Full Name: Black, Billy

Status: Quileute – Human

Date of Birth: probably born in late 1950’s  or early 1960’s

Originally from: La Push Reservation

Hair color: Black (TW11)

Eye color: Black (TW11)

Height:

Physical description: “a much older man, a heavyset man with a memorable face – a face that overflowed, the cheeks resting against his shoulders, with creases running through the russet skin like an old leather jacket. And the surprisingly familiar eyes, black eyes that seemed at the same time both too young and too ancient for the broad face they were set in.” (TW11 p. 234-5)

Occupation: retired

Family members: Wife (Sarah) Twin daughters (Rachel & Rebecca) Son (Jacob)

Nick Names:

Hobbies: Fishing (TW1), watching sports (TW12 p 237), reading (NM5 p 132), telling native stories (EC11), wood carving (EC17 p. 374)

Personal history: Billy Black was a direct descendant of Ephraim Black, who was the last chief of the Quileute tribe. (NM7) Ephraim was a shape shifter but his grandson, Billy, never transformed, although Bella dreamed that Billy was a big wolf with a silver muzzle. (EC11 p. 264) Billy Black was one of Charlie Swan’s best friends. The two went fishing together often. When Billy’s illness (diabetes, according to PC7) left him with nerve damage, in a wheelchair and unable to drive, Charlie bought Billy’s old Ford truck and gave it to Bella to drive. (TW1 p. 6) Billy never let his disability stop him from doing anything and would even race down hills in his wheelchair. (BD9 p. 165)

Billy and his son Jacob had a good relationship, although Jacob thought his father was too superstitious (TW12 p. 239) and talked too much. (EC Ep p. 625) Billy was very supportive of Sam Uley when he was the first Quileute member of the generation to transform and Billy explained to Sam about the change. (EC5 p. 118) When Jacob was unnerved by Sam’s focused attention, Billy dismissed Jacob’s concerns (NM7 p 178) because he knew that Jacob could only be part of the secret if he transformed. Billy may have acted in a father-like way to Sam, but rumors circulated among the pack that Billy might have been the biological father of Embry – Embry’s mother was Makah, and only Quileutes became werewolves (EC19 p. 418) – this rumor was never confirmed or denied.

Billy disapproved of Bella’s familiarity with the Cullens and feared for her safety (TW12, TW 17) Billy even paid Jacob to attend Bella’s prom to beg her to break up with Edward, her boyfriend (TW Ep). This was understandable because Billy knew about the true stories of “the Cold Ones” and even wore a bag around his neck containing the ashes of the first vampire their ancestors killed and burned. (EC11 p. 255) When Jacob transformed for the first time, Billy attempted to keep Bella away, first by reporting that Jacob had mono (NM10 p. 226) and then by screening phone calls and making excuses for Jacob’s absence (NM11 p. 258). This failed and when Bella became aware of Jacob’s werewolf status, Billy welcomed Bella to the house and to La Push events, such as a playoff party (EC2 p 51) and the tribal council meeting. (EC11 p. 241) Billy attended Bella’s graduation (EC16 p. 358) and Bella’s wedding. (BD4 p. 52) When Jacob was injured during the fight with Victoria’s army of newborns, Billy allowed Carlisle to come on Quileute land to treat Jacob and Billy was grateful (EC26 p. 588)

Billy and Charlie’s friendship was tested several times. When the Cullens moved away from Forks, the La Push residents made huge bonfires on the cliffs to celebrate. Charlie was upset about the act and had a tense phone conversation with Billy about it (NM3 p. 80). Billy and Charlie also argued about Bella, Jacob, and Sam; Bella reported that Sam forbid Jacob from being friends with her and Charlie worried that Bella would relapse (NM11 p 274). The two men were reunited in their shared grief over the death of their mutual friend, Harry Clearwater. (NM16 p. 373) Billy and Charlie acted as couriers for notes between Bella and Jacob when they refused to talk to each other (EC1 p 4) and “gossip[ed] like old women” about their children, according to Bella (EC1 p 14) Billy protected Charlie by hosting him on the reservation during the newborn vampire invasion (EC9 p 212, EC20 p. 434). Billy and Charlie once again disagreed when Jacob “ran away” and Charlie felt that Billy was not doing enough to try and find the missing sixteen-year-old. (BD1 p. 10) A large rift between the two men developed around Renesmee’s first Christmas; Bella was too preoccupied with the looming Volturi visit to consider the reasons for the animosity. (BD 33 p. 630) The division between the two friends was due (Q&A session in Los Angeles) to a love triangle between them and Sue Clearwater. Billy spent a lot of time at Sue Clearwater’s house to support her after her husband’s death (EC14 p. 320), after her own children’s transformations into werewolves (EC19 p. 418) and more so after Paul imprinted on Billy’s daughter Rachel. (BD8 p 148) At the end of the books, Bella surmised that Charlie would end up with Sue, and this may have been the end of Billy and Charlie’s friendship.

