1269_UgliesFreeBook

238 Scott Westerfeld
the trip sound more interesting, you know? Like I could
have run out of food when the rangers didn’t turn up. But
you’re right, I always had plenty.”
“Sure.” He looked up at her, smiling gently. “I thought
maybe so. Your trip did sound a little bit too . . . interesting
to be true.”
“But most of what I said was—”
“Of course.” The saw whined to a stop in his hand. “I’m
sure most of it was. Question is, how much?”
Tally met his piercing eyes, struggling to think of what
to say. It was nothing but a few extra food packets, hardly
proof that she was a spy. She should just laugh it off. But the
fact that he was dead right silenced her.
“You want the saw for a while?” he said mildly.
“Clearing this up is hard work.”
Since they were clearing brush, there was no load of metal
to take back at midday, so the railroad crew had brought
their lunch out with them: potato soup, and bread with
salty olives dotted through it. Tally was glad when Shay
took her lunch away from the rest of the group, to the edge
of the dense forest. She followed, settling next to her friend
in the dappled light. “I need to talk to you, Shay.”
Shay, not looking at her, sighed softly as she tore her
bread into pieces. “Yeah, I guess you do.”
“Oh. Did he talk to you, too?”
Shay shook her head. “He didn’t have to say anything.”