10. Celebrations
"Happy birthday Edward!"
I woke up to Alice, Carlisle, and Esme standing at the foot of my bed
I sat up, groggy. I noticed the bright sunlight filling the room, How long was I sleeping for?
Carlisle laughed at my expression. "It's almost 8am kiddo. You slept in!"
"You'll need the extra energy for today" Esme chirped
"Why?" I said, and then yawned
"It's New Year's Eve!" Alice jumped as she talked, "That means we can stay awake until my birthday. Unless you fall asleep early"
"Hey! I am as old as you now. That means I can stay awake for as long as you"
Alice looked up at Esme. I could tell she was hoping Esme would argue, but she smiled and nodded at Alice.
"Well… I'll be older than you by tomorrow" She stormed out, crossing her arms
We had blueberry pancakes for breakfast, and then I opened my birthday presents. Alice got me a dinosaur stuffy, and Carlisle and Esme got me a digital camera. Esme said it was for me to fill my heart with happy memories.
Alice and I spent the morning playing with toys, and then after lunch we went outside and I got to take pictures. I took pictures of Alice, Carlisle, Esme, and anything else I thought might be happy: the snow on the ground, the trees, the yellow taxis, the grocery store, the bicycles…
We were walking down the road when I heard the whooshing sound of an airplane.
I looked up and saw a plane descending into the grey sky. I began to shake.
The plane was going to crash.
I was vaguely aware of three voices trying to pull me out of my walking nightmare, but I couldn't concentrate enough to hear them.
Sirens and screams were in the distance.
I could see people jumping out of windows
I waited to hear the crash.
"Edward," Carlisle's voice called to me, "it's not happening again. The plane has landed at the Orange County Airport. It's gone. You are safe"
I focused as hard as I could on their voices.
"In two three four, out two three four…" Esme repeated
"What's wrong with your kid?" A deep voice yelled, "He looks psychotic"
"He survived the terrorist attack. Show some kindness" Carlisle hissed back
"Oh.. I-I didn't know. I'm so sorry…" His voice trailed off in embarrassment.
Alice's soft cries were in the background,
"Alice, he's okay. Take some deep breaths with me" Esme signed quietly
I opened my eyes and looked up. The plane was gone. Nothing was on fire. Nobody else was scared. Everyone was safe.
Carlisle ran his fingers through my hair
"I know kiddo," he mumbled, "I know"
We turned around and walked back home. Carlisle carried me and I continued to take pictures of happy things: The sun, people smiling, Esme and Alice laughing…
We stopped
at the photo lab to print them off. Esme said she would help me make a "Happy Box" with photos so I would remember all the happy things and not just the scary things.
That night we went down to Times Square for New Years Eve.
"This was always my dream" Carlisle said, "To be here when the all dropped"
Esme laughed, "I have lived in New York for nearly eight years and this is the first time I have bothered to come down here for New Years Eve"
Carlisle looked at her like she was crazy, "How did you ring in the New Year then? By watching it on TV like everyone else in America?"
She nodded, "I never have understood the excitement around celebrating New Years. Resolutions almost never work, and everyone's acts like having a new calendar will make them into a better person"
Carlisle sighed, "We can go home-"
"No, no" Esme stubbornly interrupted, "It's Edward and Alice's birthday party, and you have always wanted to be here. What was New Years like in London?"
"We had fireworks and the normal stuff. My dad used to throw a party every year at our house. His friends would get drunk and they would let me eat all the candy I wanted to"
Alice and I leaned onto Carlisle and Esme. I watched her eyes begin to fall, and I thought mine were doing the same thing. I heard two people laugh at us. Esme picked me up while Carlisle held Alice.
"Why do I always have to hold the bigger one?" Carlisle complained
"Because you are a gentleman and always let me carry the light one"
"He is tiny, I wonder-"
It felt like no time had passed, but suddenly Esme was bouncing me.
"Wake up Edward. It will be New Year's in less than 2 minutes"
I looked around, my eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness. Alice looked at me, and then at the big ball.
