Uglies Read Online Free PDF Page A

all hovery and caught her fall, like some friendly giant plucking her from danger and swinging her to a halt.
    By her wrists. Again.
    Tally pulled the other bracelet off and rubbed.
    â€œDon’t give up. You almost made it!”
    Tally’s board cruised back on its own, nuzzling at her ankles like an apologetic dog. She crossed her arms and rubbed her shoulders. “I almost got snapped in two, you mean.”
    â€œNever happens. I’ve spilled more times than a glass of milk on a roller coaster.”
    â€œOn a what ?”
    â€œNever mind. Come on, one more try.”
    Tally sighed. It wasn’t just her wrists. Her knees ached from banking hard, whipping through turns so quickly that her body seemed to weigh a ton. Shay called that “high gravity,” which happened every time a fast-moving object changed direction.
    â€œHoverboarding looks so fun, like being a bird. But actually doing it is hard work.”
    Shay shrugged. “Being a bird’s probably hard work too. Flapping your wings all day, you know?”
    â€œMaybe. Does it get any better?”
    â€œFor birds? I don’t know. On a board? Definitely.”
    â€œI hope so.” Tally pulled her bracelets on and stepped onto the hoverboard. It bobbed a little as it adjusted to her weight, like the bounce of a diving board.
    â€œCheck your belly sensor.”
    Tally touched her belly ring, where Shay had clipped the little sensor. It told the board where Tally’s center of gravity was, and which way she was facing. The sensor even read her stomach muscles, which, it turned out, hoverboarders always clenched in anticipation of turns. The board was smart enough to gradually learn how her body moved. The more Tally rode, the more it would keep itself under her feet.
    Of course, Tally had to learn too. Shay kept saying that if your feet weren’t in the right place, the smartest board in the world couldn’t keep you on. The riding surface was all knobbly for traction, but it was amazing how easy it was to slip off.
    The board was oval-shaped, about half as long as Tally was tall, and black with the silver spots of a cheetah—the only animal in the world that could run faster than a hoverboard could fly. It was Shay’s first board, and she’d never recycyled it. Until today, it had hung on the wall above her bed.
    Tally snapped her fingers, bent her knees as she rose into the air, then leaned forward to pick up speed.
    Shay cruised along just above her, staying a little behind.
    The trees started to rush by, whipping Tally’s arms with the sharp stings of evergreen needles. The board wouldn’t let her crash into anything solid, but it didn’t get too concerned about twigs.
    â€œExtend your arms. Keep your feet apart!” Shay yelled for the thousandth time. Tally nervously scooted her left foot forward.
    At the end of the park, Tally leaned to her right, and the board pulled into a long, steep turn. She bent her knees, growing heavy as she cut back toward where they’d started.
    Now Tally was rushing toward the slalom flags, crouching as she drew closer. She could feel the wind drying her lips, lifting her ponytail up.
    â€œOh, boy,” she whispered.
    The board raced past the first flag, and she leaned hard right, her arms all the way out now for balance.
    â€œSwitch!” cried Shay. Tally twisted her body to bring the board under her and across, cutting around the next flag. Once it was past, she twisted again.
    But her feet were too close together. Not again! Her shoes slipped across the surface of the board. “No!” she cried, clenching her toes, cupping the air with her palms, anything to keep herself on board. Her right shoe slid toward the board’s edge until her toes were silhouetted against the trees.
    The trees! She was almost sideways, her body parallel with the ground.
    The slalom flag zoomed past, and suddenly, it was over. The board swung back under