The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (67 page)

• Alice and Jasper leave hurriedly

• Bella tells Jacob that it’s over, that they’ve all been sentenced to die

• Alice and Jasper are gone

• Alice leaves a note listing the friends the Cullens need as witnesses

• Alice also leaves a secret note for Bella, in a copy of
The Merchant of Venice
, about J. Jenks; Bella realizes she needs to keep the note from Edward

• The Cullens split up to find their witnesses; Edward and Bella stay home to let their expected visitors see Renesmee for themselves

• Bella wants to learn to fight so she can defend herself and her family

Edward explains the Volturi’s strengths; Bella hopes she is immune to some of their gifts

• The Denalis arrive and are horrified to see Renesmee, who they think is an immortal child

Edward convinces them that Renesmee is half-vampire, half-human; they each let Renesmee touch them and show them her story

• The Denalis agree to witness, and feel sad that Irina is the cause of the danger

• Eleazar, who has the gift of sensing the gifts of others, mentions that Bella is a shield

Bella and Edward are surprised; Kate wonders if Bella can project her shield onto others

• Under the circumstances, Eleazar has to rethink his opinion of the Volturi

Eleazar thinks the Volturi are coming not to punish, but to acquire

• More witnesses arrive; the explanations start again

• The Cullens’ house is crowded with visitors: the Denalis, Peter and Charlotte, the Irish clan, the Egyptians, a few nomads, the Amazons, the Romanians

A few refuse to touch Renesmee, but agree to witness

•
Kate and Zafrina try to help Bella learn to project her shield; Bella wants to be able to protect her loved ones

• Bella practices on Edward; Garrett meets Kate

• Bella takes Renesmee and Jacob to visit Charlie; there are twenty-seven vampires in the Cullen house

• Bella leaves to find J. Jenks, a lawyer who provides forged documents

Bella understands that Alice has given her a chance to save Renesmee; she knows that this means she and Edward must have no chance of surviving; she decides that Jacob can run with Renesmee to safety; J. Jenks tells her the documents will be ready in a week

• Bella buys a Christmas present for Renesmee—an antique gold locket inscribed with the words
more than my own life

• Edward knows Bella is keeping something from him

• Bella is happy that Jacob and Renesmee might survive, and glad that she and Edward will die together

• Bella, Edward, Renesmee, and Jacob spend Christmas with Charlie and the pack

• They return home to find that one of the nomads, Alistair, has run off

An Egyptian, Amun, thinks Carlisle is trying to steal half his coven; several vampires commit to fighting the Volturi; others are hesitant; the wolves are ready to fight alongside the vampires

• Bella picks up the documents from J. Jenks

Bella fills a little backpack for Renesmee: documents, money, instructions, love notes

• The entire group prepares to meet the Volturi

“O
N HER WRIST WAS AN INTRICATELY BRAIDED
Q
UILEUTE VERSION OF A PROMISE RING
. E
DWARD HAD GRITTED HIS TEETH OVER THAT ONE
….”

—Bella, on the bracelet Jacob gives Renesmee (
Breaking Dawn
, Chapter 34)

• The Volturi come with pageantry—slowly, with the pace of the invincible

Bella counts thirty-two Volturi, plus about forty witnesses

•
The wolves, now numbering seventeen, join the Cullens; the Volturi halt

• Edward reads their layers of strategy for finding guilt

• Carlisle greets Aro, and explains that no law has been broken

Aro wants to hear from Edward; Bella is so angry that she flings her shield across the field with no effort; Aro next wants to see Renesmee

• Aro is convinced that Renesmee is not an immortal child

Aro wonders if the werewolves could be loyal to him

• Aro confers with Caius; the Volturi’s witnesses grow uneasy

Bella inspects her shield, wraps it closer around her allies

• Caius proclaims that an alliance with werewolves is against their law

Edward explains that the wolves are shape-shifters, not true werewolves

• Caius calls for Irina

Irina refuses to make a formal complaint, and takes responsibility for her mistake; Caius executes Irina; Carlisle and Garrett restrain Irina’s sisters, Tanya and Kate

• The Volturi witnesses are suspicious; Aro’s need for an audience has backfired; the Romanians murmur in glee

Aro speaks with a few of the Cullens’ witnesses; the Volturi drift closer; Aro declares that they need to know with absolute certainty what Renesmee will become if she is to live; Garrett gives a speech about tyranny and freedom; Aro is amused

• More of the Volturi’s witnesses retreat

Aro, Caius, and Marcus counsel together

• Bella sees the danger coming; she kisses Renesmee goodbye and instructs Jacob to run away with her as soon as the Volturi are distracted

Carlisle acknowledges that there’s no hope; there are goodbyes and murmured expressions of love

• While Aro, Caius, and Marcus “counsel,” Chelsea tries to break the Cullens’ emotional ties but can’t find them

Edward asks Bella if she’s shielding them, and she confirms that she is; Jane
sends sharp jabs at Bella’s shield, but the shield remains undamaged; Jane is furious; Alec takes over; a strange haze oozes toward the shield, but swirls harmlessly around the edges

• Aro calls for a vote

Caius votes to destroy Renesmee; Marcus sees no immediate danger; Aro must cast the deciding vote

• Edward asks to clarify one point; he asks Aro if they’ll be forgiven if they can prove that Renesmee is not a threat; Aro agrees

• Edward invites Alice into the clearing

Alice has returned from South America with an olive-skinned female vampire named Huilen and her nephew, Nahuel

• Huilen tells their story; Nahuel is half-vampire, half-human; he matured at seven years and has not changed since; he can drink blood or eat human food

Nahuel has sisters, all of whom are nonvenomous

• Aro declares that he sees no threat

• The Volturi leave

• Cheers erupt from the Cullens and friends

Bella promises Renesmee that they’ll be together forever

• All the Cullens’ friends return to their homes

The Romanians are extremely disappointed but have enjoyed the Volturi’s cowardice; Garrett leaves with Kate; the Cullens have a joyous reunion with Alice and Jasper

• Edward explains that the Volturi’s confidence has been shattered

They have never before been outnumbered, the wolves frightened them, and they were terrified of Bella’s power; Alice gave them an excuse to get out of the fight

• Bella pushes her shield away from her mind, and Edward is able to read her thoughts for the first time

• The “happily ever after” begins

T
hough, unlike Bella, I do speak
Car and Driver
to an extent, I would never classify myself as an expert. I wanted this section to offer a rundown on each of the vehicles appearing in the Twilight Saga, so I turned to my usual adviser on all things automotive: my younger brother
—
and car enthusiast
—
Jacob Morgan. Jacob wrote the following piece, which sheds light not only on the characters’ views of vehicles themselves—describing them in more detail than I’m capable of—but also the way those vehicles reflect the personalities of the characters who drive them. Enjoy! (And never let a mechanic talk down to you.)