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"Congratulations," he said gently "You are one of the Deadlies now You are one of us" His smile became wider, and that made her all the more uncomfortable She turned away

"In any case, soul-surfing is good for crowded places, and big cities," he said "I can get through a city faster than anything" Then, with a gentle toss of his head, he said, "Although so man, with a Ferrari"

Allie shook her head, warding off an unpleasant memory "I tried to jack and drive once It didn't end well"

Milos puffed out his chest "So then I do the driving You ride shot put" "Shotgun," Allie corrected His butchered expressions always made her s to skinjack people just for fun"

"What ?" he asked And when she didn't have an answer for hiht It is natural--or else ould we be able to do it? If we are skinjackers, we are meant to skinjack"

"We provide a link between Everlost and the living world--perhaps the most important one," Allie insisted "Maybe ereimportant"

"Maybe ere ue, but between his easy logic, and his easier sument had no teeth She looked down to see that, while Milos had continued to shift his feet to keep fro, Allie had not, and had sunken into the sidewalk to her ankles She pulled her feet out, feeling eht her ankle-deep

"In life did you ever do so just for fun?" asked Milos

"Yes "

"So why not be as you were in life? And if it hurts no one, why is it wrong to enjoy skinjacking? This is e are"

"No, it's e do!"

"No, Allie, it is e are" Milos gently put his hand on her shoulder "It is what you are"

"So was it fun?" Mikey asked

Allie shrugged, trying, for his sake, to hide howI prefer being me, rather than the crowd What did you do?"

"I took a walk"

"Through town?" She wondered if he had been don, and had seen her with Milos If she were a fleshie she would have flushed at the thought, then she got uilty for

"I went into the woods," he told her "There's an oak grove where half the trees have crossed over And in the middle of it I found a house that crossed over too It would be a nice place to live That isif you wanted to"

"We can't 'live,' "she reminded him

"No, but we could enjoy our existence here I' around I'"

Allie considered this, noting the slight lavender tinge to his afterglow Perhaps there was a differentfor it "Then maybe you're ready," she said

"Ready for what?"

"To move on"

What Allie meant as a simple observation hit Mikey like a fist on flesh He took a step back, reeling from the blow, but tried not to sho deeply it hurt him

"Maybe I am," he said

She turned from him "If you're ready, Mikey, then I won't stop you"

No, of course you won't, he wanted to say Because then I wouldn't be an anchor around your neck anymore But instead he said, "Tell me to stay, and I will "

But Allie shook her head "That would be selfish of me"

Once upon a time, Mikey McGill had a bucket of coins He collected theht to his ship--whether they beca upside down from their ankles Why did he take their coins? Because everyone and everything he captured was his property That's the way he saw things back then But why did he keep the coins in a bucket, locked safely away? The ansas sih he couldn't admit it to himself

He kept them because he knew

He knehat the coins were for, just like every Afterlight knoithout ever knowing that they know It's the ; it's a naht, the truth will someday come to you, and you'll realize that you've always known Sure, for the longest tie in your mind, just a dull ain--now it's full and round and shining in your pal beyond the Everlost, and your fare to get you there

Once upon a time, Mikey had a bucket of stolen coins, but now he only had one, and since the moment he admitted to himself what the coin was for--the same moment that Allie made the choice to join him--he was always conscious of that coin in his pocket

Now it felt heavy, like an entire purse full of coins All he had to do was pull it out and hold it in his hand Would it be hot for hi the tunnel to the great beyond, which would suck hi?