Sunrise

"It's hard to wait around for something you know might never happen, but it's even harder to give up, especially when you know it's everything you've ever wanted"

The trees were sleeping serenely under the glow of the luminous moon. All that could be heard was the soft humming of the wind. Her porcelain skin was radiant amongst the dull surroundings that were shadowed by the cover of night fall. She heard a tweet and directed her vision towards the nearby tree, its silhouette visible from the light illuminating from the large lantern that emitted a glow like a pearl lit from within. It was a single burning flame that illuminated the dark.

Perched on the lowest branch of the tree was a River Kingfisher; it's orange and blue feathers a darker shade and its body unusually plump. The small bird raised its majestic wings and began to take flight. The girl stared at the bird until she saw it disappear into the night. She couldn't help but feel the familiar twinge of solitude. She wanted to fly away, just like the bird; escape from everything. She wanted to flight out into the horizon. It was free. She wished she was free, just like the bird.

She tore her eyes away from the sky and continued to wander. She knew that if she was caught strolling the grounds of the castle again at this time of night, her mother would not be so lenient. But she felt that there was some unsolved mystery of the home of her forefathers. A mystery that had her wandering with butterflies in the pit of her stomach, anticipating for the next adventure she may embark upon. Nevertheless, the adventure she was looking for was so farfetched that it was a matter of life and death, but if it meant escaping loneliness, it was a risk she was willing to take.

The girl, who was blessed with the riches of her ancestors and natural beauty and charm from her mother, was one that found happiness a hard concept to consider. She remembered a time when she was happy, yet that time seemed so long ago that to her it felt as if it might have all been a dream. It wasn't until the tragic death of her father and the sudden departure of her first and only love, that everything the world had to offer her seemed less important as the days passed.

As a child, she would accompany her father on one of their prominent walks through the forests and by the river. It was one of her favourite things to do while growing up because it meant that she got to spend some time with her only friend, but that was only until her father introduced her to the physician's son on that beautiful summer's day.

Flashback

Isabella Marie Swan woke abruptly. Her vision was slightly blurred as she peered around her large bedchamber to look for the cause of her immediate awakening. Then she heard it again, a scream that seemed to be coming from outside. Curious, she swiftly rose pulling back the smooth silk sheets and hopped off the bed towards the window. She glanced outside: the harsh morning light flooding into the room as she opened the curtains to see a sight that bought a delightful smile to her delicate features. One of the servants named Jane was scampering around the garden foolishly, flailing her arms around. To an outsider, it would appear that she was performing some sort of ceremonial dance, but to Bella, she knew she must have seen another rodent. The servants continued to work; cutting the olive-green bushes elaborately that circled the orchard. The servants would only ever do this for a celebratory event; this time it was because her father was coming back home bringing some guests along with him. Little Bella was filled with excitement at this thought; her father had not been home for three months, which meant she needed to elucidate to him all he had missed.

The diminutive child rushed to get dressed, throwing on the royal blue dress her mother laid out for her the previous night. She raced down the steps to follow the voice of her mother to the dining room. "Dorothy, change the dishes at once! These are not suitable for our guests that will be arriving shortly" her mother snapped. Her mother, Lady Swan had very refined tastes when it came to choosing which china was best to use, or such things like picking out attire that screamed "wealthy". She was a tall, thin woman who often felt the need to comment on those who did not have the luxuries she was engulfed with. Of course, this was the main topic of interest at the weekly tea party held at Lady Cullen's manor.

"Oh Isabella, my dear child" her mother said sweetly when she saw her daughter standing in the doorway. "I was just about to send someone to wake you, but now that you are down, I want to show you something". Bella walked to her mother and noticed she was carrying a silver box. Her mother placed the silver box on the grand table, which was now covered with shining silver cutlery and wine glasses, and opened it to reveal a gold locket embedded with ruby red jewels.

Bella gasped at the mere sight of the lovely necklace. "This was mine when I was 16 years old". Lady Swan continued, "It was given to me by my mother, and to her by my grandmother. It has been passed down from generation to generation, from mother to daughter. I was going to wait until your sixteenth birthday, but five years hardly makes a difference!"

The little girl was speechless, the locket was beautiful. "Mother, I do not know what to say! It's wonderful, thank you!" She hugged her mother, and asked her to put it around her neck. At that moment, the doorbell rang. "That must be your father and the guests. I want you to be on your best behaviour. There is a little boy the same age as you that your father and I want you to meet so you must be polite". The little girl nodded and followed after her mother into the foyer.

Standing by the door was her father accompanied by a handsome blonde haired man with a young bronze haired boy that looked to be his son; the resemblance evident. Pleasantries and playful banter were spoken and Bella learned that the boy was named Edward. She also noticed he had the most striking green eyes she had ever seen. Although this boy was undeniably handsome, even for a nine year old, she knew that they could never be friends as he was very hostile. When Grace went forward to greet the boy with a smile and said "Hello, I'm Bella, it's nice to meet you" he just scoffed and turned his back on her to follow the adults into the next room.

When, Bella entered the brightly lit dining area, the only available seat was directly opposite the boy, much to her chagrin. Throughout the whole meal, she felt the boy's eyes on her and whenever she looked up to have her brown ones meet his green, he would peer around the place and find an interest in the boutique of flowers or the wine glasses that would sparkle like a thousand suns when the light reflected off of it. Once the meal was finished, she politely excused herself and walked out into the courtyard. As she went outside, the calm breeze swept through her long dark hair that cascaded down her back. She climbed down the concrete steps until she reached the grey stone fountain. She leaned against it whilst taking off her locket and gazed at it admiringly. Bella was so occupied with her thoughts and listening to the soothing sound of the water trickling down the fountain that she didn't realise someone had snuck up behind her to yell "BOO!" right in her ear. She was caught so off guard that she lost her balance and fell headfirst into the fountain creating a sound of the ocean splashing against the rocks at the beach.

