Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Twilight.
Author's Note: I've changed a few things in Bella's past. I won't tell you since they're pretty obvious.
noxenrom: Can you expand on that? Like do you find it choppy or stiff? Help me out here, I can't fix what's wrong with them if you don't tell me why you find them difficult to read. Hmm, guess I should read and edit the first few chapters again. Sorry about that, I don't have a Beta so I know I miss things when I edit.
!IMPORTANT!
Okay so I'm getting tired of addressing this, so for the last time... This story is CANNON DIVERGENT. Meaning it does not follow the cannon story line in EITHER fandom. As I've stated previously, this story was an experiment to get rid of my writer's block. I'm happy with the way things are turning out and if you don't like the direction I'm taking with my story then don't read it. I'm all for getting critical reviews since they help me improve my writing. And I don't mind my readers asking questions when they get confused, but if you don't read the author's notes then you miss out on those answers. In the second chapter as well as the last one I stated this was an AU story. I've had the same issue when it comes to ships. This story has no pairings at this time and if you could all please bear with me then you will find out how I'm addressing this. I finished writing the last chapter of this today, 11/28/17, and have started editing. I have a sequel in the works and have decided that if enough people want pairings then I will hold a poll on my profile for suggestions. It's going to be a while till that poll goes up. And if you want to start leaving reviews of ships you'd like to see happen, go for it. Just remember that they will not come into play until the sequel and the poll won't go up until the last chapter is posted. So please, if you have any questions try to make sure I haven't already addressed them. This has started to become redundant and that's not what I wanted to come out of this. Anyway, sorry about the rant and I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
!IMPORTANT!
The Favored Mortal
Fate walked into the Chamber and took her usual seat in between Warmth and Chaos. She laughed at the inquisitive looks; and Chaos's impatient look; she received. The pixie enjoyed settling into her seat and drawing out the time. She grinned, this was going to interesting.
"I've just returned from our favorite soul's place of residence." She raised her hand in a signal to calm everyone down when they started shouting out worried questions. "She's fine. So fine in fact that she prefers to be referred to as Bella instead of child." Fate leaned back in her seat and waited for that to sink in.
The Goddess didn't have to wait for long. "What the hell do you mean by 'she preferred'?" Chaos stood up from her seat and starred at the other woman as if she'd lost her mind. "Do you seriously expect me to believe you spoke to the child? She's anchored! Anchored souls are incapable of seeing us!" The blonde woman looked around as if to measure what her companion's thought of that.
"Chaos, sit down and let her finish." Strength sighed. "Why must you always jump to conclusions." The broad man glanced past her to better see Fate. "Is that what you were insinuating?"
Fate tilted her head to the side in acknowledgment and Balance sucked in a breath in disbelief. "Chaos is right. Such a thing should be impossible." The wizard searched Fate's face for any sign she was lying. "You're serious. Merlin, you don't think her gifts have leaked through the protections we placed, do you?" The thought was terrifying. They didn't have the time to forge another enhanced soul. Heart had estimated they only had six to eight more decades before the realm died and they would still need to train the soul to use their power after they awoke in the Judgment Hall.
The pixie's excitement turned to worry. "To be honest, I didn't even consider the possibility." She looked towards the Mother's direction. "The child showed signs of developing traits the Mother didn't gift her." The woman nodded to the man sitting on her left. "She was also rather energetic and she appeared to feel things rather strongly."
"That is troubling." Heart frowned. "I think our best option is to keep our distance and watch her soul for any issues."
Judgment shook his head, "No. This is a good opportunity for us." He surveyed the other's faces. "We can guide her and not only that, but she'd be even more accepting of her destiny if she felt comfortable around us." The God looked away in thought, "We don't have to tell her anything of importance until she's in the Void. For now we need to gain her trust."
The Gods' ponder on that. It was risky, but the idea held merit. Fate shifted in her seat and faced Chaos. "I had the same conclusion as Judgment." She smiled. "Chaos, don't you think your children would like to make a friend closer to their mental age?" When the blonde looked to be considering it, Fate went in for the kill. "I know how lonely they are sometimes. Besides Bella loves reading and I'm sure she'd love to share her books with Lues. Also, Nyx needs a female friend."
