EPOV

My name is Edward Cullen. Soon everyone will know my name and no one will ever forget it. I am going to make damn sure of it.

When I was young, just seven years old, my twin sister Alice and I would play for hours in the meadow out back, behind our home. The estate was huge and there were many gardens to play in, some with swings and play things for Alice and myself to enjoy. The meadow was my favorite place to be and Alice was always content to follow. At least back then she was.

It was in the meadow that we had been playing tag in when mother's voice called out for us. We scrambled to the back porch of the big house where she met us, explaining that there was a conference she and dad would be attending. She told us that we were to stay close to the house and mind the babysitter.

Mrs. Cope was the widower who lived in the only other house on our dead end road. She was old and grouchy and I disliked her immensely. She believed that children were to be seen and not heard. Clearly, this plan was not on my agenda. The house was large though, being two stories tall with five bedrooms and baths, most of the time she was easy to avoid.

Mother saw the disobedient glint in my eye and scolded me, "Edward, you will do as you are told if you wish to continue playing in the meadow. If Mrs. Cope tells me that you hid from her again, you will be denied outside play for two weeks. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Mother," I was quick to say. Being cooped up in the house was the worst possible thing that could happen to a boy who had so many fantastical dreams to purge from his imagination.

She smiled indulgently then, "We won't be gone long, I promise," she said as she bent to kiss mine and then Alice's cheek.

My mother knew me well, she stayed home with us most days though she worked on her computer doing accounting work for my father. He was a well renowned doctor and the entire country wanted his input at various conferences. He was rarely at home but when he was, he always took time to read us stories from the large library on the first floor of his study. Afterward, he and mother would tuck us into our beds and kiss us goodnight. This was my best childhood memory.

Mrs. Cope did not read bedtime stories and I fell asleep that night without a story or a kiss goodnight.

Upon waking the next morning, I padded down the stairs from my room to the kitchen. I was still in my zip up pajamas with the plastic footies attached and Spiderman swinging on a web across the front. I paused at the large wood door leading into the kitchen as I heard Mrs. Cope speaking to someone. What was she still doing here?

I pushed the door open just enough to see into the room and Mrs. Cope was sitting on of the bar stools talking on the telephone. "What am I supposed to do? I can't stay here with them and I am certainly no taking them to my house," she said into the receiver. She listened for a moment and then agreed with whoever was on the other end, hanging up the phone with a sigh.

She looked up at me then and motioned me into the room. "Edwin, right?" she asked as I stepped closer. "Edward!" I shouted angrily. Why could she not ever remember my name?

"Edward. Whatever. I have some bad news for you. There is no easy way to say it, so I'm just going to be blunt," she said seemingly like she was enjoying being the bearer of bad news far more than she wanted me to know. "Your parents were killed in a car accident last night on their way home," she blurted out abruptly.

I launched myself across the room when I heard the words, "No! No! You're lying! You're a liar and I hate you," I had screamed pummeling her with my tiny fists. She pushed away harshly and I landed on the floor, "Get off of me, you little brat," I stood, glaring at her and then ran from the room.

She wasn't a liar though and soon a lady from social services came to pick us up. Alice and I were told that where we were going, there would not be room for all of our things and to pack only the bare essentials. I sneaked, and slipped my comic books into the backpack when she wasn't looking.

We were taken to a state home until more permanent foster parents could be found for us. The social worker was right about there not being any room for anything but our clothes. I was in a bare white room, lined with bunk beds, that I shared with four other boys. That first night I lay in bed clutching my comic books to my chest when one of the bigger boys came and snatched them away.

He was much stronger than I but I fought hard, "Those are mine!" I had yelled.

"And just who do you think you are?" The bully had taunted.

"I am Edward Cullen," I responded indignantly.

"Just as I thought, a nobody," he teased as he left the room with my books under his arm, snickering.

I cried then, not caring who heard me. Alice had slipped into bed with me her face wet with tears as well and we held each other through the night. I resolved that night that no matter what it took, I was going to be somebody. I was going to be famous, with name in lights and everyone in the world would know my name. Then, no one could bully me or take my things away ever again.

Alice and I spent the next eleven years being shuffled from home to home. Most of the foster parents were not nice and all of them laughed at my dream but every time one of them slipped and called me "Edwin" it strengthened my resolve.

I would not let them make me bitter. I was going to be bigger and better than all of them. I believe that you can only feel what you feel; nothing more or less but you have complete control of your actions. My actions were to be genuinely kind to people. To treat them as I wished to be treated because it is what my mother and father would have expected of me.

