1269_UgliesFreeBook

SUSPICION
As the days passed, Tally fell into the routines of the Smoke.
There was something comforting about the exhaustion
of hard work. All her life, Tally had been troubled by
insomnia, lying awake most nights thinking about arguments
she’d had, or wanted to have, or things she should
have done differently. But here in the Smoke her mind shut
off the moment her head hit the pillow, which wasn’t even
a pillow, just her new sweater stuffed into a cotton bag.
Tally still didn’t know how long she was going to stay
there. She hadn’t come to a decision about whether to activate
the pendant, but she knew that thinking about it all the
time would drive her crazy. So she decided to put it out of
her mind. One day she might wake up and realize that she
couldn’t stand to live her entire life as an ugly, no matter
who it hurt or what it cost . . . but for the moment, Dr.
Cable could wait.
Forgetting her troubles was easy in the Smoke. Life was
much more intense than in the city. She bathed in a river so
cold that she had to jump in screaming, and she ate food