Chaos gave a soft smile at the thought. "I think you may actually be on to something there, Fate." She glanced around for support. "My children would be a good influence on the soul and they know better than to say anything." The woman smirked and looked at Judgment. "A child will respond better to other children than a horde of adults."
Like Heart, Balance wasn't so sure this was the best idea. He sighed as he caught the other's nodding in agreement. Unfortunately, he had a feeling that the two of them were about to be outvoted.
Though he was still worried, Balance couldn't help but grow fond of the little girl. She reminded him of his own daughter and he accidentally found himself telling her about his love for Hogwarts, magic, and the amazing world he grew up in. The God never mentioned anything that came after that, but he loved how her face would light up at the stories.
"A flying car? Really?!" Bella bounce in her seat with eyes full of wonder. The man chuckled at the seven year old's enthusiasm. "Wow! That's the coolest!" She beamed.
"I thought so too at first." Balance shook his head. It really was remarkable how she continued to develop her own traits. The wizard was afraid that the energy from the Judgment Hall had cracked and caused his own protections to wither away. He wasn't able to sense anything of use though. Unless Judgment removed that energy he would never know for sure and it was too risky of a maneuver to attempt without damaging the soul. Even if they manged to accomplish it there was still a chance the gifts encased would surge up and destroy her vessel or even cause damage to the realm. The wizard couldn't risk it when they so desperately needed her to mend the realm.
"I can't remember exactly, but I believe that car smashed us right into the Whomping Willow." Balance continued and furrowed his brow in thought. He laughed. "It was absolutely terrifying." He grinned at her. "The car threw us out and drove off into the Forbidden Forest. The bloody thing wasn't supposed to be able to do that." Bella giggled and asked if they went after it. The wizard scoffed, "Of course not." He sent her a smirk. "Ron couldn't stand the thought of missing the feast." He laughed along with her at that thought.
Balance glanced up when he heard a throat clear. "Ah, is it that time already?" He smiled at Nyx, "I'll get out of your way then." The wizard had to promise the little girl three times that he'd tell her more stories before she allowed him to leave. Seeing the three siblings brought him back to Chaos's account of meeting the child. He glance back at the four before he disappeared back into the Void.
Worried though he was, Balance couldn't hold back the hope and anticipation he felt at watching their soul. That girl was going to achieve great things.
Nyx was nervous. Her mother wanted them to meet a mortal child and not just any mortal child, but the enhanced soul. She hated the feeling. It just wasn't like her to get nervous. That was more Perses's type of thing. "What is she like anyway? I mean what if she doesn't want to meet us." The brunette sneered to hide her fear at the thought.
"Nyx, stop. I've already met her a few times before and she's perfectly nice." Chaos pulled her little girl into a hug. "There's nothing to worry about. Little Bella has been excited to meet you three for weeks." The woman pulled away frowning. "Apparently she doesn't connect well with the other children at her school." Perses and Lues looked reassured but Nyx wasn't buying it. The dream walker looked at the house before her in disgust and followed her mother through the walls and into a child's room.
"Chaos you're back!" Bella ran over and hugged the Goddess. Nyx sneered at her in annoyance. "Is this them?" The soul peered at the three siblings with intrigue. Nyx scoffed. "No, we're the boogeyman. I mean, isn't it obvious?" She gave a mocking laugh and turned towards Chaos, "I thought you said she was intelligent."
Bella's eyes widened at the cruel words and Chaos frowned at her daughter. "I don't like you." The little girl told her simply. She then grabbed Perses's and Lues's hands and dragged them away to show the boys her things whilst completely ignoring the dumbstruck expression on Nyx's face. "This is my dolly. I named her Erika and she's the bestest dolly ever." Bella handed it to Perses when he made a motion for it. The boy smiled shyly at the new girl and examined the doll curiously. "Chaos tells me you like books." She said to Lues and motioned him towards her bookcase. The girl then proceeded to pick out her favorites and hand them to him. Lues began to struggle as the pile he was holding didn't seem to stop growing.
"I don't understand." Nyx looked at her mother questioningly. "I was just being myself like you told me too. Why doesn't she like me." Nyx tried to hold back the welling in her eyes and sniffed.