On our eighteenth birthday we received a substantial inheritance from our parents. As I stood in the law offices of Demetri and Newton waiting to sign papers in Mr. Demetri's office, I saw a beautiful brunette. She was about my age with long flowing hair. The sadness in her eyes was palpable as she waited in one of the chairs.

She never looked up at me as she stood and was escorted into one of the offices. Mr. Demetri came for Alice and I then and we followed him down the hall. I knew I probably would not get the chance to see her again and this made me sad. I told myself as I settled into a chair in the large wood paneled room that if it was meant to be, I would run into her again someday.

One of the stipulations of my parents will was that we had to go to college. At first, I was pissed at still being controlled but soon I became excited by the idea. Registering for classes and strolling through the campus.

Alice and I bought a small house not far from campus. We had spent weeks furnishing it. I had not gotten around to meeting any of the neighbors but there was a lovely white clapboard house with blue shutters next door that intrigued me. I loved the wrap around porch with red rose bushed threading themselves up through the trellis. I wanted to know who lived there but couldn't find the courage to go knock on the door and introduce myself.

I had done some community theater while in high school and an agent, Tanya Denali, had spotted me. I met with her in her office, "Edward, I think you've got what it takes and I would like to work with you." She explained to me that I would need to have photographs taken and hire a lawyer to look over the contract she presented me with.

I called Mr. Demetri and he was willing to look over the papers so I brought the packet to his office and looked around for the beautiful brunette. I knew she would not likely be there but I couldn't help myself. Soon, I was ushered into the office where I sat for thirty minutes while Mr. Demetri sipped coffee and looked everything over.

I sat there trying to be patient, my thoughts traveled to the girl. I would have given anything to have taken the sadness from her face that day. I realized it was silly of me to think so much about a girl whom I did not even know but more silly than that was the fact that I felt like I might love her.

"This is a pretty standard contract, Edward," Mr. Demetri had said, startling me from my thoughts.

"It is a good deal for you and my advice would be to sign," he said finally.

I felt the smile spread over my face as I stood to shake his hand. "Thank you, thank you very much," I repeated over and over in happiness and relief.

Alice had helped me to decide on a studio to have my photographs taken for a portfolio and I was pleased with the quality of work they had done. I handles the photographs carefully until I could get them placed properly into the black portfolio case Alice had gifted me with this morning.

I had a meeting with an advisor at the college to discuss my major. The meeting had gone well and my official reason for being in college was now film production. I walked over the campus grounds looking for a quiet spot to put the photographs together and as I walked my thoughts strayed again to the beautiful brunette. I hoped she was happy wherever she was.

I spotted the library up ahead and smiled to myself. It was perfect. What was more quiet than a library? Lost in my own thoughts, I wasn't watching where I was going when I entered through the glass double doors. Just as I stepped into the building I collided with someone and my photos flew through the air.

I bent to pick up the glossy papers, about to apologize profusely when I heard a gasp. I looked down and my beautiful brunette was sprawled on the floor before me. I couldn't believe my luck. All these weeks of daydreaming about her and now hear she was and I knocked her down and could not seem to make myself speak.

Finally, I came to my senses and reached out a hand to help her off of the floor. She held a few of the photographs in her hand and looked down at them. I said the first thing that entered my mind, "Headshot," I whispered.

"Huh?" she asked, looking at me curiously.

I cleared my throat to start again, "Um, I'm Edward. Edward Cullen. These are photographs for my agent. Um, I'm going to be famous someday," I could feel my face heating up from embarrassment. She must think I am some kind of egomaniac.

Before I could defend my statement, she handed me the photos and smiled up at me. "I believe you," she said assuredly.

"Beautiful brunette? What's your name?" I asked, still holding her hand in mine.

"Isabella Swan. You can call me Bella," she said demurely.

"Gladly," I responded, stroking the back of her hand with my thumb.

My mouth opened of it's own accord, "I love you," I blurted, spilling my secret before I could stop it.

Her entire face radiated with the smile that lit upon it. I was frightened for a moment as she pondered her words, "Edward, I am going to love you forever."

This couldn't be happening. I believed in love at first sight but this was like something out of a dream. I couldn't deny the warmth that spread up my arm from her touch and throughout my body and I was thankful that she seemed to feel it too.

"Forever? Like Always?" I asked.

My beautiful brunette responded without hesitation, "Just like always".