Fanon:The Life Of Bella Goth

"The Life Of Bella Goth" is an epic, Romantic, disaster story. It is a fictionalized account of the disappearance of popular pre-made sim Bella Goth. The story is about Bella's life from childhood, through to adulthood, and eventually to the earthquake which takes place in Sunset Valley.

The story is set in 3 stages; the 1st is set in the future, where 2 residents of Belladonna Cove decide to track down the identity of the mysterious statue in the center of the town. The Second and Third stage is the daughter of Bella Goth, Cassandra Goth telling the story of her mother's life, from her teenage years, through to her death at the hands of an earthquake; which took place in the town of Sunset Valley, before it was renamed Pleasantview.

Plot
"Two curious townsfolk decide to locate the truth behind the statue of the mysterious Bella Goth, in the center of town. Their search leads them to a elderly woman, who tells them the story about her Mother, and how tragedy struck the family, and the neighbourhood they lived in."

Characters

 * Bella Goth - Pre-made sim, who has become famous after her disappearance in the Sims 2 game; she is the main character in this story.
 * Mortimer Goth - Bella's husband; he feature's from childhood through to his elder years.
 * Cassandra Goth - First appears as an elderly lady; two curious townfolk from Belladonna Cove track her down to find out the story about her mother.
 * Alexander Goth - Appears through Bella's adult years.
 * Jocasta Bachelor - Bella's mother, she appears through Bella's younger years, and to her death.
 * Simis Bachelor - Bella's Father...
 * Michael Bachelor - Mentioned only...
 * Mathilde Goth - Cassandra's Granddaughter; she now lives with her Grandmother in her final years.
 * Cornelia Goth - Mortimer's Mother; she is wealthy, and has a love for all things Gothic. She is the only parent of Bella's and Mortimer's alive during the earthquake.
 * Gunther Goth - Mortimer's Father, he will be mentioned only.
 * Geoffrey Landgraab - Proud, weathly, businessman, his family was responsible for the construction of Sunset Valley. His fued with Nick Alto will be expanded on more in this story; as the pair battle for control on the town.
 * Nancy Landgraab - Geoffrey's wife; she supports him during his battle with Nick.
 * Malcolm Landgraab - Geoffrey and Nancy's son; he is one of the survivors of the earthquake, and resonsible for the construction of Belladonna Cove
 * Nick Alto - Greedy, business tycoon, who has arrived in Sunset Valley on the basis of building a city in it's place.
 * Vita Alto - Nick's husband; she is just as greedy as Nick, although she's easier to admit defeat.
 * Callum Alto - A fictional son, created for the Alto family for this story only. He is in a relationship with Bella, although his intentions may not truly be honest.
 * Chris Cunliffe - A curious member of Belladonna Cove, who search for answers behind the statue of the mysterious woman in the middle of town.
 * Sarah Cunliffe - Chris' girlfriend; she joins Chris in searching for Cassandra Goth.
 * Kaylynn Langerak - Friend of Bella's, and rumoured love interest of Mortimer's; she is present when the earthquake takes place.
 * Agnes Crumplebottom - Widowed, old fashioned woman; who is Mortimer's Aunt. She lives in Sunset Valley, and is present during the earthquake.
 * Brandi Broke - She is present during the earthquake.
 * Dustin Broke - He appears as a child during the earthquake.
 * Darren Dreamer - Mentioned only by Cassandra...

Stage 1,Chapter 1: The Memory
It was a cold, and wintery afternoon in Belladonna Cove, the weather had been strange lately, especially as it was the beginning of May. A large cathedral stood high and mighty in the pouring rain; the stone building seemed to effortlessly fend off the water falling onto it; It was quiet, however, not a sound could be heard, except from the sound of the rain drops. The silence was quickly broken, as the sound of a car pulled up at the front of the church; the door to the blue car flung open, and a strikingly attractive, blonde girl appeared from inside the car. She was obviously startled by the pouring rain, and turned to the left and pointed towards the church; she began running, slightly ducking her head, as if avoiding acid falling from the sky. On the other side of the car, a young man appeared and slammed the car door behind himself; tall, pale skin and slight stubble on his face; his hair wasn't exactly styled, but he looked like he would fit perfectly into a boyband. He hurried his way through the rain, not quite as defensive as the young, blonde lady earlier, but still at the same pace.

The church seemed like something from a Charles Dickins novel; there wasn't any actual lights; it mostly consisted of candles; which made the large, tall, stone building appear even more creepy. To Sarah's eyes, it was pretty much a Dracula's castle; " Oh, we're late..." she whispered to Chris, who had just followed her through the church door. As Sarah glanced back at the man she named her boyfriend, she stared aimlessly at him as he turned towards her; he seemed more soaking that she did, and they'd both ran the same distance; "Boys..." Sarah's mind said to itself. As the pair turned around, they slowly hushered themselves towards a seat; the church wasn't exactly busy, but the looks from the elderly guests were enough to make Sarah feel like a school girl who had misbehaved. As they were seated; Sarah and Chris quickly tried to focus on the chubby Vicar, who was positioned at the center of the church. Sarah tried to concentrate, but having missed the start of the speech, and hearing the rain thudding on the roof, it was proving to be difficult. "...for we live in this town...and this town was built in memory of someone so..." bellowed the Vicar; Sarah saw Chris lean forward, this was what he came for, after all.

Chris found it hard to concentrate in church, even as a kid, he never liked the whole "let's praise God" stuff the Vicar used to fill his head with. This trip was no different; until he heard the Vicar mention the town they lived in; as Chris leaned forward, as if waiting for the cliffhanger from his favourite TV series. "She stands high over the town, and many of our townsfolk have been overwhelmed by the beauty of the statue..." continued the Vicar. Chris knew all about beauty, his girlfriend was the definition of beauty in his eyes, but this was a statue they were talking about, the only beauty Chris recognized was that of the fantastic work the builders did constructing the damn thing. "To us, she is an inspiration; now I suggest we hold say our thanks to God...", were the Vicar's final words on the matter; Chris shut off by that point; what the hell was he talking about? Was he the only person, aside from Sarah, who had no idea who that woman in the middle of the town was? Chris wanted answers, and he figured the best way to get them, would be to talk to the Vicar himself.

Reverand Thompson felt he gave a good service; the locals appeared to enjoy it, even though the elderly Mrs. Crumplebottom had fell asleep in row 3. As he finished off; the guests began exiting the church; he closed his 15 year old bible; and turned to head through the door at the back of the Piano in the right hand side of the building; he was startled, however, as someone shouted in the church "Vicar, please can I speak to you?"; the voice of a young man, seemed...somewhat desperate? Reverand Thompson turned to see a young man heading towards him; he was the other half of the couple who arrived late to the service. "Can I help you, young man?" said Reverand Thompson; it seemed polite to him. The man held out his hand and said "Hey, I'm Chris; I was interested in what you were saying about that statue in the center of town..." Reverand Thompson heard this before, he was used to compliments; big headed as it seemed, he knew exactly what the locals enjoyed, and what they didn't. "Thank you, Chris...", quick and short, he had heard it all before though. As the Reverand turned again, he felt a hand on his shoulder, "He has more to say?", was the first thing that crossed Reverand Thompson's mind. "Sorry Vicar; I was interested, but I didn't understand a word of it..." , Chris said, in a slightly more forceful tone. So he wasn't complimenting the Reverand? This was a first...; "What didn't you understand?", questioned the Reverand. Chris crossed his arms now, in a slightly more defensive manner; "'''Well I just don't know who she is? I don't know why she's there?" '''was Chris' reply. No one had ever questioned this before...in the Reverand's 57 years in Chruch, he'd never been questioned on something like this; sure the "is God real?" questions had popped up, but the Reverand had an automatic response for that, but this...he actually didn't know himself.

Stage 1, Chapter 2: "C. Goth"
Chris made his way into Reverand Thompson's living room; he was still bewildered as to why the Reverand had invited him their in the first place. Sarah seemed pretty uncomfortable; Chris knew she hated being here, let alone to actually be sat inside the Reverand's living room. Chris sat down on the flowery, patterend sofa; the Reverand sat across from them, in a single, old, brown coloured chair. He sank into his chair, and stared at Chris for a moment; as though she read his mind, Sarah spoke, with a slight irritation in her voice; "Well?". The Reverand glanced to the floor, and looked back up at the pair, he spoke softly, and said "I can't tell you who the woman is..."; Chris felt he was now capturing up to Sarah with his irritation; he glared at the Reverand, and said "What do you mean you can't tell us; you brought us he-", before he could finish, Chris was interrupted by the Reverand. "I...I can't tell you...because I don't know who she is myself." Chris had to hear it again, he wasn't sure if his ears were playing tricks on him; "You...you don't know?" he asked, curiously. "No, truth is...", said the Reverand, with a sad look across his face; "...we've never known who she is; we only know what the statue says..." he continued. Chris felt a sudden rush of stupidity rush through him, he hadn't even thought to check the statue itself for engravings of any sort? How could he not? Surely that should have been the first place to check? Then again, Chris felt this was a far too easy way of finding out. "What does the statue say, exactly?", Chris said, feeling stupid even asking such a silly question. The Reverand looked up at Chris; he was convinced the Reverand would make a brilliant poker player; he had no idea how he was going to react to the question. "It says "A combination of qualities, that pleases the intellect or moral sense" he said, sounding like a school teacher. Chris looked at Sarah, who looked as confused as he did; he looked back at the Reverand, but before he could speak, Sarah, proving she could read minds, spoke for Chris...

"So basically, it's talking about "beauty?" said Sarah, feeling like the only smart person in the room. The Reverand looked at Sarah, and spoke again "Yes, we just believed it was her name.". Sarah waited for Chris to respond, with his usual questions, as though he'd swallowed a questionnaire before he arrived at church. However, Chris remaind silent, so Sarah decided to speak on behalf of both of them. "So '''basically, she could be anyone? We have no idea at all?" said Sarah; she wanted to say something, but felt herself holding back...but oh no...it was slipping out of her mouth..."...that's kinda stupid...". Sarah saw Chris' head turn towards her; Sarah didn't care, he was thinking exactly the same. If there's one thing Sarah had come to learn about their relationship, it's that Chris was obviously the thinker and she was the speaker in the relationship; except on this instance, because Sarah didn't actually care much about the statue; she just felt she was doing Chris a favour, which he would surely repay her for with an expensive trip to the Bistro later in the week. The Reverand looked at his feet, and spoke without making eye contact. "Possibly, but as you can see, I can't help you with this; that woman...I don't know who she is. May I ask...why you want to know, exactly?" said the Reverand; Chris spoke first this time, like an old school exam, the questions came spilling from his mouth. "Well you seemed so sure about her during the Church reading earlier, I just wanted answers...I thought you must have some?". Sarah couldn't h'elp but laugh inside, Chris' curiosity always made her smile. That being said, she had to admit, she was also interested in this mysterious "beauty" woman in the center of town. The Reverand got to his feet, and looked back at Chris and Sarah, his voice seemed almost shaky, like Chris had hit a nerve; 'She's always been there; alway's been part of the town, naturally, I just assumed she was someone who brought great things to Belladonna Cove." The Reverand proceeded further to the back of the room, examining an old book shelf; he seemed to be searching for some sort of answer from the shelf, although none appeared before him. Sarah asked, politely "Has no one tried to find out who she is? Or at least tried to do research on what the statue represents?", it seemed like such a simple question; yet the Reverand refused to look at Sarah, or Chris, as though she'd asked him a near impossible question.

Reverand Thompson felt incredibly embarrassed; these two strangers had come to him for help, and he couldn't give them any answers. He knew the words he said in Church, he just didn't understand why he said them. Casting his mind back to when he first arrived in town; he couldn't think of any news regarding the mysterious statue in the middle of town; it was just as much a mystery to him, as it was to these two strangers. Deciding to end the questioning, he replied "I can't help you..."; finally turning around, to meet the eyes of the two villagers, that seemed incredibly confused, he spoke again; "...this woman...really is a mystery. I believe that the only possible way to learn who she is, is to start from the statue, and work your way from there; because I don't know who she is, nor does anyone else in town, unfortunately." Before the two villagers could answer, Reverand Thompson decided to spare himself the humilation again, by walking towards the door, signalling them out. "I do hope you learn what you need to about this woman, I'd love to hear about it myself..." he said, sounding more comfortable with himself. The two villagers got to their feet; and both walked out of the door; they both turned to face Reverand Thompson, the man had a frown across his face, as though he wasn't entirely pleased with what Reverand Thompson had just told him; however, Reverand Thompson found himself not really caring, the young man and woman had the truth from him, instead of lies, which is what he could have said initially. It wasn't long before one of them spoke; "Thanks..." said the man; before Reverand Thompson could respond, the man's "thank you" was continued by the young woman; "Thanks for nothing...", she said, as she turned away from the door. The young man followed, in a "agreeing" manner, which made Reverand Thompson feel incredibly guilty about his lack of knowledge on the questions they asked him.

