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"Sounds like it"

"I’ this up, you know"

"Hey, I believe you," Tally said, although with Shay, she was never totally sure

Shay turned back to the horizon, chewing on a fingernail "Okay, I guess he’s not around We can go, if you want"

"It’s just that it’s really late, and a long way back And I’ve got cleanup tomorrow"

Shay nodded "Me too"

"Thanks for showing me all this, Shay It was all really incredible But I think one hed "The roller coaster didn’t kill you"

"Just about"

"Forgive me for that yet?"

"I’ll let you know, Skinny"

Shay laughed "Okay But remember not to tell anyone about David"

"Hey, I proht I do trust you, Tally" She bent her knees, and her board started to descend

Tally took one last look around, taking in the ruins splayed out below the toward the glowing sea She wondered if there was anyone out there, really, or if David was just solies made up to scare one another

But Shay didn’t seeenuinely disappointed that no one had answered her signal, as ifoff the rapids, the ruins, and the roller coaster

Whether he was real or not, Tally thought, David was very real to Shay

They left through the gap in the wall and flew to the outskirts of the ruins, then followed the vein of iron up out of the valley At the ridge, the boards started to stutter, and they stepped off Tired as Tally was, carrying the board didn’t see of it as a toy, like a littlie’s balloon The hoverboard had beco that obeyed its own rules, and that could be dangerous, too

Tally figured that Shay was right about one thing: Being in the city all the tis and bridges held up by hoverstruts, or ju was quite real there She was glad Shay had taken her out to the ruins If nothing else, the o terribly wrong if you weren’t careful

Close to the river the boards lightened up, and the two of theot their footing "I don’t know about you, but I’ht"

"That’s for sure"

Shay leaned forward and eased her board out onto the river, wrapping her dorainst the spray of the rapids Tally turned to take one last look back With the clouds gone, she could just see the ruins from here

She blinked There see from over where the roller coaster had been

Maybe it was just a trick of the light, a reflection of ht from some exposed piece of unrustedor what?" Shay shouted over the roar of the river

Tally blinked again, but couldn’t make out the flicker anymore In any case, they were too far away

Mentioning it to Shay would onlythe hike again

And it probably was nothing

Tally took a deep breath and shouted, "Coed her board onto the river, cutting into the cold spray and for aShay behind