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"If the McGill was your cousin," Mikey said, "I can guarantee he'd disown you"
Allie reached over and secretly squeezed Mikey's hand, leaving him to wonder what the squeezeto tell hi too much infor the subject "Tell us about Jackin' Jill"
Clearly this was a sore spot with the other skinjackers, because they all looked away Finally Milos spoke up
"She and I were very close," he said
"How close?" Mikey asked, realizing Milos had a nice wound worthy of being prodded and poked
"Close," was the only answer he gave "We traveled together, doing jobs for other Afterlights, in exchange for crossed objects"
"Jobs?" asked Allie "What kinds of jobs?"
"Jobs that could only be accomplished by skinjackers," Milos said "We would tell faht We would pass on sorave We would finish their unfinished business in the living world"
"Yeah, yeah," said Squirrel "There was one kid as obsessed with finishing his hbor kids and finished it for hiot hired by that kid in Philly to beat up the fleshie that got hihed "Some tasks were more appropriate for Moose and Squirrel than others"
"I skinjacking as a profitable skill tickled Mikey where he lived
"Yeah, yeah--ere very impressive--and ere rich, too," said Squirrel
Milos nodded "By Everlost standards We had quite a collection of crossed objects--and these were not just ordinary iteold and diamonds--our customers would trade us their prized possessions in return for e could offer We even had a Porsche"
"No way!" said Allie
"It's true, it's true," said Squirrel, "but it was a pain in the neck, 'cause it could only drive on roads that don't exist no es to the living She was best at convincing the living that the ht in thewith the car and all of our finest things--and she even stole things frohts that had taken us in There were many, and they were all furious"
"Yeah, yeah--they thought we had done it We had to skinjack our way to safety Lucky there were so worth taking," said Moose "Everything! But we're gonna find her And e do "He smashed his fist into his palm
"I'm sorry," Allie said to Milos, with a level of coht!" Mikey said "It's what you get for being greedy"
Allie threw hilare "You of all people shouldn't talk about greed!"
When she turned her eyes back to Milos they were all syain, and Mikey just couldn't stand it He stood up and strode away
"Where are you going?" Allie asked
"I don't know," he said "Maybe I'll catch up with Jackin' Jill"
Allie started after Mikey, but snared herself on a barbed wire fence that, for reasons unknown, had crossed into Everlost A sharp steel barb tore a deep gash on her arm that felt momentarily weird before it zipped itself closed By the tio," said Milos, co up behind her "Clearly he haswhat is that expression?'Skeletons in his closet' "
"Yeah, and bats in his belfry," Allie said
Milos looked at her, puzzled "This expression I do not know"
"Never et into it Mikey's teotten fewer and further between, but they never went away completely His hts Social skills were never his strong point As for "skeletons in his closet," that implied he had secrets Allie didn't know-- but she knew all his secrets, didn't she?
"Whatever bee he's got in his bonnet, he'll get over it," Allie said Milos smiled "Bats in belfries, bees in bonnets--this is why I love English"
Allie turned to return to their ca that stopped her
"You knowI could teach you things"
She slowly turned back to him "What do you mean?"
Milos sauntered closer to her, hands in his pockets "If you cas I could teach you Skinjacking isthe about your little business of delivering , no thank you I don't want to be a part ofof DeadEx"
"This is not what Iwith hushed excite about the joy of it!"
Allie ione out into the rain She understood the joy he was talking about, but it was always overshadowed by the guilt she felt stealing moments that weren't hers
"Have you never drea someone else?" Milos asked "Soed, if only for a few minutes, to live someone else's life?"
"Of course I have "
"And yet you do not do it? Why is this?"
"Because it's wrong!"
"Who told you it rong? Was it Mikey?"