Gregor sat on an old beaten-up couch in the living room, staring out through a window. The sun was setting but he didn't notice. His thoughts were far away, and he was oblivious to anything around him.
The Underland. The place that had felt like a home to him more than anywhere else. He hadn't gone in several months, and he was unbelievably lonely, more than he would have liked to admit. After his family had returned from the last trip to the Underland, his mother had made true on her promise to move to Virginia. After his grandmother was well enough to leave, they packed up their belongings, sold the apartment and left. The house they had moved to was more of a cottage than anything, small, quaint, and in the middle of nowhere. As small as it was, it had 8 rooms and was much bigger than their old apartment. There were grain field miles around, and the nearest signs of society were miles away and Gregor had never felt so alone.
He sat this way for what seemed like an eternity, until a small voice broke him out of his reverie.
"Gregor, I go pee by myself. I big girl!" He smiled and hoisted his younger sister Boots into his arms.
"Did you? I knew you could!" He tickled her in the stomach and she squirmed in his arms happily.
"Teeheeheehee, stop it!" Boots was almost three now and she was growing faster than ever.
She was getting bigger and more independent with each day, and Gregor couldn't be more proud of her. She stopped squirming and turned herself so she was looking up at him. "When we go see beeg bugs, Gregor? I want see Temp! Oh, oh, and Ares!"
The loneliness he felt earlier stabbed him in the heart again, but it was worse because he knew neither of them would ever see Ares alive again. Ares. The giant bat who had always been there for him and one of his closest friends. And now he was dead, and he would never ride his bond ever again. He managed a sad smile in her direction.
"Soon, Boots."
"Gregor, Boots, Lizzie, time for dinner!" He heard his mom call from the dining room, with a slight tone of urgency.
"Come one, big girl, let's go!" Lifting Boots a little higher, he walked her into the other room. He took his seat at the round oak table, to the right of Boots and to the left of Lizzie. The dining room was a luxury he was glad to have and one of the main reasons he liked their new house. Lizzie was slowly starting to overcome her shyness and she had less panic attacks now than she had before.
She smiled at Gregor, but her smile was tinged with sadness as well. It seemed she missed the Underland as well and this came as a sort of surprise to Gregor. Last time she was down there, she had a massive panic attack and was only able to be comforted by Ripred. His mom was the only one who was cheerful, laying down their lunch of roast beef sandwiches and tomato soup with gusto.
"Isn't this great, away from noisy New York and that terrifying Underland?" Her cheerful question was met with no response, but she seemed not to notice and started humming to herself. The reason for her cheerfulness was her new job, since Dad was back to work, she only had to work part-time at a small café. As Gregor and Lizzie merely picked at their food, Boots ate heartily. She was getting bigger and needed more food than ever.
"Are you excited for your birthday tomorrow Lizzie?" At this, Lizzie perked up a little more and some of the sadness in her eyes disappeared. "Yeah Mom, I can't wait!"
Gregor couldn't help feeling glad for her as well. At the school they now went to, Lizzie had made more friends then she had ever had before. It seems that most of the kids at her school were shy as well and she had no problem making a good amount of friends. "I'm glad you're happy, honey." She answered as she cleaned up the dinner table, putting the dishes and plates in the sink.
"It's getting late, why don't you three head off to bed and get a good night's sleep for Lizzie's big day tomorrow?" She called over her shoulder, wiping her hands on her shirt. Gregor took this advice gladly, nearly tripping over his own chair as he left. Not bothering to see if Lizzie or Boots left also, he headed towards his room. Once he arrived, he flopped down onto his bed, grateful for a moment to himself to think. How is Luxa? Is she ok? How about Ripred? Howard? Mareth? Hazard? Vikus? Are they at war with the rats again? The questions spun through his mind as he did his best to fall asleep. But sleep was not forthcoming, and all he could do was toss, turn and generally make a mess out of his bed until he lost track of the hours.
As Gregor attempted to quell his worries for the thousandth time and sink into the sleep he so desired, Lizzie walked into his room, her soft slippers barely making a noise against the soft carpet. Gregor sat up among his mess of blankets and looked at her curiously. "Hey Liz, what are you doing up so late?" A brief moment of pain and stress flitted across her face. "Well, I guess, I just miss the Underland. I mean, sure it's scary, but I miss Ripred a lot. What if he's hurt?" He grinned and put his arm around her. He knew she had a soft spot for the big grumpy rat and he was pretty sure he liked her too. "Me too, Lizzie. I know we'll go back there someday, just you wait." Reassured by his confidence, she hugged Gregor and exited the room with a smile on her face. Glad he could make her happy, Gregor finally gave into the temptation of sleep. Although he didn't know it then, "someday" was a lot sooner then he would ever believe.