"New Moon"

Extras
 Rosalie's News
So many people were curious about what exactly Rosalie said to
Edward during that fateful phone call (when she told him that Bella
was allegedly dead). Here is that short section of "New Moon" from
Edward's perspective:



T
he phone in my pocket vibrated again. It was the twenty-fifth time in twenty-four hours. I
thought about opening the phone, at least seeing who was trying to contact me. Perhaps it
was important. Maybe Carlisle needed me.
I thought about it, but I did not move.
I wasn’t precisely sure where I was. Some dark attic crawl place, full of rats and spiders.
The spiders ignored me and the rats gave me a wide berth. The air was thick with the heavy
scents of cooking oil, rancid meat and the nearly solid layer of pollution that was actually visible
in the humid air, like a black film over everything. Below me, four stories of a rickety ghetto
tenement teamed with life. I didn’t bother to separate the thoughts from the voices – they made a
big, loud Spanish clamor that I didn’t listen to. I just let the sounds bounce off me. Meaningless.
All of it was meaningless. My very existence was meaningless.
The whole world was meaningless.
My forehead pressed against my knees and I wondered how much longer I would be able
to stand this. Maybe it was hopeless. Maybe, if my attempt was doomed to failure anyway, I
should stop torturing myself and just go back…
The idea was so powerful, so healing – like the words contained a strong anesthetic,
washing away the mountain of pain I was buried under – that it made me gasp, made me dizzy.
I could leave now, I could go back.
Bella’s face, always behind the lids of my eyes, smiled at me.
It was a smile of welcome, of forgiveness, but it did not have the affect my subconscious
probably intended it to have.
Of course, I could not go back. What was my pain, after all, in comparison to her
happiness? She should be able to smile, free from fear and danger. Free from a longing for a
soulless future. She deserved better than that. She deserved better than me. When she left this
world, she would go to a place that was forever barred to me, no matter how I conducted myself
here.
The idea of that final separation was so much more intense than the pain I already had.
My body shook with it. When Bella went on to the place where she belonged and I never could, I
would not linger here behind. There must be oblivion. There must be relief.
That was my hope, but there were no guarantees. To sleep perchance to dream. Ay
there’s the rub, I quoted to myself. Even when I was ash, would I somehow still feel the torture
of her loss?
I shuddered again.
And, damn it, I’d promised. I’d promised her that I wouldn’t haunt her life again, bring
my black demons into it. I wasn’t going back on my word. Couldn’t I do anything right by her?
Anything at all?
The idea of returning to the cloudy little town that would always be my true home on this
planet snaked through my thoughts again.
Just to check. Just to see that she’s well and safe and happy. Not to interfere. She would
never know I was there…
No. Damn it, no.
 The phone vibrated again.
―Damn it, damn it, damn it‖, I growled.
I could use the distraction, I supposed. I flipped the phone open and registered the
numbers with the first shock I’d felt in half a year.
Why would Rosalie be calling me? She was the one person who was probably enjoying
my absence.
There must be something truly wrong if she needed to talk to me. Suddenly worried for
my family, I hit the send button.
