
There, they meet Mary Hightower, the "mother" of Afterlights who keeps many Afterlights safe and is the author of hundreds of books about living in Everlost. He warns them of a dreaded and evil monster, the McGill, and Johnnie-O, and the altar boys before they make their way to New York City. They are somewhat like ghosts and retain the exact appearance they had when they died. Nick and Allie, who have just awoken in a ghostly parallel to the real world, are saved by a boy named Lief, who tells them that they are called "Afterlights" who cannot be seen by the living. The story is the first in the Skinjacker trilogy that takes place in Everlost, the place between life and death. Everlost is a fantasy book published in 2006 by the young adult author Neal Shusterman.
