After the first Lunarian vampire strike, it reminded me of Agatha Christie's book, And Then There Were None. I read in middle school for fun and analyze it in my Arizona sophomore English class. There were ten Lunarians as well as "Indians." One thing I hated about this book and I understand the time period, that certain words were used that didn't offend people in 1939 when it was published, but it does give me the hibby-jibbees when the N-word was used as the original title. I grew up with a mother—who missed the sixties, but still has the hippie spirit and the belief that everyone was equal. I know if my Mother had been around the late sixties, she would have gone to Woodstock and love every minute of it.
Then, it was changed to Ten Little Indians. This also makes me want to hurl. First, the Quileute is family. The Native American population and culture have decreased due to modern society. Few only know their languages; few know the histories—that fascinated me ever since I sat at the bonfire and heard about the third wife. Technically, they're not Indians; the only Indian I've met other than school was Joe that lived in India for hundreds of years. Ever since the Civil Rights Movement and Political Correctness, the title changed once again to And Then There Were None.
Tonight I re-read the book and see if I different opinions of the book. I believe every book you love and read it again years from then, you'll pick something up every time. It took me four times of reading To Kill a Mockingbird of the bravery, courage, and sacrifice Atticus did to protect his family and his client, Tom Robinson. Now, I understand a wrong is a wrong, but eye for an eye has not been practiced in America—other than the death penalty. Our society believes it is barbaric and uncivilized; it's ironic that other countries think the same as us.
During the late hours, everyone is doing something. With the weddings, Rose and Alice were working on invitations, guest lists, and calling both my mother and Samantha's mother to make sure this wedding was going to go off like a hitch—if we kill the remaining Lunarians. I've heard Jacob, Seth, Renesmee, and Samantha talking about canceling the wedding until the danger was gone, but Alice got wind of it and she did her own Jedi mind trick to tell them there will be a wedding on May 15th, no exceptions. One thing that appealed to me about meeting Alice was her determination and her stubbornness; she was like me. This is why Alice had foreseen us being friends the moment I met her at the Cullen house.
Me? I read and sometimes write. It helps to concentrate on something to make the time pass. I turned to the page where the plaque stood and the first one:
Ten little Indian boys went out to dine;
One choked his little self and then there were nine.
I know I wasn't Agatha Christie—she probably had taken months to construct the poem line by line, but it was parallel to what was happening here. I started to write my own version of the poem using the Lunarians.
Ten Lunarians were stuck in the rain;
A puddle exposed one and then he was slain.
I don't think Christie would have liked my first line, and perhaps it could be revised later, but this was not shown to any one, it was a coping mechanism to keep my cool and relax. Besides this wasn't the time to parody our current situation, but it helped to get it out on paper.
As dawn approached, Jacob and Seth had come to breakfast; the men were talking about our next move.
Jacob inhaled a pancake. "I agree that routine is the key, but Forks is still endangered, because they could be victims to the Lunarians' thirst."
Charlie yawned, "In order to avoid the idea of being noticed, I don't think they'll hunt here, but if it happens, we'll have to think of something to protect them."
"One of the ways we can make Forks safe is weather," Benjamin joined in. "There will be a time when I will have to use my powers to push these vampires out of their caves. The only problem is I can't control both the town and the mission."
"I'll," Charlie chugged his third cup of coffee, "be to go from there. What routine is the most obvious to track and time, Jake?
"Our patrols. It is like clockwork, and every pack member must take a route throughout the day and night in case something would happen."
"Do you go alone?" Carlisle started to clean up the dishes.
"Usually it is one on the right side of the camp, the other for left."
"We'll have to use the trees," said Jasper who had just finished buttoning his shirt.
Jacob inquired, "Why?"
"Trackers use the trees to see an aerial view of what is going on. It avoids any inconspicuous movement from humans and the Lunarians."
I had to jump in. Victoria had been in a tree when the newborns attacked. "That may be where they're hiding—like Victoria did."
"Could be, honey, but from the research, talking to Carlisle and Joe, the Lunarians are…well…divas in their minds. They don't work in groups, even though it could have increased the injuries and possible lives lost. Each one believes he is the best. I don't know if the Lunarian who attack Paul was the one we destroyed, but no matter what, we can still smell them."
"Smell like the Quileutes can?"
"Kinda—when you faced Aro as a vampire, did he have a scent?"
"It smelled like…rusty iron."
"The Volturi, especially the guard, feast only on humans and only humans. The human blood they consume, the more iron deposits are in the vampire, the odor gets stronger; however, it is a slight odor, and you have to be face to face to smell that kind of vampire, which would mean that you're in some kind of trouble." I wondered if Edward did smell it when we were in Italy. Was he in trouble? Technically no; however, bringing me to the Volturi sanctioned room, we both were.
They continued to talk about their plan, which Emmett, Kate, Tanya, Garrett joined later. Alice and Rose's duty was to keep the girls distracted and keep them safe. The patrols were in half hour increments, and one has just started; however, Jacob insisted until further notice that pairs will do the routes in case they were attacked.
"Will that alert the Lunarians?" Emmett asked flipping channels on the television.
"Absolutely not. In their mind, one of our kind is dead. They probably knew this was going to counteract Paul's attack."
"So we're going to be climbing trees, Edward?"
"Not you, Love. You have to be there for your daughter. Besides, your shield could hamper us of using our powers. With this strategy, the mind reading and my speed will be our best tools to find them. I'll be running a quarter of a mile away from the pack, and if I hear something that isn't Quileute thought, I'll be able to follow him to destroy him."
Now, does anyone think this is more complicated than it sounds?"