Chapter Text
Now being a fully realized girl, er, bat, meant that Bella-Louise could have a lot more fun. Especially considering there was almost no-way for this to backfire.
It had been a few months since Avid’s death, and Bella-Louise, having gotten curious, flew over the spot where he was thrown by Owen. Sure enough, the body was nearly skeletal, with, of all things, a pack of wolves chowing down.
How convenient. Poor, poor Avid. Too focused on stopping vampires, he didn’t even see the wolves coming.
In addition to musing about the dead, she’d also been having some fun with the villagers. Everyone but Cleo and Abolish were vampires at this point, all thanks to the tried and true method of “cuddle-then-bite”, which had been working wonders.
Well, except Legundo, who’d been cuddled and bitten by Owen. Though, Bella-Louise did suppose that, by technicality, it meant the method had still been extremely useful.
However, an unintended side effect was that everyone, at some point, realized they were vampires. Owen, ever resourceful Owen, had decided to blame it of all things on the blood moon corrupting the souls of the residents, only dissuaded by Abolish, who was from Oakhurst, and Cleo, who’s mother, shock and awe, was a vampire.
Bella-Louise had no idea how that logic held up under any scrutiny, but to be fair, a near-albino bat at this point who understood human speech, mannerisms, and was smarter than a majority of the townsfolk also didn’t hold up under scrutiny, so clearly, these people were just idiots.
Fortunately, they were her idiots.
They’d all been…suprisingly neutral on the whole thing. Sausage, Shelby, Martyn, and Drift had been strangely excited at the prospect. Legundo, Pearl, and Ren were mostly just curious as to how that worked. Apo had a poor reaction, until she was calmed down by the combined force of a village, and talked into converting Cherri, who Apo herself admitted would probably be into the whole thing.
Cleo hadn’t cared, and while Abolish gave a vauge warning, it was pretty obvious neither actually minded, likely because Cleo had a pseudo-partner who had been giving her love bites for the past month, and Abolish was so holy he might as well be a walking crucifix.
And that led her to where she was a few days ago. The beacons had all been turned, mostly everyone was a vampire, and if they so chose, they could go home.
But would they?
Bella-Louise had gone to get answers, for once, as she didn’t know the answer. Not as to whether the curse was fading, she had a gut feeling it was going to straight up evaporate the minute Cleo and Abolish took the forbidden fruit of vampirism, but rather, if anyone even wanted to leave at all.
Everyone had a mission here, she knew that much. Let’s see if those motives held up, now that they were all undead. Mostly. All but the two anti-vampire folk.
Or at least, that’s what she would have said, up until she saw both Cleo walking around with suspiciously vampire-like fangs. Goddamnit Cleo, they couldn’t keep it in their pants for a day, huh?
Whatever, she was probably level 4, if that even existed, two more turnings wouldn’t do much to lower her power.
Though, as she went to bed atop a lampport, she delved into a few thoughts that had been bugging for her a while now.
Why couldn’t she turn back, was the main one. She didn’t mind being a bat of course, she loved it, and for whatever reason, turning into Scott Goldsmith after all this felt, in some way, wrong. She was sure she could manage, of course, by Scott had a masculine, if effeminate, body. Bella-Louise wasn’t quite sure she wanted that, for some reason.
Does that mean…does that mean there was another option, though? She loved being a bat, of course, but…was a woman really that impossible for her? She didn’t know how she felt about being a woman, honestly, but-
Wait.
Hold on.
She was the best at everything! Of course she could become a woman, she was basically a goddess! Who needed acceptance or exploration of themselves when they were as perfect as she? She had a whole town worshipping her!
Ah, it was so much easier to be self-assured with a god complex. Why didn’t more people try this?
With that said though, she deserved some shut-eye, for being such an amazing and talented woman. She didn’t need to, of course, but she deserved to. Again, for being so beautiful and perfect.
…
Mayhaps she shouldn’t have done that.
Bella-Louise didn’t make many mistakes in life, and the ones that were, the very few, were usually calculated for a bigger plan, or were helpful in the long run.
Of course, this one was no difference. However, waking up as a woman was quite jarring. Well, she was a woman, she meant “human shaped woman”, as opposed to her usual bat form, though the ears and wings kept themselves present. Must be a result of her ideal physical form being in limbo between vampire lady and bat. God, she was such an amazing shapeshifter, no?
Fortunately, only Apo and Owen saw her at the moment, so she could use that.
Especially because of how wide their eyes were. Electing not to transform just yet, she jumped off of the tree she had been resting on, a little more normal of a place to be sleeping for a human, she presumed, based on all the orphans she’d found living in those.
She didn’t dare open her mouth, her voice was too masculine to fit, surely. Whenever she’d shapeshifted in the past for a long period of time, like that time she became a rat, she kept her normal voice. Which was very unfortunate, given the circumstance.
“....who are you?” Owen asked, eyes frantically tracing her face. Apo was staring a little lower than her face, but that was fine. Unfortunately, Bella-Louise was too rich and powerful to ever need to learn sign language. On the other hand, she doubted either of these two, a hermit and a military officer, would even know sign language.
So, she grabbed a branch from the tree, snapped it off said tree with two fingers, then began to write. Immediately, Owen gasped. “Bella-Louise!?”
Goddamnit Owen. She should’ve killed him when she had the chance….actually, she had the chance right now. No, no, that’d be silly.
Apo was attempting to state respectfully, but shook it off, and smiled awkwardly. “You’re…Bella Louise?” Bella-Louise made a so-so motion, before drawing in the dirt. ‘i don’t know why i’m a human right now. i think it’s some higher purpose to guide you, my childe.”