Portrayed in the films by: Gil Birmingham

Prepared by: Lady Di

I sent a grumbling e-mail to Stephenie a while back mentioning how the folks over at MySpace have been treated several times to extra bits of scenes and such from unpublished sections of her books.  Being the very gracious and fair author that she is, and knowing that I probably wouldn’t shut up until she gave me something, Stephenie sent me this little out take for everyone to read here at the lexicon. 

From what I can gather, in the original Twilight manuscript, Bella, Edward, and Alice stayed behind in Phoenix while she healed and then drove home passing through Las Vegas on the way.  This scene takes place in an unnamed Las Vegas casino.  Bella still has a cast on her leg.

ENJOY!!

The next morning, we went to the casino. Natural light never came close to touching the gaming floor, so it was very easy. Edward told me it was generally expected for them to go lose some money in the hotel—a suite like ours was reserved for that special class of visitor known as high rollers.

As they walked—and I rolled in my wheelchair—through the acres of elegantly decorated casino floor, three times Alice paused at a particular slot machine and slid a card through the scanner. Each time she did this, sirens would blare, lights would revolve, and an electronic simulation of coins dropping indicated that her prize had been credited to her room. She tried to get me to do it once, but I skeptically shook my head.

"I thought you were supposed to lose money," I accused her.

"Oh, I will," she assured me. "But not until I make them sweat a little." Her smile was sinful.

We reached a more lavishly decorated division of the huge casino, where there were no slot machines or casually dressed tourists with plastic cups full of change. Plush chairs replaced the swiveling bar stools, and the voices were quiet, serious. But we continued still further, through a set of ornate gold doors into another room, a private room, more opulent yet. Finally I understood why Alice had insisted on the raw silk, emerald green wrap around dress she’d tied on me today, why she was wearing a long, white satin sarong—with a short lace top that bared her flat, white stomach—and why Edward was overwhelming and irresistible in another light silk suit. The players in this room were all dressed with an exclusive splendor whose expense was far beyond my imagining. A few of the impeccable older men even had young women in glittering, strapless gowns standing behind their chairs, just like in the movies. I pitied the beautiful women as their eyes swept over Alice and Edward, realizing their own deficiencies as they measured the first, and the deficiencies of their partners as they ogled the second. I was the enigma, and their eyes slid away from me unsatisfied.

Alice glided off toward the long roulette tables, and I cringed as I thought of the havoc she would wreak.

"You do know how to play black jack, of course," Edward bent forward to murmur in my ear.

"Are you kidding?" I felt the color drain from my face.

"Knowing your luck, I couldn’t lose any more thoroughly than by letting you play," he chuckled. He wheeled me toward a table with three empty chairs. The two immaculately dressed, exceptionally dignified Asian men glanced up in disbelief as Edward lifted me gently into one of the empty velvet chairs, and took the seat next to me. The delicate oriental beauty who stood at the end of the table watched with insulting incredulity as Edward caressed my hair possessively.

"Only use one hand," he breathed almost silently in my ear. "And keep your cards over the table."

Edward spoke a quiet word to the dealer, and two impressive stacks of dark blue chips appeared on the table in front of us. They had no numbers—and I didn’t want to know anyway. Edward pushed a small stack of his forward, and a larger stack of mine. I glared at Edward in embarrassed panic, but he just smiled impishly as the dealer dealt the cards swiftly around. I picked up my cards carefully with one hand, holding them rigidly above the table. I had two nines. Edward held his cards loosely; I could see he had a five and a seven. I glanced guardedly at the two gentlemen next to me, intent but terrified, watching carefully to see what the protocol was for a high rolling black jack table. To my relief, it seemed easy enough. The first swept the top of his cards briefly against the felt, and received a card, the second slipped the corner of his cards under his bet, leaving them on the table, and didn’t. I quickly put my cards down, shoving them awkwardly under my chips—cheeks flaming—when the dealer looked at me. Belatedly I noticed that the dealer had a queen. Edward brushed the table lightly, and the dealer threw a nine face up on the table in front of him. I glared at him, as the men beside me murmured appreciatively.

The dealer had a jack, and I lost, as did both Asian gentlemen. He smoothly relieved us of our chips. I heard a subdued commotion coming from the direction of the roulette table, but I was afraid to look. Edward pushed another stack of my chips onto the table, and it began again.

When my chips were gone, Edward passed me half of his, unable to contain his amused smile. He was doing well, winning three times as often as the other men at the table. But, with the size of my bets controlled by him, I was losing chips faster than he could rake them in. I had yet to win a hand. It was humiliating—but at least I was sure to never become a gambling addict.

Finally, I lost our last stack of chips. The Asian gentlemen, and their female escort, watched Edward with impressed curiosity as he could no longer contain his mirth, chuckling quietly, but with deep amusement, while he returned me to the wheel chair. I blushed and kept my eyes on the thick carpet as he pushed me away, still laughing.