Gently, the Goddess of Destruction steered her daughter off to the side. "What you said was very rude Nyx." The woman sighed at the confused look she was given. "I'm sure if you apologized then everything will work out in the end." Nyx made a face. Apologize, yeah right. If anything the mortal should beg her for forgiveness. A shout had both of them looking up. "No!"
Nyx's eyes widened as her brother held the soul's doll out the window. Without thinking she scowled and phased over to Perses and whacked him over the head while he hesitated at the girl's shout. The wack caused his grip to falter and the doll to began descending. Nyx panicked and lunged forward. She had a brief moment of fear that she'd fall with the doll until Perses grabbed onto the back her shirt and pulled her back inside. The next thing Nyx knew was her mother's fretting over her and scolding at her brother. Serves him right; shy or not, Perses always managed to cause too much trouble. The dream walker shook her head at the incompetence of her brother.
Bella ran forward. "Are you okay? That was really bad." She frown at the girl. Bella wasn't sure if she was still mad about her mean comment or just relieved she was okay. When the other girl turned to her with a blank look and held out Erika, Bella decided that from this day forth, Nyx was her best friend. The mortal tackled the fellow girl to the ground and rambled her thanks.
Chaos rolled her eyes with a small smile and sighed in relief. Leave it to Nyx to find a way out of a sincere apology.
Bella loved having friends her own age to play with. Though she could never find it in herself to completely forgive Perses for the almost death of her beloved Erika. The little girl loved playing hide and seek with them. Lues was ridiculously good at it. She blushed at the thought and shook her head. Nyx was the best friend she had ever had. Well the siblings were her only friends, but that didn't matter. Bella frowned. She just didn't get on well with her classmates was all. Besides, they all hated reading and Lues loved reading just as much as her and. Her thoughts were interrupted by the aforementioned boy. "Bella, is there a reason you're drilling holes into the side of my head?" Lues raised an eyebrow at her. Bella blushed again as she realized she'd been staring at him and turned away. She scowled at Nyx when the girl started laughing at her.
Lues sighed at the girl. It had all started around a month ago; the shy smiles, the flushed cheeks, and even stuttering her words. The boy was beginning to regret agreeing to meet the girl. Of course he enjoyed the books she let him read and he supposed she wasn't so bad herself. The boy just wished Bella could be a little more subtle with her crush on him. Lues was tired of feeling his cheeks heat up whenever Fate, the Mother, and even his creator teased him about it. For Merlin's sake, she was mortal and would continue to grow while he would forever remain the same. Was it not obvious he wasn't interested? Lues frowned when he realized what he'd just thought. He'd been spending to much time with Balance it seemed. The boy sighed. He wasn't even planning on coming today. This was all that stupid trait's fault. And Fate's, mostly Fate's. Lues glared to the side as he remember the bait she'd given him.
"It's just so cute the way her eyes light up whenever she sees you, Lues." Fate giggled at him. Lues rolled his eyes. That was it. He was never going back to that house ever again. "Bella's been asking me when you and your siblings are coming by again." The pixie sent him a coy smile, "Apparently she received a new book from her dad and she can't wait for you to read it. She says it's the best one yet." Lues glanced at the Goddess with narrowed eyes. When she just kept giving him a secretive smile he scowled. Looks like he'd be going back after all. Why did he have to be so curious? Lues rolled his eyes. That trait was much too troublesome.
The boy shook his head to break out of the memory. He huffed in annoyance at the mortal's failing efforts to shut his sister up and returned to the book Bella had handed him the moment he arrived. Lues reluctantly admitted that it was better than the rest. The quiet boy snorted when his mother stepped in to stop Nyx's teasing. He tuned it out and fell back into his newly discovered world of adventure.
"Alright, that's enough Nyx." Chaos smiled fondly at the two girls. "Perses found the tea pot you were looking for, Bella." The woman shook her head as she was dragged to the small table along with her daughter. Well it was too bad Fate wasn't here. The pixie loved all of Bella's tea parties.
Chaos was so glad she had listen to her fellow Goddess. Bella had become something of another daughter for her. The blonde loved these moments. The times where she could forget she was a Goddess and pretend all four were her actual kids. It helped make things easier and relieved some of her desperation to reconnect the Voids. She still planned to, but it was nice to know that she could be happy in this new existence as well.
