"Have you seen these kids? They went missing yesterday." Gregor's mom asked. Last night when Carmen and Gregor hadn't come back, they had an idea of where they had disappeared to. Gregor's mom had gone into hysterics, calling the police over and over. Carmen's dad had tried to calm her, not understanding her worry.
"Have you seen them?" Gregor's dad asked. The random person shook their head. They had been asking for over five hours.
"Sorry, haven't seen them Dave." They said. Carmen's dad's thoughts wandered around possibilities of what could've happened. Little did he know, Carmen and Gregor had just woken up.
Carmen woke up expecting to see the comforting sunrise, but only found the dark walls of the cave. She sighed, wishing it was all dream. Gregor was already out of bed and moving. Carmen's legs moved to get her out of bed, and she walked out of the room, grabbing her bag as she did. She had accidentally slept in her clothes. Gregor was sitting down next to Tiberius, talking about something.
Her stomach rumbled and she grabbed a granola bar, unwrapping it and shoving it in her mouth. She threw the garbage back into her backpack and sipped it up when a pale skinned person walked through the door. He had white hair, and violet eyes.
"Gregor the Overlander." They said, bowing.
"Please, I'm just a kid." Gregor said.
"The Queen has requested your presence in Regalia." He said. Gregor nodded, motioning for Carmen to join him.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Tiberius." Gregor thanked the small nibbler.
"It wasn't a problem at all." Tiberius replied. Carmen nodded to him in thanks, and followed Gregor out of the cave. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the giant black bat in front of her.
"It's fine Carmen, just a Flier." Gregor reassured her when seeing her face. Carmen swallowed the lump in her throat, and climbed onto the bat after Gregor and the violet-eyed person.
"Be assured, Overlander, I will not drop you." A deep voice sounded. Carmen screeched when she realized it came from the bat. "Except if you make that sound again." The bat said again. Carmen made a strangled sound and hung onto Gregor.
"All of the animals in the Overland can talk down here, and are double the size they are up there." Gregor explained. Carmen nodded, still holding onto Gregor.
The fly to Regalia was long, and they had to stop a few times to let the bat rest. The dark was replaced after their fourth stop by torches lighting up the land below. It was covered in bones and blood, some bodies still had flesh on them. Carmen couldn't look away, watching the gore rush by. Gregor gently grabbed her head and turned it away.
"You don't need to see this." He whispered, sadness filling his voice. "I was twelve when I had to fight a war, I don't wish that upon anyone." He continued. Carmen nodded and buried her face in his back. But although her eyes were closed, she could still see the image of blood and bodies rushing by.
Finally the bat landed, and Carmen gladly stepped off. She thanked them both with a shaky voice. She had never been fond of heights, and flying one-hundred feet in the air was not her idea of fun. She looked around. They had landed in a big arena. Bats and their bonds, at least that's what Carmen remembered from what Gregor told her, flew around above them.
A small sniff from next to her alerted her that Gregor was holding back tears. A huge smile filled his face, and he looked at home. Suddenly huge doors opened in front of them. What looked like guards walked in a square around a girl around Gregor's age. She had short white hair, violet eyes, and very pale skin. (Like everyone else.) Her eyes widened when they met Gregor's, and she stopped abruptly. The guards spread out, and gave her space.
Gregor and the girl's eyes stayed locked together, and the girl let out a small laugh. Gregor did the same, and they ran to meet each other in the middle. They threw their arms around each other. The girl started crying, which caused Gregor to also cry. Carmen watched with a small smile on her face.
"It's so good to see you, Luxa." Gregor whispered.
"It's good to see you, too, Gregor." The girl named Luxa whispered back. Then they both remembered that people were watched and stepped back, wiping away tears. Carmen slowly walked over to them. Luxa noticed her, and her face turned to stone. "Who's this?" She asked skeptically.
"Oh, this is my cousin, Carmen." Gregor explained.
"Hi." Carmen said awkwardly. Luxa's smile came back.
