Chapter Six (in which Bella becomes a serious collector)

Finally, Chapter Six-- we're officially a quarter of the way through the book, kids. Fortunately for all of us, it's a fairly linear chapter and should be easy to summarize. So, let's get down to business, and I can spend the rest of the afternoon with my nose buried in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, savoring some REAL absurdist fiction.

CHAPTER SUMMARY-- It finally stops raining in Forks long enough for Bella, Mike, and everyone else we've come across so far (sans the Cullen clan, of course) to go to the beach. This particular beach is on or near the local Indian-- pardon, NATIVE AMERICAN-- reservation, so some teenagers from the reservation end up joining the beachgoers. One of them is Jacob, who is a year or two younger than Bella and remembers her from childhood. He's friendly and easy to talk to, so while the rest of the group takes turns vying for each others' attention in a grand display of high-school social politics, Bella and Jacob strike up a conversation. Eventually (inevitably) the Cullens are mentioned, and one of the other reservation teens says forbiddingly that they don't come to the beach. Edward-obsessed (Ed-sessed? Can I say that?) Bella is curious, and very suddenly starts flirting with Jacob in order to weasel some information out of him. Jacob proves to be quite susceptible to the old eyelash-batting routine, and once they're off to themselves, he quickly blurts out the whole story: legend has it that his ancestors were werewolves. At some point they called a truce with a family of the 'Cold Ones' (vampires, not beers) who claimed to never harm humans. He adds that the Cold Ones of legend are the same bunch of Cullens that currently live in Forks. Bella finds this all disturbingly interesting, but soon it's time to leave with her friends, and she spends the ride home pondering.

NOTABLE NOTES--

1. Mr. Dr. Cullen is named Carlisle. He's apparently quite ancient, so his name might be helpful to know. Or, I can just keep calling him Mr. Dr. Cullen because I think it's funny.

2. Bella's Dad bought her truck from Jacob's dad. Their dads are friends. It'll probably come up later.

3. A single beer is often referred to as a 'cold one'. This is generally well-known, so someone should tell Stephenie Meyer.

INTENSITY OF EDWARD'S STARE-- Difficult to say since he wasn't in the chapter, but I think we can be sure that, wherever he was, he was smoldering.