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"Mary says it's evil"

"Do you believe that?"

"Yes," said the girl quickly Then after a arded it for a moment more, clearly tempted Then she asked, "What will you do to ," said Nick "Just because I' it to you doesn't mean you have to take it" He was surprised by the question, but he supposed he shouldn't be The lies that Mary must have told her children about him oven so deeply into their minds, it would take more than a chocolate smile to win the from you, sir"

"I understand Go back to Mary and tell her the Chocolate Ogre says yes I'll irl left as quickly as she could, and Nick showed the note to Johnnie-O

"Two hundred Afterlights?" said Johnnie-O "If all she has are two hundred, we outnuht now!" He pounded his fist into his palm "Sneak attack!"

"We could, but on't This is about freeing, not fighting--never forget that"

"Yeah, but you got an ar to bust some heads"

"We're in Everlost," Nick reminded him "Heads don't bust" But Johnnie-O still wasn't satisfied Nick sighed "You'll have your fight," Nick adot theht us rather than take their coins"

"Then we'll force 'em" said Johnnie-O "We'll make 'em take their coins, and if they don't, we'll push 'ee of anger raged through Nick, and for a rabbed Johnnie-O by the shirt, and his voice becas around here!"

Johnnie-O was not intimidated "You're the one anted an army," he said "What did you think an army was for?"

Johnnie-O's point struck deep The idea of gathering a fighting force was one thing--but actually using it was another Nick ood leader, but he was no warlord

His anger faded, and he let his chocolate ar behind a nasty brown stain in the middle of his chest

"Once Mary's defeated, we'll free the ones we can," Nick said "And if they won't take their coins?" Johnnie-O asked

"Then we take them as prisoners of war," Nick told him

Johnnie-O nodded, but his expression was still one of worry "Y'knowyou can't fight her if you love her" All this time it had been an unspoken rule that they never spoke of Nick's feelings toward Mary But ht her before, and I won," Nick reminded him

"Yes, but this time, she'll be ready"

Nick closed his eyes, and searched for so in himself more sturdy than chocolate "So will I"

The note from Mary had come shortly after noon, but it was more than an hour before Nick called for Zin He wanted some solitude, some silence so he could find a sense of resolve, but the Mississippi histled over the train,but uneasy

His good intentions had beco hi He had beco Now he sat with a full bucket of coins that could free countless Afterlights, but how an to build his aran to wonder how much different he was from Mary after all

"So, is this it, then?" Zin asked, as she stepped up into the parlor car "Do we got our date with the devil today?"

"Sit down," Nick told her

"I prefer not to, sir," she said "Ain't no chair clean enough in this train car"

And she was right, so he didn't force her "Mary has called for a et there, you and I will go in alone," he told her "Bring paper--I'll tell her you're there to write up a treaty"

"Johnnie-O's been teachin' ot to writin' yet"

"That doesn'tto drop everything, and cram Mary like there's no tomorrow"

Nick had played it out dozens of different ways until he saw the whole thing clearly in his uarded conversation of diplo until he felt the ht, then he would ift for you, he would tell her The finest gift in the universe, and it's all for you He would step forward, and he would kiss her A final kiss Then Zin would grab her, and begin to push, until Mary was thrust through to the other side, into the living world, just as Zin had done to Kudzu Mary would be alive, with nothing but the clothes on her back, and the sweet taste of chocolate on her lips

I will not only save Everlost froive you the precious gift of life, Mary Because I love you

"What if I can't do it, sir?" said Zin "Craer than a dog"

He put his good hand on her shoulder "Your whole afterlife has been leading to this," he told her "I have every faith in you, Zin"

Chapter 34 Poolside Rendezvous

Several of Nick's scouts had gone down Danny Rozelli's street, and one even walked right through the boy, but they were looking for a teenage Afterlight girl, not a live seven-year-old boy A needle in a haystack didn't come close

Within Danny Rozelli were two sets of thoughts, twoharder and harder for Danny and Allie to recall whose memories hose Now they both fell asleep at the same moment, awoke at the same moment, and when they dreaust, and the school year had just started Life was slipping into a regular routine Allie tried to i tenant in someone else's body Would there come a time when she could accept life as the other half of Danny Rozelli? In these teeks they had learned each other's rhyth to a life for two in a single body

And what of her own body? It was lying somewhere in any one of a dozen hospitals--and that was just if she was in Meot very far

"Honey, why don't you put your mama on the phone?" the receptionists would invariably say It was hard to get respect as a seven-year-old

--This is not who I wanted to be-- Allie thought