That all the world will be in love with night….
— Romeo and Juliet, Act III scene ii
―OLD QUIL‖
The following excerpt was the original first introduction to Old Quil. It takes place in chapter 12 in New Moon after Jacob tells Bella to stay away from him (in the rough draft, Jacob didn‘t come to her window that night).
Charlie was at the breakfast table with a plate of scrambled eggs in front of him. He looked up, seeming surprised to see me.
―You‘re up early,‖ he said, examining my face carefully.
I glanced at the clock; I was actually running late. ―I‘ve only got fifteen minutes,‖ I disagreed.
His face was wary. ―It‘s Saturday, honey. You don‘t have work for another hour.‖
―Oh.‖ He was still scrutinizing my face. ―Well, that‘s good. I didn‘t want to go to school much anyway.‖
I turned away from him, feeling his eyes on my back, and went to search in the fridge.
The pizza was right on top.
We ate in silence as I wondered what to do with my day. I regretted trading my Saturday hours at Newton‘s. It would have been a nice distraction.
But I knew that I wasn‘t giving up on Jacob, and I wondered what angle to approach him from.
―So you‘re really worried about this Sam thing, aren‘t you?‖ Charlie was done with his food before I was, and his thoughts were in the same place.
I swallowed. ―Yes, I really am.‖
―Do you think he‘s involved with something bad? Drugs or crime or something?‖
―I don‘t know. I can‘t think of anything else, but I just can‘t see Jacob changing for something like that.‖ I shrugged.
―I‘m sorry I didn‘t listen to you before,‖ he said quietly.
―Don‘t worry about it. I‘m used to people thinking I‘m crazy.‖
―Don‘t worry about it. I‘m used to people thinking I‘m crazy.‖ It slipped out before I could think, and Charlie‘s eyes flashed up to mine.
―I don‘t think you‘re crazy.‖
―Yeah, I know. I was kidding.‖
He nodded, but there was no agreement in the motion.
―Anyway, what were you supposed to think? Billy supports this.‖ I shook my head. ―It‘s too weird. It‘s like Quil said yesterday… something stinks.‖
―Quil Ateara?‖ he asked quickly.
I nodded. ―He‘s not in the cult. He‘s scared, like Jacob was.‖
―Cult?‖ Charlie repeated in a sharp tone.
―That‘s what Quil called it, and Jacob, too, before they beamed him up,‖ I said morosely.
―Jacob also said something about tribe pride and tribe lands…. ‖
Charlie‘s eyes narrowed. ―I wonder if that‘s why Billy and the others seem to approve? I talked to Billy yesterday—‖
I nodded knowingly, and he broke off for a second, looking uncomfortable. He was probably trying to remember what all he‘d said about me.
―Anyway,‖ he started again, ―he was acting pretty strange himself. Billy‘s always been a straightforward person. Yesterday… well, it seemed like he was hiding something.‖ His voice was full of disbelief, as if this were the most ridiculous of theories.
―Dad, I think that‘s exactly what he‘s doing.‖
Charlie looked at me unhappily. ―What are we going to do?‖
―I think I‘m going to La Push — Mrs. Newton traded shifts with me for today.‖
He frowned. ―I don‘t know if I want you down there, Bella. This is a little bit disturbing.‖
―It‘s a lot disturbing,‖ I told him. ―But I don‘t think it‘s dangerous disturbing — at least not for me. Maybe for Quil, though. By the way, I offered Quil our couch if he wants to get away. Is that all right?‖
He blinked twice. ―Um, sure.‖ He paused. ―Are you good friends with Quil Ateara?‖
―I think I‘ve talked to him twice,‖ I admitted.
Life was spinning out of Charlie‘s comfort zone.
―Okay.‖ Charlie pursed his lips. Life was spinning out of Charlie‘s comfort zone. I knew the feeling well.
I got up from the table.
―Bella?‖
―Yeah?‖
―If anything looks… weird, don‘t stay. I‘ll be at the station. And call me, either way.‖
―Sure, Dad.‖
I felt sort of guilty as I retraced the familiar road to La Push. I was going to do something that I knew was wrong, and that maybe was a slight overreaction, too.
I was going to do my best to convince Quil Ateara to run away from home.
Jacob had thought Sam was after him, and he‘d been right. Now Quil felt the same way. I was going to trust Quil‘s gut instinct and assume that he was next in line for the brainwashing.
But if they wanted him, they were going to have to get through the Chief and me. Maybe Quil would be the key to finding out what was really happening to Jacob, and getting him out.
My mood was more hopeful, now that I had a goal.
La Push was empty. It was almost sultry out today, warm and close under the thick clouds. No rain to drive anyone indoors. The vacant yards and sidewalks seemed suspicious, but I was probably being paranoid. La Push was never a bustling hot spot.
I was glad that Quil‘s family lived on the opposite side of the village from the Blacks. I didn‘t want anyone to guess what I was up to and target Quil earlier than expected. I wished my truck were much quieter. It was the loudest thing in town — so much for stealth.
There was no sign of life outside the Ateara home. I couldn‘t tell if the lights were on inside the store in front of it.
