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"Better games?"

"Listen," said Allie, "you saved ot here Now it’s my turn to save yours Don’t lose your soul to a Pac-Man ht by one of the fuzzy creatures, and died

Ga else in Mary’s world, it wasn’t over, because it started again No quarter needed Lief turned to gaze longingly at the game, but Allie touched his cheek, and turned his head to face her again

"Nick and I are going to learn about haunting I want you to come with us

Please"

She could see the moment he pulled himself out of the quicksand of his own mind

"I didn’t save your life," he said "Too late for that But I did save you from a fate worse than death"

Allie couldn’t help but think she had done the same for him

Deep down, Nick knew that a trip to the Haunter was a betrayal of Mary, but if Allie was right, the skills he’d coiveness and acceptance were part of who she was Nick felt a sense of anticipation, like butterflies in his sto It felt alotten directions from Skully It wasn’t too far away, but there was no safe time to leave As Everlost was a world of insomniacs, there was always someone there to see everya stor outside, and no one on the higher floors would be able to see theh the sheets of rain when they crossed the plaza If they tiht, they wouldn’t be seen by the lookouts either…As their elevator descended, Nick turned to Allie "I oughta haveto this"

"It’ll be fun," Allie said "Right, Lief?"

"Yeah" Lief didn’t sound too convinced

While the rain didn’t even get theand thunder were as real to Everlost as they were to the living After a bright flash of lightning, they waited for the thunder crash before stepping out, and then they headed uptoithout looking back

Had they looked back, however, they would have seen Vari peering out fro them as they left Next to hiht, Vari gave Skully a single cherry jelly bean

His reward for a job well done

"Do not speak of the Crihtower in her pa "Do not speak of them, do not think of the to influence the living world can only lead to misery"

Chapter 11

The Haunter Nick and Allie had not been out in the rain since they crossed into Everlost

"Drenched to the bone" took on a "whole new round

"Sleet is worse," Lief said

The old pickle factory was just where Skully said it would be A white brick building on Washington Street, that, at some point in its life, crossed over into Everlost A heavy steel door was ominously ajar Nick didn’t like the looks of it

"Why do I get the feeling this is a really, really bad idea?"

"Because," said Allie, "you’re a certified wimp"

And so to prove that he wasn’t, Nick was the first to push the door open Bad idea or not, nofor it

The instant he stepped in, the aroed hiarlic, hitting hi storm--the aromas were so wonderful theyhad been gutted, leaving nothing but clouded s, a concrete floor, and black girders holding up the floor above Hanging fro was the source of the wonderful s fros

"It’s true then," said Allie in a charged whisper "The Haunter can rip whatever he wants right out of the living world!"

"I’ll never doubt you again," said Nick

"Woas all Lief could say

They were so awed by the hanging feast, it took the cross-legged in the center of the concrete floor He looked frozen there, as if he hadn’t e to it, and shiray walls

"I’ve been waiting for you," said the Haunter

Nick found his feet not wanting to move forward, until Allie whispered in his ear, "He probably says that to anyone who shows up"

"He’s just a little kid!" said Lief, but Allie "shushed" hiure The light was dih he had died young, the Haunter was a very, very old spirit Physically, he couldn’t be any older than six, and yet there was such a sense of age in hiht as well have been a withered old wizard The clothes he wore barely looked like clothes at all They were furs, stitched together--perhaps to protect hio

"Tell h-pitched voice He had only one visible tooth Perhaps it was because most of his front baby teeth had come out shortly before he died

"We…we heard you can teach people to haunt the living world," Allie said

"I teach nothing," he said "Either you have the skill, or you don’t"

Then he reached into his lap, and produced a s