Book Read Free

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Page 25

by Stephenie Meyer


  Two weeks later, Sam reappeared. He gave no explanation for his absence, and from that time forward he was a changed person. Leah knew there was something big he wasn't telling her, but she had no idea what it could be. She tried to give him space to resolve whatever the problem was, and continued to love and support him.

  Not long after that, Leah's second cousin Emily Young came to La Push. Emily was Leah's closest girlfriend--almost a sister--and a frequent visitor. She had met Sam several times before this visit. But this time, when Sam came over to see Leah, he saw Emily for the first time since his disappearance. Leah didn't understand his bizarre behavior. He left very quickly, but came back later that night to break up with Leah. She could tell he was truly devastated, but she didn't understand what could have happened to change him so completely. She understood more when Emily came to her and told her--with dismay--that Sam was pursuing her. Leah, who had wanted to give Sam the benefit of the doubt, because clearly something very odd was going on with him, could no longer imagine that he had any excuse. She became furious with him. Emily supported her, and Leah relied on Emily's refusal of Sam's pursuit.

  Leah started to realize that Emily was spending a great deal of time with Sam, ostensibly rejecting him. She became suspicious. Then she heard that Emily had been mauled by a bear and that Sam was inconsolable about it. Initially, she was mostly concerned about Emily's well-being. However, it became clear shortly after the accident that Sam and Emily were a couple, and Leah's concern turned into bitterness. Part of her felt like Emily had gotten what she deserved.

  Emily asked for forgiveness, but Leah wouldn't speak to her.

  Leah kept her distance from Emily and Sam as much as possible. Emily asked for forgiveness, but Leah wouldn't speak to her.

  Leah was so angry that her whole body started shaking, and then she exploded into a werewolf in their small living room.

  Time passed, and Leah found herself growing angrier than she had been before, though there was no new catalyst for her feelings. She flew into a rage over the smallest irritants, sometimes getting so angry that she would physically shake. Privately, she worried about this change in her nature, and wondered if she needed counseling or medication. Before she had time to think it over more, she phased for the first time. She was arguing with her mother about her mood swings, and her father joined the conversation in support of her mother. Leah was so angry that her whole body started shaking, and then she exploded into a werewolf in their small living room. She didn't touch either of her parents in the process, though she did destroy a couch. However, the shock of Leah phasing triggered her father's fatal heart attack. Harry was aware of the reality of werewolves, and expected to someday deal with that issue with Seth, but he was so secure in his belief that only male ancestors had the potential to phase that he missed the signs with Leah. He was completely shocked. Reacting to the chaos and horror of the moment, Leah's little brother, Seth, also phased, though he was younger than the usual age.

  It was extremely difficult for Leah to deal with her first weeks as a werewolf. She'd just lost her father and blamed herself for his death, though of course she'd done nothing to hurt him intentionally. Sam was the usual guide for the new wolves, the one who explained everything to the newcomers and assigned the roles in the pack; there couldn't have been a harder person for Leah to have to face. It was even worse because now, knowing the whole truth, she could no longer blame him for his actions. There was no choice but to forgive both him and Emily, and that took so much that Leah had few emotional resources left to deal gracefully with any other problem. She did agree to support Emily by being a bridesmaid at the wedding. She tried not to show how much that hurt her, but as a wolf, there was no way for her to keep secrets.

  The shared-thoughts aspect of being a wolf was definitely the hardest part for Leah. The second hardest was trying to understand the changes in her human body--the halt of her menstrual cycle, specifically--and what that might mean for her future. The only thing she really enjoyed was being faster than the others.

