Where It All Began - Let's Read the Twilight Series

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Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Ok, so four spinoffs

First, as mentioned: "Mike Newton, PI", Mike and his girlfriend Jessica solve crimes with the help of his adopted dad, Sheriff Charlie Swan.

"Hanging Ten with Solomon!": Life's not easy when you're a pro-surfer, but marriage can be harder. Luckily, Solomon Finau has his wife Becky, his brother-in-law Jake, and his father-in-law Billy in his corner. Join him and his family he tries to navigate his personal and professional life. In the first episode, there's a moonlight luau, but where are Jake and Billy? Also, animal control is called to try to track down some stray dogs.

"Carlisle Cullen, MD": Join Dr. Cullen as he tries to navigate the politics of hospital medicine. How do you balance the needs of the customers with the needs of the hospital? And why is Dr Cullen's first instinct always leeches, cupping, and purgatives?

"gently caress you, Winnie the Pooh!": Growing up in Tennessee, Emmett Cullen had one hero, the frontiersman Davy Crockett. And when he heard that Crockett 'killed him a b'ar when he was only three', he decided to do one better. Now he has one goal in life, to end the bear menace, and he won't give up, no matter how grizzly it gets.

# ? Jul 20, 2019 02:23

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# ? Apr 26, 2024 03:31

chitoryu12: Apr 24, 2014

gently caress this thread for making me seriously want to start finding Twilight fanfiction that utilizes the characters correctly.

# ? Jul 20, 2019 04:11

RaspberrySea: Nov 29, 2004

quote:

“Wrong again,” he murmured in my ear. “You are utterly indecent—no one should look so tempting, it’s not fair.”

RaspberrySea fucked around with this message at 21:58 on Jul 20, 2019

# ? Jul 20, 2019 21:13

Somebody Awful: Nov 27, 2011; BORN TO DIE
HAIG IS A FUCK
Kill Em All 1917
I am trench man
410,757,864,530 SHELLS FIRED

Epicurius posted:

Ok, so four spinoffs

Would read.

# ? Jul 22, 2019 06:40

chitoryu12: Apr 24, 2014

Chapter 16: Carlisle

quote:

He led me back to the room that he'd pointed out as Carlisle's office. He paused inside the door for an instant.

�Come in,� Carlisle�s voice invited.

Edward opened the door to a high-ceilinged room with tall, west-facing windows. The walls were paneled again, in a darker wood�where they were visible. Most of the wall space was taken up by towering bookshelves that reached high above my head and held more books than I�d ever seen outside a library.

Carlisle sat behind a huge mahogany desk in a leather chair. He was just placing a bookmark in the pages of the thick volume he held. The room was how I�d always imagined a college dean�s would look�only Carlisle looked too young to fit the part.

�What can I do for you?� he asked us pleasantly, rising from his seat.

�I wanted to show Bella some of our history,� Edward said. �Well, your history, actually.�

�We didn�t mean to disturb you,� I apologized.

�Not at all. Where are you going to start?�

�The Waggoner,� Edward replied, placing one hand lightly on my shoulder and spinning me around to look back toward the door we�d just come through. Every time he touched me, in even the most casual way, my heart had an audible reaction. It was more embarrassing with Carlisle there.

Carlisle is just listening to her heartbeat go up and down like the value of Bitcoin and rolling his eyes.

quote:

The wall we faced now was different from the others. Instead of bookshelves, this wall was crowded with framed pictures of all sizes, some in vibrant colors, others dull monochromes. I searched for some logic, some binding motif the collection had in common, but I found nothing in my hasty examination.

Edward pulled me toward the far left side, standing me in front of a small square oil painting in a plain wooden frame. This one did not stand out among the bigger and brighter pieces; painted in varying tones of sepia, it depicted a miniature city full of steeply slanted roofs, with thin spires atop a few scattered towers. A wide river filled the foreground, crossed by a bridge covered with structures that looked like tiny cathedrals.

�London in the sixteen-fifties,� Edward said.

�The London of my youth,� Carlisle added, from a few feet behind us. I flinched; I hadn�t heard him approach. Edward squeezed my hand.

�Will you tell the story?� Edward asked. I twisted a little to see Carlisle�s reaction.

He met my glance and smiled. �I would,� he replied. �But I�m actually running a bit late. The hospital called this morning�Dr. Snow is taking a sick day. Besides, you know the stories as well as I do,� he added, grinning at Edward now.

It was a strange combination to absorb�the everyday concerns of the town doctor stuck in the middle of a discussion of his early days in seventeenth-century London.

It was also unsettling to know that he spoke aloud only for my benefit.

No, according to Midnight Sun they speak to each other normally when alone. They only beam their thoughts at Edward when they want to say things other people shouldn't hear.

quote:

After another warm smile for me, Carlisle left the room.

I stared at the little picture of Carlisle�s hometown for a long moment.

�What happened then?� I finally asked, staring up at Edward, who was watching me. �When he realized what had happened to him?�

He glanced back to the paintings, and I looked to see which image caught his interest now. It was a larger landscape in dull fall colors�an empty, shadowed meadow in a forest, with a craggy peak in the distance.

�When he knew what he had become,� Edward said quietly, �he rebelled against it. He tried to destroy himself. But that�s not easily done.�

�How?� I didn�t mean to say it aloud, but the word broke through my shock.

�He jumped from great heights,� Edward told me, his voice impassive. �He tried to drown himself in the ocean� but he was young to the new life, and very strong. It is amazing that he was able to resist� feeding� while he was still so new. The instinct is more powerful then, it takes over everything. But he was so repelled by himself that he had the strength to try to kill himself with starvation.�

�Is that possible?� My voice was faint.

�No, there are very few ways we can be killed.�

I know it's supposed to be dramatic, but I just got this image of Carlisle leaping off the tallest church in London and bouncing off the ground in front of a bunch of surprised pedestrians.

quote:

I opened my mouth to ask, but he spoke before I could.

�So he grew very hungry, and eventually weak. He strayed as far as he could from the human populace, recognizing that his willpower was weakening, too. For months he wandered by night, seeking the loneliest places, loathing himself. �One night, a herd of deer passed his hiding place. He was so wild with thirst that he attacked without a thought. His strength returned and he realized there was an alternative to being the vile monster he feared. Had he not eaten venison in his former life? Over the next months his new philosophy was born. He could exist without being a demon. He found himself again.

�He began to make better use of his time. He�d always been intelligent, eager to learn. Now he had unlimited time before him. He studied by night, planned by day. He swam to France and��

�He swam to France?�

�People swim the Channel all the time, Bella,� he reminded me patiently.

"Also he's a loving vampire."

quote:

�That�s true, I guess. It just sounded funny in that context. Go on.�

�Swimming is easy for us��

�Everything is easy for you,� I griped.

He waited, his expression amused.

�I won�t interrupt again, I promise.�

Then how will Meyer get a book that looks really big on the shelf?

quote:

He chuckled darkly, and finished his sentence. �Because, technically, we don�t need to breathe.�

�You��

�No, no, you promised.� He laughed, putting his cold finger lightly to my lips. �Do you want to hear the story or not?�

�You can�t spring something like that on me, and then expect me not to say anything,� I mumbled against his finger.

He lifted his hand, moving it to rest against my neck. The speed of my heart reacted to that, but I persisted.

�You don�t have to breathe?� I demanded.

�No, it�s not necessary. Just a habit.� He shrugged.

�How long can you go� without breathing?�

I don't get why Bella is so incredulous. She's already accepted Edward being a vampire, but somehow vampires not needing to breathe or being able to swim really fast is this huge surprise. Did she just learn literally nothing about vampires ever as she grew up?

quote:

�Indefinitely, I suppose; I don�t know. It gets a bit uncomfortable�being without a sense of smell.�

�A bit uncomfortable,� I echoed.

I wasn�t paying attention to my own expression, but something in it made him grow somber. His hand dropped to his side and he stood very still, his eyes intent on my face. The silence lengthened. His features were immobile as stone.

�What is it?� I whispered, touching his frozen face.

His face softened under my hand, and he sighed. �I keep waiting for it to happen.�

�For what to happen?�

�I know that at some point, something I tell you or something you see is going to be too much. And then you�ll run away from me, screaming as you go.� He smiled half a smile, but his eyes were serious. �I won�t stop you. I want this to happen, because I want you to be safe. And yet, I want to be with you. The two desires are impossible to reconcile.�� He trailed off, staring at my face. Waiting.

�I�m not running anywhere,� I promised.

�We�ll see,� he said, smiling again.

There's not much more you can tell her! If you've already admitted to being a vampire and bragged about how much you have to resist the urge to not tear her throat out every second you're together and she's still dating you, she's hopeless.

quote:

I frowned at him. �So, go on�Carlisle was swimming to France.�

He paused, getting back into his story. Reflexively, his eyes flickered to another picture�the most colorful of them all, the most ornately framed, and the largest; it was twice as wide as the door it hung next to. The canvas overflowed with bright figures in swirling robes, writhing around long pillars and off marbled balconies. I couldn�t tell if it represented Greek mythology, or if the characters floating in the clouds above were meant to be biblical.

�Carlisle swam to France, and continued on through Europe, to the universities there. By night he studied music, science, medicine�and found his calling, his penance, in that, in saving human lives.� His expression became awed, almost reverent. �I can�t adequately describe the struggle; it took Carlisle two centuries of torturous effort to perfect his self-control. Now he is all but immune to the scent of human blood, and he is able to do the work he loves without agony. He finds a great deal of peace there, at the hospital.�� Edward stared off into space for a long moment. Suddenly he seemed to recall his purpose. He tapped his finger against the huge painting in front of us.

Carlisle took the smart route with his immortality and lack of sleeping. When you have all the time in the world, take up hobbies! Every hobby!

quote:

�He was studying in Italy when he discovered the others there. They were much more civilized and educated than the wraiths of the London sewers.�

He touched a comparatively sedate quartet of figures painted on the highest balcony, looking down calmly on the mayhem below them. I examined the grouping carefully and realized, with a startled laugh, that I recognized the golden-haired man.

�Solimena was greatly inspired by Carlisle�s friends. He often painted them as gods,� Edward chuckled. �Aro, Marcus, Caius,� he said, indicating the other three, two black-haired, one snowy-white. �Nighttime patrons of the arts.�

To my knowledge, there's no real painting by Francesco Solimena that Meyer used as a reference. The film created its own.

quote:

�What happened to them?� I wondered aloud, my fingertip hovering a centimeter from the figures on the canvas.

�They�re still there.� He shrugged. �As they have been for who knows how many millennia. Carlisle stayed with them only for a short time, just a few decades. He greatly admired their civility, their refinement, but they persisted in trying to cure his aversion to �his natural food source,� as they called it. They tried to persuade him, and he tried to persuade them, to no avail. At that point, Carlisle decided to try the New World. He dreamed of finding others like himself. He was very lonely, you see.

�He didn�t find anyone for a long time. But, as monsters became the stuff of fairy tales, he found he could interact with unsuspecting humans as if he were one of them. He began practicing medicine. But the companionship he craved evaded him; he couldn�t risk familiarity.

�When the influenza epidemic hit, he was working nights in a hospital in Chicago. He�d been turning over an idea in his mind for several years, and he had almost decided to act�since he couldn�t find a companion, he would create one. He wasn�t absolutely sure how his own transformation had occurred, so he was hesitant. And he was loath to steal anyone�s life the way his had been stolen. It was in that frame of mind that he found me. There was no hope for me; I was left in a ward with the dying. He had nursed my parents, and knew I was alone. He decided to try��

His voice, nearly a whisper now, trailed off. He stared unseeingly through the west windows. I wondered which images filled his mind now, Carlisle�s memories or his own. I waited quietly.

When he turned back to me, a gentle angel�s smile lit his expression.

�And so we�ve come full circle,� he concluded.

"As you can see, I'm the least interesting one here."

quote:

�Have you always stayed with Carlisle, then?� I wondered.

�Almost always.� He put his hand lightly on my waist and pulled me with him as he walked through the door. I stared back at the wall of pictures, wondering if I would ever get to hear the other stories.

Edward didn�t say any more as we walked down the hall, so I asked, �Almost?�

He sighed, seeming reluctant to answer. �Well, I had a typical bout of rebellious adolescence�about ten years after I was� born� created, whatever you want to call it. I wasn�t sold on his life of abstinence, and I resented him for curbing my appetite. So I went off on my own for a time.�

�Really?� I was intrigued, rather than frightened, as I perhaps should have been.

He could tell. I vaguely realized that we were headed up the next flight of stairs, but I wasn�t paying much attention to my surroundings.

�That doesn�t repulse you?�

�No.�

�Why not?�

�I guess� it sounds reasonable.�

Bella he loving killed people. A lot of people.

quote:

He barked a laugh, more loudly than before. We were at the top of the stairs now, in another paneled hallway.

�From the time of my new birth,� he murmured, �I had the advantage of knowing what everyone around me was thinking, both human and non-human alike. That�s why it took me ten years to defy Carlisle�I could read his perfect sincerity, understand exactly why he lived the way he did.

�It took me only a few years to return to Carlisle and recommit to his vision. I thought I would be exempt from the� depression� that accompanies a conscience. Because I knew the thoughts of my prey, I could pass over the innocent and pursue only the evil. If I followed a murderer down a dark alley where he stalked a young girl�if I saved her, then surely I wasn�t so terrible.�

I shivered, imagining only too clearly what he described�the alley at night, the frightened girl, the dark man behind her. And Edward, Edward as he hunted, terrible and glorious as a young god, unstoppable. Would she have been grateful, that girl, or more frightened than before?

Edward was basically a vampire Dexter Morgan. This is why he was trying so hard in Port Angeles not to just slaughter the rapists attacking Bella: he spent years murdering criminals.

She's showing nowhere near enough reaction to this! Before she only knew that he was a "vegetarian vampire", so there would be some justification for not fearing him as much as she should. Now she's found out that the police would consider him a serial killer and she's barely done more than shrug.

quote:

�But as time went on, I began to see the monster in my eyes. I couldn�t escape the debt of so much human life taken, no matter how justified. And I went back to Carlisle and Esme. They welcomed me back like the prodigal. It was more than I deserved.�

We�d come to a stop in front of the last door in the hall.

�My room,� he informed me, opening it and pulling me through.

His room faced south, with a wall-sized window like the great room below. The whole back side of the house must be glass. His view looked down on the winding Sol Duc River, across the untouched forest to the Olympic Mountain range. The mountains were much closer than I would have believed.

The western wall was completely covered with shelf after shelf of CDs. His room was better stocked than a music store. In the corner was a sophisticated-looking sound system, the kind I was afraid to touch because I�d be sure to break something. There was no bed, only a wide and inviting black leather sofa. The floor was covered with a thick golden carpet, and the walls were hung with heavy fabric in a slightly darker shade.

�Good acoustics?� I guessed.

He chuckled and nodded.

Any filmmaker who desaturates their movie this much from now on needs to be thrown in the pit.

quote:

He picked up a remote and turned the stereo on. It was quiet, but the soft jazz number sounded like the band was in the room with us. I went to look at his mind-boggling music collection.

�How do you have these organized?� I asked, unable to find any rhyme or reason to the titles.

He wasn�t paying attention.

�Ummm, by year, and then by personal preference within that frame,� he said absently.

I turned, and he was looking at me with a peculiar expression in his eyes.

�What?�

�I was prepared to feel� relieved. Having you know about everything, not needing to keep secrets from you. But I didn�t expect to feel more than that. I like it. It makes me� happy.� He shrugged, smiling slightly.

�I�m glad,� I said, smiling back. I�d worried that he might regret telling me these things. It was good to know that wasn�t the case.

But then, as his eyes dissected my expression, his smile faded and his forehead creased.

�You�re still waiting for the running and the screaming, aren�t you?� I guessed.

A faint smile touched his lips, and he nodded.

�I hate to burst your bubble, but you�re really not as scary as you think you are. I don�t find you scary at all, actually,� I lied casually.

"I never lie without good reason!" I say as I tell the vampire with a sky-high body count that I'm not afraid of him.

quote:

He stopped, raising his eyebrows in blatant disbelief. Then he flashed a wide, wicked smile.

�You really shouldn�t have said that,� he chuckled.

He growled, a low sound in the back of his throat; his lips curled back over his perfect teeth. His body shifted suddenly, half-crouched, tensed like a lion about to pounce.

I backed away from him, glaring.

�You wouldn�t.�

I didn�t see him leap at me�it was much too fast. I only found myself suddenly airborne, and then we crashed onto the sofa, knocking it into the wall. All the while, his arms formed an iron cage of protection around me�I was barely jostled. But I still was gasping as I tried to right myself.

He wasn�t having that. He curled me into a ball against his chest, holding me more securely than iron chains. I glared at him in alarm, but he seemed well in control, his jaw relaxed as he grinned, his eyes bright only with humor.

�You were saying?� he growled playfully.

�That you are a very, very terrifying monster,� I said, my sarcasm marred a bit by my breathless voice.

�Much better,� he approved.

Let's not forget the context that this is the equivalent to your serial killer boyfriend (who by now you know is a serial killer) casually hurling a knife past your head.

quote:

�Um.� I struggled. �Can I get up now?�

He just laughed.

�Can we come in?� a soft voice sounded from the hall.

I struggled to free myself, but Edward merely readjusted me so that I was somewhat more conventionally seated on his lap. I could see it was Alice, then, and Jasper behind her in the doorway. My cheeks burned, but Edward seemed at ease.

�Go ahead.� Edward was still chuckling quietly.

Alice seemed to find nothing unusual in our embrace; she walked�almost danced, her movements were so graceful�to the center of the room, where she folded herself sinuously onto the floor. Jasper, however, paused at the door, his expression a trifle shocked. He stared at Edward�s face, and I wondered if he was tasting the atmosphere with his unusual sensitivity.

�It sounded like you were having Bella for lunch, and we came to see if you would share,� Alice announced.

I stiffened for an instant, until I realized Edward was grinning�whether at her comment or my response, I couldn�t tell.

"You should be afraid of me!" I say as I gently stroke your face and drive you to school. "You shouldn't be afraid of me!" I say as my entire vampire family jokes about murdering you.

quote:

�Sorry, I don�t believe I have enough to spare,� he replied, his arms holding me recklessly close.

�Actually,� Jasper said, smiling despite himself as he walked into the room, �Alice says there�s going to be a real storm tonight, and Emmett wants to play ball. Are you game?�

The words were all common enough, but the context confused me. I gathered that Alice was a bit more reliable than the weatherman, though.

Edward�s eyes lit up, but he hesitated.

�Of course you should bring Bella,� Alice chirped. I thought I saw Jasper throw a quick glance at her.

�Do you want to go?� Edward asked me, excited, his expression vivid.

�Sure.� I couldn�t disappoint such a face. �Um, where are we going?�

�We have to wait for thunder to play ball�you�ll see why,� he promised.

�Will I need an umbrella?�

They all three laughed aloud.

"Silly humans and their wetness!"

quote:

�Will she?� Jasper asked Alice.

�No.� She was positive. �The storm will hit over town. It should be dry enough in the clearing.�

�Good, then.� The enthusiasm in Jasper�s voice was catching, naturally. I found myself eager, rather than scared stiff.

�Let�s go see if Carlisle will come.� Alice bounded up and to the door in a fashion that would break any ballerina�s heart.

�Like you don�t know,� Jasper teased, and they were swiftly on their way. Jasper managed to inconspicuously close the door behind them.

�What will we be playing?� I demanded.

�You will be watching,� Edward clarified. �We will be playing baseball.�

I rolled my eyes. �Vampires like baseball?�

�It�s the American pastime,� he said with mock solemnity.

# ? Jul 22, 2019 16:42

chitoryu12: Apr 24, 2014

Chapter 17: The Game

quote:

It was just beginning to drizzle when Edward turned onto my street. Up until that moment, I�d had no doubt that he�d be staying with me while I spent a few interim hours in the real world.

And then I saw the black car, a weathered Ford, parked in Charlie�s driveway�and heard Edward mutter something unintelligible in a low, harsh voice.

Leaning away from the rain under the shallow front porch, Jacob Black stood behind his father�s wheelchair. Billy�s face was impassive as stone as Edward parked my truck against the curb. Jacob stared down, his expression mortified.

Edward�s low voice was furious. �This is crossing the line.�

�He came to warn Charlie?� I guessed, more horrified than angry.

Edward just nodded, answering Billy�s gaze through the rain with narrowed eyes.

I felt weak with relief that Charlie wasn�t home yet.

�Let me deal with this,� I suggested. Edward�s black glare made me anxious.

To my surprise, he agreed. �That�s probably best. Be careful, though. The child has no idea.�

I bridled a little at the word child. �Jacob is not that much younger than I am,� I reminded him.

He looked at me then, his anger abruptly fading. �Oh, I know,� he assured me with a grin.

"I'm technically a senior citizen."

quote:

I sighed and put my hand on the door handle.

�Get them inside,� he instructed, �so I can leave. I�ll be back around dusk.�

�Do you want my truck?� I offered, meanwhile wondering how I would explain its absence to Charlie.

He rolled his eyes. �I could walk home faster than this truck moves.�

�You don�t have to leave,� I said wistfully.

He smiled at my glum expression. �Actually, I do. After you get rid of them��he threw a dark glance in the Blacks� direction��you still have to prepare Charlie to meet your new boyfriend.� He grinned widely, showing all of his teeth.

I groaned. �Thanks a lot.�

He smiled the crooked smile that I loved. �I�ll be back soon,� he promised. His eyes flickered back to the porch, and then he leaned in to swiftly kiss me just under the edge of my jaw. My heart lurched frantically, and I, too, glanced toward the porch. Billy�s face was no longer impassive, and his hands clutched at the armrests of his chair.

Just casually shoving a gun in my date's ear to taunt the guy who knows I'm a murderer.

quote:

�Soon,� I stressed as I opened the door and stepped out into the rain.

I could feel his eyes on my back as I half-ran through the light sprinkle toward the porch.

