Bella-Ne
With the world ending around them and her husband nowhere to be found, Bella-Ne is a character whose heart is stronger than any threat the world throws at her. MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD.
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Bella-Ne is a pop star that Quinn and his team come across when searching for supplies mere weeks after the zombie apocalypse has started. She’s instantly recognizable by Quinn and the others as one of the biggest stars in the world. She was crafted after Beyonce (who had one child at the time and was married) and has a similar stature as Bey. I wanted to write a love story, but I didn’t want a cliché’ story. So I decided to put this love story amid the zombie takeover, which I think worked out pretty well.
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Unlike what Quinn initially thinks of her, she’s no damsel in distress and is willing to travel alone if she has to, searching for her husband. She’s had training, which surprises the others, but at times, her heart can lead her into taking risks that Quinn deems unnecessary.
When coming up with the character, I wanted her to feel close to Quinn, but I also wanted it to be a little uneasy as well. He lost his family at the beginning of the apocalypse and has been more suicidal than anything going on these missions with his team. I needed someone who could fill his heart and erase some of the pain and anger that he was left with. Bella-Ne’s heart and love not only give Quinn something worth living for, but as time goes on, it allows him to feel again in a way he didn’t think he ever would after losing his wife. A once dead inside Quinn now has life within him, which is where the title Life Within came from.
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When Bella-Ne finds out that her husband has been killed by zombies in the area, Quinn feels her pain having gone through it himself. It’s the one thing that ties them together, and because of that tragic connection, they lean on each other’s shoulders when needed. Quinn is also a great father to her daughter which allows her to feel safe with him no matter what’s going on around them. She taught Quinn how to love again and left her daughter’s life in his hands before her demise, knowing it was the one thing that would keep him from imploding back into his dark path. It’s a tragic tale, and everyone who has read this book is stunned by the ending. It was the ending I always planned, and I knew it would set some folks off. The fact that people were stunned by it makes me believe they connected with Bella-Ne and were heartbroken by her death. So was I, folks. So was I.
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"You thought I was some damsel in distress chick! I might not be a soldier or anything, but you forget I was born and raised in the Bronx before I became a household name! I had to deal with all kinds of shit coming up! Maybe nothing as this severe, but I know pressure like you wouldn't believe!" Bella-Ne when Quinn questions if she's taking her training seriously.
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