1269_UgliesFreeBook

142 Scott Westerfeld
much larger, the churning river full of power, the forest
huge with the secrets hidden in its black depths.
She allowed herself a long stare at the city lights before
she stepped onto shore, wondering when she would see her
home again.
On the trail, Tally wondered how often she’d have to walk.
The trip up the rapids had been the fastest she had ever
flown, even quicker than the Special Circumstances hovercar
dodging through city traffic. After that rush of speed,
carrying the knapsack and board felt like being turned into
a slug.
But soon enough the Rusty Ruins appeared below, and
the board’s metal detector guided Tally to the natural vein
of iron. She rode it down toward the crumbling towers, her
nerves growing jumpy as the ruins rose up to blot out
the half-moon. The broken buildings surrounded her, the
scorched and silent cars passing below. Peering through the
empty windows made her feel how alone she was, a solitary
wanderer in an empty city.
“Take the coaster straight past the gap,” she said aloud,
an incantation to keep away any Rusty ghosts. At least that
much of the note was crystal clear: The “coaster” had to be
the roller coaster.
When the towering ruins gave way to flatter ground,
Tally opened up the hoverboard. Reaching the roller coaster,
she took the entire circuit at full speed. Maybe “straight past