�Hey, Billy. Hi, Jacob.� I greeted them as cheerfully as I could manage. �Charlie�s gone for the day�I hope you haven�t been waiting long.�

�Not long,� Billy said in a subdued tone. His black eyes were piercing. �I just wanted to bring this up.� He indicated a brown paper sack resting in his lap.

�Thanks,� I said, though I had no idea what it could be. �Why don�t you come in for a minute and dry off?�

I pretended to be oblivious to his intense scrutiny as I unlocked the door, and waved them in ahead of me.

�Here, let me take that,� I offered, turning to shut the door. I allowed myself one last glance at Edward. He was waiting, perfectly still, his eyes solemn.

�You�ll want to put it in the fridge,� Billy noted as he handed me the package. �It�s some of Harry Clearwater�s homemade fish fry�Charlie�s favorite. The fridge keeps it drier.� He shrugged.

�Thanks,� I repeated, but with feeling this time. �I was running out of new ways to fix fish, and he�s bound to bring home more tonight.�

�Fishing again?� Billy asked with a subtle gleam in his eye. �Down at the usual spot? Maybe I�ll run by and see him.�

�No,� I quickly lied, my face going hard. �He was headed someplace new� but I have no idea where.�

Can we get a tally of how many times Bella lies while saying she doesn't normally lie?

quote:

He took in my changed expression, and it made him thoughtful.

�Jake,� he said, still appraising me. �Why don�t you go get that new picture of Rebecca out of the car? I�ll leave that for Charlie, too.�

�Where is it?� Jacob asked, his voice morose. I glanced at him, but he was staring at the floor, his eyebrows pulling together.

�I think I saw it in the trunk,� Billy said. �You may have to dig for it.�

Jacob slouched back out into the rain.

Billy and I faced each other in silence. After a few seconds, the quiet started to feel awkward, so I turned and headed to the kitchen. I could hear his wet wheels squeak against the linoleum as he followed.

I shoved the bag onto the crowded top shelf of the fridge, and spun around to confront him. His deeply lined face was unreadable.

�Charlie won�t be back for a long time.� My voice was almost rude.

He nodded in agreement, but said nothing.

�Thanks again for the fish fry,� I hinted.

He continued nodding. I sighed and folded my arms across my chest.

He seemed to sense that I had given up on small talk. �Bella,� he said, and then he hesitated.

I waited.

�Bella,� he said again, �Charlie is one of my best friends.�

�Yes.�

He spoke each word carefully in his rumbling voice. �I noticed you�ve been spending time with one of the Cullens.�

�Yes,� I repeated curtly.

His eyes narrowed. �Maybe it�s none of my business, but I don�t think that is such a good idea.�

�You�re right,� I agreed. �It is none of your business.�

Considering his heritage, it is in fact entirely his business!

quote:

He raised his graying eyebrows at my tone. �You probably don�t know this, but the Cullen family has an unpleasant reputation on the reservation.�

�Actually, I did know that,� I informed him in a hard voice. This surprised him. �But that reputation couldn�t be deserved, could it? Because the Cullens never set foot on the reservation, do they?� I could see that my less than subtle reminder of the agreement that both bound and protected his tribe pulled him up short.

�That�s true,� he acceded, his eyes guarded. �You seem� well informed about the Cullens. More informed than I expected.�

He pursed his thick lips as he considered that. �Maybe,� he allowed, but his eyes were shrewd. �Is Charlie as well informed?�

He had found the weak chink in my armor.

�Charlie likes the Cullens a lot,� I hedged. He clearly understood my evasion. His expression was unhappy, but unsurprised.

�It�s not my business,� he said. �But it may be Charlie�s.�

�Though it would be my business, again, whether or not I think that it�s Charlie�s business, right?� I wondered if he even understood my confused question as I struggled not to say anything compromising. But he seemed to. He thought about it while the rain picked up against the roof, the only sound breaking the silence.

�Yes,� he finally surrendered. �I guess that�s your business, too.�

"Business" is becoming the new "matter".

quote:

I sighed with relief. �Thanks, Billy.�

�Just think about what you�re doing, Bella,� he urged.

�Okay,� I agreed quickly.

He frowned. �What I meant to say was, don�t do what you�re doing.�

I looked into his eyes, filled with nothing but concern for me, and there was nothing I could say.

Just then the front door banged loudly, and I jumped at the sound.

�There�s no picture anywhere in that car.� Jacob�s complaining voice reached us before he did. The shoulders of his shirt were stained with the rain, his hair dripping, when he rounded the corner.

�Hmm,� Billy grunted, suddenly detached, spinning his chair around to face his son. �I guess I left it at home.�

Jacob rolled his eyes dramatically. �Great.�

Jacob already knows the stories of the Cullens being vampires, even if he doesn't believe it yet. There had to be a better way to handle this conversation than throwing him out in the rain.

quote:

�Well, Bella, tell Charlie��Billy paused before continuing��that we stopped by, I mean.�

�I will,� I muttered.

Jacob was surprised. �Are we leaving already?�

�Charlie�s gonna be out late,� Billy explained as he rolled himself past Jacob.

�Oh.� Jacob looked disappointed. �Well, I guess I�ll see you later, then, Bella.�

My headcanon is he really just wanted to hang out with Charlie.

quote:

�Sure,� I agreed.

�Take care,� Billy warned me. I didn�t answer.

Jacob helped his father out the door. I waved briefly, glancing swiftly toward my now-empty truck, and then shut the door before they were gone.

I stood in the hallway for a minute, listening to the sound of their car as it backed out and drove away. I stayed where I was, waiting for the irritation and anxiety to subside. When the tension eventually faded a bit, I headed upstairs to change out of my dressy clothes.

I tried on a couple of different tops, not sure what to expect tonight. As I concentrated on what was coming, what had just passed became insignificant. Now that I was removed from Jasper�s and Edward�s influence, I began to make up for not being terrified before. I gave up quickly on choosing an outfit�throwing on an old flannel shirt and jeans�knowing I would be in my raincoat all night anyway.

Just make her Mormon in canon already!

quote:

The phone rang and I sprinted downstairs to get it. There was only one voice I wanted to hear; anything else would be a disappointment. But I knew that if he wanted to talk to me, he�d probably just materialize in my room.

�Hello?� I asked, breathless.

�Bella? It�s me,� Jessica said.

�Oh, hey, Jess.� I scrambled for a moment to come back down to reality. It felt like months rather than days since I�d spoken to Jess. �How was the dance?�

She's not wrong! With how much senseless padding there is, it's been 12 days for us since the last time Jessica appeared!

quote:

�It was so much fun!� Jessica gushed. Needing no more invitation than that, she launched into a minute-by-minute account of the previous night. I mmm�d and ahh�d at the right places, but it wasn�t easy to concentrate. Jessica, Mike, the dance, the school�they all seemed strangely irrelevant at the moment. My eyes kept flashing to the window, trying to judge the degree of light behind the heavy clouds.

�Did you hear what I said, Bella?� Jess asked, irritated.

�I�m sorry, what?�

�I said, Mike kissed me! Can you believe it?�

�That�s wonderful, Jess,� I said.

�So what did you do yesterday?� Jessica challenged, still sounding bothered by my lack of attention. Or maybe she was upset because I hadn�t asked for details.

�Nothing, really. I just hung around outside to enjoy the sun.�

"Your thirty minutes of sun a year."

quote:

I heard Charlie�s car in the garage.

�Did you ever hear anything more from Edward Cullen?� The front door slammed and I could hear Charlie banging around under the stairs, putting his tackle away.

�Um.� I hesitated, not sure what my story was anymore.

�Hi there, kiddo!� Charlie called as he walked into the kitchen. I waved at him.

Jess heard his voice. �Oh, your dad�s there. Never mind�we�ll talk tomorrow. See you in Trig.�

�See ya, Jess.� I hung up the phone.

Has Jessica actually contributed anything to the plot since she first gave exposition on the Cullens in the first chapter?

quote:

�Hey, Dad,� I said. He was scrubbing his hands in the sink. �Where�s the fish?�

�I put it out in the freezer.�

�I�ll go grab a few pieces before they freeze�Billy dropped off some of Harry Clearwater�s fish fry this afternoon.� I worked to sound enthusiastic.

�He did?� Charlie�s eyes lit up. �That�s my favorite.�

Charlie cleaned up while I got dinner ready. It didn�t take long till we were sitting at the table, eating in silence. Charlie was enjoying his food. I was wondering desperately how to fulfill my assignment, struggling to think of a way to broach the subject.

�What did you do with yourself today?� he asked, snapping me out of my reverie.

�Well, this afternoon I just hung out around the house.�� Only the very recent part of this afternoon, actually. I tried to keep my voice upbeat, but my stomach was hollow. �And this morning I was over at the Cullens�.�

Charlie dropped his fork.

Charlie has found a way in to date Carlisle.

quote:

�Dr. Cullen�s place?� he asked in astonishment.

I pretended not to notice his reaction. �Yeah.�

"What were you doing there?� He hadn�t picked his fork back up.

�Well, I sort of have a date with Edward Cullen tonight, and he wanted to introduce me to his parents� Dad?�

It appeared that Charlie was having an aneurysm.

�Dad, are you all right?�

�You are going out with Edward Cullen?� he thundered. Uh-oh.

�I thought you liked the Cullens.�

�He�s too old for you,� he ranted.

�We�re both juniors,� I corrected, though he was more right than he dreamed.

�Wait�� He paused. �Which one is Edwin?�

�Edward is the youngest, the one with the reddish brown hair.� The beautiful one, the godlike one�

Charlie gets points for being accidentally right.

quote:

�Oh, well, that�s��he struggled��better, I guess. I don�t like the look of that big one. I�m sure he�s a nice boy and all, but he looks too� mature for you. Is this Edwin your boyfriend?�

�It�s Edward, Dad.�

�Is he?�

�Sort of, I guess.�

�You said last night that you weren�t interested in any of the boys in town.� But he picked up his fork again, so I could see the worst was over.

�Well, Edward doesn�t live in town, Dad.�

He gave me a disparaging look as he chewed.

�And, anyways,� I continued, �it�s kind of at an early stage, you know. Don�t embarrass me with all the boyfriend talk, okay?�

�When is he coming over?�

�He�ll be here in a few minutes.�

�Where is he taking you?�

I groaned loudly. �I hope you�re getting the Spanish Inquisition out of your system now. We�re going to play baseball with his family.�

His face puckered, and then he finally chuckled. �You�re playing baseball?�

"Last time you tried that, they declared Phoenix uninhabitable for five years!"

quote:

�Well, I�ll probably watch most of the time.�

�You must really like this guy,� he observed suspiciously.

I sighed and rolled my eyes for his benefit.

I heard the roar of an engine pull up in front of the house. I jumped up and started cleaning my dishes.

�Leave the dishes, I can do them tonight. You baby me too much.�

This is one of the extremely few cases of subtle, mostly unstated characterization that Meyer uses. Bella is so used to her mother being a useless womanchild that she instinctively tries to do all the cleaning and cooking herself.

quote:

The doorbell rang, and Charlie stalked off to answer it. I was half a step behind him.

I hadn�t realized how hard it was pouring outside. Edward stood in the halo of the porch light, looking like a male model in an advertisement for raincoats.

�Come on in, Edward.�

I breathed a sigh of relief when Charlie got his name right.

�Thanks, Chief Swan,� Edward said in a respectful voice.

�Go ahead and call me Charlie. Here, I�ll take your jacket.�

�Thanks, sir.�

�Have a seat there, Edward.�

I grimaced.

Edward sat down fluidly in the only chair, forcing me to sit next to Chief Swan on the sofa. I quickly shot him a dirty look. He winked behind Charlie�s back.

Now you're calling your dad "Chief Swan"?

quote:

�So I hear you�re getting my girl to watch baseball.� Only in Washington would the fact that it was raining buckets have no bearing at all on the playing of outdoor sports.

�Yes, sir, that�s the plan.� He didn�t look surprised that I�d told my father the truth. He might have been listening, though.

�Well, more power to you, I guess.� Charlie laughed, and Edward joined in.

�Okay.� I stood up. �Enough humor at my expense. Let�s go.� I walked back to the hall and pulled on my jacket. They followed.

�Not too late, Bell.�

�Don�t worry, Charlie, I�ll have her home early,� Edward promised.

You forgot the part where you're supposed to wink and make a jerking-off motion before uproariously laughing as you both leap into a convertible with the top down.

quote:

�You take care of my girl, all right?�

I groaned, but they ignored me.

�She�ll be safe with me, I promise, sir.� Charlie couldn�t doubt Edward�s sincerity, it rang in every word.

I stalked out. They both laughed, and Edward followed me.

You have created a protagonist so lame that her father and boyfriend just repeatedly dunk on her.

quote:

I stopped dead on the porch. There, behind my truck, was a monster Jeep. Its tires were higher than my waist. There were metal guards over the headlights and taillights, and four large spotlights attached to the crash bar. The hardtop was shiny red.

Charlie let out a low whistle.

�Wear your seat belts,� he choked out.

Emmett was envisioned by Meyer as driving something like this 2005 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. Apart from the color and model year, he drives the exact same model in the film.

quote:

Edward followed me around to my side and opened the door. I gauged the distance to the seat and prepared to jump for it. He sighed, and then lifted me in with one hand. I hoped Charlie didn�t notice.

As he went around to the driver�s side, at a normal, human pace, I tried to put on my seat belt. But there were too many buckles.

�What�s all this?� I asked when he opened the door.

�It�s an off-roading harness.�

�Uh-oh.�

How did Bella manage to acquire a danger fetish while being this cowardly?

quote:

I tried to find the right places for all the buckles to fit, but it wasn�t going too quickly. He sighed again and reached over to help me. I was glad that the rain was too heavy to see Charlie clearly on the porch. That meant he couldn�t see how Edward�s hands lingered at my neck, brushed along my collarbones. I gave up trying to help him and focused on not hyperventilating.

Edward turned the key and the engine roared to life. We pulled away from the house.

�This is a� um� big Jeep you have.�

�It�s Emmett�s. I didn�t think you�d want to run the whole way.�

�Where do you keep this thing?�

�We remodeled one of the outbuildings into a garage.�

�Aren�t you going to put on your seat belt?�

He threw me a disbelieving look.

Then something sunk in.

�Run the whole way? As in, we�re still going to run part of the way?� My voice edged up a few octaves.

He grinned tightly. �You�re not going to run.�

�I�m going to be sick.�

He just really loves tormenting her, doesn't he?

quote:

�Keep your eyes closed, you�ll be fine.�

I bit my lip, fighting the panic. He leaned over to kiss the top of my head, and then groaned. I looked at him, puzzled.

�You smell so good in the rain,� he explained.

�In a good way, or in a bad way?� I asked cautiously.

He sighed. �Both, always both.�

I don�t know how he found his way in the gloom and downpour, but he somehow found a side road that was less of a road and more of a mountain path. For a long while conversation was impossible, because I was bouncing up and down on the seat like a jackhammer. He seemed to enjoy the ride, though, smiling hugely the whole way.

Why have BDSM when you can just put Bella in an off-road vehicle?

quote:

And then we came to the end of the road; the trees formed green walls on three sides of the Jeep. The rain was a mere drizzle, slowing every second, the sky brighter through the clouds.

�Sorry, Bella, we have to go on foot from here.�

�You know what? I�ll just wait here.�

�What happened to all your courage? You were extraordinary this morning.�

�I haven�t forgotten the last time yet.� Could it have been only yesterday?

This book needs to stop reminding me how long it takes to go anywhere.

quote:

He was around to my side of the car in a blur. He started unbuckling me.

�I�ll get those, you go on ahead,� I protested.

�Hmmm�,� he mused as he quickly finished. �It seems I�m going to have to tamper with your memory.�

Before I could react, he pulled me from the Jeep and set my feet on the ground. It was barely misting now; Alice was going to be right.

�Tamper with my memory?� I asked nervously.

�Something like that.� He was watching me intently, carefully, but there was humor deep in his eyes. He placed his hands against the Jeep on either side of my head and leaned forward, forcing me to press back against the door. He leaned in even closer, his face inches from mine. I had no room to escape.

�Now,� he breathed, and just his smell disturbed my thought processes, �what exactly are you worrying about?�

�Well, um, hitting a tree�� I gulped ��and dying. And then getting sick.�

In that order.

quote:

He fought back a smile. Then he bent his head down and touched his cold lips softly to the hollow at the base of my throat.

�Are you still worried now?� he murmured against my skin.

�Yes.� I struggled to concentrate. �About hitting trees and getting sick.�

His nose drew a line up the skin of my throat to the point of my chin. His cold breath tickled my skin.

�And now?� His lips whispered against my jaw.

�Trees,� I gasped. �Motion sickness.�

This is the best pillow talk I've ever seen.

quote:

He lifted his face to kiss my eyelids. �Bella, you don�t really think I would hit a tree, do you?�

�No, but I might.� There was no confidence in my voice. He smelled an easy victory.

He kissed slowly down my cheek, stopping just at the corner of my mouth.

�Would I let a tree hurt you?� His lips barely brushed against my trembling lower lip.

�No,� I breathed. I knew there was a second part to my brilliant defense, but I couldn�t quite call it back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yVSTqAgf4c

quote:

�You see,� he said, his lips moving against mine. �There�s nothing to be afraid of, is there?�

�No,� I sighed, giving up. Then he took my face in his hands almost roughly, and kissed me in earnest, his unyielding lips moving against mine.

There really was no excuse for my behavior. Obviously I knew better by now.

Add another to the "I know I'm being bad, but...." count.

quote:

And yet I couldn�t seem to stop from reacting exactly as I had the first time. Instead of keeping safely motionless, my arms reached up to twine tightly around his neck, and I was suddenly welded to his stone figure. I sighed, and my lips parted. He staggered back, breaking my grip effortlessly.

�drat it, Bella!� he broke off, gasping. �You�ll be the death of me, I swear you will.�

I leaned over, bracing my hands against my knees for support.

�You�re indestructible,� I mumbled, trying to catch my breath.

�I might have believed that before I met you. Now let�s get out of here before I do something really stupid,� he growled.

I wonder how many books they can sustain this bizarre quasi-relationship without any improvement.

quote:

He threw me across his back as he had before, and I could see the extra effort it took for him to be as gentle as he was. I locked my legs around his waist and secured my arms in a choke hold around his neck.

�Don�t forget to close your eyes,� he warned severely.

I quickly tucked my face into his shoulder blade, under my own arm, and squeezed my eyes shut.

And I could hardly tell we were moving. I could feel him gliding along beneath me, but he could have been strolling down the sidewalk, the movement was so smooth. I was tempted to peek, just to see if he was really flying through the forest like before, but I resisted. It wasn�t worth that awful dizziness. I contented myself with listening to his breath come and go evenly.

I wasn�t quite sure we had stopped until he reached back and touched my hair.

�It�s over, Bella.�

I dared to open my eyes, and, sure enough, we were at a standstill. I stiffly unlocked my stranglehold on his body and slipped to the ground, landing on my backside.

�Oh!� I huffed as I hit the wet ground.

He stared at me incredulously, evidently not sure whether he was still too mad to find me funny. But my bewildered expression pushed him over the edge, and he broke into a roar of laughter.

I picked myself up, ignoring him as I brushed the mud and bracken off the back of my jacket. That only made him laugh harder. Annoyed, I began to stride off into the forest.

I felt his arm around my waist.

�Where are you going, Bella?�

�To watch a baseball game. You don�t seem to be interested in playing anymore, but I�m sure the others will have fun without you.�

�You�re going the wrong way.�

Is Edward or Bella winning for who has the most ridiculous mood swings in the middle of a conversation?

quote:

I turned around without looking at him, and stalked off in the opposite direction. He caught me again.

�Don�t be mad, I couldn�t help myself. You should have seen your face.� He chuckled before he could stop himself.

�Oh, you�re the only one who�s allowed to get mad?� I asked, raising my eyebrows.

�I wasn�t mad at you.�

��Bella, you�ll be the death of me�?� I quoted sourly.

�That was simply a statement of fact.� I tried to turn away from him again, but he held me fast.

�You were mad,� I insisted.

�Yes.�

�But you just said��

�That I wasn�t mad at you. Can�t you see that, Bella?� He was suddenly intense, all trace of teasing gone. �Don�t you understand?�

�See what?� I demanded, confused by his sudden mood swing as much as his words.

�I�m never angry with you�how could I be? Brave, trusting� warm as you are.�

�Then why?� I whispered, remembering the black moods that pulled him away from me, that I�d always interpreted as well-justified frustration�frustration at my weakness, my slowness, my unruly human reactions.�

"My incredible stupidity and lack of self-preservation instincts, my moodiness and whining, my weak stomach..."

quote:

He put his hands carefully on both sides of my face. �I infuriate myself,� he said gently. �The way I can�t seem to keep from putting you in danger. My very existence puts you at risk. Sometimes I truly hate myself. I should be stronger, I should be able to��

I placed my hand over his mouth. �Don�t.�

"We've been having this fight for like, 10 chapters now."

quote:

He took my hand, moving it from his lips, but holding it to his face.

�I love you,� he said. �It�s a poor excuse for what I�m doing, but it�s still true.�

It was the first time he�d said he loved me�in so many words. He might not realize it, but I certainly did.

�Now, please try to behave yourself,� he continued, and he bent to softly brush his lips against mine.

I held properly still. Then I sighed.

�You promised Chief Swan that you would have me home early, remember? We�d better get going.�

�Yes, ma�am.�

He smiled wistfully and released all of me but one hand. He led me a few feet through the tall, wet ferns and draping moss, around a massive hemlock tree, and we were there, on the edge of an enormous open field in the lap of the Olympic peaks. It was twice the size of any baseball stadium.

I could see the others all there; Esme, Emmett, and Rosalie, sitting on a bare outcropping of rock, were the closest to us, maybe a hundred yards away. Much farther out I could see Jasper and Alice, at least a quarter of a mile apart, appearing to throw something back and forth, but I never saw any ball. It looked like Carlisle was marking bases, but could they really be that far apart?

