Prologue

"Bella, come on down to meet your new parents!" hollered Mrs Lee, the orphanage mistress.

I was in my room, the room I had lived in for the whole of my eight years in the orphanage. I shared the place with another girl, who had recently been adopted, leaving the upper bunk of the bunk bed we shared vacant. The metal frame was covered in rust, and the two mattresses lay torn and tattered. A small cupboard was placed next to the bed. All my personal belongings were stored there.

I was perched precariously on the edge of the wooden table in the corner, a position I liked to be in. My arms were wrapped tightly around my legs, which I had pulled close to my chest. I shut my eyes firmly as I rocked slowly to and fro.

All my life I had lived here, without the love of my parents. According to Mrs Lee, I had been deposited on the doorstep of the orphanage in a cardboard box. She had heard the doorbell ring in the dead of night, and trudged sleepily to get the door. There was nobody there, only me, a mere baby, wrapped in a thin blanket and sleeping soundly, oblivious to her surroundings. There was only a bracelet around my wrist, on which hung a small gold heart. 'Bella' was carved on the surface of the accessory.

Ever since I heard that story, I had been speculating about the whereabouts of my biological parents. I refused to believe that they had disowned me, or I that I had been the result of an unwanted pregnancy. Instead, I fantasized about my mom being a rich model, like those women on the cover of the magazines Mrs Lee always left lying around in the sitting room. Or my dad, who was a millionaire, and both of them lived in a large mansion. They had only left me in the orphanage because of some financial difficulty they had before they became rich, and would come back and claim me someday.

I was snapped out of my reverie when Mrs Lee stormed into my room. I opened my eyes to see her hands on her hips, and an annoyed expression on her face. 'Bella, get down from there immediately! It's dangerous!' she commanded, and I reluctantly jumped down from the table.

Then, her expression softened. 'Bella, aren't you happy? Two kind people are here, to take you to your home!' She patted my head softly. I grimaced. This was the third time I was being introduced. The first two couples accepted me at first, but changed their mind soon after.

I had never been the cute little girl that everyone loved. Instead, as child after child was adopted and brought away, I was still left on the shelf, an unwanted toy. I doubted that this time I would be adopted.

Silently, I followed Mrs Lee down the stairs, the wooden steps creaking under my weight. I stepped into the sitting room, the smell of disinfectant hitting me strongly. The square room was painted a cream color, with a picture hanging over the fireplace. A warm fire crackled in the corner, sending tiny sparks shooting out onto the carpeted floor. A few old armchairs were scattered around a glass coffee table.

I chewed my bottom lip nervously and steeled myself to meet my new parents. They were lounging comfortably in the armchairs, the only people in the room other than Mrs Lee and I. The man smiled hesitantly, while the lady gazed at me lovingly.

"Oh, Mrs Lee, she's absolutely perfect! Bella is exactly what I imagined her to be!" said the lady, happiness seeming to radiate from her.

"Nice girl," mumbled the man and his wife punched him in the shoulder. "Is that all you can say?"she demanded.

"I was never a person of many words," replied the man in a gruff voice.

"Well then, I see you've met Bella. So, are we going on with the adoption, as planned?" asked Mrs Lee.

"Of course!" exclaimed the lady. Turning to me, she said, "Hi Bella. I'm Renée, but you can call me mom. This is Charlie," she added, gesturing to the man who was sitting beside her.

"I see you still keep the bracelet," she said nonchalantly, glancing towards the bracelet that I never took off.

"What?" I was confused. How did these people know about my bracelet?

"No-Nothing," said Charlie hurriedly, cutting into our conversation. "Renée," growled Charlie harshly.

"It's nothing," replied Renée, speaking to me again, though her tone was different this time. She was visibly shaken, I could tell.

"What I meant was, you have a very nice bracelet there," commented Renée, and the tense atmosphere changed into one that was more relaxed.

"Why don't you address your new parents?" suggested Mrs Lee. I had almost forgotten her presence in the room.

"Mom? Dad?" I whispered tentatively. Renée gasped, and literally flung herself from the chair to me, enveloping me in a hug.

"Oh Bella," choked Renée. I smiled genuinely, as I reached out to hug her back.