PERIS

During the daytime, she hid in her room.
Going anywhere else was pure torture. The uglies in herown dorm treated her like a walking disease, and anyoneelse who recognized her sooner or later asked, “Why aren’tyou pretty yet?”
It was strange. She’d been an ugly for four years, but afew extra days had brought home to her exactly what theword really meant. Tally peered into her mirror all day, notingevery flaw, every deformity. Her thin lips pursed withunhappiness. Her hair grew even frizzier because she keptrunning her hands through it in frustration. A trio of zitsexploded across her forehead, as if marking the days sinceher sixteenth birthday. Her watery, too-small eyes glaredback at her, full of anger.
Only at night could she escape from the tiny room, thenervous stares, her own ugly face.
She fooled the minders and climbed out as usual, butshe didn’t feel much like any real tricks. There was no oneto visit, no one to play a prank on, and the idea of crossingthe river was too painful to consider. She had gotten a newhoverboard, and tricked it up like Shay had taught her, soat least she could fly at night.
But flying didn’t feel the same. She was alone, it wasgetting cold at night, and no matter how fast she flew, Tallywas trapped, and she knew it.
The fourth night in ugly exile she took her board up intothe greenbelt, staying at the edge of town. She whipped itback and forth past the dark columns of tree trunks, shootingthrough them at top speed, so fast that her hands and facecollected dozens of scratches from the branches blurring by.
After a few hours’ flying had worn away some of heranguish, Tally had a happy realization: This was the bestshe’d ever ridden; she was almost as good as Shay now. Neveronce did the board dump her for getting too close to a tree,and her shoes held on to its grippy surface like they wereglued there. She worked up a sweat even in the autumn chill,riding until her legs were tired, her ankles aching, her armssore from being spread out like wings guiding her throughthe dark forest. If she rode this hard all night, Tally thought,maybe tomorrow she could sleep the hideous daylight away.
She flew until exhaustion forced her home.
When she crawled back into her room at dawn, someonewas waiting there.
“Peris!”
His features burst into a radiant smile, big eyes flashingUGLIES 121beautifully in the early light. But when he looked closer, hisexpression changed. “What happened to your face, Squint?”
Tally blinked. “Haven’t you heard? They didn’t do the—”
“Not that.” Peris reached up and touched her cheek,which smarted under his fingertips. “You look like you’vebeen juggling cats all night.”
“Oh, yeah.” Tally ran her fingers through her hair, andrummaged through a drawer. She pulled a medspray out,closed her eyes, and squirted herself in the face.
“Ow!” she yelped in the few seconds before the anesthetickicked in. She sprayed her scratched hands as well.
“Just a little midnight hoverboarding.”
“A little past midnight, don’t you think?”
Out the window, the sun was just beginning to turn thetowers of New Pretty Town pink. Cat-vomit pink. She lookedat Peris, exhausted and confused. “How long have you beenhere?”
He shifted uncomfortably in her window chair. “Longenough.”
“Sorry. I didn’t know you were coming.”
He raised his eyebrows in beautiful anguish. “Of courseI came. The moment I figured out where you were, I came.”
Tally turned away, unlacing her grippy shoes as she collectedherself. She’d felt so abandoned since her birthday, ithad never occurred to her that Peris would want to see her,especially not here in Uglyville. But here he was, worried,anxious, lovely.
122 Scott Westerfeld“It’s good to see you,” she said, feeling tears come intoher eyes. They were red and puffy most of the time thesedays.
He beamed up at her. “You too.”
The thought of what she must look like was too much.
Tally collapsed onto the bed, covering her face with herhands and sobbing. Peris sat next to her and held her for awhile as she cried, then wiped her nose and sat her up.
“Look at you, Tally Youngblood.”
She shook her head. “Please don’t.”
“You’re an absolute mess.”
Peris found a brush and ran it through her hair. Shecouldn’t meet his eyes, and stared at the floor.
“So, do you always go hoverboarding in a blender?”
She shook her head, lightly touching the scratches onher face. “Just tree branches. At high speed.”
“Oh, so getting yourself killed is your next brillianttrick. I guess that would just about top your current one.”
“My current what?”
Peris rolled his eyes. “This whole trick where youhaven’t turned pretty yet. Very mysterious.”
“Yeah. Some trick.”
“When did you get modest, Squint? All my friends arefascinated.”
She turned her puffy eyes to her friend, trying to figureout if he was kidding.
“I mean, I already told everyone about you after thatUGLIES 123fire alarm thing, but they’re really dying to meet you now,”
he continued. “There’s even a rumor that Special Circumstancesis involved.”
Tally blinked. Peris was serious.
“Well, that’s true,” she said. “They’re the reason I’m stillugly.”
Peris’s big eyes widened even more. “Really? That is sobubbly!”
She sat up and frowned. “Did everyone know aboutthem but me?”
“Well, I had no idea what anyone was talking about.
Apparently, Specials are like gremlins; you blame themwhen anything weird happens. Some people think they’retotally bogus, and no one I know has actually seen aSpecial.”
Tally sighed. “Just my luck, I guess.”
