OVER THE EDGE

The two waited all day in the Rusty¹ Ruins, patches of sunlightcrawling across the floor through the crumbling² roof,like slow searchlights marking the hours. It took Tally³ agesto get to sleep, imagining the leap from the hilltop downinto uncertainty⁴. Finally she passed out, too tired to dream.
Awakening⁵ at dusk, she found that David had alreadypacked two knapsacks with everything they might needduring the rescue. They hoverboarded to the edge of theruins, riding two sandwiched hoverboards each. Hopefully,they would need the extra boards when they emerged fromSpecial Circumstances, escapees in tow.
Eating breakfast by the river, Tally took time to appreciateher SwedeBalls. If they got caught tonight, at least shewould never have dehydrated food again. Sometimes Tallyfelt she could almost accept brain damage if it meant a lifewithout reconstituted noodles.
As darkness fell, Tally and David reached the whitewater, and they passed through the greenbelt at the verymoment the lights winked⁶ off in Uglyville. By midnight,they were atop the hill overlooking Special Circumstances.
Tally pulled out her binoculars⁷ and trained theminward, toward New Pretty Town, where the party towerswere just coming alight.
David blew into his hands, his breath visible in theOctober chill. “You really think they’ll do it?”
“Why not?” she said, watching the dark spaces of thecity’s largest pleasure garden. “They seemed into it.”
“Yeah, but aren’t they taking a big risk? I mean, theyjust met us.”
She shrugged⁸. “An ugly lives for tricks. Haven’t youever done something just because a mysterious strangerintrigued you?”
“I gave my gloves to one once. But it got me into allkinds of trouble.”
She lowered the binoculars and saw that David wassmiling. “You don’t look as nervous tonight,” she said.
“I’m glad we’re finally here, finally ready to do something.
And after those three kids agreed to help us, I feel like . . .”
“Like this might actually work?”
“No, something better.” He looked down at the SpecialCircumstances compound. “They were so ready to help,just to make trouble, just to play a trick. At first, it killed meto hear you act like the Smoke still existed. But if there areenough uglies like them, maybe it will again.”
“Of course it will,” she said softly.
David shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. But even if we368 Scott Westerfeldblow it tonight, and both wind up under the knife, at leastsomeone will still keep fighting. Making trouble, you know?”
“I hope it’s us, making trouble,” Tally said.
“Me too.” He drew Tally closer, and kissed her. Whenhe released her, Tally took a deep breath and closed hereyes. It felt better to kiss him, more real, now that she wasabout to begin undoing⁹ the damage she had done.
“Look,” David said.
In the dark spaces of New Pretty Town, something washappening.
She raised her binoculars.
A shimmering¹⁰ line cut its way across the black expanseof the pleasure garden, like a bright fissure¹¹ opening in theearth. Then more lines appeared, one by one, tremulousarcs and circles sweeping¹² through the darkness. The varioussegments seemed to sparkle into existence in randomorder, but they eventually formed letters, and words.
Finally, the whole glittering thing was finished, someparts of it newly sprung to life, the first few lines alreadystarting to fade as the sparklers exhausted¹³ themselves. Butfor a few moments, Tally could read the whole thing, evenwithout her binoculars. From Uglyville, it must have beenhuge, visible to anyone staring longingly¹⁴ out their window.
It said: THE SMOKE LIVES.
As Tally watched it fade, breaking down into randomlines and arcs again as the sparklers extinguished, she wonderedif the words were really true.
UGLIES 369“There they go,” David said.
Below them, a large circular opening had appeared in thelargest building’s roof, and three hovercars rose up throughthe gap in quick succession, screaming toward the city. Tallyhoped that An, Dex, and Sussy had followed her advice andwere long gone from New Pretty Town. “Ready?” she said.
In answer, David tightened¹⁵ the straps¹⁷ of his bungeejacket and jumped onto his boards.
They rode down the hill, turned around, and started back up.
For the tenth time, Tally checked the light on the collarof her jacket. It was still green, and she could see David’slight bobbing along beside her. No excuses now.