―What?‖ I asked tensely.
―Oh, wow. Edward answered the phone. I feel so honored.‖
As soon as I heard her tone, I knew my family was fine. She must just be bored. It was
hard to guess at her motives without her thoughts as a guide. Rosalie had never made much sense
to me. Her impulses were usually founded on the most convoluted kinds of logic.
I snapped the phone shut.
―Leave me alone‖, I whispered to nobody.
Of course the phone vibrated again at once.
Would she keep calling until she passed along whatever message she was planning to
annoy me with? Probably. It would take months for her to grow tired of this game. I toyed with
the idea of letting her hit redial for the next half year… and then sighed and answered the phone
again.
―Get on with it.‖
Rosalie rushed through the words. ―I thought you would want to know that Alice is in
Forks.‖
I opened my eyes and stared at the rotten wooden beams three inches from my face.
―What?‖ My voice was flat, emotionless.
―You know how Alice is – thinks she knows everything. Like you.‖ Rosalie chuckled
humorlessly. Her voice had a nervous edge, like she was suddenly unsure about what she was
doing.
But my rage made it hard to care what Rosalie’s problem was.
Alice had sworn to me that she would follow my lead in regards to Bella, though she did
not agree with my decision. She’d promised that she would let Bella alone… for as long as I did.
Clearly, she’d thought I would eventually fold to the pain. Maybe she was right about that.
But I hadn’t. Yet. So what was she doing in Forks? I wanted to wring her skinny neck.
Not that Jasper would let me get that close to her, once he caught a whiff of the fury blowing out
of me…
―Are you still there, Edward?‖
I didn’t answer. I pinched the bridge of my nose with my fingertips, wondering if it were
possible for a vampire to get a migraine.
On the other hand, if Alice had already gone back…
No. No. No. No.
I’d made a promise. Bella deserved a life. I’d made a promise. Bella deserved a life.
I repeated the words like a mantra, trying to clear my head of the seductive image of
Bella’s dark window. The doorway to my only sanctuary.
No doubt I would have to grovel, were I to return. I didn’t mind that. I could happily
spend the next decade on my knees if I were with her.
No, no, no.
―Edward? Don’t you even care why Alice is there?‖
―Not particularly.‖
Rosalie’s voice turned a trifle smug now, pleased, no doubt, that she’d forced a response
from me. ―Well, of course, she’s not exactly breaking the rules. I mean, you only warned us to
stay away from Bella, right? The rest of Forks doesn’t matter.‖
I blinked my eyes slowly. Bella had left? My thoughts circled around the unexpected
idea. She hadn’t graduated yet, so she must have returned to her mother. That was good. She
should live in sunshine. It was good that she’d been able to put the shadows behind her.
 I tried to swallow and couldn’t.
Rosalie thrilled a nervous laugh. ―So you don’t need to be angry with Alice.‖
―Then why did you call me, Rosalie, if not to get Alice in trouble? Why are you bothering
me? Ugh!‖
―Wait!‖ she said, sensing, rightly, that I was able to hang up again. ―That’s not why I
called.‖
―Then why? Tell me quickly and then leave me alone.‖
―Well…‖ she hesitated.
―Spit it out, Rosalie. You have ten seconds.‖
―I think you should come home‖, Rosalie said in a rush. ―I’m tired of Esme grieving and
Carlisle never laughing. You should feel ashamed at what you’ve done to them. Emmett misses
