Well, we’ve been up for almost a day now and we already have an update and a correction.  Our first update comes in the mythology section on strength.  Check it out when you get a chance.

Also, we found out that the e-mail address given for the lexicon wasn’t working.  We have corrected the problem and you can now send us e-mails.  I apologize for any trouble this caused any of you. 

Thank you all for the feedback thus far.  I’m so glad fans are enjoying this as much as we have!  Feel free to use the comments link here on the main page and share your thoughts with us. 

Alphie

The ability to use superhuman strength is one of the characteristics that set vampires apart. Edward’s physical strength is seen in stark contrast to the fragility of human Bella: "You are so soft, so fragile. I have to mind my actions every moment that we’re together so that I don’t hurt you. I could kill you quite easily, Bella, simply by accident… I could reach out, meaning to touch your face, and crush your skull by mistake." (TW14)

 His strength leads to one of the tensions in his relationship with Bella, namely that he can never let down his guard for fear he will either accidentally hurt her, or let his vampiric nature seize the blood he so desires. He can certainly move her effortlessly, as we see when he carries her to the school nurse, "as easily as if I weighed ten pounds instead of a hundred and ten." (TW5) Edward’s strength can be most clearly seen in the incident where he saves Bella from Tyler’s truck. Not only is he not injured himself but he even forces the metal out of the way by the pressure he exerts on it. "I had seen the" very distinct dent that fit the contours of Edward’s shoulders…as if he had braced himself against the car with enough force to damage the metal frame." (TW3)

Yet, Edward’s "iron strength" (TW13) is nothing compared with what it would have been after Carlisle first changed him. Meyer states that: "New vampires are also immensely strong for their first year of life, also a product of the excess of blood left in the body." (PC1) This would imply that a vampire’s strength dips before a feed, and their energy/strength levels are refuelled by hunting. When asked about this, Stephenie Meyer explained that hunting makes a "minimal difference" (PC5) to the physical strength levels of a vampire, as even a thirsty vampire is capable of great feats of physical strength. Stephenie Meyer is clear that vampire strength is very much dependent on the individual. Emmett was colossally strong as a human, and even more so as a vampire, but each individual vampire has their own personal range. However, it’s important to remember that, "skill is going to count more than strength," (PC5) so an experienced vampire could still outwit a newborn one in a fight.

A vampire’s diet does not have a massive impact on the levels of strength. "Human blood does make them stronger than animal blood, but only fractionally. Big game (bears, wildcats, predators) makes them stronger than the "weaker" blood of herd animals." (PC5) Ultimately, physical strength is always going to come down to the individual vampire, rather than secondary factors like their diet. Strength, of course, isn’t always physical. It is impossible for a vampire to die through physical starvation (TW15), but what the lack of blood intake does alter is a vampire’s mental state. After Carlisle realised that he had become a vampire, he tried to destroy himself. "He grew very hungry and very weak. He strayed as far as he could from the human populace, recognising that his willpower was weakening too." (TW15)

 Vampires are less capable of acting with rational thought, and therefore more likely to act through their natural animal instincts when they are thirsty. This explains why Bella is in so much danger when Edward hasn’t been hunting. Edward does show an inner strength in resisting the lure of Bella’s blood. Edward admits that at times he wondered if he was "strong enough" (TW14) to resist his natural urges. Finally, his inner strength comes to the fore as he admits "I couldn’t live with myself if I ever hurt you." (TW13)

Full Name: Victoria

Status: Vampire

Date of Birth:

Originally from:

Hair color: “Brilliant orange” (TW18)

Eye color: Vampire burgundy (TW18)

Height:

Physical description: Bella describes her as “wild” and “chaotic” with a ”distinctly feline” posture, and says that she has eyes that “flickered edgily.” (TW18) Her voice was “high and singsong, like a little girl’s” (BT), a “babyish soprano tinkling” (EC24)

Occupation:

Family members: A member of James’ coven and his mate (NM10)

Nick Names:

Hobbies:

Personal history: Victoria first appeared with James and Laurent in the forest near the Cullen household as the group played baseball during a thunderstorm. When James chose to hunt Bella for sport, Victoria helped him. Jasper realized that Victoria would fight with James if needed (TW19). Victoria followed Esme, who was wearing Bella’s clothes to confuse the trail (TW20) . Victoria was able to do some research for James. She informed him where Bella’s mother lived and that Edward was traveling to Phoenix (TW22).

