“Shay . . .”
“You made it!” Shay’s stunning smile faded as shelooked down at the crumpled form of Dr. Cable. “What’swith her?”
Tally blinked, awed by the transformation of her friend.
Shay’s beauty seemed to snuff out everything inside Tally;her fear, surprise, and excitement fled, leaving nothing butamazement. “You . . . turned.”
“Duh,” she said. “David! You’re both okay!”
“Uh, hi.” His voice was dry, his hands shaking as theygripped the powerjack. “We need your help, Shay.”
“Yeah, I guess you do.” She looked down at Dr. Cableagain and sighed. “You guys still know how to maketrouble, I see.”
Tally averted her eyes from Shay’s beauty, trying tofocus her thoughts. “Where’s everyone else? David’s parents?
Croy?”
“Right in here.” Shay gestured over one shoulder. “Alllocked up. Dr. C has been totally bogus to us.”
UGLIES 383“Keep her here,” David said. He pushed past Shay andthrough the door. Tally saw a row of small doors inside thelong room, each with a tiny window set in it.
Shay beamed at her. “I’m so glad you’re all right, Tally.
The thought of you all alone in the wild . . . of course, youweren’t alone, were you?”
Meeting Shay’s eyes, Tally was overwhelmed all overagain. “What did they do to you?”
Shay smiled. “Besides the obvious?”
“Yeah. I mean, no.” Tally shook her head, not knowinghow to ask Shay if she was brain damaged. “Are any of therest of them . . .”
“Pretty? No. I got to be first, because I made the mosttrouble. You should have seen me kicking and biting.” Shaychuckled.
“They forced you.”
“Yeah, Dr. C can be a major pain. It’s kind of a relief,though.”
Tally swallowed. “A relief . . .”
“Yeah, I hated this place. The only reason I’m here isthat Dr. C wanted me to come by and talk to the Smokies.”
“You live in New Pretty Town,” Tally said softly. Shetried to see past the beauty, to find whatever was behindShay’s wide, perfect eyes.
“Yeah. I just came from the best party.”
Tally finally heard how slurred Shay’s words were. Shewas drunk. Maybe that was why she was acting so strangely.
But she had called the others “the Smokies.” She wasn’tone of them anymore.
“You go to parties, Shay? While everyone here islocked up?”
“Well, I guess so,” Shay said defensively. “I mean, they’llall get out once they turn. Once Cable gets over her stupidpower trip.” She looked at the unconscious form on thefloor and shook her head. “She’s going to be in a bad moodtomorrow, though. Thanks to you two.”
The sound of complaining metal came from the detentionroom. Tally heard more voices.
“Of course, sounds like no one’ll be around to see it,”
Shay said. “So how are you two doing, anyway?”
Tally opened her mouth, closed it, then managed toanswer. “We’re . . . good.”
“That’s great. Listen, sorry I was such a pain about allthat. You know what uglies are like.” Shay laughed. “Well,of course you do!”
“So you don’t hate me?”
“Don’t be silly, Tally!”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Of course, Shay’s blessing wasmeaningless. It wasn’t forgiveness, just brain damage.
“You did me a big favor, getting me out of that Smokeplace.”
“You can’t really believe that, Shay.”
“What do you mean?”
“How could you change your mind so quickly?”
384 Scott WesterfeldShay laughed. “It took exactly one hot shower tochange my mind.” She reached out and touched Tally’s hair,tangled and knotted from two weeks of camping out andriding all day. “Speaking of showers, you are a total mess.”
Tally blinked. Hot tears were forcing themselves intoher eyes. Shay had wanted so much to keep her own face,to live on her own terms outside the city. But that desire hadbeen extinguished.
“I didn’t mean to . . . betray you,” she said softly.
Shay glanced over her shoulder, then turned back andsmiled. “He doesn’t know that you we............