A Thousand Suns

A Thousand Suns

1.

The night that Shay leaves without her, Tally doesn't sleep. She can't bear to close her eyes without her best friend beside her. Tally convinced herself that it was she was just lacking the companionship that she had once had; after Peris had been made pretty, Shay had filled the void that had appeared. It was normal that her thoughts about Shay were frequent because the tricks they played were frequent. She hardly had any conversations other than with Shay in the last while so of course, she thinks about her all the time. She imagines what Shay's new life is like, and she feels nostalgic to the time they'd spent countless hours on her boards riding around together. It was thrilling.

Shay was thrilling.

2.

When Tally underwent an intervention from Dr. Cable at Special Circumstances, Tally wondered if Shay had ever met them before. Shay was always the brave one. She was the one who actually had met David before. She was the one who had found out all about this, about the Rusty Ruins, about the roller coaster, and about the Smoke. Without her, Tally would probably just be an ordinary pretty by now, and her one cool story would have been about a pig's mask, a bungee jacket, and a fire alarm. After many parties in the Pretty town, she would have run out of material instantly. Tally crinkles and unwraps the note that Shay left her. She looks over the words with her thumb. Her marks with Peris were gone, but her marks with Shay still remained. They seemed even more powerful to her, somehow.

Even compared to Peris, her last fragments with Shay never left her.

3.

The first day out in the wild, Tally imagines the whole adventure would be better if Shay was with her. She wishes that she had left with Shay, because then they'd talk, and laugh, and come up with solutions together instead of just following some cold clues that Shay had written. If Shay were her, she'd be able to share the SpagBol with her. They'd ride the rapids together and swim together and see all these beautiful sights together. Tally realizes that of anyone she'd ever met, she'd prefer that Shay was with her more than anyone else, even Peris, or her own family. The thoughts became a yearning, and all Tally starts to care about is finding out if Shay is okay, what she's doing with her days now.

Tally starts to dream of starting a new life with her.

4.

As the rangers carry her over the flower fields, Tally starts to really consider the weight of betrayal that the necklace carries with her. She imagines the hurt, the anguish on Shay's face when she finds out about the necklace. All that she clings to is that perhaps Dr. Cable is right. Perhaps Shay's life is in danger, and she and the other runaways are waiting to go back, to be rescued. They wanted the operation secretly just like she did, and they just wanted to prove themselves before they had a chance to go home. She thinks about Shay's friends that she went to join and she hopes that she'll live up to the, that she'll compare. She can't stand to think that she'll be replaced again, like Peris with his new friends in New Pretty Town.

Only it's worse, far worse when Shay's involved.

5.

When Tally finally sees Shay again, she's overjoyed. Not only is Shay alive and well, but she is thriving. Shay is bubbling and overjoyed with this new way of life, with all her newfound information. Shay loves being her tour guide, showing her all the different areas around the Smoke, getting her a good deal on her trades, and giving her good advice about the work and the people. They get to go on adventures together again, only this time it seems even more important, and even more meaningful. What makes it even better for Tally is that even with Shay's other friends here, Shay still makes Tally feel particularly special. She spends time alone with her, and she shares things with Tally that she wouldn't share with anyone else.