  FAMOUS QUOTES

  "This is making me sick, Jacob. Can you imagine what this feels like to me? I don't even like Bella Swan. And you've got me grieving over this leech-lover like I'm in love with her, too. Can you see where that might be a little confusing? I dreamed about kissing her last night! What the hell am I supposed to do with that?" Eclipse, Epilogue

  "You think I'm just going to sit home while my little brother volunteers as a vampire chew toy?" Breaking Dawn, Chapter 12

  "Give me a break, Jacob. You can phase in front of me. Despite my best efforts, I've seen you naked before--doesn't do much for me, so no worries." Breaking Dawn, Chapter 13

  "I'm a genetic dead end and we both know it." Breaking Dawn, Chapter 16

  EMBRY CALL

  NAME: Embry Call

  DATE OF BIRTH: 1990

  QUILEUTE STATUS: Werewolf Alpha Third, under Jacob

  WEREWOLF GENE SOURCE: Unknown

  HUMAN HAIR COLOR: Black

  WOLF COAT COLOR: Gray with dark spots

  EYE COLOR: Brown

  HEIGHT: 6'4"

  PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Embry is almost as tall as Jacob, but more slender. Until his transformation, his hair was chin length. After that, he cropped it short.

  EDUCATION/OCCUPATION: He attends the high school on the reservation. He is a protector of La Push.

  FAMILY MEMBERS: He lives with his mother, Tiffany.

  PERSONAL HISTORY:

  Tiffany Call moved to La Push while she was pregnant with Embry. Tiffany was of Makah descent, with no known connection to anyone in La Push, and people wondered why she would relocate. However, as time passed she became an established member of the community and people stopped speculating about her past.

  Embry grew up with Jacob Black and Quil Ateara. He was especially close to Jacob. They both were interested in automotives and liked to ride dirt bikes together.

  His transformation was a shock to the rest of the wolves: Only descendants of Taha Aki had the ability to become werewolves.

  Embry was the fourth werewolf to join the present-day pack. His transformation was a shock to the rest of the wolves: Only descendants of Taha Aki had the ability to become werewolves. Because Embry's mother had no genetic connection to the Quileute Tribe, Embry's ability to transform had to have been inherited from his father. The men with the strongest connection to the last pack were therefore the men most likely to be Embry's father. Those men were Billy Black, Joshua Uley, and Quil Ateara IV--all three of whom were married at the time of Embry's conception--making Quil, Jacob, or Sam Embry's half-brother.

  This information caused some strain in the tribe, but for the most part the wolves ignored it. Embry wanted to ask his mother for the truth--she had always said his father was someone she had not known well and had lost track of before Embry was born. Now Embry knew this story wasn't true, but he was unable to tell his mother why he knew. Because he had to keep his werewolf heritage a secret, he was unable to confront her.

  FAMOUS QUOTES

  "Well, the wolf's out of the bag now." New Moon, Chapter 14

  "I bet she's tougher than that. She runs with vampires." New Moon, Chapter 14

  SETH CLEARWATER

  NAME: Seth Clearwater

  DATE OF BIRTH: 1992

  QUILEUTE STATUS: Werewolf pack member

  WEREWOLF GENE SOURCE: Ateara, Black, and Uley lines

  HUMAN HAIR COLOR: Black

  WOLF COAT COLOR: Sandy

  EYE COLOR: Brown

  HEIGHT: Nearly 6'0"

  PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Seth has a very long, gangly build. His face is youthful, and his huge grin is reminiscent of Jacob's when he was younger.

  EDUCATION/OCCUPATION: He attends the high school on the reservation. He is a protector of La Push.

  FAMILY MEMBERS: Seth's father, Harry, is deceased. He lives with his mother, Sue, and his older sister, Leah.

  PERSONAL HISTORY:

  When Seth's older sister,
Leah, phased in front of the family one night, the shock caused their father, Harry, who already had a weak heart, to have a fatal cardiac arrest. The upheaval all around him catalyzed Seth's own transformation, earlier than it would normally have happened; he phased that night, too.

  Although Seth was deeply saddened by the death of his father, he accepted his transformation far better than Leah did hers. He didn't have the same challenges to deal with. Seth enjoyed being a werewolf. He saw being a pack member as a cool kind of magic that made him special, rather than viewing it as a curse. He is known in the pack for having the best hearing.

  Seth is the most open-minded of the wolves. He sees the Cullens not as monsters, but as individuals who have chosen to live in a way that makes them good guys.