you all the time and it’s getting on my nerves. You have a family. Grow up and think about
something besides yourself.‖
―Interesting advice, Rosalie. Let me tell you a little story about a pot and a kettle…‖
―I am thinking about them, unlike you. Don’t you care how much you’ve hurt Esme, if no
one else? She loves you more than the rest of us and you know that. Come home.‖
I didn’t answer.
―I thought once this whole Forks thing was finished, you would get over it.‖
―Forks was never the problem, Rosalie‖, I said, trying to be patient. What she’d said
about Esme and Carlisle had struck a chord. ―Just because Bella‖ – it was hard to say her name
out loud – ―has moved to Florida, it doesn’t mean that I’m able… Look, Rosalie. I really am
sorry, but trust me, it wouldn’t make anyone happier if I were there.‖
―Um…‖
There it was, that nervous hesitation again.
―What is it that you’re not telling me, Rosalie? Is Esme all right? Is Carlisle –‖
―They’re fine. It’s just… well, I didn’t say that Bella moved.‖
I didn’t speak. I ran over our conversation in my head. Yes, Rosalie had said that Bella
had moved. She’d said: …you only warned us to stay away from Bella, right? The rest of Forks
doesn’t matter. And then: I thought once this whole Forks thing was finished… So Bella wasn’t
in Forks. What did she mean, Bella hadn’t moved?
Then Rosalie was rushing through her words again, saying them almost angrily this time.
―They didn’t want to tell you, but I think that’s stupid. The quicker you get over this, the
sooner things can go back to normal. Why let you mope around the dark corners of the world
when there’s no need for it? You can come home now. We can be a family again. It’s over.‖
My mind seemed to be broken. I couldn’t make sense of her words. It was like there was
something very, very obvious she was telling me, but I had no idea what it was. My brain played
with the information, making strange patterns of it. Nonsensical.
―Edward?‖
―I don’t understand what you’re saying, Rosalie.‖
A long pause, the length of a few human heartbeats.
―She’s dead, Edward.‖
A longer pause.
―I’m sorry. You have a right to know, though, I think. Bella… threw herself off a cliff
two days ago. Alice saw it, but it was too late to do anything. I think she would have helped,
though, broken her word, if there had been time. She went back to do what she could for Charlie.
You know how she’s always cared for him –‖
The phone went dead. It took me a few seconds to realize that I’d shut the power off.
I sat in the dusty darkness for a long, frozen space. It was like time had ended. Like the
universe had stopped.
Slowly, moving like an old man, I turned my phone back on and dialed the one number
I’d promised myself I would never call again.
If it was her, I would hang up. If it was Charlie, I’d get the information I needed through
subterfuge. I’d prove Rosalie’s sick little joke wrong and then go back to my nothingness.
 ―Swan residence‖, answered a voice I’d never heard before. A man’s husky voice, deep
but still youthful.
I didn’t pause to think about the implications of that.
―This is Dr. Carlisle Cullen‖, I said, perfectly imitating my father’s voice. ―May I please
speak to Charlie?‖
―He’s not here‖, the voice responded and I was dimly surprised by the anger in it. The
words were almost a snarl. But that didn’t matter.
―Well, where is he then?‖ I demanded, getting impatient.
There was a short pause, as if the stranger wanted to withhold the information from me.
―He’s at the funeral‖, the boy finally answered.
I shut the phone again.


