Author's Note:

This is my second Underland fanfiction, considering i ended my first on chapter 6… again sorry about that for all my readers of it. I want to try and make this story better, and I hope you can forgive me and continue on in this journey.

Warning, there is a minor use of foul language in this chapter

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot in this story, everything else is due to Suzanne Collins

Gregor awoke in a sweat. He looked around him, confused as to where he was. And then the memories came rushing back.

Get out Ares! Ares get out!

Don't go Ares, okay? Don't go…

All his fault...He made the call…

He should've struck faster...Been quicker.

Ares the Flier, I bond to you…

All those years ago, and still the memories wouldn't leave him. He was at fault, his bond would still be living today if he hadn't screwed up. Gregor sighed, and wiping the sleep from his eyes sat up. He looked around his filthy bedroom, dirt stained the walls and the carpet, his clothing was thrown about the room, hanging off his bedpoles and off of the doorknob. His few possessions sat on a nearby bedside table; a few coins, his watch, a small pocket knife, his car keys, and the picture of her. He rarely used her name now, It hurt to much to be reminded of his past, but he could never bring himself to get rid of the picture, and so no matter what it was always tucked safely into his pocket.

Gregor reached up and felt the two chains tied around his neck, one holding a massive black claw, and the other holding a key. The key was to a small chest hidden under his bed, and the claw was Ares'. People gave him odd stares when they saw him fiddling with it in class, and one time a school bully had tried to remove it from his person. To say the least, that kid won't be hurting anyone else anytime soon.

Gregor slowly rose from his seated position and groaned, his body ached. He was no longer the scrawny little kid from New York, he was now the muscular and broad shouldered kid from Virginia. At the age of seventeen, he was also fairly tall, nearing the height of 5" 9'. Gregor walked over to his drawer and pulled on a black T-shirt, and slipped on a black and grey hoodie over it. He picked up some jeans from his floor and put those on as well. Despite his constant despair, his mother made him always wear long clothes to cover up his scars from his time in the Underland. It was Thanksgiving today, and just like every other year he had nothing to be thankful for. He hadn't had anything to be thankful for in exactly four years, two months and five days. Not since he last saw the girl he loved.

Gregor stumbled down the stairs in his sleepy stupor, following the scent of recently cooked bacon. Despite his weariness, he could hear the sleepy yawns of his sister Margaret, formerly known as Boots. His other sister Lizzie was sitting at the table doing her homework, and his dad was making the food. His mother had already left for work. His grandmother wasn't there, because she had died during the drive to Virginia from a heart attack.

"Good morning Gregor, and happy Thanksgiving." Said his father, shooting him a quick smile before returning to his cooking. Gregor replied with a grunt of acknowledgement and plopped himself down to a breakfast of eggs and bacon, a specialty for Thanksgiving. Gregor's plan for today was the same as usual, he didn't care if it was the holidays, he had work to do even if it was a fruitless and hopeless task. However Gregor still held on to hope that he would find what he was looking for; a sign. Everyday he would spend hours searching the web, watching the news and doing research. He was looking for anything that could hint at a possible new entrance to the Underland, or if someone had actually found it and wanted to spread the word. So far Gregor has followed multiple rumors about entrances and such, but all ended in failure.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, "Can you get that for me Gregor? My hands are full." His father said, and Gregor silently obliged, rising to his feet and swallowing the last of his delicious food. He walked to the door, and opened it to reveal that nobody was there. He looked around, and then something caught his eye; a small orange piece of plastic protruding from a nearby bush. He laughed to himself, and ducked as the bullet whooshed over his head, embedding itself in the doorframe behind him. Gregor rolled backwards into his house and grabbed his own gun, an M16 complete with hand grip, an arm sling, and enhanced iron sights. Taking quick aim he fired shots into the bush, and was pleased to hear the yelp of surprise and pain from the person hidden. Reloading his mag, Gregor approached the bush as a boy no older than him crawled out.

