A/N: This was written a while ago, before the publication of Breaking Dawn, so no spoilers! You're safe :)

I wrote this for a contest on Twilight Series Theories, and I found out the other day that it won! Who would've thought? I was kind of speechless myself.

This is posted on the website! I actually entered it under my real name "Megan" so don't think I'm plagiarizing anything. I wrote it, I swear!

I just thought I'd post it for anyone who's not familiar with the website.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything that belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

Enjoy :)

A dream is defined as a succession of images, thoughts, or emotions passing through the mind during a state of unconsciousness. This was otherwise known as sleep. The term would never relate to myself, however, as sleeping was a luxury not obtainable to my kind. To a vampire.

Another definition of the same word, conversely, is a wild or vain fantasy. This definition seemed more appropriate when associating the word, dream, to myself. Wild and vain, indeed.

My egotistical nature seemed to be everywhere at once as I closed my eyelids. It burned there, in the pictures that were painting themselves in my mind. And suddenly it was as if I was hearing my own thoughts. Thoughts that I struggled to keep obscured from myself. If I didn't know better, I would assume I was dreaming.

Daydreaming perhaps? Absentmindedly dreaming while awake?

Ah. But my mind was not absent at all. In fact, the image I was painting in my mind was both behind my eyelids and in front of them.

Perhaps I only wished for it to be a dream. Or more suitably, a nightmare.

"Is this a part of your first day of school ritual? Sitting in your car until it's over?" My eyes opened to the sound of the voice, a reflex reaction. Bella sat beside me, leaning forward in an attempt to catch my gaze.

"Not exactly," I muttered, glancing out the tinted window. The students passing eyed the Volvo furtively, possibly waiting for the passengers to emerge. A task that I was suddenly dreading.

"What's wrong, Edward?"

I sighed and turned towards her. Just staring at her was a constant reminder of how much I truly would like to drive away with her and never come back. Her eyebrows furrowed over her eyes making them appear darker, not the brilliant gold they usually were.

"I'm fine," I lied, smiling, urging her concern away. "Are you ready?"

Despite my effort, she frowned. "Sure."

I departed the car in a human pace and walked to other side, opening the door for Bella.

She got out quickly and eyed the melancholy clouds overhead. I grasped her hand.

"Alice was purposing we play a game of baseball this afternoon." I was trying to make small talk, an attempt to distract myself. "Is that something you'd be interested in?"

We were walking towards the school now and Bella stared straight ahead. Her exceedingly thick mahogany hair obscured her face and my fingers reached forward to brush it behind her ear.

"Mhmm," she mumbled in response. "Sounds like fun." Her voice was suddenly detached.

"Bella?"

"I wonder if I'll be jealous," she mused suddenly, stopping and turning her body towards me.

I stared at her a moment, speechless. She nodded her head to the right, and her eyes signaled for me to look. I followed her lead and received a glimpse of a group of girls that hadn't spotted us yet. They sat at a picnic table with their heads inclined towards one another, constantly flipping their hair over their shoulders in an odd jerking motion. They all wore matching outfits; short pleated skirts and sweaters, all an unsettling shade of yellow.

"Jealous?" I asked, turning back towards Bella.

She nodded her head, and bit her lip. Her expression was not uneasy however, she looked merely thoughtful.

"What do you mean?" I was more than wary now. Could she tell?

"Well," she sighed, glancing around quickly before continuing, "I'm a vampire now."

I nodded.

"And that means that my hearing and all of my other senses are enhanced. Correct?"

I raised an eyebrow, but nodded anyway. The action was simple enough, but it only took a simple thought to be whispered across my mind for the nod to turn into a cringe.

Wow, new girl's a hottie. I wouldn't mind tapping that.

I hadn't realized that my eyes had been closed until they snapped open to find Bella staring at me inquisitively.

"You can't read their minds," I sighed, nodding my head in the opposite direction. Bella looked at the group of overly hormonal teenage boys fleetingly before turning back towards me.

"They're thinking… about me?" Her eyes widened in disbelief. The smooth pale skin of her forehead wrinkled.

I chuckled at her absurdity. Grasping her hand, we began walking again. The school Carlisle had chosen was perfect. The campus was composed of a series of buildings, similar to the school we had left back in Forks, Washington. The weather here was even well attuned to our desire to remain discreet. The population was slightly larger than the one we had left back in Forks however, but that could also work to our advantage. Less people meant less gossip. And the Cullen family wasn't one to avoid gossip for too long.

"You're too beautiful for your own good," I explained, answering her earlier question. We walked through the red door frame of a small building, the first one on campus. The letters on the door read LOC ER RO M. You could see the outlines of the missing K and O.

