1269_UgliesFreeBook

UGLIES 395
and jealousy and needing to rebel against the city. Every
kid’s like that. But you grow up, you know?”
“You grew up because of an operation? Doesn’t that
strike you as weird?”
“It wasn’t because of the operation.”
“Then why?”
“It was just good to come home, Tally. It made me realize
how crazy the whole Smoke thing was.”
“What happened to biting and kicking?”
“Well, it took a few days to sink in, you know.”
“Before or after you became pretty?”
Shay went silent again. Tally wondered if you could talk
somebody out of their brain damage.
She pulled a position-finder from her pocket. The coordinates
for the cave were still half an hour away. A glance
over her shoulder didn’t reveal any hovercars, not yet. If all
four boards took different routes to the river, and all of
them dropped their trackers in different places, the Specials
were going to have a confusing night.
There were also Dex, Sussy, and An, who’d promised to
tell every tricky ugly they knew to go for a ride tonight. The
greenbelt would be crowded.
Tally wondered how many uglies had seen the burning
letters in New Pretty Town, how many of them knew what
the Smoke was, or were coming up with their own stories
to explain the mysterious message. What new legends had
she and David created with their little diversion?