Bella Swan

Isabella Swan, better known as "Bella", is the main character of the novels Twilight (novel) and New Moon (novel) by Stephenie Meyer. She is planned to appear in the upcoming novel Eclipse (novel), which is due to come out in October 2007.

"Bella's History"

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Isabella Swan was born on September 13, 1987 to Renee and Charlie Swan, a young couple living in the small town of Forks, Washington. Her parents split up when she was just six months old, and her mother moved her down to California and then, eventually, Phoenix, Arizona. Bella was always a bit of a loner and didn't have many friends. She was also incredibly clumsy, leading her to avoid all sports.

Her mother eventually remarried Phil Dwyer, a minor league baseball player who was much younger than she. Phil was forced to travel the country a lot, due to his profession, and Bella could see that her mother really wanted to be with him. Instead of making Renee choose between Bella and Phil, Bella decided that she would move back to Forks to live with her father, whom she only saw over summer vacations.

At age 17, Bella packed her bags and moved back in with her father. She enrolled at Forks High School and, surprisingly, attracted quite a bit of attention in the small town. Boys were instantly attracted to her, although she dismissed most of them. She made quite a few friends, the closest being Jessica Stanley, Angela Weber, and Mike Newton, who had a huge crush on Bella, but, because of her encouragement, eventually went out with Jessica.

The one group of people in Forks that truly intruiged Bella were the Cullens, a mysteriously beautiful family whose four adopted children attended the high school there. In particular, the youngest Cullen, the perfectly handsome Edward, captured her attention. At first, Bella was sure that he hated her--they were forced to sit next to each other in biology, and he gave her a look of pure loathing, which scared her. Later on, she found him in the office trying desperately to switch out of the class. Despite this strange behavior, Bella found herself drawn to him.

It isn't until two weeks later that Bella finally talks to Edward. He seems perfectly pleasant and civil, and she notices that his eyes, which were jet black when she first met him, were now a beautiful shade of topaz. The two get along normally until, later on, Edward saves her from being hit by an out of control car with what seems like supernatural speed and strength. Bella is suspicious and asks him about it, but he says nothing. As the story progresses, Bella discovers Edward's secret--he and his family are vampires.

Even as Edward and Bella become romantically involved, it's hard for them to be together. Edward constantly lusts for Bella's blood, so he must be in control at all times. He goes on to save her from a tracker vampire, James, then leaves her for an eight month period after she is nearly attacked by his family when she cuts her finger at their house. Bella travels with his sister, Alice, to save him from revealing his secret to an entire city after he misunderstands a message that his other sister, Rosalie, gives him and believes that Bella is dead. At the present time, they are at a bit of a stalemate, due to the fact that Bella wishes to become a vampire so that they can be together, and Edward outright refuses to change her. At the very least, Bella will be staying human until she graduates from high school and possibly marries Edward.