1269_UgliesFreeBook

38 Scott Westerfeld
“But when you turn, you go over to New Pretty Town.”
“So? Pretties are allowed to come back over here, you
know. Or write.”
Tally snorted. “But they don’t.”
“I would.” Shay looked out over the river at the spires
of the party towers, placing a thumbnail firmly between her
teeth.
“So would I, Shay. I’d come see you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Really.”
Shay shrugged, and lay back down to stare up at the
clouds. “Okay. But you’re not the first person to make that
promise, you know.”
“Yeah, I do know.”
They were silent for a moment. Clouds rolled slowly
across the sun, and the air grew cool. Tally thought of Peris,
and tried to remember the way he used to look back when
he was Nose. Somehow, she couldn’t recall his ugly face
anymore. As if those few minutes of seeing him pretty had
wiped out a lifetime of memories. All she could see now
was pretty Peris, those eyes, that smile.
“I wonder why they never come back,” Shay said. “Just
to visit.”
Tally swallowed. “Because we’re so ugly, Skinny, that’s
why.”