 Miscalculation
Here is the phone call between Rosalie and Alice in Chapter 18 "The
Funeral" shortly after Rosalie told Edward about Bella’s alleged death.
This little portion of "New Moon" is from Rosalie's point of view:



A
tiny whisper of sound – not here, a few hundred yards to the north – made me jump. My
hands clenched automatically around the phone, snapping it closed and hiding it from view
in the same motion.
I flipped my hair over my shoulder, sneaking a peek through the tall windows into the forest.
The day was dim, overcast; my own reflection was brighter than the trees and the clouds. I stared at
my wide, startled eyes, my lips curling down at the corners, the little vertical crease between my
brows…
I scowled, erasing the expression of guilt with one of scorn. Attractive scorn. Absently, I
noted how the fierce expression suited my face, contrasting nicely with the benign gold of my thick
curls. At the same, my eyes scanned across the empty Alaskan forest and I was relieved to see that I
was still alone. The sound had been nothing – a bird or a breeze.
There was no need for relief, I told myself. No need for guilt. I’d done nothing wrong.
Were the others planning to never tell Edward the truth? To let him wallow in angst forever
in nasty slums, while Esme grieved and Carlisle second-guessed his every decision and Emmett’s
natural joy of existence slowly drained away with loneliness. How was that fair?
Besides, there was no way to keep secrets from Edward in the long term. Sooner or later he
would have found us, come to see Alice or Carlisle for some reason and then he would have
discovered the truth. Would he have thanked us for lying to him with our silence? Hardly. Edward
always had to know everything; he lived for that sense of omniscience. He would have thrown a
huge tantrum and it would only have been exacerbated by the fact that we’d kept Bella’s death from
him.
When he’d calmed down and gotten over this mess, he’d probably thank me for being the
one who was brave enough to be honest with him.
Miles away, a hawk screamed; the sound made me jump and check the window again. My
face held the same guilty expression as before and I glowered at myself in the glass.
Fine, so I had my own agenda. Was it such a bad thing to want my family to be together
again? Was it so selfish to miss the everyday peace, the underlying happiness that I’d taken for
granted, the happiness that Edward seemed to have taken with him in his flight?
I just wanted things the way they were before. Was that wrong? It didn’t seem so horrible.
After all, I hadn’t done this for myself alone, but for everyone. Esme and Carlisle and Emmett.
Not for Alice so much, though I would have assumed… But Alice had been so sure things
would work out in the end – that Edward would be unable to stay away from his little human
girlfriend – that she had not bothered with mourning. Alice had always functioned in a different
world than the rest of us, locked up in her ever-changing reality. Since Edward was the only one
who could participate in that reality, I’d thought his absence would be harder on her. But she was
secure as always, living ahead, her mind in a time her body hadn’t reached yet. Always so calm.
She’d been frantic enough when she’d seen Bella jump, though…
Had I been too impatient? Acted too soon?
I might as well be honest with myself, because Edward would see every bit of pettiness in
my decision as soon as he got home. Might as well acknowledge my bad motives, accept them now.
Yes, I was jealous of the way Alice felt about Bella. Would Alice have raced off so rashly,
so wild with panic, if it had been me she’d seen jumping off a cliff? Did she have to love that
commonplace human girl so much more than me?
 But that jealousy was just a small thing. It might have sped my decision, but it had not
controlled it. I would have called Edward anyway. I was sure he preferred my blunt honesty over
the others’ kinder deception. Their kindness was doomed from the outset; Edward would have come
home eventually.
And now he could come home sooner.
It wasn’t just the contentment of my family that I missed.
I honestly missed Edward, too. I missed his cutting little remarks, the black wit that was
more in harmony with my own dark sense of humor than Emmett’s sunny, jokey nature. I missed
the music – his stereo blaring out his latest indie discovery and the piano, the sound of Edward
weaving his usually remote thoughts into transparency through song. I missed him humming in the
garage beside me while we tuned the cars, the only time we were perfectly in sync.
I missed my brother. Surely he would not judge me too harshly when he saw this in my
thoughts.
It would be uncomfortable for a while, I knew that. But the sooner he came home, the sooner
we could get back to normal again…
I searched my mind for some grief for Bella and I was pleased to find that I did mourn the
girl. A little. This much, at least: she’d made Edward happy in a way I’d never seen him before. Of
course, she’d also made him more miserable than anything else in his century of life. But I would
miss the peace she’d given him for those few short months. I could truly regret her loss.
This knowledge made me feel better about myself, complacent. I smiled at my face in the