"I’m the worst gambler in history," I muttered apologetically.

"Actually, you’re not. That’s what so funny." He laughed again. "You didn’t do one thing wrong, aside from playing a little conservatively. The odds that you would lose every hand…" He shook his head, grinning.

We got to the roulette table just in time to watch Alice lose her spectacular pile of multihued chips in one disastrous spin of the wheel. The many hopeful players who had bet with her on seventeen black looked murderously disappointed. She laughed, a trilling, carefree sound, and joined us.

"Did we lose enough?" I whispered as we exited the gold doors.

"I think the house is satisfied. You’re probably their favorite client today," he snickered.

"Please promise me one thing."

"Anything you want."

"Never, ever tell me how much money I lost today, please."

We were in the noisy casino by this time, and his laugh was unrestrained.

Charlie’s House

Charlie’s home is described as a “small, two-bedroom house” (TW1) that he had bought in the early days of his marriage to Renee. It has only one bathroom “at the top of the stairs” (TW1) which Bella shares with Charlie.

Bella’s room is at the west of the house and it “faced out over the front yard” (TW1). It is the window here that Edward uses to enter her bedroom. The front of the house also contains a “porch” (TW17) and it has a “brick driveway”. (TW3)

At the back of the house, there is a “small, square yard” (TW7), and when Bella heads “east on foot” (TW7) across it, she reaches the “ever-encroaching forest.” (TW7)

Downstairs, Charlie’s house is best described in TW1. It has a “handkerchief-sized family room” with a “small fireplace” above which is a sequence of pictures of Bella getting older and his wedding picture. This room adjoins to the “small” kitchen. The living room seems to focus around the television, where Charlie spends his evenings.

The kitchen has an “old square oak table” with “three un-matching chairs” (TW1). This is the table on which Bella “left a note for Charlie.” (TW7) The kitchen cabinets are described as “bright yellow” and are remarkable because Bella’s “mother had painted the cabinets eighteen years ago in an attempt to bring some sunshine into the house.” (TW1)

Downstairs is secured by “the simple dead bolt” (TW12) which Bella doesn’t always bother fastening when she goes out.

Bella’s bedroom is described in a lot of detail. It has a “wooden floor,” (TW14) “light blue walls” (TW1), a “peaked ceiling” (TW1) and in many ways hasn’t changed at all since Bella was born. The lace curtains on the window are described as “yellowed” with age, and the “rocking chair from my [Bella’s] baby days was still in the corner.” (TW1). Her clothes are stored in “the old pine dresser” (TW1)

The changes that have been made over the years include “switching the crib for a bed and adding a desk.” (TW1). There is also an addition of a “second-hand computer” (TW1) which is connected to the internet, although “My modem was sadly outdated, my free service substandard.” (TW7)

Bella’s door is also lockable. She uses this on two occasions in “Twilight” – once when she is packing her bag to run away from James and she doesn’t want Charlie to see Edward helping her to pack, and the other time in Chapter 7 where she doesn’t want to be disturbed after her visit to the beach. “Once in my room, I locked the door.” (TW7)

For many fans, the set chosen for Charlie’s house was possibly the closest to the book’s description. Below are two images of the home used in the movies. The first is pre-production picture of the house, and the second is a still from New Moon.

 

Once again I must thank Nimir-Ra over at the Twilight MySpace website for letting me post the Q&A from her site over here at the lexicon.  I am indebted to the forward thinking of the members of that site for how open they are with their questions.  Enjoy!

Q. Why did Bella get that electric shock or whatever from Edward when they were in biology?

A. Physical chemistry. The jolt you get when you brush fingers with the hottest guy you’ve ever seen… sigh…Edward… Ha ha.

Q. Are you planning on writing an Edward version of New Moon and Eclipse?

A. Probably not. (Though there is at least one chapter in New Moon that I WILL write in Edward’s POV, and then post on my site or whatnot.) See, once Edward gets to tell his side, people will "know" him well enough that his POV won’t be necessary for every book. I think it’s interesting that people don’t entirely get Edward. When I read through the fan fics (which I don’t have much time for anymore, sigh) it’s clear that people "get" Bella so much better than they get Edward. I’m always shocked by things that Edward would NEVER do or say, and I realize that people just don’t know him the way I do.

Q. Since vampires’ senses are heightened, do they feel pain more acutely than humans? Likewise, would sex be better for a vampire than a human?

A. Yes. Their senses are greatly heightened. Though it takes a lot more to hurt them, the pain would be more intense. Pleasure, also, would be more intense.

Q. Did Edward find it very hard to be around Tyler when he and Bella were in the hospital after the accident? Was Bella too distracted by how Edward had saved her to be sickened by Tyler’s blood?