Victoria returned to the Washington State area frequently after James’ death. Victoria instructed Laurent to do some reconnaissance work for her so that she could kill Bella in revenge for killing her mate, James. (NM10) Victoria wanted to torture Bella before killing her but Laurent planned to kill Bella himself because he was thirsty and tell Victoria afterwards that he fulfilled her mission. Jacob and the rest of the werewolves destroy Laurent before he can attack Bella. Jacob was pleased to learn about Victoria because the information helped the pack with their plans to stop her (NM13).

When Bella jumped off the cliff to reconnect with Edward’s voice, she saw “fire” on the water (NM16) which might have been Victoria lurking nearby – if this was true, only Jacob’s presence saved Bella from death. Victoria was foiled again.

Victoria appeared to have a special talent for self-preservation and survival. She was a master manipulator and very evasive (SM interview #6 TST) Victoria continued to patrol the area near Forks in the hopes of ambushing Bella. While Bella was in Florida visiting her mother, Victoria caused a skirmish between the Cullens and the Quileute werewolves (EC3) – in her “instinct for evasion”, she ran along the boundary line, and prevented her pursuers from catching her.  In Bella’s final year of high school, Victoria also spent a great deal of time in Seattle, Washington. Sometime after James’ demise, she created a new vampire, Riley. With his help, Victoria created an army of newborn vampires. She kept her identity secret from all of her recent creations, so that she would avoid detection. (BT) Some of the vampires Victoria created included Diego, Fred, Bree, Kevin, Raoul, Kristie, Jen, Shelly, Steve, Doug, Adam, Sara, Heather, Jim, Logan, Warren, Dean, and Bree. (BT) Riley reported to Victoria on the status of the army via phone and clandestine visits to her secret hideaway. (BT)  During one of these meetings, Victoria and Riley were surprised by a visit from a small group of Volturi, who interrogated Victoria on her plans for her army. She was allowed to escape punishment temporarily from the Volturi once she promised that she would act within a few days against the Cullen clan. (BT)

Riley loved Victoria, but Bree (who, with Diego, spied on the duo in the forest) felt that when she originally heard Victoria and Riley talk, when she was transformed into a vampire, that “she [Victoria] hadn’t sounded like she was talking to her lover or even her friend. More like she was talking to an employee. One she didn’t like much and might fire soon” (BT) This became clear  when Riley and Victoria found Edward and Bella on the mountain during the newborn army attack (EC24). Edward told Riley that Victoria did not love him and that Victoria lied to everyone to get her own way. When Riley was ripped apart by Seth the werewolf, she “spared Riley no farewell glance”. Edward decapitated Victoria and burned her body so she would never return.

Portrayed in Twilight and New Moon by: Rachelle Lafevre

Portrayed in Eclipse by: Bryce Dallas Howard

Prepared by: Lady Di

Full Name: James

Status: Vampire

Date of Birth:

Originally from:

Hair color: Light brown (TW18)

Eye color: Vampire burgundy

Height:

Physical description: Slighter than Laurent, regular features, very non-descript. (TW18) with a cat-like gait and “vigilant” eyes. His voice was “tenor, pleasant, generic”. (TW21)

Occupation: Tracker/Hunter

Family members:  Leader of Laurent and Victoria

Nick Names:

Hobbies: Hunting humans who are favorites of vampires.

Personal history: James was a lethal and cunning vampire.  James was “not used to being thwarted” (TW19) and lived for the thrill of the hunt. He fed from humans and enjoyed tracking humans that drew the attention of other vampires.  (TW22)

James was in Biloxi, Mississippi sometime around 1919 or 1920 and came upon a vampire who worked in a mental institution and had grown fond of a young, female patient.  James made it his task to kill the girl, but before he could reach her, the other vampire changed the girl, making it useless for James to kill her.  That girl was Alice Cullen. (TW22)

In 2005, when James saw how protective Edward and the Cullens are of Bella, he instantly wanted to kill her for the sport of it.  He followed her to her house, where he overheard Bella’s harsh fake-farewell words to her father. (TW19). He eventually set a trap for Bella in Phoenix, drawing her out of hiding by using her mother’s voice as bait.  He wounded Bella almost fatally, breaking some ribs, her leg, and a cut on her head.  He also bit her hand, sending venom into her system. (TW22)

When the Cullens arrive and find Bella in such a state, Emmett and Jasper grab James and rip him to shreds.  They then proceed to burn the remains, ensuring that James never harms another living soul again. (TW23-TW24)

Bella remembered James as “the sadistic vampire who wanted to torture me to death” (NM1) and had a physical souvenir of the encounter in the shape of a half-moon shaped scar on her hand.

