The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (33 page)

Tia had a very large family; she was one of many children. Her overwhelmed and financially distraught mother began placing her children in the care of her second cousin (Benjamin’s great-uncle) when she could no longer feed them. Tia was given away when she was five. She had a good singing voice and nimble fingers, so the uncle kept her with him. When she was about seven, Benjamin came to live with the uncle. Though Benjamin was three years her senior, he became her best friend and confidant. Tia was the first person to whom Benjamin revealed his gift with fire. It was Tia who suggested he show the uncle; she knew that a special ability like this would ensure that the uncle would hold on to Benjamin, thus keeping them together. As the years passed, their close friendship became more serious, and they planned to someday run away together. They held back small amounts of money instead of turning all their earnings over to the uncle, saving for that future.

Tia was devastated when Benjamin disappeared.

Tia was devastated when Benjamin disappeared. When the uncle’s body was found, everyone assumed that Benjamin was dead, too. Tia searched out her mother, whom she found in slightly better circumstances. Tia had all the money she and Benjamin had saved, and her mother was happy to let her stay with such a contribution. Tia continued performing and stealing to help her family. After a few years, Tia’s mother was offered a dowry for the girl, which she accepted. Tia was married to a clerk for a shipping company and taken to Suez. Her circumstances were more comfortable than at home, and she was not unhappy. However, she did not love her husband.

When she realized that she couldn’t effectively stay with him as a human, she was willing to become a vampire.

When she saw Benjamin in her garden, Tia didn’t question for a second that she would be leaving with him. Though she was totally unprepared for his changed appearance or revelations, none of it made a difference. When she realized that she couldn’t effectively stay with him as a human, she was willing to become a vampire.

Tia never embraced Amun or Kebi as fully as Benjamin had. She could see that, like the uncle, Amun was interested in Benjamin because of what he could get out of him. But as long as Amun’s goal was the same as hers—to keep Benjamin safe—she had no problem staying with his coven.

T
he three members of the Irish coven are old friends of Carlisle Cullen’s. Siobhan is the leader, but she and her mate, Liam, trust the judgment of their newest member, Maggie, who has a gift for knowing a lie when she hears one.

L
IAM

Once a vampire was totally sated, she might continue to drink blood for enjoyment rather than need.

Liam was an Irish warrior who fought in the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and later against Cromwell’s reconquest of Ireland. Liam became a vampire through one of the most common types of accidental transformation: battlefield excess. After the Volturi
came to power, vampires were unable to kill as recklessly as before, and most were forced to curb their appetites to avoid notice. The circumstances of war, however, gave them an opportunity to kill large numbers of humans at once without attracting attention from either humans or vampires. It became common among nomads to seek out human wars as an opportunity to feast. One of the consequences of this practice was the occasional unplanned transformation. Once a vampire was totally sated, she might continue to drink blood for enjoyment rather than need. In such situations, she might not drain enough blood from her victim to kill him. If she left him in that state without any further violence, he would begin the transformation process.

After Liam’s conversion was complete, he went through the normal period of newborn behavior. He met Siobhan during his first six months of vampire life. She instructed him on the vampire laws, which kept him from drawing negative attention from the Volturi. Liam was very taken with Siobhan’s strength and beauty. They joined forces quickly. Though it was never discussed, from the beginning Siobhan was the coven’s leader.

When Liam was no longer a newborn, he became selective about his prey. For centuries he would kill only Englishmen. English soldiers are still his preferred victims.

Liam and Siobhan were well aware of the Volturi and their rules, and always behaved circumspectly. For Liam, as long as the Volturi did not become corrupted by their power and
attempt to control more aspects of vampire life, he had no problem with them. He was born into a world where their laws of mutual convenience were accepted fact, and he did not question them.

Liam was not as fascinated as Siobhan by the stories of the Volturi guard’s special talents. When Siobhan discovered Maggie and wanted to try to create her own talented vampire, Liam was opposed. He was concerned that the Volturi would resent the imitation, if they found out. More than that, he didn’t want to share Siobhan’s attention with anyone else. Siobhan transformed Maggie regardless, leaving Liam quite unhappy with her decision. Siobhan pled with him to give Maggie a chance, and he grudgingly agreed. It didn’t take long for Liam to see the benefits of having a talented coven member, and over time he became quite fond of Maggie. He learned to consider her a younger sister.

M
AGGIE

Maggie always had difficulty dealing with authority, on a parental level and on a community level. The normal everyday hypocrisy that most people expected was always foreign to her. If someone said something that did not correspond with their true feelings, Maggie was instinctively aware of that discrepancy. In those situations, she felt compelled to point out the lie. Though this often led to punishment, sometimes quite severe, she was unable to let the lie pass. Her accuracy made people uncomfortable, and the closer someone was to her, the more uncomfortable she made them.

In reality—as Maggie was well aware—she was sacrificed because her parents did not love her as much as they loved her siblings.

In the mid-1840s the Great Famine decimated her village. Everyone who could afford to immigrate to America left. This included her family, who had not quite enough to buy passage for every member. Maggie’s maternal grandparents, who were already in poor condition, were left behind. Maggie was left, ostensibly to care for them as best she could. In reality—as Maggie was well aware—she was sacrificed because her parents did not love her as much as they loved her siblings. She was a trial to them, and they sometimes wondered if her abilities were demonic.

Siobhan and Liam found Maggie alone on the road to Cork, nearly dead from starvation. Naturally, when Siobhan questioned Maggie, her answers were the whole truth.