A. I imagine Bella was a little woozy thanks to Tyler’s blood, but that overpowering hospital chemical smell really counteracts all other smells, for a human at least. I’ve written this part of the story from Edward’s perspective, and it is at this moment that Edward starts to grasp how Carlisle is able to handle being around blood. Here’s a paragraph from Edward’s version:

"It was amazingly easy to ignore Tyler, lying no more than four feet from me, covered in fresh blood. I’d never understood how Carlisle was able to do that–ignore the blood of his patients in order to treat them. Wouldn’t the constant temptation be so distracting, so dangerous? But, now I could see how, if you were focusing on something else hard enough, the temptation was be nothing at all. Even fresh and exposed, Tyler’s blood had nothing on Bella’s."

Q. Do the Cullens celebrate their birthdays?

A:  Sort of, in a joking way. Birthdays are pretty meaningless when you don’t change.

Q. You’ve said that when someone becomes a vampire, they sort of "freeze" where they are mentally. Is Edward emotionally still 17? He refers to the other teens as "children", but does he feel any affinity with them? Does he think of Bella as a child, and if so, does this have any impact on his attraction to her? Like, does he find her childish or juvenile at all?

A. Edward is emotionally and intellectually more adult than a modern seventeen-year-old, due to the times in which he lived. In his world, he was old enough to be considered a man. People his age were getting married and beginning their lives. He was about to join the military and go fight in the Great War. Developmentally, he was an adult. So he is able to understand and absorb this century he’s lived through, to gain perspective from it.

This perspective is what makes him think of his classmates as children, coupled with the fact that they are so helpless in comparison with himself. The vampires do have a bit of a superiority complex, heh heh. However, Edward still is a teenage boy in many ways. This is his first experience with romantic love, his first kiss, just as it is for Bella. He thinks of Bella as just one of the "children" until he becomes interested in her. Then he begins to learn how mature she is for her age, just like him…

The other girls at school are fairly immature and petty. Their minds are a turn off 🙂

Q. Ok so we know that Alice and Jasper are very close, so I was wondering how close are Emmett and Rosalie, and Carlisle and Esme? Out of the three couples which one has the closest relationship?

A. This is an apples to oranges question, because their relationships are so different. Rosalie and Emmett’s might be seen as the most superficial in a way, because their relationship is so intensely physical. But they are entirely committed to each other, so that’s hardly superficial… Esme and Carlisle have the most spiritual relationship, for lack of a better word. Their relationship is on another plane from Rosalie and Emmett’s. And then Alice and Jasper’s is the most…mystical. They just ARE together, and have been from before they even met. They are not complete without each other–and never were. That’s what makes them different from the other couples, the "never were." They were already not-whole before they met, waiting for each other.

Q. Bella speculates at the beginning of the book that Jessica tried to ask Edward out, or get him interested in her, but that she struck out. Is that what happened? Is the only reason Lauren doesn’t like Bella because she likes Tyler and Tyler likes Bella, or is Lauren jealous of Bella’s relationship with Edward too?

A. Jessica tried to flirt with Edward and was met with icy disinterest (of course). She was never brave enough to ask him out in the face of his obvious dislike.

Lauren is jealous of EVERYTHING about Bella. Before Bella came to Forks, Lauren was the most sought after human girl. She hates all the attention Bella gets, even more so because Bella doesn’t try to get attention (or want it).

Q. When Bella and Edward are sitting in her kitchen before they go to meet his family, Edward wants to know if Bella is going to introduce him to Charlie as her boyfriend. Bella says she was under the impression that he is "more than that." What does Bella mean by that? How do each of them see their relationship?

A. As many people have guessed, the word "boyfriend" seems sort of trite and schoolyard-ish in the light of how Bella feels about Edward. He is her entire world, and she knows that’s not going to change. Soulmate would be her preferred word. And Edward feels that way even more strongly.

Q. What did Esme, Rosalie, and Alice’s wedding dresses look like?

A. I don’t have any pictures of that. Alice’s was an adorable 50s number, and Esme’s was a very traditional ornate-lace-and-orange-blossoms affair. Rosalie has had one for nearly every trend.

Q. On pg.20 when Bella first sees Edward and his family around the table and he starts talking, what is he saying?

A. Here’s another teeny piece from Edward’s version:

"Jessica Stanley is giving the new Swan girl all the dirty laundry on the Cullen clan," I murmured to Emmett.

He chuckled under his breath. I hope she’s making it good, he thought.

"Rather unimaginative, actually. Just the barest hint of scandal. Not an ounce of horror. I’m a little disappointed."

Q. Do all the vampires Carlilse has turned live in the same house, or are there others that he didn’t have live with him and if so why?

A. Carlisle has only changed Edward, Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett. There aren’t any others that live elsewhere.

Q. Can Edward read Alice’s mind while she’s having a ‘vision’?

A. Yes–he can see it just like she sees it.

Q. Can vampires get drunk?

A. No.

Q. Do the Cullens and Hales usually attend school dances, or where they just going to the prom on the behalf of Bella?

A. They were mostly going for Bella. Extracurricular school activities are not the norm for the Cullens. Rosalie loves the chance to dress up and show off, though.

