Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN

The sun is shining as I head outside with Brock.

"Here's the forest," he tells me.

It looks like the forest I know.

My heart swells.

There are many trees.

Lush green foliage.

"It's beautiful," I say, feeling tears in my eyes.

"It's one of my favorite places," he says.

"It is?"

"It's a peaceful place. That's my favorite thing about it. Peaceful and quiet. I love lying in the shade of the trees. The forest has always been my favorite place to just...be."

He smiles.

I smile too.

Brock seems like a nice guy.

But he is quiet and reserved.

Fun-loving Ethan and happy-go-lucky Beth would have been better tour guides, but Brock seems nice.

We walk through the trees.

"I like it here," he continues. "You can get away from the others, but it's still close to the pack. Come, let me show you something."

He leads me through the forest.

We come to a clearing.

There are so many flowers.

I have never seen so many flowers.

I gasp.

"What is this?" I ask him.