Mindelle woke up to the sun coming in from her window. It was high in the sky, meaning she had slept late.
Mindelle rubbed her eyes and pulled her fingers through her tangly bed-head hair – the hair that, despite being unbrushed, would still look nicer than most uglies' hair, she knew from experience.
Last night she had stayed with those uglies for a long time, being told about David and the Smoke, and also the uglies lives in general. All of them were fifteen, with both Oily-Face and Suck-Up turning sixteen in a week (their birthdays were just a day apart) and the other three not turning sixteen for another couple of months.
Learning that Mindelle didn't have a nickname, they had happily told her their real names. Toothpick was Albany, Boney was named Tayen, Bruise was actually Geo, Oily-Face held the name of Guy, and Suck-Up preferably went by Zaccai. They all agreed that Mindelle could call them by those names instead – they liked it better that way, anyhow.
"So do you have to get the operation?" Tayen had inquired, hanging on to Mindelle's every word. "Well not right now. But when I'm a middle pretty, or around that age, then yes." Mindelle had replied. "What are you doing hoverboarding all the way out here, since you're so bad at it?" Guy had jeered. Mindelle shrugged, "Impulse? I just had to get away." She couldn't quite explain why she had done what she had.
"So then when are you going over to New Pretty Town? In the morning?" Geo had wanted to know. But Mindelle couldn't answer that question. She knew that if she didn't show up soon, Ave and Towner would come around looking for her. Bale might even show up. But as Mindelle was told more and more about the Smoke – well, she wanted to go see it for herself. She wanted to know the world a bit better before she entered a life of non-stop partying.
So now as she stretched and bathed and got dressed, Mindelle looked over at New Pretty Town. The city seemed to be in a lull, like one big hangover.
Then she shook her head and left her room, heading outside, where she had agreed to meet those uglies at – Mindelle looked at her wall to read the time. She was thirty minutes late. Oh well. She'd just have to run for it.
---- I know this chapter was short, sorry. So how do you like the names? I had a fun time picking them out, because they're all actual names! ----