Uglies: Special Circumstances Summary & Analysis

The pretty man flies his hovercar aggressively, and for the first time in Tally’s life, she feels airsick. They head across Uglyville and into a complex of squat, ugly buildings. The man leads Tally through the halls, which are filled with cold, too-tall, predatory people who look just like the man. Tally wonders if these people look like this on purpose, and wonders if she’s going to look like this too. The man stops at a door. It opens and he points for her to go in. She asks him to say please, but all he says is, “Inside.”

Inside is a cruel-looking woman who introduces herself as Dr. Cable. Dr. Cable says that Tally has a problem and asks Tally to call her Dr. Cable, which shocks Tally—Tally has never called anyone by their last name. Tally asks what’s going on, and Dr. Cable replies that this is about Shay. Tally insists she doesn’t know where Shay is and asks what this place is. Dr. Cable says this is Special Circumstances and starts in on a series of questions about when Tally met Shay and if they ever talked about Shay’s other friends. Tally insists they didn’t, and she and Shay just hung out and played tricks. Dr. Cable asks if Tally knew that Shay was in a gang, and then asks if they’d ever gone to the Rusty Ruins. Tally insists that lots of people sneak out to the ruins.

When Dr. Cable asks if they ever met anyone at the ruins, Tally asks what Special Circumstances is and agrees to answer Dr. Cable’s question if Dr. Cable answers hers. Dr. Cable explains that their city is a paradise and can withstand just enough freedom to allow young uglies to play tricks. It exists in equilibrium with the environment, but they can’t always purify things that come in from outside. Tally asks if the Special Circumstances are like minders but for the whole city, and Dr. Cable agrees that they are. She says that sometimes, the few people who live outside of cities make trouble. Tally is shocked to learn that the Smoke probably does exist, and with a grin, says truthfully that she never met anyone from outside the cities.

Dr. Cable seems to check that Tally is telling the truth, and her voice gets even icier. She tells Tally that she’ll never see Shay again and explains that six of Shay’s friends disappeared at once and two others chose not to go. Those two confessed that someone from outside tempted them and stole them. Tally asks why Special Circumstances didn’t stop Shay, if Shay was stolen. Dr. Cable says they hoped that Tally would be enough to keep Shay in the city, but they were wrong. Dr. Cable asks Tally for help finding Shay. Tally remembers how Shay seemed convinced that she wanted to leave and thinks that Shay knew what she was getting into. Tally refuses to help and says she can’t break her promise, but Dr. Cable says that Tally won’t become pretty until she helps.