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Lies

A couple of hours after dawn, they cah the orchids, four figures carrying hoverboards and dressed all in white

Broad white hats in a dappled pattern hid their heads, and she realized that if they ducked down into the flowers, they would practically disappear

These people went to a lot of trouble to stay hidden

As the party drew close, she recognized Shay’s pigtails bobbing under one of the hats and waved frantically Tally had planned to take the note literally and wait on the hilltop, but at the sight of her friend, she grabbed her board and dashed down to meet them

Infiltrator or not, Tally couldn’t wait to see Shay

The tall, lanky form broke frohing

"Itis you! I kneas!"

"Of course it is, Shay I couldn’t standyou" Which was pretty"When we spotted the helicopter last night, roup They said you’d taken too long, and that I should give up"

Tally tried to sh ti four daysafter her sixteenth birthday

"I kind of got turned around Could your note have been any more obscure?"

"Oh" Shay’s face fell "I thought you’d understand it"

Unable to bear Shay bla herself, Tally shook her head "Actually, the note was okay I’ot to the flowers The rangers didn’t see ot roasted"

Shay’s eyes widened as she took in Tally’s scratched and sunburned face, the blisters on her hands, and her patchy, scorched hair "Oh, Tally! You look like you went through a war zone"

"Just about"

The other three uglies walked up They stood back a bit, one boy holding a device in the air "She’s carrying a bug," he said

Tally’s heart froze "A what?"

Shay gently took Tally’s board from her and handed it to the boy He swept his device across it, nodded, and pulled one of the stabilizer fins off "Here it is"

"They soe boards," Shay said "Trying to find the Smoke"

"Oh, I’m reallyI didn’t know I swear!"

"Relax, Tally," the boy said "It’s not your fault Shay’s board had one too That’s e"We’ll take it away in so bird See how the Specials like South Ahed

He stepped closer and swept the device up and down her body Tally flinched when it passed close to the pendant But he smiled "It’s okay You’re clean"

Tally sighed with relief Of course, she hadn’t activated the pendant yet, so his device couldn’t detect it

The other bug was just Dr Cable’s way of uard

Tally herself was the real danger

Shay stepped up next to the boy, taking his hand in hers "Tally, this is David"

The boy sly, but he had a nice smile And his face held a kind of confidence that Tally had never seen in an ugly before Maybe he was a few years older than she was Tally had never watched anyone e sixteen She wondered how e

Of course, David was hardly a pretty His slies or not, it was good to see Shay, David - all of theers, she hadn’t seen human faces in what seeot?"

"Huh?"

Croy was one of the other uglies who’d come to meet her He also looked older than sixteen, but it didn’t suit him like it did David Some people needed the operation more than others He reached out a hand for her knapsack

"Oh, thanks" Her shoulders were sore fro for the last week