Chapter 1: More Than Pretty

Brynn was tired of hanging with the Crims. It wasn't that she thought she was better or too good for them—that wouldn't be very Pretty-minded—but she did think they lacked items on the Clique's To Do List. Zane was being very focused—how Ugly of him—about stupid Tally Youngblood's latest trick.

For the past two weeks, the Crims had only leaped off buildings for fun. Except for the parties, that was all the bubbly-making activity Brynn was getting. Complaining would be totally bogus, though, and she couldn't handle any more bogus.

There had to be more to life that strapping on a bungee jacket and throwing yourself off a taller building than yesterday. She looked at all the Pretty faces around her and could see that, while the Crims loved this trick, despite its Ugly origins, they were tiring of it too.

Zane motioned that it was Brynn's turn to jump, then flashed her a gorgeous smile. She went blank in the head and gave him her Prettiest smile in return. Before she took her running jump, she let her bright blue eyes roam over her leader's lips. She remembered what they felt like against her skin, and her own lips. She almost missed that, but she liked her life now enough that Zane's eventual rejection felt like a fuzzy Ugly memory. Still, the memory cleared her head again and everything became totally sharp.

Zane pushed her away from him easily, as if she weren't trying desperately to keep kissing him. "I can't do this anymore, Brynn-la." Brynn couldn't understand this, but she couldn't find a way to ask what he meant. His expression was frighteningly intense and it silenced her anyway, even as she began to cry. "You just aren't bubbly enough and it feels bogus to be with you." It was such an ugly thing to say, but Brynn could see what he meant-her sadness was bubbly in its own way. He always seemed so bubbly that he was almost still Ugly inside.

"I can be bubblier," she promised, clasping his hands in her own.

He just shook his head,"Brynn, it's not you I'm looking for."

He'd left her room right after that and Brynn hadn't responded to his pings for days. Or anyone else's.

One night, she finally pulled herself out her so-not-Pretty funk and went to a party. There were

so many Pretty boys flirting with her, and she had so much champagne, she forgot all about Zane's heartbreaking honesty and completely enjoyed the other boys' attentions. After that, everything was seemingly okay between the two of them, although everyone (at least, all the Crims) knew what had happened. Honestly, Brynn would do anything to get Zane to take her back, but it would be more than bogus to admit that or attempt to make it happen.

With that, she raced toward the edge and did a double front flip off of it, diving far from the building. She screamed, but it was fake. This hardly gave her a rush anymore, even when the jacket started working and it felt like she'd left her stomach on the ground. She bounced all the way through the first few Pleasure Gardens before finally landing in one. When her head stopped spinning—no matter how many times you jump, it's still dizzy-making, at least—she looked over at Ella, another Crim who had landed a little to her left.

She grinned like a good Pretty who'd just gotten bubbly. She wished she could feel her heartbeat in her ears. She looked at Ella's Pretty-face as she stood and brushed herself off, running a hand through her blonde locks a few times, in case the fall had thrown it everywhere. "Bubbly, right?"

Ella grinned back, "totally bubbly." Brynn didn't share the joy in Ella's expression. In fact, she hadn't really been happy for the last month.

Sure, Brynn loved being Pretty, but something about it didn't feel complete. At first, when Brynn got the surgery, she didn't think about life as an Ugly. She didn't even think about the time she nearly ran away to The Smoke. Some of her older friends had wanted to go and invited her. She'd even met David the night they were supposed to leave, but seeing his older, Ugly face, had scared her into staying. She'd gotten Pretty with two of her other friends who had also decided not to go. Now, though, after being Pretty nearly a year, she thought about the night she'd met David a lot. She couldn't quite recall what his face looked like and when she tried too hard to picture it, she got a headache.

Two weeks ago, she'd told Ella about this, when they were hanging around outside at a party. Ella had told her she was being totally bogus and to drink some more champagne. After that, Brynn decided this was something best kept to herself.

"You wanna go get ready for the party later?"

Brynn nodded, "it's probably best. How are we supposed to choose something Semi-formal to wear?"

Ella rolled her eyes and laughed, "I know, right? What does Semi-formal even mean?"

Brynn ran her hands over the soft red fabric of the dress she and Ella had finally chosen for her. The cherry color made her eyes look extra bright and the shortness of it made her legs look super long. As her and her best friend stepped out of their mansion and headed over to the party tower that was hosting the event tonight. The cool night breeze blew over Brynn's exposed shoulders.