Q. This is not meant to be offensive in ANY way, shape or form, but do gay vampires exist? What if someone changed a human, intending them to be their permanent companion or something and it turned out they were… er… well, gay?

A. If someone was to bite a gay person, that person would still be who they were before, so they would still be gay.

Q. And also, will the whole series have an official name, or is it just going to be called The Twilight Series or whatever?

A. Good question. Wish I had a good answer! Right now the powers that be are calling the Twilight Series because they haven’t come up with anything else. I haven’t thought of anything good, either.

Q. When are Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, and Alice’s birthdays?

A. Because these haven’t figured into the story yet, I haven’t chosen exact days. It may never come up, or it may show up someday. *shrugs*

Q. What is the deal with Alice? In the beginning everyone is apprehensive about her meeting Bella, but she seems extremely nice and approving of her, so why is Edward so weird about it?

A. Alice is nice to Bella because she’s going with the assumption (from a tentative vision she had) that Bella is going to become one of the family. Edward doesn’t want Bella to become a vampire, so he’s not especially happy with Alice’s motivations.

Q. I was just wondering you need a degree in literature in order to publish your work?

A. You don’t need any degree at all to be published. Christopher Paolini and others were in high school when they got published (ah, I see someone else mentioned the author of Eragon…). Studying literature and the English language definitely does help with the writing. I learned everything I know about writing from all the reading I did in my life.

Q. This may seem a bit random but do Edward or any of the other Cullens/Hales like to ski? For some reason it seems like a sport they’d like because it’s so… fast.

A. I imagine they enjoy skiing a lot. I’ll bet Emmett prefers snowboarding, though…

Q. How old are Renee, Charlie, and Phil?

A. Renee is 37, Charlie is 41, and Phil is 29 (Renee is a cradle robber!!).

Q. Why don’t the vampires in your books rule the world? Don’t get me wrong, I am glad they don’t, but they’re basically indestructible. Let’s face it, in reality it would be totally likely some crazy Adolf Hitler vampire could totally try to take over the world. He could enslave humans or something and if he got enough vampire followers, who could stop him or her? And what vampire wouldn’t want to join in and rule the world?

A. Vampires have their own world within ours. They don’t see the distribution of power quite the same way we do. To most vampires, humans are like a herd of cows. Who wants to be king of the food supply? There is a power hierarchy of sorts within the vampire world, and that will be dealt with in future books.

Q. Would a vampire’s hearing be good enough to be able to hear someone/something in a sound-proof room?

A. That would depend on how close the vampire is, how loud the sound inside the booth is, and what the booth is made out of, etc. But it would be possible.

Q. What came first, the vampire or the bite?

A. If you go with Edward’s version of intelligent creation, then the vampire.

Q. Is the house the Cullens live in real?

A. I made up the house. I have no idea if there are any three story mansions on the outskirts of Forks.

Q. Do you have your own favorite quote from the book? Or what part did you enjoy writing the most?

A. I can’t really pick a favorite quote–there are too many that are special to me. My favorite parts to write were…the meadow, because it was first and started it all…the conversation in Port Angeles and on the way home was so much fun…The Angel chapter after Edward saves her from James made me cry when I was writing it (that was a first)…the baseball game…her visit to the Cullen’s house…her conversation with Jacob Black…okay, I could probably name them all 🙂 Writing Twilight was an incredibly enjoyable experience from start to finish.

Q. I was wondering what Bella got Edward for his birthday.

A. He didn’t tell her it was his birthday. Can you believe that? Men!

Q. Have any of the Cullens ever owned a motorcycle?

A. Not recently.

Q. Alice’s visions-are they animated or like photographs?

A. Both, but more often like still photographs. She gets motionless images most of the time. The moving visions (and the ones with sound) are only of things that are very concrete and sure (usually the ones that are almost about to happen).

Q. How many periods (hours) are there before lunch in Forks High?

A. Four

Edward’s schedule

1) Calculus
2) Government
3) English
4) Gym
Lunch
5) Biology
6) Spanish

Bella’s schedule

1) English
2) Government
3) Trigonometry
4) Spanish
Lunch
5) Biology
6) Gym

Q. What exactly happened the first time that Edward kissed Bella?

A. I get this a lot. To understand, you have to put yourselves in Edward’s shoes. Okay, so you’ve never kissed anyone in a hundred years. Now you really want to kiss this girl, but you’re terrified that if you get too close to her, instinct will take over and you will crush your teeth through her jugular vein, and probably break her neck in the process. So you’re being very, very cautious about every move you make. You expect this girl–who knows that you are a vampire, for crying out loud–to be just as careful. Actually, you’re expecting her to be terrified to be so close to your teeth. You’re expecting her to maybe pull away, or at least to freeze in place. You touch your lips to hers–and hers are all warm, which doesn’t help you as you try to concentrate on anything other than her blood–and suddenly, she locks her fingers in your hair, trying to pull you closer, blood rushes to her face (you can smell and feel that), and her lips encourage yours to open… Of course you panic. Your reflexes are all demanding that you bite. The best you can do is freeze and try to get some space before you kill her.

