RESCUE

“Shay . . .”
“You made it!” Shay’s stunning¹ smile faded as shelooked down at the crumpled² form of Dr. Cable. “What’swith her?”
Tally³ blinked, awed⁴ by the transformation⁵ 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 averted⁷ 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 slurred⁸ Shay’s words were. Shewas drunk. Maybe that was why she was acting⁹ 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 blessing¹⁰ 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 were working forDr. C, does he? Don’t worry, Tally,” she whispered, puttingone elegant finger to her lips. “Your ugly little secret is safewith me.”
Tally swallowed, wondering if Shay had found out thewhole story. Maybe Dr. Cable had told them all what she’ddone.
A buzzing sound came from beside Dr. Cable. On thework tablet she had been carrying, a request light blinkedwith an incoming call.
Tally picked up the tablet and handed it to Shay. “Talkto them!”
Shay winked¹¹, pushed a button, and said, “Hey, it’s me,Shay. No, I’m sorry, Dr. Cable’s busy. Doing what? Well, it’scomplicated . . .” She muted the device. “Shouldn’t you berescuing people or something, Tally? That is the point ofthis little trick, right?”
UGLIES 385“You’ll stay here?”
“Duh. This looks bubbly. Just because I’m pretty doesn’tmean I’m totally boring.”
Tally brushed past her and into the room. Two doorshad been ripped open, David’s mother and another Smokeyfreed. The two were dressed in orange jumpsuits, withstunned and sleepy looks on their faces. David was workinganother door, his powerjack thrust into a small slot atfloor level.
Tally saw Croy’s face peering wide-eyed through one ofthe tiny windows, and planted her powerjack under hisdoor. It whined¹² to life, and the thick metal screeched¹³ asit bent¹⁴ upward. “David, they know something’s up!” shecalled.
“Okay. We’re almost done here.”
Her jack⁶ had wrenched¹⁵ a small gap in the metal, not bigenough. Tally reset¹⁶ the tool, and the metal groaned¹⁷ again.
Her days of pulling up railroad ties soon paid off, the jacktearing a hole the size of a doggy door.
Croy’s arms appeared, then his head, his jumpsuit rippingon jagged spurs of metal as he wriggled¹⁸. Maddygrabbed his hands and pulled him through. “That’s everyonewho’s left,” she said. “Let’s go.”
“What about Dad!” David cried.
“We can’t help him.” Maddy ran into the hall.
Tally and David shared an anxious look, and followed.
Maddy was dashing down the hall toward the elevator,386 Scott Westerfelddragging Shay by the wrist behind her. Shay stabbed thetablet’s talk button and said, “Wait a second, I think she’sjust coming back now. Hold please.” She giggled¹⁹ andmuted the device again.
“Bring Cable!” Maddy called. “We need her!”
“Mom!” David ran after her.
Tally looked at Croy, then down at Dr. Cable’s crumpledform. Croy nodded, and they each took a wrist, draggingthe woman along the slick floor at a trot²⁰, Tally’s grippyshoes squealing²¹.
When the party reached the elevator, Maddy grabbedDr. Cable by the collar and pulled her up to the eye-reader.
The woman groaned once, softly. Maddy carefully priedopen one of her eyes, and the elevator pinged, its doors slidingopen.
Maddy tugged²² off the doctor’s interface²³ ring anddropped her to the floor, then pulled Shay inside. Tally andthe other Smokies followed, but David stood his ground.
“Mom, where’s Dad?”
“We can’t help him.” Maddy yanked the tablet awayfrom Shay and cracked it against the wall, then pulledDavid in against his protests. The doors closed, and the elevatorasked, “Which floor?”
“Roof,” Maddy said, the interface ring still in her hand.
The elevator began to move, Tally’s ears complaining at theswift ascent²⁴.
“What’s our escape plan?” Maddy snapped. The glazedUGLIES 387look was completely gone from her eyes, as if she’d gone tosleep last night expecting to be rescued this morning.
“Uh, hoverboards,” Tally managed to answer. “Four ofthem.” Realizing that she hadn’t done so yet, Tally adjustedher crash bracelets²⁵ to call them in.
“Oh, cool!” Shay said. “You know, I haven’t been boardingsince I left the Smoke?”
“There’s seven of us,” Maddy said. “Tally, you take Shay.
Astrix and Ryde, double up. Croy, you go alone and throwthem off the track. David, I’ll ride with you.”
“Mom . . . ,” David pleaded, “if he’s pretty, can’t youcure him? Or at least try?”
“Your father’s not pretty, David,” she answered softly.
“He’s dead.”