They gained speed as they climbed toward the dark sky,the entire hill like a giant ramp¹⁸ before them. The windpushed Tally’s hair back, and she blinked as bugs¹⁹ pingedagainst her face. She slid carefully toward the front of thepaired boards, the toes of one grippy shoe sticking out pastthe riding surface.
Then the horizon seemed to slip away in front of her,and Tally crouched²⁰, ready to jump.
The ground disappeared.
Tally pushed off with all her strength, forcing her hoverboardsdown the steep side of the hill, where they wouldbring themselves to a halt. She and David had switched offtheir crash bracelets—they didn’t want the boards followingthem over the wire. Not yet.
370 Scott WesterfeldTally soared into midair, still climbing for a few moreseconds. The outer city lay below her, a vast patchwork²¹ oflight and dark. She spread her arms and legs.
At the peak of her arc, the silence seemed to overwhelmeverything—her stomach-churning weightlessness, the mixof excitement and fear rushing through her, the windagainst her face. Tally tore her eyes from the silently waitingearth and dared a glance at David. Hardly an arm’slength away, he was looking back at her, his face alight.
She grinned at him and turned back to see that theground was approaching now, the speed of her fall buildingslowly. As she’d calculated, they were coming down right inthe middle of the wire. Tally began to anticipate the sickeningjolt of her bungee jacket pulling her up.
For long moments nothing happened, except theground getting closer, and Tally wondered again if bungeejackets could handle a fall from this distance. A hundredversions of what a hard landing would feel like managed tosqueeze into her head. Of course, it probably wouldn’t feellike anything.
Ever again.
The ground grew closer and closer, until Tally wascertain something had gone wrong. Then, with sudden violence,the straps of the jacket came alive, cutting cruellyinto her thighs²² and shoulders, crushing the air from herlungs, the pressure building as if a huge rubber band werewrapped around her, trying to bring her to a halt. The bareUGLIES 371dirt of the compound rushed up toward her, looking flatand packed and hard, the jacket fighting her momentumdesperately now, crushing her like a fist in its grasp.
Finally, the invisible rubber band stretching toward itsbreaking point, she slowed to a shuddering²⁴ halt withinreach of the ground, pulling her hands back to keep fromtouching it, her eyeballs straining forward as if theywanted to pop out of her skull²⁵.
Then her fall reversed, and she pulled back upward,hover-bouncing head over heels, sky and horizon spinningaround her like a playground ride. Tally had no idea whereDavid was—or where up and down were, for that matter.
This jump was ten times her plunge²⁶ off Garbo Mansion²⁷.
How many bounces would it take to come to a stop?
Now she was falling again, the dirt of the compoundreplaced by a building below her. One foot almost toucheddown onto the roof, but Tally was pulled up again, still barrelingforward with the momentum²³ of her leap off the hill.
She managed to orient herself, sorting out up and downjust in time to see the edge of the roof coming toward her.
She was overshooting the building. . . .
Flailing²⁸ in the grasp of the jacket, flying helplesslyupward and then down again, she passed the roof’s edge.
But her outstretched hand caught a rain gutter²⁹, bringingTally to a sudden halt. “Phew,” she said, looking down.
The building wasn’t very tall, and Tally would bouncein her jacket if she fell, but the moment her feet touched the372 Scott Westerfeldground, the wire would sound an alarm. She gripped therain gutter with both hands.
But the bungee jacket, satisfied that her fall hadstopped, was shutting itself down, gradually returning herto normal weight. She struggled to pull herself up onto theroof, but the heavy knapsack full of rescue equipmentdragged her downward. It was like trying to do a pull-upwearing lead shoes.
She hung there, out of ideas, waiting to fall.
Footsteps came toward her along the roof, and a faceappeared. David.
“Having trouble?”
She grunted³⁰ an answer, and he reached over, grabbinga strap¹⁶ of the knapsack. The weight mercifully lifted fromher shoulders, and Tally pulled herself over the edge.
David sat back onto the roof, shaking his head. “So,Tally, you used to do that for fun?”
“Not every day.”
“Didn’t think so. Can we rest for a minute?”
She scanned the rooftop. No one coming, no alarmsringing. Apparently³¹, the wire wasn’t built to sense them upthere. Tally smiled.
“Sure. Take two minutes, if you want. It looks like theSpecials weren’t expecting anyone to jump out of the sky.”