Now arriving at the statue; Chris couldn't take his eyes off it; he was sure he could have possible crashed his car, if another car was driving on the opposite side of him. He pulled up to the left, and spoke to Sarah; "I want to have a look at the statue, a moment...". Before his girlfriend could disagree with him (which he felt she would), he had already unbuckled his belt, and opened the car door. As he began walking across the road, he turned to find, to his surprise, that Sarah was joining him. They both walked across the soft, green grass area towards the statue, and looked up. Even though it was a statue, Chris knew whoever this woman was, she was very beautiful. Her figure was something to die for; she seemed so important, stood their carrying a diamond, of some sort. He glanced at the definition of beauty, which was engraved on the statue's base; Reverand Thompson was right, although he'd been unhelpful, he was right about this particular detail. As Chris moved closer, he saw something quite surprising; there were enitials at the bottom of the engravement; although quite faint, he could easily make out "C. Goth". Chris had heard of the word "Goth" before, and often associated it with teenaged, heavy metal lovers. However, these enitials were engraved in a professional way, hinting that the enitials were of the creator of the statue. "C. Goth...", Chris said aloud; Sarah seemed to look at the initials too, she spoke for the first time since leaving the Church; "C. Goth...who is that?". Chris had no idea, but he knew one thing, this was something he was going to research when he got home.

Stage 1, Chapter 3: "Road To Pleasantview..."
Sarah's head was going to explode; as much as she was interested in the mystery of the statue, she had been sat at a computer screen googling the name "C. Goth" for well over 3 hours. She felt herself slowly losing interest in the subject, and yet, her boyfriend seemed to become more, and more intriuged by the minute. "Chris..." she said cautiously; "I don't think we're going to find anything about her online...". As if waiting for her boyfriend to throw an object at her, Sara's eye shut, and she felt herself leaning slightly forward. What came next surprised her, as Chris spoke; "I think you're right, It's like finding a needle in a haystack" he said, with utter disappointment in his voice. Sarah placed her hand on Chris' shoulder, she felt her touch would help relax Chris. "Hey, let's get some sleep, we can always try again tomorrow" she said, as softly as she could. Chris let out a deep sigh, and stood to his feet; Sarah wasn't sure if she should directly follow him out the room, so she kept sat in seat. Chris turned to her; "I'm going for a shower first, can you switch the computer's off please?" he said; without waiting for a response, Chris disappeared. Sarah managed to close down Chris' computer; she turned to the computer she had been using, and was about to shut down, until she glanced at the screen and saw something that caught her eye. The description read "Not posting much...times are hard. C. Goth"; Sarah felt her heart starting to beat faster, she clicked on the link to the article, and was surprised to find some sort of blog belonging to a young girl...

As Sarah examined the blog title, it read "Cassandra Goth: Welcome to my online blog!". Sarah looked at the blog enteries, and was surprised to find that the last blog post was from years and years ago. As Sarah began searching the girls blog, the one thing she noticed was that the girl seemed very unhappy; one entry read "No one understand what's it like to lose someone like this...". What Sarah saw next nearly made her jump out of her seat; but close enough, she shouted for Chris. "Chris! Chris! I've found her!" shouted Sarah. Examining the picture, Sarah had just seen, she awaited for Chris to arrive, she heard him moving around the bathoom since she shouted him. Chris came bursting into the room, his face was covered with curiosity; "What is it?" he asked Sarah. Sarah moved the monitor to show Chris; Chris' eyes met the computer screen, and Sarah began explaining herself; "That's her! Look, the dress, the hair, everything..." said Sarah, almost giddy with excitement. A smile came across Chris' face, he couldn't take his eyes away from the monitor. He finally spoke, saying "Who is she?"; Sarah felt silly for not explaining sooner, "No idea, but I found this picture on this blog, belonging to a girl...", Sarah pointed at the banner at the top of the page, hoping Chris understood what she meant. "Cassandra Goth...C. Goth?" said Chris, as though answering a question on a game show. "Yes, and that woman in the dress is her mother...look what is says underneath that picture" said Sarah, pointing yet again at the monitor, this time at the picture of a small child, with big round glasses next to the mysterious red dress, lady. '''"I miss you mom, things haven't been the same since you were taken from us..." '''read Chris, aloud; he seemed almost memorized by the photograph, as though it was about to turn into gold at any moment.

Chris couldn't believe what he was seeing; he had to know who this woman was, he had to find out about her. "Is there nothing else?" he asked Sarah, still finding it hard to believe she'd found out this information. Sarah's gaze turned from him, and to the computer screen again, "Nothing else, although, there's an address on the corner of the blog posts..." said Sara. Even more perfect; it was too easy, now he had an address to go off? It seemed to good to be true, then Sarah spoke again, making him feel less optimistic about it. "But these blog posts are from years, and years ago, she may not even live there any more..." said Sarah; he eyes now meeting Chris'. Despite this point, Chris felt this was too good of a chance to miss; he looked back at the screen, and made a decision in his head, but before he could, he wanted to know where it was. "What's the address, then?" he asked; Sarah looked back at the computer screen, and squinted her eyes; she spoke afterwards "165 Sim Lane, Pleasantview...". Chris had heard of the town, but had no idea where it was; he knew the best option would be to get directions online before he set off tomorrow. "I'm going to visit that place tomorrow..." he said; Sarah looked at him, and smiled "I'm coming with you..." she said. Chris was surprised Sarah didn't try and talk him out of it, clearly she was just as interested in this woman as he was...

Sarah wasn't even ready yet, and Chris was in the car waiting for her; she hadn't even found her mobile phone yet; it always seemed to disappear on her when she needed it the most. As she hurridly searched for her mobile, she awaited the sound of the horn going again; Chris hated waiting for her. It seemed her phone was hiding from her; and as she expected, the car horn sounded again. Sarah made the decision to leave her mobile home, she grabbed her coat, and left the house to join Chris in the car. Sorry, couldn't find my phone. . ." she explained, as they began driving through the streets of Belladonna Cove, and onto the freeway. The drive to Pleasantview was a silent one; the only thing that spoke throughout the journey was Chris' TomTom, and Sarah always found them to be quite patronising. Soon, the Freeway began to disappear slowly, and instead of the busy road, they were now driving along a back road, which was pretty empty compared to the busy freeway. Further down the road, a wooden sign stood above, and Sarah recognised the words instantly. "Greetings from Pleasantview" said the sign; in bright, colourful letters. It seemed like a holiday advertisement; maybe this trip wasn't going to be so bad after all. "Turn Right, and you have 'reached your destination point"''' said Chris' TomTom; the town of Pleasantview was like any subhurb in the USA, it was full of houses; a town hall, and surrounded by tree's.

The TomTom stopped; and as Chris looked to the right, he saw a large, old manor looking down at him. "This is it..." said Chris to Sarah; they hadn't spoken all the journey, and Chris felt it was his duty to break the silence on this occasion. "Let's go then..." replied Sarah, who gave off the impression she wanted to get it over and done with. Chris got out of the car, and walked up to the small front gate; he and Sarah walked up the pathway to the steps of the house. Taking a deep breath, Chris knocked on the door and awaited someone to answer. "I hope there's someone in, if we've come all this way for nothing..." said Sarah' despite her being enthusiastic, Chris was certain she'd have preferred to have stayed home now. Before Chris could reply, the front door opened, and a very young, very beautiful woman was stood at the door; with long long black hair, and beautiful skin, all she needed was a red dress, and Chris would be sure he could confuse her for the mysterious woman in the photograph from Cassandra Goth's blog. Yet, this girl looked younger than the woman in the photo; "Can I help you?" she said, her voice was very polite and gentle. Chris wasn't sure how to get his words across to her..."We're looking for...Cassandra Goth..."; Chris' seemed to be struggling to get his words out. The girl's face changed slightly; Chris knew she had an idea who he was talking about. "She's my Grandmother, what do you want with her?" replied the girl, still very softly spoken. Chris was about to reply; but another voice came from behind the door. "What is it, dear?" said the voice; the voice belonged to an old woman, fragile and delecate, it appeared to Chris' ears. The girl moved aside, and there, at the door, was someone Chris recognised instantly; this was the young girl from the blog...this was Cassandra Goth...

Stage 1, Chapter 4: "A Trip To The Past"
Chris was shocked that Cassandra invited himself and Sarah inside her home; he was convinced she was going to turn them away when he saw her at the door. Yet, she seemed friendlier than he antisipated. As he walked inside the house; the hallway was very dark; and the wooden floors and walls reminded Chris of a pirate ship, of some sort. The home itself was very warm, he was convinced the heating must have been switched on. Cassandra, and the young woman lead himself and Sarah through to a door ahead; as soon as Chris entered, it was obvious that it was the living room. The living room seemed to represent some sort of old fashioned manor; it wasn't modern, there was no television, or radio in sight; just bookshelves and an old chess set. Cassandra sat in her arm chair; and finally spoke "sit down, if you like; would you like a drink?" she asked politely. "Oh...erm..." said Chris; he wasn't sure if he wanted to speak on behalf of Sarah. Luckily, she interrupted, saying "Yes, please...". Cassandra smiled; and looked at the young woman who they had met at the door. "Mathilde, could you...?" she asked; clearly signalling at the young girl to make the drinks. Mathilde turned towards Chris and Sarah, and said "will ice tea be okay?" she asked; Sarah nodded; personally Chris wasn't overly fond of ice tea, but he nodded all the same, he wasn't really interested in the drink. Sarah sat down on the long sofa in front of the fire; Chris followed her and sat next to her; he looked towards Cassandra, who was staring at him with intriuge. She eventually spoke, when Chris had found himself settled on the sofa; "What is it you wanted me for, dear?" she asked. There was no easy way of saying this, so Chris decided to slowly work his way to the point; "Well, my name is Chris; and this is my girlfriend Sarah; we both live in Belladonna Cove, have you heard of it?" asked Chris; the expression on Cassandra's face seemed to change from smiling, to netural; Chris felt she knew what he was talking about. "Vaguely...not much..." she replied; although Chris wasn't entirely sure he believed her. "We live there..." he said; "...and since we were kids, we've been interested in a statue in the center of the town..." he continued.

Mathilde entered the room again, she didn't have any drinks with her; "We're out of ice tea, I'm afraid..." she said; Sarah looked up to Mathilde and seemed to read Chris' mind. "It's okay, we'll be alright..." said Sarah. Shortly after, Mathilde sat down in the arm chair, facing Cassandra. Chris continued his story; "We've done some investigating, and we were lead to an online blog, from a very, very young Cassandra Goth..." said Chris. Cassandra's cheeks seemed to be going scarlet; she then smiled. "My old blog...I haven't visited that since..." she paused, clearly thinking about the last time she visited the blog; "since...oh, when I was a teenager" she continued. Her eyes seemed to grow wider; Chris could see she was interested in what he had to say. "The statue in the middle of Belladonna Cove...it's the same woman, who is in a photo with you..." said Chris, feeling his own blunt words. Cassandra's face changed; she wasn't smiling any more, she looked from Chris, to Sarah; "Oh...oh..." she said softly, touching her chest, where here heart was. Chris couldn't see Mathilde, but her heard her voice; "what is it, Grandma?" she asked. Chris wasn't sure if he'd done the right thing; he didn't want to upset, or offend Cassandra; again, proving she could read him like a book; Sarah spoke. "Please, we don't want to upset you, we're just curious as to who the woman is, that's all..." explained Sarah; Cassandra looked to the floor; and suddenly got to her feet. She walked towards the fire place, and seemed to be thinking about what was being said to her; Mathilde spoke again; "Are you okay, nan?" she asked, this time with more concern in her voice. Completely ignoring Mathilde's questions; Cassandra turned around and looked towards Chris and Sarah; "The woman...the woman...is my mother..." said Cassandra, her voice more shaky than usual.

Sarah had expected this news, she had a feeling the woman was her mother, and judging by what she said in her blogs, it was a pretty sad story. "I've...never been asked directly about her, not since my Father died..." explained Cassandra, justifying her reaction. Sarah wanted answers; so she asked "Well...do you mind me asking; what happened? I mean...why is there a statue of her in the middle of Belladonna Cove?" asked Sarah. Cassandra sat back in her arm chair; and looked at Sarah'''. "My mother...she was...she did many things; helped many people; made life for her family very happy..."''' said Cassandra; she sounded like an amazing woman, but Sarah still wasn't sure why exactly this woman had a statue dedicated to her in town. "It's a...a...it's my past...a past that I've not visited in a very long time..."' said Cassandra, nervously;''' '"Can you share it with us?" '''he asked; Sarah was happy he asked, she wanted to know too. Cassandra sighed deeply, and looked from Sarah, to Chris, to Mathilde; she seemed to be addressing them all. "It's been a very long time since I spoke about this...are you sure you want to hear it?" she asked; she addressed Mathilde like she had asked too; although Sarah thought the look on Mathilde's face showed that she too, was interested to hear about her Great Grandmother. "Bella Bachelor..." started Cassandra; Sarah assumed this must be her mother's name; the mysterious woman's name...

"Bella Bachelor was an extrodinary child; from a young age, she was exceptionally clever in school; she could make friends with even the most difficult person imaginable; and she often stood up for those who were being mis-treated. Of course, it was only until she was 16, that Bella proved to her family, her friends, and to the town of Sunset Valley, just how extrodinary she really was..."