1 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

2 crumpled   

adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• She crumpled the letter up into a ball and threw it on the fire. 她把那封信揉成一团扔进了火里。
• She flattened out the crumpled letter on the desk. 她在写字台上把皱巴巴的信展平。

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 awed   

adj.充满敬畏的，表示敬畏的v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The audience was awed into silence by her stunning performance. 观众席上鸦雀无声，人们对他出色的表演感到惊叹。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I was awed by the huge gorilla. 那只大猩猩使我惊惧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

6 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

7 averted   

防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移

参考例句：

• A disaster was narrowly averted. 及时防止了一场灾难。
• Thanks to her skilful handling of the affair, the problem was averted. 多亏她对事情处理得巧妙，才避免了麻烦。

8 slurred   

含糊地说出( slur的过去式和过去分词 )； 含糊地发…的声； 侮辱； 连唱

参考例句：

• She had drunk too much and her speech was slurred. 她喝得太多了，话都说不利索了。
• You could tell from his slurred speech that he was drunk. 从他那含糊不清的话语中你就知道他喝醉了。

9 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

10 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

11 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》

12 whined   

v.哀号( whine的过去式和过去分词 )；哀诉，诉怨

参考例句：

• The dog whined at the door, asking to be let out. 狗在门前嚎叫着要出去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He whined and pouted when he did not get what he wanted. 他要是没得到想要的东西就会发牢骚、撅嘴。 来自辞典例句

13 screeched   

v.发出尖叫声( screech的过去式和过去分词 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫

参考例句：

• She screeched her disapproval. 她尖叫着不同意。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The car screeched to a stop. 汽车嚓的一声停住了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

14 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

15 wrenched   

v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛

参考例句：

• The bag was wrenched from her grasp. 那只包从她紧握的手里被夺了出来。
• He wrenched the book from her hands. 他从她的手中把书拧抢了过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 reset   

v.重新安排，复位；n.重新放置；重放之物

参考例句：

• As soon as you arrive at your destination,step out of the aircraft and reset your wristwatch.你一到达目的地，就走出飞机并重新设置手表时间。
• He is recovering from an operation to reset his arm.他做了一个手臂复位手术，正在恢复。

17 groaned   

v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦

参考例句：

• He groaned in anguish. 他痛苦地呻吟。
• The cart groaned under the weight of the piano. 大车在钢琴的重压下嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 wriggled   

v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的过去式和过去分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等）

参考例句：

• He wriggled uncomfortably on the chair. 他坐在椅子上不舒服地扭动着身体。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A snake wriggled across the road. 一条蛇蜿蜒爬过道路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

19 giggled   

v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The girls giggled at the joke. 女孩子们让这笑话逗得咯咯笑。
• The children giggled hysterically. 孩子们歇斯底里地傻笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 trot   

n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧

参考例句：

• They passed me at a trot.他们从我身边快步走过。
• The horse broke into a brisk trot.马突然快步小跑起来。

21 squealing   

v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Pigs were grunting and squealing in the yard. 猪在院子里哼哼地叫个不停。
• The pigs were squealing. 猪尖叫着。

22 tugged   

v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She tugged at his sleeve to get his attention. 她拽了拽他的袖子引起他的注意。
• A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. 他的嘴角带一丝苦笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 interface   

n.接合部位，分界面；v.(使)互相联系

参考例句：

• My computer has a network interface,which allows me to get to other computers.我的计算机有网络接口可以与其它计算机连在一起。
• This program has perspicuous interface and extensive application. 该程序界面明了，适用范围广。

24 ascent   

n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高

参考例句：

• His rapid ascent in the social scale was surprising.他的社会地位提高之迅速令人吃惊。
• Burke pushed the button and the elevator began its slow ascent.伯克按动电钮，电梯开始缓慢上升。

25 bracelets   

n.手镯，臂镯( bracelet的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The lamplight struck a gleam from her bracelets. 她的手镯在灯光的照射下闪闪发亮。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• On display are earrings, necklaces and bracelets made from jade, amber and amethyst. 展出的有用玉石、琥珀和紫水晶做的耳环、项链和手镯。 来自《简明英汉词典》