When we came into view, the three on the rocks rose. Esme started toward us. Emmett followed after a long look at Rosalie�s back; Rosalie had risen gracefully and strode off toward the field without a glance in our direction. My stomach quivered uneasily in response.

Rosalie was played by 19-year-old Nikki Reed. She identifies as ethnically Jewish and is of mixed Jewish, Italian, and Cherokee descent. Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke has known Reed since she was 5 (because she was dating her dad) and they co-wrote Thirteen in 2003, loosely based on Reed's own experience with sex and drugs in her adolescence. Hardwicke and Reed gained critics' attention for the R-rated adolescent drama and Hardwicke gladly brought her along when they were casting for Meyer's film. She's taken what appears to be at least a short retirement from acting as of 2016 to raise her family.

quote:

�Was that you we heard, Edward?� Esme asked as she approached.

�It sounded like a bear choking,� Emmett clarified.

I smiled hesitantly at Esme. �That was him.�

Our bear-addicted beefcake, 22-year-old Kellan Lutz, appropriately has the build of the Iowa farmboy he is. He's more intelligent than his modeling and acting career would suggest; he almost went to school for chemical engineering and has his name on over 30 patents, including Blackout Bands that let you wear an eye mask without losing your style. His young, tough look has gotten him roles as Poseidon in Immortals and Tarzan in the extremely unpopular 2013 movie. He also serves as the ambassador for Saving Innocence, a charity for child sex trafficking victims.

quote:

�Bella was being unintentionally funny,� Edward explained, quickly settling the score.

Alice had left her position and was running, or dancing, toward us. She hurtled to a fluid stop at our feet.

�It�s time,� she announced.

As soon as she spoke, a deep rumble of thunder shook the forest beyond us, and then crashed westward toward town.

�Eerie, isn�t it?� Emmett said with easy familiarity, winking at me.

�Let�s go.� Alice reached for Emmett�s hand and they darted toward the oversized field; she ran like a gazelle. He was nearly as graceful and just as fast�yet Emmett could never be compared to a gazelle.

�Are you ready for some ball?� Edward asked, his eyes eager, bright.

I tried to sound appropriately enthusiastic. �Go team!�

He snickered and, after mussing my hair, bounded off after the other two. His run was more aggressive, a cheetah rather than a gazelle, and he quickly overtook them. The grace and power took my breath away.

�Shall we go down?� Esme asked in her soft, melodic voice, and I realized I was staring openmouthed after him. I quickly reassembled my expression and nodded. Esme kept a few feet between us, and I wondered if she was still being careful not to frighten me. She matched her stride to mine without seeming impatient at the pace.

�You don�t play with them?� I asked shyly.

�No, I prefer to referee�I like keeping them honest,� she explained.

�Do they like to cheat, then?�

�Oh yes�you should hear the arguments they get into! Actually, I hope you don�t, you would think they were raised by a pack of wolves.�

Ha.

quote:

�You sound like my mom,� I laughed, surprised. She laughed, too. �Well, I do think of them as my children in most ways. I never could get over my mothering instincts�did Edward tell you I had lost a child?�

�No,� I murmured, stunned, scrambling to understand what lifetime she was remembering.

This is a hell of an introduction the day you meet!

quote:

�Yes, my first and only baby. He died just a few days after he was born, the poor tiny thing,� she sighed. �It broke my heart�that�s why I jumped off the cliff, you know,� she added matter-of-factly.

�Edward just said you f-fell,� I stammered.

�Always the gentleman.� She smiled. �Edward was the first of my new sons. I�ve always thought of him that way, even though he�s older than I, in one way at least.� She smiled at me warmly. �That�s why I�m so happy that he�s found you, dear.� The endearment sounded very natural on her lips. �He�s been the odd man out for far too long; it�s hurt me to see him alone.�

The trend of the rest of the Cullens being more interesting continues! Because vampires' personalities become frozen in an exaggerated form of their personality when they're turned, Esme has an almost obsessive mothering instinct.

quote:

�You don�t mind, then?� I asked, hesitant again. �That I�m� all wrong for him?�

�No.� She was thoughtful. �You�re what he wants. It will work out, somehow,� she said, though her forehead creased with worry. Another peal of thunder began.

"It's like I can see the author's motivations..."

quote:

Esme stopped then; apparently, we�d reached the edge of the field. It looked as if they had formed teams. Edward was far out in left field, Carlisle stood between the first and second bases, and Alice held the ball, positioned on the spot that must be the pitcher�s mound.

Emmett was swinging an aluminum bat; it whistled almost untraceably through the air. I waited for him to approach home plate, but then I realized, as he took his stance, that he was already there�farther from the pitcher�s mound than I would have thought possible. Jasper stood several feet behind him, catching for the other team. Of course, none of them had gloves.

�All right,� Esme called in a clear voice, which I knew even Edward would hear, as far out as he was. �Batter up.�

Alice stood straight, deceptively motionless. Her style seemed to be stealth rather than an intimidating windup. She held the ball in both hands at her waist, and then, like the strike of a cobra, her right hand flicked out and the ball smacked into Jasper�s hand.

"Was that a strike?� I whispered to Esme.

�If they don�t hit it, it�s a strike,� she told me.

Bella do you not know the loving basics of baseball?

quote:

Jasper hurled the ball back to Alice�s waiting hand. She permitted herself a brief grin. And then her hand spun out again.

This time the bat somehow made it around in time to smash into the invisible ball. The crack of impact was shattering, thunderous; it echoed off the mountains�I immediately understood the necessity of the thunderstorm.

The ball shot like a meteor above the field, flying deep into the surrounding forest.

�Home run,� I murmured.

�Wait,� Esme cautioned, listening intently, one hand raised. Emmett was a blur around the bases, Carlisle shadowing him. I realized Edward was missing.

�Out!� Esme cried in a clear voice. I stared in disbelief as Edward sprang from the fringe of the trees, ball in his upraised hand, his wide grin visible even to me.

�Emmett hits the hardest,� Esme explained, �but Edward runs the fastest.�

The inning continued before my incredulous eyes. It was impossible to keep up with the speed at which the ball flew, the rate at which their bodies raced around the field.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZIk5wIq2Qw

The movie is a pile of crap doing its best with even worse source material, but it manages to make the baseball game one of the very few high points. The way it's shot and the choice of music actually serve to underscore how poor Meyer's writing is: vampires playing supernatural baseball should be entertaining.

quote:

I learned the other reason they waited for a thunderstorm to play when Jasper, trying to avoid Edward�s infallible fielding, hit a ground ball toward Carlisle. Carlisle ran into the ball, and then raced Jasper to first base. When they collided, the sound was like the crash of two massive falling boulders. I jumped up in concern, but they were somehow unscathed.

�Safe,� Esme called in a calm voice.

Emmett�s team was up by one�Rosalie managed to flit around the bases after tagging up on one of Emmett�s long flies�when Edward caught the third out. He sprinted to my side, sparkling with excitement.

�What do you think?� he asked.

�One thing�s for sure, I�ll never be able to sit through dull old Major League Baseball again.�

�And it sounds like you did so much of that before,� he laughed.

�I am a little disappointed,� I teased.

�Why?� he asked, puzzled.

�Well, it would be nice if I could find just one thing you didn�t do better than everyone else on the planet.�

He flashed his special crooked smile, leaving me breathless.

�I�m up,� he said, heading for the plate.

He played intelligently, keeping the ball low, out of the reach of Rosalie�s always-ready hand in the outfield, gaining two bases like lightning before Emmett could get the ball back in play. Carlisle knocked one so far out of the field�with a boom that hurt my ears�that he and Edward both made it in. Alice slapped them dainty high fives.

The score constantly changed as the game continued, and they razzed each other like any street ballplayers as they took turns with the lead. Occasionally Esme would call them to order. The thunder rumbled on, but we stayed dry, as Alice had predicted.

See? Compare that passage to the exact same content in the film. Imagine a writer who could actually embody the ridiculous cheesiness of the clip.

quote:

Carlisle was up to bat, Edward catching, when Alice suddenly gasped. My eyes were on Edward, as usual, and I saw his head snap up to look at her. Their eyes met and something flowed between them in an instant. He was at my side before the others could ask Alice what was wrong.

�Alice?� Esme�s voice was tense.

�I didn�t see�I couldn�t tell,� she whispered.

All the others were gathered by this time.

�What is it, Alice?� Carlisle asked with the calm voice of authority.

�They were traveling much quicker than I thought. I can see I had the perspective wrong before,� she murmured.

Jasper leaned over her, his posture protective. �What changed?� he asked.

�They heard us playing, and it changed their path,� she said, contrite, as if she felt responsible for whatever had frightened her.

The plot changed course because of a baseball game?

quote:

Seven pairs of quick eyes flashed to my face and away.

�How soon?� Carlisle said, turning toward Edward. A look of intense concentration crossed his face.

�Less than five minutes. They�re running�they want to play.� He scowled.

Now you'll finally be able to have a full field!

quote:

�Can you make it?� Carlisle asked him, his eyes flicking toward me again.

�No, not carrying�� He cut short. �Besides, the last thing we need is for them to catch the scent and start hunting.�

�How many?� Emmett asked Alice.

�Three,� she answered tersely.

�Three!� he scoffed. �Let them come.� The steel bands of muscle flexed along his massive arms.

For a split second that seemed much longer than it really was, Carlisle deliberated. Only Emmett seemed unperturbed; the rest stared at Carlisle�s face with anxious eyes.

�Let�s just continue the game,� Carlisle finally decided. His voice was cool and level. �Alice said they were simply curious.�

I legitimately couldn't tell, so I looked ahead. Yes, the new vampires want to come play baseball.

quote:

All this was said in a flurry of words that lasted only a few seconds. I had listened carefully and caught most of it, though I couldn�t hear what Esme now asked Edward with a silent vibration of her lips. I only saw the slight shake of his head and the look of relief on her face.

�You catch, Esme,� he said. �I�ll call it now.� And he planted himself in front of me.

The others returned to the field, warily sweeping the dark forest with their sharp eyes. Alice and Esme seemed to orient themselves around where I stood.

�Take your hair down,� Edward said in a low, even voice. I obediently slid the rubber band out of my hair and shook it out around me.

I stated the obvious. �The others are coming now.�

�Yes, stay very still, keep quiet, and don�t move from my side, please.� He hid the stress in his voice well, but I could hear it. He pulled my long hair forward, around my face.

�That won�t help,� Alice said softly. �I could smell her across the field.�

�I know.� A hint of frustration colored his tone.

Carlisle stood at the plate, and the others joined the game halfheartedly.

�What did Esme ask you?� I whispered.

He hesitated for a second before he answered. �Whether they were thirsty,� he muttered unwillingly.

Emmett just pulls out a giant Gatorade cooler full of blood from the jeep.

quote:

The seconds ticked by; the game progressed with apathy now. No one dared to hit harder than a bunt, and Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper hovered in the infield. Now and again, despite the fear that numbed my brain, I was aware of Rosalie�s eyes on me. They were expressionless, but something about the way she held her mouth made me think she was angry.

I feel like if there's a legitimate danger here, you probably shouldn't keep half-heartedly playing baseball.

quote:

Edward paid no attention to the game at all, eyes and mind ranging the forest.

�I�m sorry, Bella,� he muttered fiercely. �It was stupid, irresponsible, to expose you like this. I�m so sorry.�

I heard his breath stop, and his eyes zeroed in on right field. He took a half-step, angling himself between me and what was coming.

Carlisle, Emmett, and the others turned in the same direction, hearing sounds of passage much too faint for my ears.

# ? Jul 23, 2019 21:00

Lord Zedd-Repulsa: Jul 21, 2007; Devour a good book.

I have no sense of how much longer this book is supposed to be -- what percent are you at according to your Kindle?

# ? Jul 24, 2019 06:32

Larry Parrish: Jul 9, 2012; by Jeffrey of YOSPOS

what i never figured out as a rural california mountain boy is, how the gently caress do they find a place in the mountains to play thunder-loud baseball (or hell, maybe just gunshot loud baseball) and not have all kinds of rangers and hikers and good 'ol boys pouring out of the woods to see what's up. is eastern Washington really basically depopulated? cuz theres less than 150 thousand people in my county but the housing density is still higher than one house per square mile with almost no empty spots that arent part of a national forest (which has a lot of foot and offroad vehicle traffic)

wouldn't they have to jog to the northern Yukon to find a place that isolated?

# ? Jul 24, 2019 10:24

ONE YEAR LATER: Apr 13, 2004; Fry old buddy, it's me, Bender!; Oven Wrangler

I'm running into the issue where my eyes skip over the book passages and I only read the commentary on them, I have to force myself to read the prose so I can understand what is going on. I can understand why this stuff is appealing to certain people, but I am finding all of the stilted back and forth with strange mood swings and lots of passive aggressive sighing/growling very off putting.

# ? Jul 24, 2019 14:37

chitoryu12: Apr 24, 2014

Lord Zedd-Repulsa posted:

I have no sense of how much longer this book is supposed to be -- what percent are you at according to your Kindle?

Would you believe 71%?

# ? Jul 24, 2019 14:41

chitoryu12: Apr 24, 2014

Chapter 18: The Hunt

quote:

They emerged one by one from the forest edge, ranging a dozen meters apart.

Does Meyer use metric normally?

quote:

The first male into the clearing fell back immediately, allowing the other male to take the front, orienting himself around the tall, dark-haired man in a manner that clearly displayed who led the pack. The third was a woman; from this distance, all I could see of her was that her hair was a startling shade of red.

They closed ranks before they continued cautiously toward Edward�s family, exhibiting the natural respect of a troop of predators as it encounters a larger, unfamiliar group of its own kind.

As they approached, I could see how different they were from the Cullens. Their walk was catlike, a gait that seemed constantly on the edge of shifting into a crouch. They dressed in the ordinary gear of backpackers: jeans and casual button-down shirts in heavy, weatherproof fabrics. The clothes were frayed, though, with wear, and they were barefoot. Both men had cropped hair, but the woman�s brilliant orange hair was filled with leaves and debris from the woods.

Their sharp eyes carefully took in the more polished, urbane stance of Carlisle, who, flanked by Emmett and Jasper, stepped guardedly forward to meet them. Without any seeming communication between them, they each straightened into a more casual, erect bearing.

The man in front was easily the most beautiful, his skin olive-toned beneath the typical pallor, his hair a glossy black. He was of a medium build, hard-muscled, of course, but nothing next to Emmett�s brawn. He smiled an easy smile, exposing a flash of gleaming white teeth.

The woman was wilder, her eyes shifting restlessly between the men facing her, and the loose grouping around me, her chaotic hair quivering in the slight breeze. Her posture was distinctly feline. The second male hovered unobtrusively behind them, slighter than the leader, his light brown hair and regular features both nondescript. His eyes, though completely still, somehow seemed the most vigilant.

Their eyes were different, too. Not the gold or black I had come to expect, but a deep burgundy color that was disturbing and sinister.

The dark-haired man, still smiling, stepped toward Carlisle. �We thought we heard a game,� he said in a relaxed voice with the slightest of French accents. �I�m Laurent, these are Victoria and James.� He gestured to the vampires beside him.

Our first baseball-curious vampire, Laurent, was played by Edi Gathegi. He's a native of Kenya raised in California; he started as a basketball player, but took up acting after he injured his knee. He had recently appeared as Dr. Jeffrey "Big Love" Cole on House and would later go on to play Darwin in X-Men: First Class and Eddie Willers in the horrific 2011 adaptation if Atlas Shrugged. His largest role has been Matias in the Blacklist series and its sequel.

The more nondescript James is Cam Gigandet, who played the bad boy surfer Kevin on The OC. He's continued to act in a large number of films and TV shows, but none of his roles have gained major prominence the way Twilight did.

Victoria, who will play a larger role in the coming books, was played by Rachel Lefevre here. She's our second Jewish cast member, this time from Montreal, and played the season 1 love interest Stacey on Big Wolf on Campus. She was obsessed with vampires since she was a teenager and wrote a letter to Catherine Hardwicke begging to be cast. While the crazy fans could be overwhelming, she genuinely enjoyed playing the role.

Unfortunately, she had a 10-day schedule overlap for Eclipse with the indie film Barney's Vision. Summit Entertainment had little hesitation before dropping her in favor of Bryce Dallas Howard, who you all probably recognize as Claire in Jurassic World. Lefevre was crushed and shocked, but they were unable to accommodate any changes to the schedule of such a large film and left her. Since then, Lefevre has been spending a lot of time on various television shows, such as playing Julia in Under The Dome.

quote:

�I�m Carlisle. This is my family, Emmett and Jasper, Rosalie, Esme and Alice, Edward and Bella.� He pointed us out in groups, deliberately not calling attention to individuals. I felt a shock when he said my name.

�Do you have room for a few more players?� Laurent asked sociably.

Carlisle matched Laurent�s friendly tone. �Actually, we were just finishing up. But we�d certainly be interested another time. Are you planning to stay in the area for long?�

There's gotta be a fanfic out there somewhere where Carlisle accepts the offer.

quote:

�We�re headed north, in fact, but we were curious to see who was in the neighborhood. We haven�t run into any company in a long time.�

�No, this region is usually empty except for us and the occasional visitor, like yourselves.�

Larry Parrish brought this up. On a map, Forks looks extremely isolated. The only problem is the big green area it's next to is Olympic National Park, which receives an estimated 3.1 million visitors a year.

quote:

The tense atmosphere had slowly subsided into a casual conversation; I guessed that Jasper was using his peculiar gift to control the situation.

�What�s your hunting range?� Laurent casually inquired.

Carlisle ignored the assumption behind the inquiry. �The Olympic Range here, up and down the Coast Ranges on occasion. We keep a permanent residence nearby. There�s another permanent settlement like ours up near Denali.�

Laurent rocked back on his heels slightly.

�Permanent? How do you manage that?� There was honest curiosity in his voice.

�Why don�t you come back to our home with us and we can talk comfortably?� Carlisle invited. �It�s a rather long story.�

Does Carlisle make a habit of this?

quote:

James and Victoria exchanged a surprised look at the mention of the word �home,� but Laurent controlled his expression better.

�That sounds very interesting, and welcome.� His smile was genial. �We�ve been on the hunt all the way down from Ontario, and we haven�t had the chance to clean up in a while.� His eyes moved appreciatively over Carlisle�s refined appearance.

�Please don�t take offense, but we�d appreciate it if you�d refrain from hunting in this immediate area. We have to stay inconspicuous, you understand,� Carlisle explained.

�Of course.� Laurent nodded. �We certainly won�t encroach on your territory. We just ate outside of Seattle, anyway,� he laughed. A shiver ran up my spine.

�We�ll show you the way if you�d like to run with us�Emmett and Alice, you can go with Edward and Bella to get the Jeep,� he casually added.

This seems way too trusting, even for a nice guy like him.

quote:

Three things seemed to happen simultaneously while Carlisle was speaking. My hair ruffled with the light breeze, Edward stiffened, and the second male, James, suddenly whipped his head around, scrutinizing me, his nostrils flaring.

A swift rigidity fell on all of them as James lurched one step forward into a crouch. Edward bared his teeth, crouching in defense, a feral snarl ripping from his throat. It was nothing like the playful sounds I�d heard from him this morning; it was the single most menacing thing I had ever heard, and chills ran from the crown of my head to the back of my heels.

�What�s this?� Laurent exclaimed in open surprise. Neither James nor Edward relaxed their aggressive poses. James feinted slightly to the side, and Edward shifted in response.

�She�s with us.� Carlisle�s firm rebuff was directed toward James. Laurent seemed to catch my scent less powerfully than James, but awareness now dawned on his face.

�You brought a snack?� he asked, his expression incredulous as he took an involuntary step forward.

Edward snarled even more ferociously, harshly, his lip curling high above his glistening, bared teeth. Laurent stepped back again.

�I said she�s with us,� Carlisle corrected in a hard voice.

�But she�s human,� Laurent protested. The words were not at all aggressive, merely astounded.

�Yes.� Emmett was very much in evidence at Carlisle�s side, his eyes on James. James slowly straightened out of his crouch, but his eyes never left me, his nostrils still wide. Edward stayed tensed like a lion in front of me.

When Laurent spoke, his tone was soothing�trying to defuse the sudden hostility. �It appears we have a lot to learn about each other.�

�Indeed.� Carlisle�s voice was still cool.

�But we�d like to accept your invitation.� His eyes flicked toward me and back to Carlisle. �And, of course, we will not harm the human girl. We won�t hunt in your range, as I said.�

There should also be a fic out there where they really do just go back to his house and sip blood out of teacups while chatting.

quote:

James glanced in disbelief and aggravation at Laurent and exchanged another brief look with Victoria, whose eyes still flickered edgily from face to face.

Carlisle measured Laurent�s open expression for a moment before he spoke. �We�ll show you the way. Jasper, Rosalie, Esme?� he called. They gathered together, blocking me from view as they converged. Alice was instantly at my side, and Emmett fell back slowly, his eyes locked on James as he backed toward us.

�Let�s go, Bella.� Edward�s voice was low and bleak.

This whole time I�d been rooted in place, terrified into absolute immobility. Edward had to grip my elbow and pull sharply to break my trance. Alice and Emmett were close behind us, hiding me. I stumbled alongside Edward, still stunned with fear. I couldn�t hear if the main group had left yet. Edward�s impatience was almost tangible as we moved at human speed to the forest edge.

Once we were into the trees, Edward slung me over his back without breaking stride. I gripped as tightly as possible as he took off, the others close on his heels. I kept my head down, but my eyes, wide with fright, wouldn�t close. They plunged through the now-black forest like wraiths. The sense of exhilaration that usually seemed to possess Edward as he ran was completely absent, replaced by a fury that consumed him and drove him still faster. Even with me on his back, the others trailed behind.

We reached the Jeep in an impossibly short time, and Edward barely slowed as he flung me in the backseat.

