Gregor and The Lost Doorway

Chapter 1

Mysteries

Life was meaningless. Gregor thought, as he unpacked from the house in Virginia. Without the Underland... and Luxa. "Still thinking about the Underland Gregor?" His sister, Lizzie, asked. Then, under her breath, she added, "I still am too. I miss Ripred." Ripred was a huge rat with great code-cracking abilities in the Underland. Lizzie had gotten to know Ripred well in a code breaking race to fight against the rats.

"Yes, I miss them too." Gregor murmured to his younger sister.

"Temp?" Boots asked, coming towards her older brother and sister. Temp had been Boot's constant companion in the Underland, and saved her life several times, risking his life in the process.

"Yes." Gregor agreed solemnly.

"What are you kids so down about?" Mrs. Cormaci asked, instantly regretting her choice of words. She had come with the Vega family, to take care of the poor family after they had lost their grandmother in her long illness and the kids had left the Underland, including their friends.

Gregor could tell from Mrs. Cormaci's eyes that she was thinking about their grandma. Sympathy was clearly shown in her eyes. Gregor suddenly remembered his grandmother's last words to him and was washed in a flashback.

Gregor stood by his grandmother's bedside, listening to the beeping of the machine. He had only just arrived from the Underland and he was now by his grandmother in her final hours. Gregor wanted his grandma to call him 'Simon', just anything not new. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Silence. Beep. Silence. Beeeeeeeeeeeep. Gregor was pushed back against the wall in a sudden flood of nurses that rushed into the room. One of the nurses shook her head sadly after preforming CPR. "She's gone. Oh, I am so sorry." The nurse said in a French accent, full of sympathy. The nurses slowly left the room to tell the rest of Gregor's family.

Gregor stared at his grandmother with a long mournful gaze. Suddenly, his grandma sat up. Gregor jumped back and looked at the machine. There was no beeping. Just that long high-pitched buzzing. "Gregor, lissssten to me." His grandmother spoke, saying his name for the second time, maybe, Gregor thought.

"I am." Gregor said hurriedly. He didn't think the nurses would want to see this and they'd be back any second.

"Good. Lissssten verrrry carefulllly." His grandmother's words were slurred, as if she was on medication which she wasn't. 'Not now, and not ever.' Gregor hoped. "Hidden,

Unknown to all,
Lays portal to the fall.

The Rager must learn where it hides,
For what lies in wait,
No teller will ever find.

It hides,
What lies in wait,
And it will change fate,
Of those wronged or right,
They will find them.

Warrior must become Rager.
Rager must become Savior.

For the pale-skinned to survive,

Warrior must become Rager.
And Rager must become Savior."

Then Gregor's grandmother's eyes closed once more and slowly, her body fell onto the hospital bed.

Gregor opened his eyes again. Everyone seemed not to notice him. They were discussing something else. Gregor glanced towards the hallway arch that, if he ran, would get him to his room in matter of seconds. He decided quickly and ran out if the spacious yet uncomfortable living room. Gregor didn't look back and clenched his fists when he shut the door of his new bedroom. "I know what this means! How have I could ignored this?" Gregor whispered angrily. He realized that the prophecy was about him. And somehow, he would return to the Underland to save them from... something.

The next day, Gregor was back at school. "You can't delay your schooling just because we moved!" His mother had told him. Gregor had a new teacher, Mr. Leinn.

"Heeeeeelllllo studeeeents!" Mr. Leinn shouted. "Weeeelcomeeee back to the starrrrt of a neeeew schoollll yearrrr. I'm goiiing to be yourrrrr neeeeew teeacheerrr and my nameeee's Miiiiisteeeerrrrrr Llllleeeeeiiiiinn! Can we start with atteendance clllass?" He paused for about five seconds and then continued. "Reeeeiiiillllly Barrrrron!" He called out gleefully.

"Hello." A small kid with glasses answered. Gregor half-listened to the other students, pondering the meaning of the new prophecy.

"Grrrrreeeeegorrrrr Veeeega!" Mr. Leinn called out.

"It's Gregor Mr. Leinn." Gregor corrected. "And hello." He hastily added.

"Rrrrright. Grrrrreeeegorrr." Mr. Leinn nodded. "Now! Where's Baneeeee and Luxa Zeeeeckeeeerrrrrrson?" Gregor shook his head vigorously. Those couldn't be the names of those two students, especially if you ignored the last names.

"Ben Zeckerson, calling for duty!"

"Lula Zeckerson is here!" Gregor almost sighed with relief. After all, it couldn't be the Bane or Luxa. The Bane wold stand out like a sore thumb and Gregor had killed the beast last time. And Luxa was still trapped in the Underland, wasn't she?

Gregor was happy when the school day was over. He couldn't focus at all whatsoever in his classes. His mind was trapped in the Underland and on the new prophecy that no one supposedly knew about except for him. Fortunately, he wouldn't have to pick Lizzie up as he had to back in New York. Mom was doing that. Dad had dropped him off that morning and Gregor managed to convince him to not pick him up. After all, he had friends in the Underland, didn't he? Gregor closed his eyes as he walked towards the house he now had to call 'home'. The apartment that he used to live in was home. The Underland was home for heaven's sake! Not this strange new house that he had just moved to. It might have been easy for other students, but not for Gregor. He had to leave all of his friends, even more than that though! Gregor had to leave Ripred, his mentor and friend, Ares, his bond that he would do anything for, and Luxa, who was more than just a friend.

"Hey chum!" Ben Zeckerson ran towards him, snapping Gregor of his thoughts. Ben had come from England to Virginia for a semester. Though Gregor could do without him, what he had thought Ben's real name was kind of freaked him out. He couldn't stand another sickening betrayal.*

"Hello Ben." Gregor lifted his head.