In March of 2006, Laurent found Bella in the meadow and revealed that James and Victoria had been mates. He also told Bella that Victoria fully intended on getting revenge for James’s death in a very painful fashion. (NM10)

When Edward and Victoria fought on the mountain, Edward claimed that James did not care for Victoria as much as she loved him: “Silly to waste so much energy avenging someone who had less affection for you than a hunter for his mount. You were never more than a convenience to him.” (EC24) Edward also knew that James and Victoria had tracked werewolf-like creatures in Siberia, so it appeared that what Edward said about the depth of James’ devotion to his mate was true.

Portrayed in the films by: Cam Gigandet

Prepared by: Lady Di

Full Name: Laurent

Status: Vampire

Date of Birth: 1755 - He is around three hundred years old in 2005(TW19)

Hair color: Glossy black

Eye color: Vampire burgundy

Physical description: The most beautiful of James’ coven, pale olive-toned skin, glossy hair, medium build, hard muscled. (TW18) He spoke with a slight French accent.

Family members: A member of James’ coven along with Victoria.

Personal history: Laurent belonged to a nomadic coven of vampires. He was the group spokesperson and only posed as the leader in social situations.  James, Laurent and Victoria overheard the Cullens playing baseball and came to investigate. (TW18) When Bella’s human status was discovered at the game, James decided to hunt Bella, even though Laurent stated that their coven would leave her alone. Laurent returned to the Cullen house, and warned the Cullens about James’ abilities as a tracker.  Intrigued by the life Carlisle and his family lived, bonded only marginally by convenience and safety to James and Victoria, and unwilling to get in the middle of the fight, Laurent left Forks for Denali.  (TW19)

Laurent eventually returned to Forks and met Bella in the meadow. They converse and Laurent mentioned that he liked Tanya and especially Irina, but that he could not maintain the non-human diet. Victoria located Laurent and asked him to find Bella. Laurent was supposed to allow Victoria to kill Bella painfully, since Bella’s Edward had killed Victoria’s mate, James. However, Laurent was thirsty and found Bella by accident. His plans to drink her were stopped by a pack of monstrous wolves. (NM10)  Bella learned that Laurent was killed and dismembered by the Quileute werewolf pack (NM13).

Portrayed in the films by: Edi Gathegi

Prepared by: Lady Di

When vampires are changed from humans, they acquire certain superhuman abilities; speed is one of these. Edward is capable of moving so quickly that no one spots him at all. The incident where Bella was about to be crushed by the truck is one such example of Edward moving in this way: "All I know is that you weren’t anywhere near me. Tyler didn’t see you either." (TW3)

 It isn’t until chapter 13 that we see the true nature of this speed, where the distance covered in several hours of hiking is retracted in a matter of moments, with Edward carrying Bella on his back. The speed with which he races is shown to be entirely effortless, and is pure exhilarating enjoyment: "He streaked through the dark, thick underbrush of the forest, like a ghost. There was no sound, no evidence that his feet touched the earth. His breathing never changed, never indicated any effort. But the trees flew by at deadly speeds, always missing us by inches."(TW13) This speed is terrifying to Bella, but merely "second nature"(TW13) to Edward.

We see the speed of all the Cullens again during the baseball game. Emmett is described as "a blur around the bases" (TW17) and Edward can move so quickly that he is able to intercept a ball that has been hit "like a meteor." (TW17) Esme tells us that Edward is the fastest at running, and the baseball game certainly bears this out. Obviously, Edward becomes slower when he is carrying Bella. He is acutely aware that he cannot outrun the visiting vampires with her.

It is not just physical movement that can be exceptionally fast. Speech too can be faster than the human ear can make out. "Edward was growling something too fast for me to understand, but sounded like a string of profanities."(TW18)

 His love of speed is also picked up in his driving. As Bella puts it: "He drives like a maniac. It was terrifying." (TW10) He enjoys the speed of the car, and grumbles that 80 is "driving slow." (TW10). He has fast reflexes and Bella notes that it all seemed "effortless" (TW14) to him.

