The following is the third installment of the Twilight Reread Challenge, Chapters 7-9. If you missed the previous chapters of this series, catch up here: Chapters 1-3, Chapters 4-6
Summary Chapters 7-9
Chapter 7, “Nightmare” continues the day Jacob Black told Bella that the Cullens are vampires. When she gets home, she has a nightmare; Jacob turns to a werewolf and tries to protect her from a long-fanged Edward. However, Bella doesn’t want to be saved and wakes up just as Jacob attacks Edward. If that isn’t foreshadowing, I don’t know what is.
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Bella searched “vampire” during her research session. This is what actually comes up when you Google “vampire.” I expected there to be more sparkling Edwards in these results. What a pleasant surprise.
Unable to fall back asleep, Bella preoccupies herself with many activities too boring to list. Finally, she does what any girl would do when considering whether or not her crush is a vampire: Googles it. After she reads a website full of vamp myths, she realizes how stupid she is being and decides to be even more stupid and go for a stroll in the foggy, dark woods. Because when someone is afraid that vampires exist, the place that will make them less afraid is a sodden forest.
Here, she considers her suspicions and declares there are only two options she deems practical: avoid Edward or do nothing. The former “gripped [her] in a sudden agony of despair”–really Bella?–so even though this option is the only practical one out of the two, she tosses it aside. Because she is a mature adult who totally doesn’t exaggerate her post-pubescent feelings.
So of course, Bella, who obviously has no concern for her own safety, chooses to do nothing about it.
The next day is sunny and the Cullens are not in school. Bella is miserable because she judges her happiness on the presence of a boy she barely knows. The Cullens are also absent the following day. It has been five days since Bella has seen Edward, so when she gets home, she puts herself on a ventilator as the withdrawals set it. She then goes dress shopping with Jessica and Angela in Port Angeles.
This is when Chapter 8 starts, “Port Angeles.” The girls shop and talk about more high school drama. Bella learns that Tyler (the one who nearly killed her with his van) is telling everyone that he is taking her to prom. She is rather disappointed in his poor decision and hopes he learns from his mistakes in the future.
Bella then decides to separate from Angela and Jessica in search for a bookstore in a city she doesn’t know how to navigate; what could possibly go wrong? Unfortunately, a lot. It is too late when she notices the group of men following her, for she is eventually herded into an alley. They laugh and Bella just stares at them. You know, normal self-defense techniques.
Just when she is about to finally die, Edward has to go and ruin it. His shiny Volvo (there is serious product placement going on with this car) comes swerving into the alley. The door opens and she hops on in. As he speeds away, he begs Bella to distract him, for he has “a problem” with his temper sometimes. Total boyfriend goals right there.
After he is no longer in Hulk-mode, he drives her to the Italian restaurant Bella and her friends were going to rendezvous. It turns out that Jessica and Angela have already eaten, so Edward decides for Bella that he is going to take her home and Bella goes along with it because she left her spine back in that alley with her other friends.
Once Bella says bye-bye to Jess and Ang, she and Edward grab a table. Bella makes a huge deal about Edward’s looks again. Hottie orders her to drink and eat; she obeys and does other dog tricks like shaking hands and jumping through hoops and doing the Macarena.
Finally, she asks him a series of “hypothetical” questions about mind-reading. Edward basically admits he can read minds, except for Bella’s, which is convenient. He also mentions he followed her to Port Angeles, and Bella isn’t bothered by this at all; she actually says she feels safe with him despite his confession.
At some point, Bella describes Edward’s eyebrow as “alabaster.”
Afterwards, in Chapter 9, “Theory,” the two leave the restaurant and begin driving home. Bella berates Edward on his speeding and says that she was raised by a cop and respects the law; though she still finds nothing wrong with stalking, which is against the law, so….
Bella then informs Edward about what Jacob told her and her theory that he is a vampire. She says she doesn’t care whether or not he really is one, but smart-Edward makes a rare appearance and gets angry at this. Despite his apparent discomfort, he confirms her suspicions and answers a bunch of questions regarding vampire myths. They briefly talk about the fact that the Cullens eat animals, not humans. At the end of the chapter, Bella says she is “irrevocably in love with Edward.”
Commentary
These chapters made me laugh and gave me the urge to barf at the same time. It is a confusing experience to say the least.
Bella grows more and more pathetic as the pages pass. It is one thing to have a crush on a hot guy in her biology class; it is a wholly other thing to fall in “love” with a vampire she barely knows.
Speaking of which, why does she love him? I wonder what her response would be to this question. Maybe something along the lines of: “I love his ocher eyes and his god-like bod and the way he stalks me and…well we both like classical music.” Hey, at least they have that in common.
What else does she know about him? He can read minds. He is fast. He thirsts for her blood. He likes classical music. He drives fast. He is hot. Most of these, if not all, has to do with him being a vampire. What else, other than his deep Goldilock amber eyes, does she love about him?
Nothing, because she doesn’t know anything else about him. You see, I can say I love Francisco Lachowski, but is it truly love if all I know about him is that he’s a Brazilian model? No. The answer is no. The same goes for Bella. She is so naive and stupid and reckless and absolutely ridiculous. She doesn’t know anything about love! She is just another hormonal teenage girl claiming this strange feeling is love when all it is is lust.
Now Edward. Edward, boyo, I had high hopes for you, but they are slowly dwindling. First of all, the stalking. Just because he can stalk, doesn’t mean he should. This entire situation is just so wrong. Bella is completely okay with him stalking her, even embraces it; however had it been chess-club Eric who followed her to Port Angeles and saved her from the men in the alley, I’m sure her feelings would be different. Stalking is never okay, even if the stalker happens to be amazingly attractive.
Sure, sure, he saved her, but he is the one who put her in that position in the first place. The reason she got lost was because she was trying to figure out all of his mind games (her stupidity doesn’t help).
Don’t even get me started on the commands.
Bella is a woman with her own mind, not a dog who must be told when to sit and stay.
I know his intent is that he is trying to be protective, but that is how abusive relationships start. There is a difference between being chivalrous and being overbearing. Sure, him handing her his jacket when she shivered is cute and nice–and borderline nauseating–but him commanding her to drink her soda is too much. Edward, stop. She will drink when she wants to; she doesn’t need you to tell her to drink. Believe it or not, she will be thirsty whether or not you will it.
Edward just needs to calm down. Being enraptured by someone is fine; being obsessed is a problem. For a vampire who controls the urge to kill everyone around him every day, he seems to have very little control of his behavior.
I am finding the Twilight Reread Challenge rather therapeutic. Stay tuned for Chapters 10-12.
