I’m sitting in the movie theatre without a companion, awaiting the start of the newest Twilight film, Breaking Dawn.

To an outsider, I must look like the typical Twilight fan: a lonely fifteen-year-old girl with a thrilled glint in her eye. But my excitement isn’t caused by rabid anticipation of a glimpse of Taylor Lautner’s abs (has the 8-pack become a 10?!). Instead, I’m excited to get to the bottom of a mystery more elusive than vampires themselves: why is Twilight so popular with girls my age?

The movie opens with Lautner (who plays temperamental Jacob) running shirtless, aforementioned abs in full view. In voice-over monologue, the lead character, Bella (Kristen Stewart) tells us that “childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies.”

She is in limbo between childhood and adulthood, and between the worlds of mortals and vampires. She is not a vampire, but she’s about to marry a guy who is. The alluring Edward, played by the famously alluring Robert Pattinson.