Book 7: A Familiar Scent

Rose

“Stop!” I shout at the driver again, and he practically slams on the brakes, sending Shelby and me flying forward against our seat belts. I don’t have time to think about whether or not it hurts as I open the car door and have a look around.

Shelby is out of the vehicle, too. “Rose? What’s going on?” she asks me. “Why did you have us stop right here in the middle of nowhere?”

I can’t explain to her why I needed the car to stop right here, but I smell something. It’s a very faint hint of something that reminds me of the babies. I’m not sure if that’s what made me stop, or if it was just mother’s intuition, but now that I’m out of the car, I definitely smell it.

“I’m going to walk this way,” I say, not really answering her. I take off through the woods, hesitating every few feet, looking around, lifting my nose to the air. Shelby is behind me, keeping her distance but also keeping an eye on me.

The ground is uneven with lots of large