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"I knohat cities should have a lot of tracks that have crossed over--but there's no way to know till we get there D'ya e of plans," Nick told hi to Memphis"

"I hear that's where Everlost ends," Charlie pointed out "The Mississippi River, I uess we'll find out, won't we?"

Then, just before Nick left the engine cab, Charlie pointed to his cheek and said, a little aardly, "Uhyou got a little spot there"

Nick sighed "That wasn't even funny the first time, Charlie"

"No," Charlie said, "I mean the other side of your face"

Nick reached up and touched his good cheek His finger came aith a tiny spot of chocolate He wiped it between his thuet us to Me out for him

There was no way he could deny it now It wasn't just the spot on his cheek--little eruptions had begun to pop up all over Nick's body, rising like pih the fabric of his clothes when they popped Those tiny brown patches were everywhere, and were beginning to connect like raindrops on concrete, spreading like a relentless rash, to his back, his scalp, and places he didn't even want to think about His chocolate hand eak and getting weaker, the fingers alether His left eye was always clouded, and losing ht each day His shirt, which used to look like a white shirt covered with brown stains, was now inal color of his tie had long since been forgotten Even his dark pants, which had always hidden the stains, could no longer resist the uht, and his shoes looked like two piles of brown candle-drippings giving rise to the rest of his body

Nick kneas his own otten soworld, there was barely anything left of hione fro a chocolate bar when he died, and it had smeared on his face Soon his only memory would be the chocolate, and then what? What would happen when there was nothing else left of him?

He didn't want to think about it He didn't have time to think about it All that mattered was the task at hand--and only part of that task was building a fighting force The rest of his plan he kept to himself, because if he told the others what madness he had in mind, he'd have a whole lot a, Zin presented Nick with the flag she had made, and Nick told Charlie to fly it fron was a series of silver stars, in the pattern of the Big Dipper, sewn on a rich brown fabric

"My papa always said the Big Dipper was there to catch falling stars," Zin said "Kinda like the way you're here to catch falling souls"

Nick was all choked up, and it wasn't just the chocolate "You have no idea what this et to be a lieutenant?"

"Not yet," Nick told her "But soon Very soon"

Nick would have hugged her if he thought he could do it without covering her in stains

Chapter 22 Craood soldier, and proud of it Being a ripper didn't leave a person with much self-respect, so Zin squeezed all the self-respect she could out of her eneral, and she would do her job to the best of her ability A good soldier follows orders A good soldier doesn't ask questions But she couldn't help but wonder about sore made of her Particularly the secret ones he called "special projects"

The first request involved an all-day sucker The kind as big as your face, all colorful and sticky, that gets stuck in your teeth when you bite it, and makes your molars hurt This sucker had crossed over with a little kid who had probably been working on it since the day he crossed over The thing was half-eaten, and would stay half-eaten no re took Zin and the sucker-boy to a candy shop-- not an Everlost one, but a living-world shop, where fleshies went about their business buying and selling sweets

"I want you to rip hire ordered Zin couldn't see why, as this sucker wasn't going anywhere, but she followed orders

"Yes, sir A' course, sir"

There was a stand that held suckers like a littleworld, and ripped the kid a brand new sucker that was bigger and better than the one he started with Then she proceeded to rip the old sucker fro only she could accomplish--and replaced it with the new one The boy acted like a kid in a candy shop, which, in fact, he was

But then things started to get weird

After the boy ran off hopping and skipping with his new sucker, the Ogre pointed to the old one in Zin's hand and said, "Now that he's got a better one, I want you to put this one back"

Zin was confused "What do you mean 'put it back'?"

"I mean exactly what I said Rip a hole, and put the sucker back into the living world"

The suggestion juststuff out was one thing, but putting so back? Whenever Zin ripped, she always kind of felt like aworld was truly that--a living thing, that could feel everything that happened to it You don't put back stuff that gets born "Sir, you can't take sumpin' that crossed into Everlost and shove it back into the living world--that ain't the way it's done"

And then the Ogre asked, "Have you ever tried?"

Zin was about to explain to hiht in her throat, because she realized that she never had tried The idea of putting so back had never occurred to her Why should it? It was all about taking