  FAMOUS QUOTE

  "Lucky thing Ness--Renesmee's not venomous. 'Cause she bites Jake all the time." Breaking Dawn, Chapter 23

  QUIL ATEARA V

  NAME: Quil Ateara V

  DATE OF BIRTH: 1990

  QUILEUTE STATUS: Werewolf pack member

  WEREWOLF GENE SOURCE: Ateara and Black lines

  HUMAN HAIR COLOR: Black

  WOLF COAT COLOR: Chocolate brown

  EYE COLOR: Brown

  HEIGHT: Over 6'0"

  PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Quil is shorter than Embry, but is more muscular. He has an impish grin, and he wears his hair in a near buzz cut.

  EDUCATION/OCCUPATION: He attends the high school on the reservation. He is a protector of La Push.

  FAMILY MEMBERS: He is the son of the late Quil Ateara IV and Joy Quehpa Ateara. Quil Ateara III, also known as Old Quil, is his grandfather.

  PERSONAL HISTORY:

  Quil's great-grandfather was Quil Ateara II, who helped form the treaty with the Cullen family. His father, Quil IV, died when Quil was a young child, leaving his mother, Joy, to raise him on her own. She had the help of her father-in-law, Quil Ateara III, commonly known as Old Quil, who functioned more like a father than a grandfather to Quil. Quil is one of Jacob Black's best friends, as well as his second cousin.

  Quil was the sixth person to join the Quileute werewolf pack. For some time, he'd been aware of the drastic changes in his close friends' lives, without knowing the reason for those changes. He was relieved to learn the truth and pleased to be with his friends again. His easy transition was challenged when he became the third member of the tribe to imprint on a human female. Unlike Sam and Jared, who had imprinted on girls of roughly their own age, the object of Quil's imprinting was a young child. This caused much upheaval in the pack.

  According to legend, imprinting was a rare event that the majority of werewolves would never experience.

  Of lesser concern was the fact that so many members of the pack were imprinting; according to legend, imprinting was a rare event that the majority of werewolves would never experience. The other members of the pack began to worry that they would all imprint, and should therefore eschew normal relationships for fear of hurting an innocent bystander the way Leah had been hurt by Sam. The pack theorized that the increase in imprinting frequency was due to the continued presence of the large Cullen coven; their genetic subconscious was compensating for the constant vampire threat, pushing all of them toward paths that would result in a strengthened werewolf presence. Of course, that theory was dependent upon the truth of their first theory--that imprinting existed in order to pass on the werewolf gene. A theory that, in light of Jacob's imprinting experience, has been called into question.

  The bigger concern was, of course, Claire's age; she was two at the time. Though there were ancient legends that told of such situations, the werewolves had discounted them as empty stories. That this myth could be true seemed more horrific than the rest of the legends they'd come to accept. From the outside it looked depraved, as they were well aware. However, from the inside, there could be nothing more pure than Quil's feelings for Claire. That he would never do anything to hurt her in any way, mentally or physically, was mandated by the bond between them. All the wolves could experience the nature of his feelings for her, so they knew exactly how deep it was--and also how platonic it was. But they knew it was something that outsiders would not be able to understand, so they kept the imprinting as secret as possible.

  Quil could only be content with his situation. As long as Claire was happy and safe, he was satisfied with life.

  Quil could only be content with his situation. As long as Claire was happy and safe, he was satisfied with life.

  FAMOUS QUOTE

  "You know, Jake, maybe you should think about getting a life." Breaking Dawn, Chapter 8

  The Uley Pack

  SAM ULEY

  NAME: Sam Uley

  DATE OF BIRTH: 1986

  QUILEUTE STATUS: Werewolf Alpha

  WEREWOLF GENE SOURCE: Uley line

  HUMAN HAIR COLOR: Black

  WOLF COAT COLOR: Black

  EYE COLOR: Brown

  HEIGHT: 6'6"

  PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Sam is very tall, with cropped black hair.

  EDUCATION/OCCUPATION: He attended the high school on the reservation. He is currently the leader of the original wolf pack.

  FAMILY MEMBERS: He is the only child of Joshua and Allison Uley. He has imprinted on Emily Young.

