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"So beautiful," Tally said, trying to i this way every day, free fro restrictions of the city

Her wrist was throbbing, and she pulled her crash bracelet off to take a look In the wipeout, the ave it a tug, but even with her soaking skin, it stopped at its usual spot

"Still stuck," she said

Zane took her hand and said softly, "Don’t push it, Tally" He covered the cuff with her coat and whispered, "You’ll onlyon her hood The rain beat on the plastic, iht maybe with the water "

"Nah Cold hter out here"

Tally looked at Zane, raising an eyebrow "So," she whispered, "do they get bigger when they get hot?"

He was silent for a moment Then, so softly that she could barely hear hiuess they’d get a little bigger"

"How much?"

He shrugged, the gesture almost invisible under his winter coat, but he was interested now "Howabout a candle, are you?"

Zane shook his head "So we could control, so it wouldn’t roast our hands off We’d still get burned, though"

She looked at the bulge in her sleeve and sighed "Beats breaking your own thu I was " Her voice trailed off

Zane’s gaze followed hers across the river On the opposite bank, two figures on hoverboards stood watching theht to keep her voice down "Smokies?"

Zane shook his head "Those are dor out in this rain?"

He stood up "Maybe we should ask"

CUTTERS

On the Uglyville side of the river, the four of the a paper recycler, hidden fro rings, Tally was glad to see; the four of the hung out together

"Is that really you, Tally?" the girl whispered

"Uh, yeah Recognize me from the feeds?"

"No! It’s me, Sussy And this is Dex," she said "Don’t you reirl just stared She earing a crude leather strap around her neck, which looked like the sort of thing a Se Where had she gotten it?

"We helped you with that ’New S, rely"

An i letters lit as a diversion while she and David had broken into Special Circuanized that trick, and then helped the news and supplies fro more tricks to keep the wardens and Specials busy

"You really forgot us," Dex said "So it’s true They do so to your brains"

"Yeah, it’s true," Zane said "But a little softer, please" The rain was as loud as a jet engine on the plastic tarp,to keep their voices down

Dex’s stare dropped to Tally’s wrist, covered by a crash bracelet and bound in a scarf, as if he didn’t believe the cuff was really under there, listening "Sorry"

When his eyes crept back up to stare at her face, Dex couldn’t hide his amazement at her transfor on every word Under their gaze, Tally felt self-conscious and weirdly powerful It was obvious the tould do anything she or Zane asked Back when her brain had been prettified, she’d felt entitled to this sort of awe But noith her head clear, it was kind of elies was less aard than it hts over the last month had made it easier to look at their imperfect faces They didn’t horrify her as ap between Sussy’s two front teeth see, and even Dex’s zits didn’t e wasn’t peret s you can spread around to everyone, okay?"

The two nodded du about the cure to rando Sussy and Dex e to the New Smoke

"What’s the news fro to whisper "That’s e came down here As far as we could tell, the New Sht"

"What happened last night?" Tally asked

"Well, since they went hts," Dex said "To check out the old spots, light sparklers But we haven’t seen anything all o was about the sa probably wasn’t a coincidence

"But last night we found sohtsticks and soazines?" Tally asked

"Yeah," Sussy said "Froly everyone used to be"

"I don’t think the New S around," Tally said "Those are precious I knew someone who died to save the low," Dex said "Playing it safe"

"Why?" Zane said softly "And for how long?"

"Hoould we know?" Dex said "That’s e ca to sneak over in the rain and find you, Tally We thought you guys ht have a clue"