The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (71 page)

Perhaps the most obtainable vehicle in the series, Jacob’s daily driver is the cult classic Volkswagen Rabbit. With a modest
1.8-liter engine offering just 90 horsepower when it was originally rolling off the factory line, before Jacob was born, this car’s force of acceleration is not its strong suit. The lightweight front driver makes up for this, though, with remarkably communicative steering, engaging the driver without the use of massive amounts of tire-shredding power.

The VW Rabbit has been accepted by car nuts since its inception as an easily modded driver’s car. It was the most attractive option for Jacob, with its low cost of entry, ease of repair, and fun return on investment. While worth less than a wheel from Edward’s Aston Martin, the Rabbit is still capable of putting the same smile on Jacob’s face.

Highlighting the accessible nature of Jacob’s character, this car proves that driving enjoyment does not require hundreds of thousands of dollars and looks to match the price tag. Jacob shows himself as equally endearing despite constant comparisons to Bella’s perfect vampire love.

J
ACOB’S
H
ARLEY
S
PRINT

“T
HESE AREN’T HALF BAD
…. T
HIS ONE HERE WILL ACTUALLY BE WORTH SOMETHING WHEN
I’
M DONE
—
IT’S AN OLD
H
ARLEY
S
PRINT
.”

—Jacob (
New Moon
, Chapter 5)

B
ELLA’S
H
ONDA
XL250

“W
HEN
I
WALKED INTO THE GARAGE
, I
WAS SHOCKED TO SEE THE RED BIKE STANDING UP, LOOKING LIKE A MOTORCYCLE RATHER THAN A PILE OF JAGGED METAL
. ‘J
AKE, YOU’RE AMAZING
,’ I
BREATHED
.”

—Bella (
New Moon
, Chapter 7)

These are two motorcycles that were nursed back to life by Jacob. Despite their origins an ocean apart, these two-wheeled vehicles have striking similarities.

Bearing little resemblance to the Harleys of today, the Sprint was offered under the Harley name after the manufacturer bought a 50-percent stake in a small Italian motorcycle firm. The motorcycle was offered as competition to the technologically superior Japanese motorcycles that were beginning to gain popularity in America. The Sprint was developed with motorcycle racing in mind, and offered impressive performance from the 4-stroke engine.

The 1-cylinder engine allowed the bike to be made with relative simplicity, which meant the mechanically minded, though inexperienced, Jacob would be able to bring the dying bike to life.

Bella’s Honda was similar to Jacob’s Harley in a number of respects. A 250-cc 1-cylinder, making power through the then less than common 4-stroke cycle, pulled the bike on road or dirt. Designed as less of a racer than the Harley Sprint, the XL250 was a more well-rounded bike, ready for any ground conditions it might encounter.

T
HE
T
WILIGHT
S
AGA
P
LAYLIST

E
xplaining a playlist—especially in writing—is a problem. I’ve tried to do it before, and what comes out is a lot of “this goes here” and “that goes there.” Not exciting to read, but still, people want to know where a certain song fits into the story, and what it means to the characters. So what I’ve done is assign a quote from the series to each song. This will give you the general location of the song, and the specific feeling or issue I was thinking of while listening. I hear all of the songs from Bella’s perspective, except where otherwise noted. In a few cases (like “Sing for Absolution” on the
New Moon
playlist) the song is part of a situation that is taking place “offscreen,” so to speak. In those cases, I’ve tried to find a quote that identifies the situation even though Bella’s not around to see it.

Chapter 1
When I landed in Port Angeles, it was raining. I didn’t see it as an omen—just unavoidable. I’d already said my goodbyes to the sun.

Chapter 4
My stomach twisted as I realized what he must have meant. He must see how absorbed I was by him; he must not want to lead me on… so we couldn’t even be friends… because he wasn’t interested in me at all.

Of course he wasn’t interested in me, I thought angrily, my eyes stinging—a delayed reaction to the onions. I wasn’t
interesting
. And he was. Interesting… and brilliant… and mysterious…
and perfect… and beautiful… and possibly able to lift full-sized vans with one hand.

Well, that was fine. I could leave him alone. I
would
leave him alone. I would get through my self-imposed sentence here in purgatory, and then hopefully some school in the Southwest, or possibly Hawaii, would offer me a scholarship.

Chapter 5
“I decided as long as I was going to hell, I might as well do it thoroughly.”

Chapter 5
“What if I’m not a superhero? What if I’m the bad guy?”

Chapter 7
And I knew in that I had my answer. I didn’t know if there ever was a choice, really. I was already in too deep. Now that I knew—if I knew—I could do nothing about my frightening secret. Because when I thought of him, of his voice, his hypnotic eyes, the magnetic force of his personality, I wanted nothing more than to be with him right now.

Chapter 8
It seemed to take forever for me to get to the corner. I kept my pace steady, the men behind me falling ever so slightly farther behind with every step. Maybe they realized they had scared me and were sorry. I saw two cars going north pass the intersection I was heading for, and I exhaled in relief. There would be more people around once I got off this deserted street. I skipped around the corner with a grateful sigh.