The bitter cold nipped at the girl's long, skinny fingers, a smile was ever-present on her face though. She liked the cold; the cold meant she was alive. This girl sat on a bench, rusted from weather and frozen by it as well. This bench was in the middle of a park, a park full of dead trees and a frozen lake. Young children gathered on the lake daring each other to skate across it.
This girl on the bench just smiled. Kids could be so dumb, maybe that's why there were so many in Everlost. These kids of course don't know of the sprits that linger between the light and the living, they only know that the girl on the bench has been starring at them for a very long time and it's starting to get creepy.
Allie is that girl, and Allie is anything but creepy. Allie shivered in the cold, she wasn't wearing a coat, a coat would only block the cold and make her feel as though it were going right through her, a coat would only make her feel like she were in Everlost. Today is Valentine's Day, not the same day that she woke up from her eternal slumber though, it's a whole year later. Allie the Outcast is now nineteen, an adult almost. If Allie knew how she'd be allowed to drive. Driving though, is actually a bit frightening for the girl and her family. One drive could send her into the light; one drive could send her to Mikey.
She wasn't scared of the light and she wasn't scared of going to Mikey, in fact she relished in it, but still she needed more time, she didn't skinjack herself just to die a year later. Give it ten more years or so and she'd be fine with a little vacation to the light.
Her mom would find her soon and she'd demand that her little popsicle put on a coat, but though Allie would really be fine with wearing a coat, she wouldn't be fine with leaving the bench, not yet anyway. Allie needed some time alone with her thoughts. Her head is a very full one, a matter of fact it's so full she's surprised she doesn't look like a Chibi figurine.
She has thoughts about so many people, she even has thoughts about people who don't exist, and a girl trapped in a refrigerator heading to the center of the earth. Yes Allie Johnson's mind is a weird one, but it is not an overly imaginative one. Allie knows she can't tell her mother or father about what happened in her coma; she knows that she can't tell anyone because no one would believe her. It's almost painful for Allie to keep Everlost trapped inside her head; it's almost painful to not be able to talk about it to anyone.
She's been trying to have a normal life, and it's all been going well so far, but there are ever-present signs that she isn't normal. The way her parents baby her, how she has no idea what High School is like, and the dead children that crowd her brain.
Allie looks up at the busy park, and she looks out into the street. Allie has begun to love watching people, it's so peaceful…and you never know when you'll see someone who isn't in control of their body. Allie knows it's foolish to look for skinjacked 'fleshies' but she can't help it.
Someone catches her eye and she can't believe it. This figure making his way from one side of the street to the other isn't skinjacked, but he's even better.
Allie hops off the bench and begins to run to him, shouting out his name. "Clarence!" she calls.
Clarence turns around and he smiles. The scars on his face and his body don't see or touch Everlost anymore. Clarence is glad that he doesn't have to deal with all that ghostie stuff anymore but he did wish that he could say goodbye…
Allie is no longer a ghostie though, she is a fleshie. Blood runs through her veins and if he punched her right now she'd feel it. The goosebumps on her arms prove that she can feel cold too, just as much as he can.
"Allie," he says that smile still showing on the non-scarred half of his face.
"I think I get how you felt now," she whispers, "It is hard being a fleshie with the knowledge of Everlost."
Clarence nods, "Yep, that it is."
"So what every happened to that Mary Hightower and all the others?" Clarence asks not really knowing what everyone's fate had been.
"Mary kissed Nick and bought a one way ticket to a fridge traveling to the center of the earth. So the living world won't have to worry about Everlost destroying it anymore," Allie replies.
"That's good, but what about the others?" Clarence asks.
"Nick is now helping the spirits of Everlost live peacefully with the living world, Jix went back to save Jill from being stuck inside a pig's body for the rest of its existence, and Mikey…went to the light." Soft tears hit Allie's cheek as she finishes talking.
Clarence just smiles at her though and puts a hand on her back, because…he no longer has to worry about wiping souls from existence. Allie smiles back at him and wipes the tears out of the corner of her eyes.
"And you skinjacked yourself…is it nice to be back in the world of the living?" Clarence asks.
Allie stares at him trying to gather her thoughts. "It's nice to be with my family, it's nice to feel things, it's wonderful to not sink into the earth, and this life is much more peaceful."
"But?" Clarence asks sensing that there are un-nice things too.
"I miss Nick, I miss Mikey, and I miss Everlost. I wouldn't every want to return of course. If I'm going anywhere I'm going to the light, but part of me has this feeling that Everlost isn't going to consume my thoughts soon. Soon I'll surely think about getting married and then I'll think about having kids and Everlost will only seem like some fantasy I dreamed up when I was a young girl. Actually before I saw you part of me wondered if it was some fantasy my comatose mind cooked up. But you prove that it isn't, you prove that everyone and everything is real.
Part of me can't wait to get married, but another part knows that once I do that deep relationship I had with Mikey will turn into a silly little Jr. High relationship. Once I finally do join Mikey in the light I will have a family, children, a husband, and Mikey will just be some boy I met sixty years ago. He said he'd wait for me…but will I wait for him?"
Allie phrases the question as though it were meant to be answered by Clarence but of course Clarence can not answer it.
"Mikey would want you to move on," Clarence whispers trying his best to answer her.
"Mikey's too much of a jealous spirit to be that way, I know that if I were him and he were me I would be horrified to see him enter heaven holding his wife's hand, just horrified," Allie whispers.
"While your life moves on his does too, if you forget about him then he'll probably forget about you too." Clarence's words don't make Allie feel any better, not at all.
"Allie!" someone calls from behind her.
Allie turns around to see her mother running towards her. Her mom looks horrified by the man that her daughter is speaking with but she tries her best not to show it incase the man is a loony with a gun in his pocket.
She takes her daughters hand and says, "Honey it's time to go home."
Allie nods but before she leaves she turns to Clarence and whispers, "Goodbye."
Clarence returns her message and smiles at the fact that he finally did get to say goodbye.
Both of their goodbyes mean more than just two people parting though. Both of their goodbyes mean that they're letting go of another world. Allie and Clarence are letting go of Everlost and Allie is letting go of Mikey.
This is my second Everlost one-shot and probably my last. When I finished Everfound I wanted to cry, I really hate that it's over, it was amazing. I guess all I have to look forward to is the third Unwind. I can't wait till it comes out! Anyway please, please review! Thanks!
Disclaimer: I don't own The Skinjacker Trilogy, Neal Shusterman does.