Complicated yes.

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Twilight Chapter eleven: Complications


Out of all the chapters and incidents we've seen so far, they've all been rather disturbing. Bella's utter self interest, Edward's creepy stalkiness, everyone's utter fawning over Bella for no good damn reason. But this chapter, this chapter bothers me the most.


It begins with Bella and Edward walking into biology class with everyone looking at them. Reasonable, as Edward is the doesn't date anyone guy and Bella is... Bella. The teacher shows them a movie. Bell and Edward spend the entire movie trying not to touch each other. Bella has become hyper aware of Edward's presence in the dark and it's like electricity between them. Edward, she notices, is also having the same issues about the whole touchy thing.

Since they have agreed to sort of be dating, I don't see why they don't touch... but that could just be me. At least they don't have to have the whole "A crazy impulse to reach over and
touch him, to stroke his perfect face just once in the darkness, nearly overwhelmed me. I crossed my arms tightly across my chest, my hands balling into fists. I was losing my mind." It's like some sort of weird magnetism going on. If they touch they'll slam into each other and not be able to separate. I guess it would be a physical manifestation of their obsession.

And a kinda weird image.

Bella is worried, as Edward walks her to gym, that her balance -physical one - is affected by the intensity of their sitting in class and not touching each other. When they do get to gym, however:

He raised his hand, hesitant, conflict raging in his eyes, and then
swiftly brushed the length of my cheekbone with his fingertips. His skin
was as icy as ever, but the trail his fingers left on my skin was
alarmingly warm — like I'd been burned, but didn't feel the pain of it
yet.

Icy fingers not so much of a turn on, I think. And I'm not so sure about the warm trail either. But I think this is supposed to be representative of their first kiss. Bella seems to have that same reaction. As Meyers is Mormon it is likely this is how she is expressing their first kiss. This is, of course, my guess. It just has that same intensity that other books show at the first kiss. The problem with it really is that the touch is a bit too sexualized, too intense for just a touch. A shiver of delight surprise might be a better description for it. Or even just the holding of hands while they walked to gym. This would have been a more appropriate first touching gesture. Especially with how awkward the two of them are together.

Then we get another Bella Is Exceptionally Clumsy at Gym scene. This time it's badminton and beating on poor Mike. At one point "I somehow managed to hit myself in the head with
my racket and clip Mike's shoulder on the same swing." No one is that clumsy. I'm not even sure if that's physically possible. Bella's feats of clumsiness seem to require extreme skill. This sort of motion you'd have to be aiming directly for your face and a racket swing doesn't move like that. It's like she's trying to injure herself.

The clumsiness has moved on from "character flaw" to forced beyond reality clumsiness. Seriously she's got a negative three penalty on her dexterity stat.

Of course, as long as Bella is in danger of hurting herself then Edward has a place in protecting her. He has a reason to follow her around and make sure she doesn't do anything stupid. She needs a guardian angel to make sure she doesn't die. Of course, it's not like she's reckless or anything which might be a more appropriate flaw for her. This way Edward could be her voice of reason. Telling her to not do such things and thus protecting her that way. It would also be a way for them to build up their relationship and garner a bit of trust. Bella learning to trust Edward's judgment on such things.

A much more plausible flaw beyond this one that goes beyond physics.

Fortunately Mike manages to save the day and the game despite being hit by Bella. This makes Bella feel all warm and fuzzy inside... until Mike asks about her and Edward. He says he doesn't like it because it looks like Edward wants to eat her. Well yeah. The fact that Mike is showing some concern for Bella in such a way that he doesn't think that she should be with Edward automatically makes him a bad guy. Bella also wants to send Jessica down to "the fiery pits of Hades". The cussing in this book is rather jarring. It always knocks me out of the book because it's not right to today's idioms of speech. A girl with Bella's attitude would not be saying things like "Holy crow" or "fiery pits of Hades". In any case showing concern against something Bella wants is an immediate cause of dislike.

Of course, as soon as she leaves Mike she begins to wonder if Edward will be waiting for her. Because Edward is important. Edward does show up, and there is some banter as he drives her home, leaving her with the threat of tomorrow being his turn to ask questions.

This is when it gets interesting.

When Edward picks her up the next day he starts asking her questions, like what's her favorite color, what CD is in your car (of which Edward happens to have the same exact copy of), favorite movies, favorite books, where she'd like to go, where has she been. All sorts of trivial and sort of creepy questions. These are the sort of things that a stalker would write down in a notebook and keep at his shrine of Bella. Edward does this "While he walked me to
English, when he met me after Spanish, all through the lunch hour, he questioned me relentlessly about every insignificant detail of my existence."

She expresses only confusion as to why he would want to know such details. After all, they're not at all important.

The kicker is this though:

Such as the time he asked my favorite gemstone, and I blurted out topaz
before thinking. He'd been flinging questions at me with such speed that
I felt like I was taking one of those psychiatric tests where you answer
with the first word that comes to mind. I was sure he would have
continued down whatever mental list he was following, except for the
blush. My face reddened because, until very recently, my favorite
gemstone was garnet. It was impossible, while staring back into his topaz
eyes, not to remember the reason for the switch. And, naturally, he
wouldn't rest until I'd admitted why I was embarrassed.

"Tell me," he finally commanded after persuasion failed — failed only
because I kept my eyes safely away from his face.

"It's the color of your eyes today," I sighed, surrendering, staring down
at my hands as I fiddled with a piece of my hair. "I suppose if you asked
me in two weeks I'd say onyx." I'd given more information than necessary
in my unwilling honesty, and I worried it would provoke the strange anger
that flared whenever I slipped and revealed too clearly how obsessed I
was.

Bella's likes now depend completely on Edward. It changes as Edward changes. Her favorite stone used to be garnet but now it is topaz because his eyes are topaz. She admits when his eyes turn black the favorite stone would turn onyx. Not only that she feels like she's being the one who is obsessing even though it's Edward who is asking all the personal questions. And he's not even being subtle about it. Instead he's just firing them off one by one. Who does this, I mean? It's not how you get to know a person.

You get to know a person over time, letting them tell you what they like or don't like. Going to a book store and talking about books or asking about what radio station you want to listen to. Even planning on where you want to go to eat. These are far less creepy ways to get information besides the twenty one hundred questions.

It is of all things creepy.

It's even creepier when Edward doesn't want to be seen by Bella's father when he drops her off at home. After spending hours sitting in the car he rushes off. Though it turns out the other reason why he's rushing off is because Jacob Black and his dad show up. And they recognize Edward.

Buhm Buhm Buhm!