The Girl Behind The Camera

Unlike most girls, she was always behind the camera. She never posed in a group picture without begin forced into the shot (even then she'd hide behind someone). The only time you could ever get a picture of her was if it was a candid shot, or you had managed to sneak a picture when she was blowing out her birthday camera.

Bella Swan was camera shy.

When people encouraged her to get in the picture, her cheeks would turn a light pink, and she'd lower her head, shaking it.

"But why?" They'd ask her.

"I don't like being in pictures." Bella would always reply. This would go on back and forth for a while until the other person gave up and took the picture without her.

Bella was always behind the camera.

And she created art.

She could make anything beautiful; from the dead leaf on the ground to an old man just looking into the camera. She shot mostly in black and white, but sometimes in colors. She took pictures of everything: kids, teenagers, adults, grandparents, clouds, trees, there was a whole range of things. And each thing she managed to make beautiful.

People always came up to her and asked her if she could take pictures of them. Bella never said no. She took advantage of every opportunity she could to get a picture.

But never was she in a picture.

She loved taking pictures of her best friend, Edward Cullen.

They were attached to the hip. They had been ever since she moved in a few years ago with her dad, Charlie. She had moved from Arizona. At first, the two barely spoke, but after being assigned as partners for a lab, the two started talking, and soon became best friends. Before Bella, Edward was an outcast. A beautiful outcast. You never saw one without the other, unless of course, there was a camera involved.

One day, while Edward was taking a nap, Bella sat quietly next to him, camera in hand and watched him. She watched him breath in and out, little noises coming out every once and a while. Her best friend looked so peaceful when he was asleep. Outside, the rain was falling hard, making little tick sounds when it hit the window, but Edward didn't seem to notice. Slowly, Bella lifted the camera to her eye. The world was different behind the camera; peaceful, centered, nothing in her way. She liked this. She adjusted the zoom on her canon camera, as well as the focus. She zoomed in on Edward's face, which laid on a pillow. His mouth was slightly open, his eyes closed, and his hair was a mess, as usual.

Click.

She moved closer to him.

Click.

"Bella," Edward's muffled voice suddenly called.

"Yes?" Bella whispered.

"Don't you have enough pictures?" Edward said. Was he annoyed. This though was soon perished when Edward's crooked smile appeared on his face. Edward slowly got up and stretched.

Click.

Edward chuckled softly and leaned forward to Bella. Bella stopped breathing. Her best friend always had this affect on her. He was gorgeous, dazzling. His messy bronze hair, green eyes, and that crooked smile, it was no wonder all the girls swooned over him at school. When Bella snapped into reality, she noticed that Edward had the camera, his finger on the capture button.

"Edward! Don't!" Bella immediately covered her face.

"Bella, why don't you like getting your picture taken?"

"Because.." Bella replied, hands still covering her face.

"Bella, please tell me." Edward cooed, looking at his best friend.

"I..."

Silence.

"I don't like looking at myself."

"Why not?"

"I just don't." Bella stated stubbornly.

"Is there something wrong?"

"No!"

Edward knew she was lying. He knew his best friend all to well. She was like many girls. She was self-conscious. But why? His best friend was beautiful.

"Do you look at yourself in the mirror, Bella?"

"No." Bella told him.

"How do you see yourself?"

"As a person.." Bella told him.

"What kind of person?"

"I don't know.."

"Bella, you can take your hands away from your face, I wont take a picture." Edward told her. Bella took a breath and took her hands away from her face. Her eyes looked like glass, as though she was about to cry.

"Everyone has a different perspective on beauty.. Hollywood finds people who look like sticks beautiful... people in high school find people with the nicest hair and eyes beautiful.. Horny men find girls with big breast beautiful" Bella chuckled a little at that one. "Do you know what I think about beauty, Bella?" Edward asked his friend. Bella shook her head. Edward lifted Bella's camera and gave it to her. On the little screen was a picture of Bella, her beautiful long brown hair slightly curled and messy, her brown eyes shining, looking directly into the camera, her mouth slightly open.

"That's true beauty."