glass, framed against my golden hair and the red cedar walls of Tanya’s long, cozy living room and
enjoyed the view. When I smiled, there was no woman or man on this planet, mortal or immortal,
who could match me for beauty. It was a comforting thought. Perhaps I wasn’t the easiest person to
live with. Perhaps I was shallow and selfish. Perhaps I would have developed a better character if
I’d been born with a plain face and a boring body. Perhaps I would have been happier that way. But
that was impossible to prove. I had my beauty; it was something I could count on.
I smiled wider.
The phone rang and I automatically tightened my hand, though the sound came from the
kitchen, not my fist.
I knew at once that it was Edward. Calling to check on the information I’d given. He didn’t
trust me. He thought me cruel enough to make a joke of this, apparently. I scowled as I flitted to the
kitchen to answer Tanya’s phone.
The phone was on the very edge of the long butcher block counter. I caught it before the first
ring had finished and turned to face the French doors as I answered. I didn’t want to admit it, but I
knew that I was watching out for Emmett’s and Jasper’s return. I didn’t want them to hear me
talking to Edward. They would be angry…
―Yes?‖ I demanded.
―Rose, I need to talk to Carlisle now‖, Alice snapped.
―Oh, Alice! Carlisle’s hunting. What –?‖
―Fine, as soon as he’s back.‖
―What is it? I’ll track him down right away and have him call you –‖
―No‖, Alice interrupted again. ―I’ll be on a plane. Look, have you heard anything from
Edward?‖
It was odd how my stomach twisted, seemed to drop lower in my abdomen. The feeling
brought with it a strange déjà vu, a faint hint of a long-lost human memory. Nausea…
―Well, yes, Alice. Actually. I did talk to Edward. Just a few minutes ago.‖ For a brief second
I toyed with the idea of pretending that Edward had called me, just a random coincidence. But of
course there was no point in lying. Edward was going to give me enough trouble when he came
home.
My stomach continued to clench strangely, but I ignored it. I decided to be angry. Alice
shouldn’t snap at me like this. Edward didn’t want lies; he wanted the truth. He would back me up
on that when he came home.
 ―You and Carlisle were wrong‖, I said. ―Edward wouldn’t appreciate being lied to. He’d
want the truth. He did want it. So I gave it to him. I called him… I called him a lot‖, I admitted.
―Until he picked up. A message would have been… wrong.‖
―Why?‖ Alice gasped ―Why would you do that, Rosalie?‖
―Because the sooner he gets over this, the sooner things go back to normal. It wouldn’t have
gotten easier with time, so why put it off? Time isn’t going to change anything. Bella is dead.
Edward will grieve and then he’ll get over it. Better he begins now than later.‖
―Well, you’re wrong on both counts, though, Rosalie, so that would be a problem, don’t you
think?‖ Alice asked in a fierce, vicious tone.
Wrong on both counts? I blinked rapidly, trying to understand.
―Bella’s still alive?‖ I whispered, not believing the words. Just trying to sort out which
counts Alice was referring to.
―Yes, that’s right. She’s absolutely fine –‖
―Fine? You saw her jump off a cliff!‖
―I was wrong.‖
The words sounded so strange in Alice’s voice. Alice, who was never wrong, never caught
by surprise…
―How?‖ I whispered.
―It’s a long story.‖
Alice was wrong. Bella was alive. And I had told…
―Well, you’ve made quite a mess‖, I growled, turning my chagrin into accusation. ―Edward
is going to be furious when he comes home.‖
―But you’re wrong about that part, too‖, Alice said. I could tell she was talking through her
teeth. ―That’s why I’m calling…‖
―Wrong about what? Edward coming home? Of course he will.‖ I laughed mockingly.
―What? You think he’s going to pull a Romeo? Ha! Like some stupid romantic –‖
―Yes‖, Alice hissed, her voice like ice. ―That’s exactly what I saw.‖
The hard conviction of her words made my knees feel bizarrely unsteady. I gripped a cedar
wall beam for support – support my diamond-hard body couldn’t possibly need.
―No! He’s not that stupid. He – he must realize that –‖
But I couldn’t finish my sentence, because I could see it in my head, a vision of my own. A
vision of me. An unthinkable vision of my life if somehow Emmett ceased to be. I shuddered away
from the horror of the idea.
No – there was no comparison. Bella was just a human. Edward didn’t want her to be
immortal, so it wasn’t the same. Edward couldn’t feel the same!
―I – I didn’t mean it like that, Alice! I just wanted him to come home!‖ My voice was almost
a howl.
―It’s a bit late for that, Rose‖, Alice said, harder and colder than before. ―Save your remorse
for someone who believes it.‖
There was a click and then a dial tone.
―No‖, I whispered. I shook my head slowly for a moment. ―Edward has to come home.‖
I stared at my face in the glass pane of the French door, but I couldn’t see it anymore. It was
just a shapeless smear of white and gold.
Then, through the smear, far away in the distant woods, a huge tree wobbled erratically, out
of time with the rest of the forest. Emmett.
I yanked the door out of my way. It banged sharply against the wall, but the sound was far
behind me as I raced into the green.
―Emmett!‖ I screamed. ―Emmett, help!‖


