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He nodded, still speechless But it wasn’t pretty-awe that had caught his tongue - thatfor sonize what the operation had left of her old face, but his expression relier than she rely-prince dreams, his ied teeth never so crooked or discolored His blemishes weren’t as bad as Andrew’s, of course He looked no worse than Sussy or Dex, city kids who’d grown up with toothpaste pills and sunblock patches

But this was David, after all

Even after her tiers, many of theh her Not because he was hideous - he wasn’t - but because he was sily

And the weird thing was, even as she had these thoughts, her long-suppressedback This was David, who had taught her how to ate by the stars They had worked side by side, traveled together for weeks on end, and Tally had given up her city life to stay with him in the Smoke - she’d wanted to live with him forever

All those memories had survived the operation, hidden so the prettieseven more profound: the way she saw him, as if this wasn’t the same David in front of her any for a while

Finally, he cleared his throat "We should probably getThey sometimes send patrols out around this tiot to do this first" He pulled a wandlike device from one pocket and swept it over her It stayed silent

"No bugs on ed "Can’t be too careful You don’t have a board?"

Tally shook her head "It got daed in the escape"

"Wow Takes a lot to break a hoverboard"

"It was a long fall"

He sh Mom said you’d probably" He didn’t finish

"I’m fine" She looked up at hi"

They rode his board Tally was taller than David now, so she stood behind him, hands around his waist She’d abandoned her heavy crash bracelets before her long trek with Andrew Simpson S, so the board could feel her center of gravity and coht Still, they went slowly at first

The feel of David’s body, the way he leaned into the turns, was so fa (Tally didn’t want to think about how she smelled, but he didn’t see back; her , and were all flooding in now that he stood next to her Here on the board, with David turned away froht She wanted to take back all the stupid, pretty-lily? Everything else had changed as well

Tally knew she should be asking about the others, especially Zane But she couldn’t bring the na on the board with David was al why it had been Croy who’d brought her the cure In Tally’s letter to herself, she had been so certain that David would be the one to rescue her He was the prince of her dreary that she had betrayed the Smoke? Did he blaht she’d confessed everything to David, Tally had gone back to the city to give herself up, to become pretty so she could test the cure She’d never had a chance to explain how sorry she was They hadn’t even said good-bye to each other

But if David hated her, why had he been the one waiting in the ruins? Not Croy, not Zane - David Her head was spinning, alain, but without the happy part

"It’s not far," David said "Maybe three hours, traveling tandem like this"

She didn’t answer

"I didn’t think to bring another board Should have known you wouldn’t have one, since it took you so long to get here"

"I’ deal We just have to fly a little slower"

"No I’m sorry For what I did" She fell silent The words had exhausted her

He let the board coast to a stop between tering husks ofaway She rested one cheek on his shoulder, her eyes beginning to burn

Finally, he said, "I thought I would knohat to say Once I saw you"

"Forgot about the new face, didn’t you?"

"I didn’t forget, exactly But I didn’t think it would be sonot you"

"Me either," Tally said, then realized her words wouldn’t ed, after all

He turned around carefully on the board and touched her brow Tally tried to look at hi under his fingers

Tally s you out? It’s just a Cri, to see who’s bubbly"

"Yeah, a tattoo keyed to your heartbeat They told ined one on you It’s so

weird"

"It’s still ether" He turned away, tilting the hoverboard forward and intohih without the confused feelings that rose up every time she looked at him He probably didn’t want to look at her city-e eyes and ani at a ti me the cure instead of you?"