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that Boss Man’s had Peachville scouted for some time, searching for something big. I briefly wonder why I never knew about it before.
    Leaning back, I smile wide. Sealing this soul is going to be jolly good fun. I toss a seal his way and relish in the crackling sound it makes when it adheres to his light. He’s maybe one or two seals away from being collected. I do hope I get the pleasure of bringing this one in. He’ll go on living after he’s collected, of course, but as soon as he dies, he’ll meet up with his soul in a happy little place called hell.
    “Come on, Charlie. Let’s go.” She follows me out but doesn’t say anything. I sit down on a bench near the fountain and motion for her to sit beside me. The dude was out of line, and also a bit off-base. I mean, Charlie’s definitely not a looker, but who’s to say she won’t be when she grows out of her bad skin? Or finds the right hair stylist. Or hires an orthodontist and gets LASIK and puts on some weight and gains a morsel of confidence. I’ve seen it happen. High school dork morphs into cute college prep. “You know that guy’s just being a prick, right?”
    “Yeah. It’s not a big deal.” Charlie acts like she’s watching the kids play, and she even manages a half smile. I’m surprised how well she’s handling the whole thing. A lot of girls would break down over something like this.
    “You know what we should do?” My body rushes with energy. “Something crazy. I have an idea.” I take her hand, and we move to the exit closest to where we parked. “See that kiosk right there?” Charlie nods. “Let’s take something?”
    Her eyebrows pull together. “Like, steal it?”
    “ Steal is an ugly word, Charlie. What we’re doing is letting loose. Something you should do more often.” I take her head in my hands and turn it back toward the kiosk. “You see, when you live life—I mean, really live it—you don’t care what anyone says about you because you’re suddenly, exhilaratingly alive .” She gazes at me, transfixed. “Do it, Charlie. Just try it out. If you hate it, we can return whatever you took. No one will know the difference.”
    She gives a wicked smile, and I bite my upper lip to stifle a laugh. I could get used to having a sidekick gone rogue. I’m all set to give her advice on how to approach the kiosk, but she slips away before I can. She moves toward the cart of knickknacks, stealth as a leopard despite her slight limp.
    As she approaches her destination, I slide my hand into my pocket and absently squeeze and release my lucky penny.
    Like a pro, Charlie scouts the guy who mans the cart, determines his coordinates, estimates how much time she has.
    Then it’s done.
    With a subtle sweep of her small hand, she stuffs something into her pocket and makes her way toward me. Charlie presses her lips together, and her eyes become enormous. She’s trying to stop herself from laughing, and so am I.
    As we head toward the exit, I turn around and see the guy staring at us. He takes a step forward and stops. Crap, he knows . He didn’t catch her in the act, so he’s not sure what to do. If he accuses her and he’s wrong, it’ll cost him his job. He waits too long, and now it’s too late.
    Charlie and I burst through the double glass doors, and she erupts with laughter.
    “Holy crap,” she says. “That was crazy!” She pulls her stolen hairpin out of her pocket and shows it to me. I raise my open hand over my head, and Charlie tries to jump to give me a high five. She’s too short, and it makes me double over and laugh, too. The sight is so ridiculous.
    “What now?” I say.
    Some of the excitement in Charlie’s face falls away. “I should really get home. My grandma will wonder where I am. And oh, man. Her car. We’ve got to go.”
    “Come on, we’re on a roll,” I plead. “Let’s do something else.”
    Charlie wraps her arms around herself. “No, I really need to go. I’ve never skipped school before, and