�Strap her in,� he ordered Emmett, who slid in beside me.

Alice was already in the front seat, and Edward was starting the engine. It roared to life and we swerved backward, spinning around to face the winding road.

Edward was growling something too fast for me to understand, but it sounded a lot like a string of profanities.

The jolting trip was much worse this time, and the darkness only made it more frightening. Emmett and Alice both glared out the side windows.

We hit the main road, and though our speed increased, I could see much better where we were going. And we were headed south, away from Forks.

�Where are we going?� I asked.

No one answered. No one even looked at me.

�Dammit, Edward! Where are you taking me?�

�We have to get you away from here�far away�now.� He didn�t look back, his eyes on the road. The speedometer read a hundred and five miles an hour.

�Turn around! You have to take me home!� I shouted. I struggled with the stupid harness, tearing at the straps.

�Emmett,� Edward said grimly.

And Emmett secured my hands in his steely grasp.

�No! Edward! No, you can�t do this.�

�I have to, Bella, now please be quiet.�

�I won�t! You have to take me back�Charlie will call the FBI! They�ll be all over your family�Carlisle and Esme! They�ll have to leave, to hide forever!�

�Calm down, Bella.� His voice was cold. �We�ve been there before.�

�Not over me, you don�t! You�re not ruining everything over me!� I struggled violently, with total futility.

She does realize the Cullens can't stay in Forks forever, right? Their whole thing is moving between locations every few years to keep anyone from getting suspicious about them not aging. She's going to abandon all sense of self-preservation to let them stay for like 5 years before moving to the Yukon or something.

quote:

Alice spoke for the first time. �Edward, pull over.�

He flashed her a hard look, and then sped up.

�Edward, let�s just talk this through.�

�You don�t understand,� he roared in frustration. I�d never heard his voice so loud; it was deafening in the confines of the Jeep. The speedometer neared one hundred and fifteen. �He�s a tracker, Alice, did you see that? He�s a tracker!�

I felt Emmett stiffen next to me, and I wondered at his reaction to the word. It meant something more to the three of them than it did to me; I wanted to understand, but there was no opening for me to ask.

�Pull over, Edward.� Alice�s tone was reasonable, but there was a ring of authority in it I�d never heard before.

The speedometer inched past one-twenty.

�Do it, Edward.�

�Listen to me, Alice. I saw his mind. Tracking is his passion, his obsession�and he wants her, Alice�her, specifically. He begins the hunt tonight.�

�He doesn�t know where��

He interrupted her. �How long do you think it will take him to cross her scent in town? His plan was already set before the words were out of Laurent�s mouth.�

I gasped, knowing where my scent would lead. �Charlie! You can�t leave him there! You can�t leave him!� I thrashed against the harness.

�She�s right,� Alice said.

That's the first care she's shown for him in ages!

quote:

The car slowed slightly.

�Let�s just look at our options for a minute,� Alice coaxed.

The car slowed again, more noticeably, and then suddenly we screeched to a stop on the shoulder of the highway. I flew against the harness, and then slammed back into the seat.

�There are no options,� Edward hissed.

�I�m not leaving Charlie!� I yelled.

He ignored me completely.

�We have to take her back,� Emmett finally spoke.

�No.� Edward was absolute.

�He�s no match for us, Edward. He won�t be able to touch her.�

�He�ll wait.�

Emmett smiled. �I can wait, too.�

�You didn�t see�you don�t understand. Once he commits to a hunt, he�s unshakable. We�d have to kill him.�

Emmett didn�t seem upset by the idea. �That�s an option.�

�And the female. She�s with him. If it turns into a fight, the leader will go with them, too.�

�There are enough of us.�

�There�s another option,� Alice said quietly.

Edward turned on her in fury, his voice a blistering snarl. �There�is�no�other�option!�

You just had a lot of options explained to you!

quote:

Emmett and I both stared at him in shock, but Alice seemed unsurprised. The silence lasted for a long minute as Edward and Alice stared each other down.

I broke it. �Does anyone want to hear my plan?�

�No,� Edward growled. Alice glared at him, finally provoked.

I don't blame him.

quote:

�Listen,� I pleaded. �You take me back.�

�No,� he interrupted.

I glared at him and continued. �You take me back. I tell my dad I want to go home to Phoenix. I pack my bags. We wait till this tracker is watching, and then we run. He�ll follow us and leave Charlie alone. Charlie won�t call the FBI on your family. Then you can take me any damned place you want.�

They stared at me, stunned.

�It�s not a bad idea, really.� Emmett�s surprise was definitely an insult.

Even Emmett thinks she's a dumbass.

quote:

�It might work�and we simply can�t leave her father unprotected. You know that,� Alice said.

Everyone looked at Edward.

�It�s too dangerous�I don�t want him within a hundred miles of her.�

Emmett was supremely confident. �Edward, he�s not getting through us.�

Alice thought for a minute. �I don�t see him attacking. He�ll try to wait for us to leave her alone.�

�It won�t take long for him to realize that�s not going to happen.�

�I demand that you take me home.� I tried to sound firm.

Edward pressed his fingers to his temples and squeezed his eyes shut.

�Please,� I said in a much smaller voice.

He didn�t look up. When he spoke, his voice sounded worn.

�You�re leaving tonight, whether the tracker sees or not. You tell Charlie that you can�t stand another minute in Forks. Tell him whatever story works. Pack the first things your hands touch, and then get in your truck. I don�t care what he says to you. You have fifteen minutes. Do you hear me? Fifteen minutes from the time you cross the doorstep.�

Their plan is reliant on Bella being so whiny and overdramatic in her normal life that Charlie won't find it unusual that she runs in, screams about how much she hates Forks and everyone there, and runs out with the first things she can shove in a suitcase.

quote:

The Jeep rumbled to life, and he spun us around, the tires squealing. The needle on the speedometer started to race up the dial.

�Emmett?� I asked, looking pointedly at my hands.

�Oh, sorry.� He let me loose.

quote:

A few minutes passed in silence, other than the roar of the engine. Then Edward spoke again.

�This is how it�s going to happen. When we get to the house, if the tracker is not there, I will walk her to the door. Then she has fifteen minutes.� He glared at me in the rearview mirror. �Emmett, you take the outside of the house. Alice, you get the truck. I�ll be inside as long as she is. After she�s out, you two can take the Jeep home and tell Carlisle.�

�No way,� Emmett broke in. �I�m with you.�

�Think it through, Emmett. I don�t know how long I�ll be gone.�

�Until we know how far this is going to go, I�m with you.�

Edward sighed. �If the tracker is there,� he continued grimly, �we keep driving.�

�We�re going to make it there before him,� Alice said confidently.

Edward seemed to accept that. Whatever his problem with Alice was, he didn�t doubt her now.

�What are we going to do with the Jeep?� she asked.

His voice had a hard edge. �You�re driving it home.�

�No, I�m not,� she said calmly.

The unintelligible stream of profanities started again.

�We can�t all fit in my truck,� I whispered.

Edward didn�t appear to hear me.

�I think you should let me go alone,� I said even more quietly.

He heard that.

�Bella, please just do this my way, just this once,� he said between clenched teeth.

�Listen, Charlie�s not an imbecile,� I protested. �If you�re not in town tomorrow, he�s going to get suspicious.�

�That�s irrelevant. We�ll make sure he�s safe, and that�s all that matters.�

�Then what about this tracker? He saw the way you acted tonight. He�s going to think you�re with me, wherever you are.�

Emmett looked at me, insultingly surprised again. �Edward, listen to her,� he urged. �I think she�s right.�

�Yes, she is,� Alice agreed.

�I can�t do that.� Edward�s voice was icy.

I guess Meyer thought it was really important that we hear every single second of their argument over the right way for Bella to escape.

quote:

�Emmett should stay, too,� I continued. �He definitely got an eyeful of Emmett.�

�What?� Emmett turned on me.

And the slash fics begin!

quote:

�You�ll get a better crack at him if you stay,� Alice agreed.

Edward stared at her incredulously. �You think I should let her go alone?�

�Of course not,� Alice said. �Jasper and I will take her.�

�I can�t do that,� Edward repeated, but this time there was a trace of defeat in his voice. The logic was working on him.

I tried to be persuasive. �Hang out here for a week�� I saw his expression in the mirror and amended ��a few days. Let Charlie see you haven�t kidnapped me, and lead this James on a wild-goose chase. Make sure he�s completely off my trail. Then come and meet me. Take a roundabout route, of course, and then Jasper and Alice can go home.�

I could see him beginning to consider it.

�Meet you where?�

�Phoenix.� Of course.

�No. He�ll hear that�s where you�re going,� he said impatiently.

�And you�ll make it look like that�s a ruse, obviously. He�ll know that we�ll know that he�s listening. He�ll never believe I�m actually going where I say I am going.�

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMz7JBRbmNo

quote:

�She�s diabolical,� Emmett chuckled.

�And if that doesn�t work?�

�There are several million people in Phoenix,� I informed him.

�It�s not that hard to find a phone book.�

�I won�t go home.�

�Oh?� he inquired, a dangerous note in his voice.

�I�m quite old enough to get my own place.�

Uhhh no, you're still 17 at this point and not legally emancipated. Unless you plan on living on the streets for a few months, since you apparently have no friends back home to crash with.

quote:

�Edward, we�ll be with her,� Alice reminded him.

�What are you going to do in Phoenix?� he asked her scathingly.

�Stay indoors.�

�I kind of like it.� Emmett was thinking about cornering James, no doubt.

�Shut up, Emmett.�

No no, I like Emmett a lot better than you.

quote:

�Look, if we try to take him down while she�s still around, there�s a much better chance that someone will get hurt�she�ll get hurt, or you will, trying to protect her. Now, if we get him alone�� He trailed off with a slow smile. I was right.

The Jeep was crawling slowly along now as we drove into town. Despite my brave talk, I could feel the hairs on my arms standing up. I thought about Charlie, alone in the house, and tried to be courageous.

�Bella.� Edward�s voice was very soft. Alice and Emmett looked out their windows. �If you let anything happen to yourself�anything at all�I�m holding you personally responsible. Do you understand that?�

�Yes,� I gulped.

Bella's greatest fear: personal responsibility.

quote:

He turned to Alice. �Can Jasper handle this?�

�Give him some credit, Edward. He�s been doing very, very well, all things considered.�

�Can you handle this?� he asked.

And graceful little Alice pulled back her lips in a horrific grimace and let loose with a guttural snarl that had me cowering against the seat in terror.

Edward smiled at her. �But keep your opinions to yourself,� he muttered suddenly.

# ? Jul 24, 2019 17:15

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

chitoryu12 posted:

This seems way too trusting, even for a nice guy like him.

I see this less as Carlisle being trusting and more of it as his attempt to exert dominance. He's saying, in effect, "We aren't afraid of you. This is our land and you're guests on it, and I'm inviting you to our home because I trust you won't do anything inappropriate and make us kill you."

# ? Jul 24, 2019 17:53

chitoryu12: Apr 24, 2014

Epicurius posted:

I see this less as Carlisle being trusting and more of it as his attempt to exert dominance. He's saying, in effect, "We aren't afraid of you. This is our land and you're guests on it, and I'm inviting you to our home because I trust you won't do anything inappropriate and make us kill you."

That would be great, but Meyer's writing makes it legitimately hard to tell. It's this weird combination of dry and overly detailed where everyone either has their motivations spelled out plainly by our first person omniscient protagonist (who's a complete moron but can always tell exactly what someone's intentions are with the way they speak or act as long as the writer says so) or their motivations are a complete mystery.

# ? Jul 24, 2019 21:07

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

chitoryu12 posted:

That would be great, but Meyer's writing makes it legitimately hard to tell. It's this weird combination of dry and overly detailed where everyone either has their motivations spelled out plainly by our first person omniscient protagonist (who's a complete moron but can always tell exactly what someone's intentions are with the way they speak or act as long as the writer says so) or their motivations are a complete mystery.

Fair enough. This writing is terrible, so it's hard to figure out exactly what character motivations are. That being said, here's my take on Carlisle Cullen.

Carlisle Cullen is loving terrifying. He's probably the most powerful character in the book so far. Carlisle is 350 years a vampire, and has never once fed on a human being...the only vampire we've met that we can say that about. This is sheer exercise of the will. More than that, he's gathered a bunch of vampires around him...the Cullen "family", and has dominated them to the extent that they won't feed on humans either.

Ultimately, Carlisle is still his father's son,the Puritan monster hunter of his youth. He's become the monster he used to hunt, so instead of destroying them, Carlisle has made it his goal to reform them...to turn vampires away from predators of humans so that they can live in harmony with them. Everything we've seen him do is in furtherance of that....befriending the town's sheriff, negotiating a truce with the Quileute, forbidding wandering vampires from feeding in "his" territory.

The thing I think it should be stressed, which Meyer is damned inconsistent about, is that dealing with vampires, even the Cullens, is like being Sigfried and Roy. It's only the tigers' goodwill that keeps them from ripping your throat out.

# ? Jul 24, 2019 22:04

chitoryu12: Apr 24, 2014

Epicurius posted:

Fair enough. This writing is terrible, so it's hard to figure out exactly what character motivations are. That being said, here's my take on Carlisle Cullen.

Carlisle Cullen is loving terrifying. He's probably the most powerful character in the book so far. Carlisle is 350 years a vampire, and has never once fed on a human being...the only vampire we've met that we can say that about. This is sheer exercise of the will. More than that, he's gathered a bunch of vampires around him...the Cullen "family", and has dominated them to the extent that they won't feed on humans either.

Ultimately, Carlisle is still his father's son,the Puritan monster hunter of his youth. He's become the monster he used to hunt, so instead of destroying them, Carlisle has made it his goal to reform them...to turn vampires away from predators of humans so that they can live in harmony with them. Everything we've seen him do is in furtherance of that....befriending the town's sheriff, negotiating a truce with the Quileute, forbidding wandering vampires from feeding in "his" territory.

The thing I think it should be stressed, which Meyer is damned inconsistent about, is that dealing with vampires, even the Cullens, is like being Sigfried and Roy. It's only the tigers' goodwill that keeps them from ripping your throat out.

That's one of the things that really turns me off of the books (along with, you know, most stuff in it). Edward makes a "vegetarian" joke about them just drinking animal blood, but a lot of people are perfectly happy not eating meat! The heroin comparison is more apt: they need human blood and crave it to such a degree that newborn vampires are often uncontrollable. To my knowledge, Carlisle is the only vampire in history who immediately abstained and had enough willpower and respect for human life to find an alternative. All of the others that he turned slipped up and killed people, and in the case of Edward essentially became a serial killer preying on rapists and murderers for years.

And we do discover in New Moon just how much the Cullens have to restrain themselves. The entire plot of the book occurs because of that, in fact. Most vampires are like Laurent and his clan, viewing humans as little more than walking buffets to bite as soon as you get the opportunity. It's like a heroin addict who not only sees every single person as a needle, but is constantly suffering from withdrawal symptoms and will never be able to shake the addiction. Only suppress it temporarily.

# ? Jul 24, 2019 22:22

RaspberrySea: Nov 29, 2004

I still think Rose counts as being just as good as Carlisle. She's never drunk human blood either and she's never slipped and accidentally killed people. Only straight up done it on purpose.

# ? Jul 24, 2019 23:24

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

chitoryu12 posted:

Most vampires are like Laurent and his clan, viewing humans as little more than walking buffets to bite as soon as you get the opportunity.

"Happy Meals with legs", as per Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

# ? Jul 25, 2019 02:41

chitoryu12: Apr 24, 2014

Chapter 19: Goodbyes

quote:

Charlie was waiting up for me. All the house lights were on. My mind was blank as I tried to think of a way to make him let me go. This wasn�t going to be pleasant.

Edward pulled up slowly, staying well back from my truck. All three of them were acutely alert, ramrod straight in their seats, listening to every sound of the wood, looking through every shadow, catching every scent, searching for something out of place. The engine cut off, and I sat, motionless, as they continued to listen.

�He�s not here,� Edward said tensely. �Let�s go.�

Emmett reached over to help me get out of the harness. �Don�t worry, Bella,� he said in a low but cheerful voice, �we�ll take care of things here quickly.�

I felt moisture filling up my eyes as I looked at Emmett. I barely knew him, and yet, somehow, not knowing when I would see him again after tonight was anguishing. I knew this was just a faint taste of the goodbyes I would have to survive in the next hour, and the thought made the tears begin to spill.

�Alice, Emmett.� Edward�s voice was a command. They slithered soundlessly into the darkness, instantly disappearing. Edward opened my door and took my hand, then drew me into the protecting enclosure of his arm. He walked me swiftly toward the house, eyes always roving through the night.

�Fifteen minutes,� he warned under his breath.

�I can do this.� I sniffled. My tears had given me an inspiration.

I stopped on the porch and took hold of his face in my hands. I looked fiercely into his eyes.

�I love you,� I said in a low, intense voice. �I will always love you, no matter what happens now.�

�Nothing is going to happen to you, Bella,� he said just as fiercely.

�Just follow the plan, okay? Keep Charlie safe for me. He�s not going to like me very much after this, and I want to have the chance to apologize later.�

�Get inside, Bella. We have to hurry.� His voice was urgent.

Okay, this is going to be really hard for Bella. As the author established, she doesn't normally lie. It's ambiguous how much she cares about her father (since she even calls him "Chief Swan" instead of "Dad"), but we're supposed to believe that she's been building up to loving him like he deserves.

quote:

�One more thing,� I whispered passionately. �Don�t listen to another word I say tonight!� He was leaning in, and so all I had to do was stretch up on my toes to kiss his surprised, frozen lips with as much force as I was capable of. Then I turned and kicked the door open.

�Go away, Edward!� I yelled at him, running inside and slamming the door shut in his still-shocked face.

�Bella?� Charlie had been hovering in the living room, and he was already on his feet.

�Leave me alone!� I screamed at him through my tears, which were flowing relentlessly now. I ran up the stairs to my room, throwing the door shut and locking it. I ran to my bed, flinging myself on the floor to retrieve my duffel bag. I reached swiftly between the mattress and box spring to grab the knotted old sock that contained my secret cash hoard.

Charlie was pounding on my door.

�Bella, are you okay? What�s going on?� His voice was frightened.

�I�m going home,� I shouted, my voice breaking in the perfect spot.

�Did he hurt you?� His tone edged toward anger.

�No!� I shrieked a few octaves higher. I turned to my dresser, and Edward was already there, silently yanking out armfuls of random clothes, which he proceeded to throw to me.

�Did he break up with you?� Charlie was perplexed.

�No!� I yelled, slightly more breathless as I shoved everything into the bag. Edward threw another drawer�s contents at me. The bag was pretty much full now.

�What happened, Bella?� Charlie shouted through the door, pounding again.

�I broke up with him!� I shouted back, jerking on the zipper of my bag. Edward�s capable hands pushed mine away and zipped it smoothly. He put the strap carefully over my arm.

�I�ll be in the truck�go!� he whispered, and pushed me toward the door. He vanished out the window.

Oh. It turned out to be very easy for her!

quote:

I unlocked the door and pushed past Charlie roughly, struggling with my heavy bag as I ran down the stairs.

�What happened?� he yelled. He was right behind me. �I thought you liked him.�

He caught my elbow in the kitchen. Though he was still bewildered, his grip was firm.

He spun me around to look at him, and I could see in his face that he had no intention of letting me leave.

Well, yeah. You're 17. You have a truck that barely functions that you don't know how to fix and need to drive 4 hours to Tacoma in the middle of the night to get to the nearest airport. As your father and the town police chief, he's pretty much obligated to stop you from doing this.

quote:

I could think of only one way to escape, and it involved hurting him so much that I hated myself for even considering it. But I had no time, and I had to keep him safe.

I glared up at my father, fresh tears in my eyes for what I was about to do.

Oh no.

quote:

�I do like him�that�s the problem. I can�t do this anymore! I can�t put down any more roots here! I don�t want to end up trapped in this stupid, boring town like Mom! I�m not going to make the same dumb mistake she did. I hate it�I can�t stay here another minute!�

His hand dropped from my arm like I�d electrocuted him. I turned away from his shocked, wounded face and headed for the door.

Going all the way back to the beginning, I explained the details of Charlie and Renee's divorce. Renee was a flighty, kooky young woman who married early and got bored with small town life and having to take care of Charlie's ailing parents. She divorced a loving husband out of boredom so she could move to Phoenix, taking advantage of his depression and need to stay with his parents to get primary custody of their daughter because she knew he wouldn't put up a legal fight. His daughter grew up isolated from him and simultaneously spoiled by and having to coddle her childish mother when she refused to grow up and behave like an adult. Charlie continued to dote on her, even putting up with her demand to replace visitation in Forks with an expensive California vacation every year. He has never, at any point, done anything harmful toward Bella or anything that would make her behave as terribly as she does toward him, except for a single out-of-character moment.

Bella has just weaponized the greatest trauma her father has gone through. It'll be years before he can ever learn the truth of this event, if he ever does; even though Bella inevitably has to apologize and return so we can have more books in Forks, she can't just tell him "Hey, the Cullens are vampires. I was pretending to do all this because a vampire tracker was obsessed with hunting me down, so I had to trick him into thinking I was going to Phoenix." He's just been told that his daughter, who he's loved with all his heart and was taken from him by a horrible mother, is exactly like her. That she's been raised to be turned against him and be the same kind of person.

Bella has chosen possibly the most monstrous way to get Charlie to let her leave, and can likely never take it back.

quote:

�Bells, you can�t leave now. It�s nighttime,� he whispered behind me.

I didn�t turn around. �I�ll sleep in the truck if I get tired.�

�Just wait another week,� he pled, still shell-shocked. �Ren�e will be back by then.�

This completely derailed me. �What?�

Charlie continued eagerly, almost babbling with relief as I hesitated. �She called while you were out. Things aren�t going so well in Florida, and if Phil doesn�t get signed by the end of the week, they�re going back to Arizona. The assistant coach of the Sidewinders said they might have a spot for another shortstop.�

I shook my head, trying to reassemble my now-confused thoughts. Every passing second put Charlie in more danger.