End Of Stage 1

Stage 2, Chapter 5; "Bella Bachelor..."
Bella was tired; she had been at school all night yesterday to help the teachers prepare for parents evening. Today was Saturday though, and even though Bella intended on sleeping in, she couldn't seem to go back to sleep once she woke at 9am. Getting herself up, she decided to go and pay a visit to her boyfriend; she had been with Callum Alto for four months now, and Bella was very open about her feelings; she was falling more and more in love with him by the day. He was just perfect to her, he told her she was beautiful at least 4 times a day; she knew how much he cared about her, he constantly wanted to spend time with her too; and Bella loved every second of being in his company. She walked out the front door, and breathed in the morning air; it was quite chilly for a summers day. Bella set off up the road to the Alto's house; soon, she could see the great big, pink building in sight; the house was very attractive to Bella's eyes; she enjoyed thinking of herself living in the home with Callum one day. As the house came closer to her; she could see Callum's dad, Nick Alto, stood outside; he was a chunky man, who looked like he belonged in some sort of old age Mafia movie. Bella hadn't spoken to him much, but she knew that Callum idolized his father, so Bella believed he must have been a great man. Nick was talking to someone, Bella recognized him instantly; it was Geoffrey Landgraab, he owned the large house across from the Alto's. It wasn't as attractive as the Alto's home, but Bella was still pretty impressed with it. Geoffrey was a younger looking man; although his clothes made him seem older; he was always in suits, and his hair was always styled neatly. From what Bella could see, Nick and Geoffrey seemed to be arguing; as she got closer, she could hear details of their argument. "My family helped make this town what it is today..." yelled Geoffrey; Nick replied almost instantly "That's great, Geoffrey; but this old town needs bringing into the recent times...". Geoffrey looked scarlet at hearing this; he replied, with less of a yell - "You won't get away with this, Nick...", Nick remained calm and replied "I already am, Geoffrey...". Geoffrey turned and walked away; smirking slightly, Nick's eyes met Bella.

Bella had no idea what they were talking about, but Geoffrey seemed really upset; Nick looked towards her, and said "Callum's in the house, go in to him, if you like...". Bella found this quite polite, especially after what he just said to Geoffrey; she smiled and thanked him, before walking into the large pink building, that Callum called "home". Callum was sat playing on his games console; Bella predicted as much, he loved that thing, she, however, never understood the attraction to them? As she walked towards him, he saw her and got to his feet. "Hey, what are you doing here?" he asked; "I've come to see you" replied Bella, as he embraced her, and kissed her on the lips. Bella still got butterflies every time Callum kissed her; they never really disappeared since the first time she and Callum kissed. As he signalled Bella to sit down; she placed herself on the sofa, and said "I saw your Dad arguing with Geoffrey Landgraab outside...", Callum looked at Bella, and replied "Ah, he doesn't agree with Father's plans, that's why." Bella was slightly confused; curiosity got the better of her, "What plans?" she asked. Callum replied quickly, just like his father, "Father intends to take this neighbourhood and make it more modern, that's all...". Bella was even more confused, she loved the neighbourhood, but making it more modern couldn't be a bad thing, surely? "So what's Geoffrey's problem?" she asked, politely. Callum replied to her saying "He wants to keep it as it is, but Father knows what he's doing; his brother, Bert, was the creator of Hidden Springs, and that town is highly populated now". Bella felt she had her answer now; but she still remained confused about why Geoffrey reacted the way he did, because in the years of growing up around Sunset Valley, Bella had known Geoffrey to be a level-headed father figure; her own father seemed to treat Geoffrey like a brother, so why was he reacting so bad?

Now that Bella had finished spending time with her boyfriend, it was time to pay a visit to her best friend - Mortimer Goth. Mortimer and Bella grew up together, since she was a child, Bella had known that Mortimer didn't have many friends, but he seemed to value his friendhsip with her; and to this day, they'd both been very close. The Goth home was dark and gloomy, it was the opposite of the Alto's, or the Landgraab's; it was filled with Tombstones around the garden, which was where the Goth ancestor's were buried. Bella always believed that the tombs were what made the house look like some sort of haunted house; what else was curious, was how the entire family had a shared interest in supernatural events. Mortimer insisted that aliens exist, but Bella was never convinced such a thing existed; in fact, the only supernatural thing Bella believed in, was ghosts - she was sure she'd seen one of the Goth ancestor's pacing the garden the 5th time she visited Mortimer. She knocked on the door; and awaited for Mortimer to answer; soon after, he was there, wearing a blue t-shirt, with headphones around his neck. His jet black hair, and pale skin always made Mortimer look slightly gothic, it matched his second name, which was ironic. "Hey Bella, come on in..." he said, with a happy expression across his face; Bella stepped inside the house, and awaited Mortimer's instructions. "Sit down, please, do you want a drink?" he asked, politely; Bella wasn't really thirsty, "No thank you..." she replied, softly. Mortimer sat at the table where she was sat, Bella said "How are doing?"; Mortimer smiled, and said "I'm good, just been revising for my exams; dreading them..."; the worried expression on Mortimer's face was one that Bella had gotten used to over the years. "Do you need any help with anything? I'm always here..." she asked...

Mortimer got lost for the moment; he really was staring at the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen here, he had no idea what her secret was. "Oh...I'd really like that..." he said, trying not to let his eyes give away what he was feeling. "I'm struggling with English..." he added, hoping Bella would offer to tutor him, or something. "I can help with that, I'll arrange a night this week then, is that okay?" she asked; it was absolutely fine, in fact, Mortimer wanted Bella to stay every single day if she could, but he knew that this was asking too much. Yet, his mind was racing; his heart was beating fast...and then he asked "What about tonight?". Bella smiled at Mortimer, but the smile faded, and she said "I can't tonight, I'm going to the movies with Callum..."; just like that, Mortimer's heart sank. He forgot about Callum, the rich, daddy's boy who lived up the hill of the town. "Oh, right..." said Mortimer, feeling disappointed; he didn't want to show it though...quick...he had to think of something to cover how he was feeling...quickly..."another night then?" he said, did it work? Bella smiled again, it was by far the most amazing smile Mortimer had ever seen; "We'll sort something out..." she said, conversation then changed to something Mortimer did not want to discuss; "Is it true you have a crush on Kaylynn Langerak?" asked Bella, her eyebrows were raised. Kaylynn Langerak was a pretty girl, Mortimer did find her very pretty, but she was not in the same league as Bella, in his opinion. Trying to look calm, Mortimer replied "No, not at all...I mean, she's attractive, but I don't like her that way...", Mortimer felt he did well here; although Bella's response made him more uncomfortable - "Well, if you did, I could talk to her for you; I'm good friends with her...". Oh god, why can't she see that I like her?! Thought Mortimer, he didn't want Bella to talk to Kaylynn, he wanted Bella to talk to herself. "No, No, it's fine..." said Mortimer, "I really don't see her that way..." he added. Bella seemed disappointed, or maybe it was a look of disbelief? "Okay then, it's just Emma said you liked her..." explained Bella. Emma Hatch was a student at Sim State University, and seemed to prefer talking to high school students instead; she spent most of her days away from college, and on the park in the center of Sunset Valley - what would she know? "No, I don't know where she got that impression from..." said Mortimer.

Bella had finished spending time with Mortimer, she was now off back home. Bella was sure Mortimer liked Kaylynn Langerak, she needed to work her magic; she always felt Mortimer needed to meet the perfect the girl, and Kaylynn could be that girl. She arrived back at her family's home, and as soon as Bella walked through the door, she could smell cheese - her mother was making Mac and Cheese. Bella walked through to the kitchen; her bubbly, fun mother was in the kitchen, indeed making Mac and Cheese. Bella felt herself smile inside, she loved her mother with all her heart, no one could have asked for a better one. "Oh, you're home dear, how was your day?" asked Jocasta Bachelor, Bella smiled and said "It's been good thank you; how has your day been?". Jocasta carried on with her cooking, and replied "I've been very busy, lot's to plan with your brother coming home from Private school soon..."; Bella's brother was a private school student, he had been in trouble several times for pranking the teachers; Bella was surprised he even got accepted in the first place, but the school was about discipline more than anything, so she hoped it may educate her brother to be less of a pain when he came home. "Oh right; I'm going to get my english book for Mortimer..." said Bella, as she left the room and went in the living room. Bella always kept her books on the book shelf in the living room; Bella couldn't study in her room at all, she didn't know exactly what it was, but she never enjoyed it. As she searched for the book, Bella found herself gazing at the green diamon on the shelf; the tale of that diamon was legendary; it was worth millions of simoleons. Her father visited a strange town called Lunar Lakes years ago, and stumbled upon a green diamond near an old cave. The diamonds became legendary when wealthy family's expressed that they also had found one in the past, and that was the secret to their wealth. Bella's father never wanted to use the diamond until he really needed to; and as they always had everything they needed, the diamond had never been used. It really was a pretty little object, to Bella's eyes, that was...

Suddenly, the front door slammed shut; Bella heard her father's voice from the kitchen - he was home. Bella walked in to greet her father, and was shocked by what she over heard him saying to her mother - "Geoffrey is really rattled..." he said to Jocasta; "Why's that?" asked Jocasta, still moving around in the kitchen, according to Bella's ears. "Why do you think, Alto has managed to buy more property's around the town..." Simis Bachelor explained; why was wrong with this? Bella had no idea! "Oh dear..." was Jocasta's response; "Exactly, and Geoffrey doesn't have the money to buy more property's to stop him from doing what he wants to do..." said Bella's father. What did he want to do? As though her Dad overheard her thoughts; he said "I mean, the Goth's and the Landgraab's founded this town; why would Nick Alto want to destroy it, and build a city here instead?". Bella's heart began beating; Nick Alto wanted to do...what?!

Stage 2, Chapter 6; "What Is Right And Wrong?"
Bella couldn't believe what she overheard earlier; how can the Alto family possibly believe that turning the neighbourhood into a city would make it better? The town may not be much, but it had so many memories for the Landgraab's, she understood finally why Geoffrey was so upset. Bella was going to discuss this with Callum when she saw him; it was past 7pm, and he was due to turn up 5 minutes ago. Bella checked her phone; there was no sign of a text from him; maybe he's just late? Bella had lived with a brother since growing up, and she knew exactly how they were always on the last minute. 5 minutes turned into 10; ten minutes turned into 15; and 15 minutes turned into 30. It was now 7:30pm and Callum was nowhere to be seen; Bella decided to give up, she was going to the Alto's home. Upon arriving, Bella could see Callum's bedroom light on, meaning he was still there; maybe he'd fallen asleep? Bella knocked on the door; the beauty of the building had left Bella for the moment, she was more curious about Callum's whereabouts. Callum's mother arrived at the door; she was an unnaturally thin lady, with brown hair tied up; her face was similar to that of a skeleton's. "Oh hello, what do you want?" she asked; Bella had never been overly fond of Vita Alto, Nick seemed more friendly. "Is Callum here?" asked Bella; Vita nodded and said "yes, he's in his room...". Bella wasn't one for being cheeky, but she had to right now; "Can I go and see him?" she asked. Vita stared for the moment, almost startled Bella had asked, but stepped aside and said "Of course, he's in his room". He always is, was Bella's initial thought; she stepped in the house, and walked up to Callum's room; she walked in, and there he was, listening to music. "Hey, you..." she said; Callum turned towards her, and smiled "twice in one day, I'm so lucky..."; it hit Bella, he had totally forgotten about the cinema. "I thought we were going to the movies?" she asked; the startled look on Callum's face confirmed her thoughts. "Oh damn; I'm sorry, Bella, I totally forgot..." he confessed. Bella was disappointed, she really wanted to see the movie with Lola Belle in; Bella was a huge fan of hers; "Never mind..." she said, the sound of disappointment was obvious from her voice.

"I'm really sorry, I've been so lost with homework and stuff..." explained Callum; Bella understood that, she to had been busy, and yeah, boys are different from girls. "It's fine, maybe we can go another time?" Bella suggested; Callum nodded, and said "Thanks for understand, you really are amazing, do youk now that?". Compliments! They get Bella every time..."Awww thank you babe, so are you, I'm so lucky to have you" said Bella. Bella decided now was the chance to bring up the issue with his Dad's plan; "By the way, I need to ask you something..." started Bella; "Anything babe..." replied Callum. "Well, is it true your Dad is planning on destroying this town to build a city?" asked Bella, as politely as possible. Callum's face changed from happy, to slightly irritated; "No, not in the way you described..." he said. Bella felt Callum was talking in riddles here; what did he mean? "Huh? So what's his plan then?" asked Bella. "He wants to make this town a city; sorry...he will make this town a city; he just needs a large sum of cash, and then he'll be able to out-buy the Landgraab's..." explained Callum. Bella felt rage building up inside of her; "What do you mean? The Landgraab's and the Goth's are the founders of this town; if they don't want this town to be made into a city, surely it's their decision? It's been in their family for years..." Bella said, in defence of the Landgraab family. "They thought that way, but Father knows what he's doing; he's not successful for nothing..." Callum said, defending his Father. Bella felt the anger build, and build; she was no business woman; but she felt very sorry for the Landgraab family, the memories of their ancestor's where with this town, and here was Nick Alto, wishing to just destroy it, like it was nothing. "Do you agree with him?" Bella asked; if Callum did, she obviously had mis-judged him. "Well, yes, he's my Father; he knows what he's doing..." said Callum; Bella had seen red - "Surely you can't believe taking this town from it's founders is the right decision?" asked Bella. Callum's face changed, it was something Bella had never seen in him before; his face was going scarlet, his eyes were widening, and his voice was now raising...

"Listen here...you have no idea what you're talking about. You don't know how business, or money works; you have nothing. So why don't you keep your opinions to yourself, go and help your family bake some Mac and Cheese, or something..." said Callum, furiously. Bella felt her heart sink; was he really saying this to her? Didn't he love her? "Wh...why are you saying this?" asked Bella; lost for words. "Because I'm sick of you; your opinion means nothing, you should keep your nose out of it..." replied Callum, his face more twisted than ever. Bella couldn't take it! She had to get away from him, the air felt claustrophobic; she darted out of his room; down the stairs and left the Alto's house. Bella's mind was racing; she couldn't go home, she really couldn't stand to put on a front at this moment. There was only one person that Bella could turn to now, the one person who wouldn't care if she just burst out crying...Mortimer! But Bella couldn't go to his house, she didn't want to put on a front in front of his family too; there was only one place to go; Bella and Mortimer always used to hang out round there after school. It was a set of old ruins on a hill at the top of Sunset Valley. Bella grabbed her phone, text Mortimer to meet her there; and in 2 minutes of it sending; Mortimer replied "I'm on my way!"

