Loving Bella by Elizabeth Bonet (books suggested by bill gates .TXT) 📖

Loving Bella
Elizabeth Bonet


Prologue

A red light shot through the canvas of the tent two spaces away. The two girls giggled. They lied on their stomachs and held there breath as they shined there own blue flashlight to the far tent, on then off. The boy in the tent responded the same and the pattern continued back and forth. “ Oh Isabella, isn’t this fun!?” The older girl asked while she grinned. Isabella giggled with childish glee. “Beatrice shush! You’ll get us in trouble!” Although scolding she grinned. Their heads poked out the door of their tent when they should’ve been sleeping. It was after midnight and they were still awake; even though there curfew had been hours ago.
Isabella knew they were on the brinks of trouble when she heard rustling inside her mother’s own tent a few paces away. “Beatrice I have to go to the bathroom, and since the adults won’t let us go any where without an adult or without someone else, will you go with me?” Beatrice catching on, very loudly whispered her agreement. They slowly zipped the tent-door closed when they left and tiptoed past their leaders’ tents. “Bella?” Panic struck on the younger girls face at the sound of her mother‘s tired voice. “Yes?”
“Where are you two going?” “Just to the bathroom mama.” Her mother poked her head out of her own door and nodded her approval. “Be safe.” was all the warning she gave and allowed the girls to take their leave. About some twenty minutes later the girls returned. They saw that the boy’s light was no longer on, so they went to bed themselves. However they slept only a few hours. For it was already one in the morning.

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Isabella woke some 5 hours later having to use the bathroom once again. “Beatrice!” She whispered as she shook her. “Come on, I have to go pee!” Beatrice groaned and rolled over, turning sleepy eyes to assess the younger girl in the dim light.
“Oh grow up, no body says pee anymore.” Isabella pushed Bee rather hard and placed both hands on her rather shapeless hips. “Grow up!? Why, you’re 12 and only 2 years older than I am! Now get up and get dressed.” Beatrice opened her mouth to object but as soon as she did they heard voices in their make shift kitchen for the camp. Recognizing her mother’s and step-dad’s voice Isabella bounded.
“Hurry up Bee, before the rest of the camp wakes up!” They both exited and slipped to the bathroom. They came back to find Mason (the boy they had been messing with the night before) and Stephen sitting with Bella’s parents. “Hey you guys wanna go for a walk?” Mark asked, already standing to go. Natine addressed the whole group. “Since apparently none of you could sleep. We were thinking on a little stroll along the boardwalk.” Mason, Bee and Bella were all up to the idea, until Stephen decided he wanted to go.
Bee linked arms with Bella and began to skip the way to the spring. Mason let out a big throaty laugh and walked a few paces behind, while Stephen reluctantly stayed with Natine and Mark. However Stephen soon caught hold of the group and began annoying them by trying to impress Bella. But the small dark haired girl not having any of it, began talking and giggling with Beatrice while flirting with Mason.
At the edge of the spring was a small gazebo where the group of youngsters sat while waiting for their chaperones to finish their jaunt on the walk. “Hey look at that!” Everyone turned to see Bee jump off the bench and point to a small stone pillar in the field near where they were. “Bella, what is that?” The brunette’s face was now red with excitement. Breathless as she was, she tugged on Isabella’s arm. “It’s nothing to be excited for Bee, it’s only a memorial. It was dedi-”
“No it isn’t!” Stephen interrupted. Thinking as though this was his chance to show off how smart he was to the two girls. “It’s a sundial!” Bella was now facing Stephen with her head slightly bent toward him, hands folded neatly in front of her lap glaring into his eyes. Taunting him to say one more word that would defy her. Beatrice bit her lip. Their chaperones were soon coming into earshot and she didn’t want Bella’s parents to hear her in an argument, especially not with Stephen. “It’s not that important anymore. I was just curious.”
“That’s alright Bee cause he’s right it is a sundial and a memorial.” Mason bit back a chuckle. “Oh this girl. She’s so funny sometimes. And has the most adorable face when she fights back a challenge.” He knew that if she could hear his thoughts right then she would reach over and slap his freckles off if she could, so he remained quiet. Until it struck him. “I have an idea,” he chimed in “How about we walk over there and see for ourselves what it is.”
By now Natine and Mark were back sitting alongside with them, so the four looked to them for permission. Natine nodded yes and they were off. Isabella grabbed Beatrice by the arm and ran up the hill to the stone pillar. “Hah! See its both!” Stephen opened his mouth to argue, but Mason cut him off with a pointed look. “See for yourself if you don’t believe her.” The two girls moved away just in time before Mason pushed Stephen over to the memorial.
Stephen grumbled to himself after a moment of closer inspection. He turned to find Bella, arms crossed in front of her with a smug look on her face. “Who’s right after all?” She turned in a swirl of black waves and left., walking back in the direction of the camp. Stephen’s face was almost puce with embarrassment. Feeling a bit sorry for him, Bee placed a hand on Stephen’s shoulder and turned to catch up with Bella. Leaving the two boys gawking in their absence.

~*~*~*~


Chapter One


2 ½ years Later


The little boy was all that was on her mind as she stood at the edge of a group of children. That, and the heat of the summer day. The small boy was one of her charges for the rest of the week and the oldest of the group. Annoying as he was, she still wanted him to be in perfect health and happy like the rest of the children. Her mind momentarily had drifted off when his loud coughs came shockingly in her line of thought.
“Austen!” The little boy turned big brown eyes to his leader. He didn’t like her much. He thought she was too pushy. But not wanting to get in trouble he faced her. She motioned for him to come stand in front of her and he sighed. Cough, cough. If only he could get this stupid blade of grass out of his throat he would be fine. “Austen!” He could tell from her voice that she was getting impatient so Austen drew near.
Bella leaned over the short boy and rustled his hair. “You ok bud? You need some water?” “So she heard me coughing, great…” Austen began to dawdle by playing in the dirt with his shoe. “Yeah I’m ok.” He mumbled. Bella cocked her head to the side, perching her arms on her voluptuous hips. “Then why were you coughing so much?” He looked up then, a huge smile on his face. “Boy this ought to get her. If it doesn’t then I don’t know what will.”
Playing the part all to well he explained how Mason, the “dude” handing out skittles, dropped one. So he picked it up off the ground and ate it. But along came with it a piece of grass that got caught in the back of his throat. This was why he was coughing. Bella gasped and raised a hand to her mouth. “Austen you didn’t?!” Austen smirked and was about to walk away before he started coughing again.
By this time Jessica had joined her and wanted to know what was going on. After explaining again the shock that had warn off came back to hit Isabella. “Come on Austen. Let’s go get some water.” Bella seemed frozen and the poor boy didn’t seem like he was getting water where she was concerned, so Jessica led him off to get water in the church’s kitchen.
“Hey what happened? Why is your hand over your mouth?” Mason now stood next to her with a bag of skittles in his hand. “You… the skittles… Austen…” She let out a soft groan and practically fell over. Mason caught her by the arm and helped her right herself before she toppled over. “What happened?” He tried again, softer this time, but with a slight hint of amusement that Bella caught. It snapped her out of her trance and she explained.
This time, however, she didn’t go into a state of shock merely because of her laughter over Mason’s own reaction. “Woah…Is he ok?” Seeing Bella laugh made him smile and he walked away. He came back not two minutes later asking her if she wanted some skittles, but only under his terms of not telling Jessica who had now returned and was playing with the other kids.

~*~*~*~

“O.M.G!!!