  PERSONAL HISTORY:

  Sam was raised on the Quileute reservation by his mother, Allison. The stress of providing for a family was too much for his father, who left when Sam was very young. Sam took on most of what should have been his father's responsibilities, and as a result, he was always mature for his age. He had been taught the old werewolf legends about his great-grandfather, Levi Uley, but like everyone else of his generation, Sam believed they were myths.

  When he was a senior in high school, Sam became the first of his generation to phase into a werewolf. He had no idea what had happened to him. Totally panicked, he hid deep in the forest for two weeks. Finally, he calmed down enough that he turned back into a human while he slept. He snuck home and told no one about his experience. He wouldn't talk to his mother or to his long-term girlfriend, Leah Clearwater. He believed he'd gone insane and was having delusions.

  Sam's high body temperature and recent unexplained disappearance made the situation clear to Old Quil.

  Sam lived in fear of another attack until the day Old Quil Ateara stopped by to see Allison and happened to shake Sam's hand. Old Quil had been taught to recognize the signs of a werewolf who has already phased, or is about to. Sam's high body temperature and recent unexplained disappearance made the situation clear to Old Quil. He called an emergency meeting with the other tribal elders, Billy Black and Harry Clearwater. They were the last surviving members of the tribe who had seen an actual werewolf transformation. That night they went to Sam's house and asked him to attend their council meeting. Sam respected them enough to go with them, though he assumed they were only going to castigate him for his strange behavior. Instead, they were able to tell him exactly what he'd just been through. He was stunned to realize that he'd known the explanation all along. The elders gave him as much information as they could, but, as none of them had ever personally experienced being a werewolf, their instruction was incomplete. They told Sam that he could expect new werewolves to join him as they became old enough, and that he would have to keep everything he now knew a secret. They also told him that vampires were real, living just a few miles from the tribe, and responsible for what was happening to him.

  The idea that his friends and family were in danger from real-life vampires made him furious.

  Sam was relieved to know he wasn't insane, and comforted by the fact that at least three people understood. But being a literal werewolf seemed to him only slightly better than being insane. He took his responsibility toward the tribe very seriously from the outset. The idea that his friends and family were in danger from real-life vampires made him furious. He started practicing his phasing and trying to control it, but coming at it blind and alone, he made only slow progress.

  His re
lationship with his mother and Leah remained difficult because he couldn't give them any information about what had happened or where he was now spending his time. His mother was somewhat reassured because he was with the elders so often; she felt he was in good hands, at least. Leah, on the other hand, refused to be placated. She demanded answers that Sam couldn't give. The relationship was very strained, but not broken. They loved each other too much to let a fight, no matter how serious, come between them. Hundreds of times Sam was tempted to just tell her the truth. The knowledge that she would never believe him helped him keep his secret. He swore to her that he was not involved in anything criminal, and also that there was no other woman. They still spent as much time together as possible, though it was less than before. The elders warned him to keep his distance, but he didn't fully understand the danger; he'd never seen the transformation from the outside.

  Not long after his own transformation, Jared Cameron and then Paul Lahote also phased for the first time. The elders kept watch over the tribe and called Sam whenever they thought there was something going on. For example, when Jared failed to come home one night, Jared's father called Billy for help. Billy contacted Sam; Sam phased and located Jared. Sam was able to coach Jared and Paul through the difficult transition. They bonded through shared experience and their mutual secret. They became extremely close and spent most of their time together. They were able to help one another when one of them got angry.

  Then Leah's cousin Emily Young came for a weekend visit. It wasn't an unusual event; Sam had met Emily several times during his years with Leah. He liked Emily, and he liked that Emily was a good friend to Leah. Sam knew the stories about imprinting, and he now believed that--like the werewolf stories--they were based in fact. However, he never imagined that imprinting would affect his own life. When he arrived at the Clearwaters' that night, Leah met Sam at the front door and led him to the yard, where the rest of the family was chatting while Harry barbecued. He was still holding hands with Leah when he saw Emily.

 

‹ Prev