1269_UgliesFreeBook

140 Scott Westerfeld
“Not bad,” she said, then bit her lip. Since Shay had run
away ten days ago, she’d started talking to herself. That
wasn’t a good sign. She was going to be completely alone
for at least a few days now, and the last thing she needed
was more imaginary conversations.
The board eased forward smoothly, climbing the
embankment to the top of the dam. Once on the river, Tally
pushed it faster, leaning forward until the river was a shining
blur beneath her feet. The board didn’t seem to have a
speed governor—no safety warning sounded. Perhaps its
only limits were the open space in front of her, metal in the
ground below, and Tally’s feet staying on board.
Speed was everything if she was going to make up for
the last four days in limbo. If Tally showed up too long after
her birthday, Shay might realize that her operation had
been delayed. From there, she might guess that Tally wasn’t
an ordinary runaway.
The river passed beneath her faster and faster, and she
reached the rapids in record time. Drops of spray stung like
hailstones when she hit the first falls, and Tally leaned back
to slow herself a bit. Still, she was taking the rapids faster
than she ever had before.
Tally realized that this hoverboard was no ugly toy. It
was the real thing. On its front end a half circle of lights
glowed, giving feedback from the board’s metal detector,
which constantly searched ahead to see if there was enough
iron in the ground to stay aloft. The lights stayed on solidly