Chapter 3- Bella's POV

I had never dealt with a winter quite like the one I had just dealt with. The storms had been horrible, the weather had been freezing, and by the time April came along, I was ready for it to start warming up.

But here I was in the middle of May in 75 degree weather. The deck did feel hot under my feet, but there was nothing else about the temperature that I would say was hot.

Why did Mom decide to move here again? I wondered for what might have been the one millionth time. It was exactly what she had run away from. A small town with too closely knit of a community.

I looked up at the fast approaching storm and sighed. So much for enjoying a day outside, it wasn't warm enough, was too humid, and now this. It was going to rain.

Willsboro, Indiana was the last place I would have expected my mother to go… well it was the second to last place. The last place would be the town I had spent so many summers at with Charlie, Forks. I had to admit, Willsboro was at least a little bearable, even though the winter had been colder than shit. I wondered idly about my friends back in Phoenix and then decided I should head in. I looked at the clock that hung above the dining table. It was twelve p.m. I felt like I had to be somewhere. But where was there to go?

Then it hit me.

Shedd Aquarium.

The place was practically calling to me. The problem, it was a four hour drive to Chicago. I'd be home extra late, and mom would be wondering what happened to me. Well, actually, I think I'd be the one worrying about where she went.

My mom was now trying to learn how to play guitar. As much as I told her she should make sure she didn't spend too much money on a guitar she might never use again, she still decided to go for it. She was doing better with guitar than any other craft she had been trying to do, so maybe she would finally find her niche.

I hoped so.

I quickly pulled my truck keys off of the key rack and wrote Mom a hasty letter.

Hey mom, going to Shedd. See you at 10, or later. I'll be home as soon as possible. Love ya! Bella

I rushed out the door to my favorite place. The drive was long, and I was ready to get out of the car by the time I got to the museum sector of Chicago. At least, that's what I called it.

Shedd Aquarium still took my breath away when I walked inside. The wait had been a little long, and I only had four hours, they had extended their hours a little since it was close to summer, left to see the place. I showed one of the people at the ticket counter my season pass and walked inside.

I loved this place. It was hard to explain, but something just drew me there. The fish, the monkeys in the Amazon Rising area, the beluga whales, the penguins, I loved everything. I walked up a flight of stairs looking for the one place that always caught my eyes; the gift shop.

I might not have had much money, but I loved looking at the millions of different things they sold there. I laughed as younger kids ran around me to look at stuffed animals, their parents scolding them from running away. It was strange, the place, for once, was empty. Only a few people walked around here and there. Normally the place was so busy you had to shove your way across the hallway. I walked around taking everything in, just like I had the first time I had walked inside this building.

I never wanted to leave. I felt at home and I felt at ease around the fish. It made me think that my mom had been right. I should've taken that class about marine biology in school when I had the chance. Biology was something that I was good at. I sucked at math, hated chemistry, and dealt with literature. Biology was the only class that just… clicked.

I began to walk down the stairs towards the beluga pool when I had the feeling somebody was watching me.

I turned around to find nobody. I shrugged it off and decided I must have been paranoid. I smiled when a large beluga surfaced to the water just as I walked by. The first time I had gone to the aquarium, I had been standing right next to the glass when the largest of the three belugas swam right by me. I had to admit, it scared the living shit out of me, but I was amazed at how big they got. It had to be a good three feet taller than I was, and I was awestruck. I had been going down to the Polar Play Zone ever since. I loved it.

I didn't know what my problem was, but it just felt like something was a little off. Maybe it was the lack of tourists, maybe it was just paranoia, but I felt like somebody was watching me still. I turned around again.

Nothing, not even a small child or a museum guide was around. I shook my head and walked back up the stairs and then back down another flight. I walked through the museum until closing time, and then when it was time to leave, I left. I stopped at a McDonald's on the way home, and when I walked in the door, my mother attacked me in a huge hug. I smiled.

"Hey Mom"

"How was your day at the museum? I hope you enjoyed yourself. I think I'm beginning to understand how playing a guitar works. Tom thinks I might need to keep working at it, but I'm getting there."

I smiled. "That's great Mom." I yawned. "I should get to bed. Love you." I said as I walked into my room.

"I love you too honey." My mom watched me go into my room.

I closed my door and walked over to the full sized bed I had gotten two years ago. The mattress was comfortable, and since the winter had been so cold, I was glad my mom had gotten me a large comforter to sleep with. If it hadn't been for the comforter, I was positive I would've frozen my ass off halfway through the winter. I readied myself for bed and slept like a log. My dreams were not as peaceful as I had hoped them to be though.

Bella. Something was calling my name. Isabella. I wish I knew what it was.

I ran towards the sound of the voice. "What do you want?" I yelled in the general direction of the voice. It sounded like velvet and had a soft sexy roll to it when I heard my full name. It sent shivers down my spine. "Who are you?"

Silence greeted my words, enveloping them.

"What do you want?" I yelled again.

Still nothing.

I woke that morning in a sweat. Who was the man with the velvet voice, and why did I always dream of him after going to Shedd?

AN: Chapter 3 is now finished! Please review. Talicka