“Oh, gross,” said Nick.
In response, Raggedy Andy punched him in the stomach. Nick doubled over out of reflex, only realizing a second later that it didn’t hurt. How annoying it must be for bullies, he thought, to not be able to inflict pain. This place must be a bully’s version of hell.
Johnnie-O worked the gum until it was soft again. He closed his eyes for a moment as he chewed. “A lot of flavor still left in this one,” he said.
“Cinnamon.” Then he looked at Nick. “You always waste your gum like that?” he said. “I mean, when you were living?”
Nick only shrugged. “I chew until I can’t taste it anymore.”
Johnnie-O just kept on chewing. “You ain’t got no tastebuds.”
“Can I have it next?” said Purple-puss.
“Don’t be gross,” Johnme-O said.
Allie laughed at that, and Johnnie-O threw her a sharp gaze, followed by a second gaze that was more calculated.
“You’re not the prettiest thing, are you?” he said.
Her lips pulled tightly together in anger, and she knew that made her less attractive, which only made her angrier. “I’m pretty enough,” she said. “I’m pretty in my own way.” Which was true. No one had ever called Allie a ravishing beauty, but she knew very well that she wasn’t unattractive, either. What made her madder still was that she had to justify herself and the way she looked to this big-handed creep, who chewed other people’s used gum. “On a scale of one to ten,” Allie said, “I suppose I’m a seven. But you, on the other hand, I estimate you to be about a three.” She could tell that it stung, mainly because it was true.
“Seven’s not worth lookin’ at,” he said. “And the way I see it, we’re not going to have to look at each other much longer, are we?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” said Nick, who did not like the sound of it any more than Allie did.
Johnnie-O crossed his arms, making his oversized hands seem even larger compared to his small chest. “A single piece of gum don’t buy you passage over my territory,” he said. He turned to Nick. “Which means you gots to be my servant now.”
“We’ll do no such thing,” said Allie.
“I wasn’t talkin’ to you. We don’t need the likes of you around here.”
“Well,” said Allie, “I’m not going without him.”
And the others laughed.
“Oh,” said Raggedy Andy, “I don’t think he’ll want to go where you’re going.”
Allie didn’t quite know what that meant, but even so, she started to panic.
“Grab her,” Johnnie-O ordered his comrades.
Allie knew she had to think of something quick, and so she said the first thing that came to mind. “Stay away from me or I’ll call the McGill!”
That stopped them dead in their tracks.
“What are you talkin’ about?” said Johnnie-O, not as sure of himself as he was a second ago.
“You heard me!” Allie yelled. “The McGill and I have a special arrangement. It comes when I call it. And I feed it bad little thieves whose hands are bigger than their brains.”
“She’s lying,” said another kid, who hadn’t spoken until now, probably because he had such a nasty, squeaky voice.
Johnnie-O looked all irritated. “Of course she’s lying.” He looked at Allie and then back at the quiet kid. “So how do you know she’s lying?”
“She’s a Greensoul—probably just crossed over,” the squeaky kid said, “which means she hasn’t even seen the McGill.”
“Besides,” said Purple-puss, “no one sees the McGill and lives.”
“Except for her,” said Nick, figuring out his own angle on the situation.