Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

smile on her face. “But we’ve only got six days till the operation.”
    â€œI know what day it is.” Shay opened a waterproof bag and spilled its contents alongside the rest. “Food for two weeks—dehydrated. You just drop one of these into the purifier and addwater. Any kind of water.” She giggled. “The purifier works so well, you can even pee in it.”
    Tally sat down on the bed, reading the labels on the food packs. “Two weeks?”
    â€œTwo weeks for two people,” Shay said carefully. “Four weeks for one.”
    Tally didn’t say anything. Suddenly, she couldn’t look at the stuff on the bed, or at Shay. She stared out the window, at New Pretty Town, where the fireworks were starting.
    â€œBut it won’t take two weeks, Tally. It’s much closer.”
    A plume of red soared up in the middle of town, tendrils of fireworks drifting down like the leaves of a giant willow tree. “What won’t take two weeks?”
    â€œGoing to where David lives.”
    Tally nodded, and closed her eyes.
    â€œIt’s not like here, Tally. They don’t separate everyone, uglies from pretties, new and middle and late. And you can leave whenever you want, go anywhere you want.”
    â€œLike where?”
    â€œAnywhere. Ruins, the forest, the sea. And . . . you never have to get the operation.”
    â€œYou what ?”
    Shay sat next to her, touching Tally’s cheek with one finger. Tally opened her eyes. “We don’t have to look like everyone else, Tally, and act like everyone else. We’ve got a choice. We can grow up any way we want.”
    Tally swallowed. She felt like speech was impossible, but knewshe had to say something. She forced words from her dry throat. “Not be pretty? That’s crazy, Shay. All the times you talked that way, I thought you were just being stupid. Peris always said the same stuff.”
    â€œI was just being stupid. But when you said I was afraid of growing up, you really made me think.”
    â€œ I made you think?”
    â€œMade me realize how full of crap I was. Tally, I’ve got to tell you another secret.”
    Tally sighed. “Okay. I guess it can’t get any worse.”
    â€œMy older friends, the ones I used to hang out with before I met you? Not all of them wound up pretty.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    â€œSome of them ran away, like I am. Like I want us to.”
    Tally looked into Shay’s eyes, searching for some sign that this was all a joke. But the intense look on her face held firm. She was dead serious.
    â€œYou know someone who actually ran away?”
    Shay nodded. “I was supposed to go too. We had it all planned, about a week before the first of us turned sixteen. We’d already stolen survival gear, and told David that we were coming. It was all set up. That was four months ago.”
    â€œBut you didn’t . . .”
    â€œSome of us did, but I chickened out.” Shay looked out the window. “And I wasn’t the only one. A couple of the others stayed and turned pretty instead. I probably would have too, except I met you.”
    â€œMe?”
    â€œAll of a sudden I wasn’t alone anymore. I wasn’t afraid to go back out to the ruins, to look for David again.”
    â€œBut we never . . .” Tally blinked. “You finally found him, didn’t you?”
    â€œNot until two days ago. I’ve been out every night since we . . . since our fight. After you said I was afraid to grow up, I realized you were right. I’d chickened out once, but I didn’t have to again.”
    Shay grasped Tally’s hand, and waited until their eyes were locked. “I want you to come, Tally.”
    â€œNo,” Tally said without thinking. Then she shook her head. “Wait. How come you never told me any of this before?”
    â€œI wanted to, except you would have