Hey guys.
This is a short piece that I wrote for the contest, but apparently it's not going to be happening, so I decided to post it anyways.

I'm sure I could have expanded it, but I was trying to stay in the 1500 word limit, and I think I like it better this way.












“Are your eyes closed” He whispered from behind, sending shivers down my neck.

“Yes!” I grumbled, my hands on top of his, which were covering my eyes.

“Promise” He whispered again

“I promise!” I laughed , my body tingling from the contact.

He dropped his hands and I felt him move from behind to face me, I'm assuming to make sure I wasn't peeking. I crossed my arms, feeling uneasy having to stand here with my eyes closed. The fact that this was a surprise wasn't helping either.

“No peeking” He said as I heard him shuffle around the room, moving things.

Here I was, standing in Edwards bedroom, eyes closed. He had been talking about this surprise all week, and everything was kept a secret from me, imagine that. Alice wouldn't tell me anything, except the fact that I would love it. I heard Edward pull the blinds up, and felt the warm sun touch my face.

“Almost ready.” He said, as he moved around the room quickly.

“Come on already.” I laughed under my breath. I wasn't a big fan of surprises, and I wasn't one for patience. I felt his cold hands reach around my waist, pulling me closer to him.

“Alright.” He sighed. “Before you open your eyes, I'm just letting you know that I can't return it..” He paused. “...well, actually, I just flat out refuse to return it.” He stated, smiling.

“We'll see.” I laughed, reaching my arms around his waist, pulling myself against his chest, breathing in.

“Okay, open your eyes.” He said.

I stepped back, taking his hand in mine and opened my eyes, squinting against the sun coming in through the windows.

“Edward.” I sighed, glancing around. I let go of his hand and slowly walked to the other side of the room.

In the far corner, there was a huge white screen, and some spot lights. As I got closer, I noticed the tripod and camera set up. I glanced back to Edward who had a huge grin on his face.

“What is this for?” I asked, confused as I walked over to the video camera, looking at all the buttons and dials. Technology was not something I was comfortable with.

“Well, Bella.” Edward said as he made his way across the room, taking my hand in his. “It's a video camera.”

“I can see that.” I said hesitantly, rolling my eyes.
“Bella.” He said, turning me to face him. “After your...change, sometimes your memory will take a while to come back, and when it does, there is still going to be some stuff you won't remember.”

“Oh.” I said, seeing what he was getting at.

“I want you to tell your story.” He said, pulling me close. “I don't want you to forget.” He whispered, cupping my face in his hands, bringing his face towards mine. “Everything you want to remember, I want you to film.”

“Okay..” I whispered, as I closed the space between us, pressing my lips against his. A cool tingle shot through my body, sending shivers down my back. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling my body against his. I reached my hands up, running through his hair as I pressed myself closer to him. “Bella.” He whispered, pulling away.

“Mmm.” I whimpered. Missing his touch immediately.

“I'm gonna leave you be for a while, so you can film this.” He said as he adjusted the lights and turned the camera on.

Edward usually had good ideas, but I wasn't sure how I felt about this one. I wasn't going to forget. Was I?

“What exactly could I forget..after I change?” I asked, glancing out the window into the forest, crossing my arms against my chest.

“Lots of things.” He said, turning back to me. “You could forget your family, your friends, your childhood.” He said, noticing that it made me a little uneasy, taking my hands in his again.

“You?” I asked, afraid that I already knew the answer.

“It's a possibility.” He said, as he reached out to bring my face back to him, gazing into my eyes. “but not if I have anything to do with it.” He smiled. My heart broke a little. I couldn't forget Edward. I thought about everything that had happened in my life and couldn't imagine forgetting the smallest thing. Renee walking me to my first day of school, how she cried more than me. And when Charlie almost forgot to pick me up at the airport one summer. Then I thought about the big things I could forget. The first day I met Edward, the first time he touched me, our first kiss. I didn't want to forget anything.

“No no.” He soothed, reaching his hand up to my face, wiping away the tears that managed to escape. I blinked, trying to clear my eyes, bringing him back to focus. “I didn't say you were going to forget everything for sure, It's just a precaution, just in case.” He said, holding me against his chest. “I know how important these memories will be to you, and I would feel better if you did this, just to remember.” I reached my arms around, hugging him back.

“Thank you.” I choked

“There's another thing.” He said, pulling my shoulders away from him so he could see my face. “I filmed something, for you, but it's not until after your change.” He explained.

“Alright.” I said, wiping any tears still left on my damp cheeks.

“Alright then, I'm going to leave you to it.” He said as he handed me some sort of remote. “You just press this to record, and this to stop.” He explained showing me the buttons.

“Okay.” I said, glancing over at the camera.

I watched him adjust the camera again before he turned to leave.

“Thank you.” I whispered, smiling at him. He turned back smiling before he closed the door behind him.

I glanced down at the remote in my hand, noticing I was shaking. “It's just a precaution.” I whispered to myself under my breath, trying to calm down. I walked over and sat down in front of the screen, passing the remote back and forth between hands. Power. Stop. Record. Rewind. Fast forward. “Rewind.” I whispered. I uncrossed my legs and walked over to the camera, staring the screen. Rewind. I bit my lip, wondering if it would be a big deal if I watched some of what he recorded. I slowly ran my finger over the rewind button, hesitating, and then I pressed it. When the camera stopped making noises I hesitated again before pressing play. There was Edward, sitting in front of the white screen, the sun coming through the windows, causing him to slightly sparkle. I smiled, watching him sit there, nervous for once, and then he spoke.

“So there's this girl.”

He paused.

“And her name is Bella. Which is short of Isabella, but she goes by Bella. My Bella. She is the most honest, sincerer, kind hearted person I have ever met, but she will deny everything. She doesn't see herself the way I do. I see this amazingly beautiful person, who will do anything for anyone. She talks in her sleep on a regular occasion, and she'll blush at pretty much everything.” He paused again, smiling, pulling his hair out of his face.
“Bella. You're my whole life, my best friend, the woman I want and need everyday. Before I met you, everything meant nothing, and now you mean everything, and that means something. It means...everything. “He chuckled to himself. “I'm sorry, I'm not good at this.” He took a deep unnecessary breath before starting again. “Bella...you have changed me in so many ways, the moment you came into my life you turned everything upside down, but it didn't take long to realize that I needed you more than anything. I can't imagine my life without you, and I'm so glad...” He paused again, clearing his throat. “...we have forever, but forever doesn't see long enough....”

I pressed the stop button, as the tears spilled down my cheeks, wiping my nose on the sleeve of my shirt. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes. I glanced back at the screen to see Edward paused in mid sentence. I glanced back down at the remote and pressed fast forward. I could wait to hear the rest. I settled myself down in front of the camera once again. I sat there, staring into the lens, trying to figure out how I was going to put everything I ever felt into words. I glanced out towards the window when I noticed, right beside me, was about 20 blank tapes. “He didn't want me to forget anything” I laughed to myself, wiping the tears away.

I took a deep breath and pointed the remote towards the camera. I closed my eyes and pressed record.

I sat there for a minute, listening to the air rushing in and out of my lungs.

I slowly opened my eyes.

“So theres this boy...”