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Last Trick

It was strange, but Tally couldn’t help feeling sad She knew she’d miss the view from this

She’d spent the last four years looking out at New Pretty Toanting nothing more than to cross the river and not coh thesoevery trick she could to sneak closer to the new pretties, to spy on the life she would eventually have

But now that the operation was only a week away, ti too fast Soradually Get her squinty eyes fixed first, then her lips, and cross the river in stages Just so she wouldn’t have to look out theone last tiain

Without Shay around, things felt inco on her bed and staring at New Pretty Town

Of course, there wasn’t er than Tally now, and she’d already taught all of her best tricks to the next class She’d watched every movie her wallscreen knew about ten times, all the way back to solish she could barely understand There was no one to go to concerts with, and dor to watch now that she didn’t know anyone on the tealies looked at her enviously, but no one saw et the operation over with all at once

Half the time, she wished the doctors would just kidnap her in the ine a lot worse things than waking up pretty oneThey said at school that they coulduntil sixteen was just a stupid old tradition

But it was a tradition nobody questioned, except the occasional ugly So Tally had a week to go, alone, waiting

Shay hadn’t talked to her since their big fight Tally had tried to write a ping, but working it all out on-screen just ain And it didn’t make much sense to sort it out now Once they were both pretty, there wouldn’t be anything to fight about anymore And even if Shay still hated her, there was always Peris and all their old friends, waiting across the river for her with their big eyes and wonderful s what Shay was going to look like pretty, her skin-and-bones body all filled out, her already full lips perfected, and the ragged fingernails gone forever They’d probably reen Or old

"Hey, Squint!"

Tally jumped at the whisper She peered into the darkness and saw a for toward her across the roof tiles A smile broke onto her face "Shay!"

The silhouette paused for a moment

Tally didn’t even bother to whisper "Don’t just stand there Come in, stupid!"

Shay crawled into the , laughing, as Tally gathered her into a hug, warm and joyful and solid

They stepped back, still holding each other’s hands For a ly face looked perfect

"It’s so great to see you"

"You too, Tally"

"I missed you I wanted to - I’m so sorry about - "

"No," Shay interrupted "You were right Youto write you, but it was all"

She sighed

Tally nodded, squeezing Shay’s hands "Yeah It sucked"

They stood in silence for a lanced past her friend out theSuddenly, the view of New Pretty Town didn’t see, as if all the hesitation had drained out of her The open as exciting again "Shay?"

"Yeah?"

"Let’s go sohed "I was kind of hoping you’d say that"

Tally noticed the way Shay was dressed She earing serious trick-wear: all black clothes, hair tied back tight, a knapsack over one shoulder She grinned "Already got a plan, I see Great"

"Yeah," Shay said softly "I’ve got a plan"

She walked over to Tally’s bed, unslinging the knapsack from her shoulder Her footsteps squeaked, and Tally srippy shoes Tally hadn’t been on a hoverboard in days Flying alone was all the hard work and only half the fun

Shay dumped the contents of the knapsack out onto the bed, and pointed "Position-finder Firestarter

Water purifier" She picked up two shiny wads the size of sandwiches "These pull out into sleeping bags

And they’re really wars? Water purifier?" Tally exclaimed "This must be so all the way to the sea or so?"

Shay shook her head "Farther"

"Uh, cool" Tally kept her sot six days till the operation"

"I knohat day it is" Shay opened a waterproof bag and spilled its contents alongside the rest "Food for teeks - dehydrated You just drop one of these into the purifier and add water Any kind of water" She giggled "The purifier works so well, you can even pee in it"

Tally sat down on the bed, reading the labels on the food packs "Teeks?"

"Teeks for two people," Shay said carefully "Four weeks for one"

Tally didn’t say anything Suddenly, she couldn’t look at the stuff on the bed, or at Shay She stared out the , at New Pretty Tohere the fireworks were starting

"But it won’t take teeks, Tally It’s much closer"

A plume of red soared up in thedown like the leaves of a gianttree "What won’t take teeks?"

"Going to where David lives"

Tally nodded, and closed her eyes

"It’s not like here, Tally They don’t separate everyone, uglies from pretties, new and middle and late

And you can leave whenever you want, go anywhere you want"

"Like where?"

"Anywhere Ruins, the forest, the sea Andyou never have to get the operation"

"Youwhat ?"

Shay sat next to her, touching Tally’s cheek with one finger Tally opened her eyes "We don’t have to look like everyone else, Tally, and act like everyone else We’ve got a choice We can grow up any ant"

Tally sed She felt like speech was i She forced words from her dry throat "Not be pretty? That’s crazy, Shay All the ti stupid Peris always said the sa stupid But when you said I was afraid of growing up, you really made me think"

"Imade you think?"

"Made ot to tell you another secret"

Tally sighed "Okay I guess it can’t get any worse"

"My older friends, the ones I used to hang out with before I met you? Not all of them wound up pretty"