The life of Bella Waters

The Life of Bella Waters

“Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It’s the transition that’s troublesome.” ― Isaac Asimov

I didn’t expect my death to be so painful. I had always imagined that I would die of old age surrounded by my family. I didn’t expect to die at the hands of him... Isaac Addams. He was the tall, broad shouldered blonde; blue eyed prince charming that I had always dreamed would sweep me off my feet. That was until I knew what he really was and prince charming, he definitely was not.

He was mysterious and different to all the other boys around town, but then again we didn’t usually get many visitors in Raven-hill a small picturesque town where everyone knows everyone and where busy bodies and gossip runs the town.

His eyes, a deep blue, like the ocean during a storm that drew you in.

Drew me in.

And for some reason he actually looked at me. Me? Average and unremarkable Bella

Waters. He didn’t just look through me like everyone else in this town.

Just that fact should have told me that something was wrong, otherwise why would

someone like him want anything to do with someone like me.

Blue skies, birds singing in the trees, the laughter of the towns kids in the air. This was a typical day in Raven-Hill. It was this typical day that the mysterious guy in town approached me in the middle of the park.

‘Hi there, I’m Isaac Adams, what’s your name?’ Such a simple question, who knew it would lead to something so horrible. Looking up at his figure from the bench I was mesmerised for a moment, as the sunlight seemed to form a halo around his golden hair. ‘Bella, my names Bella Waters’

As I saw him smirk I knew my life would never be the same again.

The next two weeks went by in a blur, the Christmas holidays had started and every day Isaac and I would find ourselves either back at the bench in the park talking for hours on end or just walking around. We talked about the world and the different places he had been, who he had met like William a man he would mention frequently as his father figure; the man who taught him the world. We also talked about where I wanted to go; how I didn’t want to be stuck in this small town for the rest of my life but instead travel the world and live. All of it was like a fairytale and I, Bella Waters average, unremarkable wallflower Bella had met my prince charming. The one every guy wanted to be and every girl wanted to be with and yet he chose me. There was only one problem, every now and then his eyes would flash. It was almost as if they had changed colours and he would clench his fists while looking off in to the distance as if he was hearing something even though there was only the two of us. Slowly he started to change. His eyes would flash more often, fists clenched and as he changed my image of him being my prince charming changed too. Instead, he was becoming more and more of a mystery and was starting to frighten me with each day.

When I woke up this morning I just knew something was wrong. I felt a bundle of dread wiring around in my stomach. The sun wasn’t shining. The sky was grey. The birds weren’t singing. Something was wrong, if only I knew what was in stall for me.

Everyday we would meet at the park bench but today Isaac wasn’t there and I made the mistake of going to look for him. I remembered that Isaac had mentioned the woods behind our park and how he liked going for walks through it. As I looked around the park one more time for him I decided it was time to check the forest. The Raven Forest, not many people go into the forest unless it was to hunt. I had only taken forty or so steps in to the forest when I felt eyes on me. I couldn’t find anyone and yet the feeling of someone watching me stayed as the hairs on the back of my neck stood up and a chill ran up my spine. The deafening silence of the forest caused me to stiffen. I heard a slight rustle behind me and as I turned. I screamed as something tore through my neck like a lion feasting upon meat for the first time in days. It felt like hours as I felt the teeth of something piece and tear through the flesh on my neck but in reality it was probably only five minutes.

As whatever had bitten released my torn flesh from their grasp I fell forwards to the earth having lost all feeling in my legs. I was unable to stand. As I lay on the ground with tears falling from my eyes. I was able to see a pair of boots, not just any boots, they were the worn down old biker boots that Isaac wore everyday. The pain felt worse than anything I had ever experienced and even with this pain I managed to sob out “why” towards Isaac."

’Hahah this is a good thing Bella, I may have been a bit rough in delivering the venom into your system but now you can become like me. We can travel, see the world and kill anyone we want. Bella oh sweet innocent Bella, I am a vampire and now so are you.”

“No, no I won’t become like you, I won’t kill anyone.”

“You will, in time”

As Isaac started to talk about how we will travel and who we can kill I was too distracted

with the feeling of execrating pain. I felt every piece of skin that was torn mending and the venom he spoke of slithered through my body making me feel as if my body was on fire, as if I was burning from the inside out.

I’m not quite sure what happened over the next couple of hours but the execrating pain continued until the sun went down and the moon was high in the sky. When the pain had subsided I pushed myself into a sitting position only to see Isaac on the ground as still as a statue with a tree branch pierced through his heart while a man with hair as dark as coal and eyes as green as emeralds stood there watching me like I was a wild animal.

“You must be Bella, I am William”

Tilting my head I recalled that Isaac mentioned William being a father figure in his life. “Did you kill him?” I spoke but my voice sounded different, delicate almost like a silver

bell. Seeming to have noticed my confusion he smiled slightly.

“Your voice will sound a little different child, and you will look slightly different too. I

am sorry that this tragedy has befallen you and that Isaac has sentenced you to this life, but it is not all bad child. If you decide to live as a vampire you must feed I can be an animal if you do not wish to drink from a human, if not than you will slowly lose feeling in your body and will just slowly fall asleep. You won’t feel a thing.”

“I won’t?”

“No child but if you do decide to change and with to be with others of your kind seek me out, I am currently staying in Huntsville. I am sorry that Isaac did this to you. He has always had trouble with his control and turning girls that catch his interest. Must leave now but you know where to find me, oh and Bella life as a vampire isn’t the worst thing in the world, after all you have eternity to see the world.”

As I watched him disappear into the trees I realised that my fairytale turned into a horrible nightmare but this nightmare could give me what I always wanted, an escape from this town; a new life where I can travel and live, no longer as average, unremarkable Bella but as someone else, someone new."

So that’s what happened, that’s how Bella Waters died, at the hands of a beautiful man with an ugly secret. That is also how Anastasia Rivers was born, as Bella had to die so Anastasia could live.

‘Thank you for telling me the whole story but Anastasia? Why chose that name?’

As I turned towards the voice that sounded like melting honey and looked upon the figure of the older man sitting almost regally in the corner chair, all I could think of was why is it always the beautiful people with the ugliest of secrets.

“Do you know what Anastasia means in Greek, William?” I could see as he tilted his head in thought while turning my head to look out the window down towards the streets of Paris.

“Anastasia means resurrection, Bella died and was reborn as Anastasia”

“Wha about rivers? Why change it from waters to rivers?” Looking out towards Paris “Have you ever heard of the song just around the river-bend from Pocahontas? Well, the first verse of it is why” humming softly I sing.

“What I love most about rivers is

You can’t step in the same river twice

The water’s always changing, always flowing:”

“That’s why I chose River’s, because Bella was stuck, never changing. While Anastasia will never stay in one place I will travel and change and no longer remain in a small town”. As I smiled, turning back towards him. “So William what do you think? Can I join your clan”

“I am sorry that Bella had to die, but I welcome you, Anastasia with open arms. Welcome to the clan child”

Smiling, I close my eyes and whisper a goodbye to Bella “thank you for giving me my first life”.

“Are you ready child? Ready for your new life among us?” Taking a deep breath I smile towards him, “yes, I am”.

Bella was my first name, given to me by my mother. Anastasia is my second name, chosen by me.

My first life ended, but my second life will be an adventure."