“So they’re real?” Peris lowered his voice to a whisper.
“Do they really look different? You know, not pretty.”
“It’s not that they’re not pretty, Peris. But they’rereally . . .” Tally looked at him, gorgeous and hanging onevery word. It felt so perfect to be sitting next to him, talkingand touching, as if they’d never been apart. She smiled.
“They’re just not as pretty as you.”
He laughed. “You’ll have to tell me all about it. Butdon’t you dare tell anyone else. Not yet. Everyone’s going tobe so intrigued. We can throw a big party when you getyourself prettied up.”
124 Scott WesterfeldShe tried to smile. “Peris . . .”
“I know, you’re probably not supposed to talk about it.
But once you’re across the river, just drop a few hints aboutSpecial-you-know-what and you’ll get invited to all the parties!
Just make sure you take me with you.” He leanedcloser. “There’s even a rumor that all the bubbly jobs go topeople who had tricky records as kids. But that’s years fromnow. The main thing is to get you pretty already.”
“But, Peris,” she said, her stomach starting to hurt. “Idon’t think I’ll . . .”
“You’ll love it, Tally. Being pretty’s the best thing ever.
And I’ll enjoy it about a million times more once you’rethere with me.”
“I can’t.”
He frowned. “Can’t what?”
Tally looked up at Peris, clutching his hand. “You see,they want me to tattle on a friend of mine. Someone I gotto know really well. After you left.”
“Tattle? Don’t tell me this is all about some ugly-trick.”
“Sort of.”
“So, tattle away. How big a deal can it be?”
Tally turned away. “It’s important, Peris. It’s more thana trick. I made my friend a promise that I’d keep a secretfor her.”
His eyes narrowed, and for a moment he looked likethe old Peris: serious, thoughtful, even a little bit unhappy.
“Tally, you made me a promise too.”
UGLIES 125She swallowed and stared back at him. His eyes shonewith tears.
“You promised you wouldn’t do anything stupid, Tally.
That you’d be with me soon. That we’d be pretty together.”
She touched the scar on her palm, still there, eventhough Peris’s had been rubbed away. He reached over andheld her hand. “Best friends forever, Tally.”
She knew that if she looked into his eyes again, itwould be all over. One glance, and her resistance wouldevaporate. “Best friends forever?” she said.
“Forever.”
She took a deep breath and let herself stare into hiseyes. He looked so sad, so vulnerable and wounded. Soperfect. Tally imagined herself by his side, just as beautiful,spending every day doing nothing but talking and laughingand having fun.
“You’ll keep your promise, Tally?”
A shudder of exhaustion and relief went through her.
She had it now, an excuse to break her vow. She’d made thatpromise to Peris, just as real, before she’d ever met Shay.
She had known him for years, and Shay for only a fewmonths.
And Peris was right here, not out in some strangewilderness, and was looking at her with those eyes . . .
“Of course.”
“Really?” He smiled, and it was as bright as the daybreakoutside.
126 Scott Westerfeld“Yeah.” The words came out so easily. “I’ll be there assoon as I can. I promise.”
He sighed and hugged her tight, rocking her softly.
Tears rose up in her again.
Peris finally released her, and looked out at the sunny day.
“I should go.” He waved at the door. “You know, beforethe . . . thingies . . . all wake up.”
“Of course.”
“It’s almost past my bedtime, and you’ve got a big dayahead of you.”
Tally nodded. She’d never felt so exhausted. Her musclesached, and her face and hands had started stinging again. Butshe was overwhelmed with relief. This nightmare had begunthree months ago, when Peris went across the river. Andsoon it would end.
“Okay, Peris. I’ll see you soon. As soon as possible.”
He hugged her again, kissed her salty, scratched cheeks,and whispered, “Maybe in just a couple of days. I’m soexcited!”
He said good-bye and left, checking both ways down thecorridor before departing. Tally looked out the window foranother glance at Peris, and realized that a hovercar was waitingfor him below. Pretties really did get whatever they wanted.
Tally wanted nothing more than to fall asleep, but actingon her decision couldn’t wait. She knew that with Perisgone, the doubts would come back again and haunt her.
She couldn’t stand another day like this, not knowing if herUGLIES 127ugly purgatory would ever end. And she’d promised Perisshe’d be with him as soon as possible.
“I’m sorry, Shay,” Tally said quietly.
Then she picked up her interface ring from where ithad lain on the bedside table all night, and slipped it on.
“Message to Dr. Cable, or whomever,” she said to it. “I’ll dowhat you want. Just let me sleep for a while. Message over.”
Tally sighed, and let herself fall back onto the bed. Sheknew she should spray her scratches again before passingout, but the thought of moving made her whole body ache.
A few dozen scratches wouldn’t keep her from sleepingtoday. Nothing would.
Seconds later, the room spoke. “Reply from Dr. Cable:
A car will be sent for you, arriving in twenty minutes.”
“No,” she mumbled, but realized that it would be uselessto argue. Special Circumstances would come, theywould wake her up, they would take her.
Tally decided to try for a few minutes of sleep. It wouldbe better than nothing.
But for the next twenty minutes, she never once shuther eyes.