She was pacing back and forth in front of her bed. The preteens arms gestured wildly as she drone on about the unfairness of it all. Perses wished they could all do something other than listen to another one of Bella's rants about her classmates.
"You won't believe what they're calling me now. I hate those stupid names and little miss perfect, Anna Lee, pushed me down at recess. All I did was ask if she and her friends wanted play tag. But no." Bella stopped and rolled her eyes at Nyx. "They're afraid they'll catch my crazy." The girl laughed incredulously. "You can't catch crazy. It's not like it's some contagious disease. Can someone please tell me why I'm always surrounded by idiots?!" The mortal huffed and threw her hands up. She looked at her friends as if waiting for them to jump in with her ranting.
Lues moved to sit on the edge of the bed. "Bella, how many times do I have to tell you to ignore them?" He sighs and falls backwards to stare at the ceiling. "You don't need them. I mean aren't we enough?"
Bella sighed. "You are and I do, I just." She shakes her head. "I just wish things were different. Like, I don't know." The girl moves to fall down beside him and sulk.
Perses took a quick glance at Nyx and groaned at her worried look. "Just quit then." The storm bringer hopped up on Bella's desk and continued, "We don't go to school so why should you? Doesn't really seem all that important anyways." The boy shrugged off the two glares he got in return for his comment. None of them were supposed be there anyway. He himself was supposed to be forming a thunder storm somewhere. But for the life of him, the boy couldn't remember where exactly that was supposed to be.
"As if my mom would allow that." Bella sighed dramatically and whined at her best friend, "Nyx. You're supposed to help me with stuff like this. What do I do?"
Nyx walked over and pushed her best friend off the bed. She ignored Bella's outcry at the action and stuck her finger right in front of the other girl's face. "You." The dream walker scowled and waved her finger. "Need to stop whining. Honestly Bella, we do this almost every week now." She dropped her hand and gave her own sigh. "You say you ignore them, but if you're seeking them out to play tag then you aren't." Her expression shifted to confusion. "I don't get it. You don't even like people all that much to begin with. Why are you trying so hard to befriend with them anyway?"
Bella rolled her eyes and picked herself back off the floor. "I don't know." She shrugged and looked at Nyx. "Normalcy maybe." The girl walked over to grab her backpack from beside the door and rummaged through it for her homework. "I guess it's to ease my mom's worries about me not fitting in and to stop the pitting looks all the adults give me."
Perses huffed in annoyance, "Right, well tell us how that all works out for you in the end." He glanced over at his siblings and gave them a serious look, "We need to get back to our own work anyways."
Nyx smirked at him, "That's right Perses. None of us want to mess up your record of being mommy's good little boy do we?" She laughed when he hissed at her. "Don't give me that look. Stop being such a goody-two-shoes and I'll up your status to mommy's crybaby instead." Nyx yelped when her arm was pinched and she spun around in anger. "What the heck Lues?!"
Her brother snorted. "Leave him alone. Besides, you know he's right and Bella seems to have homework anyway." Lues gave the mortal a carefree wave and smirked. "Same time next week, yeah?" The boy vanished before she could reply and missed her blush. Nyx didn't and laughed at her friend's face.
"Shut up!" Bella yelled and threw her notebook at the other girl. She huffed when it landed harmlessly on the ground and turned to rant at Perses. The girl blinked in surprise when she found that he too had vanished. The preteen grumbled to herself as she went to retrieve her notebook. "Where do they all go anyway?" Bella pouted. "Can't they see I'm having a crisis here. They should be here to support me. That's what friend's are for, right?"
Reluctantly she opened her book to start on her homework.
The four children remained close over the years until Bella's mother kept on about her growing up and letting go of her imaginary friends. The little girl didn't understand why her mother never saw them. She asked Chaos once and like always, didn't receive a straight answer. With her parents fighting all the time because of it, the child turned to the Breath of Life for a hopefully better answer. "Why am I the only one able to see you?" Bella looked at the kind woman imploringly.
The Mother sighed and paused in her reading of Bella's favorite book, her favorite for now anyway. The woman smiled. While she wasn't aware of how their soul had grasped these new traits so easily, she didn't worry like the other's. Didn't they see that this meant she would be able to twist her powers to aide the realm. The Goddess had given her the gift to breathe life, not the gift to give traits. She shook her head and closed the book.
