1269_UgliesFreeBook

UGLIES 369
blow it tonight, and both wind up under the knife, at least
someone will still keep fighting. Making trouble, you know?”
“I hope it’s us, making trouble,” Tally said.
“Me too.” He drew Tally closer, and kissed her. When
he released her, Tally took a deep breath and closed her
eyes. It felt better to kiss him, more real, now that she was
about to begin undoing the damage she had done.
“Look,” David said.
In the dark spaces of New Pretty Town, something was
happening.
She raised her binoculars.
A shimmering line cut its way across the black expanse
of the pleasure garden, like a bright fissure opening in the
earth. Then more lines appeared, one by one, tremulous
arcs and circles sweeping through the darkness. The various
segments seemed to sparkle into existence in random
order, but they eventually formed letters, and words.
Finally, the whole glittering thing was finished, some
parts of it newly sprung to life, the first few lines already
starting to fade as the sparklers exhausted themselves. But
for a few moments, Tally could read the whole thing, even
without her binoculars. From Uglyville, it must have been
huge, visible to anyone staring longingly out their window.
It said: THE SMOKE LIVES.
As Tally watched it fade, breaking down into random
lines and arcs again as the sparklers extinguished, she wondered
if the words were really true.