I do not sleep. It’s a commodity I wish I had, a phenomenon that entraps me. Dreams are a state that I could never accomplish, or that is what I thought until I met Bella Swan; beautiful and smart to the extreme, selfless and one-hundred percent mine. My brain seems to find peace in her quiet mind. This was exactly what dreams were made of. So what was it about sleep that makes Bella look like an angel from heaven?

It was just like on any other night. I was hugging her close to my body while she slept. The most intricate workings that made up her every curve were lined with mine. I was immersed in her warmth that was emitting from her body like the rays of the sun. Her head was lying on my cold chest; my nose in her hair. I drew her scent into my lungs, reveling in the most elaborate mix of flowers, strawberries and the hot seductive aroma of her blood. Her heart was beating at its regular pace, only speeding up as her breathing grew heavy when she would murmur my name. It was moments like those that I lived for. And longed for. But this was not just any other night, it was Bella’s birthday. This day had many meanings to her, and I knew that she would bring up the inevitable conversation about becoming like me. So my plan was to distract her.

She sighed and gripped me closer. This was just another moment in time that I could capture in my memory. She was deeply embossed in my brain to the point that I could picture her perfectly when I closed my eyes. I did this often when I was away from her for any period of time.

Down the hall I could hear Charlie stir in his room. Light was beginning to brighten the sky as the sun rose over the trees, casting shadows in her room. The sky was full of grey clouds. I looked at Bella’s alarm clock. In the corner the date stamp read September 13, the day Bella turns a year older then me. A fact I knew she would remind me of, and often.

I thought about waking her early but thought better of it. She needed the sleep. Regardless, Alice would undoubtedly be awaiting my arrival at home so I needed to get back. She was overly excited about today. She spent every hour she could at stores around the greater Washington area. I tried to explain to her that this wasn’t the best of ideas, but she refused to listen.