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"What do you mean?"

"Some of them ran away, like I am Like I want us to"

Tally looked into Shay’s eyes, searching for son that this was all a joke But the intense look on her face held firm She was dead serious

"You know someone who actually ran away?"

Shay nodded "I was supposed to go too We had it all planned, about a week before the first of us turned sixteen We’d already stolen survival gear, and told David that ere coo"

"But you didn’t"

"Some of us did, but I chickened out" Shay looked out the"And I wasn’t the only one A couple of the others stayed and turned pretty instead I probably would have too, except I met you"

"Me?"

"All of a sudden I wasn’t alone anyo back out to the ruins, to look for David again"

"But we never" Tally blinked "You finally found hio I’ve been out every night since wesince our fight After you said I was afraid to grow up, I realized you were right I’d chickened out once, but I didn’t have to again"

Shay grasped Tally’s hand, and waited until their eyes were locked "I want you to co Then she shook her head "Wait How come you nevertold me any of this before?"

"I wanted to, except you would have thought I was crazy"

"Youare crazy!"

"Maybe But not that way That’s why I wanted you to meet David So you’d know that it’s all real"

"It doesn’t see about?"

"It’s just called the Se And nobody’s pretty"

"Sounds like a nighthed "Are you kidding? Hoverboards, like always There are long-distance boards that recharge on solar, and the route’s all worked out to follow rivers and stuff David does it all the time, as far as the ruins He’ll take us to the Smoke"

"But how do peoplelive out there, Shay? Like the Rusties? Burning trees for heat and burying their junk everywhere? It’s wrong to live in nature, unless you want to live like an anihed "That’s just school-talk, Tally They’ve still got technology And they’re not like the Rusties, burning trees and stuff But they don’t put a wall up between thely"

"Which h "Which means no one’spretty, you mean"

They sat in silence Tally watched the fireworks, feeling a thousand times worse than she had before Shay had appeared at the

Finally, Shay said the words Tally had been thinking "I’ to lose you, aren’t I?"

"You’re the one who’s running away"

Shay brought her fists down onto her knees "It’s all my fault I should’ve told you earlier If you’d had et used to the idea, otten used to the idea I don’t want to be ugly all my life I want those perfect eyes and lips, and for everyone to look at asp And for everyone who sees et to know me, and listen to what I say"

"I’d ratherhave so to say"

"Like what? ’I shot a wolf today and ate it’?"

Shay giggled "People don’t eat wolves, Tally Rabbits, I think, and deer"

"Oh, gross Thanks for the ietables and fish But it’s not about ca what I want to becoical committee thinks I should"

"You’re still yourself on the inside, Shay But when you’re pretty, people pay more attention"

"Not everyone thinks that way"

"Are you sure about that? That you can beat evolution by being sif you don’t come back by the time you’re twenty, the operation won’t work as well You’ll look wrong, forever"

"I’ back Forever"

Tally’s voice caught, but she forced herself to say it: "And I’ood-bye under the dae hoverboard was thicker, and glimmered with the facets of solar cells She’d also stashed a heated jacket and hat under the bridge Tally guessed that winters at the Smoke were cold and miserable

She couldn’t believe her friend was really going

"You can always coed "None of ave Tally a creepy feeling She could think of a lot of horrible reasons to explain why no one had come back "Be careful, Shay"

"You too You’re not going to tell anyone about this, right?"

"Never, Shay"

"You swear? No matter what?"

Tally raised her scarred palm "I swear"

Shay sain before I" She pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Tally

"What’s this?" Tally opened it up and saw a scrawl of letters "When did you learn to write by hand?"

"We all learned while ere planning to leave It’s a good idea if you don’t wantyour diary Anyway, that’s for you I’, so it’s in code, kind of"

Tally frowned, reading the first line of slanted words "’Take the coaster straight past the gap’?"

"Yeah Get it? Only you could figure it out, in case someone finds it You know, if you ever want to follow , but couldn’t She ed to nod

"Just in case," Shay said

She ju her knapsack over both shoulders

"Good-bye, Tally"

"Bye, Shay I wish"

Shay waited, bobbing just a bit in the cool Septeradually ruined, all without ever having been truly beautiful Never learning how to dress properly, or how to act at a for anyone look into her eyes and be simply overwhelmed

"I wish I could have seen what you would look like Pretty, I mean"

"Guess you’ll just have to live with re my face this way," Shay said

Then she turned and her hoverboard climbed away toward the river, and Tally’s next words were lost on the roar of the water