Gregor trudged through the snow feeling his shoes get soaked.
"Gregor!" called a voice from behind him.
He turned around to see his friends Larry and Angelina running towards him, backpacks bouncing on their backs.
"Can we come over to your apartment?" asked Angelina.
"Sure." said Gregor.
Recently Angelina had started to hint that she liked Gregor and wanted to be his girlfriend but Gregor had ignored her. It made it awkward to be around her. Plus he was constantly
thinking about Luxa. It had been four months since Gregor left the Underland and his parents decided that Gregor and Lizzie had few enough friends in New York without moving to Virginia.
There was also the fact that grandma was still sick and not fit for travel. Gregor saw the stone slab blocking the entrance to the Underland and took a detour to walk by it. His feet carried
him automatically and he remembered everything that had happened in the Underland. Hazard's birthday, saving his dad, the Firelands.
"Why do you always walk this way?" said Larry.
"No reason." said Gregor walking on quickly.
He saw Angelina and Larry exchange glances behind hurried on as his apartment building loomed ahead. He shuffled in, grateful for the warmth as he made a trail of melted snow
to the elevator. Angelina and Larry followed behind him as he opened the door to his apartment. He set his bag down as his friends went to call their parents.
"GREGOR!" shouted a voice.
He whirled around just in time to see a miny blizzard throw itself at him.
"Hey Boots." said Gregor.
"I have Ares!" shouted Boots as she extracted a little plastic bat from her pocket.
Gregor felt a familiar pang of sadness as he remembered the big bat. He had been shunned by society when he'd let his bond Henry die to save Gregor. Henry had betrayed the humans
to the rats and Gregor had bonded with Ares to save him from execution.
"Ares the flier I bond to you." thought Gregor.
Gregor's mom came shuffling into the apartment, laden with groceries. Gregor jumped up to help her and she went to make dinner.
"Gregor could you hand me the---Oh hello Larry, Angelina---pot?" said Gregor's mom as she turned the stove on.
"Okay." said Gregor handing her the pot.
Gregor and his friends watched T.V. and talked while his mother cooked dinner.
Spongebob Squarepants Spongebob Squarepants Spongeboooooooooooob Squ---
"Dinners ready!" called Gregor's mom from the kitchen.
They turned the T.V. off and went to eat dinner
After dinner they watched more T.V.. As his friends were getting ready to leave everyone heard voices outside the door.
"What if there not here?" said a girls voice, causing Gregors pulse to quicken.
"Trust me, they wouldn't move with a sick grandma in the hospital." said a rough voice.
Gregor saw Lizzie's eyes widen as the door swung open to reveal a young girl with silver-blonde hair and a giant rat.
"Luxa." breathed Gregor.