The Breakroom

     The book begins with Bella (Isabella) Swan leaving the homeof her mother Renee in Phoenix, Arizona to move in with her father, Charlie who lives in Forks, Washington where the residents rarely see sunshine and it seems to rain every day. 

She’s stayed with her father before, but only during summers since her parents divorced.  Bella decided to do this to give her mother freedom to spend time and travel with her new husband, Phil Dwyer who plays baseball in the minor league.

When she gets there she is greeted by Charlie and finds that he has purchased her a pickup truck from their old Indian friend Billy Black whose son is an old friend of hers named Jacob. Billy is in a wheelchair, but has a very positive attitude and doesn’t see himself as being disabled. 

She’s very nervous when she arrives at her new school in her truck.  She feels very out of place and self conscious.  A few girls and some of the boys introduce themselves and she seems to somewhat fit in.  A couple of the boys are a little too friendly.

Even with her newfound companions Bella is bored living in Forks.  Her life consists of going to school, then heading home to cook for Charlie. She is appreciative of the fact that Charlie pretty much leaves her alone and doesn’t force her to talk, but Renee keeps wanting to know how she’s settling in and panics if she doesn’t answer right away.

In biology class she has been partnered with a boy named Edward Cullen who seems to be revolted by her presence.  He grips the table, has a pained expression and moves away from her. He even gets up to leave the class after just before the bell rings. She can’t seem to figure out what she’s done to upset him and worries about it constantly.

Edward is a member of the Cullen family which is a group of teenagers adopted by a local doctor, Carlisle Cullen, and his wife Esme.  They sit apart from everyone else in the lunch room and are extremely attractive as if they just emerged from a fashion magazine. Her friends, especially the girls, explain that they are reclusive and Edward never notices any of the girls at the school. They think he's too conceited and thinks that the girls aren't good enough for him.

One day as she’s carefully watching her step while walking in the recently iced up parking lot of the school she notices Edward standing on the other side of the parking lot and tries not to look at him.  From out of nowhere a van loses traction and begins to skid directly towards her.  The next thing that she knows Edward is next to her and seems to have held the van back from hitting her. 

Later at the hospital after being checked out by Edward’s father, the doctor and hearing multiple apologies from the driver,  who is a friend of hers from school, she decides to confrontEdward.  She wants to know how he gotacross the parking lot so quickly and mentions that the van was dented and should have killed her.  She lets him know that she knows something is different about him.  He tries to evade the accusation and advises her to stay far away from him.

While spending time at a lake with her friends, Bella takes a walk with her friend Jacob who is from the local Quileute tribe and he tells her a story about a treaty made between the Indians and the Old Ones.  He never uses the words vampire or werewolf, but the story stirs her imagination and curiosity.

Bella and Edward keep bumping into each other and fall deeply in love.  Bella confronts him about her belief that something is unusual about him and he tells her to just say what she thinks.  When she says that she thinks he’s a vampire he asks if she’s afraid and when she tells him that she’s not he suggests thats he should be.

One of their favorite places to spend time is an open field in the forest.  Edward picks her up and carries her so quickly that she feels dizzy.  When they get there he allows her to see what he looks like in the sunshine.  His skin begins to sparkle as if it’s made of glitter or cut diamonds.  Even knowing that he could kill her in only a heartbeat Bella wants nothing more than to be there with Edward.

Bella discovers that Edward was not repulsed by her in class, but just the opposite.  Her scent is one that had a very strong attraction to him and he was craving her blood, but didn’t want to harm her.  It was like heroine to him. He and the other Cullens have chosen to be "vegetarians" and not hunt human. Instead they go into the forest and hunt animals. Also, Edward has the ability to read the minds of those around him, including other vampires, but he was unable to read hers and it puzzled him.

Edward is constantly warning her that he is no good for her, but he’s so in love that even though he’s pushing her away he wants to be with her.

Edward takes her to the Cullen home to introduce to the rest of the family and she’s very nervous.  She’s willingly entering a den of vampires and doesn’t really know what to expect.

What she finds is a very loving and close knit family with impeccable manners.  She met Carlisle at the hospital after the accident with the van and has seen the others at school,but has not actually spent time with them.  Carlisle has overcome his craving for human blood and is able to treat patients, but some of the others are newer and are still struggling, especially Jasper.

She meets Esme, the doctor’s wife, who is the surrogate mother of the group and likes her right away.  Esme lost a child of her own once and loves Edward as if he were her own child. She learns that Alice, the smallest of the group, has the ability to see the future.  Alice can’t remember her life before becoming a vampire like the rest of the Cullens and it seems to bother her. Her mate is Jasper who has the gift of affecting people’s emotions. He can walk into a room and soothe tensions. She and Bella bond almost immediately.  Rosalie is the mate of Emmett, but she was originally meant to be Edward’s. She is upset that Edward has brought her home and she knows their secret. 

While attending a baseball game played in an open field in the forest by the Cullensin during a rain storm three nomad vampires arrive. The Cullens attempt to hide Bella, but James smells her scent and they are forced to rush her into a car and leave immediately.  They attempt to confuse the other vampires by exchanging clothes, but James is a tracker and is able to find them.

She quickly packs her things and then leaves her home telling Charlie that she doesn’t want to be stuck in the small town which is the same thing that her mother told her dad when she left him.  She hated hurting him, but did this to keep him from following her and ending up in danger.

Unfortunately, even though they flew to Phoenix, Bella is quickly located by James who tells her that if she doesn’t show up at the dance studio where she took lessons as a child he will harm her mother, whose voice she can hear over the telephone.  The stipulation is that she cannot tell anyone else where she is going, so the first chance that she gets she slips away.  Bella knows that she will die, but goes willingly to save her mother’s life.

When she arrives at the studio she discovers that her mother isn’t there and the voice that she heard on the tape is an old recording.  James begins breaking her bones and records her cries of pain to show to Edward to torture him. 

Thanks to Alice’s ability to see the future Edward arrives just in time to save the day.  He begins fighting with James and then the other Cullens help to finish the job. They kill James and burn his body. 

Unfortunately, Bella has been bitten and is in horrible pain. Edward is forced to suck her blood out to remove the venom and prevent her from turning.  It works, but she is left with a crescent shaped scar that will forever feel cold.

Bella passes out and when she awakes she finds herself in the hospital with Edward feigning sleep next to her.  Her mother is there and she discovers thatthe Cullens have told her parents that they came to check on her and that she had fallen down a flight of stairs and was badly injured.  Since she is constantly getting injuries they accept this excuse.

The story ends with Edward and Bella attending the prom.  Bella is dressed to the 9s except for the cast on her leg. When they arrive at the dance, they are met by Jacob who has a message from Billy warning Bella about her relationship with the vampires.