The night sky looks amazing to Mortimer's eyes; he loved watching the stars, he often thought about aliens living on little planets in the stars. When he got a text from Bella, he knew something was wrong; he had to pull himself away from stargazing, to go and help his best friend. This wasn't just any best friend, though; Bella was Mortimer's love interest; he loved her, but she didn't seem to know it yet. He set off to the old ruins on the hill overlooking Sunset Valley - when he arrived, he saw Bella looking down at the beautiful town, as though she was deep in thought. "Bella..." Mortimer said, quietly; she turned around and looked at him. What happened next was something Mortimer didn't expect; Bella threw her arms around him, and sobbed into his neck. "I...I...I don't know what to do..." sobbed Bella; Mortimer held Bella tight, even though he didn't know what the problem was, he felt his heart aching; seeing Bella upset really hurt him, more than he had ever expected it to. "What's the matter?" he asked, softly; Bella just sobbed into his neck; until she pulled away, and began to dry her eyes; she avoided looking at Mortimer directly as she said "It's...It's Callum...oh god, I don't know what came over him...". Usually, Mortimer would over the moon about this news; but seeing Bella's heart breaking like it was, made him spare all his feelings for Callum, and focus on Bella. "What did he do?" asked Mortimer - Bella finally looked at him; her teary eyes were enough to make Mortimer teary himself. "I...I confronted him about his Father's plans..." said Bella; she proceeded to tell Mortimer everything; about Nick Alto and Geoffrey Landgraab's plans; about Callum's aggressive reaction, and about how much it hurt her, seeing him talk that way. Mortimer didn't know what to say, or do...but his instincts were working for him here...and his hand moving on it's own; it slowly made it's way towards Bella's cheek, and he began stroking it...

A strange feeling came over Bella; was it the sadness? Was it because she was angry? Was it because Mortimer had shown genuine affection towards? She had no idea, but what came next, made Bella's tears stop. "Please don't cry, angel, your face doesn't suit being so sad..." said Mortimer, softly whilst stroking Bella's cheek; Bella looked into the eyes of Mortimer - she suddenly felt herself feeling warm again. The bad feeling was leaving her, instead she was beginning to feel better - before she knew it, she was leaning in, and so was Mortimer; he closed in on Bella's lips, and the pair were now locked together. Bella felt like she was beginning to float; like she'd stepped onto a magic carpet, and it was taking her around Sunset Valley; away from the problems, nothing seemed to matter any more. As she and Mortimer pulled away from each other, he smiled at her - she smiled back; and Bella felt herself speaking, "I need you Mortimer, please stay here with me tonight..." she asked...no...she begged. Mortimer smiled, and stroked her cheek again; "I'm not going anywhere..." he said. Bella smiled inside, the warmth she felt was something she'd never experienced before in her life; it was as though someone had put some sort of magic spell on her, and made everything alright for the moment. Bella and Mortimer both layed on the ground, and before Bella knew it, she was falling asleep in his arms, covered by the night sky, and the thousands of stars overhead, watching them peacefully. Was this the right thing to do? Bella didn't know, but she was confused about what was right and wrong lately...

Stage 2, Chapter 7; "A Realisation"
Bella couldn't believe it; she'd slept outside over night, not only that, she'd kissed her best friend last night. Oh my god! Her mind was racing; she had forgotten about everything, but as she woke up, it was as though the weight of her problems has suddenly gone flooding back inside of her. She couldn't wake Mortimer; she got to her feet and dashed away from the hillside, her heart was beating fast. Guilt, anger, and disappointment was running through her mind; her heart was aching, there was a huge knot inside of her stomach that wouldn't shift. She approached her house, ran inside, and up the stairs. She wanted to just curl up and forget everything; okay, she and Callum had rowed, but there was no need for her to go and kiss her best friend like that. Just like that, a little voice came inside her head, as though it was knocking on a door, waiting for an answer - "Mortimer made you feel really happy last night, you'd never felt that happy with Callum...". No, No, No...Bella had to shut this out of her head, Callum was her boyfriend, she loved him; he loved her. Last night was a misunderstanding; Callum will probably be okay with her now. Suddenly, a knock came at the door; Bella knew no one else was awake, so she headed downstairs to see who it was. There, stood at the door was Callum; he looked as amazing as always, Bella had always felt herself entranced by his beauty. "Bella, I need to talk to you..." said Callum - Bella agreed, she stepped aside and said "You better come in...". Bella realised, this was the first time Callum had ever been in her house; he walked in, and Bella signalled him to the living room, where he followed her and sat himself down on the sofa. Bella sat next to him, and as soon as she sat down, he began explaining - "Firstly, I'm so sorry Bella; I know it was in-excusable what I did, but you have to understand, I'm just...stressed lately; I know it's no excuse, but I just need to explain..." - "Stop..." Bella interrupted; she continued "I'm the one who should apologise, I shouldn't have challenged you on your Father's business'' like that...". Callum smiled, and said "I know you shouldn't; it's none of my business what my father does. You know Bella, there is absolutely nothing I couldn't give you in this world, I have more money than anyone around Sunset Valley..." said Callum. Bella didn't want money, she was happy with Callum's love; "I'm happy with you, just you..." said Bella - Callum's expression didn't change, he continued as though he hadn't heard Bella; "I can offer you more than anyone else around Bella, I can show you exactly what you're worth. But I need that place, I need a place in your life, by your side; and you on my arm...". Bella felt herself smiling inside; "you're so sweet Callum; I'm yours, you know that..." she said.

Callum left half an hour later, he had to go back home to prepare for his homeschool teacher to arrive - when he left, the knot in Bella's stomach arrived again. It was Mortimer...Bella's guilt was now with Mortimer, she had no idea how she was going to talk to him about this, or tell him that last night was a mistake. Still, that voice in Bella's head had returned - "you felt beyond happy, happier than Callum has ever..." stop! This voice had to stop, negative thoughts will never help hers and Callum's relationship. Bella decided to get herself ready for school, she was due in an hour.

Mortimer had so many emotions running through his mind; confusion being the main one. Did last night really happen? It was the best thing that had ever happened to him; the love of his life kissing him like that, made him feel like the happiest person in Sunset Valley. Although when he woke up, Bella had gone; as though he'd slept walked to the old ruins at the top of Sunset Valley? Then he saw her walking into school at the start of class, and she completely ignored him. So now he was waiting outside; he'd managed to finish classes early, because he was always ahead in science. The school bell rang, and out poured the students, Mortimer caught the back of Bella, and grabbed her by the arm; he heard her speak "Mortimer, please leave me alone..." she said - even though it was such a small sentance, it actually hurt Mortimer; did she not realise how much she meant to him? Mortimer pulled her to the side of the school building, where the voices of the students seemed to disappear as they left the grounds. "I need to talk to you, Bella..." said Mortimer; "Please Mortimer, please just leave me..." begged Bella. Mortimer wasn't letting go of this, he looked at Bella's eyes, and saw an expression he hadn't seen before, she genuinely didn't feel the same way, she was different with him - why did he kiss her?! Why?! "Bella, what happened last night...you can't..." Mortimer started; but was cut off - "No, Mortimer, I can't do this. I'm sorry, I really loved you as a friend, but I can't see you any other way. I love Callum, me and Callum are going to be together for a very long time...last night was..." said Bella; Mortimer chipped in with - "What? What was last night?!". There was a silence...Mortimer decided to continue the conversation - "I'm not stupid Bella, I knew exactly what was going to happen. You're a very kind, and caring person; and that part of you inside, feeling that if you went and told him about me and you, it would break his heart - it's eating away at you". Bella glanced at Mortimer, desperation came across her face, she seemed to want to get away very quickly - "No, Mortimer...I love him..." she said, defensively. Mortimer felt something come over him, his frustration, and his inner thoughts were about to come pouring out of him - "I'm not stupid, I can see through him, and your relationship. He doesn't see you for what you are, Bella, to him, you're just a posession..." said Mortimer; "I love you, I've loved you from being very young, and it's eaten away at me watching you two get close; because I've known, deep down that he's never fully seen you for what you are" finished Mortimer.

Bella couldn't believe what Mortimer said; her mind was racing away, he was supposed to be her friend; yet that small, annoying voice in her head had started saying "he's right, he's right" Urgh! Just go away! "I love him Mortimer, I don't love you; I'm really sorry..." said Bella; her words fell out of her mouth...yet...Bella wasn't even sure if she meant it any more. No, she did know! She loved Callum. "Now please, just get off my case..." she finished; as she walked away from Mortimer; her head was racing, and her heart pounding. She had never felt this way; the feelings of doubt were sinking in. She raced back home; and sat at the small table in the family dining room - thoughts racing around, Bella could hear Mortimer speak to her, so clearly - but she was haunted by the speech Callum gave her in the living room of her house. "I can give you more than any other person in Sunset Valley..." where his words; all Bella wanted from Callum was his love - not money, not a big fancy pink house; just his love. Bella felt a head ache coming on, all this in her mind was causing her too much stress; she decided to pay her boyfriend a visit, maybe that will help clear her head more; seeing him may sort out her feelings. She set off to the Alto's home once again, only she paced herself, her mind kept turning and pointing at Goth Manor, where she was sure Mortimer would be right now. Still, she walked to the large pink house at the top of Sunset Valley, and saw her boyfriend outside, fishing with his father. Bella slowed down, she heard her name mentioned; she leapt out of view, and listened to the conversation - "the Bachelor family aren't worthy of our time, son, you need to put in the effort with Bella..." said Nick Alto. Bella was shocked, how could he speak about her family like that? She was sure Callum would defend her, he loved her, and he wouldn't want to get in her bad books again - you would think so, but what Bella heard next cut her deep...she felt her heart crack, as though it had broken in two. "Father, you know the only reason I'm with her is to find out if her dad has the diamond..." - The green diamond was something that rested on the old bookshelf in her home; she'd never mentioned it to Callum, how did he know? "I know that son, that's why you need to treat the girl, get in her house more...find out if it's true..." replied Nick.

Bella couldn't listen to any more, it already hurt too much; she felt so stupid. She pulled herself away, and walked down the hill away from the Alto's home. How could she have been so stupid; Callum was using her, he really was treating her like a pocession; Mortimer was right. Bella had to find him, she had to apologise to him - she set off for Goth Manor, and came across Cornelia Goth near the home. Cornelia really suited her second name, she was more Gothic looking than Mortimer. Thin, pale and sporting shades of black and purple in hair; Cornelia was always very friendly, she loved Bella, and Bella saw her as someone she could trust through the years of growing up. She waved at Bella as she approached her - "Evening Cornelia, is Mortimer at home?" asked Bella; Cornelia smiled, and spoke in her low-tone voice, "No sweety, he's not been home since school...". Where could he be? There was only one place Bella felt to check; she thanked Cornelia, and set off to the old ruins on top of Sunset Valley. This was Bella and Mortimer's spot - they used to play catch together when they were children, and they shared their first kiss there just yesterday. Bella couldn't see Mortimer from where she was walking, she hoped she had gotten it right, because she couldn't handle the thought of him not being there; she needed to find him to tell him that she was sorry. She reached the top, and just like the roles had been reversed; Mortimer was stood looking out at the beautiful view of Sunset Valley; "Mortimer..." said Bella. Mortimer turned around slowly, his eyes met Bella's; the look on his face...it was as though he knew why she was there, that she had come to apologise, and to tell him that she now knew exactly what she wanted, and it wasn't Callum. Bella began explaining; "I...I'm so sorry Mortimer, I've treated you so badly...". Bella was close to tears, saying it out loud; how could she treat this guy like this? She'd spend the last few weeks loving Callum, when all along the most perfect guy was right under her nose. "And now...I realise what's my heart has been telling me all morning..." she continued; Bella began thinking about things, she had finally come to the realisation that after everything, Mortimer was the person for her - she grabbed Mortimer's hand - his grip tightened, it was as though he had gotten Bella right there, and he wasn't letting go.

Mortimer thought he was dreaming; but he wasn't. Bella's hand felt real; this was really happening - she was gazing at him with affection in her eyes. "I've been messing around with Callum, and all along...you've been here...you've always been here..." said Bella; Mortimer's heart began beating faster than it ever had; Mortimer knew what he had to do, and he wasn't scared of doing it any more, she felt the same way, and he wasn't holding back. He leaned forward, and his lips met Bella's again...this time, it felt even more magical than the first. His heart was thudding against his chest; this was real, the person he loved, she loved him back. It was the best feeling in the world; Mortimer had never felt this way before; he felt like he was lifting up into the sky, away from Sunset Valley; it was just himself and Bella; something he never though would ever happen.



As their lips parted, Bella looked into his eyes, and spoke again - "Hold me...". Mortimer wrapped his arms around Bella, and closed his eyes; he really was in the best place he could be right now, floating in the air, with the girl of his dreams in his arms. Could things get any better for him? Nothing mattered any more; he would quite happily stay like this for the rest of his life...

