Chapter 1

A New Life Enters the World

Isla's POV

24th December, 1986

My baby girl was taking her time on arriving, she was due three days ago. Michael and I had decided to name her Natalie Julia-Seraphina Clearwater, as although she wasn't Michael's daughter he had decided to raise her as his own. She will have my half sister's middle name, Natalie, with her middle names being in honour of Michael's mother and my mother. We decided to change her middle name after a scuffle concerning Harry, Michael and their sister Elizabeth, who Natalie's middle name was to be in honour of.

Michael was excited about the prospect of becoming a first time father. He had time booked off work to help with her after she arrived, he had bought the majority of the baby furniture for her. He had even converted the walk in closet that came with our room in the house into our little girl's nursery.

Everything looked so beautiful. The walls were painted white with an ice blue paint and white scurting boards, as well as a white carpet on the floor. I didn't like the whole pink for girl's and blue for boy's thing, it never went well with me. The crib was white metal with blue and white bedding. Michael's brother Harry and his wife had bought s a few little baby blankets that were blue, green and white. These were now hung over the side of the crib. Natalie also had a collection of soft toys, including a pale minty-green teddy bear that Jonathon had saved all of his pocket money to buy her. Still such a sweet boy.

The room also had beautiful white curtains complete with blue and green butterflies and their flutter trails, made for her by her godmother to be Sarah Black. Sarah was expecting twins, who were due in a couple of weeks, and yet still found the energy to hand embroider those curtains for Natalie, Sarah's twins are so fortunate to have her as their mother. Sarah's husband, Billy, gave his future goddaughter a book of Quileute legends as well as a book of fairytales. If I have any more children, I'll definitely trust their lives to Billy and Sarah Black, as well as to Harry and Sue Clearwater. Elizabeth and her husband, on the other hand, I'm not too sure about. But that would be a thought for later.

28th December, 1986

She was coming, I could feel it. The pain was excruciating and I couldn't help but whine and squirm. Had been through labour before but it never gets any better or easier. Harry and Sue came rushing over at Michael's call to take Jonathon and then he drove me to hospital.

Five hours later and I was holding my beautiful baby Natalie in my arms for the first time. She had a small whisp of light blonde hair, tiny bright blue eyes and pale skin tinted with gold. She looked so much like me and other members of my family. I couldn't help but cry a bit at how beautiful she was. I am probably very biased for saying that, as I'm her mother, but still.

Michael had been there the whole time. Poor guy, I swear I almost broke his hand a couple of times during delivery. Still, he couldn't help but smile and fuss over his daughter. Jonathon was being the perfect older brother right from the start, holding her like he was holding the most precious thing on this earth.

While Natalie was being fussed over by her father, brother and god parents, I called my parents. It took three tries before I got through.

"Good morning, you have reached the James Residence…" That would be my parent's butler, Charles. My parents were very rich and lived in the English countryside in a very big house.

"Charles, its Isla. Are my parent's home? I've been trying to reach them for months."

"Er…Yes. They've just got back from a hunting trip. I don't quite understand why your father insists on not taking any 'technological doo-dah's' with him but I will put them on the phone."

I then heard Charles walking through several other rooms before passing the phone to my father and telling him it was me calling.

"How long do you have to go on business dad?' My family weren't exactly normal, and Charles did not mean the hunting where animals are killed with guns for sport either.

"I'm sorry darling. Your mother has just opened the letters you sent her. A new baby and a new husband? Wow."

"Yes, well, Natalie is my ex-husband's daughter biologically but Michael will be her father as she grows up."

"You named her Natalie? And her middle name?" My father asked.

"Julia, for Michael's mother, and Seraphina for mother." I replied.

"That's so sweet, my darling."

My father and I then made plans for his and mother's visit, as they had to meet Michael before the wedding, and wanted to meet Natalie as they had never been able to visit Oliver thanks to my ex's regulations etc.

My mother, Seraphina, was an amazing women. She also had three children from a previous marriage, my brother Benedict (formally Bastien) and my sisters, Aphrodita and Athenodora. My mother had been married twice before marrying my father, my older siblings were from her first marriage.

We are part of an ancient race of vampire slayers called Animorphytes, only I'm different.

I was not made into a fully-fledged member of our kind and there is only a certain amount of time in which it can be done and I am now too old. This means that I will never have what would be my full powers and must now live life as a slightly more evolved human being. I have the affinity to sense what an animal needs out of life, as well as having no need to feed off of blood and venom like my other family members, due to the fact that I am human in most senses of the word.

Now, that no longer mattered. I have a new family and will be starting a new life surrounded by them.