Read Online Uglies 2 - Pretties by Scott Westerfeld - Free Book Online
Authors: Scott Westerfeld
Tags: Uglies
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hers. "I mean, stay bubbly."
Tally kissed him, and with the pressure of his lips the world sharpened again. She pushed the hunger out of her mind and said, "Okay. What about the elevator?"
"Which one?"
She led him back to the space between Valentino 315 and 319. The long expanse of stone wall was interrupted by an elevator door.
"There used to be a room here," she said.
"But they got rid of it when they put in the elevator." Zane laughed. "Lazy pretties. Can't climb two flights of stairs."
"So maybe 317 is the elevator now."
"Well, that's bogus," Zane said. "We can't make it come without our rings."
"We could wait around until someone else calls the elevator, and slip in."
Zane looked up and down the empty hallway, piled with plastic cups and torn paper decorations.
"Hours from now," he said, sighing. "When we won't be bubbly anymore."
"Yeah. Not bubbly." A layer of fuzziness was starting to sink across Tally's vision again, and her stomach growled in a food-missing way, which called up the mental image of a warm chocolate muffin.
She shook her head to clear it, visualizing a Special Circumstances uniform instead. Last night the sight of gray silk had focused her mind, had propelled her after Croy and into the fire stairwell. The whole thing had been a test to see how well her brain was working. Maybe this was another test. A bubbly puzzle, as Zane had said.
She stared at the elevator door. There had to be a way inside.
Slowly, a memory came to her. It was from back in the ugly days, but not so long ago. Tally remembered falling down a lightless shaft. It was one of the stories that Shay always liked to hear her tell, about how Tally and David had snuck into Special Circumstances headquarters…"The roof," Tally said.
"What?"
"You can climb down into an elevator shaft from the roof. I've done it."
"Really?"
Instead of answering, Tally kissed him again. She couldn't remember exactly how, but knew that if she just stayed bubbly, it would come back to her. "Follow me."
Getting up to the roof wasn't as simple as she'd expected— the stairs they had taken up stopped at the third floor. Tally frowned, frustration deadening everything again. In Komachi Mansion, getting up to the roof was easy. "This is bogus. What do they do if there's a fire?"
"Stone doesn't burn," Zane said. He pointed at a small window at the end of the hall, sunlight streaming in through its stained-glass panels. "That's the way out." He strode toward it.
"What? Climb up the outside wall?"
Zane stuck his head out and looked down, letting out a long whistle. "Nothing like heights to keep you bubbly."
Tally frowned, unsure whether or not she wanted to be that bubbly.
Zane pulled himself up onto the sill and leaned out, grasping the top of the window. He stood carefully, slowly rising until Tally could see only his boots standing on the stone ledge outside. Her heart began to race again, until she could feel it beating in her fingertips. The world became as sharp as icicles.
For a long time his feet were motionless, then they shuffled closer to the edge, until only Zane's toes rested on the stone, precariously balanced.
"What are you doing up there?"
In answer, his boots lifted slowly into the air. Then Tally heard the muffled sound of soles scrabbling on stone. She stuck her head through and peered up.
Above her, Zane dangled from the edge of the roof, his feet swinging and scraping. Then one of his boots found purchase in a crack between the stones, and he hauled himself over and out of sight.
A moment later, his face appeared, grinning from ear to ear. "Come on up!"
Tally pulled her head in and took a deep breath, placing her hands on the ledge. The stone was rough and cold. The wind whistling through the window made the tiny hairs on her arms stand up.
"Stay bubbly," Tally said softly. She pulled herself up to sit in the window, the stone cold against her thighs, and took a quick glance at the ground. It was a long way down to
Tally kissed him, and with the pressure of his lips the world sharpened again. She pushed the hunger out of her mind and said, "Okay. What about the elevator?"
"Which one?"
She led him back to the space between Valentino 315 and 319. The long expanse of stone wall was interrupted by an elevator door.
"There used to be a room here," she said.
"But they got rid of it when they put in the elevator." Zane laughed. "Lazy pretties. Can't climb two flights of stairs."
"So maybe 317 is the elevator now."
"Well, that's bogus," Zane said. "We can't make it come without our rings."
"We could wait around until someone else calls the elevator, and slip in."
Zane looked up and down the empty hallway, piled with plastic cups and torn paper decorations.
"Hours from now," he said, sighing. "When we won't be bubbly anymore."
"Yeah. Not bubbly." A layer of fuzziness was starting to sink across Tally's vision again, and her stomach growled in a food-missing way, which called up the mental image of a warm chocolate muffin.
She shook her head to clear it, visualizing a Special Circumstances uniform instead. Last night the sight of gray silk had focused her mind, had propelled her after Croy and into the fire stairwell. The whole thing had been a test to see how well her brain was working. Maybe this was another test. A bubbly puzzle, as Zane had said.
She stared at the elevator door. There had to be a way inside.
Slowly, a memory came to her. It was from back in the ugly days, but not so long ago. Tally remembered falling down a lightless shaft. It was one of the stories that Shay always liked to hear her tell, about how Tally and David had snuck into Special Circumstances headquarters…"The roof," Tally said.
"What?"
"You can climb down into an elevator shaft from the roof. I've done it."
"Really?"
Instead of answering, Tally kissed him again. She couldn't remember exactly how, but knew that if she just stayed bubbly, it would come back to her. "Follow me."
Getting up to the roof wasn't as simple as she'd expected— the stairs they had taken up stopped at the third floor. Tally frowned, frustration deadening everything again. In Komachi Mansion, getting up to the roof was easy. "This is bogus. What do they do if there's a fire?"
"Stone doesn't burn," Zane said. He pointed at a small window at the end of the hall, sunlight streaming in through its stained-glass panels. "That's the way out." He strode toward it.
"What? Climb up the outside wall?"
Zane stuck his head out and looked down, letting out a long whistle. "Nothing like heights to keep you bubbly."
Tally frowned, unsure whether or not she wanted to be that bubbly.
Zane pulled himself up onto the sill and leaned out, grasping the top of the window. He stood carefully, slowly rising until Tally could see only his boots standing on the stone ledge outside. Her heart began to race again, until she could feel it beating in her fingertips. The world became as sharp as icicles.
For a long time his feet were motionless, then they shuffled closer to the edge, until only Zane's toes rested on the stone, precariously balanced.
"What are you doing up there?"
In answer, his boots lifted slowly into the air. Then Tally heard the muffled sound of soles scrabbling on stone. She stuck her head through and peered up.
Above her, Zane dangled from the edge of the roof, his feet swinging and scraping. Then one of his boots found purchase in a crack between the stones, and he hauled himself over and out of sight.
A moment later, his face appeared, grinning from ear to ear. "Come on up!"
Tally pulled her head in and took a deep breath, placing her hands on the ledge. The stone was rough and cold. The wind whistling through the window made the tiny hairs on her arms stand up.
"Stay bubbly," Tally said softly. She pulled herself up to sit in the window, the stone cold against her thighs, and took a quick glance at the ground. It was a long way down to
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