Crafting Angry Olivia: The Bell Family Curse
Olivia’s transformation into a beast is a legacy passed down through generations, inherited from her mother, as her mother had inherited it before her. The young girl would undergo this fearsome change whenever she was consumed by anger. In these moments, Olivia’s head would swell, her delicate features grotesquely contorted, steam would hiss from her ears, and her once-lovely complexion would turn a violent, fiery red. Her mother, Georgie, exhibited a similar transformation, though hers was more controlled. In one striking scene from the tale, as Georgie’s hand gripped the bannister, Olivia noticed her mother’s nails elongating unnaturally—a subtle sign that Georgie, too, struggled to master the beast within. Yet, unlike her daughter, Georgie had learned to confine the transformation to more discreet parts of her body.
The origins of this cursed metamorphosis can be traced back four centuries, to the era of Octavia Bell. Octavia, famed for her breathtaking beauty and unparalleled diplomatic skills, was wed to Francisco Bell, a man of military ambition. Octavia’s role was to be little more than a decorative figure, a radiant hostess to entertain guests while her husband made decisions that would reverberate across the kingdom. However, Octavia, driven by a fierce desire to support her husband, defied the expectations of her time and secretly taught herself to read—an act forbidden to women. She would rise at the break of dawn, feigning morning strolls, only to steal away to hidden corners of the castle to study.
One fateful day, emboldened by her newfound knowledge, Octavia dared to offer Francisco advice on a military strategy. His response was swift and cruel, reminding her that her place was at his side, silent unless spoken to. When she objected, he belittled her further, declaring that her opinions were as worthless as his undergarments—items he had no use for. Years of suppressed rage, humiliation, and enforced silence erupted from Octavia in that moment. What she had not anticipated was that this long-buried fury would not only consume her mentally, but transform her physically. Her rage contorted her into a monstrous form, a hideous creature born from her anguish. Francisco, horrified by the sight of his once-beautiful wife, condemned her to live out her days in a cage.
Felicity Bell, Octavia’s daughter, witnessed this horrific transformation through a crack in the door. Terrified, Felicity vowed never to succumb to anger, fearing that she too would share her mother’s cursed fate. But this vow would ultimately fail. Years later, when her own husband squandered her entire fortune on a reckless investment, leaving the family destitute, Felicity could no longer contain her fury. The beast within her was unleashed.
From that day forward, every daughter of the Bell family has inherited this dreaded ability to transform into a beast. Each mother, burdened by the curse, sought to stifle her anger, praying that her daughter might be the one to break the cycle. This was the hope Georgie Bell held when she gave birth to Olivia. Believing that by sheltering her child from her own presence and providing only the finest of luxuries, Olivia would grow up free from the anger that had plagued the Bell women for generations. Yet, this approach only served to foster deeper resentment in Olivia, a truth Georgie would come to realize during the Coachford family’s fateful visit.