Edward’s eyes are a very prominent feature in the book; in fact, it is one of the first things that Bella ever notices about him. His eyes change colour very frequently, depending on how thirsty he is, or when he last fed. Bella initially notices that: "His eyes were black, coal black."(TW1) When Edward’s eyes are so dark, his thirst for blood is at the fore. When they are his lighter "golden" (TW12) or "topaz" (TW11) colour, that reflects that his thirst is sated and he has been hunting recently.

The shared colour of the Cullens eyes is not co-incidental. It is a hallmark of the "vegetarian" vampire who does not feast on human blood. We can see the clear contrast between their eyes and those of James, Laurent and Victoria which are "a deep burgundy colour that was disturbing and sinister." (TW18). This redness of the eyes indicates that these vampires feast on human blood. Meyer writes that, "If a Cullen were to drink human blood, his/her eyes would turn burgundy.

It takes about two weeks without blood for vampire eyes to go entirely black. If that Cullen then returned to an animal diet, his/her eyes would return to dark gold. Brand-newly created vampires are recognizable by their eyes, which are a vivid, bright red due to the massive amount of human blood (the blood that was already in the human at the time he/she was changed) that lingers in the tissues. That red fades slowly over the course of a year." (PC1)

Q:   Other than play baseball and hunt, what might the vampires do on a sunny day?

A:  It just seems natural that they’d want to play–especially since they can’t use their full abilities most of the time.  I think they’d be equally interested in football (though Rosalie probably wouldn’t play something where she’s get mud on her…), but basketball would be harder–the court would never survive!

Sunny days, they do anything we’d do–just out of sight.  Do their thing at home, hang out in the city, catch a bad movie, shop (if you’re Alice), fly to Paris…

Q:  About venom and kissing.  Is Bella in any danger of this venom when snogging Edward? 

A.  I’ve had a few people wondering why Edward always pulls away from Bella when she opens her mouth while he’s kissing her (thinking I have some sort of anti-female-affectionate-aggression agenda or something, I guess).  But, of course, he’s just worried about her safety.  Yes, the venom does pose a danger to her.  It’s not like acid–it has to be in the bloodstream to cause any problems, it won’t hurt her skin.  However, say she had a sore in her mouth, or that she’d bitten her tongue….  Even if that wasn’t the case, Edward’s teeth are sharp as razors.  She could cut her lips or tongue on them easily, and then the conversion process would begin–very painfully and very slowly (because it would be such a small infusion of the venom).  Sadly, true snogging is out.
 

Q:  There really wasn’t a question, but rather a whole conversation about my own thoughts on New Moon.  In a nutshell, all she said was that I was wrong, but she did give me one more interesting fact.  When Bella looked up vampire information on the Internet, she found a name – Stregoni benefici.  I had a speculation about it, which as usual, was wrong.

A:  Stregoni benefici–that would be CARLISLE, my dear friend.  Yes, he created that myth all by himself.

Q:   Are the old vampires weaker than a newborn, even if they have fed?  And is a thirsty newborn weaker than a full one?  Are human blood vampires stronger than vegetarians?  Can human blood vampires go longer without feeding than vegetarian ones?

A:  Here’s the deal with strength–it’s all relative, and there are no finite answers because, like humans, every vampire has a personal range.  Emmett is immensely strong.  A newborn vampire of average strength might be a little stronger than him, but it would be close (and, if it came to a fight, Emmett would win because he’d know what he was doing.)  Emmett as a newborn must have been insanely strong. 
 
As far as hunting affecting strength–it is a very minimal difference with physical strength.  Mental strength is more markedly depleted.  (Remember Carlisle’s story?  How, as he got thirstier and thirstier, he knew his willpower was slipping and he tried to stay as far away from humans as possible?)  If you took two vampires of equal strength, one who had recently drunk human blood and one who had been fasting for a while, the one who wasn’t thirsty would be stronger.  However, the one who was thirsty wouldn’t exactly be weak.  He could still lift a minivan over his head and throw it across a football field.  Human blood does make them stronger than animal blood, but only fractionally.  Big game (bears, wildcats, predators) makes them stronger than the "weaker" blood of herd animals.  It’s not a huge difference and, given that all vampires have individual strength levels, it’s really hard to measure.
 
And this all just applies a straight contest of strength.  So, unless we’re talking about an arm wrestling competition, it’s almost irrelevant.  In a fight, skill is going to count more than strength.

Q:  What is Renee and Phil’s last name?

