“Before I tell you my story, Jasper said. you must understand that there are places in our world, Bella, where the life span of the never-aging is measured in weeks, and not centuries.”

Alice! You know I love you like a sister! Words. she growled.

I tried to be diplomatic, but mostly I just lied a lot.

I, the soul called Wanderer, love you, human Ian. And that will never change, no matter what I might become.

A hundred yards away, Mike Newton was lowering Bella’s limp body to the sidewalk. She slumped unresponsively against the wet concrete, her skin chalky as a corpse. I almost took the door off the car.

Don’t worry, Mel. Miracles don’t work that way. I’ll never lose you. I’ll never let you get away from me.

I belong wherever I want to be.

I didn’t realize I was crying until it was time to say the blinding words. ‘I do,’ I managed to choke out in a nearly unintelligible whisper… When it was his turn to speak, the words rang clear and victorious. ‘I do,’ he vowed.

It’s not the face, but the expressions on it. It’s not the voice, but what you say. It’s not how you look in that body, but the thing you do with it. You are beautiful.

I love you, I said in a low, intense voice. I will always love you, no matter what happens now.

I thought you were supposed to be pretending I don’t exist, not irritating me to death.

I thought I’d explained it clearly before. Bella, I can’t live in a world where you don’t exist.

Stop being so optimistic. It’s getting on my nerves.

You and I won’t lose each other, I will always find you again. No matter how well you hide. I’m unstoppable.

I’d rather know what you’re thinking – even if what you’re thinking is insane.

In the dead silence, all the details suddenly fell into place for me with a burst of intuition. Something Edward didn’t want me to know. Something that Jacob wouldn’t have kept from me, It was never going to end, was it?

And it was different because I’d already lost her so many times, so many ways, in my head. And different because she was never really mine to lose. And different because this wasn’t my fault.

Everyone needs a fantasy.

People’s fantasies are what give them problems. If you didn’t have fantasies you wouldn’t have problems because you’d just take whatever was there.

So what if you end up buying a size 6 instead of a 4? You can always cut out the label at home, and you’ll pretty soon forget whatever that number was because you’ll be too busy admiring how fantastic you look.

What’s needed today, now, more than ever, is ‘Star Peace’ for there is an ominous, mutual threat to all science fiction. It’s called ‘Twilight’. And it is really, really bad.

Those who are determined to be ‘offended’ will discover a provocation somewhere. We cannot possibly adjust enough to please the fanatics, and it is degrading to make the attempt.

I have all these weird fantasies. Going coast-to-coast on my motorcycle and having random barbecues all over America. No show, no nothing.

Everybody must have a fantasy.

Romance is finding your fantasy in people who don’t have it.