Eclipse, Chapter Fourteen – Declaration (0)

Chapter Fourteen – Declaration

Bella , Edward, and Alice are in the school cafeteria discussing their upcoming graduation party . Bella thinks the planned assault on the newborns makes a party inappropriate. Alice counters that they need time to get a few things in order before the battle , and commemorating Bella’s first (and only human) high-school graduation is entirely appropriate.
Edward informs Bella of Jasper ’s concern that they get help in their fight against the newborns. Jasper and Carlisle are trying to track down old friends to join the fight including Maria, but nobody wants to involve the southerners. Edward is convinced that someone will help them : no one wants a visit from the Volturi. Bella feels physically ill at the thought of the Cullens putting themselves in harm’s way, and can’t even consider the possibility that Edward might be hurt , or worse.
Edward’s confidence does nothing to quell the terror building inside her at the thought of losing “the core of her existence.” In her panic she suggests that in the week it will take to prepare for the fight she could be changed into a vampire and be ready to help them. Edward turns rigid at the suggestion , and Alice quickly puts the thought to rest, reminding Bella that as a newborn, she would not be an asset in a fight. Edward would feel the need to protect her, and that would put him in danger . Edward reminds her that he won’t let her go through the change out of fear .
Alice ”sees” that Renee has to cancel her trip to Forks for Bella’s graduation: Phil ’s leg has been broken during a baseball training session and she cannot leave him. Bella is relieved that her mother will not be in Forks with the newborns close by. When Bella and Edward return home from school, she calls Renee to talk about graduation and Phil’s injuries.
Edward has planned a hunting trip for the next day and Emmett and Jasper are to look after Bella in his absence. Not wanting to be “babysat,” Bella suggests to Edward that she could go to LaPush for the afternoon and he agrees.
In an attempt to change the subject , Bella asks why he needs to hunt, given that his eyes are still a deep gold and the shadows beneath them are faint. He explains that hunting makes them stronger — and human blood makes them the strongest. Bella is horrified to realize she would be willing to have a stranger die if it meant it would help protect Edward.
Edward explains to Bella the process by which the newborns use up their human blood and why it makes them so much stronger. Bella considers her own strength as a vampire and Edward assures her she will be stronger than both he and Emmett.
Edward brings Bella to the La Push boundary line the next day and his mood darkens as they see Jacob waiting in his car. Edward has apparently heard Jacob’s thoughts but doesn’t share them with Bella knowing Jacob will tell her. Jacob honks the horn impatiently, irritating Edward. Bella walks to Jacob’s car and when she turns to wave at Edward, she thinks he looks truly upset. She surmises that he must be angry over the honking incident, but in reality it’s Jacob’s thoughts that have upset him.
When Bella gets in Jacob’s car she notices how tired he is and suggests they go back to his house to hang out. Jacob explains his sleepiness: he has been doing double shifts on his nightly patrols because of the threat to her. Bella chides him, but he dismisses her concerns .
The discussion turns to Bella’s graduation and Jacob is obviously thinking about the significance of that date for her impending change. Bella doesn’t tell him that her plans have been put on hold for fear that he will read too much into her reluctance. They talk about the upcoming graduation festivities instead, and Bella issues Jake an invitation to the party.
Jacob falls asleep on the couch while Bella sits next to him. She looks at Jake’s relaxed expression while he sleeps, and thinks how it reminds her of her friend before he became a werewolf.
She reflects on her life and how she feels about leaving her humanity behind . She thinks about how Edward is right—she isn’t quite ready to make the change.  She also realizes that when she is ready, she wants Edward to be the one to do it. She wants it to be his venom to poison her system. Bella feels that this would make her belong to him in a tangible way. She continues to ponder marriage and how her mother and friends will react to the news of a wedding.
When Jacob wakes up, he is angry with himself for wasting his time with her by sleeping. He takes her outside to clear his head and tells her that although he wanted to handle this differently, he has run out of time. He needs her to know he is in love with her. He acknowledges that she doesn’t feel the same way, but he wants her to realize she has other options besides becoming a vampire.
*Bella mentions in the chapter that it feels more like February than May.  As in most of Eclipse, there is some inconsistency in the time-line due to the fact that Stephenie worked off of a 2007 calendar when the year in the book was really 2006.