The guys at the door grinned broadly at them and didn't stop the girls from entering the tower. Ella immediately wanted to go up to the top floor and find the Crims. Brynn wondered if it wasn't bogus in its own way that the Crims never took the time to hang out with anyone else at parties. She didn't say this, of course, but she was sure thinking it. She grabbed a flute of champagne before stepping into the elevator with Ella.

When they stepped into the middle of the crowd of Crims, Zane met Brynn's eyes and she felt a flash of déjà vu. She looked away to avoid being totally bogus, but not before she realized Zane did not have any champagne in his hand and it was clear he never had. She handed hers to Ella, who thanked her profusely and sucked it down.

For a while, Zane talked at them all about being on the lookout for new Crims, even though they all knew that anyone worthy of being a Crim would already be known to them. Then, they broke off into their own small conversations, but never drifting far from their core-Zane. O, great leader.

Speak of the devil, he sidled up to Brynn, who had been ditched by Ella for some cute blonde haired boy. She was standing near the wall, wishing she had some champagne, but refusing to drink any while Zane so obviously thought it was bogus. "What's so serious-making, Brynn-la?" This was not how Zane usually spoke; he almost always seemed more grown up than everyone else. It had once confused Brynn, then irritated her, and then inspired her.

"I have this totally gorgeous dress and no one is even appreciating how I look in it."

"Maybe that's because you look very bogus in the face." She frowned at him, in a way that made clear she hadn't asked for his opinion. He shrugged, "I think you deserve twenty milli-helens for how you look tonight, but you won't even get one if you don't smile."

She swept her eyes across the room, catching the gaze of some blonde that looked extremely interested. She wondered how she had missed this, but then she realized that she'd only really been looking for Zane's approval. Maybe she wasn't as over him as she'd thought. Pushing that aside, she smiled brilliantly at the boy, who perked up even more at her attention.

"There you go," Zane said, but he realized a second later that she wasn't smiling for him. He slunk away and the blonde came toward her. She realized when he was almost to her that this was the same guy Ella had had her eye on earlier. Brynn did a quick look around for her BFF, but she was talking to some other guy and Brynn assumed Ella had decided blondie wasn't good enough. She felt sort of guilty about going for him, but Ella didn't look upset at all, so it must be okay.

"Hey," he said, his eyes sparkling. "I'm Waverly."

"Bubbly name," she said lightly, "mine's Brynn."

"Very bubbly."

I'm glad someone thinks I'm bubbly. She couldn't stop herself from glancing at Zane.

"So, how long have you been a Crim?" he said, moving slightly to be in her line of vision again.

"9 months," she answered, "you?" She always hated the filler conversation that came before you became friends, or sleepover buddies, with someone. But, she put on a smile and bore it.

"A year," he shrugged, "I've seen you around with us, but I never managed to talk to you." What he really meant was I hadn't slept with all the other girls who became Crims before you.

Their chat continued in this manner for a few more minutes and Waverly made it through four glasses of champagne before he took a step toward her, backing her against a wall. His body heat was alarmingly sweat-making, but she ignored how hot she felt and let him kiss her. Despite all the alcohol, he was not a sloppy kisser. Actually, Brynn let herself get lost in his mouth for a totally bubbly-making second before she heard Ella scoff a "seriously?"

She pulled away from Waverly, his blonde hair tickling her nose as he leaned back to give her a questioning look. Over his shoulder, Brynn could see her best friend's slightly disgusted expression. She pushed around Waverly, but he grabbed her arm. "I wasn't done," he grumbled.

"That's so not friend-making, Brynn-la." Ella pouted, but she wasn't angry. Pretties didn't get angry, after all. They didn't really fight, either. "You could have at least waited until tomorrow's party." Her smile flashed and Brynn was shocked to find that Ella's looked dead—sure, they sparkled in the Pretty way everyone's did, but she had no emotion (except innocent and a little tipsy) behind them. She truly wasn't angry or hurt. This almost made Brynn feel worse about kissing Waverly, who was still gripping her arm and trying to push her back against the wall.

She finally rounded on him and jerked her arm out of his grip. "Let go. Are you brain-missing or something? I'm busy."

A few people were looking at them and Brynn could read their thoughts easily. How bogus. Why can't they just have fun?