The woman shuffled her body to face the little girl's more easily, "You are very special Bella." She laughed as the girl's face scrunched up in annoyance at her indirection. "One day you will have a very important task to complete and I have every faith in your abilities to complete it." The Goddess stood up and walked over to look out the window. She sighed. "All you need to remember is that even though those around you remain skeptical; we are very real and we'll always be here for you child. Whether that is just as someone to listen to your concerns or to help guide you in the right direction."
Bella frowned. Fate and Judgment were always telling her what the right thing to do was and what the wrong thing to do was. The two would tell her all these terrible things that might happen if she strayed from their guidance. The girl didn't like it and she liked these non answers she always got even less.
Like the time she'd asked Fate about her string and all she got in response was, "Why wouldn't I have it? I mean this is the Red String of Fate. Is it not?" Fate had laughed at her own joke and Bella had joined her, but inside she was tired of all the avoidance she was receiving. It happened again when she'd asked Strength about their odd names. The man had laughed at her and said that Isabella was a strange name too. Like they actually had the same amount of weirdness with their names. That was the worst lie yet. And she was always being told she was special, but no one every told what it was that made her special. It just wasn't fair and she was sick of it.
So sick of it in fact that as she was continued to be teased and bullied for talking to thin air, the girl distance herself from the Gods. Bella hated that she wasn't normal. She hated that she felt like it was her fault that her parent's got divorced. The mortal hated a lot of things actually; her dad moving to some back water town and the looks her mother gave her even when she stopped talking about her friends in the open. Though above all, she hated the end of her friendship with the siblings and their mother.
She'd had been a terrible day of being mocked at school again. She snorted to herself, so the usual basically. And she just didn't want to deal with it anymore. So when Nyx showed up for the movie marathon they had planned, she ignored her.
"So what are we watching anyway." Nyx asked as she plopped down next to Bella on the couch. She waited. "Uh, hello? Bella you there." When Bella still made no move to respond the dream walker scowled and ripped the book the other was reading from her hands. "I thought we were watching 'the best movies ever' today." She quoted with her fingers. Nyx frowned in concern when Bella still didn't answer her. "Did something happen? We can talk about if you want."
The prolonged silence was beginning to get to the child. "Bella seriously what's going on?" Nyx moved in front of her friend's face and her eyes narrowed when she looked away. "Oh, is that it then? What you get tired of me or something? Well guess what Bella, all of us have been tired of your whining for years now!" Nyx stood up and hissed when she still received nothing from the girl.
Unwillingly her eyes welled up and she raised her voice in desperation, "Fine then! You need me more than I need you anyway!" She disappeared in the next second and found herself in the Ancient Void. For the first time ever, the girl ran into the Chamber of the Gods' and interrupted a meeting as she rushed to her mother"s side and sob into her shoulder.
"Hey now, baby what's wrong? I thought you were with Bella?" Chaos frowned when her question was met with harsher cries. The Goddess glanced up at her companions in concern and asked one of them to check on the mortal child. Balance began to rise from his seat in a clear sign of volunteering, but Nyx flung herself away from her mother and slammed her hands down onto the table before he could disappear. "No! Why should you? She doesn't want anything to do with us anymore. She." The girl choked on another sobbed and allowed Chaos to pull her back into her arms. The Gods' were shocked, surly the child was overreacting.
Chaos's frown deepened and she waved her hand. As soon as her other two children arrived at her summons she asked, "Have either of you fought with Bella recently?" The two kids' stared at their sister in shock and Chaos had to snap her fingers to regain their attention. "Well?" Both of them shook their heads and Lues looked at his mother in question, "What happened?" The boy looked around for some kind of answer since his mother sighed but said no more.
"Nyx apparently had some trouble with her. She says the girl wants nothing to do with us anymore." Fate answered for her fellow Goddess. "Balance was going to go check on her, but knowing her old crush on you." Fate gave him a worried look. "Just go see her for us. She might respond better to you, Lues." The aforementioned boy gave her a strange look. "Bella grew out of that years ago." He reaffirmed and frowned at his sister. "Nyx has always been the closest to her out of all of us. I doubt she'll talked to me if she won't with her."
