Special NLB Twilight Soiree – Discussion 4
And you accused me of dazzling people…
“Lauren said something about you – she was trying to provoke me. And an older boy from the tribe said your family didn’t come to the reservation, only it sounded like he meant something different. So I got Jacob alone and I tricked it out of him,” I admitted, hanging my head.
He startled me by laughing. I glared up at him. He was laughing, but his eyes were fierce, staring ahead.
“Tricked him how?” he asked.
“I tried to flirt – it worked better than I thought it would.” Disbelief coloured my tone as I remembered.
“I’d like to have seen that.” He chuckled darkly. “And you accused me of dazzling people – poor Jacob Black.”
I blushed and looked out my window into the night.
“What did you do then?” he asked after a minute.
“I did some research on the Internet.”
“And did that convince you?” His voice sounded barely interested. But his hands were clamped hard onto the steering wheel.
“No. Nothing fit. Most of it was kind of silly. And then…” I stopped.
“What?”
“I decided it didn’t matter,” I whispered.
“It didn’t matter?” His tone made me look up – I had finally broken through his carefully composed mask. His face was incredulous, with just a hint of the anger I’d feared.
“No,” I said softly. “It doesn’t matter to me what you are.”
A hard, mocking edge entered his voice. “You don’t care if I’m a monster? If I’m not human?”
“No.”
He was silent, staring straight ahead again. His face was bleak and cold.
“You’re angry,” I sighed. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“No,” he said, but his tone was as hard as his face. “I’d rather know what you’re thinking – even if what you’re thinking is insane.”
“So I’m wrong again?” I challenged.
“That’s not what I was referring to. ‘It doesn’t matter’!” he quoted, gritting his teeth together.
“I’m right?” I gasped.
“Does it matter?”
I took a deep breath.
“Not really.” I paused. “But I am curious.” My voice, at least, was composed.
He was suddenly resigned. “What are you curious about?”
“How old are you?”
“Seventeen,” he answered promptly.
“And how long have you been seventeen?”
His lips twitched as he stared at the road. “A while,” he admitted at last.
Extract from the book Twilight
By Stephenie Meyer
All Rights Reserved.
New York: Little, Brown and Co., 2005
Call Number: Y English MEY
Recommended Reads
Available at NLB
Title: The night wanderer: a native gothic novel
by Drew Hayden Taylor
Call Number: Y English TAY
Title: The Bleeding Dusk
by Colleen Gleason
Call Number: English GLE -[RO]
Title: Sunshine
by Robin McKinley
Call Number: English MAC
If you could choose an age to remain at forever, what age would it be and why?
December 4th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
If I could choose an age to remain at forever, it would be 16. I want to be young forever and I bet no one wants to be old and aging. No one wants to have wrinkles and white hair growing. You’ll think, “Oh my, I’ve grown old and I have white hair growing. How I wish I could be young again.” 16 years old is young and being 16 in a secondary school means the last year in secondary school and you’ll be sitting for your important examination which is O levels. Being 16 is also cool, you can get a little freedom and space from your parents and people may think you’re an adult. On top of that, being 16 is young. People will regard you as a young adult.
December 4th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
Hmmmmmmmmm…………..I’d have to say 21 cuz then you can drink! LOL! But really, then no one can complain about you being too young or too old!
December 14th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Mmmmm…I would wish to be a baby to remain forever as we would not need to study! we could play all the days and eat,play sleep is our scheldule!
December 30th, 2008 at 9:52 am
Early twenties. I will have my freedom to do things I wanna do. Not only that, I won’t be treated as a child by others and yet have my share of child care from my parents. Two birds with one stone. Hahaha!
January 12th, 2009 at 10:49 am
I will wanna be forever 21!!Legal age of cause! But that only applies if there are someone like Edward Cullen is around, otherwise, living forever will be a pain.
On top of that, being 21 doesnt require you to repeat years and years of studies!
Imagine being a ‘vegetarian’ vampire in SG. Whr can you eat? Haha
January 21st, 2009 at 7:51 pm
I would choose to be a baby. As babies are so happy-go-lucky, so innocent, so cute. They won’t get blamed for anything they do. And, you don’t really have to study much.
February 3rd, 2009 at 8:52 pm
Hmm. I would like to stay at 13. Everything seemed so perfect when I was 13.
March 5th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
It would be 30 as adults canhelp the society more than children. I can also watch movies little kiddies cannot watch!
March 5th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
It would be 37 as adults canhelp the society more than children. I can also watch movies little kiddies cannot watch!
March 8th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
I don’t mind any age as long as I am a still child. After all, our childhoods are the best times of our lives.
March 16th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Its funny that I chanced upon this site and this topic is up when I just watched ‘Tuck everlasting’ [shown at Home to 5]yesterday.
In that movie the Tuck family unknowingly drank spring water in a forest that makes them immortals. In comes the heroin – the girl who was in Gilmore girls – Alexis Bledel { i think} who is tempted to drink the water but was advised by Tuck senior that to be alive always or to be 17 all the time is not living in itself. They are stuck in their predicament, wanting to lead the natural life – dying is a natural process but that wew denied to them. so they just Are – like rocks along the pathways. There but not LIVING. Living a life is not measured by how long you live but by how you live it. So I say Live your life meaningfully so that on your death bed you have no regrets.
May 6th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
I wouldn’t choose to stay at any particular age forever. I feel that at different stages of our lives, we get to experience different encounters; and these encounters mould us to be a wiser person. We should live our lives meaningfully no matter what age we are.
May 19th, 2009 at 10:58 am
I would be 21 years old, never get tired of driving. But the best is to live and to die. Growing old is cool. You’ll have white hair and saggy skin all over you. Drinking coffee and listening to birds is what i do best when i grow old i suppose.
May 19th, 2009 at 10:59 am
21 is the perfect age to stay forever.We can handle our own problems , such as signing papers and take our driving license.and at the age of 21 our parents wont be so worried obout us.
May 21st, 2009 at 3:06 pm
I rather be forever 18. Young & dangrous.
June 8th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
I’ll choose to stay 6 forever! Its fun when you are young and innocent and know nothing, and you get excited easily by little things and are not yet jaded.
June 20th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
I would want to be 12 so i can have more freedom for movies to see and games to play.
June 21st, 2009 at 12:47 pm
I will choose to stay forever as a baby! Being a baby, there is nothing to worry about. All my needs and wants are taken care of by my parents. I do not have to worry about all things under the sun. Life will be so carefree and enjoyable. However, I have to spare a thought for my parents who have to take care of this mindless baby for their whole life. Haha…
June 29th, 2009 at 2:35 am
I’d say 11. Sweet childhood, so free of worries and stress. I cannot say how much I miss my life back then.
May 16th, 2012 at 4:59 am
Another issue is that video games can be serious in nature with the primary focus on understanding rather than fun. Although, there is an entertainment aspect to keep your children engaged, each game will likely be designed to focus on a specific set of skills or programs, such as mathmatical or research. Thanks for your post.