Stage 2, Chapter 8; "Saving Sunset Valley"
Bella felt on top of the world; THIS was happiness, this was love. She thought she'd experienced it with Callum, but actually being able to hold Mortimer's hand gave Bella goosebumps like she'd never had before. She and Mortimer were now heading back to Bella's home, they were going to announce to her family that they were together first. Bella's Mom and Dad really liked Mortimer, they loved how much he was there for her - so Bella already knew they'd be happy for them both. As she and Mortimer arrived at the Bachelor's home, what should have been a happy conversation, was completely shadowed by a very depressed Geoffrey Landgraab - who had arrived to talk to Simis; accompanied by his wife Nancy, and his young son, Malcolm. Bella and Mortimer walked through to the living room; Bella could see Geoffrey looked depressed, as though he was about to cry. "Oh hello, you two..." said a familiar voice from behind Bella - it was her mom; she wore a jolly smile, as she always did. Bella smiled at her mother, she was the only person who could possibly make Bella smile when she was feeling down. "Hey Mom..." replied Bella - "Mr Landgraab and his family have come to talk to your Dad..." responded Jocasta, before moving back into the living room and taking a seat next to Nancy Landgraab on the sofa. Mortimer shot Bella a look; a look which showed he was just as curious as she was. Suddenly, as though they weren't there, Bella's Dad, Simis, began speaking - "There's still the Central Park, Geoffrey..." he said, reassuringly. Geoffrey didn't move, but he spoke; '''"It's only a matter of time now..." '''was his response. Bella knew exactly what they were talking about; the Alto's campaign to turn Sunset Valley into a urban City was in full swing, and by the sounds of this conversation, they were one property short of seizing full control of the town. Bella had never seen Geoffrey look so depressed, it was as though the life had been drained out of him. "Don't you dare give up, Geoffrey; your family were the founders of this town, the Alto's can't take that away from you..." said Simis, again, reassuringly. Just as he finished his sentance, there was a knock at the door - Jocasta hurried to the door; Bella couldn't hear much from the front porch, but she heard a familiar voice. Soon after, Jocasta reappeared in the living room, the jolly express now faded, to show a worried, anxious look on her face - "Geoffrey...it's Nick Alto...".

Geoffrey got to his feet and walked to the front door; Bella saw her Father follow him, as well as her mother. Bella's feet did the moving for her, she joined them on the front porch; standing on the lawn of their home, Nick Alto was stood there, acompanied by Callum. Callum smiled at Bella, as though the others weren't there; but Bella looked away from him, feeling physically sick, and questioning what exactly she saw in him. "Ah, here you are, Landgraab..." beamed Nick Alto's voice - Geoffrey, sounding impatient, said "What do you want, Nick?". A slight smile came across Nick's face, he looked more evil than ever, maybe his wrong doings was taking it's toll on him? "Just thought I'd let you know; the Governor's of this town and I shall be meeting tomorrow afternoon, to discuss the...future of this town..." said Nick, his eyes widening, eagerly awaiting Geoffrey's reaction. "And why did you need to tell me this?" asked Geoffrey, his tone not altering from the moment he saw Nick on the porch. "We'd like you to attend..." said Nick; "...we feel it'll benefit you, if you are there to witness what's become of your town; after all, the Governor's need to explain to you exactly why you no longer hold any rights over it..." continued Nick. Geoffrey turned scarlet, his fists began clenching, he stared into Nick Alto's eyes; "And why...don't I hold...any rights?" asked Geoffrey, pacing himself, somewhat. "Come now, Geoffrey; isn't it obvious? The Governor's are going to support someone who has the most money to put into this...abysmal community" sneered Nick. Bella was angry, she felt like jumping on Nick Alto and giving him what for; just then, she heard her Father's voice - "This community has been around for years and years, do you really think the residents will stand for this?" said Simis, sounding confident with himself. Nick's gaze fell upon Simis, he remained calm, considering what Simis had just said - "Oh...didn't I tell you? Over half of the residents have already signed a documentation, approving my plans, and securing my plans to make this town a thriving community" replied Nick. Bella couldn't hold in what she was thinking, her mouth opened, and suddenly..."I don't believe you; the residents of this town aren't stupid enough to fall for your poison...". Bella felt all eyes fix upon her, she didn't care, she was known for speaking her mind, and at the moment, she was furious with Nick.

After what Bella just said, it reminded Mortimer of exactly why he loved her - she could handle herself when she wanted to. Mortimer hadn't paid much attention to Nick Alto's plans, but he knew that it upset Geoffrey, and he had been a family friend for some years now. "Little girl, I'm afraid you are mistaken; I have the signatures of more than half the residents sitting in my mansion right now..." said Nick. "I'll be there..." replied Geoffrey; the sound in his voice was almost as though he was giving up; which seemed like the wrong thing to do in Mortimer's eyes, he didn't want Sunset Valley to become a City, he hated the City, he spend enough time visiting Bridgeport with his parents on business. Nick smiled at Geoffrey; "Excellent..."; just as he spoke, Mortimer heard Callum's voice raise above everyone - "What the hell?!". Mortimer turned to him; Callum's face was filled with anger, he was glaring at Mortimer and Bella; they were holding hands! Mortimer had got lost for the moment; everyone turned towards him and Bella - before he could talk, Bella responded for him. "Oh yeah, sorry Callum, but it's over..." she said, spitefully - Callum's face screwed up, he demanded answers; "What?! Why?!". Bella smirked, she seemed to be enjoying this, slightly - "Because I want to keep you guessing...does my family have the green diamond? Or are why lying?" said Bella, mockingly. Mortimer saw the Bachelor family, and Geoffrey look from Callum, to Nick, to Bella and to himself - he didn't know what to say, but he already knew Callum was no good, he'd suspected it for a long time.

"Diamond?" said Nick Alto, with a tone of unawareness in his voice. Bella wasn't going to let him get away with pretending that he didn't know what he was talking about. "You know full well, you're the one who put him up to it; I overheard you..." said Bella; before she could expect a reply, the twisted face of Callum's began moving...he was talking - "How can you do this to me?! I'm supposed to be the one who dumps you..." demanded Callum. Before Bella could respond, Nick put his hand on his son's shoulder; suddenly, they began walking away from the Bachelor house. Geoffrey was the one who broke the silence, he turned towards Simis and thanked him for his support, then said - "I'm going to head home, I need to prepare for this meeting tomorrow...". Bella felt so guilty, she hated seeing him like this, it was almost heartbreaking. He left with his family; whilst Bella and Mortimer began wrecking their brains over what they could do to help. Bella hated feeling helpless; plus she hated the Alto's more than anything at the moment, the thought of them smugly walking around town as builders begin destroying it was enough to make her sick. "I don't know what we can do?" she said to Mortimer, who seemed to be as worried as she was by this point. "I wish we could help, but I'm not sure if we can..." said Mortimer, doubtfully. Bella couldn't let this be it, there had to be something she could do, there had to be something; Bella helt her head in her hands, and then Mortimer spoke - "All they need, is some sort of miracle...just something that will provide them with enough money to be able to prove to the Governor's that they can afford to provide for this town..." - as he said this, it hit Bella like lightening...the diamond! It was staring her, and her family in the face; it would be a huge slap in the face to them if the Landgraab's suddenly had a huge sum of money handed to them. But wait...what would her father say? He was saving it for when the family really needed it...was saving the town they lived in reason enough to use it?

The next morning arrived, and Bella had set her alarm to wake her bright and early. She had to be up and ready - she wasn't sure if she was doing the right thing, but she was doing what her Mother always told her - "Follow your heart". She got dressed, raced downstairs and looked towards the mantlepiece - that large Diamond sat there, so beautiful, it was as though the whole object captured exactly what beauty was about. Bella thought for a moment, she hoped her parents wouldn't hate her for this; she hoped they'd see why she was going to do it. She couldn't sit by and do nothing, the town that they lived in faced the possibility fo being destroyed; not only that, the Landgraab's were old family friends, Geoffrey had always been there for Bella, so it's time she returned the favour. She grabbed the diamond, and set off towards the front door, before she could leave, her Mom called her name - "Bella...where are you going?" she asked. Bella turned, suddenly feeling as though she'd been caught stealing sweets from the cupboard, or something. "I'm just...going visiting the Landgraab's..." said Bella. "Oh Bella, you're such a kind girl..." said Jocasta, making Bella feel more guilty. "I just wish...there was something I could do..." explained Bella - Jocasta put her arms around Bella, and whispered in her ear "that's because you're my daughter, Bella. You always want to help people, even when sometimes it seems a lot of hope is lost...you remind me of myself, Bella" said Jocasta. Bella felt her Mother's warmth, she was so lucky to have such an amazing mother, she was right, how Bella acts in situations is exactly how her Mother acts; that's how she was raised. As Jocasta pulled away, Bella smiled and said "I have to go now Mom, I'll be back later...". Jocasta smiled, and replied "Okay dear, have fun..." - Bella raced out the house, walking at such a speed she was almost working into a light jog. Bella approached the Landgraab's home, and knocked on the front door; she felt herself gazing back at the Alto's home; the beauty of it had disappeared, all she saw was a Dracula's castle. Just then, Nancy Langraab answered the door - "Oh hello Bella, what can I do for you?" she asked, her voice sounding like she had a button in her mouth. "Is Geoffrey here? I really need to speak to him..." said Bella; she hoped Geoffrey hadn't already left, if he had, all chances of saving Sunset Valley would be lost.

Nancy replied to Bella with "He's in the living room, preparing for his meeting..."; she then continued with "is it really urgent?". Bella couldn't express how urgent it was, but it wasn't something she could tell Nancy in the doorway, she had to speak to Geoffrey in person. "It really is, I've got something for him..." said Bella, the sound of desperation appearing visible in her voice as she spoke. Nancy stepped aside, and said "come through, I'll take you to him"; Bella followed Nancy through to the living room; the marble hallway, and the elegance of the Landgraab Manor really made Bella see that even though the Alto's house seemed more beautiful from the outside; the Landgraab's home was far more beautiful on the inside. She entered the living room, and there was Geoffrey, looking very stressed, and flustered; he saw Bella, and got to his feet - "Bella...what are you...?" before he could finish, Bella cut him off; "I've got something for you...something I think will help you..." she said, her voice now more relaxed. Geoffrey looked puzzled; in fact, so did Nancy, who was now joined by the Landgraab's child, Malcolm at her side. "What do you mean?" asked Geoffrey; Bella opened up her back pack, and pulled out the beautiful, green diamond, and placed it on the coffee table in front of her. The Landgraab's stood staring at the diamond, their eyes twinkling at it's beauty - Geoffrey's hand reached out, he just touched the top of it diamond, and looked back at Bella - "How...when..." he said, struggling to find the right words. "Don't ask, just use it..." said Bella; "save our town..." she continued. Geoffrey rushed towards Bella, and threw his arms around her; Bella wasn't sure if he was sobbing, or smiling, but she could feel his mouth moving on her shoulder. "Thank you...I won't ever forget this..." he said, sounding quite emotional as he spoke; Bella pulled away and smiled at Geoffrey, the emotion and happiness was visible in his face, it was like he'd just been told he was going to be a Father again. He turned and picked up the diamond, examining it for several moments; he then turned back to Bella, and his family and said - "It's time to save Sunset Valley..."

Stage 2, Chapter 9; Nick Alto's Mistake
Bella was feeling triumphant; knowing that the Langraab's had now managed to get the upper hand over the Alto's was a satisfying feeling. She sat waiting anxiously for a phone call from Geoffrey Landgraab, along with her father, mother and her new boyfriend, Mortimer. The silence made things worse for Bella, she always thought that the sound of nothing made waiting seem longer. As the silence continued, the telephone began to ring - Simis leapt to the phone, and said "Hello?!"; as the silence returned, Bella awaited for Simis' reaction to the person on the other end of the phone. Suddenly, Simis' worried face turned into a big smile, he then said "that's brilliant news, Geoffrey..." - It was good news! Geoffrey Landgraab had managed to stop Nick Alto from destroying the town, and making it into a city. Bella's feeling of triumphant returned; she was happy now, that was confirmation enough that Sunset Valley was saved, and nothing would take it away. Simis put the phone down, and turned towards his family and spoke - "It's done! Nick lost; Sunset Valley has been saved!". Jocasta let out a loud cheer; she flung her arms around Simis neck, and laughed as the whole room was filled with smiles. "I've said we'd go and visit him at his mansion, Jocasta..." said Simis; Bella didn't feel like leaving the house, she had so much homework to do; "I'll stay here..." she said. She said goodbye to her parents, and to her boyfriend, Mortimer - as the day moved along, Bella managed to finish all of her homework; although her mind was pretty much fixed upon the Landgraab's. Part of her wished she could have seen Nick's face when Geoffrey arrived with the diamond - the one thing that made Bella happy, was that her family didn't judge, or dislike her for taking the prized beauty to the Landgraab's. Thankfully, they saw the situation exactly the same as she did; it was the only thing left that could save the town, and even though they promised to use it when the family really needed it, Bella always saw the Landgraab's as family, regardless of the difference in blood between them. As Bella lounged on the sofa, she heard several large thuds against the front door - these were the type of thuds that suggested it was someone heavy handed. Bella got to her feet, and opened the front door...to find Nick Alto stood in front of her.

