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smiling. I think a guardian angel can beat Barnabas s skills with a stick.
Shoe s cough brought my attention down, and in the buzz of the security light, I
met his startled gaze. Really?
he stammered, glancing into the diner and then back to me. Cherubs, eh?
I shrugged. Grace is. Just promise me you won t say anything about tonight.
Head down, he smiled as he scuffed his toe into the broken sidewalk. You want
me to lie?
I couldn t help my grin. Well, I am the dark timekeeper.
A twinge tightened across my mind, and my amulet grew warm, then cold. It was
Barnabas using his amulet, and I glanced in as he leaned toward Ace. I wasn t
surprised when Ace woke up, his empty look shifting to hatred as he exclaimed, You
can go to hell, reaper!
Barnabas looked out the window at me, cross. Madison! he complained.
Nakita laughed, the sound coming faintly through the glass. I told you! Don t
mess with her.
Smiling, I turned away. Shoe was standing in front of me, his hands in his
pockets. I don t want to forget this,
Shoe said wistfully. I don t want to forget any of it.
You won t, I said confidently, and with a sudden idea, I leaned back against the
brick wall of the restaurant to untie my sneaker. Shoe watched in confusion until I got
the lace entirely undone, pulling it from my yellow sneaker with a rasping sound. Here,
I said, handing it to him. To remember everything by. I was breathless, and I didn t
even need to breathe. What if he thought I was weird or something?
But Shoe grinned, and I exhaled in relief. Thanks, he said, taking it. I, um, don t
have Wait, he said, digging in his pocket. Here, he said, handing me a coupon from
the Chicken Coop. It s not like I expect you to use it, he said, red-faced. But the only
other thing I ve got on me is my driver s license.
I smiled, looking at it in the dim light. Bye, Shoe, I said as I rocked back. Have
a great life. Be good. Make good choices. I lifted the coupon. Thanks.
He closed his mouth, looking embarrassed and pleased all at once. I ll try, he
finally said, then frowned as he looked at Ace through the glass. It s not going to be
easy.
I laughed as I started to walk backward to Ace s truck, each step feeling bigger
than it really was. If being good were easy, everyone would do it.
Shoe nodded. Waving awkwardly, he turned and began walking down the dark
sidewalk, his pace slow but gaining confidence with every step until his head was high.
Slowly the darkness took him until even the sound of his shoes echoing back to me
faded and there was nothing.
I saw him once more in a spot of light, and then& he was gone.
Satisfaction filled me as I yanked open Ace s truck and got my phone and wallet.
The soft leather was still warm from the ride over here, and it made an uncomfortable
bump when I shoved it in a back pocket. The door squeaked as I slammed it shut. In the
distance, I heard a faint, Bye, Madison!
Happy, I leaned against the truck and stared at the plain white stars while I
waited for Nakita and Barnabas to finish threatening Ace. Sure, Barnabas might be mad
at me, but he d get me home, grumbling all the way. If he didn t, Nakita would. Even
better, he d be on my roof tomorrow to tell me what I could have done better. No one
had died tonight. No one would die tomorrow at least, not before their allotted time
was up. Shoe was going to catch hell at school, but he d known that before he trashed
the school s computers. Nakita was starting to understand I think even if by all
accounts she had failed in her attempt to save Ace s soul by taking it early. Ace was still
an ass, but maybe he d learned something. Paul was thinking. And I was& pleasantly
tired.
Maybe it was a good night after all.
Epilogue
Madison!
It was a panicked shout, and my eyes flew open at the strong shake of my
shoulder.
What! I shouted back, seeing my dad standing over me, fear on his face. I was
in my bed; the sun was shining in. I had been& sleeping? I hadn t slept in almost three
months.
Relief cascaded over my dad s face to make his few wrinkles appear deeper. I
thought you were he started, then visibly changed his mind as he let go of my
shoulder and straightened. You re late, he said instead, sounding embarrassed. For
school, he added, and I smiled. I hadn t thought he meant the dead kind of late, but
then again, I d probably looked dead, lying there. Not breathing. No wonder he d shaken
me.
How late? I asked as I sat up, blinking. I couldn t believe I d actually slept.
Maybe the flash forward had triggered it. It had taken a lot out of me.
Exhaling, my dad looked over my room. Breakfast is ready, he said instead of
answering me.
Too bad I wasn t hungry.
I started to get up, then froze when he picked up the lab coat I d draped over my
desk chair. The Jane Doe toe tag was peeping out of the pocket, and I panicked. How
was I going to explain a clearly professional lab coat with the name Marty on it was
beyond me.
Tell me this is ketchup, he said softly, fingering the stained fabric, and I smiled.
It s ketchup. I had some fries after school, I explained, and he sighed. I m
sorry! I got hungry!
He winced, draping it over my desk chair, right next to my torn tights.
Madison! he said, snatching them up. What did you do to your nylons?
I cut them. Everyone is wearing them like that! Oh, man. I was not getting out of
this.
These were brand-new! my dad complained loudly, shaking them.
Jeez, Dad& I complained, proud of myself that I hadn t panicked. Much. Didn t
you ever wear cutoff jeans?
Shoulders slumping, he looked at my fingernails, seeing the black nails that I d
been wearing to help Nakita blend in, his gaze lingering on the two red nails I d half
painted. Torn tights and a lab coat? Wearing shoes without laces? I ll never understand
your fashion sense.
I leaned over to look at my yellow sneakers. It isn t fashion sense; it s fallout, I
thought dryly.
But at least I know you re eating, he added, his attention going back to the
ketchup-splattered lab coat. How about skipping the after-school snacks for a while and
eating at home?
Okay. I stretched, hoping he wouldn t look into my bathroom, where my torn
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