"Twilight"

Outtakes
 Emmett & the Bear
This piece was cut from the original epilogue of "Twilight". Though
Meyer briefly explained Emmett’s back story in Chapter 14 "Mind over
Matter", she really misses not having it detailed in his own words.



I
was surprised to find a strange kinship growing between myself and Emmett, especially since
he had once been the most frightening to me of them all. It had to do with how we had both
been chosen to join the family; we’d both been loved – and loved in return – while we were
human, though very briefly for him. Only Emmett remembered – he alone really understood the
miracle that Edward remained to me.
We spoke of it for the first time one evening as the three of us lounged on the light sofas of
the front room, Emmett quietly regaling me with memories that were better than fairytales, while
Edward concentrated on the food network – he’d decided he needed to learn to cook, to my
disbelief, and it was rough going without the proper sense of taste and smell. After all, there was
something that didn’t come naturally to him. His perfect brow furrowed as the celebrity chef
flavored yet another dish according to taste. I repressed a smile.
―He was finished playing with me then and I knew I was about to die‖, Emmett remembered
softly, winding up the tale of his human years with the story of the bear.
Edward paid us no attention: he’d heard it before. ―I couldn’t move and my consciousness
was slipping away, when I heard what I thought was another bear and a fight-over which would get
my carcass, I supposed. Suddenly it felt like I was flying. I figured I’d died, but I tried to open my
eyes anyway. And then I saw her –‖ his face was incredulous at the memory; I empathized entirely,
―– and I knew I was dead. I didn’t even mind the pain – I fought to keep my eyelids open, I didn’t
want to miss one second of the angel’s face. I was delirious, of course, wondering why we hadn’t
gotten to Heaven yet, thinking it must be farther away than I’d expected. I kept waiting for her to
take flight. And then she brought me to God.‖ He laughed his deep, booming laugh. I could easily
comprehend anyone making that assumption.
―I thought what happened next was my judgment. I’d had a little too much fun in my twenty
human years, so I wasn’t surprised by the fires of Hell.‖ He laughed again, though I shivered;
Edward’s arm tightened around me unconsciously. ―What surprised me was that the angel didn’t
leave. I couldn’t understand how something so beautiful would be allowed to stay in Hell with me –
but I was grateful. Every time God came by to check on me, I was afraid he would take her away,
but he never did. I started to think maybe those preachers who talked about a merciful God might
have been right after all. And then the pain went away… and they explained things to me.
―They were surprised at how little disturbed I was over the vampire issue. But if Carlisle and
Rosalie, my angel, were vampires, how bad could it be?‖ I nodded, concurring completely, as he
continued. ―I had a bit more trouble with the rules…‖ He chuckled. ―You had your hands full with
me at first, didn’t you?‖ Emmett’s playful nudge to Edward’s shoulder set us both rocking. Edward
snorted without looking away from the TV.
―So you see, Hell’s not so bad if you get to keep an angel with you‖, he assured at me
mischievously. ―When he gets around to accepting the inevitable, you’ll do fine.‖
Edward’s fist moved so swiftly that I didn’t see what knocked Emmett sprawling over the
back of the couch. Edward’s eyes never left the screen.
―Edward!‖ I scolded, horrified.
―Don’t worry about it, Bella.‖ Emmett was unruffled, back in his seat. ―I know where to find
him.‖ He looked over me towards Edward’s profile. ―You’ll have to put her down sometime‖, he
threatened. Edward merely snarled in response without looking up.
―Boys!‖ Esme’s reproving voice called sharply down the stairs.
 Las Vegas
In the original "Twilight" manuscript, Bella, Edward and Alice stayed
behind in Phoenix while she healed and then drove home passing
through Las Vegas on the way. This scene takes place in an unnamed
Las Vegas casino. Bella still has a cast on her leg.



T
he next morning, we went to the casino. Natural light never came close to touching the
gaming floor, so it was very easy. Edward told me it was generally expected for them to
go lose some money in the hotel — a suite like ours was reserved for that special class of
visitor known as high rollers.

As they walked — and I rolled in my wheelchair — through the acres of elegantly decorated
casino floor, three times Alice paused at a particular slot machine and slid a card through the
scanner. Each time she did this, sirens would blare, lights would revolve and an electronic
simulation of coins dropping indicated that her prize had been credited to her room. She tried to
get me to do it once, but I skeptically shook my head.

―I thought you were supposed to lose money‖, I accused her.

―Oh, I will‖, she assured me. ―But not until I make them sweat a little.‖ Her smile was sinful.