�I have a key,� I muttered, turning the knob. He was too close, one hand extended toward me, his face dazed. I couldn�t lose any more time arguing with him. I was going to have to hurt him further.

�Just let me go, Charlie.� I repeated my mother�s last words as she�d walked out this same door so many years ago. I said them as angrily as I could manage, and I threw the door open. �It didn�t work out, okay? I really, really hate Forks!�

My cruel words did their job�Charlie stayed frozen on the doorstep, stunned, while I ran into the night. I was hideously frightened of the empty yard. I ran wildly for the truck, visualizing a dark shadow behind me. I threw my bag in the bed and wrenched the door open. The key was waiting in the ignition.

Charlie doesn't deserve any of this.

quote:

�I�ll call you tomorrow!� I yelled, wishing more than anything that I could explain everything to him right then, knowing I would never be able to. I gunned the engine and peeled out.

Edward reached for my hand.

�Pull over,� he said as the house, and Charlie, disappeared behind us.

�I can drive,� I said through the tears pouring down my cheeks.

His long hands unexpectedly gripped my waist, and his foot pushed mine off the gas pedal. He pulled me across his lap, wrenching my hands free of the wheel, and suddenly he was in the driver�s seat. The truck didn�t swerve an inch.

�You wouldn�t be able to find the house,� he explained.

Lights flared suddenly behind us. I stared out the back window, eyes wide with horror.

�It�s just Alice,� he reassured me. He took my hand again.

My mind was filled with the image of Charlie in the doorway. �The tracker?�

�He heard the end of your performance,� Edward said grimly.

�Charlie?� I asked in dread.

�The tracker followed us. He�s running behind us now.�

My body went cold.

�Can we outrun him?�

�No.� But he sped up as he spoke. The truck�s engine whined in protest.

My plan suddenly didn�t feel so brilliant anymore.

Hang on. Edward was driving at 120+ MPH as they fled initially. Is that suggesting they could have outrun him if they kept the jeep? If so, why didn't they put Bella in a faster vehicle? If not, why was Edward trying to just drive as fast as he could away instead of coming up with a plan to kill or hide from James?

quote:

I was staring back at Alice�s headlights when the truck shuddered and a dark shadow sprung up outside the window.

My bloodcurdling scream lasted a fraction of a second before Edward�s hand clamped down on my mouth.

�It�s Emmett!�

He released my mouth, and wound his arm around my waist.

�It�s okay, Bella,� he promised. �You�re going to be safe.�

We raced through the quiet town toward the north highway.

�I didn�t realize you were still so bored with small-town life,� he said conversationally, and I knew he was trying to distract me. �It seemed like you were adjusting fairly well�especially recently. Maybe I was just flattering myself that I was making life more interesting for you.�

�I wasn�t being nice,� I confessed, ignoring his attempt at diversion, looking down at my knees. �That was the same thing my mom said when she left him. You could say I was hitting below the belt.�

�Don�t worry. He�ll forgive you.� He smiled a little, though it didn�t touch his eyes.

He loving shouldn't!

quote:

I stared at him desperately, and he saw the naked panic in my eyes.

�Bella, it�s going to be all right.�

�But it won�t be all right when I�m not with you,� I whispered.

�We�ll be together again in a few days,� he said, tightening his arm around me. �Don�t forget that this was your idea.�

�It was the best idea�of course it was mine.�

His answering smile was bleak and disappeared immediately.

He's just thinking "Oh, gently caress you."

quote:

�Why did this happen?� I asked, my voice catching. �Why me?�

He stared blackly at the road ahead. �It�s my fault�I was a fool to expose you like that.� The rage in his voice was directed internally.

�That�s not what I meant,� I insisted. �I was there, big deal. It didn�t bother the other two. Why did this James decide to kill me? There�re people all over the place, why me?�

He hesitated, thinking before he answered. �I got a good look at his mind tonight,� he began in a low voice. �I�m not sure if there�s anything I could have done to avoid this, once he saw you. It is partially your fault.� His voice was wry. �If you didn�t smell so appallingly luscious, he might not have bothered. But when I defended you� well, that made it a lot worse. He�s not used to being thwarted, no matter how insignificant the object. He thinks of himself as a hunter and nothing else. His existence is consumed with tracking, and a challenge is all he asks of life. Suddenly we�ve presented him with a beautiful challenge�a large clan of strong fighters all bent on protecting the one vulnerable element. You wouldn�t believe how euphoric he is now. It�s his favorite game, and we�ve just made it his most exciting game ever.� His tone was full of disgust.

He paused a moment.

�But if I had stood by, he would have killed you right then,� he said with hopeless frustration.

�I thought� I didn�t smell the same to the others� as I do to you,� I said hesitantly.

�You don�t. But that doesn�t mean that you aren�t still a temptation to every one of them. If you had appealed to the tracker�or any of them�the same way you appeal to me, it would have meant a fight right there.�

I shuddered.

Yeah, Bella's only real purpose in the plot is existing for things to happen to.

quote:

�I don�t think I have any choice but to kill him now,� he muttered. �Carlisle won�t like it.�

So the plan that Emmett and Alice had suggested first?

quote:

I could hear the tires cross the bridge, though I couldn�t see the river in the dark. I knew we were getting close. I had to ask him now.

�How can you kill a vampire?�

He glanced at me with unreadable eyes and his voice was suddenly harsh. �The only way to be sure is to tear him to shreds, and then burn the pieces.�

�And the other two will fight with him?�

�The woman will. I�m not sure about Laurent. They don�t have a very strong bond�he�s only with them for convenience. He was embarrassed by James in the meadow.��

�But James and the woman�they�ll try to kill you?� I asked, my voice raw.

�Bella, don�t you dare waste time worrying about me. Your only concern is keeping yourself safe and�please, please�trying not to be reckless.�

Bella's other purpose in the plot is to be reckless and get things to happen because of her dumbass decisions. New Moon is...basically all that.

quote:

�Is he still following?�

�Yes. He won�t attack the house, though. Not tonight.�

He turned off onto the invisible drive, with Alice following behind.

We drove right up to the house. The lights inside were bright, but they did little to alleviate the blackness of the encroaching forest. Emmett had my door open before the truck was stopped; he pulled me out of the seat, tucked me like a football into his vast chest, and ran me through the door.

We burst into the large white room, Edward and Alice at our sides. All of them were there; they were already on their feet at the sound of our approach. Laurent stood in their midst. I could hear low growls rumble deep in Emmett�s throat as he set me down next to Edward.

�He�s tracking us,� Edward announced, glaring balefully at Laurent.

Laurent�s face was unhappy. �I was afraid of that.�

Alice danced to Jasper�s side and whispered in his ear; her lips quivered with the speed of her silent speech. They flew up the stairs together. Rosalie watched them, and then moved quickly to Emmett�s side. Her beautiful eyes were intense and�when they flickered unwillingly to my face�furious.

�What will he do?� Carlisle asked Laurent in chilling tones.

�I�m sorry,� he answered. �I was afraid, when your boy there defended her, that it would set him off.�

�Can you stop him?�

Laurent shook his head. �Nothing stops James when he gets started.�

�We�ll stop him,� Emmett promised. There was no doubt what he meant.

�You can�t bring him down. I�ve never seen anything like him in my three hundred years. He�s absolutely lethal. That�s why I joined his coven.�

His coven, I thought, of course. The show of leadership in the clearing was merely that, a show.

Laurent is, yet again, another character with greater complexity and a more interesting past than the two protagonists.

quote:

Laurent was shaking his head. He glanced at me, perplexed, and back to Carlisle. �Are you sure it�s worth it?�

Edward�s enraged roar filled the room; Laurent cringed back.

quote:

Carlisle looked gravely at Laurent. �I�m afraid you�re going to have to make a choice.�

Laurent understood. He deliberated for a moment. His eyes took in every face, and finally swept the bright room.

�I�m intrigued by the life you�ve created here. But I won�t get in the middle of this. I bear none of you any enmity, but I won�t go up against James. I think I will head north�to that clan in Denali.� He hesitated. �Don�t underestimate James. He�s got a brilliant mind and unparalleled senses. He�s every bit as comfortable in the human world as you seem to be, and he won�t come at you head on.� I�m sorry for what�s been unleashed here. Truly sorry.� He bowed his head, but I saw him flicker another puzzled look at me.

�Go in peace,� was Carlisle�s formal answer.

Laurent took another long look around himself, and then he hurried out the door.

The silence lasted less than a second.

�How close?� Carlisle looked to Edward.

Esme was already moving; her hand touched an inconspicuous keypad on the wall, and with a groan, huge metal shutters began sealing up the glass wall. I gaped.

�About three miles out past the river; he�s circling around to meet up with the female.�

�What�s the plan?�

�We�ll lead him off, and then Jasper and Alice will run her south.�

�And then?�

Edward�s tone was deadly. �As soon as Bella is clear, we hunt him.�

�I guess there�s no other choice,� Carlisle agreed, his face grim.

Edward turned to Rosalie. �Get her upstairs and trade clothes,� Edward commanded. She stared back at him with livid disbelief.

�Why should I?� she hissed. �What is she to me? Except a menace�a danger you�ve chosen to inflict on all of us.�

In Midnight Sun, Rosalie was the strongest proponent of killing Bella. After the van crash, she wanted to silently murder her in her sleep so it would be blamed on the head injury.

quote:

I flinched back from the venom in her voice.

�Rose�,� Emmett murmured, putting one hand on her shoulder. She shook it off.

But I was watching Edward carefully, knowing his temper, worried about his reaction.

He surprised me. He looked away from Rosalie as if she hadn�t spoken, as if she didn�t exist.

�Esme?� he asked calmly.

�Of course,� Esme murmured. Esme was at my side in half a heartbeat, swinging me up easily into her arms, and dashing up the stairs before I could gasp in shock.

�What are we doing?� I asked breathlessly as she set me down in a dark room somewhere off the second-story hall.

�Trying to confuse the smell. It won�t work for long, but it might help get you out.� I could hear her clothes falling to the floor.

�I don�t think I�ll fit�� I hesitated, but her hands were abruptly pulling my shirt over my head. I quickly stripped my jeans off myself. She handed me something, it felt like a shirt. I struggled to get my arms through the right holes. As soon as I was done she handed me her slacks. I yanked them on, but I couldn�t get my feet out; they were too long. She deftly rolled the hems a few times so I could stand. Somehow she was already in my clothes. She pulled me back to the stairs, where Alice stood, a small leather bag in one hand. They each grabbed one of my elbows and half-carried me as they flew down the stairs.

Bella would have turned out better having a literal vampire for a mother than her actual mother.

quote:

It appeared that everything had been settled downstairs in our absence. Edward and Emmett were ready to leave, Emmett carrying a heavy-looking backpack over his shoulder. Carlisle was handing something small to Esme. He turned and handed Alice the same thing�it was a tiny silver cell phone.

�Esme and Rosalie will be taking your truck, Bella,� he told me as he passed. I nodded, glancing warily at Rosalie. She was glowering at Carlisle with a resentful expression.

�Alice, Jasper�take the Mercedes. You�ll need the dark tint in the South.�

They nodded as well.

�We�re taking the Jeep.�

I was surprised to see that Carlisle intended to go with Edward. I realized suddenly, with a stab of fear, that they made up the hunting party.

That's because Carlisle is a badass and we should be following his stories instead.

quote:

�Alice,� Carlisle asked, �will they take the bait?�

Everyone watched Alice as she closed her eyes and became incredibly still.

Finally her eyes opened. �He�ll track you. The woman will follow the truck. We should be able to leave after that.� Her voice was certain.

�Let�s go.� Carlisle began to walk toward the kitchen.

But Edward was at my side at once. He caught me up in his iron grip, crushing me to him. He seemed unaware of his watching family as he pulled my face to his, lifting my feet off the floor. For the shortest second, his lips were icy and hard against mine. Then it was over. He set me down, still holding my face, his glorious eyes burning into mine.

It's really difficult to figure out exactly how vampire skin works. It's hard as marble to the touch, but it seems to be perfectly flexible like human skin when not touched so nothing looks off when they move around. How can it have both properties simultaneously?

quote:

His eyes went blank, curiously dead, as he turned away.

And they were gone.

We stood there, the others looking away from me as the tears streaked noiselessly down my face.

The silent moment dragged on, and then Esme�s phone vibrated in her hand. It flashed to her ear.

�Now,� she said. Rosalie stalked out the front door without another glance in my direction, but Esme touched my cheek as she passed.

�Be safe.� Her whisper lingered behind them as they slipped out the door. I heard my truck start thunderously, and then fade away.

Jasper and Alice waited. Alice�s phone seemed to be at her ear before it buzzed.

�Edward says the woman is on Esme�s trail. I�ll get the car.� She vanished into the shadows the way Edward had gone.

Jasper and I looked at each other. He stood across the length of the entryway from me� being careful.

�You�re wrong, you know,� he said quietly.

�What?� I gasped.

�I can feel what you�re feeling now�and you are worth it.�

�I�m not,� I mumbled. �If anything happens to them, it will be for nothing.�

�You�re wrong,� he repeated, smiling kindly at me.

No, you guys are definitely way more valuable than her. Bella dying would be perfectly fine.

quote:

I heard nothing, but then Alice stepped through the front door and came toward me with her arms held out. �May I?� she asked.

�You�re the first one to ask permission.� I smiled wryly.

She lifted me in her slender arms as easily as Emmett had, shielding me protectively, and then we flew out the door, leaving the lights bright behind us.

# ? Jul 25, 2019 16:55

HIJK: Nov 25, 2012; in the room where you sleep

Honestly this bit was handled better in the movie.

# ? Jul 25, 2019 18:10

chitoryu12: Apr 24, 2014

HIJK posted:

Honestly this bit was handled better in the movie.

You could say that about most of the movie. As terrible as it is, the book is consistently worse.

# ? Jul 25, 2019 19:44

Lord Zedd-Repulsa: Jul 21, 2007; Devour a good book.

All I'm wondering at this point is how much worse the drafts had to be if this lightly-polished turd is the final result. I expected this to have the begining of the infamous love triangle or more drama over Edward's status as non-human or something instead of the lack of plot this brick ended up with.

On the up side, it makes me feel a lot better about my own writing.

# ? Jul 26, 2019 00:00

chitoryu12: Apr 24, 2014

Lord Zedd-Repulsa posted:

All I'm wondering at this point is how much worse the drafts had to be if this lightly-polished turd is the final result. I expected this to have the begining of the infamous love triangle or more drama over Edward's status as non-human or something instead of the lack of plot this brick ended up with.

On the up side, it makes me feel a lot better about my own writing.

I was curious, so I looked up what I could about her editing process. She had actually already begun writing New Moon before even looking for a publisher for the original story and had been editing at home. After she got ahold of a literary agent who was interested, Jodi Reamer, they spent 2 weeks on editing before sending it off for publication. Only 6 months passed between her coming up with the idea and the book being printed and shipped to stores.

She calls the initial draft of the second book, Forever Dawn, so embarrassing she won't ever release it even for curious fans. I wonder how bad it must have been.

chitoryu12 fucked around with this message at 00:44 on Jul 26, 2019

# ? Jul 26, 2019 00:42

Lord Zedd-Repulsa: Jul 21, 2007; Devour a good book.

That's more horrifying than most of the news lately... well, aside from politics.

# ? Jul 26, 2019 01:50

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

chitoryu12 posted:

I was curious, so I looked up what I could about her editing process. She had actually already begun writing New Moon before even looking for a publisher for the original story and had been editing at home. After she got ahold of a literary agent who was interested, Jodi Reamer, they spent 2 weeks on editing before sending it off for publication. Only 6 months passed between her coming up with the idea and the book being printed and shipped to stores.

That's....she needs to fire her editor, then, because she's not well served. You can't edit a book for publication in 2 weeks. That's enough time to poofread it. I looked at word count....Twilight is 119,000 words. An experienced editor will, depending on the work, edit about 25,000-35,000 words a week. A good edit for a book of this size should take about a month. Then there are rewrites....even if the author is fast, that's another month or two, and then you go through, assuming all is good, 2-3 rounds of that before it's ready for publication.

As much as you can say that Stephanie Meyer isn't a good writer, this book wasn't edited, and it shows.

# ? Jul 26, 2019 05:10

Somebody Awful: Nov 27, 2011; BORN TO DIE
HAIG IS A FUCK
Kill Em All 1917
I am trench man
410,757,864,530 SHELLS FIRED

ONE YEAR LATER posted:

I'm running into the issue where my eyes skip over the book passages and I only read the commentary on them, I have to force myself to read the prose so I can understand what is going on. I can understand why this stuff is appealing to certain people, but I am finding all of the stilted back and forth with strange mood swings and lots of passive aggressive sighing/growling very off putting.

Same. It's giving me a whole new appreciation for Ian Fleming, racist warts and all.

# ? Jul 26, 2019 06:53

chitoryu12: Apr 24, 2014

We�ll be taking a bit of a break here, as I�m taking a week�s vacation. See you when I return!

# ? Jul 26, 2019 11:47

chitoryu12: Apr 24, 2014

# ? Jul 27, 2019 15:24

chitoryu12: Apr 24, 2014

Chapter 20: Impatience

Hey, they named this chapter after us!

quote:

When I woke up I was confused. My thoughts were hazy, still twisted up in dreams and nightmares; it took me longer than it should have to realize where I was.

This room was too bland to belong anywhere but in a hotel. The bedside lamps, bolted to the tables, were a dead giveaway, as were the long drapes made from the same fabric as the bedspread, and the generic watercolor prints on the walls.

I tried to remember how I got here, but nothing came at first.

I did remember the sleek black car, the glass in the windows darker than that on a limousine. The engine was almost silent, though we�d raced across the black freeways at more than twice the legal speed.

But never got pulled over?

quote:

And I remembered Alice sitting with me on the dark leather backseat. Somehow, during the long night, my head had ended up against her granite neck. My closeness didn�t seem to bother her at all, and her cool, hard skin was oddly comforting to me. The front of her thin cotton shirt was cold, damp with the tears that streamed from my eyes until, red and sore, they ran dry.

Sleep had evaded me; my aching eyes strained open even though the night finally ended and dawn broke over a low peak somewhere in California. The gray light, streaking across the cloudless sky, stung my eyes. But I couldn�t close them; when I did, the images that flashed all too vividly, like still slides behind my lids, were unbearable. Charlie�s broken expression�Edward�s brutal snarl, teeth bared�Rosalie�s resentful glare�the keen-eyed scrutiny of the tracker�the dead look in Edward�s eyes after he kissed me the last time� I couldn�t stand to see them. So I fought against my weariness and the sun rose higher.

I was still awake when we came through a shallow mountain pass and the sun, behind us now, reflected off the tiled rooftops of the Valley of the Sun. I didn�t have enough emotion left to be surprised that we�d made a three-day journey in one. I stared blankly at the wide, flat expanse laid out in front of me. Phoenix�the palm trees, the scrubby creosote, the haphazard lines of the intersecting freeways, the green swaths of golf courses and turquoise splotches of swimming pools, all submerged in a thin smog and embraced by the short, rocky ridges that weren�t really big enough to be called mountains.

The shadows of the palm trees slanted across the freeway�defined, sharper than I remembered, paler than they should be. Nothing could hide in these shadows. The bright, open freeway seemed benign enough. But I felt no relief, no sense of homecoming.

Having been to Phoenix once, I'm surprised that she doesn't reference the godawful driving of everyone there.

quote:

�Which way to the airport, Bella?� Jasper had asked, and I flinched, though his voice was quite soft and unalarming. It was the first sound, besides the purr of the car, to break the long night�s silence.

�Stay on the I-ten,� I�d answered automatically. �We�ll pass right by it.�

My brain had worked slowly through the fog of sleep deprivation.

�Are we flying somewhere?� I�d asked Alice.

�No, but it�s better to be close, just in case.�

I remembered beginning the loop around Sky Harbor International� but not ending it. I suppose that must have been when I�d fallen asleep.

Though, now that I�d chased the memories down, I did have a vague impression of leaving the car�the sun was just falling behind the horizon�my arm draped over Alice�s shoulder and her arm firm around my waist, dragging me along as I stumbled through the warm, dry shadows.

I had no memory of this room.

So far the only thing Bella has done that was even slightly proactive was using her dad's psychological damage from his divorce against him so she could flee easier. We're now back to her being a stumbling, sobbing, half-coherent mess who needs the rest of the cast to help her exist.

quote:

I looked at the digital clock on the nightstand. The red numbers claimed it was three o�clock, but they gave no indication if it was night or day. No edge of light escaped the thick curtains, but the room was bright with the light from the lamps.

I rose stiffly and staggered to the window, pulling back the drapes.

It was dark outside. Three in the morning, then. My room looked out on a deserted section of the freeway and the new long-term parking garage for the airport. It was slightly comforting to be able to pinpoint time and place.

I looked down at myself. I was still wearing Esme�s clothes, and they didn�t fit very well at all. I looked around the room, glad when I discovered my duffel bag on top of the low dresser.

I was on my way to find new clothes when a light tap on the door made me jump.

�Can I come in?� Alice asked.

I took a deep breath. �Sure.�

She walked in, and looked me over cautiously.

�You look like you could sleep longer,� she said.

I just shook my head. She drifted silently to the curtains and closed them securely before turning back to me.

�We�ll need to stay inside,� she told me.

�Okay.� My voice was hoarse; it cracked.

�Thirsty?� she asked.

I shrugged. �I�m okay. How about you?�

�Nothing unmanageable.� She smiled. �I ordered some food for you, it�s in the front room. Edward reminded me that you have to eat a lot more frequently than we do.�

If it's 3:00 AM, I sure hope Edward also reminded Alice that food goes bad if left out because she probably didn't get that stuff in the past hour.

quote:

I was instantly more alert. �He called?�

�No,� she said, and watched as my face fell. �It was before we left.�

She took my hand carefully and led me through the door into the living room of the hotel suite. I could hear a low buzz of voices coming from the TV. Jasper sat motionlessly at the desk in the corner, his eyes watching the news with no glimmer of interest.

