he might be close by. He comes here sometimes.”
“You 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 stuff they 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.”
“Let’s wait a while longer.”
Tally bit her lip. “Look, maybe this David isn’t around tonight.”
“Yeah, 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.”
“Sounds like it.”
“I’m not making this up, you know.”
“Hey, 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.”
“It’s just that it’s really late, and a long way back. And I’ve got cleanup tomorrow.”
Shay nodded. “Me too.”
“Thanks 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.”
“Just about.”
“Forgive me for that yet?”
“I’ll let you know, Skinny.”
Shay laughed. “Okay. But remember not to tell anyone about David.”
“Hey, I promised. You can trust me, Shay. Really.”
“All 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 that uglies made up to scare one another.
But Shay didn’t seem scared. She seemed genuinely disappointed that no one had answered her signal, as if meeting David would have been even better than showing off the rapids, the ruins, and the roller coaster.
Whether he was real or not, Tally thought, David was very real to Shay.
They left through the gap in the wall and flew to the outskirts of the ruins, then followed the vein of iron up out of the valley. At the ridge, the boards started to stutter, and they stepped off.
Tired as Tally was, carrying the board didn’t seem so impossible this time. She had stopped thinking of it as a toy, like a littlie’s balloon.
The hoverboard had become something more solid, something that obeyed its own rules, and that could be dangerous, too.
Tally figured that Shay was right about one thing: Being in the city all the time made everything fake, in a way. Like the buildings and bridges held up by hoverstruts, or jumping off a rooftop with a bungee jacket on, nothing was quite real there.
She was glad Shay had taken her out to
“You 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 stuff they 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.”
“Let’s wait a while longer.”
Tally bit her lip. “Look, maybe this David isn’t around tonight.”
“Yeah, 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.”
“Sounds like it.”
“I’m not making this up, you know.”
“Hey, 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.”
“It’s just that it’s really late, and a long way back. And I’ve got cleanup tomorrow.”
Shay nodded. “Me too.”
“Thanks 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.”
“Just about.”
“Forgive me for that yet?”
“I’ll let you know, Skinny.”
Shay laughed. “Okay. But remember not to tell anyone about David.”
“Hey, I promised. You can trust me, Shay. Really.”
“All 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 that uglies made up to scare one another.
But Shay didn’t seem scared. She seemed genuinely disappointed that no one had answered her signal, as if meeting David would have been even better than showing off the rapids, the ruins, and the roller coaster.
Whether he was real or not, Tally thought, David was very real to Shay.
They left through the gap in the wall and flew to the outskirts of the ruins, then followed the vein of iron up out of the valley. At the ridge, the boards started to stutter, and they stepped off.
Tired as Tally was, carrying the board didn’t seem so impossible this time. She had stopped thinking of it as a toy, like a littlie’s balloon.
The hoverboard had become something more solid, something that obeyed its own rules, and that could be dangerous, too.
Tally figured that Shay was right about one thing: Being in the city all the time made everything fake, in a way. Like the buildings and bridges held up by hoverstruts, or jumping off a rooftop with a bungee jacket on, nothing was quite real there.
She was glad Shay had taken her out to
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