A\N: As my great aunt says...compost happens. I had this ready to go New Years day, but the entire week conspired against me until I found time.

Chapter Two

Abby's POV

I woke up in the pitch dark with a roaring headache.

"Oooh…" I moaned and reached up with a hand to feel the back of my head. Yup, there was a large goose egg growing back there. I must have hit my head on the way down- wait. What…? Where am I!?

I scrambled around to only find dirt. I struggled to focus on my surroundings, but it really was too dark to see anything.

Unless I… I began before mentally squashing the half-thought. I carefully breathed in an out with my mouth, years of practice enabling me to nearly bypass my nose entirely. Not that it stopped me from smelling, it just brought my senses from 'suffocating' down to 'barely bearable', which was why I wore nose plugs (yes, nose plugs) to cut it down a little closer to the normal range. I could still catch most scents half a K-9 unit would miss, but what could I do? It was actually the reason why my mother had moved us from New York to all over the country before landing recently in the more spread out area of…of? We had been there-? We were going to leave in…?

"Ugh!" I clutched at my head as pain spiked.

Why can't I remember!? I scrunched up my face and squeezed my eyes shut in concentration but nothing came. I was drawing a total blank. My eyes snapped open (still wasn't doing anything for me) and I started scuttling around on my hands and knees again; panic flooding in and drowning out the pain as I continued to feel nothing but dirt and a few thin, whip-like things that were probably roots.

Desperately, I took a hold of that mentally; it was something to focus on in the black confusion. Deep and calming were the breaths that came next as I tried to relax. Something small and decidedly crawly dropped onto my shoulder as I pulled in air in my position against the wall and I brushed it away with a hurried hand and a small "Eek!". Bugs were not my thing. Something made its way over my out-stretched foot with quick steps that had me kicking out before pulling it in close. Hugging my knees in the best way to keep everything in close, I couldn't help flinching as the sound of dirt crumbling reached my ears from the darkness and the snuffling sound of a mole faded as it headed away.

Where…where am I?

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Luxa's POV

I looked around at all the streamers and decorations that covered the arena, not to mention the people dancing in the middle, and had to smile. I watched as Hazard swung through the steps of a dance with a little girl of the same age and stumbled back a couple steps in realization, sitting down heard on the ground when I felt I could no longer stay upright.

Memory exploded in my brain and suddenly I was dancing the very same steps I had just watched Hazard do, at a very similar birthday party. Gregor had my hand firmly clasped in his as we stepped forward and back in time to the music. Then his hands were on my waist, my feet left the floor, and I was spun around before he finished by 'placing down what he carried'. It felt so real that if I couldn't still feel the moss of the arena floor clenched in my hands, I would have thought I was back at the happy day when Hazard turned seven. I hadn't been able to stop laughing then, Gregor had looked happier than he had in a while and was finally enjoying himself. His mother had still been recovering from the plague, but had been sitting off to the side that day. It had surprised everyone when she turned out to be strong enough to come. I had been absolutely giddy that he seemed to have gotten him to take his mind off of everything. He hadn't been half-bad either, for all his insistence that he couldn't dance.

"Luxa?" Ripred's voice cut through the flash back, startling me out of my reverie. I stood up, brushing lingering pieces of moss from my hands. I smoothed them down my front of my dress that I had been forced to wear for the occasion and tried to pretend that I hadn't gotten pulled down memory lane for the third time that day. For some reason it had been getting worse, the random memories used to come when I had time to myself –to much thinking time- but know they came flooding in at any reminder. Pushing away any lingering flashes, I tried to give him my full attention.

"Yes?" There was a look in his eyes that told me he knew full well what was going on and was giving me a distraction from my own thoughts.

"I do believe they are going to cut the cake. And since it is your cake, I thought you would like to cut it your self."

"So that you may have the first piece?" I asked, raising an eye brow.

"Well if you insist, then there is no way I can refuse my bond of almost two years, know is there?"

"Almost two years… Has it really been that long?" I asked quietly as I followed him towards the long table holding the food. If Ripred heard me, he hid it well. Then again, since when has Ripred never hidden something well?

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Gregor's POV

I was falling down a stone shaft with familiar swirling white mist. Boots was next to me, squealing with glee. I tried to reach her but she was just out of range, giggling as she twisted slowly in the air. There was an inhuman scream and Boots was gone; in her place were hundreds of howling rats and I knew in the back of my mind that this had become less of a nightmare and more of a mash of memories. I could see in the light of my hard hat that the floor was getting closer. I twisted around into a more convenient position and waited for Ares to catch me.