Are we all clear now?

Q. So my question is, If the blood inside the newborn vampire is used over a year, does that mean the vampire doesn’t have to feed for the first year?

A. No. Newborn vampires are voraciously thirsty and almost unthinkingly wild. It’s a hard transition.

Q. Hey, I was just wondering when the paperback version of Twilight comes out, how many pages is the first chapter of New Moon going to be?

A. I’m not sure of the exact date–I think May or June. The first chapter of New Moon is 27 pages long (29 if they include the preface).

Q. I was wondering if Bella had any other interests besides Edward?

A. Bella is a first and foremost a bookworm. She also likes to cook. She enjoys drawing, but she doesn’t think she does it very well. She takes care of her parents–bookkeeping, housekeeping, shopping, etc. She likes the house run just right, ha ha.

Q. When Bella was in the hospital she slipped and asked Edward why he didn’t just let her turn into a vampire.

A. I don’t want to get into this too much–Edward’s reasons are more clearly dealt with in New Moon. But he does have reasons, and they are serious ones (not the "she won’t be soft and warm and smell tasty" reasons that I see floating around a lot. He’d much rather she didn’t smell tasty, and "soft and warm" = really breakable. Also not a good thing).

Q. Why does Edward always kiss her neck more than her lips?

A. It’s a little be safer (her reactions put her in danger). Also, because he’s just so SEXY!!

Q. If Rosalie still disliked Bella by the end of Twilight (which I’m not sure she did, but they had no interaction at the prom) and then was messing with Bella’s hair by the outtakes, what happened to make Rosalie soften up a bit?

A. Didn’t I put this in the note? That outtake was written before I’d really developed Rosalie’s character (she was still Carol back then). Rosalie didn’t have any problem with Bella in the rough draft–or much of a personality, either. It was only later that her personality came into focus for me. Suddenly I realized that Rosalie didn’t like Bella at all, and then I completely "got" her. It’s funny, because it was as if Rosalie had always had this problem with Bella, but she’d just been hiding it from me. Yes, my characters are WAY to real to me. 🙂

1. Succubi In PC1, Stephenie Meyer mentions the Denali coven: Tanya, Kate, and Irina had an interesting path that led them to "vegetarianism": they are the originals behind the myths of the succubus. Their fondness for human men eventually led them to feel remorse for their victims, and they slowly trained themselves to resist human blood.

This coven hasn’t played a significant role in the story as it has been edited out, although the myth of the succubus is well recorded elsewhere. A succubus is a demonic seductress who preys on human men, drawing energy from the men to sustain her existence. In the case of a female vampire who is a succubus, she would normally draw blood from the man she has seduced. The Denali coven has broken from this tradition and the sisters live on animal blood just like the Cullens.

2. Enemies of the werewolf In the Twilight universe, the main threat to the vampires comes from the werewolf. As Jacob Black explains to Bella, "The cold ones are the natural enemies of the wolf." (TW6), and he is also clear that the Quileutes are historically linked to "the wolves that turn into men, like our ancestors." (TW6) Some of the younger members of the tribe don’t seem to believe the legend, and dismiss it easily. Jacob says, "So, do you think we’re a bunch of superstitious natives or what?" (TW6), but he also points out that his father believes it. There is a definite lack of trust in this relationship, even though the Cullens feed on animals. "There’s always a risk for humans to be around the cold ones, even if they’re civilized like this clan was. You never know when they might get too hungry to resist." (TW6)

 A treaty has been created to ensure that the Cullens stay away from the Quileutes and their land. "The Cullens don’t come here."(TW6) The Quileutes will never reveal what the Cullens are, as long as they never set foot on the reserve. Edward’s absence at La Push supports this, however Jacob, by telling Bella the story, has inadvertently broken the treaty.

I want to appologize for the unfortunate outage this evening. I have managed to restore the DNS services that have caused the errors to make the site semi-stable again.  For the next few hours you may still notice some issues with the site not responding as quickly as it should but that will go away quickly.  If there is a DNS expert out there that might be able to help me out with some ReverseDNS issues, please send me an e-mail and I will be forever in your debt (okay maybe not forever).  Once again, sorry for the issues.

Darksied9

It’s been a day for lots of updates here at the Lexicon. First up is the summary of Chapter 3: Phenomenon ~ Edward’s rescue of Bella from Tyler’s truck. The Vampire Mythology section has also been updated with a look at deviations from vampire legend in the ‘Twilight’ world.