I sat on the floor next to the coffee table, where a tray of food waited, and began picking at it without noticing what I was eating.

Alice perched on the arm of the sofa and stared blankly at the TV like Jasper.

I know Meyer probably meant she was sitting on the arm of the sofa, but I can't help imagining her leaping onto it like a cat.

quote:

I ate slowly, watching her, turning now and then to glance quickly at Jasper. It began to dawn on me that they were too still. They never looked away from the screen, though commercials were playing now. I pushed the tray away, my stomach abruptly uneasy. Alice looked down at me.

�What�s wrong, Alice?� I asked.

�Nothing�s wrong.� Her eyes were wide, honest� and I didn�t trust them.

�What do we do now?�

�We wait for Carlisle to call.�

�And should he have called by now?� I could see that I was near the mark. Alice�s eyes flitted from mine to the phone on top of her leather bag and back.

�What does that mean?� My voice quavered, and I fought to control it. "That he hasn't called yet?"

�It just means that they don�t have anything to tell us.� But her voice was too even, and the air was harder to breathe.

Jasper was suddenly beside Alice, closer to me than usual.

�Bella,� he said in a suspiciously soothing voice. �You have nothing to worry about. You are completely safe here.�

�I know that.�

�Then why are you frightened?� he asked, confused. He might feel the tenor of my emotions, but he couldn�t read the reasons behind them.

�You heard what Laurent said.� My voice was just a whisper, but I was sure they could hear me. �He said James was lethal. What if something goes wrong, and they get separated? If something happens to any of them, Carlisle, Emmett� Edward�� I gulped. �If that wild female hurts Esme�� My voice had grown higher, a note of hysteria beginning to rise in it. �How could I live with myself when it�s my fault? None of you should be risking yourselves for me��

�Bella, Bella, stop,� he interrupted me, his words pouring out so quickly they were hard to understand. �You�re worrying about all the wrong things, Bella. Trust me on this�none of us are in jeopardy. You are under too much strain as it is; don�t add to it with wholly unnecessary worries. Listen to me!� he ordered, for I had looked away. �Our family is strong. Our only fear is losing you.�

�But why should you��

Alice interrupted this time, touching my cheek with her cold fingers. �It�s been almost a century that Edward�s been alone. Now he�s found you. You can�t see the changes that we see, we who have been with him for so long. Do you think any of us want to look into his eyes for the next hundred years if he loses you?�

This is one of the purest expressions in the book of Bella's purpose in the plot.

quote:

My guilt slowly subsided as I looked into her dark eyes. But, even as the calm spread over me, I knew I couldn�t trust my feelings with Jasper there.

It was a very long day.

We stayed in the room. Alice called down to the front desk and asked them to ignore our maid service for now. The windows stayed shut, the TV on, though no one watched it. At regular intervals, food was delivered for me. The silver phone resting on Alice�s bag seemed to grow bigger as the hours passed.

My babysitters handled the suspense better than I did. As I fidgeted and paced, they simply grew more still, two statues whose eyes followed me imperceptibly as I moved. I occupied myself with memorizing the room; the striped pattern of the couches, tan, peach, cream, dull gold, and tan again. Sometimes I stared at the abstract prints, randomly finding pictures in the shapes, like I�d found pictures in the clouds as a child. I traced a blue hand, a woman combing her hair, a cat stretching. But when the pale red circle became a staring eye, I looked away.

As the afternoon wore on, I went back to bed, simply for something to do. I hoped that by myself in the dark, I could give in to the terrible fears that hovered on the edge of my consciousness, unable to break through under Jasper�s careful supervision.

But Alice followed me casually, as if by some coincidence she had grown tired of the front room at the same time. I was beginning to wonder exactly what sort of instructions Edward had given her. I lay across the bed, and she sat, legs folded, next to me. I ignored her at first, suddenly tired enough to sleep. But after a few minutes, the panic that had held off in Jasper�s presence began to make itself known. I gave up on the idea of sleep quickly then, curling up into a small ball, wrapping my arms around my legs.

Edward absolutely told them about Bella's tendency to run off and do stupid impulsive poo poo.

quote:

�Alice?� I asked.

�Yes?�

I kept my voice very calm. �What do you think they�re doing?�

�Carlisle wanted to lead the tracker as far north as possible, wait for him to get close, and then turn and ambush him. Esme and Rosalie were supposed to head west as long as they could keep the female behind them. If she turned around, they were to head back to Forks and keep an eye on your dad. So I imagine things are going well if they can�t call. It means the tracker is close enough that they don�t want him to overhear.�

�And Esme?�

�I think she must be back in Forks. She won�t call if there�s any chance the female will overhear. I expect they�re all just being very careful.�

�Do you think they�re safe, really?�

�Bella, how many times do we have to tell you that there�s no danger to us?�

�Would you tell me the truth, though?�

�Yes. I will always tell you the truth.� Her voice was earnest.

I deliberated for a moment, and decided she meant it.

Fun fact: New Moon's entire plot is based around the Cullens lying to Bella!

quote:

�Tell me then� how do you become a vampire?�

My question caught her off guard. She was quiet. I rolled over to look at her, and her expression seemed ambivalent.

�Edward doesn�t want me to tell you that,� she said firmly, but I sensed she didn�t agree.

�That�s not fair. I think I have a right to know.�

�I know.�

I looked at her, waiting.

She sighed. �He�ll be extremely angry.�

�It�s none of his business. This is between you and me. Alice, as a friend, I�m begging you.� And we were friends now, somehow�as she must have known we would be all along.

Midnight Sun confirms that yes, Alice's future vision showed one of the possible paths being Bella and Alice becoming friends. I'm not sure how deeply Meyer goes into it, but it reminds me a lot of Dr. Manhattan. When you can see future timelines, how truly free is your free will? She can only see possible paths rather than a single one that time inexorably marches down until the end of the universe, but how much of her behavior is performative? How much is she intentionally following what she sees as happening to ensure that it comes to pass?

quote:

She looked at me with her splendid, wise eyes� choosing.

�I�ll tell you the mechanics of it,� she said finally, �but I don�t remember it myself, and I�ve never done it or seen it done, so keep in mind that I can only tell you the theory.�

I waited.

�As predators, we have a glut of weapons in our physical arsenal�much, much more than really necessary. The strength, the speed, the acute senses, not to mention those of us like Edward, Jasper, and I, who have extra senses as well. And then, like a carnivorous flower, we are physically attractive to our prey.�

I was very still, remembering how pointedly Edward had demonstrated the same concept for me in the meadow.

She smiled a wide, ominous smile. �We have another fairly superfluous weapon. We�re also venomous,� she said, her teeth glistening. �The venom doesn�t kill�it�s merely incapacitating. It works slowly, spreading through the bloodstream, so that, once bitten, our prey is in too much physical pain to escape us. Mostly superfluous, as I said. If we�re that close, the prey doesn�t escape. Of course, there are always exceptions. Carlisle, for example.�

�So� if the venom is left to spread�,� I murmured.

�It takes a few days for the transformation to be complete, depending on how much venom is in the bloodstream, how close the venom enters to the heart. As long as the heart keeps beating, the poison spreads, healing, changing the body as it moves through it. Eventually the heart stops, and the conversion is finished. But all that time, every minute of it, a victim would be wishing for death.�

Yeah, Carlisle really is as much of a stone cold badass as he seems. He spent three days silently going through this horrific agony under a pile of rotten potatoes to ensure that nobody else would find him while it happened.

quote:

I shivered.

�It�s not pleasant, you see.�

�Edward said that it was very hard to do� I don�t quite understand,� I said.

�We�re also like sharks in a way. Once we taste the blood, or even smell it for that matter, it becomes very hard to keep from feeding. Sometimes impossible. So you see, to actually bite someone, to taste the blood, it would begin the frenzy. It�s difficult on both sides�the bloodlust on the one hand, the awful pain on the other.�

�Why do you think you don�t remember?�

�I don�t know. For everyone else, the pain of transformation is the sharpest memory they have of their human life. I remember nothing of being human.� Her voice was wistful.

No spoilers yet, but Alice is yet another character with a backstory far more interesting than Edward's.

quote:

We lay silently, wrapped in our individual meditations.

The seconds ticked by, and I had almost forgotten her presence, I was so enveloped in my thoughts.

Then, without any warning, Alice leaped from the bed, landing lightly on her feet. My head jerked up as I stared at her, startled.

�Something�s changed.� Her voice was urgent, and she wasn�t talking to me anymore.

She reached the door at the same time Jasper did. He had obviously heard our conversation and her sudden exclamation. He put his hands on her shoulders and guided her back to the bed, sitting her on the edge.

�What do you see?� he asked intently, staring into her eyes. Her eyes were focused on something very far away. I sat close to her, leaning in to catch her low, quick voice.

�I see a room. It�s long, and there are mirrors everywhere. The floor is wooden. He�s in the room, and he�s waiting. There�s gold� a gold stripe across the mirrors.�

A dance studio. Bella's worst nightmare.

quote:

�Where is the room?�

�I don�t know. Something is missing�another decision hasn�t been made yet.�

�How much time?�

�It�s soon. He�ll be in the mirror room today, or maybe tomorrow. It all depends. He�s waiting for something. And he�s in the dark now.�

Jasper�s voice was calm, methodical, as he questioned her in a practiced way. �What is he doing?�

�He�s watching TV� no, he�s running a VCR, in the dark, in another place.�

�Can you see where he is?�

�No, it�s too dark.�

�And the mirror room, what else is there?�

�Just the mirrors, and the gold. It�s a band, around the room. And there�s a black table with a big stereo, and a TV. He�s touching the VCR there, but he doesn�t watch the way he does in the dark room. This is the room where he waits.� Her eyes drifted, then focused on Jasper�s face.

�There�s nothing else?�

She shook her head. They looked at each other, motionless.

�What does it mean?� I asked.

Neither of them answered for a moment, then Jasper looked at me.

�It means the tracker�s plans have changed. He�s made a decision that will lead him to the mirror room, and the dark room.

I'm starting to notice a really annoying pattern Meyer has where a conversation will rotate around a specific word or phrasing that gets repeated over and over, like that "matter" exchange from so long ago.

quote:

�But we don�t know where those rooms are?�

�No.�

�But we do know that he won�t be in the mountains north of Washington, being hunted. He�ll elude them.� Alice�s voice was bleak.

�Should we call?� I asked.

They traded a serious look, undecided.

And the phone rang.

Alice was across the room before I could lift my head to look at it.

She pushed a button and held the phone to her ear, but she didn�t speak first.

�Carlisle,� she breathed. She didn�t seem surprised or relieved, the way I felt.

�Yes,� she said, glancing at me. She listened for a long moment.

�I just saw him.� She described again the vision she�d seen. �Whatever made him get on that plane� it was leading him to those rooms.� She paused. �Yes,� Alice said into the phone, and then she spoke to me. �Bella?�

She held the phone out toward me. I ran to it.

�Hello?� I breathed.

�Bella,� Edward said.

�Oh, Edward! I was so worried.�

�Bella,� he sighed in frustration, �I told you not to worry about anything but yourself.� It was so unbelievably good to hear his voice. I felt the hovering cloud of despair lighten and drift back as he spoke.

�Where are you?�

�We�re outside of Vancouver."

"We thought we had to go to the film set instead of the book."

quote:

"Bella, I�m sorry�we lost him. He seems suspicious of us�he�s careful to stay just far enough away that I can�t hear what he�s thinking. But he�s gone now�it looks like he got on a plane. We think he�s heading back to Forks to start over.� I could hear Alice filling in Jasper behind me, her quick words blurring together into a humming noise.

�I know. Alice saw that he got away.�

�You don�t have to worry, though. He won�t find anything to lead him to you. You just have to stay there and wait till we find him again.�

�I�ll be fine. Is Esme with Charlie?�

�Yes�the female has been in town. She went to the house, but while Charlie was at work. She hasn�t gone near him, so don�t be afraid. He�s safe with Esme and Rosalie watching.�

�What is she doing?�

�Probably trying to pick up the trail. She�s been all through the town during the night. Rosalie traced her through the airport, all the roads around town, the school� she�s digging, Bella, but there�s nothing to find.�

�And you�re sure Charlie�s safe?�

�Yes, Esme won�t let him out of her sight. And we�ll be there soon. If the tracker gets anywhere near Forks, we�ll have him.�

�I miss you,� I whispered.

�I know, Bella. Believe me, I know. It�s like you�ve taken half my self away with you.�

�Come and get it, then,� I challenged.

Mormon flirting!

quote:

�Soon, as soon as I possibly can. I will make you safe first.� His voice was hard.

�I love you,� I reminded him.

�Could you believe that, despite everything I�ve put you through, I love you, too?�

That is not a reassuring response.

quote:

�Yes, I can, actually.�

�I�ll come for you soon.�

�I�ll be waiting.�

As soon as the phone went dead, the cloud of depression began to creep over me again.

I turned to give the phone back to Alice and found her and Jasper bent over the table, where Alice was sketching on a piece of hotel stationery. I leaned on the back of the couch, looking over her shoulder.

She drew a room: long, rectangular, with a thinner, square section at the back. The wooden planks that made up the floor stretched lengthwise across the room. Down the walls were lines denoting the breaks in the mirrors. And then, wrapping around the walls, waist high, a long band. The band Alice said was gold.

�It�s a ballet studio,� I said, suddenly recognizing the familiar shapes.

They looked at me, surprised.

�Do you know this room?� Jasper�s voice sounded calm, but there was an undercurrent of something I couldn�t identify. Alice bent her head to her work, her hand flying across the page now, the shape of an emergency exit taking shape against the back wall, the stereo and TV on a low table by the front right corner.

�It looks like a place I used to go for dance lessons�when I was eight or nine. It was shaped just the same.� I touched the page where the square section jutted out, narrowing the back part of the room. �That�s where the bathrooms were�the doors were through the other dance floor. But the stereo was here��I pointed to the left corner��it was older, and there wasn�t a TV. There was a window in the waiting room�you would see the room from this perspective if you looked through it.�

Alice and Jasper were staring at me. �

Are you sure it�s the same room?� Jasper asked, still calm.

�No, not at all�I suppose most dance studios would look the same�the mirrors, the bar.� I traced my finger along the ballet bar set against the mirrors. �It�s just the shape that looked familiar.� I touched the door, set in exactly the same place as the one I remembered.

�Would you have any reason to go there now?� Alice asked, breaking my reverie.

�No, I haven�t been there in almost ten years. I was a terrible dancer�they always put me in the back for recitals,� I admitted.

I wasn't kidding!

quote:

�So there�s no way it could be connected with you?� Alice asked intently.

�No, I don�t even think the same person owns it. I�m sure it�s just another dance studio, somewhere.�

�Where was the studio you went to?� Jasper asked in a casual voice.

�It was just around the corner from my mom�s house. I used to walk there after school�,� I said, my voice trailing off. I didn�t miss the look they exchanged.

�Here in Phoenix, then?� His voice was still casual.

�Yes,� I whispered. �Fifty-eighth Street and Cactus.�

There's a real intersection of N. 58th Street and E. Cactus Road in Phoenix. It's one of a series of identical suburban cul-de-sac entrances.

quote:

We all sat in silence, staring at the drawing.

�Alice, is that phone safe?�

�Yes,� she reassured me. �The number would just trace back to Washington.�

�Then I can use it to call my mom.�

�I thought she was in Florida.�

�She is�but she�s coming home soon, and she can�t come back to that house while�� My voice trembled. I was thinking about something Edward had said, about the red-haired female at Charlie�s house, at the school, where my records would be.

�How will you reach her?�

�They don�t have a permanent number except at the house�she�s supposed to check her messages regularly.�

But knowing Renee, she probably doesn't.

quote:

�Jasper?� Alice asked.

He thought about it. �I don�t think there�s any way it could hurt�be sure you don�t say where you are, of course.�

I reached eagerly for the phone and dialed the familiar number. It rang four times, and then I heard my mom�s breezy voice telling me to leave a message.

�Mom,� I said after the beep, �it�s me. Listen, I need you to do something. It�s important. As soon as you get this message, call me at this number.� Alice was already at my side, writing the number for me on the bottom of her picture. I read it carefully, twice. �Please don�t go anywhere until you talk to me. Don�t worry, I�m okay, but I have to talk to you right away, no matter how late you get this call, all right? I love you, Mom. Bye.� I closed my eyes and prayed with all my might that no unforeseen change of plans would bring her home before she got my message.

"Unforeseen change of plans" or "Your mom is a dipshit"?

quote:

I settled into the sofa, nibbling on a plate of leftover fruit, anticipating a long evening. I thought about calling Charlie, but I wasn�t sure if I should be home by now or not. I concentrated on the news, watching out for stories about Florida, or about spring training�strikes or hurricanes or terrorist attacks�anything that might send them home early.

Immortality must grant endless patience. Neither Jasper nor Alice seemed to feel the need to do anything at all. For a while, Alice sketched the vague outline of the dark room from her vision, as much as she could see in the light from the TV. But when she was done, she simply sat, looking at the blank walls with her timeless eyes. Jasper, too, seemed to have no urge to pace, or peek through the curtains, or run screaming out the door, the way I did.

I must have fallen asleep on the couch, waiting for the phone to ring again. The touch of Alice�s cold hands woke me briefly as she carried me to the bed, but I was unconscious again before my head hit the pillow.

chitoryu12 fucked around with this message at 10:40 on Jul 14, 2021

# ? Aug 5, 2019 15:40

chitoryu12: Apr 24, 2014

Chapter 21: Phone Call

quote:

I could feel it was too early again when I woke, and I knew I was getting the schedule of my days and nights slowly reversed. I lay in my bed and listened to the quiet voices of Alice and Jasper in the other room. That they were loud enough for me to hear at all was strange. I rolled till my feet touched the floor and then staggered to the living room.

The clock on the TV said it was just after two in the morning. Alice and Jasper were sitting together on the sofa, Alice sketching again while Jasper looked over her shoulder. They didn�t look up when I entered, too engrossed in Alice�s work.

I crept to Jasper�s side to peek.

�Did she see something more?� I asked him quietly.

�Yes. Something�s brought him back to the room with the VCR, but it�s light now.�

I watched as Alice drew a square room with dark beams across its low ceiling. The walls were paneled in wood, a little too dark, out of date. The floor had a dark carpet with a pattern in it. There was a large window against the south wall, and an opening through the west wall led to the living room. One side of that entrance was stone�a large tan stone fireplace that was open to both rooms. The focus of the room from this perspective, the TV and VCR, balanced on a too-small wooden stand, were in the southwest corner of the room. An aged sectional sofa curved around in front of the TV, a round coffee table in front of it.

�The phone goes there,� I whispered, pointing.

Two pairs of eternal eyes stared at me.

�That�s my mother�s house.�

Alice was already off the couch, phone in hand, dialing. I stared at the precise rendering of my mother�s family room. Uncharacteristically, Jasper slid closer to me. He lightly touched his hand to my shoulder, and the physical contact seemed to make his calming influence stronger. The panic stayed dull, unfocused.

So what you're saying is the initial idea to just kill James instead of this run-around attempt at avoiding him was actually the better idea? As has been repeatedly demonstrated?

quote:

Alice�s lips were trembling with the speed of her words, the low buzzing impossible to decipher. I couldn�t concentrate.

�Bella,� Alice said. I looked at her numbly.

�Bella, Edward is coming to get you. He and Emmett and Carlisle are going to take you somewhere, to hide you for a while.�

�Edward is coming?� The words were like a life vest, holding my head above the flood.

�Yes, he�s catching the first flight out of Seattle. We�ll meet him at the airport, and you�ll leave with him.�

�But, my mother� he came here for my mother, Alice!� Despite Jasper, the hysteria bubbled up in my voice.

�Jasper and I will stay till she�s safe.�

�I can�t win, Alice. You can�t guard everyone I know forever. Don�t you see what he�s doing? He�s not tracking me at all. He�ll find someone, he�ll hurt someone I love.� Alice, I can�t��

�We�ll catch him, Bella,� she assured me.

�And what if you get hurt, Alice? Do you think that�s okay with me? Do you think it�s only my human family he can hurt me with?�

Alice looked meaningfully at Jasper. A deep, heavy fog of lethargy washed over me, and my eyes closed without my permission. My mind struggled against the fog, realizing what was happening. I forced my eyes open and stood up, stepping away from Jasper�s hand.

�I don�t want to go back to sleep,� I snapped.

I walked to my room and shut the door, slammed it really, so I could be free to go to pieces privately. This time Alice didn�t follow me. For three and a half hours I stared at the wall, curled in a ball, rocking. My mind went around in circles, trying to come up with some way out of this nightmare. There was no escape, no reprieve. I could see only one possible end looming darkly in my future. The only question was how many other people would be hurt before I reached it.

The only solace, the only hope I had left, was knowing that I would see Edward soon. Maybe, if I could just see his face again, I would also be able to see the solution that eluded me now.

When the phone rang, I returned to the front room, a little ashamed of my behavior. I hoped I hadn�t offended either of them, that they would know how grateful I was for the sacrifices they were making on my account.

Alice was talking as rapidly as ever, but what caught my attention was that, for the first time, Jasper was not in the room. I looked at the clock�it was five-thirty in the morning.

�They�re just boarding their plane,� Alice told me. �They�ll land at nine-forty-five.� Just a few more hours to keep breathing till he was here.

�Where�s Jasper?�

Steven Universe pilot confirmed.

quote:

�He went to check out.�

�You aren�t staying here?�

�No, we�re relocating closer to your mother�s house.�

My stomach twisted uneasily at her words.

But the phone rang again, distracting me. She looked surprised, but I was already walking forward, reaching hopefully for the phone.

