The transition from human to vampire is said to be very painful, in fact it’s so bad that "The pain of transformation is the sharpest memory they have of their human life."(TW20). When James bites Bella in TW23, we witness this clearly. She compares the sensation in her hand to "fire", and words such as "screamed", "writhed" and "torture" enhance the agony that Bella endures even at the very beginning of the transformation process. As Stephenie Meyer points out, this is at the beginning of the conversion, "Painful enough, but not as bad as if she had several bites." (PC8)

 Edward speaks in awe of Carlisle’s transformation, explaining, "It’s a miracle he was able to keep silent, to stay undiscovered," (TW15) due to the agonies he would have endured. Carlisle’s conversion would have been particularly painful because "his bites were not deliberate or well placed," (PC8), therefore it took a little more than three days to become a vampire. The pain is so bad that for "every minute" of the transformation, "a victim would be wishing for death." (TW20)

 Alice is unusual in that she cannot remember her transformation at all. "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." (TW22)

The transformation process is simple, assuming the vampire doesn’t drain the human body of blood. A human is bitten, and the venom is allowed to spread for a few days. The actual length of time a transformation takes is dependent upon "how much venom is in the bloodstream, how close the venom enters to the heart." (TW20). The venom is pumped around the body as the heart keeps beating, and various physical changes occur as the poison moves. One of the changed that happens is the body’s "healing" (TW20) from the injuries that may have occurred to it, such as Emmett’s mauling by the bear.

 "The greatest pain begins when the venom is all the way through the body, through the heart, and it starts meeting itself in the veins again and then burning them dry. It moves slower than blood because it’s thicker. Each beat of the heart can only push it so far. The changing/burning process is slow. The venom has to leak through to every cell before it ends." (PC8). The final stage in conversion happens when "the heart stops"(TW20), at which point the human becomes a vampire.

Apart from the physiological differences with blood between a vampire and a human, blood is also important as the sole diet of a vampire. Whether animal or human blood it is important to consume it regularly; without it, they will weaken mentally and be less capable of rational thought and action.

We are told that blood varies massively in flavour. Emmett’s preference for "grizzly" and Edward’s for "mountain lion" (TW10) may be indicative of their hunting styles and personalities, but animals don’t really appeal to vampires. The "bigger the animal, usually the better it tastes. Predators are the most tasty" (PC7), but even then it’s insufficient. As Edward explains it: "I’d compare it to living on tofu and soy milk; we call ourselves vegetarians, our little inside joke. It doesn’t completely satiate the hunger, or rather thirst. But it keeps us strong enough to resist." (TW9)

Human blood is what vampires truly crave, but even then, there is a vast range of types of human blood available, some more potent to different vampires than others. Bella’s blood smells "appallingly luscious" (TW19) anyway, but to Edward she is exactly his "brand of heroin." (TW13). She is "some kind of demon, summoned straight from my own personal hell,"(TW13) to torment him with the smell of her blood, and he later admits that she tastes "better than I’d imagined." (TW24)

This type of appetizing blood seems to be rare. Emmett has only come across it twice, "once stronger than the other,"(TW13) but unlike Edward, he succumbed to the temptation. Other vampires, like Jasper, seem to be oblivious to the differences in smell or flavour of human blood.

 Carlisle is even more of a rarity. As a vampire, he is capable of dealing with human blood without seeming to experience the natural desires of the vampire. Even when Bella is severely injured by James, Carlisle is described as "methodical"(TW24) and very focused on his task.

 It is also worth noting that when a vampire draws blood from a human, it usually results in a complete draining of the body. "It’s almost impossible to stop, once you get started, that’s why so few vampires are successfully created." (PC7)

James is driven "mad with thirst" (TW23) when Bella’s blood is spilled. Alice describes it as being "like sharks, in a way. Once we taste the blood, or even smell it, it becomes very hard to keep from feeding. Sometimes impossible." (TW20) She uses the word "frenzy" to describe the feeding, which gives a sense of the complete loss of control a vampire would have and why the body would be so completely drained of blood.

