Based on characters from the Twilight© by Stephanie Meyers. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.

A NATURAL PROTECTOR

The cruel looking soldiers hovered threateningly over a group of cowering women and children. I was out of ammo and was unexpectedly face to face with the enemy. Enraged by the scene, I swung my rifle like a club at the closest soldier and he fell.

Suddenly I had become a kilted slavering berserker, gripping a massive crude cudgel, my long red hair flying as I savagely beat and killed the remaining enemy soldiers. Blood streaked and breathing heavily, jubilant in my victory, I watched as the women escape with their children. My triumphant roar echoed throughout the city.

I woke up with the sleep strangled cry in my throat, my heart pounding in my chest. It took me a moment to shake off the vivid dream. My aspiration was to become a soldier hero. My dreams were getting more dramatic and occasionally strange as I fixated on the prospect of killing the enemy and rescuing the innocent victims of tyranny.

It was 1918, the war was still raging in Europe, and at seventeen, I was considered a grown man - almost. I was old enough to go to college but was too young to fight in the war. I had begun my freshman year and was hoping to sway my parents' opinion that I should join the war effort when I reached eighteen.

Last year in high school the main topic had been the war in Europe. Days after my sixteenth birthday the first American soldiers headed to Europe. Friends and relatives who had reached twenty-one were leaving to enter the service. I was frustrated and jealous, but when they changed the draft age to eighteen* just before my seventeenth birthday I thought that I would get my chance. Other freshman college students left to join the service before being drafted making me even more anxious to go. There was no guarantee that I would be drafted so I was hoping that mother would soften a bit and not be opposed to me volunteering. I really didn't want to upset her but I was determined to go.

As I got closer to my eighteenth birthday the war continued, to my perverse joy and my mother's sorrow.

Mother was against the war and the thought of me going was terrifying to her. She prayed everyday that the awful war would end before I was old enough to go. I hated that my ambition made her feel that way, that she would be hurt when I left. My father had never verbalized his feelings on the subject. I was unsure how he would react to me leaving for war but I had a sense that he would be proud of me.

My mother, Elizabeth Masen, was a tall, round faced woman with reddish brown hair that was more bronze than red and green eyes. My father, Edward Masen, was a tall, dark haired, blue eyed man with angular features many years her elder.

I was 6 foot 2 inches tall and trim just on the lean side. Admittedly, I was skinny but I was muscular just misleadingly not muscular looking. I had my mother's bronze hair and her green eyes. My skin was fair but not freckled. I had my father's even temper and subtle grace. I also had his angular facial features and long thin hands and fingers; the hands of a musician, my mother always said.

My parents were both very intelligent something I proudly inherited. I was very curious as a result. Too inquisitive sometimes and as a consequence my curiosity frequently got me into some uncomfortable situations.

Although I had my father's even temper and was slow to anger once I got angry I could get irrational. It was something I had to fight. I was very good at reading people especially when it came to getting my way so I didn't get angry often. I was strong-willed when I decided what I wanted to do. Especially if someone else didn't think I could accomplish it. Like my curiosity, my uncompromising stubbornness landed me in difficult situations.

My father and I were both Edwards but I was called Edward not junior. Everyone called my father Mr. Edward, even my mother. He was a lawyer and worked long hours so he was gone much of the time. He loved my mother and me and made every effort to give us quality time when he was home. Our family passion was baseball and picnics so we spent much of our quality time at baseball games. We also spent a few weeks in the summer at our vacation house on the east shore of Lake Michigan.

My parents were very good to me and I did what I could to please them. Yet being their only surviving child, two had died in their infancy, they didn't dote on or spoil me. Since I was small I had been good at figuring out what would please my mother. We were alone together a lot and I learned that good manners and courtesy went a long way towards making her happy. I loved doing little things for her, and making her happy made me happy.

There was something I could sense in her - a hum or vibration - and I'd tune into it when I wanted to find out how she was feeling about things I'd say or do. So without being whiny, I could usually persuade her to go along with most of my desires. Occasionally one of my ideas would strike her badly and I learned when her hum was out of my realm of influence. I knew I would never change her mind or it would be very difficult; my wish to become a soldier was in that category.

Father came home early from a New York business trip feeling ill and decided to stay home a few days. When his illness became worse the family physician, Dr. Campbell, came by to check on him.

"This may be that influenza going around but since Mr. Edward is a middle-aged man and healthy there is no need to worry. This is usually dangerous to the very young and elderly. He should recover in a week to ten days," he told my mother and left father some medicine.

The next day a note was delivered that Mary our new housekeeper had became ill and wouldn't be coming to work.

I gave them my support by staying home. I enjoyed helping mother out. Besides the number of ill students and professors caused many of my classes to be canceled.

A few days later we realized that Elsa our cook was ill. Elsa who had been with us for 12 years remained in her room on the third floor. Mother took over the kitchen because she actually loved cooking.

The morning newspaper had stories about the spreading epidemic and the rising death rate. Mother was worried now; father was wheezing and coughing more and getting out of bed less and less.

I was wondering if I needed to officially drop classes for the semester. If I couldn't go back to school I would fail and would lose all of my tuition money on top of it. I could wait a week but no more to see how things went at home.

Dr. Campbell came back with more medicine for father and Elsa.

"They are young and healthy," he said dismissedly. "There is nothing to worry about; they will get better in a few days."

Mother and I were taking care of father and Elsa. I assisted my mother by doing more housekeeping chores and the laundry since the housekeeper was still ill.