Warrior Cats: The Four Clans

Prologue || Welcome to Uglieville

     "Goodnight, Twilight." Her room said. 
     "Night," A girl replied, taking her interface ring* off. She looked longingly out the window to New Pretty Town*. Only Three more months, and She'd be Pretty* and partying, too. Taking a small pack out from under her bed, she turned a knob and put it under the sheets. It produced as much heat as a Twilight-shaped human.
     She took a running start, grabbing the bottom of the window and flinging herself down two stories. She felt the wind leave her as the groung came up all too quickly. She leaned her head down and tucked. When she hit the ground, she landed on the small of her back, rolling forward and standing up inthe same movement. "Woah." She laughed, shaking the dizzyness away. The night was too still at night. She took quick quiet steps away from the Uglie* dorm. The grass was combed to perfection, everything seeming to be something form a fairytale. Twilight didn't look in awe at all of it like you would have. Insead, she ket her eyes focused on the ground in front of her. She pulled a Hairstring* out ofher pocket, pulling her hair back and placing it on top. She felt it wrap comortablly around the hair loosly. Her long bangs fell out. When they touched her jawline, she bolted.
     The warm night air felt great on her skin. It was the first day of summer, and Twilight felt lonely. Her friend Dae had just turned Pretty the night before. She had heard of the surgery: They learned about it in school. The surgeons of New Pretty Town took the girls away from the dorms on the day they turned Seventeen*. They went in the hospital looking like they were when they were born, all impefections meaning nothing to them. They came out... Pretty.
     Twilight cleared her head in a gush of cold air. That meant she was there. Looking to her right, she was anold bridge. The cities bridges would have told on her for being out so late, but this was one from the Rusty* Age. She took a deep breath, looking across the river in front of her to where the forestwas. Twilight reached behind a tree to her left, feeling inside the bark. "Aha!" She excaimed quietly, pulling the knot of a long rope out from it. Steadying it in front of her, she looked acriss again. The rope was tied to a big, strong tree branch in the center and promised not to snap under any weight. It was no doubt tied up there by an old Uglie prankster. Twilight jumped onto it, wrapping her legs around over the wood plank. It was so old, it had still used wood as opposed to the plastic-rubber substances they used now. She hardly supressed a squal of joy as she flew over the river. Her euphoria lasted only a second, and it was all over too fast. She hopped off quickly on the other side, tucking the rope into a tree on this side. She ran once again through the Pleasure Garden*. She saw a few couples holding hands, strolling down the curving walkway.
     When she got to the edge of the garden, she took a deep breath, peaking out throught the thick bushes. A loud siren went off, and Twilight stumbled back quickly, knowing she'd been caught. She sat there another minnute, staring out throguh the small hole she had made in the bush. No, she hadn't set off an alarm. It was part of the music. There was a Hovercar going slowly down the street, a croud of Pretties folowing it with thin masks on. Perfect, Dae had been right in the only Ping* he'd sent her. It was a mascerade tonight.
     "Thank god." She heard a voice to her right. Twilight let out a short high-pitched screach. She felt a hand over her mouth.
     "This is so Bubbly." The voice said quietly. Twilight thought she heard a feminine edge to it, but it definately wasn't a pretty voice.
     "Huh?" Twilight tried to say, but a humming noise came out of her nose. The person must have understood, because they released their grip and turned to her. Seeing the person in the small light, She was definately an uglie. Twilight was just out of the light, so the girl couldn't see her.
     "Hey, I'm Jewli Goodcraft." She smiled. Her face still had a Littlie* look to it, but her had thinner lips. "Most people call me Littlie, though." She reached her hand out in greeting, and Twilight gripped is softly, shaking it.
     "I'm Twilight Loveshine." Twilight smiled back, a small wind pulling the bush back to light up her own face shortly. "I prefer Twi, but the other Uglies like to call m-"
     "Pretty!" Jewli smiled, "I've heard so much about you!"
     "I'd rather you called me Twi." Twilight grimaced. Jewli nodded.
     "I understand. People only seem to see me as a Littlie, not seeing what else I've done." Jewli admitted. Twilight nodded solemnly.
     "Well," Jewli smiled quickly, "Ready to crash a Pretty Party*?"