Edward sees his ability to stop drinking Bella’s blood as evidence of his love for her. He admits: "It was impossible.. to stop… Impossible. But I did." (TW24)

This evening, we were appalled to see that some ‘fan’ of Twilight thought it was acceptable to steal material from the Twilight Lexicon, and reproduce it on another website as their own. You can see an example of this on this page where our timeline has been reproduced without permission. This thief has also taken character bios and other parts of the lexicon, freely admitting that they had taken it from us, despite our copyright notification at the footer of each Lexicon page.

At the Lexicon, we take a very dim view of this copyright theft. All material posted on this site belongs either to us, or to Stephenie Meyer herself. Anyone who reproduces this material elsewhere is violating the ownership of the documents here. To prevent this again, we have instructed a lawyer to draw up a terms of service, which will be posted on the site, to give us further legal recourse, should this kind of theft happen again.

We will not accept the stealing of our hard work. We work hard on this site because we love Twilight and the world that Stephenie has created for us and want to share it with all of you. A copyright violation complaint has been made with the webhost of the site that has stolen our material and we expect the relevant sections of the site to be removed forthwith.

Alphie & Imogen

Loads of changes on the site this week. You’ve already admired our new look, so now feel free to wander over to our new discussion forums and join in with the Twilight chat over there. Share theories, ask questions, ponder vampire lust (yours or Edward’s!), and have fun!

If you’re already registered on the Lexicon, then you are automatically registered under the same user name and password on the boards. You don’t need to re-register.

The chapter discussion part of the Lexicon is underway, with the Preface and Chapter 1 already posted. Thanks and a massive welcome to both Hannah Beckett and Pelirroja for taking on the job and joining the Lexicon team.

Enjoy!

Imogen 🙂

Chapter Number:  One

Chapter Name:  First Sight

Page Numbers:  3-28 (Hardcover)

Date of Chapter:  January 17 and 18, 2005

Summary:  We meet high school junior Isabella Swan, or Bella as she prefers to be called. She is a very pale skinned brunette with a quick mind and a sarcastic sense of humor. She is leaving her mother and stepfather’s home in Phoenix, Arizona to live with her father in Forks, Washington. She feels she needs to give her mother, Renee, space to be with her new husband, Phil, who is a minor league baseball ballplayer. She’s apprehensive about moving in with her dad, Charlie, who is the town’s sheriff.  Up until now, they have only ever spent parts of summers together. Bella hasn’t been to Forks in three years.

Forks couldn’t be more different than sunny, metropolitan Phoenix if it tried. The weather is cool, overcast, and clammy most days. Forks High School, where Bella is to start school the following day only has 358 students including Bella.

Charlie picks Bella up at the Port Angles airport. Bella finds conversing with Charlie stilted at first, but they soon warm up to each other. Charlie has bought Bella a red, 1950’s Chevy pickup truck, formerly owned by Quileute tribal elder Billy Black, so she can have the freedom to come and go without depending on rides in the squad car. Bella is relieved to find that the truck is a lot cooler than she had imagined.

Bella takes herself to school her first day and learns to navigate the large campus that consists of many buildings. She soon realizes that she is ahead of the work in most of her classes. In general, she is a bright and talented student. Her only academic failing is gym, where she is completely uncoordinated.

Bella meets several classmates and ends up sitting at their table during lunch. Eric is tall and lanky with greasy black hair and is something of a nerd. Angela is repeats herself a lot. Mike is good-looking and easy going. Jessica is bubbly, friendly, and fills Bella in about the “devastatingly, inhumanly beautiful” members of the Cullen family that Bella has noticed.