Nick Alto looked worse for wear; his eyes were heavy, his forehead was sweaty, and his gaze was unsettled. "So here you are..." he slurred, as he spoke - Bella thought he looked pathetic, standing in front of her like that; this was the example of a man who had lost control. "What do you want?" asked Bella, sternly - she had no time to be standing at the front door; Nick's eyes met Bella's, bloodshot as they were, Bella could see the rage building behind them. "I just wanted to congratulate you..." he slurred; "...you...and you're stupid, stinking, interfering family..." he continued - "I've lost...you've won" he finished. Bella felt triumphant again; she smiled and said "Thank you; now please leave...". Bella moved to close the door; but as she pushed it to, she felt the door stop suddenly, as though a door stop had been placed in front of it; although as Bella looked at the door, she saw Nick Alto's chubby hand pressed against it; he was leaning in towards her, his eyes more visible than before; the rage altering his facial features. "Thought you were pretty smart, didn't you? Thought you were helping out the town...well you made a big mistake..." snarled Nick; Bella felt fear suddenly rush over her, she had never been scared of Nick before, but now, she saw a side of him that she had never seen before. He looked angry...beyond angry, he looked like he could kill her right there. Bella stepped back from the door; giving Nick room to walk through the door; he slammed the door shut behind him - Bella was numb with fear...she couldn't move. Suddenly Nick Alto became almost beast-like; he was towering over her, and looking at her with those evil eyes. He hated her, she had just stopped him achieving his dream goal, and he was going to kill her there and then; she knew it. She moved into the living room, not taking her eyes off Nick - Bella felt if she did, he may just jump towards her. "Through life, I've had people sticking their noses into my business; but I didn't expect some...silly...little...girl..." barked Nick; although Bella noticed he was shaking at the end of what he was about to say. Bella saw him for what he was; why was she scared of him?! What could he possibly do, seriously? "So...what are you going to do?" she asked, quietly, feeling more confident. "What am I going to do?" asked Nick - "you'll find out" he finished. Bella felt anger build up inside of her now, she wasn't being threatened like this; she stepped forward and said "Is that supposed to scare me? Making idle threats; bullying your own son to do your dirty work; do you really expect me to take you seriously?" barked Bella. She couldn't believe what she'd just said; where did that come from? She felt confident in saying it, but as she waited for a reply, she wasn't too sure if she'd said the right thing.

Before Bella had time to retract what she said; Nick Alto lunged at her, and Bella felt herself pressed against the living room wall. His hand wrapped around her throat - it seemed to happen so far. "Do you want to know something..." yelled Nick - "...I've had so many people who haven't taken me seriously; and none are around to tell you how it happened" he continued. Bella began to struggle, it was as though the air was leaving her throat; she was struggling to breath, she wrestled, but the more she wrestled, the more her breath seemed to disappear. Bella tried to speak, she opened her mouth, and the words began to fall; "Let me go..." she pleaded. Nick's grip tightened around her neck, Bella couldn't feel anything, her neck was numb; all she knew was that it was becoming difficult to breath. "Everything was going fine, before you came along with that stupid, diamond..." said Nick, bitterly; Bella couldn't even hear him properly any more, all she wanted was to break free from him, she wanted to be breath again; she felt like she was being pulled underwater, and was fighting to get to the surface for a large breathe. Bella heard a voice suddenly; the voice sounded familiar - "Nick, get off her!!!" yelled the voice. It was Bella's father, Simis; suddenly, Bella felt Nick's grip loosen from her neck, and he went stumbling to the floor. Bella couldn't keep her balance, she fell to the floor as well - as she glanced up, she saw her father and Geoffrey Landgraab wrestling Nick to the ground. Bella got to her feet, her throat feeling very sore; she couldn't take her eyes off the 3 men on the floor, what would have happened if her Father and Geoffrey hadn't come in time? Would she be dead by now? Bella had so many thoughts rushing through her head; as she held her neck, she saw her mother in the other room on the telephone. Bella couldn't exactly hear much, everything was muffled; her mind was racing too much to think about what was happening in front of her. She felt her mother throw her arms around her; but Bella was feeling the pressure; suddenly, Bella closed her eyes....



Stage 2, Chapter 10; Happy Family...
Sarah was gripped; the story behind Bella had so far been far from interesting. So remarkable she was, but yet, so ordinary at the same time - she felt herself drawn more, and more each time Cassandra continued about the tale. "So what happened next?" asked Sarah; she was intreuged; Cassandra stopped talking when she said Bella passed out from Nick Alto's assault. Cassandra looked at Sarah and said "Nick Alto was arrested shortly afterwards; and Bella was taken to the Sunset Valley hospital...". Sarah felt strangely satisfied; she was glad Nick was arrested for what he'd done; he deserved everything he got for what he was planning to do - plus the fact he nearly killed Bella was the final straw. "Did he get sent down for it?" Mathilde Goth asked - "I'm not sure actually, I didn't ask my Father that. I did learn that the Alto family left town several days after, though..." replied Cassandra. The Alto's were snakes; so it didn't surprise Sarah that they skipped town ASAP; because the last thing they'd actually want to do is admit defeat, they seemed far too proud for that. "So what happened to Bella afterwards?" asked Chris; he sounded slightly impatient, but Sarah knew he didn't mean it a rude way, he was just interested. Cassandra looked away, and said "well, everything went back to normal afterwards. Bella and Mortimer graduated high school together; both went to college together; Mortimer became the owner of the Goth Empire, which had been gradually built up through his knowledge of science..."

"17 years later; Bella and Mortimer were married; they were now Mr and Mrs Goth, and lived at 5 Sim Lane, which was the old Goth Manor, but it had been re-modelled after Mortimer and Bella moved in. Jocasta and Simis Bachelor passed away comfortally in their sleeps several years before; and Gunther Goth passed away a year ago - meaning that Cornelia Goth was the only parent of the two lovers that was still alive. Bella and Mortimer's family had extended though, they'd been blessed with two wonderful children; Cassandra Goth, who was an exceptionally bright child from a young age, just like her mother; and Alexander Goth, who, like his Father, had a particular interest in all things supernatural. They lived peacefully in the Old Town of Sunset Valley; and it seemed that nothing could spoil this perfect picture...nothing...until one tragic day in September..."

End of Stage 2

Stage 3, Chapter 11; Disaster Strikes
It was evening; on a strangely warm September day and Bella was filled with excitement. Today was hers and Mortimer's wedding anniversary, and she knew he had something special planned for the evening, he had been hinting at it for days now. Bella had predicted it could be a meal at the Bistro in town, but Mortimer said it was something knew, something relating to their relationship from the past. Naturally, Bella was curious; although at times her curious mind was interrupted by the sound of a teenage girl, who was demanding new shoes, new glasses, a new bed, a new mirror, and a car for the past half an hour. That being said, Bella loved her daughter, Cassandra; she could see that Cassandra had many qualities that she posessed when she was young, but she also had the qualities that Mortimer's Father, Gunther, had. "And I was thinking that since Alexander got a science kit last week, I could perhaps have a new lab coat for biology?" requested Cassandra - "He's 3 years old..." was Bella's response; surely she can't compare the prices of a child's toy science kit to the expensive lab coats that the school required the students to purchase. Just then, the doorbell went; Bella knew who it was, it was Mortimer's Mother, Cornelia Goth; she promised she'd babysit for them whilst they went on their...well...whatever it was going to be. Cassandra seemed to react first to the doorbell - "It's Gran...", she raced to the door. As silence fell over the kitchen, Bella's ears were attracted to the TV; the news reporter was reporting something, something that sounded important - "The tremmer's have been occuring all over the USA; particularly near the West Coast of the United States..." said the reporter. Bella moved near the TV; her eyes were fixated on the square object in the small living room. "Take this a warning to people in the area; Earthquakes are not something to be taken lightly, it's highly possible that one could happen in your area, precautions should be put into place..." continued the reported; suddenly, he was cut off...by the voice of Cornelia Goth - "They've been saying this since this morning, we've had nothing; they also said it last week..." she said. "Should we be worried?" asked Bella, nervously; "Not at all, it's just them being safe, we never get them in Sunset Valley, not since before you were born, actually..." replied Cornelia, reassuringly. Bella's feeling of worry disappeared, she had to get ready; she glanced back at the TV, and looked back towards Cornelia - "I'm going to get ready now..." she said, before leaving the room and heading to her bedroom.

"Don't worry Alexander, Mommy will be back real soon..." whispered Bella, to the toddler; Bella always felt the need to inform him of when she was leaving the house; Bella had memories of her own parents just leaving her with a sitter when she was younger, and she used to worry about where they were, so Bella always made sure she told her children where she was going, and when she was going to be back to stop them worrying. She kissed Alexander's forehead, and set off downstairs; she found Mortimer was there, waiting for her, dressed in his finest - he looked so handsome, and Bella was reminded of just how handsome Mortimer was every time she looked at him. "You look beautiful" said Mortimer as Bella walked downstairs; she felt exactly the same about him - "so do you, you're so handsome" she replied, smiling and kissing him gentley on the lips. Those kisses...still gave Bella butterflies, even to this day; they said goodbye to Cornelia and Cassandra, and both set out. Bella had no idea where she was going, but Mortimer did, and she was excited to find out where abouts they were heading. The car drove through Sunset Valley, and just when Bella guessed where they were going, she was wrong; the car would take a different turn. Just as the car pulled up near an old pathway, Bella knew exactly where they were going; the old ruins at the top of Sunset Valley were the first place she and Mortimer kissed; and the place where she realised just how much he meant to her. The butterflies came back in Bella's stomach as she and Mortimer walked up to the old ruins, when they arrived, Mortimer turned towards her and smiled - "here we are..." he said, softly. Bella smiled back, this was the most romantic thing Mortimer could have done for her; she leaned in and kissed him, then said "Remember all those years ago? When we first kissed here...that was the best thing I've ever done in my whole life...". Mortimer smile became wider; he grabbed hold of Bella's hands and whispered - "I didn't think it was possible, but ever since that day, I've fell more, and more in love with you." Bella's butterflies were really tickling her; she felt exactly the same as Mortimer, she loved everything about him, and that love had grown more and more over the years. "I feel exactly the same way..." she replied, before leaning in for another kiss; she was with the person she loved the most, and today was their day...nothing would spoil their happiness now...

Cornelia was happy that Cassandra had finally gone to bed; she could now settle down and watch her favourite soap opera on TV. She loved Cassandra, but all that girl did was complain about how rubbish it was, so she was pleased when she'd finally gone out the room to her bedroom - didn't matter if she stayed up talking to her friends on her laptop, she was just glad that she didn't have to listen to her complaints. As Cornelia flicked the channels to Channel Ten, the TV suddenly became static - Cheap TV! Was Cornelia's first though; she got to her feet and walked over to the square object, she tapped it slightly - this could work? Nothing; suddenly a message came across the TV, a message that Cornelia recognised:

"Emergency Alert System: Please Stand By..."

Was what it read; Cornelia wasn't sure if it was the TV, or whether it was a genuine message; she hadn't seen that message often, only a few years ago, but that was a false alarm. She didn't quite know what the problem could be, but she knew it was interrupted her soap opera, and she began to get annoyed at it. Suddenly, a large grumbling noise could be heard; like a great big stomach rumbling, and Cornelia felt the home around her begin to shake. At first she believed she had just lost her step, but it wasn't the case; she fell backwards onto the couch, and watched as the entire living room began to move, the pictures fell off the walls, the lamps fell to the floor with a large smash; Cornelia's grip of the sofa tightened - she didn't want to let go incase she fell. Suddenly she heard the sound of a baby crying - it was Alexander! For the moment, Cornelia forgot that the little tot was upstairs. She jumped to her feet, and began moving - it was like the house was spinning in the air; Cornelia struggled to find her feet. "I'm coming Alexander..." she shouted upstairs - as she moved into the hallway, she saw that most of the furniture and the objects were smashed, and moved to different areas of the room. Cornelia reached for the banister, but her eye's deceived her, and she missed the railing, falling towards the ground and hitting her head on the bottom of the stairs.

Bella knew exactly what was happening; it was an earthquake - the reporter on TV earlier was right. She felt Mortimer's grip tighten around her - it was like being sucked through a vortex, the entire of Sunset Valley wouldn't keep still. The tree's were moving frantically - Bella had nowhere to move, except to keep hold of Mortimer; suddenly, the grip between them failed, and Bella felt herself losing balance; falling to the ground with Mortimer, she hoped she wasn't about to land on a rock, or something. Luckily, Bella just missed a rock, but only by chance - she had been very lucky. Mortimer was beside her; the ground still moving, Sunset Valley still seemed like it was spinning around, and round - Bella was worried about Alexander, Cassandra and Cornelia; she hoped they were alright, after all it was frightening for her, but to Cassandra and Alexander, it must have been ten times more frightening. Belle felt Mortimer's arms cover her head; she knew what he was doing; he was trying to protect her - but she didn't need protecting, she was more concerned about getting to her feet and returning to their home to see if he children were alright. Bella felt a large thud on the ground; she turned around, shielded by Mortimer's arms, she couldn't see much, but she could see what made the noise; one of the large parts of the old ruins had collapsed to the ground. It was inches away from Mortimer's feet; they weren't safe - the earthquake didn't seem to be ending - "Move Mortimer, we need to move..." said Bella; Mortimer seemed to agree; he looked around, and began moving further from the ruins, which were now collapsing easily. They got to their feet, and ran on the uneasy ground. Bella looked back to find that a part of the ruins had fallen just where they had been on the ground - if they' d have stayed, it would have crushed them. Bella's mind was racing, she just wanted it to stop; she wanted the ground to stop shaking, she wanted to be able to get to her feet and run home - but it was never ending; the ground continued to shake...until suddenly...it stopped. Bella thought she had lost all feeling in her body for the moment; but the grumbling sound had stopped, and the ground was no longer shaking. Bella raised her head slightly, and looked around; "It...it's stopped?" she asked - "Looks like it..." said Mortimer, breathing heavily. Bella slowly got to her feet and glanced around at her surroundings; the old ruins, which had been in Sunset Valley for years, we completely destroyed - and by the sounds of the numerous house alarms; the building smoke from near the Town Hall, and the sound of screams, and cries - total carnage was what the earthquake had left following it's visit to Sunset Valley.

