Why did Bella have powers as a human?

Throughout the Twilight series, gifted humans are humans who manifest special abilities or strong qualities before they are turned into vampires. After they are turned, that characteristic will likely magnify into a supernatural talent. Depending on the clarity of its human manifestation, the level of that talent varies after the change.

The Quileute tribal members descended from Taha Aki manifested magical powers that allowed them to transform into giant wolves, though these powers only activate for the fitting age and after coming across a vampire. This and the telepathic link between them in wolf form identifies them as "gifted". However, unlike humans, these people are unable to transform into vampires after getting bit. The venom simply works as poison to their systems.

Notable gifted humans[]

Such humans have made numerous appearances.

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  Bella Swan

  Bella Swan is capable of shielding her mind from all sorts of psychic powers. As a vampire, she becomes able to extend her shield to protect someone other than herself, effectively keeping all mind-invasive powers at bay. Her power was seemingly inherited from her father.
  

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  Charlie Swan

  Charlie Swan manifests a mental defense that reduces the effects of a psychic influence on his mind. This trait was later passed down to his much more powerful daughter Bella. Though he is gifted, he does not become a vampire.
  

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  Renée Dwyer

  Renée Dwyer's ability manifests as a form of thought projection, making her able to influence others with her thoughts, albeit subconsciously.
  

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  Edward Cullen

  Edward Cullen had been able to read people very accurately as a human. As a vampire, this characteristic evolved into a supernatural ability to read other people's minds, both human and vampire.
  

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  Alice Cullen

  Alice Cullen was gifted with a weak but predictable sense of the future. Her predictions weren't always certain and mostly manifested as feelings, but at times she could see them in visions when the future was set. This ability brought to her names and bad reputation as a human. She discovered her father had hired hitmen to kill her mother and later Alice herself through these visions, but was later taken into a mental asylum, where she befriended a vampire. When Alice witnessed her death at the hands of another vampire named James, her friend turned her to save her. After becoming a vampire, her visions were heightened and allowed her to see the future much more clearly, though it still had flaws.
  

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  Jasper Hale

  Jasper Hale was very charismatic as a human and he was able to persuade others to think his way. After Maria changed him, his charismatic nature became a supernatural talent that allowed him to feel and influence the feelings of those around him. He mainly used it to keep the wild newborns in the army under control. Whenever he killed someone, human or vampire, he felt their pain.
  

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  Jane

  Jane, and her twin brother Alec, manifested unclear psychic powers to the people around them while they were children. They were able to bring fortune to those who treated them nicely and misfortune to those who treated them otherwise. Aro was told of the twins' latent potential and hoped to change them when they were older. He was forced to change them sooner than expected, when their village accused them of witchcraft and condemned them to burn at the stake. By experiencing the torment of burning death, Jane's anger and desire for others to feel the same pain manifested into an illusionary ability to inflict a burning torment on anyone she saw. After becoming a vampire, Jane's frightening power made her one of the most valuable members of the Volturi guard.
  

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  Alec

  Alec, along with his twin sister Jane, manifested unclear psychic powers when they were children. Anyone who treated him and his family with kindness was often rewarded with fortune while misfortune was brought on those who did the opposite. Aro was told of the twins' latent potential and hoped to change them when they were older. He was forced to change them sooner than expected, when their village accused them of witchcraft and condemned them to burn at the stake. By experiencing the burning pain that nearly killed him, Alec focused fully on escaping the pain and consequently manifested into a power to block senses. After he became a vampire, his paralyzing power made him one of the most valuable members of the Volturi guard.
  

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  James

  James was a skilled and powerful hunter as a human—he was trained to hunt and trap by his father. This skill allowed him to survive by himself when his parents were killed, and later earned him title and fame in the nearby areas. After he was transformed by a French vampire, this skill manifested a powerful sensory that allowed him to detect his prey's movements and track them down.
  

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  Victoria

  Victoria led an abusive human life: her employers often assaulted her for any fault or just by being visible. To survive, she learned to sneak and hide from her pursuers, and then survive on her own by stealing food without notice and sleeping in the smallest of corners. After she became a vampire, this surviving skill was turned into a power that allowed her to sense and evade danger. Unlike most gifted vampires, her power wasn't withborn. Rather, her abusive human life had perfected her ability to survive.
  

• Didyme, Marcus's deceased wife, had a dormant ability to induce happiness in others, which gave her with many suitors. As a vampire, it manifested much more strongly. Whoever was with her was constantly influenced by her happy aura.
  

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  Kate

  Kate was trained to be a bodyguard loyal to whomever she is assigned to protect. As a vampire, her protective instinct allowed her to cause a shock-like jolt in anyone she touches.
  

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  Benjamin

  Benjamin was known to have been an extraordinarily gifted human since he was a child, due to his power to control the natural elements. His distant uncle used his gift for street performance, which prompted Amun to change him. As a human, he only controlled fire, but he began to manifest the other elements after becoming a vampire.
  

