Stella

Cloe’s hair looks like Connie’s did the day Connie died. Stella feels hope, however, because while Cloe’s “chemical smell is overwhelming. […] It is not the smell of the shell of a human” (119). Nando and Stella try to drag Cloe to safety, but they have difficulty getting her far and the fire is catching up to them. Suddenly Cloe starts to move. Stella barks for a while, then she hears the working dogs bark back. She smells Esperanza as well. Esperanza arrives at the scene and tells Stella that she did a good job. Stella stands strong in her “find-it-and-alert” position while Nando stands near Esperanza (120). A police officer asks Esperanza if Stella is a seizure alert dog because Stella’s stance reminds her of a seizure alert dog she once knew. Esperanza looks deeply at Stella, and Stella knows that they are communicating wordlessly. She tells Stella and Nando that they are heroes.

Nando and Stella wait outside for Esperanza. She comes home and feeds the dogs. Cloe is home, and while Stella can smell her chemicals, they are not as strong as before. Stella jumps at the door, waiting for Esperanza to let her into the house. Cloe is small in her bed but looks healthy. Stella snuggles with Cloe and reflects that life is as good as it could possibly be. Cloe tells Stella that she not only saved her, but she also saved the whole forest because she helped them find the fire quickly. Stella wants to be Cloe’s best friend. She knows that she isn’t perfect, but she belongs to Cloe, and Cloe belongs to her.

Cloe asks her mom to let her keep Stella as a house pet. Esperanza tells her that Stella has already convinced her. Esperanza explains to Cloe that Stella is using her bomb-sniffing skills to monitor Cloe’s epilepsy so she can warn her about a seizure. Esperanza tells Cloe that Stella can even sleep in her bed. Stella is very happy.

Stella and Cloe again work on the teeter-totter. The board starts to tip as Stella walks forward, but Stella makes it to the other side. Stella is so proud of herself for doing what she did not think she could do. She wishes Connie could see her now. Esperanza calls them over, and when Stella gets near, she smells Ava, Diana, Doc Collins, and Jake. Stella is going to be featured on the news for her rescue. Stella can hear Connie telling her that she is a good dog, and she knows that she can trust Connie. Stella is also learning that she can trust herself. She never needed to prove herself to Connie. They will always have a connection, just like Stella and Cloe will always have a connection. Love is not something that needs to be earned at all, and mistakes cannot destroy it. Instead, love means being comfortable enough with someone to be able “to be yourself with them” (133).