"What's bringing you down, chum?" Ben asked, looking concerned.

"Moving." Gregor answered solemnly.

"Leaving your friends, ah, I see. I had a case of that myself when I first came here too. So don't feel bothered about it chum." Ben even had a British accent. And it seemed every time he spoke, he ended with the British slang for friend, chum.

"Would you mind if I was alone?" Gregor asked, a bit annoyed by Ben's concern and sympathy. "Or are you named after the clock for a reason? You just won't stop ticking away?" Gregor knew he was a bit cold but at the moment, he didn't care. Ben was being horribly annoying.

"No, I wasn't! I was named after Benjamin Franklin!" Ben protested angrily. Then he stormed off, after kicking a bit of dust in Gregor's direction.

Gregor sighed heavily. He didn't mean to be so mean but well... he was stressed. There was no way he could get into the Underland unless he went to these places:

1) New York and he just left from there. Besides if Gregor left, where's the first place his mom would look?

2) Maybe somewhere in California? And there was no absolute way he was getting there.

So nowhere to go if he wanted to go back down. No one to ask about the prophecy except his family and well, he just didn't want to talk about it just yet. Or maybe, he wanted to have a good reason to go down besides his grandmother's last words that might have meant nothing at all.

Gregor got to his house soon enough but he didn't feel like doing anything. Maybe he would practice his echolocation. It would make Ripred proud. He thought, opening the door and walking in idly.

"Don't forget to close the door!" Lizzie reminded him, closing the door for Gregor.

"Hey Liz." Gregor smiled.

"Where are you going?" Liz asked.

"Down to the basement, to practice my echolocation. Wanna come?" Gregor wasn't sure why he asked Lizzie if she wanted to come. Maybe it was just because she knew Ripred well, like Gregor himself.

"Yes." Lizzie nodded. Gregor dropped his new bookbag on the chair and caught up to Lizzie as he headed towards what he knew was the basement.

"Hey Lizzie, do you ever, you know..." Gregor trailed off.

"Yeah. Lots." Lizzie answered, as though she knew what he was thinking. He really was asking about the Underland though.

They had arrived at the door to their basement. Gregor turned the knob and both Lizzie and Gregor noticed the basement was pitch black. Gregor clicked his tongue. He saw an image of a set of rickety stairs leading down into the basement. "Follow me Liz. Just hold on to my hand." Lizzie was breathing just a little bit faster than normal but from what she saw in the Underland, she didn't have any more panic attacks. She latched onto Gregor's hand. He repeatedly clicked his tongue until his breathing allowed him to see more of the stairs as he stepped down them, leading Lizzie, and so he didn't have to click his tongue.

"Why'd you stop?" Lizzie's frightened voice echoed in the darkness and Gregor could see more, although it was not his voice.

"Liz. Don't worry. Now, even breathing I can see fine." Gregor reassured her.

"Okay." Liz didn't quite have all the needed sincerity in her voice but Gregor could tell he believed him- somewhat at least.

"C'mon Liz. We're just about there." Gregor soothed as he felt Lizzie's hand tense up.

"No." Lizzie whispered as loud as she dared. "Do you hear that?" There was a faint humming noise coming from a bit below.

"Yeah." Gregor answered. Then he clucked his tongue. It seemed that the thing was just over his reach. "But it's probably just a furnace. Nothing to worry about Liz." Lizzie only shivered in response.

R-r-rr-r-r-rrrrrrrrrrrr-mmmmmmmm-m-m-mmmmm. The sound was getting louder and Gregor clucked his tongue once more. He still couldn't see what was making the noise. "Gregor! What is it?" Lizzie asked worriedly.

"I'm not sure Liz but listen! Whatever was making the sound is stopping now." Gregor said. Lizzie listened and realized he was right.

"Still, you go first. You know all the rats and monsters around here!" Lizzie joked.

"True." Gregor agreed. Then he paused and listened to his own breathing. He could see better with silence between the both of them. There was what? A wooden door like those in the Underland. It seemed to fit perfectly into the wall, like the prison that held him when he had truly got the hang of echolocation.

"There's a door! Like one in the Underland. It's wooden though!" Gregor exclaimed.

"Is there a light switch?" Lizzie asked, still holding tight to Gregor's hand.

"Oh right, sorry Liz." Gregor apologized. He had forgotten that Lizzie didn't have echolocation like he did. "Wait, aren't we supposed to be practicing echolocation?" He teased.

"Hey!" Liz protested playfully, her fear subsiding by a bit.

Gregor smiled and eased his breathing, looking around the stony room with about no furniture whatsoever. Then he spotted a tiny light switch right on his left. He flipped the button and watched Lizzie's pupils constrict and her eyes flit about the room. The room was brighter now, enough to see without using echolocation quite as often. Gregor followed Lizzie's gaze and commented on the room. "No furniture except that door." He said.

"I don't believe a door is a piece of furniture Gregor." Lizzie smiled. "But this room is interesting, especially that door."

"Doesn't it seem just like an Underland door?" Gregor asked, wondering what Lizzie's opinion was.

"Yeah only wooden." Lizzie agreed. "But still it's the perfect size."

"Maybe it does have something to do with the Underland." Gregor mused, thinking of the new prophecy that he was supposed to fulfill.

"What do you mean?" Lizzie asked. Gregor told Liz about the prophecy and spilled it all.

An: What do you think will happen next? I have wanted to do a Underlander story for a long time and I thought this would be a good idea for one! I hope you like it. Please review and any helpful criticism or comments will be accepted. You can give me ideas for the future. They might be taken. And thanks for reading so far!

*I mean because the Bane kind of did betray Gregor with Gregor seeing him as a baby. Then he looked innocent and then a few months afterwards, he was killing.