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"They’re on the other side" It was an older boy in a Boy Scout uniforht down like an upside-down fla about fifteen feet above the floor, hest one, and the one with the best view of the chamber "All they do is talk talk talk," he said "Tell the"

Allie pushed her way forward into thelike penduluriping at having been disturbed She tried to be gentle, but the forest of dangling spirits clearly did not appreciate her intrusion

"Shut up, you idiots," the high-chihest roup, or did it ?

"I said shut up!" he yellednoise, and you’ll set off the screamer"

And next to Allie, the screaan to wail in Allies ear Reflexively Allie clapped her hand over his mouth "That," she said, "is totally uncalled for Don’t do that again Ever" The screamer looked at her orried eyes "Are we clear on this subject?" said Allie The screamer nodded, and she removed her hand

"Can I scream a little?" he asked

"No," said Allie "Your screa days are over"

"Darn" And he was quiet thereafter

"Hey," someone called out "She shut down the screa out with upside-down applause

"Allie, is that you?" It was Nick She pushed her way past a fewabout five feet fro about a foot higher

"How did you get here?" Nick asked "I thought for sure the Haunter put you in a barrel, too!"

"I got away before he could," Allie explained

"And you just left us there?!"

Allie sighed They had no idea what she had gone through to get here, and noas not the tiave her an upside-doith his dangling arht just made Allie feel all the more miserable "This is horrible! How could the McGill do this!?"

"He’s a monster," Nick reoing to hang here with us?" Lief asked, happily "There’s roonore him," Nick told Allie "He’s completely lost it" Nick squirrip on his ankles "Can you cut us down?"

Then the kid up top called down to them "If you free theet so mad, he’ll throw us all overboard"

Allie kneas right The McGill was both mean-spirited and unpredictable--and besides, if she cut theot out of the hold, they were still trapped on the ship

"I can’t free you now," she told therimaced at her poor choice of words

"So you’re just going to leave us here?" Nick said

"Don’t be a stranger!" Lief said, merrily

"I’ll be back soon I promise"

"You promise? You also proerous,"

Nick reminded her "And look how that turned out"

Allie ht This was all her fault Allie rarely apologized for anything, but when she said "I’ies she had never given when she was alive Then she hugged the, and left before her eet the better of her

Chapter 18

Skinjacking for Dued the shore of the East Coast, stopping now and again to send out a landing party in a lifeboat to see if any of the McGill’s Greensoul traps had snagged any new Afterlights They were simple devices really;