Jessica describes in detail Rosalie and Jasper Hale, Alice, Edward, and Emmett Cullen’s relationship with their parents and guardians Dr. Carlisle Cullen and Mrs. Esme Cullen. The family moved to Forks from Alaska two years ago when Carlisle became the town doctor. They are a close-knit, somewhat aloof group that drive themselves to school in a flashy, silver Volvo. They often go on family camping trips.

Bella is assigned to sit next to Edward Cullen in biology class and has this odd feeling that he dislikes her. She notices that he alternates between glaring at her and clenching and unclenching his fists. At the end of the school day, Bella goes to the principal’s office to hand in paperwork and discovers Edward there. He doesn’t noticed Bella at first and continues his animated discussion with the secretary where he demands to be transferred out of his biology class. When he realizes Bella is there, he abruptly leaves. Bella drives herself home fighting back tears unsure why Edward Cullen has affected her so much.

Characters Involved:  Bella Swan, Renee Dwyer, Charlie Swan, Mrs. Cope – school secretary, Mr. Mason, Eric Yorkie, Mr.Varner, Jessica Stanley, Mike Newton, Angela Weber, Edward Cullen

Characters Mentioned:  Phil Dwyer, Billy Black, Alice Cullen, Emmett Cullen, Jasper Hale, Rosalie Hale, Esme Cullen, Dr. Carlisle Cullen, Mr. Banner, Coach Clapp

Places Visited:  The Dwyer Home, Phoenix Airport, Port Angeles Airport, Forks, The Swan Home, Forks High School

Memorable Quotes:
“My mother is part albino.” 
~ Bella trying to make small talk with Eric.

“So did you stab Edward Cullen with a pencil or what.”  
~  Mike referring to Edward’s reaction to Bella during Biology class.

Important Information Learned:
Charlie and Bella have a relationship that they are still formulating, but they are willing to give each other the space they each need.
 
The Cullens throw uneaten food into the trash during lunch.

Edward Cullen has an intense change in demeanor when around Bella.

Bella doesn’t cry when she’s sad; she cries when she’s angry.

The members of the Cullen family are considered mysterious outsiders.

Edward doesn’t realize Bella is in the office until the another student opens the door and a gust of wind comes in.

Edward has deep black eyes.

Chapter Number: Preface

Chapter Name: Preface

Page Numbers: 1

Date of Chapter:  Wednesday, March 16, 2005

Summary:  Bella muses on strange path her life has taken as she presumes she is about to die.

Characters Involved:  Bella Swan, James (implied)

Characters Mentioned:  Renee Dwyer (implied)

Places Visited:  Ballet Studio, Phoenix

Memorable Quotes: 
“When life offers you a dream so far beyond your expectations, it’s not reasonable to grieve when it comes to an end.”
~Bella Swan

Important Information Learned: 
The preface foreshadows the rocky road Bella’s life takes starting with her move to Forks.

We learn that she had cause to fear for her life more than once, and that she is currently being threatened by someone who has cornered her and intends to kill her.

Again I have swiped several questions and answers from the group at MySpace.  Many thanks to them for letting me share this information with you.

Q.  If Bella ever got a pet, would it be hard for Edward to come around?

A:  No. Animals don’t appeal to my vampires at all. It’s quite a sacrifice for them to exist on animal blood. That’s why Edward compares it to living on tofu and soy. Imagine your very least favorite food. (So, for me, that’s probably something like shepherd’s pie.) Now imagine all your favorite foods on the table next to the one you hate.  (Mmm! Cheesecake! Caramello bars! Filet mignon! Sour cream potatoes!) If you’re a Cullen, you have to dig into that shepherd’s pie day in and day out and try to ignore the cheesecake. Sigh. It’s like living on a diet forever, no cheating.

And, the bigger the animal, usually the better it tastes. Predators are the most tasty (though they’re still shepherd’s pie next to a human). A cat would present no temptation at all.

On the other hand, the cat would absolutely hate Edward and refuse to be anywhere near him. Animals freak out around vampires.

Q:  Why do they sparkle?