Stephenie has posted a short extract from ‘New Moon’ on the new pages on her website, which is under a lot of discussion on the message boards. She left us all this note about it:

“The excerpt on my website is the quote that will be used on the back of the New Moon jacket. The description underneath is from the inside flap of the jacket. Some of the copy might be tweaked before the final printing, so don’t be surprised if a few words or phrases change.

Something more to keep in mind–I didn’t write the flap copy or choose the quote on the back. Those are decisions made by the publisher. “

Hope you enjoy all the new stuff.

Imogen 🙂

Vampires have existed in a variety of cultures almost since the dawn of time. Until the 19th century, they were believed to be monsters, rather than the stereotype of a more aristocratic being who could infiltrate the world around us, as popularised by Bram Stoker. Legend has developed since, with pop culture shows such as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", which tackles concepts such as a vampire with a soul and possible redemption for a creature previously believed to have had no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Bella lists her observations when she is researching on the internet: "Speed, strength, beauty, pale skin, eyes that shift colour; and then Jacob’s criteria: blood drinkers, enemies of the werewolf, cold-skinned and immortal." (TW7) An excellent summary of vampire legend can be found on Wikipedia.

Our Twilight vampires are different yet again, and there are frequent divergences from the vampires of legend, although some features remain the same. As Stephenie Meyer explains, "Almost all of the superstitions about vampire limitations are entirely false in my world. Vampires don’t really have any limits, other than the self-imposed guideline to keep their existence a secret. No unconscious periods, no problem with sunlight, crosses, garlic, holy water, wooden stakes, etc… These are all myths–deliberately placed in earlier centuries to mislead impressionable humans and make them feel safe." (PC8)

1. Vampires are cold to the touch This is definitely true in Twilight. From the very first time Bella encounters Edward’s skin we discover that "his fingers were ice-cold" (TW2) The other Cullens seem to have similarly icy skin: Carlisle has "cool fingers" (TW3), Esme has a "cold stone grasp" (TW15), and so on.

2. As they are dead, vampires do not need oxygen for survival. Again, this is true. Bella notices from her first encounter with Edward that "he continued to sit so still it looked like he wasn’t breathing." (TW1). He explains this in more depth to Bella later in the novel when she asks how long he can go without breathing: "Indefinitely, I suppose. I don’t know. It gets a bit uncomfortable, being without a sense of smell." (TW16).

3. Vampires have pale skin and fangs. All of the Cullens have very pale skin, "Paler than me, the albino" (TW1); skin that is regularly described as "marble" (TW13) in both its colour and perfection. The skin is also remarkable because of the "purplish bruiselike shadows" beneath the eyes indicative of a lack of sleep. However, the Twilight vampires, "Do not have fangs. Their teeth are so sharp and strong that fangs are hardly necessary (they could bite through steel, if so inclined, a human neck is like butter)" (PC1) In many ways, Meyer’s vampires are much more violent than the vampires of legend, as their drinking of blood involves much more savaging of flesh than two tidy fang holes in a neck.

4. Vampires can shift shape and even fly (sometimes in the form of a bat) Bella asks about this when Edward offers to show her how he travels through the forest: "Will you turn into a bat?" I asked warily. He laughed, louder than I had ever heard. "Like I haven’t heard that one before." (TW13) It’s fair to assume from Edward’s response that this stereotypical expectation is so far from true that it is laughable. Instead of flight, Stephenie Meyer’s vampires have the skill of extreme speed and fast reflexes. Their running is the equivalent of flying. The five-mile hike to the meadow is done on the return journey "in a matter of minutes" (TW13), and Edward’s driving is similarly fast, but very safe due to his speedy reflexes: "I’ve never been in an accident." (TW9) Any flight, however, has to be done in an aeroplane, such as Edward "catching the first flight out of Seattle" (TW21) to be with Bella!

5. Vampires don’t have reflections in a mirror In Twilight  vampires do have a reflection. On the flight from James, Bella notes Edward’s hesitation when "I saw his expression in the mirror," (TW18) of the car. In PC4, Stephenie Meyer dismisses this part of vampire lore, saying it will be addressed in New Moon, but her vampires definitely do have reflections.

6. A vampire can only enter a house if he is invited in. "Vampires need no invitation to enter any house." (PC8). We see Edward retrieving Bella’s truck keys from her house without any invitation, and he is is capable of watching her at night without her knowledge.

7. Sunlight may burn or kill vampires. Bella had heard of this myth herself: "Vampires couldn’t come out in the daytime, the sun would burn them to a cinder." (TW7) Although none of the Cullens attend school when it is sunny, this is not because the sun hurts them, because "it doesn’t," but because they "can’t go out in the sunlight" at least, not where anyone can see," (TW9) because of the dazzling diamond-like glittering in the skin. Sunlight marks vampires out for what they are, but does not harm them in any way.

