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I here was a clatter above Jenny-the sound of a chain racketing along wood She reacted instinctively, before rational thought could interfere She seized the body in the china blue dress and pulled it off the table

Not fast enough The huge disk caht down-and then veered sideways, knocked out of line by so

Dee hit the disk with both heels, one after the other, so fast that the blows looked si down beside the table Then the table crashed into Dee, who’d just regained her feet Dee sprawled on the floor beside Jenny

The bundle in Jenny’s arms stirred

Shock had wiped all the dreadful thoughts out of her ht have looked up at her from under Summer’s fluff of curls

So it see up, with cheeks like rain-washed roses and blinking, sleep-encrusted blue eyes

Summer yawned and rubbed at her lashes

"I’m so tired-as the crash?"

Dee had picked herself up and was approaching gingerly So were Audrey and Michael

"Is it dead?" Michael said huskily

Jenny knehat he meant Just because Summer could talk, that didn’t mean she wasn’t dead-not here in the Shadow World

But Suht arm in Jenny’s arms, and Summer’s flesh looked like real flesh, not like plastic or that hideous goo that Slug’s body had been wearing Suht

Jenny felt very dizzy

She couldn’t say anything None of them could They all just stared at Sue and ti?" she said faintly "What’s how long was I asleep?"

Audrey leaned over slowly

"Sumn than any in all the languages she knew

"What’s wrong?" Su do you think you were asleep?" Michael croaked "What’s the last thing you remember?"

"Well, I was in that hallwayand then you found meand then ent into my bedroom Only it wasn’t my bedroom And then "

She stopped, her mouth open like a baby bird’s

"Kiddo," Dee said and waved a hand helplessly

"So bad happened"

"Yeah, but you don’t have to think about it"

"I don’t reet hurt? Did I faint?"

Dee looked at Jenny Jenny looked at Audrey and Michael

"I think it’s really her," Michael said

"It’s her," Dee said She reached for Su Sus "Are you okay? Really okay? Does everything work?"

"Ow"

"Suh She put two fingers to her lips and began crying just as hysterically

It was catching Audrey began laughing and crying at the same time Michael sniffled

Jenny didn’t knoas happening to her Her heart was skipping-but then it had been skipping all night She felt dizzy-but she’d been feeling dizzy on and off ever since she’d stepped into the Shadow World

This was different It was like pain, but it wasn’t pain It coursed through her, flooding up from her toes in an irresistible skyward rush She actually felt lighter, as if she were lifting toward the ceiling

All she could think was oh, thank you

Her et around the concepnt that Su and apparently well and strong Not even bruised

Oh, thank you, thank you

She had an urge to bundle Summer up and hustle her away somewhere, pack her in tissue paper, keep her safe Get her to sanctuary before anything else could happen to her

But there wasn’t any sanctuary, not here Suer She’d have to take her chances like the rest of theot hoht actually helped Jenny, stopped the giddiness and the tre to picture Suh face and his wistful blue eyes, and what he’d look like when he saw his sister again The picture wouldn’t coood But now that she realized it ht very well never happen, she felt calmer It seemed more possible now that it was only a possibility

"I’ll try to get you out, though," she said, and only realized she’d said it aloud when Summer looked up at her

"I know you will," Su child "I hate this paper house Do we look for Zach now? Isn’t he next?"

Jenny felt another jolt of improbability as she realized how much they needed to explain to Summer Wherever Summer had been since they’d last seen her, she obviously didn’t re a pointed glance at Jenny "This place gives et out of this chas fell on them The shift to ordinary concerns stopped the last of the tre inside Jenny It wasn’t that she was less happy-she wasover her disbelief The first joy had been painful, but now a great quietness caet Summer out of the fun house, to a place where they could rest and talk

As she stood, helping Dee help Summer up, she saw eyes in the shadows

Eyes like the ones she’d seen in thefrom the corridor behind Jenny, and they were full ofan ar Summer so she wouldn’t see them "This way"

They won’t touch you I promise I won’t let them

She meant it Her happiness wrapped her in a cloak of protection The Shadow Men could stare all they wanted, but they wouldn’t get near Summer

To her relief, the torture chamber part of the fun house ended with Summer’s scene The narrow corridor wound back and forth a few turns and then opened into a sn that read: exit

"Made it," Dee breathed Jenny wondered if she had seen the eyes, too

Suled out from under Jenny’s arm

"Wait, look at this" Her voice was just as it had always been, light and childish, eager Jenny could hardly believe she was hearing it again

Su in front of a candy machine like the ones Jenny had seen in the arcade She thrust her sers into the one pocket of her shirtdress "Do any of you guys have a quarter? I’ for some chocolate"

"Uh" Michael looked at Jenny "I don’t knoe better"

"We should get out of here," Dee said positively

"But I’ And it’ll only take one second-"

Michael looked at Jenny again, and Jenny said, "Oh, give it to her so we can get out," and looked back into the black corridor for the eyes The candy peanuts had been okay; she supposed this would be She could hear the sound of Su the handle, and then the patter of falling M&M’s

"I hope I didn’t get a lot of green ones," Summer said

Dee said, "I’ll open it Never mind why, Summer"

"Just don’t put your hand in," Audrey said, and Jenny turned around in tiave Audrey

Then the candies were spilling into Dee’s hand-and Dee gave a kind of yelp thatand run to her

Her mind had plenty of tis that ht have come out of that machine Dead buss, red-hot pennies, blobs of acid Why hadn’t she thought-? But she was still a step ahen she saw the answer glea in the pile of candy on Dee’s palreens, one red, and a gold coin," Michael said coolly, assessing the pile "Not bad"

Jenny just beat Dee gently on the back

"Put it somewhere safe," Dee said, and Jenny plucked it fro its coolness before it war When she opened her hand again, the coin was as rich and shiny as e

Then she put it in her shirt pocket and buttoned the flap "Co we could here Su utterly mystified "We’ll explain outside"

Summer accepted the pile of M&M’s froo through the revolving door

It would only take one at a time, and Jenny pushed Sue and pushed briskly on the thick et out of the fun house as soon as possible Between thearms she could see only darkness-it was pitch black outside, and she couldn’t even gli rong even before she stepped out

This wasn’t the outside It was a room And the others weren’t with her, because she couldn’t see any flashlights

God, where am I now?

She reached behind her and wasn’t at all surprised not to find the iron arht and no exit

And now I suppose I see the eyes

Instead, a sht went on, and she saw a boy in a black duster jacket

"Julian?" He looked so different "Julian!"

Jenny ran toward hi him in the shadows He didn’t move an inch to come toward her