A:  They sparkle because they have turned to substance that is somewhat like diamond.  Their bodies have hardened, frozen into a kind of living stone.  Each little cell in their skin has become a separate facet that reflects the light.  These facets have a prism-like quality–they throw rainbows as they glitter.

Q.  What happened to the piece of pizza Bella dared Edward to eat? Would it be stuck in his system for the rest of eternity? Vampires don’t, um, go to the bathroom. Would he just have pizza floating in his stomach for the rest of his life? Ew…

A:  Ew, yes. He’d have to cough it up later to get rid of it. Not the most pleasant thing, which is why the vampires only eat food when they absolutely have to in order to blend in.

Q.  Does Esme have a favorite son or daughter? (What about Carlisle?)

A:  Esme and Carlisle love all their "children" in different ways, but they both have a soft spot for Edward because he was with them first, and he’s such a deeply good person. The others are good, too, but Edward is special. And I’m not just saying that because I’m in love with him.

Q.  Is there anything that Edward isn’t perfect at?

A:  He tried really hard to always do the right thing. However, he does make mistakes and no matter what your intentions were, when you make mistakes you end up living with the consequences. This all sounds like crazy babbling now, but you’ll understand after New Moon and Eclipse.

Q.  I was wondering if they could have an actual TALENT enhanced. Like if you were really artistic or musical or something in your human life, could you bring that on to your vampire life?

A:  Yes, Edward’s human musical ability was enhanced in his vampire life. Rosalie’s mechanical prowess, something she didn’t use much while human, also was enhanced. They all have their talents.

Q. I was reading last night and it was the part where Edward made Bella promise not to go into the woods alone… Was it because of Edward himself or because there were other vampires there?

A:  It was because the Cullens aren’t the only vampires in the world. They are often visited by old friends and newcomers (like James). Most of the time, it’s just a friendly visit, but it’s still not going to work out so well for a human who happens to be in the visitor’s path. Edward knows how Bella is always in the wrong place at the wrong time, and he knows that she smells better than most humans, even to others besides himself.

Q.  What percent of vampires occupy America? Like 5%, 10% of the population? Or if that’s too specific, the world?  Just curious on how many vampires there are.

A:  Much less than one percent. It’s not easy to successfully create a new vampire (most attempts fail…and become dinner instead). Also, the population goes down as often as it goes up because most vampires don’t get along with each other as well as the Cullens do. They tend to get a little territorial, and sometimes they fight over their food.

Q.  When vampires feed off of humans, do they drink out all the blood? And if they do what do they do with the bodies, do they just let bloodless bodies lie around or dispose of them?

A:  They drain the bodies, and then hide them (it’s not good to draw attention to oneself). For example, if Laurent was taking a stroll through the woods and happened on a tasty hiker, after drinking all the available blood (and it’s almost impossible to stop, once you get started–that’s why so few vampires are successfully created), he might rip a large spruce out of the ground, throw the body under it, and then replant it. It would only take a few seconds and very little effort. There are lots of ways to dispose of a body when you have superhuman strength.

Q:  What happened to Billy Black that he can’t walk anymore?

A:  He has diabetes, which caused nerve damage in his feet and legs. He hasn’t had to have anything amputated yet, but he’ll never walk again.

So…how do you like it?  I was so surprised when everyone said they were going to miss the red leaves.  Those red leaves were always just a placeholder until we could get the art back for the header.  Sorry folks, but a sexy pic of Edward wins out over red leaves any day of the week! 

In case you are wondering, we had the work commissioned by Leela Starsky of Harry Potter fame.  Check out her work by visiting her personal web site.  Many many thanks go to her for getting the piece to us as fast as she did, and for putting up with all the fuss we made over it in the process.  She was sent so many pictures of possible “Edwards” it wasn’t even funny!  I think that the final product was well worth the effort.   We would ask that no one use the top pic for any icons or buttons just yet.  We will provide you with official items very shortly.  The image does belong to the lexicon as it was Imogen and I who footed the bill to have the work commissioned.  We respectufully request that you do not copy it for your own use.