�Hello?� Alice asked. �No, she�s right here.� She held the phone out to me. Your mother, she mouthed.

�Hello?�

�Bella? Bella?� It was my mother�s voice, in a familiar tone I had heard a thousand times in my childhood, anytime I�d gotten too close to the edge of the sidewalk or strayed out of her sight in a crowded place. It was the sound of panic.

I sighed. I�d been expecting this, though I�d tried to make my message as unalarming as possible without lessening the urgency of it.

�Calm down, Mom,� I said in my most soothing voice, walking slowly away from Alice. I wasn�t sure if I could lie as convincingly with her eyes on me. �Everything is fine, okay? Just give me a minute and I�ll explain everything, I promise.�

I paused, surprised that she hadn�t interrupted me yet.

�Mom?�

�Be very careful not to say anything until I tell you to.� The voice I heard now was as unfamiliar as it was unexpected. It was a man�s tenor voice, a very pleasant, generic voice�the kind of voice that you heard in the background of luxury car commercials. He spoke very quickly.

�Now, I don�t need to hurt your mother, so please do exactly as I say, and she�ll be fine.� He paused for a minute while I listened in mute horror. �That�s very good,� he congratulated. �Now repeat after me, and do try to sound natural. Please say, �No, Mom, stay where you are.��

�No, Mom, stay where you are.� My voice was barely more than a whisper.

Stephenie Meyer has an incredible ability to make moments that should be dramatic or horrifying undeniably boring instead. When reading over this page I initially glanced over the reveal because of how dry and monotonous the writing remains. Even the big twists and reveals blend together with the long conversations or dry descriptions of exactly what things look like and what people are doing every second.

quote:

�I can see this is going to be difficult.� The voice was amused, still light and friendly. �Why don�t you walk into another room now so your face doesn�t ruin everything? There�s no reason for your mother to suffer. As you�re walking, please say, �Mom, please listen to me.� Say it now.�

�Mom, please listen to me,� my voice pleaded. I walked very slowly to the bedroom, feeling Alice�s worried stare on my back. I shut the door behind me, trying to think clearly through the terror that gripped my brain.

�There now, are you alone? Just answer yes or no.�

�Yes.�

�But they can still hear you, I�m sure.�

�Yes.�

�All right, then,� the agreeable voice continued, �say, �Mom, trust me.��

�Mom, trust me.�

�This worked out rather better than I expected. I was prepared to wait, but your mother arrived ahead of schedule. It�s easier this way, isn�t it? Less suspense, less anxiety for you.�

I waited.

�Now I want you to listen very carefully. I�m going to need you to get away from your friends; do you think you can do that? Answer yes or no.�

�No.�

�I�m sorry to hear that. I was hoping you would be a little more creative than that. Do you think you could get away from them if your mother�s life depended on it? Answer yes or no.�

Somehow, there had to be a way. I remembered that we were going to the airport. Sky Harbor International Airport: crowded, confusingly laid out�

�Yes.�

�That�s better. I�m sure it won�t be easy, but if I get the slightest hint that you have any company, well, that would be very bad for your mother,� the friendly voice promised. �You must know enough about us by now to realize how quickly I would know if you tried to bring anyone along with you. And how little time I would need to deal with your mother if that was the case. Do you understand? Answer yes or no.�

�Yes.� My voice broke.

I think this is one of the other reasons people sometimes describe Bella as coming off like a sociopath. With such dry writing, what's meant to be a tense scene is like reading a script. There's no palpable sense of what Bella is actually feeling, just occasional descriptors breaking up the conversation to let you know the intended tone. Knowing that this was a barely edited first draft by an amateur writer, it now reads exactly like one.

quote:

�Very good, Bella. Now this is what you have to do. I want you to go to your mother�s house. Next to the phone there will be a number. Call it, and I�ll tell you where to go from there.� I already knew where I would go, and where this would end. But I would follow his instructions exactly. �Can you do that? Answer yes or no.�

�Yes.�

�Before noon, please, Bella. I haven�t got all day,� he said politely.

�Where�s Phil?� I asked tersely.

�Ah, be careful now, Bella. Wait until I ask you to speak, please.�

I waited.

�It�s important, now, that you don�t make your friends suspicious when you go back to them. Tell them that your mother called, and that you talked her out of coming home for the time being. Now repeat after me, �Thank you, Mom.� Say it now.�

�Thank you, Mom.� The tears were coming. I tried to fight them back.

�Say, �I love you, Mom, I�ll see you soon.� Say it now.�

�I love you, Mom.� My voice was thick. �I�ll see you soon,� I promised.

�Goodbye, Bella. I look forward to seeing you again.� He hung up.

I think I would feel more dread in this scene if it were Charlie who was in danger.

quote:

I held the phone to my ear. My joints were frozen with terror�I couldn�t unbend my fingers to drop it.

I knew I had to think, but my head was filled with the sound of my mother�s panic. Seconds ticked by while I fought for control.

Slowly, slowly, my thoughts started to break past that brick wall of pain. To plan. For I had no choices now but one: to go to the mirrored room and die. I had no guarantees, nothing to give to keep my mother alive. I could only hope that James would be satisfied with winning the game, that beating Edward would be enough. Despair gripped me; there was no way to bargain, nothing I could offer or withhold that could influence him. But I still had no choice. I had to try.

I pushed the terror back as well as I could. My decision was made. It did no good to waste time agonizing over the outcome. I had to think clearly, because Alice and Jasper were waiting for me, and evading them was absolutely essential, and absolutely impossible.

I was suddenly grateful that Jasper was gone. If he had been here to feel my anguish in the last five minutes, how could I have kept them from being suspicious? I choked back the dread, the anxiety, tried to stifle it. I couldn�t afford it now. I didn�t know when he would return.

I concentrated on my escape. I had to hope that my familiarity with the airport would turn the odds in my favor. Somehow, I had to keep Alice away.�

I knew Alice was in the other room waiting for me, curious. But I had to deal with one more thing in private, before Jasper was back.

I had to accept that I wouldn�t see Edward again, not even one last glimpse of his face to carry with me to the mirror room. I was going to hurt him, and I couldn�t say goodbye. I let the waves of torture wash over me, have their way for a time. Then I pushed them back, too, and went to face Alice.

The only expression I could manage was a dull, dead look.

quote:

I saw her alarm and I didn�t wait for her to ask. I had just one script and I�d never manage improvisation now.

�My mom was worried, she wanted to come home. But it�s okay, I convinced her to stay away.� My voice was lifeless.

They accidentally gave Kristen Stewart nothing but this scene over and over for motivation when filming.

quote:

�We�ll make sure she�s fine, Bella, don�t worry.�

I turned away; I couldn�t let her see my face.

My eye fell on a blank page of the hotel stationery on the desk. I went to it slowly, a plan forming. There was an envelope there, too. That was good.

�Alice,� I asked slowly, without turning, keeping my voice level. �If I write a letter for my mother, would you give it to her? Leave it at the house, I mean.�

�Sure, Bella.� Her voice was careful. She could see me coming apart at the seams. I had to keep my emotions under better control.

I went into the bedroom again, and knelt next to the little bedside table to write.

�Edward,� I wrote. My hand was shaking, the letters were hardly legible. �

I love you. I am so sorry. He has my mom, and I have to try. I know it may not work. I am so very, very sorry. Don�t be angry with Alice and Jasper. If I get away from them it will be a miracle. Tell them thank you for me. Alice especially, please.

And please, please don�t come after him. That�s what he wants, I think. I can�t bear it if anyone has to be hurt because of me, especially you. Please, this is the only thing I can ask you now. For me.

I love you. Forgive me.
Bella. �

I folded the letter carefully, and sealed it in the envelope. Eventually he would find it. I only hoped he would understand, and listen to me just this once.

And then I carefully sealed away my heart.

# ? Aug 7, 2019 14:08

Midjack: Dec 24, 2007

So if Alice can see the future how does she miss this?

# ? Aug 8, 2019 00:08

Victorkm: Nov 25, 2001

Midjack posted:

So if Alice can see the future how does she miss this?

Author convenience?

Also, how come she could easily follow Bella's conversation in the next room through a closed door but couldn't hear the other side of the phone call when she was 3 feet away?

# ? Aug 8, 2019 12:05

chitoryu12: Apr 24, 2014

Victorkm posted:

Author convenience?

Also, how come she could easily follow Bella's conversation in the next room through a closed door but couldn't hear the other side of the phone call when she was 3 feet away?

Basically, she sees decisions that have been made. If someone hasn't made up their mind yet about what to do, she only sees possible paths the future can take. Once they've solidified their plans, then she can see it. Meyer has a lot of trouble keeping track of this, though, and Alice will often miss things that you would think she can reasonably predict or not focus on the things she should.

And yes, she absolutely should have been able to hear the phone. We get a description later of how accurate vampire hearing is and it's basically "Can hear every single thing in a forest for miles but also perfectly filter them out so you're not bombarded with sensory overload."

# ? Aug 8, 2019 14:30

chitoryu12: Apr 24, 2014

Chapter 22: Hide-And-Seek

quote:

It had taken much less time than I'd thought�all the terror, the despair, the shattering of my heart. The minutes were ticking by more slowly than usual. Jasper still hadn�t come back when I returned to Alice. I was afraid to be in the same room with her, afraid that she would guess� and afraid to hide from her for the same reason.

I would have thought I was far beyond the ability to be surprised, my thoughts tortured and unstable, but I was surprised when I saw Alice bent over the desk, gripping the edge with two hands.

�Alice?�

She didn�t react when I called her name, but her head was slowly rocking side to side, and I saw her face. Her eyes were blank, dazed.� My thoughts flew to my mother. Was I already too late?

I hurried to her side, reaching out automatically to touch her hand.

�Alice!� Jasper�s voice whipped, and then he was right behind her, his hands curling over hers, loosening them from their grip on the table. Across the room, the door swung shut with a low click.

�What is it?� he demanded.

She turned her face away from me, into his chest. �Bella,� she said.

Conveniently, this answers the question about Alice's powers!

quote:

�I�m right here,� I replied.

Her head twisted around, her eyes locking on mine, their expression still strangely blank. I realized at once that she hadn�t been speaking to me, she�d been answering Jasper�s question.

�What did you see?� I said�and there was no question in my flat, uncaring voice.

quote:

Jasper looked at me sharply. I kept my expression vacant and waited. His eyes were confused as they flickered swiftly between Alice�s face and mine, feeling the chaos� for I could guess what Alice had seen now.

I felt a tranquil atmosphere settle around me. I welcomed it, using it to keep my emotions disciplined, under control.

Alice, too, recovered herself.

�Nothing, really,� she answered finally, her voice remarkably calm and convincing. �Just the same room as before.�

She finally looked at me, her expression smooth and withdrawn. �Did you want breakfast?�

�No, I�ll eat at the airport.� I was very calm, too. I went to the bathroom to shower. Almost as if I were borrowing Jasper�s strange extra sense, I could feel Alice�s wild�though well-concealed�desperation to have me out of the room, to be alone with Jasper. So she could tell him that they were doing something wrong, that they were going to fail.�

I got ready methodically, concentrating on each little task. I left my hair down, swirling around me, covering my face. The peaceful mood Jasper created worked its way through me and helped me think clearly. Helped me plan. I dug through my bag until I found my sock full of money. I emptied it into my pocket.

I was anxious to get to the airport, and glad when we left by seven. I sat alone this time in the back of the dark car. Alice leaned against the door, her face toward Jasper but, behind her sunglasses, shooting glances in my direction every few seconds.

�Alice?� I asked indifferently.

She was wary. �Yes?�

�How does it work? The things that you see?� I stared out the side window, and my voice sounded bored. �Edward said it wasn�t definite� that things change?� It was harder than I would have thought to say his name. That must have been what alerted Jasper, why a fresh wave of serenity filled the car.

Yeah, it really wasn't Kristen Stewart. They just gave her accurate direction to the books.

quote:

�Yes, things change�,� she murmured�hopefully, I thought. �Some things are more certain than others� like the weather. People are harder. I only see the course they�re on while they�re on it. Once they change their minds�make a new decision, no matter how small�the whole future shifts.�

I nodded thoughtfully. �So you couldn�t see James in Phoenix until he decided to come here.�

�Yes,� she agreed, wary again.

And she hadn�t seen me in the mirror room with James until I�d made the decision to meet him there. I tried not to think about what else she might have seen. I didn�t want my panic to make Jasper more suspicious. They would be watching me twice as carefully now, anyway, after Alice�s vision. This was going to be impossible.

This ties back into my previous wondering about how Alice responds to her future vision. If someone has made up their mind and you see the future, what do you do? Do you go along with it to ensure that the timeline remains, or do you use it to intervene?

quote:

We got to the airport. Luck was with me, or maybe it was just good odds. Edward�s plane was landing in terminal four, the largest terminal, where most flights landed�so it wasn�t surprising that his was. But it was the terminal I needed: the biggest, the most confusing. And there was a door on level three that might be the only chance.

We parked on the fourth floor of the huge garage. I led the way, for once more knowledgeable about my surroundings than they were. We took the elevator down to level three, where the passengers unloaded. Alice and Jasper spent a long time looking at the departing flights board. I could hear them discussing the pros and cons of New York, Atlanta, Chicago. Places I�d never seen. And would never see.

If Bella managed to accidentally wander a mile into the industrial zone of Port Angeles trying to find her way back to the shops, I can't imagine her fleeing the vampires without ending up on the runway somehow.

quote:

I waited for my opportunity, impatient, unable to stop my toe from tapping. We sat in the long rows of chairs by the metal detectors, Jasper and Alice pretending to people-watch but really watching me. Every inch I shifted in my seat was followed by a quick glance out of the corner of their eyes. It was hopeless. Should I run? Would they dare to stop me physically in this public place? Or would they simply follow?

I pulled the unmarked envelope out of my pocket and set it on top of Alice�s black leather bag. She looked at me.

�My letter,� I said. She nodded, tucking it under the top flap. He would find it soon enough.

The minutes passed and Edward�s arrival grew closer. It was amazing how every cell in my body seemed to know he was coming, to long for his coming. That made it very hard. I found myself trying to think of excuses to stay, to see him first and then make my escape. But I knew that was impossible if I was going to have any chance to get away.

Several times Alice offered to go get breakfast with me. Later, I told her, not yet.

I stared at the arrival board, watching as flight after flight arrived on time. The flight from Seattle crept closer to the top of the board.

And then, when I had only thirty minutes to make my escape, the numbers changed. His plane was ten minutes early. I had no more time.

�I think I�ll eat now,� I said quickly.

Alice stood. �I�ll come with you.�

�Do you mind if Jasper comes instead?� I asked. �I�m feeling a little�� I didn�t finish the sentence. My eyes were wild enough to convey what I didn�t say.

Good ploy, weaponizing your BPD!

quote:

Jasper stood up. Alice�s eyes were confused, but�I saw to my relief�not suspicious. She must be attributing the change in her vision to some maneuver of the tracker�s rather than a betrayal by me.

I've mentioned before how much this writing technique annoys me. Bella is somehow able to identify exactly what's motivating any decision or emotion someone has when it's narratively convenient. Meyer can't figure out a way to organically introduce these unseen meanings to the audience or allow the audience to interpret subtleties themselves, so Bella occasionally gains superhuman perceptiveness where she can piece together someone's motivations from little to no context.

quote:

Jasper walked silently beside me, his hand on the small of my back, as if he were guiding me. I pretended a lack of interest in the first few airport caf�s, my head scanning for what I really wanted. And there it was, around the corner, out of Alice�s sharp sight: the level-three ladies� room.

�Do you mind?� I asked Jasper as we passed. �I�ll just be a moment.�

�I�ll be right here,� he said.

As soon as the door shut behind me, I was running. I remembered the time I had gotten lost from this bathroom, because it had two exits.

Oh my loving God.

quote:

Outside the far door it was only a short sprint to the elevators, and if Jasper stayed where he said he would, I�d never be in his line of sight. I didn�t look behind me as I ran. This was my only chance, and even if he saw me, I had to keep going. People stared, but I ignored them. Around the corner the elevators were waiting, and I dashed forward, throwing my hand between the closing doors of a full elevator headed down. I squeezed in beside the irritated passengers, and checked to make sure that the button for level one had been pushed. It was already lit, and the doors closed.

As soon as the doors opened I was off again, to the sound of annoyed murmurs behind me. I slowed myself as I passed the security guards by the luggage carousels, only to break into a run again as the exit doors came into view. I had no way of knowing if Jasper was looking for me yet. I would have only seconds if he was following my scent. I jumped out the automatic doors, nearly smacking into the glass when they opened too slowly.

Along the crowded curb there wasn�t a cab in sight.

I had no time. Alice and Jasper were either about to realize I was gone, or they already had. They would find me in a heartbeat.

A shuttle to the Hyatt was just closing its doors a few feet behind me.

�Wait!� I called, running, waving at the driver.

�This is the shuttle to the Hyatt,� the driver said in confusion as he opened the doors.

�Yes,� I huffed, �that�s where I�m going.� I hurried up the steps.

He looked askance at my luggage-less state, but then shrugged, not caring enough to ask.

Most of the seats were empty. I sat as far from the other travelers as possible, and watched out the window as first the sidewalk, and then the airport, drifted away. I couldn�t help imagining Edward, where he would stand at the edge of the road when he found the end of my trail. I couldn�t cry yet, I told myself. I still had a long way to go.

My luck held. In front of the Hyatt, a tired-looking couple was getting their last suitcase out of the trunk of a cab. I jumped out of the shuttle and ran to the cab, sliding into the seat behind the driver. The tired couple and the shuttle driver stared at me.

I told the surprised cabbie my mother�s address. �I need to get there as soon as possible.�

�That�s in Scottsdale,� he complained.

I threw four twenties over the seat.

�Will that be enough?�

�Sure, kid, no problem.�

The drive from the airport to Scottsdale is 20 minutes with current traffic. Are all cabbies in Phoenix this lazy?

quote:

I sat back against the seat, folding my arms across my lap. The familiar city began to rush around me, but I didn�t look out the windows. I exerted myself to maintain control. I was determined not to lose myself at this point, now that my plan was successfully completed. There was no point in indulging in more terror, more anxiety. My path was set. I just had to follow it now.

So, instead of panicking, I closed my eyes and spent the twenty-minute drive with Edward.

Meyer even knew it! Does she think cabs only take you a few blocks?

quote:

I imagined that I had stayed at the airport to meet Edward. I visualized how I would stand on my toes, the sooner to see his face. How quickly, how gracefully he would move through the crowds of people separating us. And then I would run to close those last few feet between us�reckless as always�and I would be in his marble arms, finally safe.

I wondered where we would have gone. North somewhere, so he could be outside in the day. Or maybe somewhere very remote, so we could lay in the sun together again. I imagined him by the shore, his skin sparkling like the sea. It wouldn�t matter how long we had to hide. To be trapped in a hotel room with him would be a kind of heaven. So many questions I still had for him. I could talk to him forever, never sleeping, never leaving his side.

I could see his face so clearly now� almost hear his voice. And, despite all the horror and hopelessness, I was fleetingly happy. So involved was I in my escapist daydreams, I lost all track of the seconds racing by.

�Hey, what was the number?�

The cabbie�s question punctured my fantasy, letting all the colors run out of my lovely delusions. Fear, bleak and hard, was waiting to fill the empty space they left behind.

�Fifty-eight twenty-one.� My voice sounded strangled. The cabbie looked at me, nervous that I was having an episode or something.

�Here we are, then.� He was anxious to get me out of his car, probably hoping I wouldn�t ask for my change.

�Thank you,� I whispered. There was no need to be afraid, I reminded myself. The house was empty. I had to hurry; my mom was waiting for me, frightened, depending on me.

The house in the film was played by 22301 Cataro Drive in Santa Clarita, CA. Likewise, they used the Hyatt Valencia in Santa Clarita for for "hotel in Phoenix." None of the movie was filmed in Arizona at any point.

quote:

I ran to the door, reaching up automatically to grab the key under the eave. I unlocked the door. It was dark inside, empty, normal. I ran to the phone, turning on the kitchen light on my way. There, on the whiteboard, was a ten-digit number written in a small, neat hand. My fingers stumbled over the keypad, making mistakes. I had to hang up and start again. I concentrated only on the buttons this time, carefully pressing each one in turn. I was successful. I held the phone to my ear with a shaking hand. It rang only once.

�Hello, Bella,� that easy voice answered. �That was very quick. I�m impressed.�

�Is my mom all right?�

�She�s perfectly fine. Don�t worry, Bella, I have no quarrel with her. Unless you didn�t come alone, of course.� Light, amused.

�I�m alone.� I�d never been more alone in my entire life.

�Very good. Now, do you know the ballet studio just around the corner from your home?�

�Yes. I know how to get there.�

�Well, then, I�ll see you very soon.�

I hung up.

I ran from the room, through the door, out into the baking heat.

There was no time to look back at my house, and I didn�t want to see it as it was now�empty, a symbol of fear instead of sanctuary. The last person to walk through those familiar rooms was my enemy.

From the corner of my eye, I could almost see my mother standing in the shade of the big eucalyptus tree where I�d played as a child. Or kneeling by the little plot of dirt around the mailbox, the cemetery of all the flowers she�d tried to grow.

She just kept trying to water the plants with energy drinks and couldn't figure out why it didn't work, then Bella had to make her dinner again because she was planning on eating the flowers instead.

quote:

The memories were better than any reality I would see today. But I raced away from them, toward the corner, leaving everything behind me.

I felt so slow, like I was running through wet sand�I couldn�t seem to get enough purchase from the concrete. I tripped several times, once falling, catching myself with my hands, scraping them on the sidewalk, and then lurching up to plunge forward again. But at last I made it to the corner. Just another street now; I ran, sweat pouring down my face, gasping. The sun was hot on my skin, too bright as it bounced off the white concrete and blinded me. I felt dangerously exposed. More fiercely than I would have dreamed I was capable of, I wished for the green, protective forests of Forks� of home.