"Everytime Gregor! I can never manage to shoot you down by surprise!" Nick exclaimed. Nick was his one and only friend in Virginia, he was a well muscled boy with long blond hair tucked back behind his ears. In his hand he held his Airsoft sniper rifle, orange tip and all. Gregor gave a slight grin, it was because of his rager abilities he knew, but he could never tell anyone about that.

"What can I say Nick? I'm just that good." He replied, with sarcasm drowning his tone. Nick grinned and beckoned for Gregor to follow him, and together they made their way to their cars.

They drove to a nearby paintball/airsoft field, and prepared to kick some serious ass. They were a two man team versus all five man teams, but they still won constantly, due to Gregor's superior reflexes and senses.

And so the day went on, and for one of the few times in his life since the Underland, Gregor enjoyed himself. He only did when he was with Nick, and only when they were fighting together.

That afternoon, his family sat down to a Thanksgiving dinner of turkey, potatoes and stuffing. His favorite was by far the potatoes, mashed or baked. Tonight they were mashed, topped with a thick gravy.

"Let's play a game!" Gregor's mother said, "We should all say something we are grateful for." Everyone but Gregor nodded their consent, and his mother pretended not to notice his discomfort. "I am grateful for how far our family has come, and how we have managed to stick together." His mother said, and then Lizzie went next.

"I am grateful for shrimp and cream sauce, and how good dad can make it." She said. She too struggled to forget about the Underland, but mainly her rat friend Ripred, whose favorite dish was just that; shrimp and cream sauce. Gregor's dad smiled and gave his thanks, and then said his, followed by Margaret. And then it was Gregor's turn. The whole family stopped eating and gave expectant looks his way. He looked back at them, and replied in a monotone voice.

"Absolutely nothing." And with that he stood and walked to his room.

It was the middle of the night when Gregor woke to the sound of the clicking of keys and the beeping of a computer. He opened his eyes slightly and squinted towards the light. What he saw shocked him. His mother was going through his search history! He leaped to his feet in anger, startling his mother.

"What are you doing!?" He yelled, loud enough that he most likely woke the rest is the house.

"Gregor you need to let go!" She replied. He knew what she meant, she had seen that all he had searched up was Underland related.

"Let go of your pointless past! Let go of those stupid people who ruined your life!"

That pissed him off, she had gone to far that time. "Stupid!? Pointless!? Are my friends stupid to you?! They are my friends, every one of them! Not to mention the one I love! The last four damn years have been living hell for me! And why didn't I just leave when I got my car? Because this damn family was still falling apart." He yelled, his face red in fury. He saw the pained look on his mother's face as the tears coursed down her cheeks. And then realization at what he said replaced some of her hurt.

"Love?" She said faintly, "You never to-" The end of her sentence was cut off as Gregor pulled the key from his neck and pulled the hidden chest out from under his bed. He unlocked it, and revealed the stacks of batteries, flashlights and the knife it contained. He tossed in his pocketknife and his wallet, then relocked it. He grabbed a shirt and shoved it over his head, followed by the chain holding the key. He grabbed his keys and the photo, and shoved them roughly into his pants pocket. He heaved the chest onto his shoulder and marched from his room, blatantly ignoring the confused questions from his mother. When he reached the living room, Margaret sat there, a puzzled expression and tired eyes seen on her face.

"What's happening Gregor?" She said. Gregor just looked at her and and spoke the words she would remember forever. "I love you Boots, remember that." And then he left, slamming the front door shut behind him. He quickly made his way to his car, a black pickup with a small bed. He opened the back door of his car and tossed in the chest, and then jumped up into the driver's seat of the truck. He jammed the car keys into the ignition and slammed on the reverse, pulling out of his driveway as his father opened the front door. He took off down the road without looking back, he didn't plan on returning anytime soon.

He had some people to meet again.

It had been awhile.

Exactly four years, two months, and five days.

Happy Thanksgiving, Bitches.

Author's Note

Hope you enjoyed! There was some foul language, but not an overload. So I am sorry for that if it offends you in any way, there won't be much more of it in the future, I just thought it brought out and displayed Gregor's emotions more appropriately. Let me know how I did in the reviews! Cya all!