The Life and Death of Edward Cullen

Full Name: Edward Anthony Masen Cullen
Status: Vampire
Born: June 20, 1901
Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois
Parents: Edward and Elizabeth Masen
Transformed: 1918
Transformed by: Carlisle Cullen
Special Talents: mind reader
Eye Color: Green in human life. Gold or black as a vampire depending on his level of thirst.
Hair: bronze colored, untidy
Height: 6' 2"

Bella describes Edward as being tall and lanky. She also often describes him as having an angelic face and the features of a greek god or statue.

Edward lived a fairly uneventful life as a human. His father was a lawyer and the family enjoyed a fair amount of wealth. The family's biggest concern was World War I and the fact that Edward was only a year away from being old enough for the draft. But Edward was excited to join the army and to do his part for the country.

In September of 1918 the Spanish Influenza hit Chicago, killing both of Edward's parents and leaving Edward at death's door. Before she died, Edward's mother begged Dr. Carlise Cullen to save her son. Elizabeth Masen seemed to know that Carlisle had extra abilities that would enable him to keep Edward alive. Carlisle did in fact have a way that he could save Edward. Carlisle was a vampire but he considered himself a "vegetarian", he only hunted animals. After years of working as a doctor Carlisle was not concerned that he would lose control and kill Edward, but he wasn't exactly sure how to perform the transformation either.

After Elizabeth Masen died, Carlisle took Edward out of the hospital. Carlisle had never transformed anyone into a vampire before so he decided to give Edward the same wounds that had been inflicted on him. Carlisle later claims that this probably made the transition more painful for Edward. Regardless, it worked and after several days of intense pain Edward's heart stopped beating and he awoke to his new life as an immortal vampire.

This is a synopsis of the first book, Twilight. For more information please read the book!

When Edward learned that a new student would be joining the Junior class at Forks High School he was not nearly as interested in her as the rest of the student body seemed to be. He assumed that she would be like all of the other humans.

However, when he first saw Isabella (Bella) Swan in the school cafeteria he was very intrigued by her because he could not read her mind. She was the exception to the rule.

After lunch Edward and Bella both had a Biology class. Edward was interested to discover if he could penetrate her mind in a closer, less crowded environment. However, when Bella walked by Edward's seat and he was able to smell her for the first time he nearly went mad with thirst. Bella's blood smelled more appetizing than any human he had ever come into contact with. Edward spent the entire Biology class trying to decide if he should kill her or not. He fought with himself because he did not want to do anything to make Carlisle feel ashamed of him. Edward later claimed that it was the longest hour of his life. But, he managed not to kill Bella and after driving his family home he drove straight to Alaska where the Denali coven lives.

After a week in Alaska, Edward decided to return to Forks to face his demons. Edward befriended Bella and became more intrigued with her the more they talked. Eventually Bella figured out what Edward was with some help from Jacob Black, a kid from the La Push reservation.

Bella decided that it didn't matter to her what Edward was, she loved him. Edward knew that he was falling in love with Bella too but he thought it would be better for her if she stayed away from him.

The turning point came one sunny day when Edward decided to show Bella why vampires can't be seen in public in the sunlight. He took Bella to a secluded meadow and showed her how his skin sparkles in the sunlight. He also showed her other vampire attributes such as strength and speed.

And then Edward and Bella declared their love for each other in the now famous quote:

Edward: "and so the lion fell in love with the lamb..."
Bella: "Stupid lamb."
Edward: "Sick, masochistic lion."

Edward and Bella's relationship was threatened when a new vampire coven passed through Forks. James, Victoria and Laurent were different from the Cullens, they were vampires who feasted on humans. When James caught a whiff of Bella he instantly wanted to hunt her. Edward crouched down to protect Bella, making James all the more intent on killing her.

Edward sent Bella to Phoenix and tried to take James down but he escaped from the Cullens and followed Bella. James nearly killed Bella but Edward got there in time to save her. When they discovered that James had bitten Bella, Edward had to suck the venom from her blood so that she would not be transformed into a vampire. This act could have killed Bella if Edward had lost control but he was successful and he saved Bella's life.

By the end of the book Bella desperately wants to become a vampire but Edward does not want to take her life away from her. The books ends with Edward and Bella stuck at this impasse, neither one willing to compromise.

This is a synopsis of the second Twilight book. For more information read New Moon!

