“But they all get turned pretty in the end.”
“Happy ending,” Tally said.
Shay shrugged.
“How do you know it’s called a ‘roller coaster,’ anyway? Did you look it up somewhere?”
“No,” Shay said. “Someone told me.”
“But how’d they know?”
“This guy knows a lot of stuff. Tricks, stuff about the ruins. He’s really cool.”
Something about Shay’s voice made Tally turn and take her hand. “But he’s pretty now, I guess.”
Shay pulled away and bit a fingernail. “No. He’s not.”
“But I thought all your friends—”
“Tally, will you make me a promise? A real promise.”
“Sure, I guess. What kind of promise?”
“You can never tell anyone what I’m about to show you.”
“It doesn’t involve free fall, does it?”
“No.”
“Okay. I swear.” Tally held up her hand with the scar she and Peris had made. “I’ll never tell anyone.”
Shay looked into her eyes for a moment, searching hard, then nodded. “All right. There’s someone I want you to meet. Tonight.”
“Tonight? But we won’t get back into town until—”
“He’s not in town.” Shay smiled. “He’s out here.”
Waiting for David
“This is a joke, right?”
Shay didn’t answer. They were back in the heart of the ruins, in the shadow of the tallest building around. She was staring up at it with a puzzled expression on her face. “I think I remember how to do this,” she said.
“Do what?”
“Get up there. Yeah, here it is.”
Shay eased her board forward, ducking to pass through a gap in the crumbling wall.
“Shay?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve done this before.”
“I think I already had my initiation for tonight, Shay.” Tally wasn’t in the mood for another one of Shay’s jokes. She was tired, and it was a long way back to town. And she had cleanup duty tomorrow at her dorm. Just because it was summer didn’t mean she could sleep all day.
But Tally followed Shay through the gap. Arguing would probably take longer.
They rose straight into the air, the boards using the metal skeleton of the building to climb. It was creepy being inside, looking out of the empty windows at the ragged shapes of other buildings. Like being a Rusty ghost watching as its city crumbled over the centuries.
The roof was missing, and they emerged to a spectacular view. The clouds had all disappeared, and moonlight brought the ruins into sharp relief, the buildings like rows of broken teeth. Tally saw that it really had been the ocean she’d glimpsed from the roller coaster. From up here, the water shone like a pale band of silver in the moonlight.
Shay pulled something from her shoulder pack and tore it in half.
The world burst into flame.
“Ow! Blind me, why don’t you!” Tally cried, covering her eyes.
“Oh, yeah. Sorry.” Shay held the safety sparkler at arm’s length. It crackled to full strength in the silence of the ruins, casting flickering shadows through the interior of the ruin. Shay’s face looked monstrous in the glare, and sparks floated downward to be lost in the depths of the wrecked building.
Finally, the sparkler ran out. Tally blinked, trying to clear the spots 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?”
“Yeah, 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?”
“His name’s David.”
“David? 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?”
“No. He lives pretty far away. But
“Happy ending,” Tally said.
Shay shrugged.
“How do you know it’s called a ‘roller coaster,’ anyway? Did you look it up somewhere?”
“No,” Shay said. “Someone told me.”
“But how’d they know?”
“This guy knows a lot of stuff. Tricks, stuff about the ruins. He’s really cool.”
Something about Shay’s voice made Tally turn and take her hand. “But he’s pretty now, I guess.”
Shay pulled away and bit a fingernail. “No. He’s not.”
“But I thought all your friends—”
“Tally, will you make me a promise? A real promise.”
“Sure, I guess. What kind of promise?”
“You can never tell anyone what I’m about to show you.”
“It doesn’t involve free fall, does it?”
“No.”
“Okay. I swear.” Tally held up her hand with the scar she and Peris had made. “I’ll never tell anyone.”
Shay looked into her eyes for a moment, searching hard, then nodded. “All right. There’s someone I want you to meet. Tonight.”
“Tonight? But we won’t get back into town until—”
“He’s not in town.” Shay smiled. “He’s out here.”
Waiting for David
“This is a joke, right?”
Shay didn’t answer. They were back in the heart of the ruins, in the shadow of the tallest building around. She was staring up at it with a puzzled expression on her face. “I think I remember how to do this,” she said.
“Do what?”
“Get up there. Yeah, here it is.”
Shay eased her board forward, ducking to pass through a gap in the crumbling wall.
“Shay?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve done this before.”
“I think I already had my initiation for tonight, Shay.” Tally wasn’t in the mood for another one of Shay’s jokes. She was tired, and it was a long way back to town. And she had cleanup duty tomorrow at her dorm. Just because it was summer didn’t mean she could sleep all day.
But Tally followed Shay through the gap. Arguing would probably take longer.
They rose straight into the air, the boards using the metal skeleton of the building to climb. It was creepy being inside, looking out of the empty windows at the ragged shapes of other buildings. Like being a Rusty ghost watching as its city crumbled over the centuries.
The roof was missing, and they emerged to a spectacular view. The clouds had all disappeared, and moonlight brought the ruins into sharp relief, the buildings like rows of broken teeth. Tally saw that it really had been the ocean she’d glimpsed from the roller coaster. From up here, the water shone like a pale band of silver in the moonlight.
Shay pulled something from her shoulder pack and tore it in half.
The world burst into flame.
“Ow! Blind me, why don’t you!” Tally cried, covering her eyes.
“Oh, yeah. Sorry.” Shay held the safety sparkler at arm’s length. It crackled to full strength in the silence of the ruins, casting flickering shadows through the interior of the ruin. Shay’s face looked monstrous in the glare, and sparks floated downward to be lost in the depths of the wrecked building.
Finally, the sparkler ran out. Tally blinked, trying to clear the spots 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?”
“Yeah, 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?”
“His name’s David.”
“David? 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?”
“No. He lives pretty far away. But
Similar Books
