Uglies

Shay takes Tally to where some other teenage uglies sit and eat; some of them were part of Shay’s old friend group. She notes that the city teenagers have started to show David’s confidence, though they are all eager for news from home. They ask Tally about her journey, and she dramatizes the truth, adding lies to cover up the four days that passed between her birthday and departure. David upbraids Shay for having told Tally so little, underscoring how dangerous the journey was. After lunch, the six teenagers set to work on tearing apart an old railroad track to use for the hoverboard grid. As they board, Tally is awed by the size of the world beyond the city and expresses as much to Shay. The two of them use power jacks to remove metal from the ground.

The group salvages wood and iron from the rail. David invites Tally to scout another scavenge spot with him, noticing her blistering hands and saying she needs a break. They follow the rails to a mountain where boulders have blocked their passage. David notes that Rusties would blow holes in mountains to create straight-running lines. He crawls into the tunnel through gaps in the boulders, and Tally unwillingly follows. Inside the tunnel, the track is much easier to access, but the boulders pose a challenge. When Tally points out how easily a collapse could happen, David compliments her. He explains that many of the runaways think the Smoke is a game or a prank and don’t realize how serious the resistance is. When Tally asks why the city is so interested in Smoke, David says it’s a secret. He tells her that his parents were runaways, and he was born in the Smoke. His parents were middle-pretty when they escaped and reversed the pretty operations on themselves. Tally starts to have a panic attack at the implications, and David apologizes, ending the conversation. She becomes overwhelmed with conflicted feelings, realizing that if she activates the tracker, she will be destroying a home instead of just a rebellious group.

Over the fire that night, Tally tells the story of the rangers by the river. Shay takes her to the trading post to trade her dehydrated food for a new sleeping bag and clothes, describing how valuable city-made commodities are. One of the items Tally picks up is a wool sweater; she admires its color and the craftsmanship that went into making it. As they walk, Shay revisits their interrupted library conversation but claims to have figured it all out. She believes Tally has a romantic partner back in the city and thinks Tally told that partner about the Smoke. Tally tries to hedge around to the truth, but Shay talks about how she also broke a promise to David when she told Tally about the Smoke. Shay takes the blame for any tension in the camp resulting from Tally’s arrival. Shay is dismissive of the Smokies’ secrecy, but Tally knows how valid it is after her run-ins with the Specials. When Shay asks if Tally feels guilty, Tally starts to cry. She says she wants to tell Shay everything; Shay comforts her, leaving Tally wracked with indecision.

Tally finds a routine, growing stronger and more self-sufficient. She feels more peaceful in the Smoke than she did in the city, except for her potential betrayal looming over her. One day, David gifts Tally a pair of leather work gloves. When they arrive at their work site, David recommends that they cut out the tough underbrush, but the city kids are hesitant to destroy so much growth. They finally convince David to cut only where necessary, which is much more difficult. Tally is approached by Croy, who apologizes for almost taking her belongings during their first interaction. He then questions her about her timeline, having noticed that she had more food than she initially said she stole from the city. Tally lies and says she had more food but made up the lesser amount to add drama to her story. Whether or not Croy believes her, he does not push her on the subject.

During lunch, Tally follows Shay away from the group. They miscommunicate, as Shay initially thinks they are talking about David while Tally is talking about Croy. Tally forgets her concerns about Croy when Shay expresses jealousy over Tally’s new gloves, noting that they imply something more between Tally and David. Tally starts to believe Shay’s suspicions when she reflects on all her interactions with David. She promises Shay that she will tell David everything, which Shay takes to mean Tally will tell him about her romance back in the city.

Tally opts to eat dinner alone, mulling over Croy’s suspicions and her own growing guilt. David joins her and apologizes for the gloves incident, having noticed that Tally removed them after talking to Shay. The two leave the dining hall to walk through Smoke, reaching a high point to look down over a valley. David tells her that she is the first ugly to make it to the Smoke alone, complimenting her bravery for leaving home. When Tally mentions Croy and his suspicions, David laughs it off. He asks if Tally came to join Smoke or to see if Shay was all right. Tally is surprised to feel warmly toward David; it reminds her of how she feels when looking at a pretty face, going against what she believes to be biology. They then talk about Shay, and David promises that she is quick to get over things. David implies his feelings for Tally. Tally brings up her necklace, but David claims she has no reason to feel guilty about telling someone else about the Smoke. When Tally says she might not stay, David asks her to meet his parents.

David leads Tally away from the village, saying it is too dangerous for his parents to live with everyone else. They make their way to a small house, and David calls a greeting. An older ugly woman appears and welcomes them inside, where Tally is surprised to find a man who looks like an older version of David. Az and Maddy, David’s father and mother, note that the pretty operation often eliminates familial genetic characteristics. They make tea and compliment Tally both on her bravery and theatrics in traveling to the Smoke alone. During this exchange, it becomes evident that David has not introduced Shay to his parents.

As they drink tea, David tells his parents that Tally knows he was born in the wild. He also expresses that Tally might not stay and asks his parents to share the secret that made them flee the city. Maddy resists the idea, believing that Tally is too coddled to handle the truth. When Tally asserts that everything is dangerous, Maddy and Az see the same thing in her that David sees, and Az resolves to tell her “the truth about being pretty” (248).

Az and Maddy were doctors who performed the pretty operation. Maddy was nominated to the Committee for Morphological Standards, which was the global council in charge of establishing pretty standards. Az, while conducting research to ensure that the anesthesia component of the operation was safe, discovered brain lesions that impacted patient security. Maddy used her authority to review brain scans from pretties all over the world; she found lesions in those who had the operation. The only exceptions were those with high-pressure, emergency jobs. Az reveals that the lesions are part of the operation, but they are removed from those who face on-the-job challenges. Tally becomes overwhelmed thinking about Peris and whether his behavior the night she crashed his party was the result of these brain lesions. After Maddy and Az made this discovery, Special Circumstances took their data and told them to stop investigating. In response, they fled the city. David tells Tally that they believe the lesions make people placid, altering their thought processes so they no longer wish to fight or take over land.

Tally and David spend most of the night talking to Az and Maddy. Tally learns how they reversed the cosmetic effects of their pretty surgery and why: so they could recruit uglies, ensuring the Smoke was built on solidarity and trust. Tally asks if they can create a pill to cure the lesions; they have grappled with the question to no success. Since they studied medicine, their own lesions must have been removed, but they never noticed the removal process. Tally struggles to understand how much the lesions change pretty behavior and how much of that behavior is just human nature.

The adults note Tally’s exhaustion, and Tally leaves with David. They begin the hike back to the Smoke, and David outlines the risks associated with too many people knowing the truth. In part, he is scared that the cities will try to hunt down the Smoke and stop his parents from spreading the news. Tally stops herself from telling David about the locket out of cowardice, and he compliments her intelligence. David calls her beautiful. Tally unthinkingly asks if she is more beautiful than Shay but immediately regrets asking even as David confirms it. She claims that biologically, David should not be drawn to her, and he counters that he first admired the scratches on her face that showed her adventurous spirit. Tally realizes she does not want David to look pretty like everyone else and initiates a kiss; she is struck by the intensity of it. David breaks their kiss to touch the locket. Tally, believing she cannot ever bring Dr. Cable to the Smoke, drags David to camp and throws the locket into the fire. Relieved and exhausted, she lets David walk her to the bunkhouse but stops him from kissing her because of Shay, who sleeps inside. David bids her goodnight and leaves to take a walk while Tally crawls into bed. In the morning, she awakes to noise and chaos: Special Circumstances have arrived.