Read Online Uglies by Scott Westerfeld - Free Book Online

blinked, trying to clear thespots from before her eyes. Her night vision ruined, she could hardly see anything except the moon in the sky.
    She swallowed, realizing that the sparkler would have been seen from anywhere in the valley. Maybe even out to sea. “Shay, was that a signal?”
    â€œYeah, it was.”
    Tally looked down. The dark buildings below were filled with phantom flickers of light, echoes of the sparkler burned into her eyes. Suddenly very aware of how blind she was, Tally felt a drop of cold sweat creep down her spine. “Who are we meeting, anyway?”
    â€œHis name’s David.”
    â€œDavid? That’s a weird name.” It sounded made up, to Tally. She decided again that this was all a joke. “So he’s just going to show up here? This guy doesn’t really live in the ruins, does he?”
    â€œNo. He lives pretty far away. But he might be close by. He comes here sometimes.”
    â€œYou mean, he’s from another city?”
    Shay looked at her, but Tally couldn’t read her expression in the darkness. “Something like that.”
    Shay returned her gaze to the horizon, as if looking for a signal in answer to her own. Tally wrapped herself in her jacket. Standing still, she began to realize how cold it had become. She wondered how late it was. Without her interface ring, she couldn’t just ask.
    The almost full moon was descending in the sky, so it had to be past midnight, Tally remembered from astronomy. That was one thing about being outside the city: It made all that nature stuffthey taught in school seem a lot more useful. She remembered now how rainwater fell on the mountains, and soaked into the ground before bubbling up full of minerals. Then it made its way back to the sea, cutting rivers and canyons into the earth over the centuries. If you lived out here, you could ride your hoverboard along the rivers, like in the really old days before the Rusties, when the not-as-crazy pre-Rusties traveled around in small boats made from trees.
    Her night vision gradually returned, and she scanned the horizon. Would there really be another flare out there, answering Shay’s? Tally hoped not. She’d never met anyone from another city. She knew from school that in some cities they spoke other languages, or didn’t turn pretty until they were eighteen, and other weird stuff like that. “Shay, maybe we should head home.”
    â€œLet’s wait a while longer.”
    Tally bit her lip. “Look, maybe this David isn’t around tonight.”
    â€œYeah, maybe. Probably. But I was hoping he’d be here.” She turned to face Tally. “It would be really cool if you met him. He’s . . . different.”
    â€œSounds like it.”
    â€œI’m not making this up, you know.”
    â€œHey, I believe you,” Tally said, although with Shay, she was never totally sure.
    Shay turned back to the horizon, chewing on a fingernail. “Okay, I guess he’s not around. We can go, if you want.”
    â€œIt’s just that it’s really late, and a long way back. And I’ve got cleanup tomorrow.”
    Shay nodded. “Me too.”
    â€œThanks for showing me all this, Shay. It was all really incredible. But I think one more cool thing would kill me.”
    Shay laughed. “The roller coaster didn’t kill you.”
    â€œJust about.”
    â€œForgive me for that yet?”
    â€œI’ll let you know, Skinny.”
    Shay laughed. “Okay. But remember not to tell anyone about David.”
    â€œHey, I promised. You can trust me, Shay. Really.”
    â€œAll right. I do trust you, Tally.” She bent her knees, and her board started to descend.
    Tally took one last look around, taking in the ruins splayed out below them, the dark woods, the pearly strip of river stretching toward the glowing sea. She wondered if there was anyone out there, really, or if David was just some story