Also, the vampire section has been updated with information on physiology.  Be sure to check it out.  We’ve also updated PC#7, once again using the Q&A section at MySpace for this section. 

We are still working on the message boards.  There just isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done that i want to do!  But hang in there.  We will have them soon, as well as our chapter discussions and our buttons.  Watch for an offical announcement sometime this week.

Alphie

As a person is changed into a vampire, their physical appearance is enhanced, their eye colour changes, their hearing and eyesight becomes more acute, their heart ceases to beat, they no longer need to breathe. These heightened senses are invaluable to a vampire, both Edward and James, for example, rely on Bella’s scent to track her.

No further physical changes occur once someone has been transformed: "When someone becomes a vampire, it’s as if they are frozen exactly as they are in that moment." (PC1) Therefore, a vampire cannot get pregnant because this would involve a change in physical state, but if a pregnant woman were changed to become a vampire, then she would remain at that exact stage in pregnancy for all eternity.

Natural changes in the human body would not occur any longer. A woman would "no longer have any kind of ovulation cycle," (PC1), a man would no longer need to shave as hair would no longer continue to grow. Once cut, hair will never grow back, and we are given the example of Alice, whose hair is so short because "it was growing back from being shaved in the asylum." (PC1). Alice will never be able to have the long flowing locks of Rosalie.

 Other things, such as fingernails, also cease to grow, but it is worth noting that a vampire’s body is like granite, so broken fingernails are unlikely! There are certainly some perks to this lack of change: Alice, Rosalie and Esme would never have to shave their legs, and none of them would have to worry about putting on weight! The human need for rest and sleep disappears in a vampire. As Edward explains, "I can’t sleep." (TW9), and "most human fluids are absent… no sweat, no tears," (PC1) and no blood of their own.

However, the venom they possess acts like a form of "saliva… the venom makes their mouths wet, at least." (PC1) Circulation ceasing and lack of heartbeat are amongst the most obvious changes when someone becomes a "cold one" (TW6). The blood that is in them when they are changed, is slowly consumed within the first year. Stephenie Meyer suggests thinking of this like using up "the fat stores in your body." (PC4), and from then onwards, the only blood that floods the old circulatory system of a vampire is the blood they have consumed. "It lightens their eyes and flushes their skin slightly." (PC1) The skin itself becomes far more refractive than a human’s skin ever can be. It literally sparkles "like thousands of tiny diamonds were embedded in the surface." (TW13). It is described as "shocking"(TW13) and also accounts for the days off school when the weather is sunny. Stephenie Meyer explains: "They sparkle because they have turned to substance that is somewhat like diamond. Their bodies have hardened, frozen into a kind of living stone. Each little cell in their skin has become a separate facet that reflects the light. These facets have a prism-like quality; they throw rainbows as they glitter." (PC7)

The body also becomes hard like granite or marble. A vampire is unlikely to be hurt or cut, simply because very little is strong enough to penetrate their flesh. We see how things that would kill a human put Edward in no physical danger at all: "The van should have smashed my legs, but you were holding it up."(TW3) Assuming something is capable of cutting through a vampire’s flesh,…there would only be blood if he/she had freshly drunk blood (and drunk a lot). Otherwise there would only be a bit of venom."(PC1)

Vampires can be killed, but humans and human tools are too weak to do it. The only sure fire way is for another vampire "to tear him to shreds, and then burn the pieces."(TW19) As far as James is concerned, "Emmett and Jasper took care of him," (TW24), so this destruction is obviously possible.

I didn’t want anyone coming online and thinking the admins had lost their minds.  Yes, the text has gone purple.  Yes, I know about the change.  It’s been done for a perfectly logical reason that you will all be aware of in a day or so.  Don’t fret.  I know that Red leaves and purple text look odd together… but the red leaves won’t be there for long.

Alphie