Specials

Tally watches over the group carefully; she worries about Zane and his weakness, and she wants to keep him safe. The wild can be dangerous. Shay is much less concerned, so she sends Tally to check on them, and Tally discovers that there are nine people gathered rather than the eight that left. When the group leaves the area, Shay follows Zane and the Crims, while Tally tracks the ninth figure who goes off in a different direction. She ambushes the young man who turns to look at her. He knows her name.

The man is Andrew Simpson Smith, who Tally once met when she was a young Ugly, running away into the wild. He is from one of the villages trapped in the world outside the cities, living like “pre-Rusties, wearing skins and using only Stone Age tools” (144). The authorities believed these people could pose a danger to others, so they keep them contained by electronic means—until Tally stumbled upon a group of villagers who introduced her to Smith. She tried to convince the holy man that the villagers were kept in place by technology controlled by outsiders. Apparently, he eventually believed her because he now travels the wild on his own—after setting fire to the perimeters of his village.

Smith is now allied with the Smokies, and the groups are all intent on setting the various populations free. To Tally, this sounds like a dangerous proposition. Smith has a position-finder that will lead her to the New Smoke. However, Smith is also now suspicious of Tally; the Specials are feared in the villages as ferocious enforcers. He asks if she still questions the “gods” of the city. She does not wish to lie to him; she has respect for him, in his survival skills. She answers in the affirmative. She silently acknowledges that getting Zane back is more important to her than defeating the Smokies. He hands over the position-finder.

Tally struggles with whether to tell Shay about the position-finder. She thinks of cutting herself to gain clarity of thought but ultimately decides against it—Zane would not approve. She tells Shay the truth.

Shay discovers that the position-finder only gives one waypoint at a time; one must reach that destination before it points to the next. She does not want to waste any more time following Zane’s group, but Tally refuses to leave them. She reasons that it would be safer for both of them—and for the overall plan—if they split up. Shay believes that Tally is making decisions based on her feelings for Zane. Shay finally agrees, but she is furious with Tally, saying she no longer cares what Tally does. Tally firmly believes that she is taking the right path, regardless of what Shay or the Cutters think of her.

Tally keeps a close watch over Zane and the Crims. They are inept in the wild, making a fire that leaves behind a trail of smoke. Tally decides to set an alarm to wake her every 10 minutes in order to check on their progress. At one point, she sees a flash of metal in the sun: The group has left their hoverboards out to charge, but the light glinting against the metal acts like a beacon. Tally carefully approaches the hoverboards, allowing her sneak suit to help her blend into the background. She tries to make it appear as if the boards have been blown by the wind into a heap. As she goes to leave, she hears a sound behind her: Zane has awakened and come to investigate. Tally whispers that he is having a dream, but she worries that he knows someone is following them.

The journey is slow, and Tally worries that Shay will already have found the New Smoke, that the Specials will be waiting to ambush Zane’s group as soon as they arrive. Nevertheless, Tally enjoys her time spent in nature, where Cutters were meant to be. One morning, she finds another hoverboard in the sun and works to move it, but it is anchored down by something. When she turns, she finds Zane waiting to talk to her.

They move away from the group, and Zane thanks her for looking after them. He also notices that she is changing, probably from her time spent free in the wild. For her part, she still sees, in painful detail, the weakness in Zane’s body. Zane reminds her about David, who had called Tally beautiful even before she had the operation to make her pretty. He tries to shame her for being repulsed by his own frailty. He kisses her, and Tally reacts with undisguised disgust. Almost immediately, however, she is distraught over her reaction and flees. She will continue to watch over him and the group, but she will keep her distance.

The journey seems even longer after this incident, and Tally continues to berate herself for her reaction to Zane. The group starts to worry about their supplies holding out as they continue to search for the New Smoke. At their next stop, there is evidence that other people have been here, and Tally worries that the villagers might be roaming this area. Their typical reaction to outsiders is not friendly, so Tally keeps herself awake as the group sleeps. Another group arrives at the campsite within hours.