A:  Heh heh!  I’ve been unsuccessfully trying to work this information in for a long time.  Did you ever wonder why Bella doesn’t go by her mother’s last name, since Renee pretty much had sole custody of her since the first year of her life?  Well, Renee went by Swan, too, until she married Phil.  Her maiden name was Higgenbotham.  (Poor girl.)  Phil’s last name is Dwyer.

Q:  Could you provide us with any more information about Bella’s human friends?  They all have a tendency to blend together for me – especially Mike and Eric.  I get the feeling that Tyler is more of a "geek" than the others, but I’ve been wrong before.

A:  Nope, Eric Yorkie is the geek in this crowd.  (You’ll be happy to know poor Eric finds love with a sophomore in book two—it’s such an incidental thing that I don’t feel bad mentioning it).  Mike Newton and Tyler Crowley are pretty much the school catches.  Mike is a little better looking, but Tyler is the better athlete.  Tyler is the more arrogant of the two, and the less intelligent.  Tyler is about 6’1", with brown hair, brown eyes and a bit more of a tan than the rest of the Forkians.  Mike is 5’11" with pale blond hair and washed out blue eyes.  Eric is a gawky 6’3" with black hair that always looks greasy, brown eyes, and a poor complexion.

Jessica Stanley is pretty well described.  She has no siblings.  Her mom works at the local bank and is the town gossip.  Angela Weber is 6’0" tall and has light brown hair and eyes.  Her father is a Lutheran minister and she has two loud younger brothers.  Angela’s brother’s are 9 year old twins named Joshua and Isaac. They are the apples of her eyes. She lives close enough to the school to walk. Lauren Mallory is 5’6" tall with white blond hair and green eyes.

Let’s see, then there’s Jacob and Billy Black.  Jacob is 6’2" tall (by the prom) with long black hair and dark brown eyes.  His mother, Sarah, died many years ago and he has twin older sisters, Rachel and Rebecca.

The nurse’s name is Mrs. Julia Hammond.  Ms. Cope’s first name is Shelly.

Q:  Where did the Cullens get all their money?  Investments?  Property?

A:  Long term investments, heh heh.  Carlisle originally got some financial help from his Italian friends (remember the painting?  They’ve got an astronomical amount of funds) and then was earning a doctor’s salary all those years without really having normal expenses to worry about.  Edward inherited a lot of property from his parents (he did pretend to "survive" to claim that later, along with his "uncle," because he wanted his mother’s things.  He still owns the house in Chicago).  All this was invested shrewdly (both Carlisle and Edward are good with finances).  And then Alice came along.  Ha ha.  She loves the stock market.

Q:  How do the Cullens forge all the necessary paperwork – i.e. birth certs, past school records, etc.?

A:  They buy them off skilled forgers.  At the present time, Jasper has a contact in Seattle.

Q:  Do they ever revisit an area they once lived in after enough time has past?  Note – this was a silly question once I saw the answer.  She pointed out when Jacob told Bella about the cold ones living in the area a long time ago.  Duh.  But Stephenie did make a few interesting additions.

A:  So the answer is yes.  In the late 1930s, Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Rosalie and Emmett lived a few hours south of Forks in Hoquiam.  Before Edward joined him, Carlisle had already been through the area.

Q:  They are described as being very physically alluring all the time.  How much of that is a change from how they looked when they were human? There seems to be a bit of a contradiction from what you said about them looking exactly as they looked as humans and how they look as vampires and we are just wanting to clear it up.

A:  Hopefully I phrased it right the first time.  After the transformation, there is no more change–hair doesn’t grow, etc.  They are frozen at that state.  But there is a marked physical difference before and after.  Everything intensifies–senses, abilities, and looks.  The change into a vampire makes an average person stunning and a beautiful person absolutely beyond breath-taking.  The reason Rosalie is such a beautiful vampire is because she was the most beautiful girl in Rochester, New York when she was human.  Maybe the most beautiful girl in the whole state.  The reason James is relatively average, for a vampire, is because he was quite unattractive as a human.  This is rare, because even vampires are drawn by beauty.  They tend to, when looking for companionship, choose exceptional humans.  All of the Cullens were attractive humans to start with.

Q:  And what’s with the breath?  Can they get humans to do what they want by breathing on them?  It seems that everyone Edward talks to – breathes on – gets dizzy.  Well, the females at least.  Is the breath soothing?  Do they use it to lure prey? 

