were still powerful from their weeks of manual labor in the Smoke—if anything, the operation had tuned them up—but she barely kept her grip as the jacket absorbed the velocity of their fall. Her arms slipped farther down until they were wrapped around Peris's waist, her fingers painfully entangled in the jacket's straps.
As they came to a shuddering halt, Tally's feet brushed the grass, and she let go.
Peris shot back up into the air, his knee catching Tally's brow and sending her staggering back into the darkness. She lost her footing, landing on a drift of fallen leaves that crunched beneath her.
For a moment Tally lay still. The pile of leaves smelled softly of earth and rot, like something old and tired. She blinked as something trickled into one eye. Maybe it was raining.
She looked up at the party tower and the distant hot-air balloons, blinking and catching her breath. She could make out a few figures peering down from the bright balcony ten stories above. Tally wondered if any of them were Specials.
Peris was nowhere to be seen. She remembered bungee jumping as an ugly, how a jacket would carry you down a slope. He must have bounced down toward the river after Croy Croy. She wanted to say something to him…
Tally struggled to her feet and faced the river. Her head throbbed, but the clarity that had come over her as she'd thrown herself off the balcony hadn't faded. Her heart pounded as a burst of fireworks lit the sky, casting pink light and sudden shadows through the trees, every blade of grass in sharp relief.
Everything felt very real: her intense revulsion at Croy's ugly face, her fear of the Specials, the shapes and smells around her. It felt as if a thin plastic film had been peeled from her eyes, leaving the world with razored edges.
She ran downhill, toward the mirrored band of the river and the darkness of Uglyville. "Croy!"
she cried.
The pink flower in the sky faded, and Tally tripped over the winding roots of an old tree. She stumbled to a halt.
Something was gliding up out of the darkness.
"Croy?" The fireworks had left green spots scattered across her vision.
"You don't give up, do you?"
He was on a hoverboard a meter off the ground, feet spread for balance, looking comfortable.
His gray silks had been replaced with pitch-black, his cruel pretty mask discarded. Behind him, two other black-clad figures rode, younger uglies wearing dorm uniforms and nervous looks.
"I wanted …" Her voice trailed off. She'd followed him to say, Go away, leave me alone, never come back. To scream it at him. But everything had become so clear and intense…what she wanted now was to hold on to this bright focus. Cray's invasion of her world was a part of that, she somehow knew.
"Croy they're coming," one of the younger uglies said.
"What did you want, Tally?" he asked calmly.
She blinked, uncertain, worried that if she said the wrong thing, the clarity might go away—the barrier would close again.
She remembered what he'd offered in the stairwell. "You had something to give me?"
He smiled, and pulled the old leather pouch from his belt. "This? Yeah, I think you're ready for it.
Only one problem: You'd better not take it from me right now. Wardens are coming. Maybe Specials."
"Yeah, in about ten seconds," the nervous ugly complained.
Croy ignored him. "But we'll leave it for you at Valentino 317. Can you remember that?
Valentino 317."
She nodded, then blinked again. Her head felt light.
Croy frowned. "I hope so." He spun his board around in one graceful movement, and the other two uglies followed suit. "Later. And sorry about your eye."
They darted away toward the river, veering off in three different directions as they disappeared into the darkness.
"Sorry about my what?" she asked softly.
Then Tally found herself blinking again, her vision blurring. She reached up to touch her forehead.
Her fingers came away sticky, and more dark blotches dripped into her palm as she stared at it
As they came to a shuddering halt, Tally's feet brushed the grass, and she let go.
Peris shot back up into the air, his knee catching Tally's brow and sending her staggering back into the darkness. She lost her footing, landing on a drift of fallen leaves that crunched beneath her.
For a moment Tally lay still. The pile of leaves smelled softly of earth and rot, like something old and tired. She blinked as something trickled into one eye. Maybe it was raining.
She looked up at the party tower and the distant hot-air balloons, blinking and catching her breath. She could make out a few figures peering down from the bright balcony ten stories above. Tally wondered if any of them were Specials.
Peris was nowhere to be seen. She remembered bungee jumping as an ugly, how a jacket would carry you down a slope. He must have bounced down toward the river after Croy Croy. She wanted to say something to him…
Tally struggled to her feet and faced the river. Her head throbbed, but the clarity that had come over her as she'd thrown herself off the balcony hadn't faded. Her heart pounded as a burst of fireworks lit the sky, casting pink light and sudden shadows through the trees, every blade of grass in sharp relief.
Everything felt very real: her intense revulsion at Croy's ugly face, her fear of the Specials, the shapes and smells around her. It felt as if a thin plastic film had been peeled from her eyes, leaving the world with razored edges.
She ran downhill, toward the mirrored band of the river and the darkness of Uglyville. "Croy!"
she cried.
The pink flower in the sky faded, and Tally tripped over the winding roots of an old tree. She stumbled to a halt.
Something was gliding up out of the darkness.
"Croy?" The fireworks had left green spots scattered across her vision.
"You don't give up, do you?"
He was on a hoverboard a meter off the ground, feet spread for balance, looking comfortable.
His gray silks had been replaced with pitch-black, his cruel pretty mask discarded. Behind him, two other black-clad figures rode, younger uglies wearing dorm uniforms and nervous looks.
"I wanted …" Her voice trailed off. She'd followed him to say, Go away, leave me alone, never come back. To scream it at him. But everything had become so clear and intense…what she wanted now was to hold on to this bright focus. Cray's invasion of her world was a part of that, she somehow knew.
"Croy they're coming," one of the younger uglies said.
"What did you want, Tally?" he asked calmly.
She blinked, uncertain, worried that if she said the wrong thing, the clarity might go away—the barrier would close again.
She remembered what he'd offered in the stairwell. "You had something to give me?"
He smiled, and pulled the old leather pouch from his belt. "This? Yeah, I think you're ready for it.
Only one problem: You'd better not take it from me right now. Wardens are coming. Maybe Specials."
"Yeah, in about ten seconds," the nervous ugly complained.
Croy ignored him. "But we'll leave it for you at Valentino 317. Can you remember that?
Valentino 317."
She nodded, then blinked again. Her head felt light.
Croy frowned. "I hope so." He spun his board around in one graceful movement, and the other two uglies followed suit. "Later. And sorry about your eye."
They darted away toward the river, veering off in three different directions as they disappeared into the darkness.
"Sorry about my what?" she asked softly.
Then Tally found herself blinking again, her vision blurring. She reached up to touch her forehead.
Her fingers came away sticky, and more dark blotches dripped into her palm as she stared at it
Similar Books
Rock and Roll Heaven
T. C. Boyle
Lovestruck
Julia Llewellyn
Kept by Him
Red Garnier
Country Boy 2
Blake Karrington
Blood Rose
Margie Orford
Hope
Lori Copeland
Moondance Beach
Susan Donovan
Night Soul and Other Stories
Joseph McElroy
A Daddy for Dillon
Stella Bagwell
Dark Carnival
Ray Bradbury