1269_UgliesFreeBook

326 Scott Westerfeld
“You said they put prisoners in the rabbit pen? Where’d
the rabbits go?”
“All over.”
“Exactly. They should be everywhere by now. And they
aren’t hard to catch.”
She grimaced. “Well, okay. As long as we cook them.”
David laughed. “Of course.”
“I’ve never actually started a fire,” she admitted.
“Don’t worry. You’re a natural.” He stepped onto his
board and held out his hand.
Riding double was something Tally had never done
before, and she found herself glad she was with David and
not just anyone. She stood in front of him, bodies touching,
her arms out, his hands around her waist. They negotiated
the turns without words, Tally shifting her weight gradually,
waiting for David to follow her lead. As they slowly got the
hang of it, their bodies began to move together, threading
the board down the familiar path as one.
It worked, as long as they went slowly, but Tally kept
her ears open for sounds of pursuit. If a hovercar appeared,
a full-speed escape was going to be tricky.
They smelled the Smoke long before they saw it.
From high up the mountain, the buildings had the look of
a burned-out campfire, smoking, crumbling, blackened
through and through. Nothing moved in the compound,
except a few pieces of paper stirred by the wind.