"Follow me, we have a lot to catch up on." Luxa said. She turned around, and walked through the doors she came through. Gregor held her hand as they walked, while Carmen walked behind them. As they walked through the streets, people pointed them out and whispered. They eventually reached a big smooth building. A wooden platform was at the base, and a few ropes trailed all the way up to an opening in the side of the building. They got on, and the platform started upwards. Carmen looked over the side of the edge, seeing about fifty feet from her and the ground.
Her stomach churned and she covered her mouth, about to vomit.
"Ohh, heights are not my cup of tea." Carmen mumbled, standing closer to Gregor. They reached the top, and Carmen gladly stepped onto the solid floor.
Luxa walked through the hallways, which made no sense to Carmen, and stopped outside of a doorway. Inside was a long dining table, with food set out in the middle.
"I had just started eating when I heard of your arrival. You are welcome to join me." She said, sitting down. Gregor sat down next to her, and Carmen sat next to him. They started eating, and finished not soon after. Luxa explained what had happened in the last two years.
"When you left, clean-up started. We fixed buildings, and resupplied our weapons and farms. The alliance with the Gnawers is going well, and we just finished cleaning Regalia a week ago. Our people have also repopulated, and now our numbers are back up." She finished. Gregor nodded. "But, I also have bad news." She said. "Vikus has… passed." She said, tears prickling her eyes. Gregor's eyes widened in horror.
"H-How?" Gregor asked, sorrow drowning his voice.
"Natural causes. He was getting very old, and he passed peacefully in his sleep." She explained in a shaky voice. Carmen had no idea who Vikus was, but he must have been important. Luxa took in a deep breath. "Hazard is ok. He has started training to be a translator, already fluid in most languages. He has also taken an interest to Overland languages. I believe he is learning Spanish, although it is useless in the Underland." She said. Gregor continued nodding. "Now, you must go and bathe. I trust you remember the way, Gregor." She said.
"I do. See you later, Luxa." He said.
"Goodbye." She said happily.
Carmen followed Gregor through the halls, into a big room. There was a, what looked like a, bathtub in the middle, and there was constant water running through it. There was also a toilet and a sink, with the same running water. Gregor mumbled something about the room being remodeled.
"You go ahead, I'll find another. When I'm done I'll come back to get you." Gregor said. Carmen nodded. She closed the 'weird stone door thing' and stripped down. She climbed into the water and let out a sigh of relief. It was warm. She scrubbed herself down, and washed her hair.
That was when she remembered it had been over a day since they left. Their parents were probably worried sick. She tried not to think about it while she got back out and grabbed a towel off on a small rack. A small knock sounded at the door, and then she heard footsteps walk away. She opened the door to find clothes, and she scooped them up. She pushed the door closed and put on the clothes. It consisted of stretchy pants, a fitted top, undergarments, and sandals. She put it all on, and surveyed her hair in a mirror over the sink. It stuck out at all angles and was frizzy.
A small brush caught her eye and she sighed in relief, brushing the tangles out of her hair. Then she took a hairband and braided her locks to one side, a few stray pieces falling in front of her face. She looked at the brush again, and felt a smile creep onto her face. Her hand grabbed it, and she stuffed it deep into her bag, under her old clothes.
She stepped out into the hallway and didn't see Gregor.
He must not have finished yet. Carmen thought. She leaned up against the wall, when a shadow caught her eye. She looked and saw nothing, turning back. Then it happened again, and by the time she looked it was right next to her. She took a step back, and saw it at its fullest. It was a giant rat with two scars across his face, forming a cross.
"Hello." He said. Carmen screamed and fell backwards onto her butt. She used her feet to propel her backwards. The rat followed her, his tail swaying lazily. "I see they've brought yet another Overlander here, how typical." He mumbled. Carmen finally found her feet and she got up, stepping back from the rat. She spotted Gregor at the end of the hallway and let out a tiny sigh. Then she darted around the rat, and ran to Gregor.
"Oh my god, oh my god, Gregor there is a rat." She said. Gregor looked over her, and saw the rat turn. Gregor's jaw dropped to the floor. The rat saw Gregor, and a weird grin crept onto his face.
"R-Ripred?" Gregor asked.
"The one and only." The rat said in amusement.
Oh geez, haven't posted in a while. Sry about that.