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  Maggie

  Maggie was born with the ability to sense whether someone was lying. Anyone who tried to tell lies, Maggie pointed them out, which made her a freak to the townsfolk. By becoming a vampire, her gift manifested much more sharply: it allows her to sense others' lies simply by movements and facial expressions that do not come from his or her true intentions.
  

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  Alistair

  Alistair was a skilled hunter as a human and enjoyed the company of falcons more than people. By becoming a vampire, his skill turned into a power to feel an elusive gravitational pull to whatever he seeks, even inanimate objects.
  

• Fred shunned all social interactions and became emotionally and physically distant from people. As a vampire, his withdrawal turned into a power that allowed him to drive away pursuers by inflicting them with a sense of repulsion.
  

• Raoul was a gang leader and a criminal as a human. As a vampire, his sense of superiority became a power to draw directionless individuals toward him and make them view him as their leader.
  

Quileute tribe members[]

• Kaheleha was a spirit chief of the tribe in ancient times, before the tribe's magic was altered to transforming into giant wolves. At that time, he and the other chiefs possessed the power of astral projection, which they used to protect their tribe from enemies.
  

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  Taha Aki

  Taha Aki was a spirit chief in the 12th century. He was the first tribal member to shapeshift into a wolf. While astral projecting, his spirit warrior Utlapa possessed his body and impersonated him to take over the Quileute tribe. Unable to use Utlapa's destroyed body, he inhabited the body of a wolf, and later turned into a half-man half-wolf creature to kill Utlapa, becoming the first shape-shifter. He continued to live for two centuries.
  

• Taha Wi was Taha Aki's son, who naturally inherited the power to phase into a wolf.
  

• Utlapa was Taha Aki's spirit warrior before betraying him by possessing his body to take over the tribe. At that time, his tribal power was astral projection.
  

• Yaha Uta was Taha Aki's son who inherited the power to phase into a wolf.
  

• Yut was Taha Aki's spirit warrior with the power of astral projection.
  

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  Ephraim Black

  Ephraim Black was an Alpha of the wolf pack in the 1930s. As the Alpha, he had control over his followers.
  

• Levi Uley was the "Beta" of Ephraim Black's pack in the 1930s.
  

• Quil Ateara II was the third member of Ephraim Black's pack in the 1930s.
  

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  Sam Uley

  Sam Uley was the first person of the latest generation to inherit the power to shapeshift. As he took care of the other members, he naturally assumed the role of Alpha in the Uley pack, which became important when Jacob refused the role.
  

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  Jared Cameron

  Jared Cameron was the second Quileute of the latest generation to phase, after Sam Uley. He was known to have the best sight of the pack, and was later promoted to his pack's "Beta".
  

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  Paul Lahote

  Paul Lahote was the third person to join the Uley pack. He had the hardest time controlling his phasing, since it was mainly triggered by anger. Furthermore, Paul's temperamental behavior was heightened by the change.
  

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  Embry Call

  Embry Call was the fourth Quileute to phase and join the Uley pack, later redirects his allegiance to the Black pack. His transformation was a surprise because everyone knew he and his mother came from the Makah tribe and the gene is exclusive to Quileutes. For this reason, it is assumed that Embry's father was one, presumably Sam Uley's father, Joshua, who left his family years ago.
  

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  Jacob Black

  Jacob Black was the fifth Quileute to join the Uley pack; with his rightful place to Alpha, Jacob broke away from the pack and formed one of his own. As the Alpha, he had a supernatural command over his followers.
  

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  Quil Ateara V

  Quil Ateara V was the sixth person to join the Uley pack, later joining the Black pack to be with his friends.
  

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  Leah Clearwater

  Leah Clearwater was the seventh Quileute (and the first female in history) to join the Uley pack, later becoming "Beta" of the Black pack. Despite being the smallest in size, she was known as the fastest in both packs.
  

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  Seth Clearwater

  Seth Clearwater was the eighth Quileute to join the Uley pack, and later disbanded to join the Black pack. He was known to have the best sense of hearing in both packs.
  

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  Brady Fuller

  

  Collin Littlesea

  Brady Fuller and Collin Littlesea were among a number of the youngest Quileutes to join the Uley pack.
  

Notes[]

• It is questionable whether or not Edward's birth mother, Elizabeth Masen, was gifted. This is supported by her conversation with Carlisle, when she told him to do what everyone else could not do to save her son. In addition, it has been noted that certain gifts are hereditary, similar to Bella, Charlie, and Renée.

• In Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined, the gifted humans and Quileutes are Beau Swan, Charlie Swan, Renée Dwyer, Samantha Uley, Paula Lahote, and Julie Black.

See also[]

• Special abilities
• Hybrid
• Shapeshifter

Why is Bella immune to everyone's powers?

How does Bella have a mind shield as a human?

Why Can Edward read Bella's mind when she was human?

Do humans have powers in Twilight?