"There's the last of your things, Bella."
Mrs. Hartley put down a brown box in the middle of Bella's new room. Labeled 'stuffed animals', Bella tore open the box to rescue her fuzzy friends. Being nine and moving to a strange new country with no friends, Bella clung to her stuffed animals for the security and stability the offered her. After a moment, Bella carefully placed her dolphin, koala bear and bunny onto her bed, so she could sleep with them in her arms each night. Although she wasn't happy with moving initially, after her parents explained about their great job opportunities (they were research scientists) and the lovely Irish cottage they were renting, Bella got over her reluctance to leave Gold Coast. Her new house especially seemed like something out of a fairy tale, with its old style shutters and carefully manicured landscape.
Bella's mother smiled and gathered the now empty box.
"Finish settling in, Bella, because in an hour we're going to the farmer's market in town to buy some food for dinner."
Bella looked up at her mother. She was tired from the long day of unpacking, and her small body hadn't yet adjusted to Irish time. Dublin was a whole 8 hours behind Gold Coast, and suddenly Bella felt very tired.
"But I'm so tired, Mommy. Do I have to go?" Bella pleaded with her mother.
"I know sweetheart, but we can't just leave you here alone. Besides, it'll be good for you to see what the town looks like." Bella didn't argue.
Mrs. Hartley turned to leave the room. Bella felt a little bit homesick, so she climbed onto her bed and hugged her stuffed animals once again. She thought of the good times she had back home, but reminded herself that Ireland was a whole new adventure and it could be fun if she wanted it to be.
Hugging her animals tightly, Bella took a deep breath. She was nervous about starting school the next day and having to make new friends. Not that she had many friends in Australia, but at least she wasn't the new girl back at home.
Bella was a sweet child who was easy to get along with. She never caused her parents much trouble, and many adults said she had the face of an angel. With long and wavy blonde hair, striking blue eyes and her smooth, tanned skin, most people were justified in their initial assessment of Bella. However, Bella was often nervous around strangers and played by herself when company came over. Coming to Ireland though, Bella promised herself that she would try and be more outgoing and make more friends. This was her chance to make a new story for herself, and she wouldn't let her past insecurities define her.
The Hartley family wandered through the streets of their new hometown, stopping by various shops and introducing themselves. Bella felt very out of place as a swirl of Irish accents and Gaelic surrounded her. She mostly hid behind her mother as her parents talked with shopkeepers and townspeople. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Bella and her parents made their way to the farmers market. Standing among the various stands, Bella suddenly realized she was quite hungry. Her stomach growled, and her parents laughed.
"Don't worry sweetheart, Mommy and I will do some light shopping and then we'll have dinner, ok?"
Mr. Hartley looked fondly down at Bella and smiled. Bella mumbled "ok" and tagged along silently with her parents.
"Look, Bella, there's a fountain over there with some children playing in the water. They look about your age. Why don't you go and introduce yourself to them?"
Mrs. Hartley pointed toward the large fountain in the center of the square. About seven or eight children were splashing around in the water and enjoying the sunny weather. Bella was uncertain, but with a small push from her mother she walked towards the other girls and boys.
She stood there awkwardly for a moment before a boy came up to her. He had light brown, wavy hair that fell slightly into his face; even so, Bella could see his haze eyes and high cheekbones. He was about the same height as her, although much more pale. He was the only dry one of the group.
"Hi, my name's Ronan. I haven't seen you before. Are you new here?" The boy spoke very quickly.
Slightly intimidated by his forwardness, Bella nodded her head.
"My name's Bella. I just moved here from Australia." She said quietly.
"Wow! Australia! That's so far away. You'll have to tell me about it some time. How old are you Bella?" Ronan asked her enthusiastically.
Feeling a bit more at ease, Bella answered more confidently, "I'm nine. I'll be going to the elementary school up the hill. How about you?"
Smiling, Ronan replied, "Me too! You'll like our school. We do lots of fun projects and field trips and…" before Ronan could finish, his mother called his name. Smiling sheepishly, he replied, "Ah. Well I'll see you tomorrow then. Can't ignore mum. Later, Bella!" He waved and walked away.
Smiling, Bella meandered down the street a ways to find her parents finishing up at the market. After her meeting with Ronan, she felt less anxious to go to school tomorrow knowing that she already had a friend (or at the very least someone who she knew would be nice to her).
"Ready to go, sweetheart? We've having soup for dinner. Did you meet anyone at the fountain?" Mrs. Hartley asked as she picked up a bag of groceries from the ground.
"Yeah, I met this one boy named Ronan. He was really nice and goes to my school." Bella said, with a smile tugging at her lips.
"That's great! See Bella, making new friends won't be as hard as you thought it would be." Mrs. Hartley patted Bella on the back as they made their way back home.
That night, after two delicious bowls of chicken noodle soup, Bella lay awake in her bed, looking at the stars outside her window. They were never this bright and numerous in Australia. Somehow, she had a feeling that something magical was going to happen in Ireland. She had a chance to start over, to make new friends, to explore a whole new country, and these possibilities to a nine year old Bella seemed like magic. Tucking her favorite stuffed animal, her dolphin, under her arm, Bella closed her tired eyes and went to sleep.
A/N: Hey everyone, thanks for reading! I know it's a short chapter, but it is an intro chapter. The rest will be longer. I appreciate any feedback you have for me, even if it's a simple "good job" or "keep writing!". Thanks :)
P.S. - I don't own H20: Just Add Water.
