When the release date for "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner" was announced as June 5, it didn't seem like much of a coincidence that the date so closely preceded the June 30 release of "Eclipse." Well, in a recent interview with USA Today, Stephenie Meyer flat out said that she wanted the book to get out before the film's release because some elements from the novella would be used in "Eclipse."
After reading "Short Second Life," it was easy to pick out some scenes that were most likely to make it into the film, as well as to realize that some already have. It's sort of a tongue-in-cheek move, because while those who haven't read Stephenie's newest installment will think that the newborn vampire scenes were David Slade's creative vision, those who have will get a kick out of seeing Bree's story come to life. Be wary, because there are plenty of spoilers for "Short Second Life" after the jump, but click on to see the scenes we found most likely to be in "Eclipse."
Probably in "Eclipse": The newborns' basement hide out
In "Short Second Life," the newborn vampires are told a string of lies so Riley and Victoria can keep them under control easier, and one of them is that the sun will destroy any vampire that steps in it. Obviously, in Stephenie's universe, we know this isn't the case, and the worst affect the sun will have on a vampire is a blinding sparkle. Riley keeps the newborns in basements during the daytime so they can have a base to return to in order to stay out of the sun all day, and we're sure that we'll be seeing some scenes in there during the course of the film.
Already in "Eclipse": Newborns ransacking Seattle
The first scene in "Short Second Life" follows Bree as she is out on a hunt with some of her fellow newborns. There's Kevin and "Spider-man" (a blond whose name Bree doesn't know), as well as Diego, who Bree ends up falling for. Kevin starts causing trouble and flips a car over so he can feed on its driver, and he and Spider-man start tearing the poor woman apart for her blood. Bree stands off to the side while they do this, full of thirst but not willing to fight the two of them for a slim amount of blood, and then she and Diego take off for better hunting. Fortunately, we've already seen a variation of this scene in a clip we got (a snapshot is taken from it above), and it turns out the Volturi were watching the newborns the whole time.
Probably in "Eclipse": The Volturi confronting Victoria and Riley
Did you know that, despite Jane's naïve claims at the end of "Eclipse" that Victoria and her army escaped Volturi attention, the Volturi actually knew the entire time? Probably, if you've seen the clip mentioned above. But, even worse than that, it turns out that the Volturi actually confront Victoria and let her continue her path of destruction because they want her to kill the Cullens! This scene almost shocked us more than it did the eavesdropping Bree and Diego in "Short Second Life," and we're betting our pennies that this new twist of events makes its way into "Eclipse."
Already in "Eclipse": Newborns following Riley through water
Turns out that chillingly awesome, George Romero-esque scene in the "Eclipse" trailer where the newborns walk through a body of water behind Riley is right out of "Short Second Life" too, on pages 117 and 118:
Riley paused at the water's edge… He dove smoothly into the surf. The others were growling excitedly as they submerged, too… We didn't swim long, and then we saw the others kicking upward. Fred and I [Bree] surfaced last, and Riley started talking as soon as our heads were out of the water.
Since we haven’t seen how the water scene fits into the context of "Eclipse" yet, we can't tell if David Slade just took the visual from "Short Second Life" for the film or actually used the entire scene as well. In the novella, Riley is leading the newborns to a feeding frenzy on a nearby ferry, and that's why they're near water. However, in the trailer, it seems as though Riley is leading the newborns to the final battle with the Cullens, especially since they seem to be walking in the daytime, albeit under cloud cover. Still, the second we read that scene we knew exactly where we would be seeing its visual equivalent in the film.
Probably in "Eclipse": Carlisle stopping Bree in the woods
We all know Carlisle and Edward team up to try to save Bree from her inevitable death at the hands of the Volturi, but what we don't get to see in "Eclipse" from Bella's perspective is the moment when Carlisle almost kills Bree himself, but then she surrenders and he chooses to let her "live." This moment is, of course, in "Short Second Life," and will most likely be included in the film to flesh out Bree's final moments.
Are you glad that "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner" is acting as more than just a fun companion story to "The Twilight Saga"?
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