Page 10 (1/2)

Fight

"Look at them all What dorks"

"Did we ever look like that?"

"Probably But just because ere dorks doesn’tto re twelve was like, what the dorm had looked like on her first day there She reer than Sol and Ellie’s house, of course, and bigger than the huts that littlies went to school in, one teacher and ten students to each one

Now the dorm seemed so sht colors and padded stairs So boring during the day and easy to escape at night

The new uglies all stuck together in a tight group, afraid to stray too far froly little faces peered up at the dorht, their eyes full of wonder and terror

Shay pulled her head back in through the"This is going to be so fun"

"It’ll be one orientation they won’t forget"

Summer was over in teeks The population of Tally’s dor for the last year as seniors turned sixteen It was almost time for a new batch to take their place Tally watched the last few uglies awky and nervous, unke point, when you changed froly

It was a stage of life she was glad to be leaving behind

"You sure this thing is going to work?" Shay asked

Tally smiled It wasn’t often that Shay was the cautious one She pointed at the collar of the bungee jacket "You see that little green light? That encies, so it’s always ready to go"

Shay’s hand slipped under the jacket to pull at her belly sensor, which meant she was nervous "What if it knows there’s no real eency?"

"It’s not that smart You fall, it catches you No tricks necessary"

Shay shrugged and put it on

They’d borrowed the jacket frolyville It was a spare from the baseet it free Tally definitely didn’t want to get caughtaround with fire alarms, in case the wardens connected her to a certain incident in New Pretty Town back at the beginning of summer

Shay pulled an oversize basketball jersey over the bungee jacket It was in her dorm’s colors, and none of the teachers here knew her face very well "How’s that look?"

"Like you’ve gained weight It suits you"

Shay scowled She hated being called Stick Insect, or Pig-Eyes, or any of the other things uglies called one another Shay soot the operation It was crazy talk, of course Shay wasn’t exactly afreak, but she was hardly a natural-born pretty There’d only been about ten of those in all of history, after all "Doyou want to do the jump, Squint?"

"I have both been there and done that, Shay, before I even met you And you’re the one who had this brilliant idea"

Shay’s scowl faded into a smile "It is brilliant, isn’t it?"

"They’ll never knohat hit thelies were in the library, scattered around the worktables to watch some orientation video Shay and Tally lay on their stomachs on the top floor of the stacks, where the dusty old paper books were stored, peering through the guardrails down at the group They waited for the tour leader to quiet the chattering uglies

"This is al a pair of fat, black eyebrows over her own

"Easy for you You’ll be out the door before anyone knohat’s happened I’ve got to make it all the way down the stairs"

"So what, Tally? What are they going to do if we get caught?"

Tally shrugged "True" But she pulled on heranyway

Over the summer, as the last few seniors turned sixteen and pretty, the tricks had groorse and worse But nobody ever seeet punished, and Tally’s pro she’d done in this last month would matter She was anxious to leave it all behind, but not without a big finish

Thinking of Peris, Tally stuck on a big plastic nose They’d raided the draht before and were loaded with disguises "Ready?" she asked Then she giggled at the nasal twang the fake nose gave her voice

"Hang on" Shay grabbed a big, fat book from the shelf "Okay, showtime"

They stood up

"Give me that book!" Tally shouted at Shay "It’s lies below fall silent, and had to resist looking down to see their upturned faces

"No way, Pignose! I checked it out first"

"Are you kidding, Fattie? You can’t even read!"

"Oh, yeah? Well, readthis !"

Shay swung the book at Tally, who ducked She snatched it away and swung back, catching Shay solidly on her upraised forear

Tally leaned forward, watching wide-eyed as Shay tumbled doard the library’s lies screa body pluee jacket activated, and Shay bobbed back up in s Tally waited another lies’ horror dissolve into confusion as Shay bounced again, then righted herself on one of the tables and headed for the door

Tally dropped the book and dashed for the stairs, leaping a flight at a time until she reached the back exit of the dorm

"Oh, that was perfect!"

"Did you see their faces?"

"Not actually," Shay said "I was kind of busy watching the floor co off the roof It does catch your attention"