New Moon opened on the day of Bella's 18th birthday. She was not happy to turn 18 because she knew that Edward would forever be 17. At this point Edward was still opposed to making her a vampire because he strongly believed that vampires have lost their souls and he didn't want to take Bella's from her.

After the couple watched Romeo and Juliet together Edward confessed that he had contemplated suicide when he thought that James might have killed Bella. Bella was horrified but also curious to know how a vampire would kill himself. Edward explained that planned to go to Volterra, Italy and "provoke the Volturi".

Edward described the Volturi as three ancient vampires who are like a royal family. They are very protective of their city and would not hesitate to kill a vampire who tried to expose them. Alice later explains that the Volturi are commited to enforcing the vampire's only rule: to keep the secret.

After Bella made Edward promise that he would never do anything that stupid, the two of them went to the Cullen's house to celebrate Bella's birthday. While unwrapping presents, Bella got a paper cut and the smell of her blood caused Jasper to go into a frenzy and try to attack her. Edward jumped in between the two and knocked Bella into a table where she cut herself on broken glass.

All of the Cullens with the exception of Carlisle and Edward were forced to leave the room while Carlisle stitched Bella up. While Carlisle worked Edward berated himself for putting Bella in danger.

After Bella's nearly disatrous birthday party, Edward decided to leave Forks in order to protect her. He figured that Bella deserved to have a normal, mortal life and it was too risky for her to be around vampires all of the time.

In order to leave Edward was forced to tell Bella that he didn't want her anymore. Bella believed his lie because she never truly believed that she was good enough for Edward.

Of course, Edward still did love Bella and it hurt him to be away from her. He describes this time apart by saying,

"Before you, my life was like a moonless night. Very dark, but there were stars -- points of light and reason... And then you shot across my sky like a meteor. Suddenly everything was on fire; there was brilliancy, there was beauty. When you were gone, when the meteor had fallen over the horizon, everything went black. Nothing had changed, but my eyes were blinded by the light. I couldn't see the stars anymore. And there was no more reason for anything"

Not much is known about the time Edward was away from Bella. He spent most of his time tracking Victoria, a vampire who helped James hunt Bella during the first book.

This task led Edward to Texas and eventually to South America but Edward never found Victoria.

While Edward was in South America he received a phone call from his sister, Rosalie. She told him that Alice had "seen" (Alice has visions of the future) Bella jump from a cliff and die.

Edward had never planned to outlive Bella for long. Edward immediately took off for Volterra, Italy to ask the Volturi to kill him. The Volturi refused his request so Edward made plans to disrupt the peaceful town of Volterra by exposing himself as a vampire. It would be simple, all he had to do was step out into the sunshine (vampire's skin glitters in the sun) and the Volturi would kill him for betraying their secret.

Unknown to Edward, Bella (who had not died from cliff jumping) and Alice were racing the clock to reach Volterra and prove to Edward that Bella was still alive. Bella was able to reach Edward just in time. At first he thought he was already dead and in heaven with Bella. He quickly realized he was alive when he saw two members of the Volturi guard walking toward him.

The Volturi guard took Edward, Bella and Alice into their hideaway where they met with Aro, Marcus and Caius the three original Volturi. Aro was astounded to discover that Bella was immune to the gifts of vampires. He asked Edward, Alice and Bella if they were interested in joining the Volturi. When the trio refused Aro was prepared to let them go but Caius thought that Bella should be killed since she knew the vampires' secrets. Alice convinced Aro that she had seen Bella becoming a vampire in the future. So, the Volturi let them go with a promise that they would visit Bella and Edward soon to make sure Bella was no longer human.

After returning to Forks, Edward decided that he was too selfish to leave Bella again. He couldn't bear to be away from her. He also realized that his leaving hadn't exactly been good for Bella. He was also very upset to learn that Bella had made new friends while he was away - with werewolves, the only creature who can destroy a vampire. Edward forbid Bella to spend time with her best friend Jacob and his werewolf pack because in his opinion werewolves are too dangerous to be around humans.

Bella thought it would be best if she were changed into a vampire right away but Edward refused. Not ready to give up so easily, Bella took it to a vote with the entire Cullen family. Everyone with the exception of Edward and Rosalie voted that it would be best for Bella to become a vampire. Carlisle agreed to transform Bella after graduation. Edward was so angry about this decision that he ran into the living room and destroyed the Cullen's brand new flat screen TV.

