Everwild (The Skinjacker Trilogy)

by Neal Shusterman

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  brother to her either. Nick was the one she saw as a brother; connected forever, born into Everlost at the same moment, like ghostly twins.

  What was Mikey, then? A soul mate? Perhaps. She couldn't deny there was a sense of comfort in their relationship. They were perfect companions--a good fit for each other. Just being with him gave her a feeling of peace and belonging, but it lacked ... excitement.

  Sure, from time to time, when the moment called for it, she would kiss him, but an Everlost kiss was not the same as a living kiss. There was no heat to it, no beating heart, no adrenaline rush. There can be no way to find oneself breathless when one doesn't really need to breathe. In the end, companions are all two Afterlights can ever be.

  And now there was Milos.

  Allie could understand why Mikey saw Milos as a threat--and she had to admit she enjoyed teasing Mikey about it--but only because she knew Mikey had nothing to worry about. She had no desire to abandon Mikey for someone else, and certainly not for Milos. So she entered into her friendship with Milos fully believing she had her eyes open and her mind set.

  She was very wrong.

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  CHAPTER 10 Skinjacking for Fun and Profit

  The following morning, Milos suggested a skinjacking expedition to a nearby roadside café. "No disrespect is meant to you, my friend," he said to Mikey apologetically, "but like it or not, we skinjackers do have needs."

  Mikey could see how much Allie perked up at the suggestion. He could also see how much she tried to hide it.

  "Yeah, yeah," said Squirrel. "Needs. Like we need to sit inside a nice, juicy fleshie, and enjoy their nice juicy bacon cheeseburger."

  "Why should I care if you skinjack?" Mikey said. "Do whatever you want."

  Then Milos turned to Allie. "You should join us," he said. "I can see you are in need."

  "She doesn't need anything," said Mikey.

  But Allie said, "I can speak for myself, Mikey." Then she looked at Milos, and said, "Thank you for the invitation, but I'd prefer not to."

  This, Mikey knew was a lie--he knew she really did

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  want to go, but instead she stayed with Mikey as the other three left. It was a good feeling to know she chose to say with him, but that was tempered by how bad he felt to know he was making her suffer.

  "Tell ush about Mary the Shky Witsch."

  "Yeah, yeah, tell us."

  Milos, Moose, and Squirrel had come back from the diner in good spirits. It was dark now and all five of them rested on a deadspot on the highway shoulder. Like Allie, these three other skinjackers enjoyed the act of sleeping-- a totally unnecessary thing for an Afterlight. Mikey much preferred nonstop wakefulness--but he had been willing to adhere to a living sleep cycle because that's what Allie preferred. Now he realized it must be a common desire among skinjackers. It was just one more thing making Mikey feel like the odd man out.

  "Iz it true the Shky Witsch iz beautiful?"

  "Is it true she rides in a giant balloon? Huh, huh?"

  Apparently Moose and Squirrel wanted bedtime stories as they sat there in a small circle. There was no campfire, only the gentle light of their afterglows.

  "Do we really need to talk about this?" said Mikey.

  "Of course not," said Milos. "If you would rather not." But then he added, "I am curious, though. I have never met anyone who knows the Sky Witch or the Chocolate Ogre-- and you know both!"

  Well, Allie was the one who dropped their names, Mikey decided to let her field the questions.

  "So, so you're friends with them?" asked Squirrel.

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  "The Chocolate Ogre--Nick, I mean--is my friend," Allie said.

  Moose shook his helmeted head. "Thatsh a bad name for an ogre."

  "Nick's NOT an ogre. Or at least I don't think he is--I haven't seen him for a long time," Allie said. "We died in the same car accident."

  Both Moose and Squirrel looked over at Milos when she said that. Mikey wondered why, and wondered if Allie noticed.

  "Sho what about the Shky Witch?" asked Moose.

  "Her name is Mary Hightower," Allie said.

  "I know, I know," said Squirrel excitedly. "I seen her books!"

  "Her real name is Megan," said Mikey, feeling further and further out of the loop. "Mary's just her middle name." But the others ignored him.

  "Don't believe everything you read in those books," Allie said. "She lies and makes stuff up when it suits her."

  "She does not have nice things to say about skinjackers," Milos said. "Still, I would like to meet her one day. She seems very ... intriguing."

  "That's not the word I would use," Allie said. "She lures souls in, and traps them in an endless rut, doing the same thing day after day, forever."

  "And," added Mikey, "she's my sister."

