This is only a few days late, but I didn't want you to think I had abandoned you after such a surprising bit of knowledge was dropped on us from out of the blue. My overall impression was, as always, wonderful. I think I fall in love with your Edward a little more every day, and I actually like your Bella and the way she interacts with the Cullens. I think it may have something to do with the fact that she seems to fully accept her place with them and isn't questioning everything all the time. Thank you for writing that.
On to reviewing the chapter!
Thank you for opening up with Edward in a good mood after listening to Bella sleep talk. It was probably the sweetest way for him to learn that she cares about for him.
“I don’t… I don’t think I can.” Reading that just about broke my heart. This poor man really has absolutely nowhere else to go, does he? He knows nothing about the modern world and has no one he can confide in or trust besides the one family plus Bella who has taken him in. Watching him stare out into the world, wanting to be a part of it but being unable to, must be so hard. I feel more and more sorry for him with every passing day.
It would be interesting to know what Edward was thinking during the interaction between Bella and Alice. What was he seeing in Alice's thoughts? I do think it is nice that you gave Bella and Charlie some traditions too, even if in this case they do give her one less evening with our vamp. She still needs to have time with Charlie too.
“You… you’ll be back?” Again, another heartbreak line.
I liked seeing Carlisle's thoughts, but I'm a bit confused, is he or is he not spending more time at the hospital. First he says he's beeing spending more time at work since he can't stay at the house waiting for things to blow up then it says his attendance there has been sparse. I'm pretty sure you meant to say "house" rather than "hospital" but, if not, then I'm very confused.
It was interesting to see how much thoughts of Bella calmed Edward. I am happy Carlisle stumbled upon it and am keeping my fingers crossed that it will help him to develop a relationship with Edward on his own too. The coolest part was that Carlisle offered up the house to Edward. He really does want him to get better.
The attempts with sniffing the blood qas quite intelligent as well. I was wondering what Carlisle was going to do to get past that little habit of Edwards. I wonder how long it will be before he is able to drink blood on his own and will no longer have to be fed by others.
I love Bella's idea to actually get him outside and walking on the grass and everything. He needs to get out and there's no better time than the present. Random question though, why is he actually starting to read the book? It seems so weird that he didn't touch it for a while, then he suddenly decides it's worth it? *shrugs*
"He inhaled deeply and opened his eyes as he looked back to the window." This caught my eye because now I'm starting to wonder whether or not he is immune to Bella's scent. Maybe he didn't know what to make of it, but now that he's getting to be healthier, to include his reaction to blood, maybe she's starting to smell appetizing to him?
'“I won’t run,” he promised softly,' Is this because he doesn't want to, or he has been so trained by his captors not to run? I'm hoping the first, though the second seems more likely.
I also have to wonder if he wasn't so hesitant to step outside because he knew he was going to sparkle and was afraid it was going to scare Bella away? Except she had told him all about their time together and had seen the rest of the Cullens outside with Bella in Carlisle's memories... Or, maybe he was afraid of it himself because he hadn't seen his skin sparkling like that? Maybe it was going to be some sort of final proof thing to him that he was a vamp? Or my brain is stretching for an explanation besides him just being afraid of finally getting outside.
Having Edward feel her heart and then listen to it was much more touching here than just about any other scene I've ever read it in. Especially knowing that her heart beat is the only one he's heard that didn't include fear, either on his part or hers. Can we say "awww."
"Over and over he did this, relearning what the earth was like." Can I point out for the records, that I completely and totally hate whoever hid him away from the world for almost an entire century. Which up until about three paragraphs after reading this, I had thought for sure had to be vamps, but noooo, you had to go and ruin that little theory.
"before last week, I’d never seen another vampire.” So several questions then, none of which I have any answers for - if they weren't vamps, how did they hold him? How did he get changed? And what was the purpose of tossing him out while he was still alive? Gah! You've no idea how messed up I was after reading that. Seriously. I was half asleep sitting there going "Wait, what? Huh? How?" Before I gave up and tried to go to sleep only to have dreams of being caught half way in and out of a lab and the lights flickering and people maybe being there, but maybe no be. It was weird and I'm blaming this ending for my weird dreams. Well, at least for the creepy lab part.
We will get some sort of answer, right? Maybe even soon? Maybe? Please! Or if nothing else, at least a chapter with less of a cliffy? That's easier to ask for right?
