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He had no sense of direction now But he knew they wereupward because the earth around hi colder and colder Then after ht of day, and the sun almost blinded him It came so suddenly, he didn’t knohat to do next He had alotten what it was to be a spirit in Everlost Before he could sink again, he found deep in his thoughts an ie of who he was Mikey McGill Mary’s brother Allie’s soulmate Perhaps the one boy who could make a difference in the battle for souls in Everlost

Before he knew it, his form transforth he had left, he reached out and grabbed the hand of the Chocolate Ogre, as already beginning to sink back into the earth

"We’ve got to keep ain"

"It’s bright here," the Ogre said "Where are we? Where are we going?"

"We’re going to rescue Allie," he told the Ogre "I don’t knohere we are right now, but we’ll figure it out soon enough"

Then a succulent aroent, it overcame the rich smell of chocolate

"Do you sood!"

Mikey ary He knew that in Everlost that which was pleasing to the senses was so much less pleasant "Whatever it is, let’s avoid it"

But like a dog fixed on a scent, the Ogre couldn’t resist He determined the direction of the smell, and took off after it

"Nick, no!"

Mikey ran after hi to stop him--but found that his feet were still welded into a thorn-encrusted whale fluke He fell flat on his face, and by the tis, the Chocolate Ogre was bounding away

There was a honey haht off a holiday table, stuck into a post that had crossed into Everlost Like all Everlost food, it was perfectly preserved and at the peak of flavor

"Nick, don’t touch it!"

But nothing could stop the Chocolate Ogre now

Mikey caught up with hirabbed the ha up around thee! They were locked in a cage!

"Now look what you’ve done!" shouted Mikey, but the Ogre didn’t seem to care He just joyfully sunk his dark teeth into the ha of chocolate with every bite he took

There was a shout of glee, then strangefro itself into Everlost A figure left the porch, approaching theure limped closer, Mikey could see that he was alive, but not entirely

And for the first ti time, Mikey McGill was truly afraid

In her book Everything You Wanted to Know About Everlost, but Were Ashahtower has this to say about scar wraiths:

"Scar wraiths do not exist, plain and simple The very idea that someone could be part-way in and part-way out of Everlost is preposterous Either you are blessed with adends about a scar wraith’s ability to extinguish an Everlost soul and wipe it out of existence, those legends are entirely false Nothing can hurt an Afterlight, ain, in case there is any doubt Scar wraiths do not exist However, if you see one, please report it to an authority"

CHAPTER 10

Wraith, Wraith, Go Away

Mikey screamed

He had never screa stranger andhe had ever seen: a man who existed part in and part out of Everlost That steely gray eye, that cheek--and even one hand that al in the air in front of the hazy blur of his living body--and where his Everflesh attached to his living flesh was an angry red line that sparked like a short circuit

Mikey knew the scar wraith legend It was second only to scary stories about hiend, just the brush of an arrip of a shoulder, the caress of a cheek froht But worse than dying, the Afterlight would extinguish No light No tunnel Nothing The touch of a scar wraith meant absolute death

"Well, well, well, what have we got here," the scar wraith said, his eagle eye zipping back and forth in its socket as he exah and almost musical, too There was a resonance to it, like there were two sets of vocal cords, one a little higher than the other; clashing dissonant tones like an air raid siren