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Neither of the there Good Quickly she skinjacked a fe into the roole Roo s hole in h that hole Allie could see the back of Mary's head So Allie took her fleshie and reached through the hole into Everlost, grabbing Mary's hair, and she began to tug with all her ht like a shark on the end of a line, but she had lost her balance Allie pulled again

"Let h to send Allie flying away froers were snagged and knotted in Mary's long copper hair, unable to be freed no ainst her Then Allie added her other hand as well, pulling on her hair like it was a tug-ofwar

There were two of the, but it still wasn't enough Then suddenly there was a third hand in Mary's hair, and a hand pulling on her chin, and two hands grabbed her by the armpits--yet souard--but two tourists had cos through three different sets of eyes

The Intolerable Nexus of Extreht, and now Allie wasn't just skinjacking a single person, she was skinjacking three at the sale purpose: to pull Mary Hightower out of Everlost, and into the world of the living!

"This will not happen!"

But for all her will, for all her fury, Mary could not fight that h her chest, her waist, and down her legs, she knew that there was no stopping this But if she was going, she was not going alone! She grabbed onto the Ripper, with hands as tight as claws, and pulled on her Both of the world

Zin was so focused on pushing Mary, she had no idea what had happened to her until she finally let go and looked around The strange double-vision view of Graceland was gone The chocolate flood was gone Mary stood across the room in shock One tourist suddenly fainted, and the other tourist screauard who had first helped Zin, now stared at Mary in disbelief

Zin turned around to see the portal shrink down to nothing and vanish She reached out a hand and tried to create a fresh portal back to Everlost, but the living have no such powers She was no longer a ripper, she was just a living huirl She knew, not just because of what she saw--and not just because it hurt when she pinched herself She knew, because, for the first time in a hundred and fifty years, her cap fell off her head, and tulared at her with such raw hatred, it chilled Zin's newly for until she was far from Graceland

Allie had released two of her fleshies, one fainting in shock, the other screa a close eye on Mary Mary's hair ild, her green dress wrinkled, and she was out of breath frohtower, out of breath! What a wonderful concept! Allie couldn't contain her s to all the commotion He didn't even see the tourist who had passed out behind a zebra-skin couch "What's going on here, Candace?"

"Don't worry," said Allie, feeling authoritative in her guard uniform "I'll take care of this Go find out what that wo about"

"Who are you?" Mary deone

"Don't you recognize h it looks like you're the one who's out-cast now" Then Allie realized solee "Now that you're here--alive and all-- there's so tiht hand into a fist, and swung it toward Mary with all herfleshie!

The punch connected with Mary's eye so hard, that Mary's entire body spun around, and she collapsed into a leopard chair Allie's knuckles hurt, but it was a good kind of pain

"My eye!" wailed Mary "Oh! My eye" It was the first pain Megan Mary McGill had felt in ht her hands to her face, but it hurt to even touch it She felt she would die from the pain, and she wished that she would, so she could be free froht Heaven help reater hell for Mary than to be bound to a flesh-filled hell on earth

Allie prepared to peel back into Everlost, but before she could, a ainst the wall It was the tourist who had fainted

"I should never have freed you! So much trouble you have become!"

Milos! He had found her, but he was too late

"Before you strangle this poor fleshie," Allie said, "why don't you have a look at your fearless leader"

Milos turned to see Mary, and he was stunned

"Milos? Milos, is that you in there?" Mary, her eye already starting to swell, stood and gathered what composure she could "This is only a s has changed"

Milos just stared at her, still trying to take it in "Butbut look at youeverything has changed "

"No!" insisted Mary "You'll have to take care of my children for a while, but I'll work this out! I will! I'll work it out!"

Allie knew she should have taken this htower sink into absolute desperation was

"I can still work from this side!" Mary insisted

"I think you fool yourself," said Milos "No! I can make this work, I know I can Please, Milos," and Mary fell to her knees--a gesture so foreign for her, Allie could only stare "Please don't leaveyou, Milos! Please don't leave me!" There were tears on her face now--real human tears