Mikey scoffed. “My sister and I got hit by a train,” he said. “We all die in stupid ways, and this is a stupid conversation.” He picked up his pace, leaving them, and the conversation, behind. Allie thought to apologize to Milos for Mikey’s behavior, but she was tired of making excuses for him. Anyway, Milos was a good sport about it.

“I would have gone into the light if I could,” Milos told Allie. “But the light would not take me. It would just keep throwing me back.”

This surprised Allie. Not even Mary, in her various volumes on Everlost lore, never mentioned anyone reaching the end of the tunnel, only to be denied admittance.

“Are you sure?” Allie asked. “Maybe you just never reached the light.”

“I suppose your friend would say the light didn’t like me and spit me out.”

Allie laughed. “Well, I suppose you’re an acquired taste.” She looked toward Mikey. He was twenty yards ahead of them, striding with an impatient pace. His hands were in his pockets, his shoulders high, and he looked to the ground. Even when they were together he seemed to be alone in some fundamental way. It saddened her.

“It’s because we are skinjackers,” Milos said. “The light won’t take us. It would have been the same for you and your friend, had you made it as far as the light.” Allie cast her gaze down, wondering how long they could keep secret the fact that Mikey could not skinjack. Then it suddenly struck her what Milos had just said. How major it was—how important it was.

“Milos … if skinjackers can’t go into the light, then that explains why my coin never gets hot, doesn’t it?”

Milos nodded. “I have seen others find passage into the next place, but never skinjackers,” he said. “You could say our money is no good.”

“So are you saying … we’ll never leave Everlost?”

“Of coursh we’ll leave,” said Moose, eavesdropping with Squirrel, right behind them. “We’ll leave when we can’t Shkinjack anymore.”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Squirrel. “So we gotta jack when the jackin’ is good!”

It had never occurred to Allie that skinjacking could be temporary. “How long?”

“As long as it takes,” Milos said.

“As long as what takes?”

Moose and Squirrel looked to each other and laughed, but Milos threw them an angry glance, and they fell silent.

“The length of your natural life span,” Milos said. “That is how long you can skinjack.”