Bella had been up all night. And the night before. And every night for the past two weeks. Occasionally her body would shut down temporarily, and she'd crumple in an unconscious heap for a few hours. That was the closest she got to sleep. Still, the exhaustion and malnutrition was worth it in the end. By working at night as well as during the day, she'd accomplished a month and a week's worth of work (she saved the extra week by skipping meals, devouring an entire loaf of bread while working in between bites every few days) She stepped back from her desk, and gasped. Tears streamed silently down her cheeks, and she fell to her knees, her fingers outstretched towards the desk. There, on the surface, sat the most beautiful marionette puppet she, and a great portion of the populace, had ever seen. Body carved from marble, with joints of real gold. A face carved with such care and intricacy, it seemed real. A halo of auburn hair (human, of course) surrounded the head, and there, in the eye sockets, genuine topaz melted into pupils. Bella gathered herself off the floor, brushing herself down. She was a master puppet maker, the greatest artist the tiny town of Forks had ever seen. She still had her dignity, mini-Adonis on strings or no. Still, the puppet was beautiful in a way humans could never hope to accomplish. A demi-god, perhaps. She opened the shutters to get a better look. The room had been dark since she began the project, lit only by candles. The client had specified that he be the second in the world to see it apart from Bella, and children and adults alike loved nothing more than peering through the windows to try and determine her next project. But it was too early for anyone be up and passing. Besides, the notice on her door said she would be on holiday in Arizona for at least another week. She turned, and shrieked in a kind of ecstasy. The puppet sparkled. Rays of light bounced of its torso and gleamed across the walls of the shop. Bella was once again reduced to a quivering mess on the floor. The thing had a hold on her. She was...no, that couldn't be right; no-one fell in love with puppets. That was just odd. And yet, at the realisation that the client would not be here to pick it up until tomorrow, her heart leapt.
The puppet she christened Edward. The rest of the day was spent walking Edward around the shop, introducing him to every other puppet in the store, then sitting him in a patch of sunlight out of view from the window and composing and writing poetry to him. She fell asleep with the marionette clasped tight in her arms.
She awoke to loud rapping on the door. She sat up quickly, nearly dropping Edward to the floor. She recovered him immediately, apologising profusely and kissing his marble forehead. Suddenly, her heart filled with heavy dread as she realised who was at the door.
'Mr Cullen, I'm very sorry to keep you waiting.' Mr Cullen, world renowned millionaire and notorious recluse, smiled back at her warmly.
'Not at all. I should have come later, forgive me. And please, call me Carlisle' Bella blinked and stuttered for a while, attempting to get her words in order.
'Please, come in. I suppose you're wondering about your puppet?' She had toyed with the idea of telling him it wasn't ready, just for one more day with Edward, but he was such a kind man, she didn't have it in her heart. Semi-reluctantly, she led him into her workshop. Edward was sat in a chair, looking quite dignified in a velvet housecoat with a silk cravat. Carlisle clapped his hands together, looking most satisfied.
'Beautiful! I was told if anyone could do my idea justice, it was Bella Swan, puppet creator extraordinaire. And what a handsome boy he is. The materials I supplied were adequate, I take it?'
'Most adequate.' Bella replied, choked up with tears.
'Does he have a name? I like to request that the maker name my commissions, to keep a bond between the two.'
'Edward.' She whispered, unable to cease the tears escaping from her eyes.
'Edward.' He repeated. 'I adore it, old fashioned, yet sophisticated.'
And so it was that Edward was loaded into the back of a shiny black car, held securely by Mr Carlisle Cullen. For her efforts, Bella had received enough money cash-in-hand to purchase a small municipality. Or at least to expand her shop. Or purchase new, grand materials to make finer puppets. Bella did none of these, putting the money instead into a separate bank account. Her child's inheritance, she decided. As for Bella herself, she resumed as she had before, making simple wooden puppets for the public. But she grew dissatisfied. After all, she had created the most beautiful marionette in the world, what could possibly compete? Her projects were more and more often burnt before they ever saw the light of day, and Bella's passion for the art flickered, weaker and weaker, before being snuffed out altogether. She sold the shop and moved back to her father's house. Bella was barely 17 at this point.
She'd been discovered as a 14 year old for her remarkable eye and passion for the craftmanship of puppets (crudely, she had dismembered and subsequently whittled down a large wooden doll given to her for her 10th birthday, before threading it with strings, and taking it out for a stroll in town. She happened to be in the right place at the right time with exactly the right person, happening across a rather influential figure in the world of puppetry) She had been given a grant to open a workshop, which she worked in after school and on weekends and holidays, while her creations were displayed at the large window and kept safe and tidy by the caretaker. As soon as she saw 16, Bella left school, paid her caretaker handsomely and sent him off, and moved into the shop full-time, content enough to live through her art. Still, a 14 year old with such amazing talent was not to go unnoticed, and Bella was respected throughout the country, in places she had never visited in her life. Though the novelty of her age wore off for most, some loyal fans followed her work closely, and kept her name alive among the puppet-appreciative community. That is how Mr Cullen became aware of Miss Swan's existence. Mr Cullen, unbeknownst to the majority of the population, was an avid collector of marionette puppets. Very specific puppets, that is, which must be made out of materials passed down for centuries.A certain type of marble, found only in a remote location on the island of Paros, among other rich and rare indulgences. Already, when he called on Bella, he had five exquisite puppets, each one perfection.
Edward made six.