Bella made a sound of doubt in the back of her throat.

"You don't believe me?"

We arrived at the locker Bella had been assigned. Her expression was still thoughtful as her fingers danced over the combination dial just a little too quickly…

Oh my god. She must really want to get her locker open.

"Too fast, Bella" I murmured close to her ear.

"Slower?" She asked surprised.

I nodded and she shook her head, muttering something under her breath.

"I believe you," she answered finally, staring into the empty space of her locker with indignant eyes. "But there's no reason to be jealous."

I couldn't answer her for a moment. It wasn't until she glanced up at me. Her teasing smile was even beautiful.

"I only married you, deceived both of my parents, became a vampire and moved to Alaska," she shrugged, still smiling. "I'm sure I could just blow all of that off and get myself a nice hormonal human boy."

Even though her words were meant to be teasing, a fresh wave of guilt ran cold through my veins and my answering smile was forced. I was positive it hadn't reached my eyes.

Of course she noticed. Her small pale face fell in panic for a moment before she rearranged her features and smiled at me cautiously. "I regret nothing," she reminded me, and her words eased an unknown sense of pain in my chest. "I love you. Forever," her eyes searched mine, and her hand reached up to touch my cheek. Rock on rock. Ice on ice. Finally she pulled her head back and her expression became frantic. "Right?"

Her anxiety quickly pulled me from the fog of remorse and I laughed. "Remember when I told you that you don't see yourself clearly?"

"Of course."

"Well, when you look at me, you obviously suffer from the same blindness." I tilted my chin towards my chest, willing her to see the love that I knew settled there, in my eyes. How could it not? My love for her was everywhere. It ran from the tips of my fingers, through my venom filled veins, to my silent heart, to the tips of my toes. It was every part of me. She was every part of me. How could she doubt that?

She must have seen it, because her answering smile mirrored my feelings.

Just do it. Go right up to her. No big deal.

Oh, no.

I heard the thought a moment too late. He was already walking towards her.

"Hey! You're Isabella Cullen, right!?" The blonde haired boy resembled a beanpole, his legs too tall and thin for the rest of his body. His face was round and his eyes were icy blue.

Bella met my eyes for a moment and her golden irises sparkled with a type of amusement that I wasn't sure should calm me or make me lungs stop pumping.

"It's Bella, actually," she told the boy, closing her locker before turning to look at him.

"Oh. Bella is it?" the boy mumbled. "Well, Bella, I was wondering, since you're new and all, if you would like me to show you around campus. A little one-on-one tour." The boy visibly glared at me at the conclusion of his small rant.

"Actually," Bella grinned, backing up a little until her back collided with my arm, "Edward has been here before. He can show me around."

The boys eyes appraised me in distaste. "I've been going to this school since kindergarten, and I don't remember seeing you around."

Ha, nobody pulls one on Mike Newport.

"Mike Newport is it?" I wondered, tilting my head in thought. I guess some things never change.

Bella's back quivered with suppressed laughter.

The boy looked stunned.

How the heck…

The shrill sound of a bell rang over head and the hallway was suddenly filled with the sound of new shoes squeaking loudly against the linoleum.

"Well, I guess we better go. It was nice meeting you… Mike," Bella grinned

She turned and began pulling me away before I had the chance to remind him of all the good times he had back in elementary school.

Our laughter was all too expected and it bubbled in our throats before we made it out of the Locker Room building.

"That was…" Bella was still chuckling as she bit her lip, searching for words, "Oddly familiar."

My agreement was silent as I reached for her hand. As always, it fell into mine blindly.

"So," I probed lightly, making a show of staring at the converging clouds, "Have you discovered your degree of jealousy yet?" I was only mildly curious, really.

Bella glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. From there, her gaze shifted around the different students.

The sudden motion was so abrupt that at first, my only concern was the fact that Bella was using her unnatural speed around humans. But then, I realized that her swift moment had resulted in her lips pressed against my own, and then I had no concerns.

Kissing Bella was like nothing I could describe.

Fire could turn me to ash.

Venom could scar my skin.

But Bella's kiss was the only thing that had the power to make me melt.

When she pulled away, she was smiling. I knew we had created a scene, but at the moment, thoughts, school, and everything around me, trickled away. And all I could see was Bella.

"Forever," I whispered.

She stood on her tip-toes.

And I melted again.

A/N: Thank you for reading! Reviews would be lovely :)

P.S. I did read Breaking Dawn, and before anyone asks, I thought it was good in it's own way. A different kind of wonderful from the rest of series. And that's all I have to say.