Author's Response: I agree that it's nice to open with him in a better mood. He hasn't actually been shown in a "good mood" or anything close to it much.. if ever, so it really was significant that he sort of had a lighter attitude and smiled a little even ;)
It is sad that he has nowhere to go, he's really sort of lost in the world, doesn't necessarily have a place. Once he recovers and gets his own clothes and is able to function without freaking out hopefully he'll see that he does have other options, but for now, he's stuck. There's also another way to take that line, but I'll leave that up to the imagination x) It might be discussed on the board though :P
There are lots of scenes where it'd be really interesting to get into E's head, I'm very excited to maybe start trying at some point! And I'm glad you enjoyed their tradition -- poor charlie in this whole situation!
Carlisle! I love Carlisle deeply, and I LOVED that he offered up the house! Specifically that he walked away smilin'.. I can picture it, it's an aww moment :P
So the main reason I jumped the gun and responded to this review BEFORE I even hit ANY other reviews was your question about the sparse. I went back in and looked so that perhaps I could change it, and am still trying to figure out how it needs to be worded. His attendence at the hospital WAS sparse until late last week, when the Cullens had that confrontation and Carlisle ended up stompin' out. Like in the early days of having E, he was ALWAYS at home.. then they fed him, alice got her visions, they had their little argument, and it was in that mindset that he went back to working full time. HOWEVER, I can see that it's confusing, and I can see why, but I'm having a hard time rewording it so it makes sense. I'll keep thinking on it though :)
If we were using a human conditioning model, it could take forever IF he was EVER able to get over it... buuut since we're usin' vamps, and I get to take some liberties, you know.. Can't keep him reliant on the others for his whole life ;)
The book. Technically we don't know that he hasn't touched it. They get it on Thursday and she leaves it overnight, comes back on friday and it's in the same place. I don't believe that he touched it on thursday night. But then over the weekend we see bella POV, where she opens it, reads it, and he shows interest in it. Then Bella goes to bed and I doubt he would touch it through the night, but then bella leaves after the weekend, and a few days pass where I don't give the events. It's entirely possible that he looks at it when she's not there and we just don't get that from her POV.. OR the other way of looking at it is that Bella just left it on the bed when she left Tuesday night, because Carlisle went in very shortly after she left. Either way, it'll be told whether or not he reads it at some point :)
I like to think he said he wouldn't run because he doesn't want to :) At this point he knows he can leave, she said she won't stop him, he's gotta know he's stronger at least (I mean, he HAS to, he tightens his hand on her wrist multiple times without hurting her), and she flat out tells him he's faster. I think it's desire not to, personally ;)
For the sparkles.. they actually did find him outside. So if he'd never been outside -- that's always something to consider -- how he ended up outside when they found him. And it was mid afternoon, so he would've sparkled then. But he was really out of it, soo. I guess what it comes down to is of course I won't answer, but I'm down for making more questions! :P
LOL lots of questions! I guess you reintroduce the question that I just asked, but I'm reading the review as I type the response, so, yes! WHY was he left in the woods! DREAMS! I'm sorry for making you dream about labs! :P
Ok, for the last little bit, which I have some things to say on.
OF COURSE YOU WILL GET AN ANSWER! (but it'd be hella funny if I never gave it), but no, there WILL BE AN ANSWER as to what happened, how, why, how, who, how, etc. Soon? I'm not sure. I'm not all for divulging all of the info in one sitting, so it'll be spread out among chaps, but it'll all be there and form one big answer in the end. Whether people buy it, stick with me, etc, or not, it'll be there!
And as for cliffys! I specifically said to jill: "Do you consider this a cliffy, because I dont" and we agreed that.. this isnt' necessarily a cliffy, just a huge piece of info dropped at the end.. which I often have to do, so that everything isn't given away in one chapter. I really am trying not to make them actual cliffys.. like, we know what's going to happen, it's not he's got his teeth pressed against her neck and he's about to bite..
But in the interest of not just telling everything right there, I feel like I have to end it, to regroup, so I can continue next chap. There's nothing even saying that I will take place right where I left off at the beginning of ch.16, which is why, in my entirely too verbose reasoning, I did not consider this a cliffy.
NOOOOOOOOW. I think I've responded to everything I'm willing to respond to about this review, this repsonse is possibly longer than the entire chapter, but.. I hope I cleared something up, if not, hit me up on the threads or pm me!
Thanks SO MUCH FOR THIS EPIC REVIEW BB. I LOVE IT!! :)
