It was strange. She"d been an ugly for four years, but a few extra days had brought home to her exactly what the word really meant. Tally peered into her mirror all day, noting every flaw, every deformity. Her thin lips pursed with unhappiness. Her hair grew even frizzier because she kept running her hands through it in frustration. A trio of zits exploded across her forehead, as if marking the days since her sixteenth birthday. Her watery, too-small eyes glared back at her, full of anger.
Only at night could she escape from the tiny room, the nervous stares, her own ugly face.
She fooled the minders and climbed out as usual, but she didn"t feel much like any real tricks. There was no one to visit, no one to play a prank on, and the idea of crossing the river was too painful to consider.
She had gotten a new hoverboard, and tricked it up like Shay had taught her, so at least she could fly at night.
But flying didn"t feel the same. She was alone, it was getting cold at night, and no matter how fast she flew, Tally was trapped, and she knew it.
The fourth night in ugly exile she took her board up into the greenbelt, staying at the edge of town. She whipped it back and forth past the dark columns of tree trunks, shooting through them at top speed, so fast that her hands and face collected dozens of scratches from the branches blurring by.
After a few hours" flying had worn away some of her anguish, Tally had a happy realization: This was the best she"d ever ridden; she was almost as good as Shay now. Never once did the board dump her for getting too close to a tree, and her shoes held on to its grippy surface like they were glued there. She worked up a sweat even in the autumn chill, riding until her legs were tired, her ankles aching, her arms sore from being spread out like wings guiding her through the dark forest. If she rode this hard all night, Tally thought, maybe tomorrow she could sleep the hideous daylight away.
She flew until exhaustion forced her home.
When she crawled back into her room at dawn, someone was waiting there.
"Peris!"
His features burst into a radiant smile, big eyes flashing beautifully in the early light. But when he looked closer, his expression changed. "What happened to your face, Squint?"
Tally blinked. "Haven"t you heard? They didn"t do the-"
"Not that." Peris reached up and touched her cheek, which smarted under his fingertips. "You look like you"ve been juggling cats all night."
"Oh, yeah." Tally ran her fingers through her hair, and rummaged through a drawer. She pulled a medspray out, closed her eyes, and squirted herself in the face.
"Ow!" she yelped in the few seconds before the anesthetic kicked in. She sprayed her scratched hands as well. "Just a little midnight hoverboarding."
"A little past midnight, don"t you think?"
Out the window, the sun was just beginning to turn the towers of New Pretty Town pink. Cat-vomit pink. She looked at Peris, exhausted and confused. "How long have you been here?"
He shifted uncomfortably in her window chair. "Long enough."
"Sorry. I didn"t know you were coming."
He raised his eyebrows in beautiful anguish. "Of course I came. The moment I figured out where you were, I came."
Tally turned away, unlacing her grippy shoes as she collected herself. She"d felt so abandoned since her birthday, it had never occurred to her that Peris would want to see her, especially not here in Uglyville.
But here he was, worried, anxious, lovely.
"It"s good to see you," she said, feeling tears come into her eyes. They were red and puffy most of the time these days.
He beamed up at her. "You too."
The thought of what she must look like was too much. Tally collapsed onto the bed, covering her face with her hands and sobbing. Peris sat next to her and held her for a while as she cried, then wiped her nose and sat her up. "Look at you, Tally Youngblood."
She shook her head. "Please don"t."
"You"re an absolute mess."
Peris found a brush and ran it through her hair. She couldn"t meet his eyes, and stared at the floor.
"So, do you always go hoverboarding in a blender?"
She shook her head, lightly touching the scratches on her face. "Just tree branches. At high speed."
"Oh, so getting yourself killed is your next brilliant trick. I guess that would just about top your current one."
"My current what?"
Peris rolled his eyes. "This whole trick where you haven"t turned pretty yet. Very mysterious."
"Yeah. Some trick."
"When didyou get modest, Squint? All my friends are fascinated."
She turned her puffy eyes to her friend, trying to figure out if he was kidding.
"I mean, I already told everyone about you after that fire alarm thing, but they"rereally dying to meet you now," he continued. "There"s even a rumor that Special Circ.u.mstances is involved."
Tally blinked. Peris was serious.
"Well, that"s true," she said. "They"re the reason I"m still ugly."
Peris"s big eyes widened even more. "Really? That is so bubbly!"
She sat up and frowned. "Dideveryone know about them but me?"
"Well, I had no idea what anyone was talking about. Apparently, Specials are like gremlins; you blame them when anything weird happens. Some people think they"re totally bogus, and no one I know has actuallyseen a Special."
Tally sighed. "Just my luck, I guess."
"So they"re real?" Peris lowered his voice to a whisper. "Do they really look different? You know,not pretty."
"It"s not that they"re not pretty, Peris. But they"re really..." Tally looked at him, gorgeous and hanging on every word. It felt so perfect to be sitting next to him, talking and touching, as if they"d never been apart. She smiled. "They"re just not as pretty as you."
He laughed. "You"ll have to tell me all about it. But don"t you dare tell anyone else. Not yet. Everyone"s going to be so intrigued. We can throw a big party when you get yourself prettied up."