At the end of the book Edward is still determined to get Bella to go to college, as a human. He tells her that he will give her the one thing she really wants, that he will transform her himself as long as she agrees to marry him first...

Bella's father Charlie blamed Edward for everything that had happened the previous year when Edward moved away. He grounded Bella for her spur of the moment trip to Italy and did his best to keep Edward and Bella apart. Privately, Edward agreed with Charlie, he could never forgive himself for what he put Bella through especially since she became friends with Jacob Black (a werewolf) while Edward was away.

Despite Bella's punishment, Edward was allowed to visit her every evening and they spent the time filling out college applications. Edward was still determined that Bella should spend a year or two at college before she became a vampire. But Bella insisted that applying for colleges was only a cover up so they could run away after graduation and live together as vampires. Much to Charlie's dismay, both of them were accepted to The University of Alaska but Bella thought it will be the perfect cover-up. As they were discussing the future, Bella told Edward that she had to make things right with Jacob before she became a vampire but Edward refused to allow her near the werewolves stating that they are too dangerous to be near humans.

Much of the book focuses on Edward's refusal to let Bella see her best friend Jacob. Edward claims this is because werewolves are too dangerous. But, part of the reason is that Edward is jealous of Jacob. He can see that in some ways Jacob would be much better for Bella. Edward knows that Bella loves Jacob, even if she doesn't know it herself.

Edward even goes so far as to have Alice "babysit" Bella while he is away hunting in order to keep Bella from Jacob. However, Bella and Jacob find a way to sneak out anyway. After Edward's failed attempts he decides it might be safer to let Bella go to La Push on occasion with certain measures in place which are mostly set to help Edward keep his sanity.

Another worry in Edward's life at this time was a growing threat in Seattle. The news was reporting a possible serial killer in the area and the list of murders and disappearances was growing quickly. Edward and his family are sure that the deaths are being caused by a newborn vampire - possibly several newborn vampires. The Cullens agree that they will have to intervene soon to prevent the Volturi from making a visit to Seattle. They fear if the Volturi come that far they will decide to stop by Forks to see if Bella is still human.

The Cullens finally figure out that there really is a newborn army being created in Seattle and that it will soon be headed to Forks. The vampires make an uneasy pact with the werewolves and the two groups prepare to fight the vampire army together.

A few nights before the fight Edward's greatest wish comes true when he is able to convince Bella to marry him. But, the engagement didn't come on his terms. In order to secure Bella's hand in marriage he had to agree to try to sleep with her while she was still human. Although Edward agrees, he insists that he will not sleep with her until after they are married. He is uneasy about losing so much control while he is with Bella and he does not feel that having a sexual relationship will be possible while she is still human.

The night before the newborns are set to arrive Jacob takes Bella to a hidden location far from the battlefield. Edward hates having to rely on Jacob but he knows that it's is the best way to keep Bella safe since the newborns will not dare trace the scent of a werewolf. That night is one of the worst of Edward's life. The weather has turned very cold and in order to keep Bella warm, Edward is forced to allow Jacob to share her sleeping bag. As Bella sleeps Edward admits his jealousy to Jacob and tells him that he will never stop fighting for Bella.

The next morning Bella magically realizes that she really does love Jacob. She asks him to kiss her before he goes off to fight. This kiss was torture for Edward but he doesn't let Bella see that. After Jacob leaves Edward tells Bella that if she would be happier with Jacob then he will let her go. He is not surprised when Bella refuses that idea and insists that she loves him more than Jacob.

The fight begins and it all seems to be going as planned until Victoria and another vampire named Riley find Edward, Bella and Seth, the werewolf who stayed with them to keep them up to date on the fight. Seth and Riley fight while Edward tries to protect Bella from Victoria. After a tense fight Seth is able to destroy Riley and Edward is able to destroy Victoria.

Edward worries that Bella will be terrified of him after seeing him kill another vampire and he approaches her slowly after the fight. But, Bella surprises him by not showing any fear of him. They think the fight is over until Seth starts howling. Edward can see what is happening in the battlefield and tells Bella they have to go right away. When he tells Bella that Jacob was hurt by a vampire she faints. But Jacob's injury is not the worst of their worries. Alice has seen that the Volturi will be visiting them soon.

