Reading Eclipse: Chapter 13 (Newborn)

The song for this chapter is New Born by Muse (suggested by Sarah)

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Finals week! Hideous and glorious at the same time: hideous because I have to study for four tests, each about 2 and a half hours long, and glorious because once I’m finished, I get weeks off until class starts again (and next semester, I get to take creative writing, which is obviously better for me than calculus). Thankfully, I get a break for Chapter the Thirteenth:

Bella’s silvery scars from where James bit her are like concrete memories of how she was nearly killed in Arizona. Jasper has the same scars as well, though multiplied all up his arms, which in the same way are memories of his own past. What is particularly interesting is that Benito descended from Dallas, which is where I live (I finally also understand that final clue that was given by the Twicon peoples as to where it would be held).

This gigantic war between the Volturi, Benitos’ newborns, and the other vampires had to have been brutal. Just imagining all these vampire fighting to the death is slightly unsettling, especially since to kill a vampire you must tear them up and burn the pieces. I can’t even begin to imagine what any humans who might have glimpsed this war would have thought (as they ran for their lives).

I’m sure becoming a vampire was the last thing on Jasper’s mind when he went out to be a soldier. But vampires, in more ways than one, seem to me as natural killing machines. It’s like a black widow effect: they captivate their prey and then strike after drawing them in, giving the vampires the only moment they need in which to strike. When Maria changed Jasper, I doubt he ever foresaw it coming from someone so beautiful. Unfortunately, I doubt the general was pleased

I’ve noticed that vampires can’t really make treaties with one (Cullen’s aside). Even Maria is betrayed by Nettie and Lucy in the end. This seems to be the most dangerous part of newborn vampires: there is hardly any way to control them, especially with their burst of power in the first year. Imagining one of these loose in Seattle is not a very pleasant thought (especially since I’ll be flying in there for Summer School In Forks next year :O ).

I like how Jasper’s vampire powers mimic the natural gifts he had when he was human. As I’ve said many times on BlogTV shows, I’ve always thought that if I was a vampire, my powers would be something akin to invisibility. But not exactly. I think it would be something more of the ability not to be seen, to keep from being noticed in a way, since despite what hosting BlogTVs and radio shows and blogs may say, I am somewhat awkward and nervous when in front of a crowd of people. I’ve been told the description of the ability not to be seen is also known as ninja skills, so I might have an alternative to being a vampire after all.

I’m sure it was a great thing for Jasper to find a friend amongst his new vampire family — one that he didn’t expect to kill him in his sleep or anything, at least. I found Peter’s job quite interesting:

“He was assigned to deal with the newborns — babysit them, you could say. It was a full time job, so to help pass the time, he took up reading books relevant to his predicament.”

Peter's Favorite Book Series

It is obvious now what is going on in Seattle: this vampire army of newborns who are feasting upon the locals in their indomitable thirst. But why are they so close? I still question as to if they are there to incite war between the Cullens and the werewolves, or if they are there as a distraction, while Victoria sneaks in and gets Bella. She is really the only person I see who could be causing this, and whatever it is, her plans spell nothing good for Bella’s survival.

I can see there is about to be a war, and a very bad one at that (I caught myself from saying a very bloody war, as the puns abound enough already). Obviously, there are bad feelings between the vampire coven in the north and the werewolves, partially at the fault of Laurent, who as we all remember was killed by the werewolves when he attempted to make Bella into a tasty snack.

Not The Tasty Snack He Had In Mind

Thus, the ultimatum is this: if the Cullens allow the northern vampires to kill all the werewolves, they will help with cleaning up this messy business with the newborns. If not, the Cullens are on their own, and are going to have a simply grand time trying to suppress an army of newborns who are stronger and wilder than they are, and far more numerous.

Question for the comments: Based on your personality, what vampire power do you think you would have?

——NOTES——

- I just uploaded a new Youtube video for anyone who is interested. The background music inside it is a new song I made that you can download for free.

- The Twilight Youtube Contest of Awesome ends tomorrow (FRIDAY DEC. 12 at 11:59 PM CST). I will then choose the winners and contact them through Youtube, so be watching your account this weekend! There will also be a chance to win an autographed photo of Peter Facinelli on BlogTV, so be watching for that too.