E. J. Stevens - She Smells the Dead (Spirit Guide, Book 1)

Praise for the Spirit Guide Series

by E.J. Stevens

She Smells the Dead

"She Smells the Dead provides something new and fresh to the YA realm."

-Stacey, Flippin' Fabulous: A Reader's Record

"This series is like Nancy Drew meets the Winchester Brother's from Supernatural."

-Natalie, I'd So Rather Be Reading

"I absolutely loved every last delicious page of She Smells the Dead!"

-Mary, Sparkling Reviews

"If you love ghosts, Goths, and a little bit of YA romance, you will want to check this book out."

-Yvonne, Diva's Bookcase

Great YA Paranormal Romance.

-Were Vamps Romance

Spirit Storm

"Part mystery, part adventure, part romance and all the things a reader wants."

-Mechele, Read For Your Future

"Fans of Rachel Hawkins Hex Hall Series and Lauren Kate's Fallen Series will love this!"

-Kristen, Seeing Night Reviews

"These characters are so unique and fun to follow."

-Amber, The Musings of Alymbnenr

"I haven't read a truly great YA paranormal in more years than I can remember, and Ms. Stevens delivers the most well written tale imaginable!"

-Tamela Quijas, At Your Fingertips

Also by E.J. Stevens

SPIRIT GUIDE SERIES

Spirit Storm

Legend of Witchtrot Road (October 4, 2011)

Brush with Death (Coming 2012)

DARK POETRY COLLECTIONS

From the Shadows

Shadows of Myth and Legend

She Smells the Dead

E.J. Stevens

Published by Sacred Oaks Press at Smashwords

Copyright 2010 E.J. Stevens

All rights reserved

Publishers Note

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the authors rights is appreciated.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given

away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase

an additional copy for each person. If youre reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was

not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own

copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Prologue

I can smell the dead. I know, you hear of people with superhuman paranormal powers and you think, how cool is that but there is nothing cool about smelling the dead. I mean it could be worse I suppose. The dead dont smell like rotting corpses, usually. Its often more of a symbolic smell. Smell Impressions as my friend Calvin likes to call them. Ugh. I know, again with the uncoolness. You have no idea.

Imagine biting into your favorite veggie burger loaded up with ketchup and suddenly smelling rotten eggs. Heck, my biggest fear is finally kissing Garrett Hamlin, the guy Ive been drooling over since 8 th grade, and smelling something awful. Like skunk butt or sweaty gym socks. I. Would. Die.

So yeah. My name is Vanessa Stennings but I go by Yuki. When youre a kid the name Nessie gets you teased and Vee for victory takes on a whole new meaning when you reach high school and all the boys can think about is getting lucky. So I picked Yuki. It means snow or a snow covered village which, considering all the snow we get here in Maine, seems fitting. I didnt pick it for that reason though. I decided on Yuki because the smell of freshly falling snow is a clean, beautiful smell and if Im anything, its ruled by smells.

Of course I hadnt realized that a few jocks would start calling me Yucky, but heck, theyre jocks . Its not like I acknowledge their existence anyway. We live in different worlds. They are obsessed with muscles and fart jokes--and I smell the dead.

Chapter 1

I was staring at my black nail polish which was now chewed around the edges and wondering if I now had black flecks in my teeth. Great . It was only second period of the first day of school and I was already a nervous wreck. How was I ever going to survive an entire school year when I couldnt even make it through one day?

Vinegar . Strong, pungent apple cider vinegar. It made my mouth water and my eyes burn. The smell also made me think of dyeing Easter eggs as a kid. Funny how smell could take you back inside a memory. But this wasnt a real smell, unless one of my classmates was wearing eau du pickles; it was a smell impression.

I was sitting in second period English class and I was smelling dead people. Groovy . Maybe I was being haunted by the Ghost of Easter Past. Lets not go there . The Easter Bunny always did creep me out with his gigantic teeth and wide-eyed permagrin. Yeah Yuki, lets not go there .

Trying my best to take notes while my eyes were watering would at least keep my mind off Mr. Pickle Pants. There wasnt much I could do for him until I got out of school for the day. The smelly dead dude would just have to wait.

Chapter 2

I had changed into comfy yoga pants and my favorite hoodie and was now ready to tackle the mystery of my new smelly friend. I grabbed my laptop, notebook, and pen and plumped my nest of pillows up at the top of my bed. I might as well make myself comfortable . I had learned over summer vacation that these hauntings would stop when I figured out what the ghost wanted. The problem was that all I had to go on was a smell impression and its not like I had a fancy CSI lab for analyzing clues. I had one clue, a strong vinegar smell, and no idea where to begin. I was probably going to be smelling vinegar for the rest of my life. Might as well get on with it .

My research methods were extremely advanced. I Googled vinegar. I then tried limiting the search parameters to include Maine and exclude recipes. Amazing detective work I know. I scrolled through page after page until I felt like my eyes were bleeding. I was about to close the search window when a link caught my attention. It was to an obituary in Maine that included the word vinegar. Indubitably .

My heart started racing and I suddenly felt dizzy. I probably shouldnt have skipped both lunch and dinner, but you try eating when everything smells like vinegar. If this lead panned out I might be able to eat a late night snack and if not, then I would just have to stop and grab some salt and vinegar chips on the way to school tomorrow. With a plan in place I tried to refocus on the computer screen.

Obituaries

Jackson Green, 81 was laid to rest today in Pine Hill cemetery outside Sansborough Maine. Jackson is survived by his wife Grace. He was predeceased by his three sons, Richard Green, Jonathan Green, and Samuel Green, who passed away in a tragic boating accident this past June. Jackson Green was CEO of the Green Orchards Apple Cider Vinegar Company. His fortune was to be left to his wife Grace Green, however, his last will and testament seems to have been misplaced some time just before his death. Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Mr. Greens Will is asked to please contact the local Sansborough police department.

I jumped as I heard a knock and my bedroom door opened. Maybe I was just a little jittery .