Bella wakes up just before the Volturi are expected to arrive and Edward holds him close to her in an attempt to protect her. He reassures her that Jacob will be fine, he has several shattered bones but Carlisle will be able to fix him up. The Volturi arrive and it seems they already know about the newborn army. Edward surmises that the Volturi was hoping the army would make the Cullen family a little smaller. The Volturi leave after destroying the one survivor from the newborn army, a girl named Bree who had surrendered.

By the end of the book Edward and Bella seem to be on their way to happily ever after. The only hitch seems to be Jacob. Bella has said her goodbyes to him but that of course doesn't mean she's forgotten him. Edward, in an act of generosity, decides to send Jacob an invitation to the wedding. Edward knows that if he were in Jacob's place he would want the choice to go the wedding. Jacob seems to disagree however as it shifts into wolf form and takes off running... leaving everyone behind.

This is a synopsis of the final book, Breaking Dawn. For more information please read the book!

The last book in the Twilight series opens just days before Edward and Bella's wedding. Edward has convinced Bella to agree to a new car, a fancy wedding and tuition to Dartmouth just by promising to make love to her while she is still human.

However, Edward is still fairly convinced that he will not be able to safely keep his promise. While there are stories of vampires and humans together sexually, the human is never meant to survive in those encounters.

The night before the wedding Edward admits to Bella how scared he is of having a real honeymoon with her while she is human. He also tells her that it saddens him greatly to think that he will be taking away Bella's ability to have children (vampire women cannot get pregnant). Edward says, "I want to give you things, not take things away from you. I don't want to steal your future." But Bella convinces him that she has never and will never want children - all she wants is Edward. He accepts her answer and goes off hunting with his brothers as a form of vampire bachelor party.

The next day is the happiest in Edward's life - his wedding day. Bella and Edward have a fairly traditional wedding at the Cullen house, surrounded by friends, family and of course vampires. Even Jacob's dad and the young werewolf, Seth came to help celebrate! Later in the evening when Edward is dancing with his new wife he realizes that Jacob has arrived. Edward leads Bella to the edge of the forest so that she can have some time with her best friend. When Jacob almost loses control upon hearing about Bella's honeymoon plans, Edward begins to doubt himself all over again. Bella tells Edward not to worry and he agrees again that he will try to sleep with her.

When Edward and Bella finally arrive at their honeymoon location - Isle Esme, (an island off the coast of Brazil that was given to Esme by Carlise) they don't waste much time before consummating their marriage despite the fact that they are both nervous. Edward has what he describes as the best night of his life but is dismayed to see bruises begin to form on Bella's delicate skin. By the time she wakes up the next morning Edward is completely furious with himself for hurting her. Bella argues that the bruises don't hurt and that she doesn't remember feeling any pain while they were making love - just pure happiness. Regardless, Edward promises that he will never hurt again and therefore, he will not make love to her until she becomes a vampire.

A few weeks later, Bella puts together some things that have been troubling her - strange dreams, food aversions and a late period and she tells Edward that she thinks she's pregnant. Edward seems unable to process the information and shuts down. A minute or so later he is on the phone with Carlisle and angrily packing their bags. Edward believes, based on legends, that the baby must be killed or it will end up killing Bella. He feels like the sooner they get home and have Carlisle "take care of it", the better.

When Edward and Bella arrive home, Edward is shocked to see Bella run to Rosalie - they've never gotten along well. It doesn't take him long to figure out that Bella is asking Rosalie for protection so that she can keep the baby. As much as he tries to convince Bella that they must get rid of the baby for her safety, Bella refuses to let them touch her - she loves the baby already and is willing to risk her life to save it.

Jacob reenters Edward and Bella's life shortly after their arrival home. The wolf pack is scared of the creature that Bella is carrying and plan to destroy her. But, Jacob tears away from the pack in order to protect Bella. While Edward can't understand the connection between Bella and Jacob, he appreciates Jacob's sacrifice more than he can say.

Bella's half human, half vampire pregnancy has a much shorter gestation than a normal human pregnancy.which mean it will end soon. But, Edward is convinced that when the baby is born, Bella will die. Edward promises Bella that he will do everything he can to save her by turning her into a vampire but he is tortured by the idea that he might fail.

When Edward begins to be able to hear the baby's thoughts he becomes much happier and begins to believe that he can save his wife and unborn child. However, not long after this discovery, an accident occurs which causes the placenta to rip away from the Bella's uterine wall. Edward realizes that the baby can't breath and an emergency delivery is necessary.

Will Bella survive? Will the baby?

Stay tuned for part two!