I've been thinking 'bout that last town for a few miles now," he started. "and somethin' about it felt plain wrong."

Jimmy Tarrants. Superstitious as ever. Tarrants is the kind of man who believes in the heebie jeebies. The monster under the bed or the ghost haunting the cemetery.

I look over at his face. He, too, is young. 18 and fresh out of some elite high school somewhere in northern Texas, not cut out for soldier work. Parents pushed him to join the army. But he found his place in the folds of a map.

In the few weeks he's been in my squad, a new line has found its way into his features. A permanent v between his eyebrows. Now, his features are flushed with dread and a poor night's sleep from his stay in the town. His eyes have hollowed and his lips are chapped.

"Whadya you mean by wrong, Tarrants?" I ask calmly. If I show him that there's nothing to be afraid of, then maybe he'll calm down. And maybe even get a decent night's sleep.

He looks at me like the answer is obvious. "Well, didya hear what the locals were goin' on and on about all night? People goin' missin' all over the place, especially in this next town we're headin' to. I heard that Davis is the Devil's town now. That there are more ghosts livin' there than actual people!" He runs a shaky hand through his ashen hair.

Though the stories are most definitely fake, the fear in his eyes is real. Jumpy men in a squad is not good. Leads to late night watches gone wrong. A tumbleweed can look a lot like a spirit if a man is runin' on five hours of sleep in the last 36 hours. Time to deescalate the situation.

"Listen to me, Jimmy. What's that rosary around you neck for, hmmm?" He rubs the lackluster metal, frowning. "That's right, to protect ya. No spirit's gonna come after you with that trinket round your neck." I give him the most reassuring smile I can. "That's God's gift for you, y'hear?"

The rosary shines in the sunlight as he turns it over in his hands. I've seen him do this a couple times before over the weeks. Helps calm him down. I could almost hear the mantra he was repeating in his head. God's gift. God's gift. God's gift. Nothin' to be afraid of.

His shoulders relax and he lets out a sigh, leaning back to open his face to the sun. "You're right, sergeant. You're right." He never lets go of that rosary.

Author's Note:
Hello everyone! I'm very excited to start this project and can't wait to explore Jasper's past. A few things from me...

One. I don't have any of my physical copies of twilight for the next month because I'm in the midst of moving and had to pack away my entire twilight collection. If there are mistakes relating to the book, please bear with me for a little while. But don't worry too much, my mind is a steel trap so it'll be perfect right away! Haha

Two. This story may change a little bit during writing. I plan on writing and releasing. There will be editing for grammar and overall quality. Not only that, but once again, I don't have my copies of twilight (eclipse especially) to fact check at the moment so I may go back in later and fix/change a few details

Three. There will be a little bit of swearing in this book. Nothing too serious, but it is the Wild West. People were very creative with their swears. These are country boys after all.

Thank you so much for reading!