Gasping for air, Bella quickly rose to the surface to see the face of the boy named Edward rolling on the ground laughing. She felt a blush creep up to her cheeks as mortification over came her. But she didn't let that stop her from scolding the immature boy: "WHAT is wrong with you?" she yelled "you good for nothing, stupid boy!" Her face was glowering with fury, where as the boy just smirked at her. "You know, you shouldn't be shouting at me but thanking me, you looked like you could use a bath" the boy said with a smug look on his face. With as much dignity she had left, Bella jumped out of the fountain, the wet clothes making it more difficult, went face to face with the boy and flicked her hair at him so that water droplets flew onto him. With this, she stormed off back into the house.

Even after 13 years, she still remembered the exact details of the day when she met the conceited brown haired, green-eyed boy when they were nine years old. That was the day that she learnt that you should never just a book by its cover, especially when the chapter in the story had only just begun. Because it turned out that this was the very same boy that she fell in love with, the same boy who held her when she cried after finding out her father passed away. And the same boy who proposed to her on the night of her 18th birthday.

Over the years, after forgiving him on the incident on their first encounter, Edward and Bella had become the best of friends. They did absolutely everything together: seeking out monsters in the forests, skipping stones by the river, taking up horse riding. They also made a pact to travel the world together, explore the mountains and agreed to never become separate for more than one month. However, these were the dreams of little children, and as they got older, reality crashed upon them and ruined those childhood fantasies. It was always Edward's dream as well as Bella's to travel the world, but when the opportunity came up and he got an offer he simply could not refuse, Jack broke the promise they had made when they were children.

She bought herself back to the present to realise tears were rolling down the side of her cheeks. Hastily, she wiped them away and made her way to the edge of the wood where the memories of him were still fresh as it was the place where they would spend most of their summer talking or making plans. Times like these, she wished she was a small child again when anything seemed possible; scraped knees were easier to fix than a broken heart. She passed the primeval buildings that had stood the test of time with the most intricate architecture. This was home, she thought. Her home. A place that held the secrets to her childhood. Yet, it did not feel like a home anymore as it no longer included the people that were most dear to her. With the exception of her mother but that changed so regularly.

After the death of her father, Lord Swan, the girl noticed that it had a big affect on her mother. Renee had blamed the death of her husband on her daughter. She claimed if he hadn't have gone out especially to buy his daughter a gift, then he would not have fallen off his horse. She had carried the weight on her shoulders for years; thinking that she killed her own father. For this reason, her mother neglected her and considered her as a burden.

As she neared the large oak tree she had not sat by in months, she saw that there was something on it. Inscribed on the trunk of tree were the words: "Edward loves Bella". In the autumn, when they were 13 years old, Edward had carved that into the tree to show Bella how much she meant to him.

Flashback

The grass was covered with multi-coloured leaves. Although the sun was out, there was still an unwelcomed chilly breeze that swept through the forests. The air was cool and crisp, with the smell of the damp forest floor. A single crimson leaf fell from a nearby tree marking the arrival of autumn and saying goodbye to the summer that had flown by. The sky was cloudless; the brilliant sun shone brightly at the highest point, signalling midday; the birds began to fly into the distance. It was an exhilarating feeling; the start of a new season. Walking hand in hand, Bella and Edward were travelling through the woods."Do you have to go?" whined Bella. She was saddened by the realisation that Edward had to go home soon. "Like I said Bells, it won't be forever, I'll come back next weekend" he said reassuringly. At this, Bella just pouted and walked to sit underneath their favourite tree that was starting to lose its summer green. "But what if you forget me, or worse find a new friend!" gasped Bella, she was starting to make up excuses now that sounded ridiculous even to her ears.

Without saying a word, Edward got up and walked around the corner to see a garden tool lying on the grass abandoned. He retrieved it and went back to the oak tree and started to carve into it.

Around her, the previous night's darkness was starting to disappear as bursts of colour erupted the sky and spread like wild fire; flashes of yellow and pink light shot through the now visible teal blue and white clouds. Distance birds flew by, marking their territory once again. This was time where nothing disturbed the stillness and calmed earth. It was the exact imagery of a faraway kingdom, an untold fairytale. This was it. The silence of dawn.

"You said you'd come back someday" she whispered weakly, as tears brimmed to the surface and threatened to fall; her fingertip tracing the outline of the carving on the tree. It had been 4 years. 4 years since she last saw him. It was times like these she wished she was a child again where anything seemed possible. Scraped knees were easier to fix than a broken heart. He promised he would come back for her. She gave up hope a long time ago that he would return. If he had stayed true to his words, he would have been back by now, she thought. He was the sun that brightened her world, and when he left, he unintentionally placed her in permanent eclipse.

"And I intend to keep that promise", said a familiar yet deep voice. Stunned, Bella spun round to see a tall dark figure that towered over her petite frame, holding a lantern similar to hers, and coming towards her. However, this lantern was not needed as a light far greater and powerful shone from behind the man: the sun was rising on the horizon. She gazed up into his face and saw those recognizable emerald green eyes. He had gotten taller; his features were more defined; his unruly bronze hair had grown slightly and bits fell into his eyes. Nonetheless, he still looked just as she remembered him.

Her own eyes sparked with an emotion that seemed ancient upon her. For the first time in years, she felt hope and...loved. She ran into the awaiting arms of the only man she ever loved. When their lips met, it reminded her that she should never lose hope, and she said:

"I never thought it was worth it, you know waiting for your love, and then I felt your kiss, I could wait forever for this". His crooked incandescent smile sent her heart soaring, just like it always did.

The sun had risen again.