Stage 3, Chapter 12; Unable To Leave
The nightmare was over, for now; yet Bella's mind was filled with worry - she had to get home to see if Alexander, Cassandra and Cornelia were alright. Cornelia was a tough woman, but anything could have happened to her; and if she wasn't alright, then that meant that Cassandra and Alexander were alone - Bella had to get to them. She ran down towards the road with Mortimer, both running at top speed. Bella could see as they arrived on the pavement that many of the towns residents were outside their homes; the destruction the earthquake had left was visible, and the sound of the house and car alarm's repeatedly going off in the distance made Bella feel uneasy. As Bella and Mortimer ran up the pavement, Bella saw a familiar face - it was Malcolm Landgraab; the son of Geoffrey and Nancy Landgraab. He rushed towards them and shouted "Mortimer, Bella!" - Bella didn't want to stop, but Malcolm looked flustered to say the least, so she and Mortimer stopped in their tracks. "What happened?" were Mortimer's words to Malcolm - Bella knew what had happened, but she didn't mention anything about the earthquake warnings to him. "An earthquake, Mortimer..." replied Malcolm, his voice shakier than Bella had ever heard it. Bella knew it was an earthquake, but hearing Malcolm say that made a knot tighten in her stomach - "...we had warnings, but we didn't think we'd get one here, we rarely do" finished Malcolm. Mortimer's eyes met Bella's; he looked back at Malcolm and spoke "What's happening now then?" - Malcolm looked at Bella, then looked at Mortimer. "Evacuation..." he said - Bella was shocked; she knew the proceedure for an earthquake, but evacuation seemed a little extreme. "Evacuation? Why?" asked Bella; Malcolm glanced at her, took a deep breath, and said "The news has reported another will take place in exactly half an hour, or so..." he said. Another?! Bella couldn't believe it; it was rare to get earthquakes, but to get two in a row was unheard of in Sunset Valley. "Plus the last one has damaged a lot of the electrical power in Sunset Valley; some houses are on fire as we speak..." continued Malcolm - Bella thought about her own home, she didn't want to think about the possibility of a fire, it was like the knot inside of her was getting tighter, and tighter. "I'm going to drive a coach out of Sunset Valley right now, most of the residents have been asked to meet at the Old Pier Beach - the fire fighters are working on putting out all the fires now..." said Malcolm, his voice still shaky. Mortimer turned towards Bella, and Bella knew exactly what he was thinking - she wasn't leaving! She wanted to go to the house with him - "Bella...you should go with Malcolm..." he said. "No, I'm not leaving without you, or my children Mortimer..." replied Bella; she couldn't handle being sat on some coach waiting to hear whether her children were alive or not...

Mortimer knew Bella wouldn't leave easily; but it made sense for him to make sure she was safe; that way he didn't have to worry about her safety, as well as his children's. "No Bella, you need to go with Malcolm - I need to know you're safe..." he said, staring into Bella's beautiful eyes. "No Mo''rtimer, I'm not leaving, you can't expect me to..." replied Bella, the emotion was now visible in her voice - "I'll meet you at...wherever the residents are being evacuated to..." reassured Mortimer. "We're taking everyone to Riverview, it's not far from here..." interrupted Malcolm - "See, I'll be with you in no time..." added Mortimer. Bella glanced from Malcolm, to Mortimer - "I can't leave without you...I can't leave with you my babies..." responded Bella. Mortimer grabbed Bella's hands, he looked into her eyes and said "Bella, we will meet you there; wait for us...". Bella looked away, then looked back at Mortimer, as if agreeing to his request - she leaned forward and kissed Mortimer on the lips; they parted, and Mortimer whispered "I love you" into Bella's ear. He set off towards 5 Sim Lane, memorizing the kiss he and Bella just had - it sounded silly, but it helped Mortimer, knowing Bella was waiting for him always made him feel stronger for some reason. He raced up the hill towards the Goth estate; what Mortimer saw from a distance was something he hoped was a light flickering, or something. An orange light, and the smell of smoke seemed to be near as he approached the estate - as he came closer to his home, Mortimer's heart seemed to sink into his stomach - his home was on fire. His two children, and his beloved Mother were inside the burning building - the panic rushed through Mortimer; he started shaking, and his body seemed to move before his brain could think. Suddenly, he was racing towards the house, and he ran through the front door - the smoke hit Mortimer like he was drowning in boiling hot water. "Mom!? Cassandra?!" shouted Mortimer through the house; as he glanced at the foot of the stairs, he saw a body on the floor - it was his Mom, she lay motionless on the ground. Seeing the woman who raised him like that made Mortimer's eyes fill with water; he wasn't sure if it was the smoke, but he knew a great feeling of sadness was now flooding through him. He rushed to his mother's side, and shaking her for some kind of reaction - "Mom! Mom it's Mortimer, please wake up..." he said, hoping she'd respond. Nothing...no movement...nothing - Mortimer picked up Cornelia and ran out of the burning building - he placed her on the bench outside, and began giving her mouth to mouth, hoping...praying that his mother would wake at any moment. As Mortimer glanced into the lifeless face of his Mother, he noticed blood across her face - did she fall? Mortimer's feeling of worry began to increase. Suddenly, he heard a familar sound...a baby cry...

The sound of his son crying inside the burning building cut through Mortimer like a knife; his feet began to move again - he ran towards the front door...but suddenly...he was stopped. A fire fighter stood in front of him - "I can't let you go in there, Sir..." he said loudly - nothing was stopping Mortimer going to his children...nothing! "My son and daughter are in there..." reasoned Mortimer, he was sure the Fire Fighter would understand - he shook his head, and said "It's too dangerous for you to enter though, sir; more of my collegues will be here any minute; let them handle this...". Any minute?! Cassandra and Alexander could be in danger up there; they could be burning right now; and he expected him to wait a minute? "I'm not waiting, I'm sorry..." apologised Mortimer; suddenly, he pushed the fire fighter out the way, and raced through the front door. The house seemed to be hotter than before, the heat was almost unbearable; the thought of his children inside this for any length of time was enough to make Mortimer continue searching for them. He raced up stairs, and saw Cassandra holding her baby brother - "Dad!" she yelled. Mortimer ran towards them, and kissed his daughter and his son on the forehead repeatedly. He'd found them! They were alive; now they had to get out of the house without getting hurt - "Come on, we have to go Cassandra...", he then ushered them downstairs, and out of the front door. They emerged from the house; Mortimer saw red flashing lights - the fire fighters had arrived - the air became clear, but he felt like someone had blocked the air going to his lungs. He fell to the ground, and gasped for air; he felt intoxicated, like he'd swallowed something that stopped him from breathing. He heard the sound of people rushing around; he heard his daughter yell "Dad?!" as he hit the ground - everything seemed to become blurry - Mortimer's heart ached for his Mother, he didn't want to believe it, but in the seconds that he'd been on the lawn of the Goth estate, it sunk straight into his stomach that his Mother was dead, and there was nothing he could do to bring her back....

Bella was frustrated, she had been waiting around for a while now, and she'd heard nothing from the residents of Sunset Valley; she hadn't seen Mortimer, or any fire fighters either. Her mind was racing, and she now wished she'd gone with Mortimer back to the house - anything could have happened. As she sat assuming the worst, she heard Agnes Crumplebottom doing her usual in the corner of the small beach house - complaining. "I find this all rather silly, it's only a little earthquake..." she muttered - Bella could have slapped her there and then; many residents hadn't arrived at the beach, not even half of them...it could only mean they were either injured...or worse. "And these fire fighters don't know what they're doing..." she continued - "nope...if you're relying on them to save your family and friends, you may as well declare them dead right now..." she finished. Bella had heard enough! "Agnes, shut up! Whilst you sit there, saying it's "only a little earthquake", my children, mother-in-law and my husband could be dead at my home right now..." barked Bella; Agnes glared at Bella in complete shock - "I...I was just...saying..." stuttered Agnes - "Yeah well don't, half the residents of this town could be dead; so stop being so insensitive..." responded Bella. Bella felt an arm touch her shoulder; "Hey, the coach is here..." said the man's voice - it was Malcolm Landgraab. Bella heard a few "finally", "thank god" and "praise the lord" mutters from the residents in the beach house - "Not everyone is here...what's going to happen to the people who come later?" asked Bella; "Don't worry Bella, there will be another coach shortly after..." said Malcolm reassuringly. As the residents began boarding the coach, Bella looked around the room and spoke - "It's funny, this was supposed to be mine and Mortimer's Anniversary...". Malcolm's eyes met Bella's; "Sorry it had to end like this..." he replied - "You know, it's strange...that even though I knew I loved him, and I knew I loved my family; it's moments like this it really hits you...and you realise just how much you love them...and how..." Bella paused; Malcolm waited for her to finish - "and how...what?" he asked -  "And how...you really couldn't imagine 'your life without them" finished Bella - tears began rolling down her eyes; saying it out loud really made Bella's heart ache, the thought had been there, but she'd never allowed herself to think it out loud - what if they were dead...all of them. "I think it's a test of true love..." said Malcolm; he'd caught Bella's attention - "it's a case of this; would you rather be without the person you love...you would you rather risk it, and die with them?" he finished; he then left the beach house and began helping more of the residents onto the coach. Bella followed him outside, and as she glanced at the residents waiting to board the coach, she heard a familiar voice. "Bella, come on, you need to get onto the coach..." said Brandi Broke, who was beside her little boy, Dustin. Bella looked back at Brandi; her mind was elsewhere, could she do this? Was it her head, or her heart acting? Bella wasn't sure; she looked into Brandi's eye's, and glanced at the little boy beside her - Bella thought about her two children; and her husband, Mortimer - she couldn't get on that coach and leave them; she thought about the last thing she said to Alexander, how she assured him she'd be back for him. Bella felt her legs moving, she turned around and began running; she was running home, she was going to find her family; she didn't care who stopped her - faster, and faster she ran, away from the sounds of people calling her name - she could hear her family calling her, they needed her, just as much as she needed them; was she stupid? No, she was a Mother...and a wife...

Stage 3, Chapter 13; "The Last Hour For Bella Goth"
Bella was horrified; she was standing outside of her home...a place she used to call home - it was like an empty shell. It didn't look the same anymore, Bella remembered it being re-modelled into a gorgeous small home years back for her, Mortimer and their family; now it was like a staring into your past, a past which has been damaged some how, and you have no idea how to fix it. Bella's mind filled with worry - did Mortimer reach the home in time? Had her beloved babies perished in the obvious fire, which had swept through the house? Bella moved closer to the house; she could smell the smoke, even though she wasn't even inside the house, she could smell the horrible, choking smell coming from the windows. Bella could see that the fire had been put out by the fire fighters; she knew there wouldn't be anyone inside of it now - the best thing would be to head to the fire station, but she couldn't drag herself away from looking at the empty shell. Her feet began moving; she turned and began to head down the long street into Sunset Valley - the ruined buildings, and the smell of smoke was heavy in the busy streets. Bella found herself passing the old cemetary; as she glanced at the creepy lot, she suddenly felt a rush of fear - not because of the graveyard, because of what had just happened. Most of the town had been destroyed from the earthquake, could it possibly recover if another one hits them soon? She thought about her family, and how her only wish right now was to hug them, and kiss them, and tell them everything was going to be alright. Bella heard faint screams from a distance; the sound of the fire engine could be heard echoing through the streets of Sunset Valley - someone was in trouble, it sounded like it was coming from Landerak's home; but Bella already knew Kaylynn and Zelda Mae were safe, because she'd seen them in the beach house before boarding the coach. As Bella walked on, she approached a large set of apartments; they had only been built a year ago, so the fact they looked such a mess right now saddened Bella. Part of the building was missing; the windows were smashed; and fire could be seen on one of the upper levels of the building. Bella looked around, the town was silent again; and she had no idea where her family had disappeared to - she looked around at the area she was in, and shivered as the cold chill hit her. What if they'd managed to get evacuated to Riverview? Should Bella have just boarded the coach? Something in her heart told her that they were still in Sunset Valley somewhere, she just didn't know where.

"I'm really sorry about your Mom..." said the Fire Fighter, softly. Mortimer could cry, he felt a great pain in his heart, but he couldn't cry? It didn't make sense; his Mom was dead, the woman who raised him was dead, and he was never going to see her again - yet he couldn't cry? "Thank you; you did all you could to save my family..." said Mortimer, thankfully. The Fire Fighter touched Mortimer's shoulder; then walked away to join his colleagues. Mortimer looked around; the Central Park in the middle of the town seemed like a shadow of it's former self - what was once a park he used to play on when he was a child, was now the definition of destruction. Mortimer glanced at his children; Cassandra was holding her baby brother tightly - the fear didn't leave her eyes, he knew how scared she was. All they were waiting for now, was for another coach to arrive; then they'd be on their way to Riverview; on their way to Bella - God, Mortimer was so happy that Bella was okay. The last thing he wanted was for her to be out here with him; the thought of her not being safe was too much to handle - the coach was due any moment; although Mortimer felt it was cutting it a bit fine, as he was sure Malcolm Landgraab said another earthquake was due, and it had been way over an hour since he had said that. Mortimer couldn't see any other families, just his own, and the Oldie family; Mortimer knew of Herb Oldie, because he begged Mortimer for a job; but his wife, and their teenage daughter were unknown to him. "The coach is here!" yelled Cassandra; as Mortimer spun round, he saw she was right, the coach was finally here - ready to take them to Riverview, away from everything. The Oldie family got to their feet, and it seemed Mortimer's feet responded to their's, as he jumped up too. The Fire Fighter rejoined the two family's, and spoke "right guys, these are the only people boarding this..." - Mortimer was stunned, the only people?! He had seen so many Fire Engine's passing through Sunset Valley, surely there had been more survivors? "Only us...what about...others?" asked Herb Oldie; "We...we couldn't save them..." replied the Fire Fighter, his face filled with a sad expression. Mortimer felt a knot tighten in his stomach, he thought about his Mother, and how he was never going to see her again - the pain was too much to handle, he wished he'd let his Mother stay home, instead of baby sitting; she was elderly, and maybe she'd have been safe if she wasn't looking after her grandchildren? As the Oldie family began boarding the coach, Mortimer heard a familiar voice scream his name - "Mortimer!!!" screamed Bella...