She tried to smile. "Peris..."
"I know, you"re probably not supposed to talk about it. But once you"re across the river, just drop a few hints about Special-you-know-what and you"ll get invited to all the parties! Just make sure you take me with you." He leaned closer. "There"s even a rumor that all the bubbly jobs go to people who had tricky records as kids. But that"s years from now. The main thing is to get you pretty already."
"But, Peris," she said, her stomach starting to hurt. "I don"t think I"ll..."
"You"ll love it, Tally. Being pretty"s the best thing ever. And I"ll enjoy it about a million times more once you"re there with me."
"I can"t."
He frowned. "Can"t what?"
Tally looked up at Peris, clutching his hand. "You see, they want me to tattle on a friend of mine.
Someone I got to know really well. After you left."
"Tattle? Don"t tell me this is all about some ugly-trick."
"Sort of."
"So, tattle away. How big a deal can it be?"
Tally turned away. "It"s important, Peris. It"s more than a trick. I made my friend a promise that I"d keep a secret for her."
His eyes narrowed, and for a moment he looked like the old Peris: serious, thoughtful, even a little bit unhappy. "Tally, you made me a promise too."
She swallowed and stared back at him. His eyes shone with tears.
"You promised you wouldn"t do anything stupid, Tally. That you"d be with me soon. That we"d be pretty together."
She touched the scar on her palm, still there, even though Peris"s had been rubbed away. He reached over and held her hand. "Best friends forever, Tally."
She knew that if she looked into his eyes again, it would be all over. One glance, and her resistance would evaporate. "Best friends forever?" she said.
"Forever."
She took a deep breath and let herself stare into his eyes. He looked so sad, so vulnerable and wounded. So perfect. Tally imagined herself by his side, just as beautiful, spending every day doing nothing but talking and laughing and having fun.
"You"ll keep your promise, Tally?"
A shudder of exhaustion and relief went through her. She had it now, an excuse to break her vow. She"d made that promise to Peris, just as real, before she"d ever met Shay. She had known him for years, and Shay for only a few months.
And Peris was right here, not out in some strange wilderness, and was looking at her with those eyes...
"Of course."
"Really?" He smiled, and it was as bright as the daybreak outside.
"Yeah." The words came out so easily. "I"ll be there as soon as I can. I promise."
He sighed and hugged her tight, rocking her softly. Tears rose up in her again.
Peris finally released her, and looked out at the sunny day.
"I should go." He waved at the door. "You know, before the...thingies...all wake up."
"Of course."
"It"s almost past my bedtime, and you"ve got a big day ahead of you."
Tally nodded. She"d never felt so exhausted. Her muscles ached, and her face and hands had started stinging again. But she was overwhelmed with relief. This nightmare had begun three months ago, when Peris went across the river. And soon it would end.
"Okay, Peris. I"ll see you soon. As soon as possible."
He hugged her again, kissed her salty, scratched cheeks, and whispered, "Maybe in just a couple of days. I"m so excited!"
He said good-bye and left, checking both ways down the corridor before departing. Tally looked out the window for another glance at Peris, and realized that a hovercar was waiting for him below. Pretties really did get whatever they wanted.
Tally wanted nothing more than to fall asleep, but acting on her decision couldn"t wait. She knew that with Peris gone, the doubts would come back again and haunt her. She couldn"t stand another day like this, not knowing if her ugly purgatory would ever end. And she"d promised Peris she"d be with him as soon as possible.
"I"m sorry, Shay," Tally said quietly.
Then she picked up her interface ring from where it had lain on the bedside table all night, and slipped it on. "Message to Dr. Cable, or whomever," she said to it. "I"ll do what you want. Just let me sleep for a while. Message over."
Tally sighed, and let herself fall back onto the bed. She knew she should spray her scratches again before pa.s.sing out, but the thought of moving made her whole body ache. A few dozen scratches wouldn"t keep her from sleeping today. Nothing would.
Seconds later, the room spoke. "Reply from Dr. Cable: A car will be sent for you, arriving in twenty minutes."
"No," she mumbled, but realized that it would be useless to argue. Special Circ.u.mstances would come, they would wake her up, they would take her.
Tally decided to try for a few minutes of sleep. It would be better than nothing.
But for the next twenty minutes, she never once shut her eyes.
Infiltrator
The cruel pretties seemed even more unearthly to exhausted eyes. Tally felt like a mouse in a cage full of hawks, just waiting for one to swoop down and take her. The trip in the hovercar had been even more sickening this time.
She focused on the nausea eating away at her stomach, trying to forget why she was here. As Tally and her escort made their way down the hall, she tried to pull herself together, tucking in her shirt and tugging at her hair.
Dr. Cable certainly didn"t look like she"d just gotten up. Tally tried without success to imagine what a tousled Dr. Cable would look like. Her darting, metal-gray eyes hardly seemed as if they would ever close long enough to sleep.
"So, Tally. You"ve reconsidered."
"Yes."
"And you"ll answer all our questions now? Honestly and of your own free will?"
Tally snorted. "You"re not giving me a choice."
Dr. Cable smiled. "We always have choices, Tally. You"ve made yours."
"Great. Thanks. Look, just ask your questions."