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Milos smiled "Then allow us to accompany you At least part of the way"

"No!" said Mikey

Allie gently took Mikey's hand, holding it to reassure him--and also to ether in every way that mattered

"You can travel with us for a little while," Allie said "I'asped "Allie the Outcasht?"

Mikey grabbed hirowled in his face "That's right Touch her again and you'll wish you never died"

"Yesh shir," said Moose

"Now," said Milos, "I suggest we get off this dock before we sink right through it" He gestured for Allie to take the lead, which she did--and although she never let go of Mikey's hand, she couldn't help but appreciate Milos's suave manner Most of the boys she hadferal Allie never considered herself a lady, but for once it was nice to be treated like one In her book Further Reasons for Caution, Mary Hightower has this to say about roving bands of skinjackers:

"While a single skinjacker is trouble enough, a group of wild skinjackers is a frightening prospect, indeed These Afterlights caught between torlds are to be pitied and feared, for the madness of flesh has infected their minds If word reaches you of skinjackers in your area, it is best for all involved to steer clear of the to an authority"

Chapter 9 Good Stewards

While Moose and SquirrelMary's point about "wild skinjackers," they were uidance

"They are not so bad," Milos told Mikey and Allie "Or should I say, I have seen iven way to broken clouds, and they continued to follow the road around the lake Mikey was sullen, and didn't talka dozen paces behind, snickered over their own private jokes Milos, however was full of conversation for the newco had no one but Moose and Squirrel to talk to, he was starved for intelligent conversation Milos told theroup for several years The "Deadlies" they called theirl they called Jackin' Jill Jill, however, was gone, and Milos didn't say any , but Mikey keptto Milos was like torture

"Mikey, you're being rude," Allie told hiroan

"Sorry," said Mikey, although it sounded y

Milos continued the tale of his afterlife, unoffended As Allie suspected, Milos had come from Russia "Russian-born, but American-dead," as he put it His fa Milos had been hanging out with friends on the roof of his apart, and had fallen off

"It was a stupid way to go," Milos said

Mikey scoffed "My sister and I got hit by a train," he said "We all die in stupid ways, and this is a stupid conversation" He picked up his pace, leaving theize to Milos for Mikey's behavior, but she was tired of ood sport about it

"I would have gone into the light if I could," Milos told Allie "But the light would not takeme back"

This surprised Allie Not even Mary, in her various volu the end of the tunnel, only to be denied admittance

"Are you sure?" Allie asked "Maybe you just never reached the light"

"I suppose your friend would say the light didn't like hed "Well, I suppose you're an acquired taste" She looked toward Mikey He enty yards ahead of the with an impatient pace His hands were in his pockets, his shoulders high, and he looked to the ground Even when they were together he seemed to be alone in some fundamental way It saddened her

"It's because we are skinjackers," Milos said "The light won't take us It would have been the saht" Allie cast her gaze doondering how long they could keep secret the fact that Mikey could not skinjack Then it suddenly struck her what Milos had just said How major it was--how io into the light, then that explains why ets hot, doesn't it?"

Milos nodded "I have seen others find passage into the next place, but never skinjackers," he said "You could say ourwe'll never leave Everlost?"

"Of coursh we'll leave," said Moose, eavesdropping with Squirrel, right behind them "We'll leave e can't Shkinjack anyotta jack when the jackin' is good!"

It had never occurred to Allie that skinjacking could be te as it takes," Milos said

"As long as what takes?"

Moose and Squirrel looked to each other and laughed, but Milos threw theth of your natural life span," Milos said "That is how long you can skinjack"

For Allie this was a revelation It cast everything in a new light She had been so worried that she would feel co her fath of her natural life, then her coin wouldn't work She wasn't going anywhere She thought about telling Mikey, but decided to keep it to herself If he was going to act all antisocial, then there were things he deserved not to know

"What do you th of our natural lives?'" she asked Milos "Do you mean the time ould have died if we had died of natural causes?"

Milos gave the slightest of shrugs "So like that, yes"

Allie sensed there was more to it, but that was all Milos said on the matter She would have pushed further, but at that moment, they had come around a bend in the road, and saw the interstate in the distance "Excellent," Milos said "From here it will be easy"

He picked up the pace with Moose and Squirrel As they passed Mikey, Milos gave him a friendly clap on the back, which just hter