Read Online Uglies by Scott Westerfeld - Free Book Online Page B

to be leaving behind.
    â€œYou sure this thing is going to work?” Shay asked.
    Tally smiled. It wasn’t often that Shay was the cautious one. She pointed at the collar of the bungee jacket. “You see that little green light? That means it’s working. It’s for emergencies, so it’s always ready to go.”
    Shay’s hand slipped under the jacket to pull at her belly sensor, which meant she was nervous. “What if it knows there’s no real emergency?”
    â€œIt’s not that smart. You fall, it catches you. No tricks necessary.”
    Shay shrugged and put it on.
    They’d borrowed the jacket from the art school, the tallest building in Uglyville. It was a spare from the basement, and they hadn’teven had to trick the rack to get it free. Tally definitely didn’t want to get caught messing around with fire alarms, in case the wardens connected her to a certain incident in New Pretty Town back at the beginning of summer.
    Shay pulled an oversize basketball jersey over the bungee jacket. It was in her dorm’s colors, and none of the teachers here knew her face very well. “How’s that look?”
    â€œLike you’ve gained weight. It suits you.”
    Shay scowled. She hated being called Stick Insect, or Pig-Eyes, or any of the other things uglies called one another. Shay sometimes claimed that she didn’t care if she ever got the operation. It was crazy talk, of course. Shay wasn’t exactly a freak, but she was hardly a natural-born pretty. There’d only been about ten of those in all of history, after all. “Do you want to do the jump, Squint?”
    â€œI have both been there and done that, Shay, before I even met you. And you’re the one who had this brilliant idea.”
    Shay’s scowl faded into a smile. “It is brilliant, isn’t it?”
    â€œThey’ll never know what hit them.”
    â€¢Â Â â€¢Â Â â€¢
    They waited until the new uglies were in the library, scattered around the worktables to watch some orientation video. Shay and Tally lay on their stomachs on the top floor of the stacks, where the dusty old paper books were stored, peering through the guardrails down at the group. They waited for the tour leader to quiet the chattering uglies.
    â€œThis is almost too easy,” Shay said, penciling a pair of fat, black eyebrows over her own.
    â€œEasy for you. You’ll be out the door before anyone knows what’s happened. I’ve got to make it all the way down the stairs.”
    â€œSo what, Tally? What are they going to do if we get caught?”
    Tally shrugged. “True.” But she pulled on her mousy brown wig anyway.
    Over the summer, as the last few seniors turned sixteen and pretty, the tricks had grown worse and worse. But nobody ever seemed to get punished, and Tally’s promise to Peris seemed ages ago. Once she was pretty, nothing she’d done in this last month would matter. She was anxious to leave it all behind, but not without a big finish.
    Thinking of Peris, Tally stuck on a big plastic nose. They’d raided the drama room at Shay’s dorm the night before and were loaded with disguises. “Ready?” she asked. Then she giggled at the nasal twang the fake nose gave her voice.
    â€œHang on.” Shay grabbed a big, fat book from the shelf. “Okay, showtime.”
    They stood up.
    â€œGive me that book!” Tally shouted at Shay. “It’s mine!”
    She heard the uglies below fall silent, and had to resist looking down to see their upturned faces.
    â€œNo way, Pignose! I checked it out first.”
    â€œAre you kidding, Fattie? You can’t even read!”
    â€œOh, yeah? Well, read this !”
    Shay swung the book at Tally, who ducked. She snatched it away and swung back, catching Shay solidly on her upraised forearms. Shay rolled back at the impact, spinning over the railing.
    Tally leaned forward, watching