One Week Ago:
The busy streets of Forks, a poor small town in the country of Estrana, didn't seem to notice a man yelling in the middle of the town plaza. In fact, it wasn't until a gunshot cracked through the air when people started turning their heads.
Bella Swan stopped desperately pleading with the landlord of her parents property as she looked up to see a masked, short man holding a gun. A heavy silence formed all around as a the surrounding people froze.
By mistake, Bella made eye contact with the man. Smirking, he narrowed his eyes and shifted the gun to her head.
"You! Come here. or their will be hell to pay." The man snarled.
Frozen, it took Bella a few seconds to comprehend what was going on. Another gun shot rang through the air, and snapped Bella back to reality.
"That was another warning shot. Don't think I won't shoot anyone. If someone dies, it's on you." He wickedly laughed, and licked his yellow teeth.
Know she had no other choice, Bella mutely walked in silent horror to the center of the plaza with her head down, not wanting to show him the fear probably written all over her face.
When she was only a few inches away, he grabbed her by the sleeve of her dirty dress and whispered in her ear. "We're going to have a lot of fun together, Bella Swan."
Bella closed her eyes, sick to her stomach. Confusion spread throughout her body. How did he know her name? What game was he playing?
Not wanting anyone to get hurt, Bella gulped and looked up and met his grey eyes. Even though she couldn't see his face, she could tell he was old, maybe mid forties. She cringed away from his touch, as his hand pressed against the small of her back.
"Wait! Please no!" Two voices cried from somewhere in the crowd, breaking the intense silence. People turned their heads around in confusion as two people desperately made their way through the crowd.
Bella gasped in silent agony as she watched her worried parents push themselves to the front.
Breathlessly, they pleaded with the man. "Take us! Take our money, our home, our lives! But don't take our daughter!" They anxiously offered.
Bella struggled against his arms, trying to reach her parents.
With a laugh, the man said. "You knew this day would come Charlie and Renee. It's your own fault you're in this situation." He pressed the tip of his gun against Bella's head. "It would be a pity to kill such a beautiful girl."
Bella stiffened, and silently prayed her parents would run. The man started stroking the back of Bella's hair, and she grimaced.
Trying to catch him off guard, Bella gave a blood curdling scream. During the two seconds of shock shown on his face, his grip loosened and Bella scratched him on the eye, three gashes.
As he held his bleeding face, Bella tried to run to her parents.
The man was consumed with rage. "You little bitch!", he yelled. And with that, he aimed his gun at her parents, and fired two shots.
A scream crawled up her throat as Bella seemed to watch the scene in agonizing slow motion. The man, the gun, the shots, and her parent's tortured faces as they both fell to the ground, dead.
Present Day:
There was no funeral, no wake. There was nothing. No proper goodbyes. For Bella and her family were just commoners, no one important. Bella had to be restrained as she watched her dead parents be dragged away unceremoniously by two nearby guards.
She didn't know how long she laid there, curled up on the plaza, feeling broken and tortured. Her own heartbeat seemed to drown out the voices of other concerned town people. And when she broke out of her suffering daze, Bella had no memory of how or who brought her back to her small house.
In the days that followed, Bella didn't move much. The scene kept replaying in her mind, never ending. She blamed herself, knowing that if she didn't retaliate her parents would still be alive, breathing, laughing, living.
She wasn't sure if she got visitors. Bella assumed people knocked, or maybe even left things by her door. But they still didn't understand.
Now Bella was faced with an unexpected situation. Her parents are dead, she has no money to pay for food, her house, or anything. The landlord was already about to take away her family's house, and was surprised he hasn't done it already.
The house was the only thing she had left of her parents, besides the locket Bella's mother gave her when she was little. In the two frames were pictures of both her parents.
It wasn't until one night, when Bella was studying her locket, her door opened with a loud crack. Whipping her head around, Bella grabbed the fire pit poker, ready to attack the intruder.
What she didn't expect, was a royal guard standing at her door, hold a scroll. Setting down the fire poker, she smoothed out her dress.
Clearing his throat, he read off the scroll. "Miss Bella Swan of Forks, your uncle, Duke Henry of Forks, requests your presence at the Palace immediately. A palace car has been provided for you outside." He concluded, looking at Bella.
Standing there in shock, a million questions floated into Bella's mind. As far as she knew, she had no other family. Especially of such a title.
Grabbing her locket, she followed the guard outside and stared at the limo waiting for her. Was this a dream?