1269_UgliesFreeBook

UGLIES 373
ground, the wire would sound an alarm. She gripped the
rain gutter with both hands.
But the bungee jacket, satisfied that her fall had
stopped, was shutting itself down, gradually returning her
to normal weight. She struggled to pull herself up onto the
roof, but the heavy knapsack full of rescue equipment
dragged her downward. It was like trying to do a pull-up
wearing lead shoes.
She hung there, out of ideas, waiting to fall.
Footsteps came toward her along the roof, and a face
appeared. David.
“Having trouble?”
She grunted an answer, and he reached over, grabbing
a strap of the knapsack. The weight mercifully lifted from
her shoulders, and Tally pulled herself over the edge.
David sat back onto the roof, shaking his head. “So,
Tally, you used to do that for fun?”
“Not every day.”
“Didn’t think so. Can we rest for a minute?”
She scanned the rooftop. No one coming, no alarms
ringing. Apparently, the wire wasn’t built to sense them up
there. Tally smiled.
“Sure. Take two minutes, if you want. It looks like the
Specials weren’t expecting anyone to jump out of the sky.”