1269_UgliesFreeBook

UGLIES 353
Tally gazed down at the familiar skyline, the slender
trails of fireworks silhouetting the party towers and mansions.
She felt a pang of something like homesickness, but
much worse. The sight of New Pretty Town had once filled
her with longing. Now the skyline was like a vacant shell,
all its promises gone. Like David, she had lost her home.
But unlike the Smoke, her city still existed, right in front of
her eyes—but emptied of everything it had once meant.
“We’ve got a few hours before sunrise,” she said. “Want
to take a look at Special Circumstances?”
“The sooner the better,” David said.
Tally nodded, her eyes tracing the familiar patterns of
light and darkness surrounding the city. There was time to
make it there and back before daybreak.
“Let’s go.”
They followed the river as far as the ring of trees and brush
that separated Uglyville from the suburbs. The greenbelt
was the best place to travel without being seen, and a good
ride as well.
“Don’t go so fast!” David hissed from behind as she
whipped through the trees.
She slowed down. “You don’t have to whisper. No one
comes here at night. It’s ugly territory, and they’re all in bed,
unless they’re tricking.”
“Okay,” he said. “But shouldn’t we be more careful
about hoverpaths?”