When I rounded the last corner, onto Cactus, I could see the studio, looking just as I remembered it. The parking lot in front was empty, the vertical blinds in all the windows drawn. I couldn�t run anymore�I couldn�t breathe; exertion and fear had gotten the best of me. I thought of my mother to keep my feet moving, one in front of the other.

As I got closer, I could see the sign inside the door. It was handwritten on hot pink paper; it said the dance studio was closed for spring break. I touched the handle, tugged on it cautiously. It was unlocked. I fought to catch my breath, and opened the door.

For the sake of convenience, the exterior in the film was actually the Yale Union Laundry Building in Portland. It's a historic building from 1908 built as an industrial steam laundry center.

quote:

The lobby was dark and empty, cool, the air conditioner thrumming. The plastic molded chairs were stacked along the walls, and the carpet smelled like shampoo. The west dance floor was dark, I could see through the open viewing window. The east dance floor, the bigger room, was lit. But the blinds were closed on the window.

Terror seized me so strongly that I was literally trapped by it. I couldn�t make my feet move forward. And then my mother�s voice called.

�Bella? Bella?� That same tone of hysterical panic. I sprinted to the door, to the sound of her voice.

�Bella, you scared me! Don�t you ever do that to me again!� Her voice continued as I ran into the long, high-ceilinged room.

I stared around me, trying to find where her voice was coming from. I heard her laugh, and I whirled to the sound.

There she was, on the TV screen, tousling my hair in relief. It was Thanksgiving, and I was twelve. We�d gone to see my grandmother in California, the last year before she died. We went to the beach one day, and I�d leaned too far over the edge of the pier. She�d seen my feet flailing, trying to reclaim my balance. �Bella? Bella?� she�d called to me in fear.

And then the TV screen was blue.

Is there a single story from Bella's childhood that isn't her whining about something or injuring herself being a dumbass?

quote:

I turned slowly. He was standing very still by the back exit, so still I hadn�t noticed him at first. In his hand was a remote control. We stared at each other for a long moment, and then he smiled.

He walked toward me, quite close, and then passed me to put the remote down next to the VCR. I turned carefully to watch him.

�Sorry about that, Bella, but isn�t it better that your mother didn�t really have to be involved in all this?� His voice was courteous, kind.

And suddenly it hit me. My mother was safe. She was still in Florida. She�d never gotten my message. She�d never been terrified by the dark red eyes in the abnormally pale face before me. She was safe.

Bella sacrificing herself to try and save her mother is the most selfless act she's ever committed and the only decision she's made in the story that was seriously proactive. And it was all for nothing.

quote:

�Yes,� I answered, my voice saturated with relief.

�You don�t sound angry that I tricked you.�

�I�m not.� My sudden high made me brave. What did it matter now? It would soon be over. Charlie and Mom would never be harmed, would never have to fear. I felt almost giddy. Some analytical part of my mind warned me that I was dangerously close to snapping from the stress.

�How odd. You really mean it.� His dark eyes assessed me with interest. The irises were nearly black, just a hint of ruby around the edges. Thirsty. �I will give your strange coven this much, you humans can be quite interesting. I guess I can see the draw of observing you. It�s amazing�some of you seem to have no sense of your own self-interest at all.�

He was standing a few feet away from me, arms folded, looking at me curiously. There was no menace in his face or stance. He was so very average-looking, nothing remarkable about his face or body at all. Just the white skin, the circled eyes I�d grown so used to. He wore a pale blue, long-sleeved shirt and faded blue jeans.

Obviously, the James of the movie is more of a ripped surfer dude than a completely average man. Stephenie Meyer had her own ideas for casting, which should give you a sense of what these characters were pictured as in the books: Henry Cavill as Edward, Emily Browning as Bella, Steven Strait as Jacob, Charlie Hunnam as Carlisle, John C. Reily as Charlie, Joanna Krupa as Rosalie, Rachel Leigh Cook as Alice, Cillian Murphy or Joshua Jackson as James, John Stamos as Laurent, and Daniel Cudmore as Emmett.

Cillian Murphy would have made for an interesting choice, one that really fits in better with her intention for James being normal and unremarkable.

quote:

�No, I don�t think so. At least, I asked him not to.�

�And what was his reply to that?�

�I don�t know.� It was strangely easy to converse with this genteel hunter. �I left him a letter.�

�How romantic, a last letter. And do you think he will honor it?� His voice was just a little harder now, a hint of sarcasm marring his polite tone.

�I hope so.�

�Hmmm. Well, our hopes differ then. You see, this was all just a little too easy, too quick. To be quite honest, I�m disappointed. I expected a much greater challenge. And, after all, I only needed a little luck.�

I waited in silence.

�When Victoria couldn�t get to your father, I had her find out more about you. There was no sense in running all over the planet chasing you down when I could comfortably wait for you in a place of my choosing. So, after I talked to Victoria, I decided to come to Phoenix to pay your mother a visit. I�d heard you say you were going home. At first, I never dreamed you meant it. But then I wondered. Humans can be very predictable; they like to be somewhere familiar, somewhere safe. And wouldn�t it be the perfect ploy, to go to the last place you should be when you�re hiding�the place that you said you�d be.

�But of course I wasn�t sure, it was just a hunch. I usually get a feeling about the prey that I�m hunting, a sixth sense, if you will. I listened to your message when I got to your mother�s house, but of course I couldn�t be sure where you�d called from. It was very useful to have your number, but you could have been in Antarctica for all I knew, and the game wouldn�t work unless you were close by.

�Then your boyfriend got on a plane to Phoenix. Victoria was monitoring them for me, naturally; in a game with this many players, I couldn�t be working alone. And so they told me what I�d hoped, that you were here after all. I was prepared; I�d already been through your charming home movies. And then it was simply a matter of the bluff.

�Very easy, you know, not really up to my standards. So, you see, I�m hoping you�re wrong about your boyfriend. Edward, isn�t it?�

All I'm seeing is even more reason for them to have gone with Emmett and Alice's plan of just killing James right then and there. Bella's brilliant plan that she easily convinced everyone to go along with was laughably easy to see through for anyone who specializes in hunting people down.

quote:

I didn�t answer. The bravado was wearing off. I sensed that he was coming to the end of his gloat. It wasn�t meant for me anyway. There was no glory in beating me, a weak human.

�Would you mind, very much, if I left a little letter of my own for your Edward?�

He took a step back and touched a palm-sized digital video camera balanced carefully on top of the stereo. A small red light indicated that it was already running. He adjusted it a few times, widened the frame. I stared at him in horror.

�I�m sorry, but I just don�t think he�ll be able to resist hunting me after he watches this. And I wouldn�t want him to miss anything. It was all for him, of course. You�re simply a human, who unfortunately was in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and indisputably running with the wrong crowd, I might add.�

He stepped toward me, smiling. �Before we begin��

I felt a curl of nausea in the pit of my stomach as he spoke. This was something I had not anticipated.

�I would just like to rub it in, just a little bit. The answer was there all along, and I was so afraid Edward would see that and ruin my fun. It happened once, oh, ages ago. The one and only time my prey escaped me.

If you're predicting this is one of those villains where they only lose because they waste enormous amounts of time monologuing about their motivations and providing exposition, you're absolutely right.

quote:

�You see, the vampire who was so stupidly fond of this little victim made the choice that your Edward was too weak to make. When the old one knew I was after his little friend, he stole her from the asylum where he worked�I never will understand the obsession some vampires seem to form with you humans�and as soon as he freed her he made her safe. She didn�t even seem to notice the pain, poor little creature. She�d been stuck in that black hole of a cell for so long. A hundred years earlier and she would have been burned at the stake for her visions. In the nineteen-twenties it was the asylum and the shock treatments. When she opened her eyes, strong with her fresh youth, it was like she�d never seen the sun before. The old vampire made her a strong new vampire, and there was no reason for me to touch her then.� He sighed. �I destroyed the old one in vengeance.�

�Alice,� I breathed, astonished.

This is something that basically never gets touched on again, but Alice had psychic powers before she was turned into a vampire. This is a very casual way of revealing that psychics exist in addition to vampires and werewolves, which really opens the door to a lot of stuff that could have been done but never was.

quote:

�Yes, your little friend. I was surprised to see her in the clearing. So I guess her coven ought to be able to derive some comfort from this experience. I get you, but they get her. The one victim who escaped me, quite an honor, actually.

�And she did smell so delicious. I still regret that I never got to taste� She smelled even better than you do. Sorry�I don�t mean to be offensive. You have a very nice smell. Floral, somehow��

He took another step toward me, till he was just inches away. He lifted a lock of my hair and sniffed at it delicately. Then he gently patted the strand back into place, and I felt his cool fingertips against my throat. He reached up to stroke my cheek once quickly with his thumb, his face curious. I wanted so badly to run, but I was frozen. I couldn�t even flinch away.

�No,� he murmured to himself as he dropped his hand, �I don�t understand.� He sighed. �Well, I suppose we should get on with it. And then I can call your friends and tell them where to find you, and my little message.�

I was definitely sick now. There was pain coming, I could see it in his eyes. It wouldn�t be enough for him to win, to feed and go. There would be no quick end like I�d been counting on. My knees began to shake, and I was afraid I was going to fall.

He stepped back, and began to circle, casually, as if he were trying to get a better view of a statue in a museum. His face was still open and friendly as he decided where to start.

Then he slumped forward, into a crouch I recognized, and his pleasant smile slowly widened, grew, till it wasn�t a smile at all but a contortion of teeth, exposed and glistening.

I couldn�t help myself�I tried to run. As useless as I knew it would be, as weak as my knees already were, panic took over and I bolted for the emergency door.

He was in front of me in a flash. I didn�t see if he used his hand or his foot, it was too fast. A crushing blow struck my chest�I felt myself flying backward, and then heard the crunch as my head bashed into the mirrors. The glass buckled, some of the pieces shattering and splintering on the floor beside me.

I was too stunned to feel the pain. I couldn�t breathe yet.

He walked toward me slowly.

�That�s a very nice effect,� he said, examining the mess of glass, his voice friendly again. �I thought this room would be visually dramatic for my little film. That�s why I picked this place to meet you. It�s perfect, isn�t it?�

I ignored him, scrambling on my hands and knees, crawling toward the other door.

I feel like Meyer wrote herself into a corner with the raw power of vampires in this setting. Many settings make them at least possible to be killed by humans, allowing especially tenacious people to have some bare way of defending themselves. But Twilight vampires are virtually indestructible, run so fast and so precisely they practically teleport around the room, and have such sharp senses that hiding from them is impossible. Carlisle or Alice could very easily decimate an entire building of soldiers by themselves if they wanted to. It's only practicality in regards to their small numbers and some self-policing that keeps vampires from utterly destroying the world.

This makes it incredibly difficult to write a protagonist who has agency if they're a human, especially one as average and dull as Bella Swan. She's an ant among them, and only their willingness to listen to her and care about her gives her any ability to affect the direction of the story. Most of the impact she has isn't even from her own actions! Her specialness drives the plot whether or not she does anything to push it along. At any given point, she could be killed and tossed out if the vampires wanted to. As the books develop, it becomes apparent that most of what we're witnessing is actually an entirely vampire-and-werewolf-centric story with Bella unable to do much more than observe and hope things work out

quote:

He was over me at once, his foot stepping down hard on my leg. I heard the sickening snap before I felt it. But then I did feel it, and I couldn�t hold back my scream of agony. I twisted up to reach for my leg, and he was standing over me, smiling.

�Would you like to rethink your last request?� he asked pleasantly. His toe nudged my broken leg and I heard a piercing scream. With a shock, I realized it was mine.

�Wouldn�t you rather have Edward try to find me?� he prompted.

�No!� I croaked. �No, Edward, don�t�� And then something smashed into my face, throwing me back into the broken mirrors.

Over the pain of my leg, I felt the sharp rip across my scalp where the glass cut into it. And then the warm wetness began to spread through my hair with alarming speed. I could feel it soaking the shoulder of my shirt, hear it dripping on the wood below. The smell of it twisted my stomach.

Through the nausea and dizziness I saw something that gave me a sudden, final shred of hope. His eyes, merely intent before, now burned with an uncontrollable need. The blood�spreading crimson across my white shirt, pooling rapidly on the floor�was driving him mad with thirst. No matter his original intentions, he couldn�t draw this out much longer.

Let it be quick now, was all I could hope as the flow of blood from my head sucked my consciousness away with it. My eyes were closing.

I heard, as if from underwater, the final growl of the hunter. I could see, through the long tunnels my eyes had become, his dark shape coming toward me. With my last effort, my hand instinctively raised to protect my face. My eyes closed, and I drifted.

# ? Aug 8, 2019 17:11

Victorkm: Nov 25, 2001

edit: Accidental double post.

Victorkm fucked around with this message at 21:50 on Aug 8, 2019

# ? Aug 8, 2019 21:22

chitoryu12: Apr 24, 2014

Did you just double-post through time or is my app super hosed up?

# ? Aug 8, 2019 21:25

Victorkm: Nov 25, 2001

chitoryu12 posted:

Did you just double-post through time or is my app super hosed up?

I did! There were some issues this morning when I originally tried to post that so I just refreshed when I got home from work and did not realize that I had managed to get the post through earlier.

# ? Aug 8, 2019 21:51

Midjack: Dec 24, 2007

The search indexing is causing some really weird effects these last couple of days.

# ? Aug 9, 2019 03:06

chitoryu12: Apr 24, 2014

Chapter 23: The Angel

quote:

As I drifted, I dreamed.

Where I floated, under the dark water, I heard the happiest sound my mind could conjure up�as beautiful, as uplifting, as it was ghastly. It was another snarl; a deeper, wilder roar that rang with fury.

That's the sound you think is so beautiful?

quote:

I was brought back, almost to the surface, by a sharp pain slashing my upraised hand, but I couldn�t find my way back far enough to open my eyes.

And then I knew I was dead.

Because, through the heavy water, I heard the sound of an angel calling my name, calling me to the only heaven I wanted.

�Oh no, Bella, no!� the angel�s voice cried in horror.

Behind that longed-for sound was another noise�an awful tumult that my mind shied away from. A vicious bass growling, a shocking snapping sound, and a high keening, suddenly breaking off�

I tried to concentrate on the angel�s voice instead.

�Bella, please! Bella, listen to me, please, please, Bella, please!� he begged. Yes, I wanted to say. Anything. But I couldn�t find my lips.

�Carlisle!� the angel called, agony in his perfect voice. �Bella, Bella, no, oh please, no, no!� And the angel was sobbing tearless, broken sobs.

The angel shouldn�t weep, it was wrong. I tried to find him, to tell him everything was fine, but the water was so deep, it was pressing on me, and I couldn�t breathe.

Bella has some odd ideas of what angels are like.

quote:

There was a point of pressure against my head. It hurt. Then, as that pain broke through the darkness to me, other pains came, stronger pains. I cried out, gasping, breaking through the dark pool.

�Bella!� the angel cried.

�She�s lost some blood, but the head wound isn�t deep,� a calm voice informed me. �Watch out for her leg, it�s broken.�

A howl of rage strangled on the angel�s lips.

I felt a sharp stab in my side. This couldn�t be heaven, could it? There was too much pain for that.

Bella would absolutely be the soul in the afterlife who manages to trip over all the clouds.

quote:

�Some ribs, too, I think,� the methodical voice continued.

But the sharp pains were fading. There was a new pain, a scalding pain in my hand that was overshadowing everything else. Someone was burning me.

�Edward.� I tried to tell him, but my voice was so heavy and slow. I couldn�t understand myself.

�Bella, you�re going to be fine. Can you hear me, Bella? I love you.�

�Edward,� I tried again. My voice was a little clearer.

�Yes, I�m here.�

�It hurts,� I whimpered.

�I know, Bella, I know��and then, away from me, anguished��can�t you do anything?�

�My bag, please.� Hold your breath, Alice, it will help,� Carlisle promised.

�Alice?� I groaned.

�She�s here, she knew where to find you.�

So yes, Alice did in fact see this happening. It ties into my questions about how much she acts on her vision. I haven't seen it mentioned reading ahead, but it seems like she and Jasper intentionally let Bella "escape" and waited for the rest of the Cullens to land so they would have their entire force to kill James. That would be an insanely risky move, one that she likely only went through with because she saw a way to save her life afterward.

quote:

�My hand hurts,� I tried to tell him.

�I know, Bella. Carlisle will give you something, it will stop.�

�My hand is burning!� I screamed, finally breaking through the last of the darkness, my eyes fluttering open. I couldn�t see his face, something dark and warm was clouding my eyes. Why couldn�t they see the fire and put it out?

His voice was frightened. �Bella?�

�The fire! Someone stop the fire!� I screamed as it burned me.

�Carlisle! Her hand!�

�He bit her.� Carlisle�s voice was no longer calm, it was appalled.

I heard Edward catch his breath in horror.

�Edward, you have to do it.� It was Alice�s voice, close by my head. Cool fingers brushed at the wetness in my eyes.

�No!� he bellowed.

�Alice,� I moaned.

�There may be a chance,� Carlisle said.

�What?� Edward begged.

�See if you can suck the venom back out. The wound is fairly clean.� As Carlisle spoke, I could feel more pressure on my head, something poking and pulling at my scalp. The pain of it was lost in the pain of the fire.

�Will that work?� Alice�s voice was strained.

�I don�t know,� Carlisle said. �But we have to hurry.�

�Carlisle, I�� Edward hesitated. �I don�t know if I can do that.� There was agony in his beautiful voice again.

�It�s your decision, Edward, either way. I can�t help you. I have to get this bleeding stopped here if you�re going to be taking blood from her hand.�

Make Carlisle and Alice the protagonists instead.

quote:

I writhed in the grip of the fiery torture, the movement making the pain in my leg flare sickeningly.

�Edward!� I screamed. I realized my eyes were closed again. I opened them, desperate to find his face. And I found him. Finally, I could see his perfect face, staring at me, twisted into a mask of indecision and pain.

�Alice, get me something to brace her leg!� Carlisle was bent over me, working on my head. �Edward, you must do it now, or it will be too late.�

Edward�s face was drawn. I watched his eyes as the doubt was suddenly replaced with a blazing determination. His jaw tightened. I felt his cool, strong fingers on my burning hand, locking it in place. Then his head bent over it, and his cold lips pressed against my skin.

At first the pain was worse. I screamed and thrashed against the cool hands that held me back. I heard Alice�s voice, trying to calm me. Something heavy held my leg to the floor, and Carlisle had my head locked in the vise of his stone arms.

Then, slowly, my writhing calmed as my hand grew more and more numb. The fire was dulling, focusing into an ever-smaller point.

I felt my consciousness slipping as the pain subsided. I was afraid to fall into the black waters again, afraid I would lose him in the darkness.

Because this scene would be rather boring in the movie, Edward finds Bella much sooner before James begins in earnest. What happens is a combination fight/torture scene with James repeatedly interrupting the fight to go beat up and bite Bella before the rest of the Cullens arrive. They also actually show how James it taken care of, and it's definitely something!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhAQ43EIZ-g

quote:

�Edward,� I tried to say, but I couldn�t hear my voice. They could hear me.

�He�s right here, Bella.�

�Stay, Edward, stay with me.��

�I will.� His voice was strained, but somehow triumphant.

I sighed contentedly. The fire was gone, the other pains dulled by a sleepiness seeping through my body.

�Is it all out?� Carlisle asked from somewhere far away.

�Her blood tastes clean,� Edward said quietly. �I can taste the morphine."

I really hope vampires in this setting are also immune to drugs!

quote:

�Bella?� Carlisle called to me.

I tried to answer. �Mmmmm?�

�Is the fire gone?�

�Yes,� I sighed. �Thank you, Edward.�

�I love you,� he answered.

�I know,� I breathed, so tired.

I heard my favorite sound in the world: Edward�s quiet laugh, weak with relief.

�Bella?� Carlisle asked again. I frowned; I wanted to sleep.

�What?�

�Where is your mother?�

�In Florida,� I sighed. �He tricked me, Edward. He watched our videos.� The outrage in my voice was pitifully frail.

But that reminded me.

�Alice.� I tried to open my eyes. �Alice, the video�he knew you, Alice, he knew where you came from.� I meant to speak urgently, but my voice was feeble. �I smell gasoline,� I added, surprised through the haze in my brain.

It's not burnt toast, but close enough.

quote:

�It�s time to move her,� Carlisle said.

�No, I want to sleep,� I complained.

�You can sleep, sweetheart, I�ll carry you,� Edward soothed me.

And I was in his arms, cradled against his chest�floating, all the pain gone.

�Sleep now, Bella� were the last words I heard.

# ? Aug 9, 2019 14:38

Victorkm: Nov 25, 2001

The movie definitely did some things much better than the book, including that scene and vampire baseball which should have just been the whole movie. I loving love the vampire baseball scene in both and it was the bit of the book I was most looking forward to seeing in the movie.

I don't remember if I posted earlier in this thread about reading these in my 20s while I was at work, before the movies came out. I recall thinking to myself "Well, the first movie should have 1 really good scene at least, and the 2nd is gonna suck a lot. The third might end up OK and the fourth will be 2 movies and the first movie will end with Bella opening her bright red vampire eyes. Also the first half of 4 is gonna SUUUUUCK. Then I had no loving clue how they'd finance the final battle or most of anything in the second half of Breaking Dawn. I thought they did a pretty good job making a decent movie for the last one in the series and the changes from the text made it even better. The back half of Breaking Dawn is when you get into the real Bella Mary Sue territory even if it is the most enjoyable section of the whole series.

# ? Aug 9, 2019 16:02

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# ? Apr 26, 2024 03:31

Lord Zedd-Repulsa: Jul 21, 2007; Devour a good book.

I'm not sure what kept me from reading these books when they were new. My best guess is their size.

# ? Aug 10, 2019 02:22

The Something Awful Forums > Archives > Comedy Goldmine > The Goodmine > Where It All Began - Let's Read the Twilight Series

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