  The others looked at him for a moment, and broke out laughing.

  "Yeah, yeah," Squirrel scoffed, "and the McGill is my cousin."

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  Now Allie burst out laughing, which just made Mikey more annoyed.

  "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 squeeze meant. Was it a show of affection, or was she trying to tell him he was revealing too much information?

  "Now it's your turn," said Allie, changing 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 family members that their loved one in Everlost was all right. We would pass on some information that they otherwise would have taken to the grave. We would finish their unfinished business in the living world."

  "Yeah, yeah," said Squirrel. "There was one kid who was obsessed with finishing his model airplane. So Moose and I skinjacked a couple of neighbor kids and finished it for him."

  "And don't forget the time we got hired by that kid in Philly to beat up the fleshie that got him killed."

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  Milos sighed. "Some tasks were more appropriate for Moose and Squirrel than others."

  "Impressive," said Mikey, in spite of himself. The idea of using skinjacking as a profitable skill tickled Mikey where he lived.

  "Yeah, yeah--we were very impressive--and we were rich, too," said Squirrel.

  Milos nodded. "By Everlost standards. We had quite a collection of crossed objects--and these were not just ordinary items. We had gold and diamonds--our customers would trade us their prized possessions in return for what we 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 more."

  "Jill would be the one to pass on messages to the living. She was best at convincing the living that the message was real." Milos looked off, caught in the memory. "Then, one day we woke up, and Jill was gone, along with the car and all of our finest things--and she even stole things from the vapor of Afterlights 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 some fleshies around."

  "Jackin' Jill took everything worth taking," said Moose. "Everything! But we're gonna find her. And when we do ..."He smashed his fist into his palm.

  "I'm sorry," Allie said to Milos, with a level of compassion that made Mikey sick.

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  "Serves them right!" Mikey said.
"It's what you get for being greedy."

  Allie threw him a disapproving glare. "You of all people shouldn't talk about greed!"

  When she turned her eyes back to Milos they were all sympathetic again, 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 time she looked up, Mikey was gone.

  "Let him go," said Milos, coming up behind her. "Clearly he has ... what 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 mind," she said, not wanting to get into it. Mikey's temper tantrums had gotten fewer and further between, but they never went away completely. His moodiness always surfaced in the company of other Afterlights. 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.

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  Milos smiled. "Bats in belfries, bees in bonnets--this is why I love English."

  Allie turned to return to their campsite on the highway, but then Milos said something that stopped her.

  "You know ... I 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 came skinjacking with us, there are many things I could teach you. Skinjacking is more than just climbing inside fleshies and putting them to sleep."

  "If you're talking about your little business of delivering messages to the living, no thank you. I don't want to be a part of ... of DeadEx."

  "This is not what I mean," said Milos, his voice brimming with hushed excitement. "I am talking about the joy of it!"

  Allie immediately thought to the time she had gone 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 dreamed of being someone else?" Milos asked. "Someone rich, or beautiful, or powerful. Have you never longed, 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 was wrong? Was it Mikey?"

  "No!" said Allie. "I don't need him to tell me the difference between right and wrong."

  Milos took a long look at Allie. "Skinjackers are not like

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  other Afterlights, Allie, and we all must learn to accept this. Because not only are we given this power, but also a powerful hunger to use it."

  "A hunger that we should resist!" insisted Allie.

  "Resist our nature? Do you not think that would be wrong?"

  Allie found that Milos was standing just a bit too close, and she took a step back. He was making far too much sense, and it troubled her. She had wanted another skinjacker to talk to--someone who could understand the things she felt. She thought it would be a case of misery-loves-company. She never expected to find a skinjacker who reveled in possessing the living, turning it into an art form. A way of life. What if he was right, and resisting that powerful pull to flesh was the wrong thing for her to do?

  "Flesh and bone deserves to be appreciated," Milos said. "Those who have it take it for granted, but not us! We appreciate every breath, every breeze, every beat of the heart. And so, by borrowing their flesh, we are the ones who give their bodies the dignity they have lost."

  All the reservations that held Allie back--that slapped her down every time she skinjacked--were beginning to feel insignificant, and she was torn. If skinjacking truly was her nature, shouldn't she embrace it?

  "Please," said Milos, "let me teach you. Let me show you some of the things I know. I promise you will not be disappointed!"

  Allie shook her head, then nodded, but then shook her head again. Finally she settled on telling him, "I'll think about it."

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  Then she turned and hurried back to the others, for once glad to be in the company of Moose and Squirrel.