1 rusty   

adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的

参考例句：

• The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
• I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用，我的法语又荒疏了。

2 crumbling   

adj.摇摇欲坠的

参考例句：

• an old house with crumbling plaster and a leaking roof 一所灰泥剥落、屋顶漏水的老房子
• The boat was tied up alongside a crumbling limestone jetty. 这条船停泊在一个摇摇欲坠的石灰岩码头边。

3 tally   

n.计数器，记分，一致，测量；vt.计算，记录，使一致；vi.计算，记分，一致

参考例句：

• Don't forget to keep a careful tally of what you spend.别忘了仔细记下你的开支账目。
• The facts mentioned in the report tally to every detail.报告中所提到的事实都丝毫不差。

4 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

5 awakening   

n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的

参考例句：

• the awakening of interest in the environment 对环境产生的兴趣
• People are gradually awakening to their rights. 人们正逐渐意识到自己的权利。

6 winked   

v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮

参考例句：

• He winked at her and she knew he was thinking the same thing that she was. 他冲她眨了眨眼，她便知道他的想法和她一样。
• He winked his eyes at her and left the classroom. 他向她眨巴一下眼睛走出了教室。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 binoculars   

n.双筒望远镜

参考例句：

• He watched the play through his binoculars.他用双筒望远镜看戏。
• If I had binoculars,I could see that comet clearly.如果我有望远镜，我就可以清楚地看见那颗彗星。

8 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 undoing   

n.毁灭的原因，祸根；破坏，毁灭

参考例句：

• That one mistake was his undoing. 他一失足即成千古恨。
• This hard attitude may have led to his undoing. 可能就是这种强硬的态度导致了他的垮台。

10 shimmering   

v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The sea was shimmering in the sunlight. 阳光下海水波光闪烁。
• The colours are delicate and shimmering. 这些颜色柔和且闪烁微光。 来自辞典例句

11 fissure   

n.裂缝；裂伤

参考例句：

• Though we all got out to examine the fissure,he remained in the car.我们纷纷下车察看那个大裂缝，他却呆在车上。
• Ground fissure is the main geological disaster in Xi'an city construction.地裂缝是西安市主要的工程地质灾害问题。

12 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

13 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

14 longingly   

adv. 渴望地 热望地

参考例句：

• He looked longingly at the food on the table. 他眼巴巴地盯着桌上的食物。
• Over drinks,he speaks longingly of his trip to Latin America. 他带着留恋的心情，一边喝酒一边叙述他的拉丁美洲之行。

15 tightened   

收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
• His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机，然后又松开了。

16 strap   

n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎

参考例句：

• She held onto a strap to steady herself.她抓住拉手吊带以便站稳。
• The nurse will strap up your wound.护士会绑扎你的伤口。

17 straps   

n.带子( strap的名词复数 )；挎带；肩带；背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 )；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带

参考例句：

• the shoulder straps of her dress 她连衣裙上的肩带
• The straps can be adjusted to suit the wearer. 这些背带可进行调整以适合使用者。

18 ramp   

n.暴怒，斜坡，坡道；vi.作恐吓姿势，暴怒，加速；vt.加速

参考例句：

• That driver drove the car up the ramp.那司机将车开上了斜坡。
• The factory don't have that capacity to ramp up.这家工厂没有能力加速生产。

19 bugs   

adj.疯狂的，发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 )；病菌；虫子；[计算机]（制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的）错误

参考例句：

• All programs have bugs and need endless refinement. 所有的程序都有漏洞，都需要不断改进。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 crouched   

v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He crouched down beside her. 他在她的旁边蹲了下来。
• The lion crouched ready to pounce. 狮子蹲下身，准备猛扑。

21 patchwork   

n.混杂物；拼缝物

参考例句：

• That proposal is nothing else other than a patchwork.那个建议只是一个大杂烩而已。
• She patched new cloth to the old coat,so It'seemed mere patchwork. 她把新布初到那件旧上衣上，所以那件衣服看上去就象拼凑起来的东西。

22 thighs   

n.股，大腿( thigh的名词复数 )；食用的鸡（等的）腿

参考例句：

• He's gone to London for skin grafts on his thighs. 他去伦敦做大腿植皮手术了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The water came up to the fisherman's thighs. 水没到了渔夫的大腿。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

24 shuddering   

v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动

参考例句：

• 'I am afraid of it,'she answered, shuddering. “我害怕，”她发着抖，说。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
• She drew a deep shuddering breath. 她不由得打了个寒噤，深深吸了口气。 来自飘（部分）

25 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。

26 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

27 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

28 flailing   

v.鞭打( flail的现在分词 )；用连枷脱粒；（臂或腿）无法控制地乱动；扫雷坦克

参考例句：

• He became moody and unreasonable, flailing out at Katherine at the slightest excuse. 他变得喜怒无常、不可理喻，为点鸡毛蒜皮的小事就殴打凯瑟琳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His arms were flailing in all directions. 他的手臂胡乱挥舞着。 来自辞典例句

29 gutter   

n.沟，街沟，水槽，檐槽，贫民窟

参考例句：

• There's a cigarette packet thrown into the gutter.阴沟里有个香烟盒。
• He picked her out of the gutter and made her a great lady.他使她脱离贫苦生活，并成为贵妇。

30 grunted   

（猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说

参考例句：

• She just grunted, not deigning to look up from the page. 她只咕哝了一声，继续看书，不屑抬起头来看一眼。
• She grunted some incomprehensible reply. 她咕噜着回答了些令人费解的话。

31 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。