Page 10 (2/2)

"Speaking of faces, love the nose"

Tally giggled, pulling it off "Yeah, no point in being uglier than usual"

Shay’s face clouded She wiped off an eyebrow, then looked up sharply "You’re not ugly"

"Oh, come on, Shay"

"No, I mean it" She reached out and touched Tally’s real nose "Your profile is great"

"Don’t be weird, Shay I’ly We will be for two hed "You, for exaiant eyebrow and one tiny one"

Shay looked away, stripping off the rest of her disguise in silence

They were hidden in the changing rooms beside the sandy beach, where they’d left their interface rings and a spare set of clothes If anyone asked, they’d say they were swireat trick It hid your body-heat signature, involved changing clothes, and was a perfect excuse for not wearing your interface ring The river washed away all crimes

Athe disguises The bungee jacket would go back to the art school baseht

"I’m serious, Tally," Shay said once they were out in the water "Your nose isn’t ugly I like your eyes, too"

"My eyes? Now you’re totally crazy They’re way too close together"

"Who says?"

"Biology says"

Shay splashed a handful of water at her "You don’t believe all that crap, do you - that there’s only one way to look, and everyone’s prograree on it?"

"It’s not about believing, Shay You justknow it You’ve seen pretties They lookwonderful"

"They all look the same"

"I used to think that too But when Peris and I would go into toe’d see a lot of them, and we realized that pretties do look different They look like themselves It’s just a lot more subtle, because they’re not all freaks"

"We’re not freaks, TallyWe’re noreous, but at least we’re not hyped-up Barbie dolls"

"What kind of dolls?"

She looked away "It’s soreat David again" Tally pushed away and floated on her back, looking up at the sky and wishing this conversation would end They’d been out to the ruins a fewoff a sparkler, but David had never showed The whole thing gave Tally the creeps, waiting around in the dead city for so out there, but Shay’s obsession with David had started to sour it for Tally

"He’s real I’ve met him more than once"

"Okay, Shay, David’s real But so is being ugly You can’t change it just by wishing, or by telling yourself that you’re pretty That’s why they invented the operation"

"But it’s a trick, Tally You’ve only seen pretty faces your whole life Your parents, your teachers, everyone over sixteen But you weren’tborn expecting that kind of beauty in everyone, all the tily"

"It’s not progra, it’s just a natural reaction And more important than that, it’s fair In the old days it was all randoly all their lives Now everyone’s uglyuntil they’re pretty No losers"

Shay was silent for a while, then said, "There are losers, Tally"

Tally shivered Everyone knew about uglies-for-life, the few people for whom the operation wouldn’t work You didn’t see them around much They were allowed in public, but ht look goofy, but at least they were youngOld uglies were really unbelievable

"Is that it? Are you worried about the operation not working? That’s silly, Shay You’re no freak In teeks you’ll be as pretty as anyone else"

"I don’t want to be pretty"

Tally sighed This again

"I’m sick of this city," Shay continued "I’ I want is to beco party all day"

"Coee jump, fly, play with fireworks Only they don’t have to sneak around"

"They don’t have the iination to sneak around"

"Look, Skinny, I’reat! Okay? Breaking the rules is fun!

But eventually you’ve got to do soly"

"Like being a vapid, boring pretty?"

"No, like being an adult Did you ever think that when you’re pretty you s up? Maybe just being ugly is why uglies always fight and pick on one another, because they aren’t happy ho they are Well, I want to be happy, and looking like a real person is the first step"

"I’ the way I do, Tally"

"Maybe not, but you are afraid of growing up!"

Shay didn’t say anything Tally floated in silence, looking up at the sky, barely able to see the clouds through her anger She wanted to be pretty, wanted to see Peris again It seemed like forever since she’d talked to him, or to anyone else except Shay She was sick of this whole ugly business, and just wanted it to end

Afor shore