your ability, you will never be pretty.â
Dr. Cable turned away.
âYou can die ugly, for all I care.â
The door opened. The scary man was outside, where heâd been waiting all along.
UGLY FOR LIFE
They must have forewarned the minders about her return. All the other uglies were gone, off on some unscheduled school trip. But they hadnât found out in time to save her stuff. When Tally reached her old room, she saw that everything had been recycled. Clothes, bedding, furniture, the pictures on the wallscreenâit had all reverted back to Generic Ugly. It even looked as if somebody else had been briefly moved in, then out again, leaving a strange drink can in the fridge.
Tally sat down on the bed, too stunned to cry. She knew she would start bawling soon, probably losing it at the worst possible time and place. Now that the encounter with Dr. Cable was over, her anger and defiance were fading, and there was nothing leftto sustain her. Her stuff was gone, her future was gone, only the view out the window remained.
She sat and stared, having to remind herself every few minutes that it had all really happened: the cruel pretties, the strange buildings on the edge of town, the terrible ultimatum from Dr. Cable. Tally felt as if some wild trick had gone horribly wrong. A weird and horrible new reality had opened up, devouring the world she knew and understood.
All she had left was the small duffel bag sheâd packed for the hospital. She couldnât even remember carrying it all the way back here. Tally pulled out the few clothes, which sheâd shoved in at random, and found Shayâs note.
She read it, looking for clues.
Take the coaster straight past the gap,
until you find one thatâs long and flat.
Cold is the sea and watch for breaks.
At the second make the worst mistake.
Four days later take the side you despise,
and look in the flowers for fire-bug eyes.
Once theyâre found, enjoy the flight.
Then wait on the bald head until itâs light.
Hardly any of it made sense to her, only bits and pieces. Shay had obviously meant to hide the meaning from anyone else reading it, using references only the two of them would understand. Her paranoia made a lot more sense now. Having met Dr. Cable,Tally could see why David wanted to keep his cityâor camp, or whatever it wasâa secret.
As Tally held the note, she realized that it was what Dr. Cable had wanted. The woman had been sitting across the room from the letter the whole time, but theyâd never bothered to search her. That meant that Tally had kept Shayâs secret, and that she still had something to bargain with.
It also meant that Special Circumstances could make mistakes.
â¢Â  â¢Â  â¢
Tally saw the other uglies come back in before lunchtime. As they filed off the school transport, all of them craned their necks to look up at her window. A few pointed before she ducked back into the shadows. Minutes later Tally could hear kids in the hall outside, growing silent as they passed her door. A few even giggled, as new uglies always did when tried to keep quiet.
Were they laughing at her?
Her rumbling stomach reminded Tally that she hadnât eaten breakfast, or dinner the night before. You werenât supposed to have food or water for sixteen hours before the operation. She was starving.
But she stayed in her room until lunch was over. She couldnât face a cafeteria full of uglies watching her every move, wondering what she had done to deserve her still-ugly face. When she couldnât stand her hunger anymore, Tally stole upstairs to the roof deck, where they put out leftovers for whoever wanted them.
A few uglies saw her in the hall. They clammed up and stoodaside as Tally passed, as if she were contagious. What had the minders told them? Tally wondered. That sheâd pulled one too many tricks? That she was inoperable, an ugly-for-life? Or just that she was a Special
Dr. Cable turned away.
âYou can die ugly, for all I care.â
The door opened. The scary man was outside, where heâd been waiting all along.
UGLY FOR LIFE
They must have forewarned the minders about her return. All the other uglies were gone, off on some unscheduled school trip. But they hadnât found out in time to save her stuff. When Tally reached her old room, she saw that everything had been recycled. Clothes, bedding, furniture, the pictures on the wallscreenâit had all reverted back to Generic Ugly. It even looked as if somebody else had been briefly moved in, then out again, leaving a strange drink can in the fridge.
Tally sat down on the bed, too stunned to cry. She knew she would start bawling soon, probably losing it at the worst possible time and place. Now that the encounter with Dr. Cable was over, her anger and defiance were fading, and there was nothing leftto sustain her. Her stuff was gone, her future was gone, only the view out the window remained.
She sat and stared, having to remind herself every few minutes that it had all really happened: the cruel pretties, the strange buildings on the edge of town, the terrible ultimatum from Dr. Cable. Tally felt as if some wild trick had gone horribly wrong. A weird and horrible new reality had opened up, devouring the world she knew and understood.
All she had left was the small duffel bag sheâd packed for the hospital. She couldnât even remember carrying it all the way back here. Tally pulled out the few clothes, which sheâd shoved in at random, and found Shayâs note.
She read it, looking for clues.
Take the coaster straight past the gap,
until you find one thatâs long and flat.
Cold is the sea and watch for breaks.
At the second make the worst mistake.
Four days later take the side you despise,
and look in the flowers for fire-bug eyes.
Once theyâre found, enjoy the flight.
Then wait on the bald head until itâs light.
Hardly any of it made sense to her, only bits and pieces. Shay had obviously meant to hide the meaning from anyone else reading it, using references only the two of them would understand. Her paranoia made a lot more sense now. Having met Dr. Cable,Tally could see why David wanted to keep his cityâor camp, or whatever it wasâa secret.
As Tally held the note, she realized that it was what Dr. Cable had wanted. The woman had been sitting across the room from the letter the whole time, but theyâd never bothered to search her. That meant that Tally had kept Shayâs secret, and that she still had something to bargain with.
It also meant that Special Circumstances could make mistakes.
â¢Â  â¢Â  â¢
Tally saw the other uglies come back in before lunchtime. As they filed off the school transport, all of them craned their necks to look up at her window. A few pointed before she ducked back into the shadows. Minutes later Tally could hear kids in the hall outside, growing silent as they passed her door. A few even giggled, as new uglies always did when tried to keep quiet.
Were they laughing at her?
Her rumbling stomach reminded Tally that she hadnât eaten breakfast, or dinner the night before. You werenât supposed to have food or water for sixteen hours before the operation. She was starving.
But she stayed in her room until lunch was over. She couldnât face a cafeteria full of uglies watching her every move, wondering what she had done to deserve her still-ugly face. When she couldnât stand her hunger anymore, Tally stole upstairs to the roof deck, where they put out leftovers for whoever wanted them.
A few uglies saw her in the hall. They clammed up and stoodaside as Tally passed, as if she were contagious. What had the minders told them? Tally wondered. That sheâd pulled one too many tricks? That she was inoperable, an ugly-for-life? Or just that she was a Special
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