Everwild by Neal Shusterman Page B

sweat, feeling uncomfortable in a very human way—these were just a few of the many things that Everlost denied her.
    And hunger! Allie had no idea how long it had been since this girl had eaten, but she was certainly hungry—her stomach was even growling. She caught the dizzying, yeasty aroma of a bakery a few doors down. A bell jingled as a customer opened the door, and the smell became so intense for a moment, it could have lifted Allie off her feet. She didn’t dare go in; how completely wrong would that be to indulge in cookies and pastries? For all she knew the girl was diabetic or had a deathly allergy to nuts. She had to remind herself that skinjacking was a privilege, not a right.
    â€œAre you buying that magazine, miss?” asked the newsstand clerk, “or are you just going to read them all for free?”
    Embarrassed, Allie reached into the girl’s purse, pulled out a couple of dollars, and bought the tabloid in her hand. Only after she opened the purse did she realize she had opened her own personal treasure box. She gazed in at the trappings of this girl’s life. There was a set of keys with a heart-shaped key chain that said “I Love VA.” There was lip balm—the kind that smelled like strawberry. There wasa pack of tissues to blow her wonderfully stuffy nose—and nestled in the midst of it all: a Snickers bar. It had always been Allie’s favorite … and after all the girl was hungry. Besides, the candy bar was in her purse already—which meant she must not have some unknown medical issue that would prevent her from eating it. What harm would it do to take a single bite?
    â€œI shouldn’t …”
    â€œShouldn’t what?” asked the news clerk.
    Allie hadn’t even realized she had spoken aloud. “I’m not talking to you.”
    The clerk gave her a funny look and Allie walked away. Crossing the street, she found a bus stop bench in the shade, and sat down.
    I’ve been in this girl for at least fifteen minutes,
she thought. The girl would be frightened once Allie let her have her body back. She’d never know that Allie had been there, but she would certainly miss the time. On the other hand it was only fifteen minutes—and it hadn’t been like the girl was doing anything important. She was browsing in a music store, and seemed to be in no great hurry. What was a few more minutes?
    Allie pulled out the Snickers bar and slowly ripped the edge then peeled back the paper. The outside layer of chocolate had melted from the heat. It was already getting on her hands and that immediately made her think of Nick—which made her need comfort food all the more.
    She raised the Snickers bar to her lips and took that single small bite, feeling her teeth sink into it, feeling the flavor rush over her taste buds.
Life is wasted on the living,
she thought. They take all this for granted. The feel of the weather, the taste of a candy bar, the inconvenience of time, and the nuisance of uncomfortable shoes. To Allie all of these things were wonderful.
    Once she had started the Snickers bar, there simply was no way to stop. One bite became two, became three, and soon the entire bar was gone. Now that the deed was done, she felt guilt that almost, but not quite, outweighed the pleasure. She would go back to that newsstand and buy another candy bar for the girl and put it in her purse. That’s what she would do.
    â€œWas it good?” said the high-pitched voice of a child.
    She turned to see a very young boy and a very old man standing beside her. The boy, who couldn’t be any older than three, stared at her with an expression that seemed a little too cold for such a small child. The old man held his cane with a palsy shake and leered at her with a twisted kind of grin. There was something about the two of them that gave her the creeps.
    â€œHe asked you a question,” said the old man. “Aren’t you going