Pretties

Tally dreams that she is a bored princess stuck in a tower with no way down. She leaps from the tower, only to realize when she crashes into the ground that she has made a mistake. Tally wakes up to a sunny but very cold morning. She takes stock of her possessions and lays things out to dry. She worries about Zane as she purifies water and makes herself breakfast from dehydrated food she packed. She then realizes that she has traveled much farther than anticipated: It will take more than a week to reach the Rusty Ruins by foot, which makes her worry about Special Circumstances finding her. She begins the hike, struggling against the undergrowth.

The farther she walks, the more she believes that she has found a pathway through the woods. She remembers things that David taught her about human versus animal paths, and she slowly grows more anxious as the pathways become more clearly defined. She decides to set up camp and light a fire despite the risk of being seen, not wanting to risk illness in the growing cold. She falls asleep, pleased with her progress and knowing she will continue forward to Zane. The sound of screaming wakes her up.

Tally tries to kick out her fire as someone rushes out of the woods toward her, torch in one hand and weapon in the other. The person tries to hit Tally, but she dodges. A man with a club blocks her path; she can see that he is an ugly, but her reflexes are faster than his, and she kicks his legs out from under him before running into the woods. She trips and, in an effort to catch herself, hurts her wrist. The group of uglies catches up to her but she dodges between them, finding a small stream and using it to run more quickly through the woods. She becomes distracted, worried about her gear, and does not notice a waterfall in front of her until she runs off it. When she emerges from the pool, she realizes that she is surrounded by uglies with torches. The one she kicked raises his club, but when he sees her face, he cowers in fear. The uglies, all men, drop to their knees and hide their faces as they see Tally.

She observes that their clothes are handmade and that the people are all dirty and uncombed. An old man crawls forward and claims to speak the gods’ tongue. He explains that their group saw the fire and thought she was an outsider, not a god. Tally is confused but forgives him for the mistake, looking over the group. When Tally asks them to get rid of their clubs, they immediately break them or throw them away. As they all refuse to look at Tally, she speculates on their religion and the eerie situation she finds herself in.

The group guides Tally back to their home, and she is stuck by both their ugliness and gracefulness as they walk through the night. The uglies seem fearful of an enemy that also lives in the woods. The encampment is small, and as they arrive the group lets out cries to let the others know of their return. The adults are terrified of Tally, but the children make a game out of touching her jacket. She observes a divide between the roles of men and women and clutches her recovered belongings closer.

A shirtless man with a city-made knife emerges from the crowd and speaks to Tally in her language. He explains that the group was confused when they saw her fire and tells her that they were not expecting the gods to return yet. The man introduces himself as Andrew Simpson Smith, and Tally introduces herself in response. Andrew explains that he is a holy man and learned to speak her language from his father. Andrew insists that she fell from the sky because she had no hovercar, and Tally doesn’t dispute this, although she privately wonders about their knowledge of her technology. Andrew asks Tally to tell him the story of her fall so that he can translate for the rest of the village. They sit by the fire and begin preparing dinner. Tally tells her story and Andrew translates. She uses the fairytale form of her recent dreams to encapsulate everything that has happened.

Tally wakes in a hut filled with other people sleeping beneath furs. She disentangles herself from the others and goes to use the bathroom, deciding against the latrine because of its intense smell. She walks into the woods and is struck by how much she misses Zane. She catches Andrew watching her, and he confesses that he wanted to see her fly. She tried to explain hoverboarding the night before but was unsuccessful. Andrew offers to walk with Tally to the Ruins, explaining that it is his duty to serve the gods like his father. Tally guesses that his father recently died, and Andrew explains that a raiding party killed him. Because he could not keep up with the rest of the villagers, he was murdered. Andrew then explains that it was the raiding party’s turn: His village had killed some of the other village’s members during the summer, which was revenge for one of their own members being killed in the spring.

Tally is astonished by this cycle of revenge and Andrew’s own bloodlust. She reflects on the violent history of humanity and Dr. Cable’s claims that the brain lesions prevent such violence. Tally accepts Andrew’s help even though she is now disturbed and distrusting. When she explains that they must walk seven days northwest to the Rusty Ruins, Andrew claims that seven days of walking will take them past the edge of the world.

The village gives Andrew and Tally gifts as they prepare to leave. Tally receives a slingshot from one of the children, and Andrew gets a copper bracelet that is significant to the villagers. As Tally and Andrew hike, she asks him about his relationship with the other gods, and Andrew describes learning their language and telling them about animal behavior and the Ruins. He also mentions “the Doctor”, but Tally deduces that it is not Dr. Cable he refers to. This doctor is an anthropologist and asks about things happening in the village and within the raiding parties. Andrew eventually describes the “Sayshals,” dangerous-looking gods who destroy people that challenge their authority.

Tally and Andrew set up camp, and Andrew claims they will arrive at the edge of the world the next day. They cannot light a fire, but Tally shares some of her dehydrated food. They are both less impressed with the quality of the meals than that of the feast from the night before. The two initially sleep in separate corners of the cave but grow cold so that Tally joins Andrew. When she awakens, she smells smoke.

A hand claps over Tally’s mouth, and it takes her a moment to recognize that it is Andrew. The fire is coming from a large group of “outsiders”—rival villagers. Andrew tries to leave to avenge his father’s death; after a brief whispered argument he vanishes. Tally wonders if Special Circumstances is correct in their belief that all human beings turn to violence. Time passes and the outsiders leave. Tally finds Andrew walking toward their cave, muddy but unsuccessful in his efforts. They resume their hike.

Tally grapples with her discomfort with Andrew’s need for vengeance and the compassion she feels knowing that he has never learned otherwise. Tally presses him for information about the edge of the world. Andrew claims that there are little men who prevent people from crossing. The two walk for the rest of the day, silent until Andrew recognizes a small doll made from twigs and flowers. Tally approaches it while Andrew stays behind. As they get closer, she sees more of them and experiences pins and needles shooting through her limbs. She loses her sight, and her bag becomes extremely heavy, forcing her to move backward. When she does, the feeling lessens. She experiments, reaching her hand out and feeling as vibrations in the air increase and decrease depending on distance. When she tries to push forward and collapses, Andrew comes to rescue her.

From a distance, Tally observes the dolls. She realizes they are made of plastic and must contain a security system designed to target humans. It occurs to her that the ugly communities are part of a reservation—an anthropology project that Tally is now trapped inside.