Judgment smiled in slight amusement. "Fate's right. You should go." When Lues started to shake his head Judgment continued. "You'd be surprised Lues. Bella really cares for you, whether she still has a crush on you or not." The boy huffed but did as the Gods' asked of him and vanished to reappear in the mortal's room.
His ears were met with sobs and he squinted his eyes in the darkness to try and locate the source of the sound. "Bella?" Lues stepped forward, but paused at a harsh intake of breath. "Bella, come on. I know you're in here." He moved around until he found the light switch. With a quick flick of his finger the room was bathed in light, yet the girl was still nowhere to be seen. Lues sighed and made his way to the closet. He sank down on the other side against the door and let his head thump back as he gazed up an the ceiling. The boy knew she was in there. Bella always used to hide there whenever she cried about her parent's divorce. "Wanna tell me what's going on or am I going to have to sit here until you do?" His question was met with muffled sobs. "You're going to have to come out eventually. I mean have you eaten dinner yet?" Lues smiled when she cracked.
"Go away Lues." Her voice was wobbly and rough with tears.
He knocked his head back into the door to show his defiance. "Not until you tell me what's up." Suddenly he heard shuffling and he stood up quickly with a smirk of triumph. The closet door slammed open forcefully and Bella stomped her way out. Her hair was messed up, her eyes were red and puffy, and she threw the blanket she had balled up at his face in anger. Lues rolled his eyes at her tantrum and let the cloth fall silently to the ground.
"What's wrong!? What's wrong?!" Her voice grew in volume. "You tell me, Lues!" She scowled. "We both know I'm crazy! Talking to thin air!" Bella chocked as she started crying again. "What's wrong you ask? What's wrong is that none of you are real!" She folded her arms around her stomach and looked away. The mortal sighed and whispered, "None of you are real and it's time I move on."
For a moment, Lues couldn't do anything but stare at her in shock. He walked forwards at her whisper but jolted to a stop when she backed away from him. "Bella, come on." He pleaded. "I know you don't believe that. Don't do this." The girl bit her lip and shook her head, she kept her eyes away from him. "Seriously? After everything all of us have been through together you've just decided to throw it all away. Really?" Lues looked at her with disbelief and when she didn't say anything else he sneered. His voice was void of all but disgust when he finally spoke again, "Fine. But don't expect Perses, Nyx, or me to ever come near you again. I doubt our mother will want anything to do with you either." He spun on his heal to vanish but paused before phasing away. "You're going to regret this Bella. I hope you know that." With that final comment he left and the teenager sunk to floor in tears once more.
And even though after that she began ignoring the Gods' all together, nothing ever changed. She was still the crazy girl at her school. Most of all, she hated that she'd drove Chaos and her children away. It was just like Lues had told her. None them ever came near her again and even though the other's still did; she couldn't find it in herself to respond to them. She regretted it. How could she not when she found herself all alone and her best friend wasn't there to cheer her up.
Balance sighed as he listen to Chaos raged on about the mortal. He understood where she was coming from. The wizard would have acted the same way if it were his own kids' in question.
"Heart was right." The Goddess of Destruction said firmly. "We should have kept our distance. Why the hell I actually believed this was a good idea." She trailed off with a sigh and shook he head. "My children are heartbroken and Nyx, Nyx is inconsolable. Bella was her best friend." Chaos snorted angrily and her voice grew louder. "Her only friend besides her brothers really and that." The Goddess had to pause and take a breath in an effort to control her volume. "That girl ruined everything. Eight years of loving her as my own daughter and she tosses it to the side like it's nothing!" Balance looked away with a pained expression. The wizard felt the same. Chaos leaned back in her chair heavily and met each of her fellow Gods' faces. "I'll never accept her again." The woman declared seriously. "She has caused my family mayhem by her own actions and I will never forgive her for that pain."
As the Mother and Fate tried to make Chaos see reason, Balance looked upwards to the glowing orbs lighting the Chamber. Bella was wasn't just straying from Fate's path. The girl was completely rewriting it. His hope that she would aid them when the time came was wavering. The man sighed, he seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. Balance feared this realm would die after all and consequently take them all with it.