  It was hard for Afterlights to hide at night. Their afterglow always gave them away. Mikey just wanted some time alone, to brood, maybe sit on a rock, look at the moon, and let all those unpleasant feelings work themselves out, if indeed they ever would. The problem was, the only rock large enough to sit on was living-world, and Mikey had to continually pull himself up out from it. It was annoying.

  Then, the last person he wanted to see emerged through a tree trunk, easily finding him by his glow. Mikey wasn't sure whether to stare Milos down or just ignore him. So he did one, then the other.

  "Allie is worried about you," Milos said.

  "I really don't care," grumbled Mikey.

  "This does not surprise me."

  "Why is it your business anyway?" Mikey snapped. When Milos had no response to that, Mikey said, "Tell her I'm fine, and I'll come back when I feel like it."

  Milos lifted his feet to keep himself from sinking, but didn't leave. He just regarded Mikey with a detached kind of curiosity.

  "Why do you hold her back?" Milos asked.

  "Excuse me?"

  Milos took a step closer. "She could go so much further. She could be so much more. But you--you keep her from using her skills. You are very much an anchor around her neck. This is very selfish."

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  Mikey came off of his rock to face him. "You don't know what you're talking about!"

  But Milos remained calm, and sure of himself. "Is it my words that anger you," he asked, "or is it because you know I speak the truth?"

  If there was any hope that Mikey might warm to Milos-- maybe even become a reluctant friend, that hope was now gone. "Allie and I ... Allie and I care for each other. We've been through a lot together--you have no idea!"

  "You are right," said Milos, "but I do know that she bears a certain sadness. You must see it."

  Yes, of course Mikey had seen it, but he wasn't about to admit it to this skinjacking outsider. "Like I said, you don't know anything."

  "You claim to care for her, but I do not see this. If you cared for her, perhaps you would see that your destinies now lie on different paths."

  "Do not anger me!" Mikey roared. "I am not to be trifled with!"And he heard in his own voice a roughness and a rawness he hadn't heard in a long time. Overtones of the McGill.

  Milos put his hands up in surrender, as if he were backing down--but Mikey knew this was just another calculated move. "Then pardon me." Milos said, "I meant no disrespect."

  "You say that a lot," Mikey pointed out, looking him right in those weirdly distracting speckled eyes. "But I think disrespect is exactly what you mean."

  "I am only thinking of what is best for Allie," said Milos with a gaze that penetrated uncomfortably deep. "Are you?"

  Then he left Mikey alone with his rock, his thoughts, and the moon.

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  * * *

  The next day, they came to the town of Lebanon, Tennessee, and again Milos asked Allie if she wanted to come skinjacking with him. She broached the topic as gently as she could with Mikey.

  "There are things he can teach me about skinjacking," Allie told him. "Things that could probably help us."

  "Why are you telling me?" Mikey snapped. "If you want to go, then go. Why should I care?"

  "I'd feel much better about it if you weren't acting so childish."

  "Maybe I don't want you to feel better about it."

  Allie clenched her fists and growled in frustration. "I swear, Mikey, sometimes ..."

 
"Sometimes what? Sometimes you wonder why you put up with me?"

  Allie took a moment to calm herself down. "I know why I put up with you. What I don't understand is why you don't trust me."

  Mikey looked down and aimlessly kicked the ground. The living world rippled like waves in a pond. "I trust you," he said, his voice a low grumble. "Go learn something useful."

  "Thank you." She gave him a gentle peck on the cheek, then went off to join Milos.

  Once they were gone, Moose and Squirrel approached him.

  "Why don't you come with ush, Mikey?" Moose asked.

  "Yeah, yeah," said Squirrel. "Skinjacking can be fun to watch, too. Especially the way we do it."

  And although tagging along with the two of them was

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  the last thing he wanted to do, he went along, because it was better than spending the day thinking of Allie in the company of Milos.

  Mikey had to admit, watching Moose and Squirrel skinjack that day was entertaining, in a blood-sport sort of way. The were both ingeniously inventive, and decidedly deranged.

  First they skinjacked two older teens who were on their way to summer school, but instead used them to get into an R-rated movie. Then, when they got bored with the movie, they skinjacked two policemen and took their squad car for a joyride, leaving the policemen and the car in a ditch, to wonder how they had gotten there.

  Each time they skinjacked, they left their fleshies stuck with whatever bad situation they had created, and walked away scott-free. Hit-and-run jackers, he dubbed them.