Owen blushed. “Me? Uh…nothing quite comes to mind…” Apo startled. “I, can you get us off the island, Bella-Louise!?” Bella Louise nodded. ‘i believe so. this curse has been around since my master’s time. usually, it requires everyone on the island to be a vampire. it’s why my master turned me, after all.’
Apo murmured something about the human-bat girl drawing commas, but got over it quickly. “So, it’s just Abolish keeping us here, then?” Bella-Louise blinked. ‘yes, but please don’t hurt him if you choose to turn him. i’ve come to care for every last one of you.’
This was a lie, of course. Frankly, Bella-Louise was tempted to kill Abolish herself, given how much holiness he emanated. Apo touched her chest, smiling. “Bella-Louise, it’s not fair you get to be so sweet, even after becoming human…”
She was so right, you know, Bella-Louise was such a beautiful, amazing, strong, talented, intelligent sweetheart. That might not have been what Apo had said in full, but Bella-Louise knew how to read between the lines.
Owen saluted mockingly. “You got it, girl. C’mon Apo, let’s get Abolish.” Apo nodded, for some reason actually serious, and left with the lumberjack. Did Bella-Louise really make it so she actually liked eating people now? She was better than she thought!
Thankfully, once they left, she was given the chance to turn into a bat once more. But how did that even happen? Becoming human-shaped was one thing, but gaining the new…features, that she had…she was becoming an even more amazing shape shifter!
Wait, did this make her straight? Ew. Wait no, she hadn’t felt love in centuries, she couldn’t be straight. Take that, no one in particular!
Anyway, she had more chaos to bring, as now with the powers of becoming a conventionally attractive woman, anything was even more possible! For instance, fucking with people!
Her first stop, naturally, was Cleo. The chance to fuck with someone as knowledgable about vampires, while still playing the cute bat act (not that the cute part was an act, she was naturally adorable).
Knocking on the door, still carrying the branch of course, Cleo opened up, before immediately blinked twice, and rubbing her eyes. “Uhm. Hello? Who are…wait, hold on…” Pearl peeked out from behind Cleo. “Oh? Who’s that?”
Bella-Louise made a chirp sound. Pearl’s eyes widened. “Bella-Louise!?” The bat-woman nodded, flipping her longer hair out of her face, and giving a cutesy smile.
She looked infinitely regal, of course, but that was secondary in anyone’s mind, given, again, she was Bella-Louise.
Writing in the dirt, she said: ‘Owen made me a body!’
Cleo took a second to read the message, before a look of dawning horror came over her. “Sorry, he made you a body?” Bella-Louise nodded, writing: ‘fae :D’ in the dirt.
The ginger laughed hysterically, getting Pearl to the door so she could read it too. “Oh, I knew it! Funny, vampires and fae, my mum would have a field day!” Pearl squawked at that comment, before rushing out of the house, and squishing Bella-Louise’s face. “Awww, you’re adorable!”
Bella-Louise this was totally an authentic reaction, and not a result of emotional manipulation and vampiric natural hypnotism making Pearl dote over Bella-Louise. Though, of course, she didn’t complain either way. She was getting affection, and that was what mattered.
Restraining the slowly building need to make snarky comments, Bella-Louise just nodded along, and wrote out meaningless drivel until both had their fun with her, and went back to bed. Next, a man who she could bully!
Now who to choose, who to-she was kidding, it was obviously going to be Legundo. The medical marvel that she was, she was certain she could have some fun.
With just two knocks, Legs opened the door, and was face to face with-
“Oh! You must be Bella-Louise, right?” Aw, no fun. Bella-Louise tilted her head, making Legs chuckle a bit. “I heard someone scream your name, Bella-Louise, sorry. If it makes you feel better, you’re a very cute human, as well as a bat.”
Bella-Louise grinned, before drawing a message. ‘Owen made this for me! am i pretty?’ Legundo’s smile strained a bit as his eyebrows furrowed. “Uhm. Made it for you? What did he do, exactly?”
‘I’m a fae, and he made a deal with me!’
“A-a fae? Like, from myths?”
‘Yep!’
“Well…t-that’s…great, Bella-Louise. I hope none of us have, ah…offended you?” Bella-Louise shook her head. ‘Nope! You’ve all been very kind. I want to protect you all with all my power!’
Relief flooded Legundo’s features. “Er…thank you, Bella-Louise.” Aw, he didn’t believe in her power! It made sense, she was lying after all, but it was still a little sad. However, it was true, she could tell, that those compliments on her appearance were true, which was what really mattered! Flattery could get you everywhere, after all.
That trend continued with every other door she visited, people cooing in adoration, most entirely genuine, a few a little intimidated, but overall, their adoration for Bella-Louise only increased. Probably due to the hypnosis and emotional manipulation over these past few months, but hey, this was no ego trip! It was more like an ego vacation.
And when she turned back in the late morning, there would of course be questions. Questions she’d be lying about, of course, and using to play up whatever her persona was, but questions nonetheless.
Unfortunately, that raised their own questions. Who did she want to be now? Clearly, being too docile wasn’t for her. She’d been turning people left and right, instigating two murders, and overall had been a menace, even if nobody knew.
Additionally, she only did this fae act now because she knew it was a matter of time before the village full of vampires, soon to be 100% of the population, figured something out. So, she probably should act clueless. Owen would no doubt play along with whatever she said, er, drew, so at least she’d be spared from that hassle.
Yes, yes. As the dawn came, so would a flurry of lies. But, not for much longer. After all, with Abolish undoubtedly being bitten soon, she’d be able to unleash her full power, get all of this boredom out on some nearby village, then return to this one, with all the adorable protective cuteness that had been now engraved into Bella-Louise’s character.
Only a few hours, and everything she wanted, the fancy meals, the luxurious pampering, and of course, the freedom to do what she pleased, it would all be hers.
And she was a patient girl.