A:  Vampires just smell really, really good.  Breath, skin, etc.  It’s the fragrance of the venom that exists in various forms throughout their bodies.  It’s a lure, like the beauty.  It’s a smell that’s so good you want to smell it again, to get closer.

Q:  How about stakes through the heart?  Reflections? Photographs? Holy water?  Garlic?  All that traditional vampire lore.

A:  Bunch of garbage.  I think all of them get addressed in New Moon except garlic and stakes.  But you try shoving wood through granite.

Q:  Who would you say is more conscious about their looks – Rosalie or Alice?  I picture Alice as more of a tomboy, but she is the one who did all the fussing over Bella for the prom.  Maybe it’s the hair.  LOL!  I always have to remind myself that it was Alice and not Rosalie who did all that fussing.

A:  Rosalie’s true defining personal trait is her beauty.  Like Emmett’s strength–they’re both more intensely physical than intellectual, which makes them a perfect match.  Edward just doesn’t pay that much attention to how Rosalie looks.  Can you imagine how much that annoys her?
 
So Rosalie is much more concerned about her appearance than Alice.  Alice fusses over Bella before prom because she is, among other things, fascinated with being around a human.  When she said in the prom scene that she was trying to live vicariously through Bella (that was in there, right?  I keep getting stuff from Forever Dawn mixed up with Twilight rough drafts), that was a key phrase.  She is trying to experience humanity through close association with Bella.  Also, Bella is a very natural girl–not one for makeup or fixating on clothes.  Alice sees her as a blank canvass waiting to become a work of art.

Q:  I understand that Rosalie likes to keep her own last name.  But why would Jasper take Hale as a last name – and even further – why do they pretend to be actual brother and sister?  Why don’t they just say they, too, were adopted individually?

A:  About Jasper using the name Hale–it’s just for convenience.  He and Rosalie look a lot alike.  They actually look like fraternal twins–both the same color blond, both tall, him muscular and her statuesque (with the same pale skin, gold eyes and flawless beauty, of course).  The Cullens use many different subterfuges to try to keep people from looking too closely at them.  Anything that seems to be a certain way–like Rosalie and Jasper seeming to be related–they embrace.  They work within people’s expectations.  People assume the two blonds are related, so they let that assumption stand.  Plus, the more complicated a story is, the quicker someone gets bored trying to understand it, and gives up. 

They don’t always use the same story.  When it was just Carlisle and Edward, Edward pretended to be the young brother of Carlisle’s deceased wife.  Then, after Esme, Edward was again Carlisle’s wife’s younger brother (only this time, the wife was alive).  As the family got bigger, the explanations got more complex. Eventually, the Cullen’s home came to look like a refuge for troubled teens.  (Though the best-behaved troubled teens ever).
 
They could be Whitlocks, it wouldn’t make any difference to anyone accept Rosalie.  Jasper doesn’t care what anyone calls him.  But Rosalie clings to her human past with all ten fingers.

Q:  Did any of them have living family when they were changed?  And was it difficult for them to accept, or did they just run off and avoid telling family?  We ask because of that over active imagination wondering how Renee and Charlie would react to Bella should you decide to change her.  If the Cullens have experience telling family about the change, it might make it smoother.  On the other hand, if those experiences all went sour, it would only add to Edward’s anxiety over changing her.

A:  You know Carlisle had his father, and that Edward and Esme and Alice all had no one, really.  Rosalie, however, had two doting parents and two younger brothers.  After she became a vampire, she never saw them again.  Emmett was the youngest of a huge Scotch-Irish-American brood.  His parents and siblings were all still living.  Jasper had living parents and a younger sister.  Neither of them ever saw their families after becoming vampires.  There is a really good reason for this aside from the suspicion that would result (remember the brilliant red eyes?  Kind of hard to disguise before the invention of sunglasses and colored contacts).  That reason will be explored from several angles…in book three.   Sorry.

Q:  If the vampires don’t have blood, then where did it go?  Did it just dry up?  Evaporate?  Or were they nearly drained of it by the one who changed them?

A:  The blood left in a newborn vampire’s body is used–burned like fuel, the same way the blood they drink from others is used for fuel.  Here’s an analogy: think of it as the fat stores in your body.  You’re still eating, but you use those fat stores up, too, over time (though not always; more’s the pity, so the analogy isn’t perfect unless you are successfully dieting).  That blood left in them is used slowly over about a year.