AN: Okay, this is my first Gregor the Overlander story, so I hope you guys like it.

Disclaimer: I'm not Suzanne Collins. If I was, I wouldn't be writing a fanfiction, I would be writing a novel.

Chapter One: A Piece Missing

Gregor's POV

I looked out the window of the family farm in Virginia. I saw the apple trees, the tomato vines, the horses, and the sun shining down brightly. The scene was picturesque and beautiful... but it was all wrong.

This should not be where I lived. Moving to Virginia had been the worst thing that had ever happened to me. Worse than when the school bully, Brett Phillips, had made me the school punching bag. Worse than when Ares had the plague. It was even tied with losing Ares.

The memory made my heart throb. Ares had been my best friend, my closest confident. He had been my bond, the bat I could always count on for help. When he died, it felt like a chunk of my heart got ripped out.

And now, after we moved to Virginia, another piece of my heart was taken, because I had to leave her. I had to leave Luxa.

Luxa was the first girl I had ever liked as more than a friend, and she would probably be the last girl. When I went to school, I didn't even notice girls faces. I didn't know if they were pretty or whatever, because when I looked at them, I saw Luxa's dazzling eyes staring back at me. I was going paranoid without her.

Memories of her came into my dreams every night. Luxa, staring at me with her violet eyes and her cocky smile. Luxa, fighting rats, with her acrobatic sword work. Luxa, talking to me and holding my hand. Less pleasant memories came, too. When Luxa had been declared lost after fighting in the labyrinth. Luxa, slowly dying after inhaling ash while fighting to keep the mice safe. Luxa, yelling at me, screaming horrible things at me after I had told guards to put her in the dungeon to keep her from sneaking off.

These dreams brought tears to my eyes. They were the only things that could make me cry. I wasn't the only one crying. Lizzie, and Boots were both upset, too.

Lizzie missed Ripred. She missed his stories and his math puzzles, and his company in general. She had told me that Ripred was her best friend. Even more of a friend than Jedidiah.

Boots missed everyone, but Temp especially. She cried out for him in her sleep. She was constantly asking, "Gregor, where's Temp?" I remained silent, under orders of my mom. She thought that if we didn't talk about it, Boots would just forget about the Underland entirely.

I sighed. Thinking of the Underland made me depressed.

"Gregor!" My mom called. "Time to eat dinner!" I heard the sound of clashing silverware and running water. From my bedroom in the basement, I couldn't smell what we were having for dinner, but I was sure it would be good. Now that my mom had the money for endless groceries after getting a high paying job as a lawyer, she could cook whatever she wanted. And it always tasted amazing.

"I'm coming!" I yelled back, and ran up the stairs. It was nice to have a house, now, instead of an apartment. We had three floors. Lizzie, Boots, and my parents all had rooms upstairs, and mine was in the basement. It was nice to have the privacy. And, I had my own bathroom!

I sat down in my chair at the table, and immediately, Dad asked, "How was your day, Gregor? Meet any new friends?"

Frowning, I told him, "Not yet. I don't really fit in anywhere." It was true. There were a lot of cliques, but none that fit me. There was the super sporty popular table, which might fit me, because I had joined the baseball team and was pretty good, but all they talked about was pretty girls. I couldn't stand doing that all day. It just brought back the heartache of Luxa.

There was the math people, but I couldn't keep up with their 'pythagorean theorum' this, and 'pi' that. I'm just not that smart.

There was a lot of other cliques, too, but truthfully, I didn't really want to make friends. I just wanted to sit and mourn in my own little world, missing Luxa and Howard and everyone from the Underland, plus Larry and Angelina, who were my friends from school. All of it made me sad and lonely. I didn't care about making new friends. I just wanted to go back to New York to be with my old ones.

Dinner turned out to be mashed potatoes with herbs in them, and chicken breasts. It was fabulous, as usual.

The table was silent, as it usually was. Dinner had become this way the day that we moved here. Us kids still hadn't really accepted that this was our new home, and we were protesting. Mom and Dad would try to ask us questions, and we wouldn't really answer. Maybe use one or two words to tell them whatever they wanted to know. It was mean, but Lizzie, Boots and I were angry and sad that we had to leave.

Dinner preceded quietly, with the only talking between the parents. After about ten minutes, however, my mom spoked up. "You guys don't look happy," she observed.

"We're not," I replied. It was a little mean, but that was the truth.

"Why aren't you happy?" Mom asked.

Lizzie looked up at her, and said, "Why do you think?" That was brave of her. Lizzie usually just suffered without saying anything.

"We know, it's because we moved away from New York, and the Underland," my dad cut in. "From Ripred, Temp, Luxa, and all of your other friends from down there."

Lizzie and I nodded. Boots kept playing with her mashed potatoes. She never took up in the conversation. She stayed silent except for occasionally muttering, "Temp, where are you? Temp, come back. I want to play dress up."

"Well," Dad started.

"Well what?" I asked. Now I was curious.

"Well," my mom interjected, "Your dad and I were thinking, that maybe---"

"Maybe what?" I asked excitedly.

Mom continued. "Maybe, we could move back to New York. I had thought that moving here would make our family less chaotic, and more bonded, like a traditional effect, but it hasn't happened like I planned. It is less chaotic, but you guys never even talk to us anymore. Moving here has torn us apart. And I'd rather deal with the stress of the Underland than have you kids hate us. Besides, maybe I can make some new friends. And I do miss Mrs. Cormaci..." She trailed off.

A smile lit up my face. "Yes!" I practically screamed. "We should move back! We can start packing now, and we can leave tomorrow, and then we can stay in the Underland while you guys get jobs! And..." I rambled on. "And Dad can be a teacher again, and you can find another job as a lawyer, I know you love being a lawyer---"

Dad cut me off. "Whoa," he said. "Quit babbling."

"Yes, we can leave tonight. Your plan was exactly like mine, Gregor," My mom told me. She smiled. "Let's get packing."

For the first time, I was glad that we lived with my aunt and uncle, who were out to dinner for their anniversary right now. This way, we didn't have a house to sell. Selling houses took months, and we just didn't have the time. I rushed downstairs, and grabbed my suitcase, shoving everything that was on the floor of my messy room inside of it.

Finally, my parents had realized that New York was where we belonged.

AN: So, what did you think? Did you like it? Did you hate it? Review to tell me! I need at least five positive reviews to continue the story!