"As soon as that drops, it will be 2002 and Alice will be 5" Carlisle stated
I kept my head on Esme's shoulders, trying to resist sleep from overtaking me.
"5...4...3...2...1 Happy New Year" Everyone called out in unison
Carlisle leaned over to kiss Esme
"That's disgusting" Alice hissed
They both laughed at her as I closed my eyes.
The next morning was filled with more birthday celebrations. Alice got a dollhouse from Carlisle and Esme, and I got her a princess sticker book. We spent the day inside playing; We were not allowed outside because there was a big blizzard outside.
A week after Alice's birthday, we each got a package from the United Kingdom. We each got an abacus and a beanie baby from Carlisle's dad, who told us to call him "Grandpa". I never had a Grandpa before and neither had Alice. He was going to come to Carlisle's graduation, and then we were going to show him around New York.
We went back to school in the beginning of January, and we started to get ready for our adoption. Alice got a fancy pink dress, and I was forced to wear an uncomfortable suit. Esme said I had to look nice for it because it was a special day.
"How would you feel about having a new last name after you are adopted?" Carlisle asked at the end of January
"What's a last name?" I asked
"Well you know how you are Edward Anthony Masen now? You would get to change your name so you would be Edward Anthony Cullen"
I paused, "What would happen to the Masen part?"
He sighed, "It would change"
I thought about this for a second, "Can I put Masen in my name somewhere?"
He smiled, "Of course. You could have two middle names and you could be Edward Anthony Masen Cullen"
"And then all 4 of us would have the same last name?"
"All except for Esme" Carlisle seemed sad when he said this.
"Well when could she be a Cullen? When she gets an adoption ring?"
Carlisle smiled wryly at me, "If she chose to change her name she would be a Cullen"
Alice and I both agreed to change our last name to Cullen. Alice wanted to change her name from Mary Alice to just Alice, but Esme insisted that she should keep it because it made her more fancy.
Esme helped us get ready for the ceremony on February 19th. She gave Alice and I haircuts and ironed our clothes.
Before the ceremony Carlisle gave us each a small wrapped up package.
"This is to say, welcome to my family" He explained
Inside was a small silver ring. It was engraved in a knot, and mine said E.A.M.C on it. Alice's said M.A.B.C.
Carlisle smiled at us as we put them on our pinky fingers. I saw a tear run down his face, but I didn't know why.
"You two are the best things to ever happen to me. I cannot wait to watch you both grow up, and I am so happy you both agreed to be mine"
He held us close for a minute and gave us both a kiss on the cheek.
"Oh wait! I forgot something!" I ran back into my room to grab the camera, "This is a happy thing, so I need to have a picture of it" I told them when I came back out.
Esme put the camera in her purse and promised to take our photo after the ceremony.
The adoption room was in another city called Long Island. We listened to Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park in the car and we sang along with all the songs. I think my favourite was In the End.
When we got to the adoption room, there were a bunch of other families. Most of them had babies, and Alice was definitely the tallest child there. Everyone was smiling though, and most of the adults were crying. I didn't know why they were sad though. Carlisle said adoption was a happy thing.
We were the 4th family to get called up. Carlisle gave the adoption judge a stack of papers. He read them over as he spoke.
"Mr. Cullen, you are seeking the parental rights of Mary Alice Brandon and Edward Anthony Masen, is this correct?"
"Yes" Carlisle said, looking down at us
"Mary Alice, do you want to be adopted by Carlisle Cullen?"
Alice looked at the adoption judge, "Yes"
"And do you, Edward, want to be adopted by Carlisle Cullen?"
"Yes" I repeated in the same tone as Alice
"And I see you are wishing to change their last name to yours, Mr. Cullen, Is that right?"
"Yes" Carlisle said in a low voice, sounding almost excited
"I grant you parental guardianship of Edward Cullen and Alice Cullen. You may sit down"
Carlisle took our hands and walked us back to our seats as people clapped.
"Now you're stuck with me forever" he said in a teasing tone.
I leaned my head against his arm
"Thanks for taking care of me, Dad"
I didn't look at him as I said this, but I knew he heard me.
He leaned over and kissed the top of my head
"Anytime, son"