Her eyes found Zane. He looked disappointed. Maybe Ella wasn't mad about Waverly, but Zane thought it was totally bogus that Brynn would kiss him. He shook his head back and forth twice, then turned away from her. This stung her so sharply that she felt a rush of rage and she swiped her hands over the food table and the ice sculpture centerpiece crashed the floor, becoming icy shards that caught her and those around her in the shins, shoulders, arms, and face. As her blood trickled over her palms and into her eyes, she felt even more awake than she had in the flash of anger. She let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding, and then another, her chest heaving. Her eyes met Zane's again and this time they held both disapproval and surprise. She grinned devilishly; the feeling was strange. It felt so different from her innocent, Pretty smile. It felt wonderful and empowering.

Suddenly, he was beside her, grabbing her arm. Somehow it felt different from when Waverly had grasped her. "Whoa, Brynn-la, how much have you had to drink?" his voice was very loud and she realized, even as her head throbbed and her vision blurred, that he was trying to get her out of the party without being thinking the worst of her. "Let's get you home."

When they were in the elevator, he released her and turned to face her. "What the hell was that?"

She just stared at him.

"I misjudged you," he admitted, making Brynn's heart flutter. "I've never seen someone so…"

"Bubbly?" she offered, grinning again.

He actually chuckled. "Yes," his voice was softer now. He was so close to her and she was trying very hard to breathe normally.

The elevator opened on the bottom floor and some people nearby gasped at the sight of Brynn bleeding. Crims were used to injuries here and there, but other Pretties weren't used to seeing disarray or blood. "Stumble," Zane whispered in her ear as he hooked his arm in hers and led her out the front door. She did her best drunk act, but she didn't feel very convincing. There was whispering all around them and Brynn wondered what the rumors would be by the morning.

He led her up the stairs of Garbo mansion, stopping outside her room. She opened the door and left it open as she went inside. When he still didn't come in, she looked back over her shoulder, "aren't you going to make sure I get tucked in safely?" The left side of her mouth lifted as she turned away again.

Hesitantly, Zane stepped over the threshold, then asked the hole in the wall for some water and a washcloth. When these were produced, he made Brynn sit on the bed and he dipped the cloth in the water and dabbed the blood off her face for her before handing the washcloth to clean the rest of her.

As she wiped the blood off her arms and legs, she glanced up at Zane from her bent position to clean her shins. She knew very well that from where he was standing, her breasts were more than dangerous cleavage. He swallowed visibly as she smirked up at him. She stood and put the washcloth and water into the recycling. "You seem nervous." That didn't happen often and Brynn was glad to see he was capable of being normal and not so intense and weird all the time.

"I feel as though I may do something I regret."

"We don't regret anything," she said, but she didn't really sound like she meant it. Still, she gave him a one shoulder shrug. "Why don't you try what it is you're thinking and decide later if it's regret worthy?"

He stood still a moment longer, then reached behind her and wrapped his hand around her neck. He held her gaze for a millisecond before he pulled her into him, his mouth covering hers. She let out a sound of approval and felt him smile against her mouth. She let him kiss her a little longer, then pulled away and nodded her head toward the door, which was still ajar.

"Shut the door," she whispered.

"Okay," his voice was husky.

By the time he'd shut the door and turned back to face her, her pretty red dress was on the floor. He grinned at her, making her heart, which was already racing, beat faster, and then he laid her gently on the bed, kissing her neck and letting his hand slide up her naked leg.

With a big puff of breath, Sage managed to get the heavy piece of railroad track off his shoulder and onto his hoverboard. He'd been in The Smoke for three and a half years now, but the large metal tracks didn't get any lighter. He could hear someone else pulling up track quite a distance away, but the sound didn't even bother him anymore.

"I think we can go back now," Charlotte said, stepping onto her hoverboard, wobbling dangerously for a second. Sage followed her lead, more gracefully, but said nothing. He didn't particularly care for working with Charlotte. She complained most of the time and always asked him to help her while batting her giant eyelashes. She was Pretty, actually. One of her Ugly friends had broken her out of New Pretty Town and brought her along to The Smoke. This had caused quite a ruckus, but it was obvious pretty quickly that Charlotte had more or less agreed to come along. Usually, she was annoying and useless, but sometimes she had strange moments of clarity. Sage had noticed that in the two months she'd been here those moments were becoming more frequent. She was still generally insufferable.

When they returned to camp, everyone was heading into the Mess Hall for lunch. Sage slid the track off his hoverboard quickly onto the pile of twisted metal others had pulled up before powering down his crash bracelets and stepping into the building, leaving Charlotte to struggle with her own piece of track.

