Hello, readers and fans of The Underland Chronicles, I deleted my previous account because it was, Eh... Unsatisfactory. I focused primarily on lemons which may still be present, but not be the only thing I write about. I will focus more on story structure and characters and so on. I was previously named LovesLemons101 for any who knew me. But anyways, we can discuss snuff like that if you PM me. On to the story!

Gregor awoke to the patter of rain on his roof. It was only midnight; he hated nights like these. These were the nights when he could not enter the blessed realm of sleep; while plagued with nightmares, blanked his mind of most coherent thought. It most certainly was worse this way. He had nothing to do but listen to the noises of New York in the dark and ponder things that wouldn't be conjured up during days were you would attempt to keep your mind occupied. There was no escaping the maelstrom of thoughts and memories in the complete and absolute darkness. Gregor pulled the sheets over his head. To soak in the warmth in the midst of this frigid winter and partly, to escape the memories that would not let him be. The latter, of course, was unsuccessful and as if the attempt to bat them away angered them, the memories came back with vividness. Now there was no escape from the thoughts he had, sitting on the surface, with a vast cavern much darker than his small room stretching beneath the earth. All the people he had lost, his strong bond, Ares, now taken from him by the Pearl-Coated rat. But the few things that pains a heart as much as the death of a close one, is knowing a person still has light, but you can never, ever, hear their voice or touch them. A fate very similar to death; except the person who is in your thoughts still breathes and has these feeling too.

This was true of almost everyone he knew, as he had great difficulty making friends. They were all living without him, separated by miles of stone. He pondered if some of them lay dead by now, just like his bond, or Hamnet. Six years ago Gregor left a place they call "The Underland". At least the few who know of it call it that. In this strange place he would go on quests prophesied by Sandwich, the founder of Regalia and first to ever enter the place with a stone ceiling. Gregor had made many friends down in this place and yet also many enemies. He rooted out those enemies, including the one they call the Bane. Yet his killing did not come without a price, the death of his bat bonded to him and the grotesque scars on his chest adding to his others. At twelve he slayed a 12 foot tall rat and now at eighteen he could drive a car. Some people matured at different ages he would always say. So after six years he had somewhat managed to cover up his memories from that now far away land. The details of the place were even somewhat difficult to recall nowadays. So he had managed to escape the longing of the Underland, except on nights like these of course. Where darkness enveloped him like a blanket that continued to constrict him.

There was always that one person he desperately tried to erase from his thoughts. He had not managed to in the least. That silvery hair that shined in torchlight, her violet eyes that could pierce your brain, but then give you a look that made you melt. Her pale skin that had no flaw in it, except for the small scar on her cheek. She was the most stubborn person he had met in both worlds and the most arrogant. She was a queen after all, yet she cared for her people and was amazing in every way. She had saved his life time and time again. Her cool voice that, if she chose, would grace you with its twinkling laughter. He had now started to violently shake his head, to keep the name from taking root in his thoughts. It was almost there, he desperately tried to push it away; his breathing ragged. He could fight it no longer, he slightly wished to think of her, to enjoy the thought of her. He sagged in defeat. LUXA. Her touch and image burned into him and his nose filled with her scent. Only now, imagining that they were no longer separated, was he able to sleep. That was how the dark room in New York; filled with thoughts of the Underland, was escaped.

The light burst through the blinds, awakening him from his troubled sleep. He arose from his small bed, but too quickly. "Ow!" Gregor screeched. The room was much too small for Gregor, as he now stood an inch or two over six foot. "I need a new room." he thought glumly. Gregor headed into the bathroom to brush his teeth. He observed himself in the mirror as he did occasionally. He was now significantly more toned and muscular. He found that if he channeled his rager instinct into lifting weights and running; it improved his body dramatically. Weight he would never be able to lift, now seemed easy when he had his rager blood pumping through him. It gave the short burst of strength and lethal energy needed to lift extreme weights. He was now very muscular and was even more deadly. Right now though, he only had eyes for the scars that traced along his body, never allowing him to expose his chest or legs to anyone in public. His hair was light brown and close cropped. His brilliant green eyes were slightly closed from the nearly sleepless night. "Gregor, its time for breakfast!" he heard Lizzie yell. He slowly made his way out of his room and into the kitchen. His grandmother rested on the couch waiting to be fed. The only reason that hadn't moved to Virginia was because their grandmother had held on longer than they anticipated. They were not capable of moving her, as she never left the apartment. Gregor quickly ate his breakfast of pancakes and bacon, while his mother questioned him. "Gregor you look terrible, did you get any sleep last night?" "Some." I said quietly. She raised an eyebrow questioningly but did not press any further. I scarfed down my breakfast and was going to return to the solitude of my room, when my mother intercepted me. "Gregor, I need you to take the laundry out of the dryer." His mother said. "Whatever." I left the room with the basket and tore down the stairs.

His mother had begun to accept the fact that he wasn't going to try and go back. As much as he longed to, he would never leave his family to fend for themselves. So now she let him enter the laundry room. He had never looked at the air vent. He wanted to look extremely bad but, he knew when he looked and saw no note or anything, the absence would make him feel much worse. So, Gregor opened up the door of the dryer and started to pile the laundry into the basket. Just then, he thought he heard a banging coming from behind the washers. He stopped abruptly and listened for a noise. He stood there for many minutes listening for something, anything. He heard nothing. He shook his head, just something he wish he heard. He was almost finished putting the laundry into the basket, when it started again. He kept doing the laundry, refusing to believe it was there but then it became loud and louder and then even louder. He threw the laundry aside and, with great strength, started moving the washing machine. The grate was almost exposed when the noise stopped. "No, No, NO!" He yelled at the ceiling. With a magnificent shove he move the machine away, exposing the grate. Nothing.

It was grate, still intact, nothing new. The same grate he had fallen down years ago. He suddenly felt the urge to jump in, to meet his love, Luxa. To be reunited was something he dreamed of every waking second. If the currents were there he would be taken to the Underland, back to all of the people who understood him. If they were not present, he could take a leap like the leap he took during the prophecy of gray, he would never be visited by the night time thoughts again. He would never have to long for Luxa's touch again, in fact he wouldn't need anything. No, he mustn't think like that, he had a family to care for. He had a life to live on the surface. "But would it be a life worth living?" ,the part of him that so wished to return said. He strengthened his absolve and was going to turn away when he saw, what looked like the edge of something, sticking out of the grate. His heart started to beat rapidly and he was sure the people in rooms above him could hear it. He moved a shaky hand towards the grate and grasped the edge of the object. He willed it to be what he longed for. He slowly pulled it out of the grate and observed it. A candy wrapper. Someone had stuck a Snickers wrapper into the grate. He nearly screamed with frustration and angst. He bottled it up and disciplined himself. "You never should have even looked, you know how it is." He told himself. He sighed a long sigh and picked up the basket of laundry. He moved to the stairs and suddenly, all the lights went out. "Oh great, now the powers out again." he thought. This wasn't exactly a penthouse, so they had roving power outages. He felt around for the handrail when he felt something odd and fuzzy. "Let's see if you've been practicing your echolocation, boy."

Sorry if it was boring, intros and all that. I would really appreciate some reviews, maybe even from my old readers! I need to know if this is terrible and i should just quit forever or i should attempt to continue. So R&R - Forever yours, my lovely readers, TheOverlander11