I shut the truck off and hurried up the short dirt path to the front door. I couldn‘t help looking over my shoulder every other second, though it made me feel ridiculous. I rapped my knuckles hard and fast against the faded blue door, then listened, waiting for a response.
Nothing. I beat my fist against the wood twice again, this time generating a muffled thud that seemed to shiver in the walls.
As I waited — discouragement beginning to conquer hope — I was reminded of those movies on the sci-fi channel that I always flipped through quickly, the movies where someone finds herself all alone, the only person left on the planet. I shivered.
I raised my fist for one last, futile attempt, and the door swung open under my hand. I nearly punched the shriveled white-haired man in the face.
―Oh,‖ I gasped, quickly dropping my hand.
―Hey, you‘re Chief Swan‘s girl,‖ the little man accused.
―Yes,‖ I admitted.
―You hang out with Billy‘s kid.‖
―Sometimes.‖ I wondered if he treated all visitors this way. Maybe just the ones who almost assaulted him.
―What do you want? He‘s not here.‖ He shut the door halfway.
―Um, Mr. Ateara?‖ I guessed, easing my foot surreptitiously around the doorjamb so he couldn‘t shut me out until I wanted him to.
―Yeah, that‘s right.‖ He seemed displeased that I knew his name.
―Is your grandson Quil here?‖
―No.‖
A few seconds passed.
―Could you tell me where I can find him?‖ I prompted.
―Can‘t tell you what I don‘t know. He‘s out.‖
Did they guess what I was up to? Was Sam taking preemptive action against me?
―Do you know if he‘s with Jacob?‖ I asked anxiously. There hadn‘t been enough time for that, had there? Did they guess what I was up to? Was Sam taking preemptive action against me?
―Don‘t think so,‖ the old man said reluctantly. ―He goes off on his own now.‖
Relief rushed through me. ―Okay, I guess I‘ll just come back later.‖
The only answer I got was a sour look as he slammed the door. I yanked my foot out of the way, barely avoiding some broken toes.
Well, that was welcoming.
I decided I would drive around and hope to find Quil walking
along the road, as I had yesterday. I‘d much rather talk to him without his grandfather present.
―NARCOTICS‖
This outtake shows another approach to the scene at the end of New Moon‘s chapter 2.
I collapsed back onto my pillow, gasping, my head spinning. My arm didn‘t hurt anymore, but I didn‘t know whether that was due to the painkillers or the kiss. Something tugged at my memory, elusive, on the edges….
―Sorry,‖ he said, and he was breathless, too. ―That was out of line.‖
To my own surprise, I giggled. ―You‘re funny,‖ I mumbled and giggled again.
He frowned at me in the darkness. He looked so serious. It was hysterical.
I covered my mouth to muffle the laughter so Charlie wouldn‘t hear.
―Bella, have you ever had Percocet before?‖
―I don‘t think so.‖ I giggled. ―Why?‖
He rolled his eyes, and I couldn‘t stop laughing.
―How‘s your arm?‖
―I can‘t feel it. Is it still there?‖
He sighed as I giggled on. ―Try to sleep, Bella.‖
―No, I want you to kiss me again.‖
―You‘re overestimating my self-control.‖
―You‘re overestimating my self-control.‖
I snickered. ―Which is bothering you more, my blood or my body?‖ My question made me laugh.
―It‘s a tie.‖ He grinned in spite of himself. ―I‘ve never seen you high. You‘re very entertaining.‖
―I‘m not high.‖ I tried to choke back the giggles to prove it.
―Sleep it off,‖ he suggested.
I realized that I was making a fool of myself, which wasn‘t uncommon, but it was still embarrassing, so I tried to follow his advice. I put my head on his shoulder again and closed my eyes. Every now and then another giggle would escape. But that became more infrequent as the drugs lulled me toward unconsciousness.
* * *
I felt absolutely hideous in the morning. My arm burned and my head ached. Edward said I had a hangover, and recommended Tylenol rather than the Percocet before he kissed my forehead casually and ducked out my window.
It didn‘t help my outlook that his face was smooth and remote. I was so afraid of the conclusions he might have come to during the night while he watched me sleep. The anxiety seemed to ratchet up the intensity of the pounding in my head.
I took a double dose of Tylenol and threw the little bottle of Percocet into the bathroom trash.
Q. WHAT DO THE COVERS OF THE BOOKS REPRESENT?
A. The apple on the cover of Twilight represents the knowledge of good and evil. Eve ate this forbidden fruit in Genesis, and Twilight has an epigraph from this book of the Bible: ―But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.‖ The question inherent in the apple is ―Do you want to know?‖ It asks if you are going to bite in and discover the frightening possibilities around you or refuse and stay safe in the comfortable world you know.
Unlike the other covers, Stephenie was not involved in choosing the cover for New Moon.
The author originally proposed a clock image, as time is such a key theme in the book. But ultimately the team that chose the tulip focused on the theme of loss. The image of the flower losing its petal was chosen to reflect that. They felt the fallen petal could also be interpreted to represent the drop of blood from Bella‘s paper cut in the first chapter.