After grabbing his tray, he sat down beside Croy, who was sitting across from Ryde and Asterix. "Hey, how was Pretty-face today?"

"Same as always," he bit into his roll. "I wish The Boss would put me with someone else."

"Like who? Shay?" He nodded across the mess hall, to a girl with pigtails that were falling out a little. She was walking next to David and smiling so wide it hurt Sage's cheeks to look at it.

"Uhm, no," Sage said, frowning, "she's obviously with David."

Croy nodded. "He always gets the cute ones."

This was something that Sage had only recently been able to wrap his head around. People who'd been in The Smoke awhile didn't see Ugly faces anymore. They just saw people's faces and could decide whether those faces were attractive or not. Sage looked over at Shay again. Was she really cute or did she just seem interesting because she had only showed up two days ago?

"Hey, guys," David settled beside Ryde and Shay sat very close to him. "How did your morning go?"

"We got a couple of trees down today," Asterix said around a huge bite of Spagbol.

"Good," David nodded, "how's the track coming up?" He asked, turning to Sage, who shrugged.

"It's coming up," he said plainly.

The conversation lulled as they all ate. Then Shay and David were talking about how she liked it here.

"I can't wait for Tally to see all this," she looked around at all of them, "and to meet all of you. You'll love her."

Croy frowned, "I don't think she's coming."

Shay mirrored his expression. "You don't even know her."

"If she were coming, she would have been right behind you. You've been here a couple days now."

"Well, maybe the Rangers just haven't picked her up yet. Maybe she's just waiting out in that field for someone to find her."

No one said anything to that, because no one believed that Shay's little friend was coming.

It had been a whole day since she and Zane had gotten back together. They'd spent a lot of the night after her freak-out at the party and much of the next morning in her room. When they'd left Brynn's room to go to lunch, they'd had a nice little lunch in the Pleasure Garden just across from Garbo.

He'd talked about getting bubbly just from kissing her, which was good because they'd both become decidedly calm after all their time in her bed. It had been like a constant battle to hold on to clarity as his lips touched hers, only to lose it when his fingers tickled her hip.

The cool air had helped her feel more aware, but she was going to need a lot more kisses and maybe a jump off the roof to be totally clear. She didn't say that though, as they ate their fruit.

Since there was no mishap at the party the next night, Zane had no excuse for going home with Brynn. He kissed her, leaving her feeling both dizzy and awake, and said he'd see her tomorrow. Without any champagne in her system and no Zane to distract her, she took in the night with a new sense of appreciation for it.

This was lost a moment later when a scary-looking woman stepped in her path. Brynn stopped dead, but she was clear-headed enough not to freak out. "Hello, Brynn," the woman's voice hurt her ears.

"Do we, like, know each other?"

"You don't know me, yet, but I know you. My name is Dr. Cable."

"Oh my gosh, you're a Special Circumstances agent!"

Dr. Cable chuckled. "I'm the head of Special Circumstances, Brynn. I applaud you for recognizing that."

"There's all kind of rumors, but I was never sure you guys were real."

"We're very real," Dr. Cable promised, her tone making Brynn shiver, "and we would like you to join us."

"Whoa. What?"

"You see, we have a Special Circumstance coming up soon and we'll need as many Specials as we can get. Usually I would wait another year or so to approach you, but I don't think you'll miss being Pretty as much as some of the others would."

"Dr. Cable, right? You're, like, losing me."

"Ah. You're reverting to that horrible bubble-headed talk."

"What?"

She shook her head, "come," she commanded, "my hovercar is on the other side of these bushes. I can get you an appointment for surgery in a few hours."

"I never agreed to being one of you."

"Sure you did. I know about your little tantrum at the party two nights ago. That was very impressive."

"Listen, Doctor. I don't think throwing some ice on the floor is really all that special."

She nodded, "maybe not, but what is special is that you brought yourself to the point where you could throw that sculpture on the floor and really mean it."

Brynn sighed, "you're making me very tired."

She motioned for Brynn to follow her. "If you come with me, you'll be asleep very soon."

"It's not real sleep if you knock me out."

"Hm," was all Dr. Cable said as she stepped through the bushes and up into her hovercar. She looked down expectantly at Brynn.

"I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"You always have a choice."

She glanced back at the party tower, with its flashing lights. The only feeling she really had when she looked at it was that Zane was inside and she would be leaving him behind.