We reached a more lavishly decorated division of the huge casino, where there were no slot
machines or casually dressed tourists with plastic cups full of change. Plush chairs replaced the
swiveling bar stools, and the voices were quiet, serious. But we continued still further, through a
set of ornate gold doors into another room, a private room, more opulent yet. Finally I
understood why Alice had insisted on the raw silk, emerald green wraparound dress she’d tied on
me today, why she was wearing a long, white satin sarong — with a short lace top that bared her
flat, white stomach — and why Edward was overwhelming and irresistible in another light silk
suit. The players in this room were all dressed with an exclusive splendor whose expense was far
beyond my imagining. A few of the impeccable older men even had young women in glittering,
strapless gowns standing behind their chairs, just like in the movies. I pitied the beautiful women
as their eyes swept over Alice and Edward, realizing their own deficiencies as they measured the
first and the deficiencies of their partners as they ogled the second. I was the enigma and their
eyes slid away from me unsatisfied.

Alice glided off toward the long roulette tables and I cringed as I thought of the havoc she would
wreak.

―You do know how to play blackjack, of course‖, Edward bent forward to murmur in my ear.

―Are you kidding?‖ I felt the color drain from my face.

―Knowing your luck, I couldn’t lose any more thoroughly than by letting you play‖, he chuckled.
He wheeled me toward a table with three empty chairs. The two immaculately dressed,
exceptionally dignified Asian men glanced up in disbelief as Edward lifted me gently into one of
the empty velvet chairs and took the seat next to me. The delicate oriental beauty who stood at
the end of the table watched with insulting incredulity as Edward caressed my hair possessively.
―Only use one hand‖, he breathed almost silently in my ear. ―And keep your cards over the
table.‖

Edward spoke a quiet word to the dealer and two impressive stacks of dark blue chips appeared
on the table in front of us. They had no numbers — and I didn’t want to know anyway. Edward
pushed a small stack of his forward and a larger stack of mine. I glared at Edward in embarrassed
panic, but he just smiled impishly as the dealer dealt the cards swiftly around. I picked up my
cards carefully with one hand, holding them rigidly above the table. I had two nines. Edward
held his cards loosely; I could see he had a five and a seven. I glanced guardedly at the two
gentlemen next to me, intent but terrified, watching carefully to see what the protocol was for a
high rolling blackjack table. To my relief, it seemed easy enough. The first swept the top of his
cards briefly against the felt and received a card, the second slipped the corner of his cards under
his bet, leaving them on the table and didn’t. I quickly put my cards down, shoving them
awkwardly under my chips — cheeks flaming — when the dealer looked at me. Belatedly I
noticed that the dealer had a queen. Edward brushed the table lightly and the dealer threw a nine
face up on the table in front of him. I glared at him, as the men beside me murmured
appreciatively.

The dealer had a jack and I lost, as did both Asian gentlemen. He smoothly relieved us of our
chips. I heard a subdued commotion coming from the direction of the roulette table, but I was
afraid to look. Edward pushed another stack of my chips onto the table and it began again.

When my chips were gone, Edward passed me half of his, unable to contain his amused smile.
He was doing well, winning three times as often as the other men at the table. But, with the size
of my bets controlled by him, I was losing chips faster than he could rake them in. I had yet to
win a hand. It was humiliating — but at least I was sure to never become a gambling addict.

Finally, I lost our last stack of chips. The Asian gentlemen, and their female escort, watched
Edward with impressed curiosity as he could no longer contain his mirth, chuckling quietly, but
with deep amusement, while he returned me to the wheelchair. I blushed and kept my eyes on the
thick carpet as he pushed me away, still laughing.

―I’m the worst gambler in history‖, I muttered apologetically.

―Actually, you’re not. That’s what so funny.‖ He laughed again. ―You didn’t do one thing
wrong, aside from playing a little conservatively. The odds that you would lose every hand…‖
He shook his head, grinning.

We got to the roulette table just in time to watch Alice lose her spectacular pile of multihued
chips in one disastrous spin of the wheel. The many hopeful players who had bet with her on
seventeen black looked murderously disappointed. She laughed, a trilling, carefree sound and
joined us.

―Did we lose enough?‖ I whispered as we exited the gold doors.

―I think the house is satisfied. You’re probably their favorite client today‖, he snickered.

―Please promise me one thing.‖

―Anything you want.‖

―Never, ever tell me how much money I lost today, please.‖

We were in the noisy casino by this time and his laugh was unrestrained.