Bella could see Mortimer near the coach outside the police station; Mortimer spun around and stared at Bella - "Bella?! What are you doing here?" he yelled, as he began to move across the road. Bella felt the tears pouring down her cheek, they'd caught her by surprise, she didn't expect tears - "I couldn't stay away Mortimer, I couldn't handle the thought of not knowing whether you were okay or not..." she replied. Mortimer wrapped his arms around her - "you're stupid Bella, you should have gotten out of here..." Mortimer frantically replied. "I couldn't...I love you too much..." said Bella, sobbing in his arms - Mortimer hugged her tightly; like he did near the old temple ruins at the top of Sunset Valley again - Bella had found him, and she was happy to just be in his arms again. Suddenly, a large rumbling noise struck through Sunset Valley like lightening; the ground began to feel uneasy; gasps were heard from the coach - "It's the second earthquake!!" yelled the Fire Fighter. The ground began shaking frantically; Bella could hear screams, yells and that loud grumbling noise coming from somewhere underneath her. The ground felt unsteady, she felt herself seperating from Mortimer; he seemed to fall backwards - Bella felt even more unsteady, she tried to reach for something to grab onto; but it was too much, she slipped and fell backwards. She didn't know where she was about to land, but it couldn't be anything too bad, as she was only near the park - Bella was now on the floor, facing the sky. A warm sensation began to fill her up her back; she felt numb, she couldn't feel anything, just the warm feeling behind herh. She heard Mortimer yell her name; Bella looked at him, as she looked towards him. The numbness faded; suddenly pain filled Bella; she was hurt, and the pain was tearing through her - this wasn't like breaking your leg, or cutting your arm by accident, this was like nothing she'd ever felt before. She felt the life draining from her; she looked up at her husband, who came running towards her - Bella knew one thing, the ground had stopped moving. Everything was still - she heard gasps, and calls of her name; the one she recognised was the voice of her daughter. Cassandra came rushing towards her; Bella's eyes met Cassandra's, and a tear rolled down both of their eyes - she saw Alexander was in Cassandra's arms. Bella's two beloved children, they were alive...they were safe....

Everything was going to be okay; Mortimer knew it. It looked bad, but they had doctor's and nurses around, that would sort this out, surely? Mortimer saw Bella look at his children; then she looked back at Mortimer and spoke "They're okay...they're alright..." she said, the sound of relief in her voice. "Bella...everything is going to be alright, just hang on in there..." Mortimer told her; she had to know that; it was essential she knew that it was going to be laright. Tears rolled down Bella's face, she looked into Mortimer's eyes - "Mortimer...we...we...we made it..." he words seemed to struggle leaving her mouth; she let out a smile, as she looked back at her children. "Stay with us Bella, we'll get you some help..." said Mortimer; he looked around, hoping that someone was coming for his wife - yet...everyone was just stood still; no one was moving. "Mortimer...I...I love...you..." said Bella; her face had become pale; she grabbed his hand, and suddenly...her eyes closed, and Mortimer felt the grip from her hand become loose. She...she...Bella was dead? Mortimer felt the entire world spin, it was building inside of him; he couldn't be without her...she couldn't. "NO!" he yelled, his voice echoed through the street - "Don't you dare leave me, Bella! Please...don't you dare leave us...". There it was, the tears poured down his eyes, he couldn't live without Bella; she couldn't die...she couldn't. "You can't leave me...I need you Bella...please..."

"...we need you; please don't leave us..." sobbed Mortimer. Cassandra couldn't handle the pain either; her Mom was dead...how could...the feeling hit Cassandra like a knife; it was like someone had punched her in the stomach, and was twisting her inside round, and round. She...she needed her Mom? Didn't anyone understand that? She needed her? How could she survive without her? "Mom..." whimpered Cassandra; she felt an arm wrap around her; it was Mary-Sue Oldie's arm - Cassandra knew her from school, and only spoke to her several times; at this time, she was grateful of the support. "Please don't leave us...please, I need to follow you Bella...please...just come back to us..." begged Mortimer...

"Please...just come back to us..."; the voice of her Father all them years ago echoed through Cassandra's mind like a bad memory. She could hear it as clearly as she could hear the fire in her living room right now - she looked around at Chris, Sarah and Mathilde; who all had tears in their eyes. "It took half an hour to seperate my father from my Mom that day..." said Cassandra, a tear trickling down her cheek - "and yet...to me, it seemed like his heart never left her" she continued. "Wh...what happened...next?" asked a clearly numbstruck Mathilde Goth - Cassandra looked at her; "We were evacuated to Riverview; we spent many nights there, waiting...waiting for answers; waiting for some good news - for me, I was waiting to feel again; the loss of my Mother seemed to completely shut my body off from any feeling. I didn't feel hungry, or thirsty for weeks..." said Cassandra - "the residents mourned for people they'd lost; family, friends, neighbours, enemies; all were lost that day" she continued - "it was a tragic event that no one could have predicted, and one that I have never visited until this very day..." she said. "I couldn't even tell Darren, my husband, about my Mother; the words just didn't seem to leave my mouth - but now you know the story about her..." said Cassandra, looking at the people in the room; - "...and you know of her greatness, and how much she loved her family. She served a great purpose..." said Cassandra, proudly. She looked at her feet, and tears began rolling down her cheeks again - "she exists now inside of me; because I know she's with me...always..."



"...forever!"

Stage 3, Chapter 14; "A Body Never Found..."
Chris felt like a large rock had been dropped in his stomach; he couldn't physically describe the feeling. As he left Goth Manor, his mind was still with Bella, he had never met the woman, yet he felt himself mourning for her? "It's weird..." said Sarah - "I came here thinking that I knew what I was going to hear about this woman; it was as though...I thought I knew; but nothing could have prepared me for that...nothing". Chris understood how she felt, he felt the same, in fact he felt that he himself had lost a loved one; it was a strange feeling to describe - "I know what you mean..." said Chris - he looked at his girlfriend; she looked somewhat distressed - "I feel like I just want to go home, and tell the entire world about this amazing woman; and tell them about how this town was actually named Sunset Valley before that Earthquake; and how Malcolm Landgraab was the one who constructed the statue in the middle of the town" said Sarah, sighing at the end. "We can do that..." said Chris - "...we can share the story of her now, because we can be proud of who she is" finished Chris - he felt a proudness fill over him; he was proud of Bella; he was proud he knew about her, but every time he did, a great amount of sadness rushed through him, it was like someone was injecting a drug into his system, and it that second, it hit every single corner of his body. "I just wish...I just wish she didn't have to die like that..." he finished, as he bowed his head to the ground - Sarah touched his cheek, and smiled "Come on, let's go home...we've got a story to tell..." she replied. Chris smiled, and proceeded to his car; as he took one last look at Goth Manor, he thought about how the residents would react to the story when he got home, would they even believe him? Whatever happened, Chris regretted nothing, and he hoped that, just as he had found some peace hearing about Bella; that Cassandra found some peace talking about her. Chris started the car, and rode off on the long journey back to Belladonna Cove.

Mathilde had never heard about her great Grandmother before, she was filled with happiness that she was such an amazing person, and someone to be proud of; but there was still something missing. She wanted to pay her respects...somehow - she hadn't even heard about the Earthquake until now, so she decided to head to her Grandmother's room and ask her where Bella's grave was so she could visit it. She knocked on the door, before a shaky voice told her to come in - she walked in, and saw her Grandma Cassandra was ready for bed - "What is it, dear?" asked Cassandra. Mathilde didn't know how to bring up the subject again, so she just decided to be blunt about it - "Erm...Grandma, I was wondering..." started Mathilde; Grandma Cassandra's eye's widened; they were so inviting, it's no wonder she was popular around town. "Well, I never knew Bella, and I was wondering if there was a way I could pay my respects..." asked Mathilde; Cassandra's face seemed to change, her eye's shut for a moment - maybe it was too much? "Just a grave, or something? I just...really need to do something..." explained Mathilde. Cassandra got to her feet, and walked over to Mathilde; she looked at her directly in the eyes, and said "I wish...I wish I could help you..." said Cassandra - Mathilde was confused, wished she could help? What did she mean? "There...there is no grave for your Great Grandma..." explained Cassandra. Mathilde was even more confused; no grave for such an amazing woman? "I...I don't understand..." confessed Mathilde - "You see...there wasn't just two earthquakes that day...there were 3; another earthquake took place moments after we'd left, and this tore through Sunset Valley like none of the others before; everything was destroyed...everything..." explained Cassandra...

'"I saw photographs of the wreckage that it left behind; it's a good job it came afterwards, because none of us would have survived that..." she said - "buildings were destroyed like nothing before; pavements were crushed...."'



"The lighthouse overlooking the town was destroyed..."



"The Central park seemed to leave nothing behind; nothing but an empty wasteland..."



"Yes, everything we left behind that night, amounted to nothing the morning after..."

Mathilde couldn't believe it; another earthquake?! One so bad...it left Sunset Valley like that? "The sad thing is...the earthquake seemed to take a lot of the residents bodies with it; but all of them were found..." continued Cassandra - "All of them...except my Mom's...they never found her body; not even amongst the ruins of Sunset Valley" finished Cassandra. Mathilde was in shock, she couldn't believe it; how could they have not found her body? The body of someone who was pinned to a fence? "But...where did she go?" asked Mathilde - Cassandra glanced at the floor, and looked back at her grandaughter - "We never found out; her body just seemed to rest with the ruins of Sunset Valley..." replied Cassandra. "That's what was so extrodinary about it; it seems that Bella did her best to protect the town; and that very town took her back once it was destroyed" finished Cassandra - It made sense to Mathilde, but the thought of not being able to pay her respects to her Great Grandmother really dis-heartened her. "I...I wonder where she disappeared to..." sighed Mathilde - Cassandra put her arms around Mathilde - "She's with you, dear - she lives inside of you, inside of me; and she'll live inside of your children too..." said Cassandra, the warmth in her voice made Mathilde feel better. "Sometimes I catch her walking through the streets of Sunset Valley in my dream..." said Cassandra, a smile came across her face; which made Mathilde lift a little inside - her Grandma obviously felt at peace seeing her Mother in her dreams, and it sounded like a pretty amazing dream indeed.



The End!

Trivia

 * The story has been written in 3 stages; the 1st being based around Chris and Sarah; the 2nd being based in the past, when Bella was growing up; and the 3rd being final stage, and the conclusion to the story.
 * Alien abduction has been completely scrapped from this story; instead Sunset Valley is going to be hit by an earthquake, which will bring tragedy to the residents, and the town itself. The earthquake destroys the town, and this is what leads it to being renamed Pleasantview.
 * The Alto Family and the Landgraab Family's fued is expanded on in this story.
 * The Alto's will have a son, as well as a daughter in the story, even though there is no son present in the actual game.
 * Mathilde Goth is Cassandra's Grandaughter in this story, where as in the actual game, Mathilde lives in Lunar Lakes and has no connection with Goth family, except her surname.
 * The relationship between Bella and Mortimer will develop in Stage 2.
 * The Bachelor family are going to posess a small diamond, which is worth millions of simoleon's; they story behind it, is that they're saving the diamond until they desperately need it; the diamond is going to be the reason the statue of Bella in Belladonna Cove holds a diamond in her hand; replacing the plumbob theory.
 * Bella's appearance as an adult is slightly different to her in-game appearance as an adult in The Sims 3, this is because the appearance of the Sims 3 Bella's adult appearance, doesn't match her statue's appearance in The Sims 2.
 * Cornelia Goth is the only parent alive when the earthquake takes place.
 * Dina Caliente and Nina Caliente are not present in this story...

Behind The Scenes Of The Earthquake

 * The Earthquake is set to take part at the start of Stage 3, and is to be the central plot of the stage.
 * Most of Sunset Valley will be destroyed in the earthquake; many of the buildings will be altered in build/buy mode to show signs of wreckage.
 * Bella and Mortimer are celebrating their Anniversary when the earthquake takes place.
 * Many of the pre-made sims from Sims 3 will be killed in the earthquake; this explains why they did not appear in the Sims 2.
 * The Earthquake will be filmed using the firefighter career with The Sims 3 Ambitions.
 * The 3rd stages will follow a similar style to Stage 2; taking place from Bella and Mortimer's point of view.
 * Aliens will not be present during the earthquake; although Cassandra tells Chris and Sarah that Alexander himself believed that his Mother had been abducted, because it seemed easier to say than the truth.
 * The Goth's home during Stage 3 will be the same as the home from The Sims. It will be destroyed in the earthquake, leaving a member of the Goth family dead.
 * The Landgraab's house is amongst the few houses that are destroyed during the earthquake.
 * The Central Park in the middle of Sunset Valley is also destroyed during the earthquake.
 * The images of a destroyed Sunset Valley will be taken from SimCookie's "Sunset Dead" world trailer.