8. Vampires cannot eat human food. Their sustenance comes from blood alone. This feature of vampires is seen right from the very first chapter when Alice throws away her, "unopened soda, unbitten apple" (TW1). Bella gets curious enough to ask Edward what would happen if he actually did eat something, and Edward "deliberately bit off a mouthful [of pizza], chewed quickly and then swallowed." (TW10), thereby proving that it is possible for vampires to physically eat. However, we are also told that due to the physical changes inherent in becoming a vampire, "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." (PC7)

9. Crosses, garlic, holy water and similar items ward off vampires. Stephenie Meyer sums this up best: "Bunch of garbage."(PC4) The Cullens are so unaffected by this that they even have an old wooden cross hanging in their home, which used to belong to Carlisle’s father. Edward laughs and admits, "It is sort of ironic." (TW15)

10. Vampires can be killed by decapitation, a wooden stake or a consecrated bullet through the heart. Vampires can be killed, although only other vampires are strong enough to do it. Emmett and Jasper "took care" of James (TW24) and it is likely that they followed the known way to end a vampires existence, namely, "to tear him to shreds and then burn the pieces."  (TW19) It is impossible for a human to kill a vampire by any means because they are too strong to be susceptible to humans or human weapons: "You try shoving wood through granite." (PC4)

11. Vampires sleep in coffins. Again, this is something that Bella remembers about vampires when she is first investigating them: "They slept in coffins all day and only came out at night." (TW7). This is obviously highly unlikely as the Cullens are usually at school, or at work during the day, and is something that Bella and Edward joke about later when Bella is visiting the Cullen home. "No coffins?"  (TW15) Apart from anything else, in the Twilight world, vampires don’t sleep. "I can’t sleep" (TW9), so coffins would be entirely redundant anyway!

Chapter Number:  Three

Chapter Name:  Phenomenon

Page Numbers:  53-67 (Hardcover)

Date of Chapter:  January 25, 2005

Summary:  When Bella gets up to go to school she discovers that the temperature has dropped overnight, and now the rain slicked environment has turned into an ice covered one. She’s grateful and touched that Charlie thought to plan ahead. He put chains on her tires so she could drive to school safely. She muses that she’s not used to people taking care of her like that.

No sooner than Bella parks her truck next to a tan car in the school parking lot she notices two things: 1) the all the Cullen and Hale students are standing across the parking lot, in particular Edward is staring at her in dismay, 2) Tyler Crowley has lost control of his van and it is careening toward her faster than she can get away.

The next thing Bella knows, Edward knocks her to the ground, out of the way of the Tyler’s van. She is under the impression that he physically pushed the van off her not once, but twice.

At the hospital Tyler can’t stop apologizing to both Bella and Edward. He seems more beat up than Bella, who only has a bump on her head, and Edward, who doesn’t have a scratch on him.  Dr. Carlisle Cullen treats them all and releases Bella to Charlie’s custody.

Before Bella goes home with Charlie, she confronts Edward about what happened. Despite his insistence that he was standing next to her when the accident happened, Bella knows he was standing across the parking lot and he should not have been able to reach her in time. She also insists that Edward used superhuman strength to keep the van from crushing them. Edward refuses to confirm or deny what Bella claims. He stalks off frustrated and angry when she won’t just let the incident drop.

At home, Charlie is concerned, but gives Bella her space. Bella has to deal with an hysterical phone call from Renee who demands that Bella return to Phoenix. Bella tells Renee she is staying in Forks. When Bella goes to sleep, she dreams about Edward for the first time.

Characters Involved:  Bella Swan, Tyler Crowley, Edward Cullen, Charlie Swan, Carlisle Cullen

Characters Mentioned: Mr. Varner, Coach Clapp, Mike Newton, Eric Yorkie, EMT’s/hospital staff, Rosalie Hale, Jasper Hale, Emmett Cullen, Alice Cullen, Renee Dwyer

Places Visited: The Swan Home, Forks High School, County Hospital

Memorable Quotes:
“No blood, no foul .” 
~ Edward to Tyler telling him not to worry about the accident.

 “Actually most of the school seems to be in the waiting room.”  
~ Carlisle correcting Edward’s assessment on informing people.

“I saved your life–I don’t owe you anything…You think I lifted a van off you?…I hope you enjoy your disappointment.”
~Edward’s various responses to Bella’s demands for an explanation regarding the accident.

“I don’t like to lie–so there better be a good reason why I’m doing it.”
~ Bella explaining to Edward why she can’t, “just drop it.”

“That was the first night I dreamed of Edward Cullen.”  
~ last line of the chapter.

Important Information Learned:
Edward has lightning fast reflexes and superhuman strength.

Edward is completely uninjured in the accident.

Carlisle seems to be aware of Edward’s talents and is uncomfortable that Bella realizes them too.

Edward’s siblings’ reactions to the accident range from “disapproval to fury”.

Renee tends to overreact to things.

GO LOOK NOW!!!!

There is even an excerpt from the book.  AGH!  WONDERFUL!!!  Let the speculation begin!!

Alphie