The not-quite-broken ribbon on the cover of Eclipse is a metaphor for Bella trying to leave her human life behind her, but being unable to make a clean break. There are some threads she is unable to cut — she can‘t completely divorce herself from her past.
The two chess pieces on the cover of Breaking Dawn both represent Bella. They show her moving from the least significant player, the pawn, at the beginning of the Saga to the most important player, the queen, at the end of the series. The chessboard also hints at Breaking Dawn‘s resolution, where the battle with the Volturi is one of wits and strategy, not physical violence.
The image on The Official Guide cover represents all the ―pieces of the puzzle‖ of the Twilight Saga coming together in one place.
The hourglass on the cover of The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella symbolizes the theme of time and represents the fact that it is running out for Bree and her fellow newborns.
Q. WHEN EDWARD ATE THE PIZZA IN TWILIGHT, WHAT HAPPENED TO
THE BIT OF FOOD HE SWALLOWED?
A. Vampires cannot digest food, but they sometimes find themselves in a situation where eating human food is unavoidable to keep up a human façade. The food that they consume sits in their stomach until they can find a private place to cough it up.
Q. WAS EDWARD SECRETLY WATCHING BELLA IN TWILIGHT WHILE
SHE WAS READING JANE AUSTEN?
A. Yes. In secret, Edward used to pay very close attention to everything Bella did before they began their relationship.
Q. WHY WAS BELLA‘S WINDOW SO EASY TO OPEN IN TWILIGHT?
A. The window was stuck and made a groaning sound the first time Edward opened it.
While Bella didn‘t wake up, Edward promised himself he‘d bring some oil for the window the next time, which he did.
Q. WHAT CAUSES EDWARD TO WARN BELLA ABOUT BEING ALONE IN
THE WOODS IN TWILIGHT?
A. There was no specific threat on Edward‘s mind when he warned Bella to stay out of the woods. (Peter and Charlotte had been visiting Jasper, but they didn‘t hunt in Forks, and they were already gone when Edward cautioned Bella.) It was more of a general sense of Bella‘s vulnerability that motivated the warning. He had tracked her scent in the woods after he came back from his hunting trip in the Goat Rocks Wilderness, and found himself unnerved by the image of her alone and unprotected. After all, Bella regularly attracted catastrophes.
Q. HOW WAS EDWARD ABLE TO DRINK BELLA‘S BLOOD AT THE END OF
TWILIGHT AND NOT INFECT HER WITH MORE VENOM?
A. Edward drank with his lips puckered, as if using a straw, and never touched her with his ―saliva.‖
Q. IF VAMPIRES ARE SOLID LIKE GRANITE, DOESN‘T THAT MEAN THEY
MUST WEIGH A LOT?
A. It is possible for things to be really durable, but not weigh a tremendous amount.
Polymers are a good example of this. Vampires do, however, weigh more than humans of the same size.
Q. CAN ANIMALS BE TURNED INTO VAMPIRES?
A. No, only humans can be turned into vampires. Venom is deadly to animals.
Q. HOW IS EDWARD ABLE TO BE AROUND BELLA WHEN SHE HAS HER
MONTHLY CYCLE?
A. Edward is aware of what‘s going on physiologically with Bella, but he is too much of a gentleman to ever say anything about it, and Bella would be too embarrassed to ask if he noticed or was bothered by it. The blood from a woman‘s period isn‘t the same as a cut; it‘s not freshly oxygenated, not flowing from the heart.
Q. WHY DO ALICE‘S AND JASPER‘S SUPERNATURAL POWERS WORK ON
BELLA, BUT EDWARD‘S, ARO‘S, JANE‘S, ALEC‘S, CHELSEA‘S, AND HEIDI‘S
POWERS DON‘T AFFECT HER?
A. Bella has a shield that protects only her mind. Edward and Aro both have the ability to read minds, but their gifts are blocked by this shield. Jane, Alec, Chelsea, and Heidi also work inside the head. For example, Jane doesn‘t actually inflict pain on someone‘s body; she just puts the illusion of pain inside her victim‘s head. It‘s a very effective form of torture. Conversely, what Jasper does is no illusion. He affects the physical body, slowing the pulse and upping the endorphin levels to calm someone, for example, or raising the pulse and pumping out the adrenaline to excite people. Alice also works outside the mind, in the realm of possible realities.
She doesn‘t see the thought process behind the decisions — just the outcomes.
Q. DID BELLA REALLY HEAR EDWARD‘S VOICE IN NEW MOON? WAS HE
HIDING IN THE BUSHES, O
R WAS HE SOMEHOW COMMUNICATING WITH
BELLA TELEPATHICALLY?
A. Edward was in England, Texas, and Brazil for most of New Moon. What Bella heard in her head was all imagined. Her subconscious was powerfully trying to correct the erroneous belief that her conscious mind was so absolutely sure of — that Edward didn‘t care about her. The proof that Edward couldn‘t know what was happening to Bella comes when she is almost killed by Laurent. Had Edward even had an inkling that Victoria or Laurent was back in Forks, he would have returned immediately to protect Bella.
The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (twilight) Page 42