"I cannot catch you," I heard Ares' voice whisper in my ear, "I'm dead, remember? The Bane killed me and it was your entire fault. You were not able to save me. You left me bleeding out on the ground." The last sentence ended in a venom filled hiss that I had never heard him direct at anyone.

"No, Ares!" I cried and flailed, trying to slow down my descent. It's not true, it's not! "Ares! Please, help me…!" I never reached the bottom and Ares never came.

I jerked upright in bed, instantly wide awake and alert, heart pounding and covered in a cold sweat. I was so disoriented that even with the echoes I was getting from my rapid breathing, it took me a moment to realize I wasn't alone. I jerked away at the touch and turned to see Lizzy curled up and teetering on to the edge of my mattress. I must have almost pushed her off when I had jolted awake. She blinked up at me with a sleepy frown before her expression cleared and she put a finger to her lips in the universal sign for 'be quiet'. She pointed her chin to the side and we both looked over at my Cousin Rodney's bed as he rolled over with a grumble and kicked the wall loudly. Holding our collective breath, we waited another moment to see if he would come to. He didn't.

A questioning eye brow earned me a shake of the head as she lay back down and snuggled into a second pillow she must have brought with her. While this certainly wasn't the first time I had woken from a nightmare to find Lizzy (or Boots. Or both) next to me, I still couldn't figure out how they always knew when their presence was needed. Because having them here with me certainly helped. I didn't have to look at her to know that her breathing had evened out almost immediately; and with the black bags growing under eyes it was no wonder. She hadn't been sleeping well since we had moved, either.

I kicked free of the rest of the sheets still on the bed, careful not to disturb Liz, and stumbled down the hall into the bathroom. After splashing cold water on my face, I looked out the window and realized that it wasn't even dawn yet. A glance at the clock confirmed that it was only 3:30.

At least I can take a shower before my cousins get up and clog the bathroom.

My cousin Rodney, being a guy, wasn't so bad about hogging bathroom time, but Rachel and Sara took forever. Three bathrooms might have sounded like a little much, but shared between ten people? They were booked quickly. Mom says that every girl needs more time with a mirror so that they can apply makeup and do there hair. I can't help thinking about Luxa whenever something like that comes up because, well, it just wasn't her. I remember very clearly that time when she had no problem chopping all her hair off for the prophecy of Gray quest because "long locks are dangerous in battle".

Of course I never mentioned that in front of mom, but Lizzy was another thing entirely. I could talk freely about the Underland to her. Actually, she insisted on it. She had told me once, only a couple weeks after all contact with the Underland was cut that she would do anything she could to ensure she never forgot a moment of what happened down there, no matter what Mom wanted.

Liz often disappeared for hours on end when there wasn't work to be done around the farm. I've found her up trees, sitting on large boulders in the middle of the stream, or hiding among the hay bails in the barn. I think she returns to the Underland in her mind when she hides. I wish I could join her there some times, relive the happier memories, but some things are made to be left alone. There is too much grief and sadness mixed in with my adventures than I care to disturb.

When I got out of the shower, I slipped my picture of Luxa and I into the back pocket of my jeans. I put on a cotton, long-sleeve shirt the color of mud and picked up my steel toed boots from their place at the doorway. As I walked back into the bedroom I shared with Rodney, I saw the brand new back pack hanging off a bed post, already filled with school supplies.

I grimaced at the reminder. Today was the first day of school.

From what I had already experienced of small town hospitality, they loved to stick their noses into other people's lives. Gossip was the life blood of Gansly and I hated it. Way too many questions for comfort.

I'm just going to have to teach them that sticking there noses into my business is going to get those noses bitten off.

My grimace turned into a smile at that, it sounded like something Ripred would say.

I dug out a flashlight and a roll of ducked tape from under my bed and slid them into the side pocket of my bag. I didn't need them, obviously, but as they say, "long habits die hard".

I purposely neglected to include my new pocket knife, which had been given to me by my uncle much to the protest of my mother. The last thing I needed was to stab someone because I couldn't keep my Rager instincts under wraps. Besides, knives weren't allowed in school.

I'm as ready as I'll ever be, I thought with sigh before raising my head and striating my shoulders. So bring it on.

My alarm clock went off and the residents of Green Tomato Farm began to stir.

A/N: I made it to 2000 words! next stop, 2500. :D