Hey guys! I'm back with the next chapter! I had extra fun writing the Gluxa for this one, and I tried really hard to get it right. They might not be totally in character, but it's one of the things you have to sacrifice when writing an AU.

I hope you guys like it. I appreciate all the reviews, which are still hilarious. The suggestions for what should happen and the warnings for what shouldn't happen make me laugh, although I'm not sure what the cookie reference means… Anyone care to explain? Anyways, thanks for all the support and feel free to review. You guys are awesome.

-Skychip

Disclaimer: I do not own any of The Underland Chronicles, only the characters I make up and the plot itself.

Regalia High

Chapter 15: Burglary

The music slowed again and they pulled each other closer. Luxa closed her eyes and rested her head on Gregor's chest, letting him lead the dance with slow steps that moved them side to side. Everything seemed so peaceful, and Gregor closed his eyes as well, trying to absorb the moment and engrave it into his memory. He hoped things could stay perfect and that life would calm down a bit.

But he had no idea what was coming next…

-O-

Gregor collapsed on his bed as soon as he entered his room. Without getting up, he kicked his shoes off and heard them land on the floor. His room had carpet, but it was late and everything was quiet, so the sound they made was pretty loud. He didn't understand just how loud until he heard his mom open the door to his room.

"How was the dance?" she asked from the door. She wore a robe over her nightgown and her eyes looked bloodshot.

"It was great," he replied, lifting his head slightly to look at her. When he saw the exhaustion on her face, he raised an eyebrow. "You haven't gone to sleep?"

His mom shrugged. "Just because you're getting older doesn't mean I don't worry about you."

"Yea, but you still have to work."

"Well, lucky for you, I have the morning off tomorrow. I still have to go to the afternoon job, but I'll be able to sleep in for a bit. Would you like a ride to school in the morning?"

"Yes, please," he said, resisting the urge to groan. He had forgotten there was school the next day.

The dance had been held on Sunday night because of the plays. The school couldn't have a play and the dance on the same night, so they pushed it off to Sunday. Gregor's feet hurt from dancing and jumping around, and he was grateful for the small amount of luck.

"Okay then. I'll see you and the princess at breakfast tomorrow. Goodnight baby," said his mother, turning to leave and shutting the door behind her.

Gregor's heart skipped a beat. Why would Luxa be in the apartment for breakfast tomorrow? And how did Gregor's mom know that he called Luxa a …

Wait, his mom had said princess. Gregor called Luxa a queen. So they weren't talking about the same person.

He exhaled audibly, relieved and a little embarrassed with the misunderstanding. If this is how he felt when he thought about Luxa and his mom in the same room after he and Luxa had kissed, then what would it be like to actually introduce her as his girlfriend?

But then again, Luxa wasn't officially his girlfriend. They were sure acting like they were together, but they hadn't formally established it. After the kiss while they were dancing, he and Luxa had stayed in each other's arms, slowly swaying with the music. No one had interrupted them, and it only made things better.

When the dance had been over, they kissed one last time before they went their separate ways. Larry offered Gregor a ride home, and Luxa left with Aurora. He thought that Larry would bombard him with questions about Luxa, but his friend only talked about how fun the dance had been. Gregor suspected that Larry was happy to know that he was with Luxa, which meant he didn't want to be with Angelina. It was a small factor that raised Larry's chances of being with Angelina, but it was enough to make him smile all the way to Gregor's apartment complex.

Now, still laying down on his bed, Gregor's thoughts went back to what his mother had said. She mentioned a princess. That could only mean his sister. But he would have to wait until morning to find out which sister his mother had been talking about.

Normally, the name princess would be referring to Boots. Ever since the first day he met her, Temp had started calling Boots princess. Gregor didn't know why, and he thought it was a little weird, but he didn't try to stop it. Besides, Boots had fully embraced the title, and she always wore a small pink princess outfit, complete with tiara and lighting scepter, whenever Temp and Tick took care of her. Tick had immediately taken to calling Boots princess as well, and everyone else at home followed their lead.

However, Lizzie was now also a princess. The week before, the chess team became famous when they made it to the state competition for the first time in Regalia High history. The chess team was, of course, led by Lizzie. And no one was surprised when Lizzie made it to the finals and completely dominated the championship game. Everyone at school called her the Princess of Pawns. Lizzie had the amazing ability to control the game by using her pawns, which were expertly placed all over the board in complicated strategies. And just like everyone still called Gregor the warrior, they now called Lizzie the princess.

When morning came, it turned out that Gregor's mom was talking about Lizzie. Since his mom wasn't working in the morning, she had let Boots sleep in, which left only Gregor and Lizzie at the table with their mother.

Gregor ate his breakfast quietly, not really talking much. Although the food was great, it wasn't enough to get him out of a state of exhaustion. His legs still hurt, and he felt his eyes starting to close every few minutes.

Twenty minutes later, Gregor and Lizzie were in the car on their way to school. As they got near, Gregor thought the street looked pretty deserted. There was always a line of cars that stretched out on the road, but that line was gone. When they finally arrived at the school, they discovered why.

The school gates were closed. The huge electric board that announced the school events had a sign that said that school had been cancelled for the day. School had never been cancelled, and it was really strange for the district to close it randomly.

At home, after a few calls, Gregor's mom found out why classes had been called off. Apparently, while most of the students were at the dance and the security had been occupied with making sure everything went smoothly, the school had been broken into.

Many things had been stolen, along with all the money from the bookstore. The bookstore was the small office that sold the yearbooks, and they had quite a bit of money, since yearbooks were pretty expensive. While the police investigated, the school was to remain closed.

Gregor was still too tired to process much of what had happened. All he knew was that there was no school, and there was nothing stopping him from going into his room and falling asleep. He was about to get up when the phone rang. Gregor's mom was still near the phone, and she answered after a few short rings.

"Hello?" he heard his mom say as he stood up from the couch. Gregor glanced over at her, seeing the frown that spread over her eyes. "Oh, right. I remember," she said. He turned away from her to walk to his room, uninterested in the call. Probably one of his mom's old friends. As he walked away, he heard her say, "Yes, he's here." That got him to stop. He turned to look at her as she said, "One moment." Then, his mother held out the phone to him. "It's for you," she said slowly.

Hesitantly, Gregor reached for the phone and put it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Gregor?" came a lovely voice from the other end.

"Hey Luxa," he said, rushing off to his room, but not before he caught the look his mother shared with Lizzie.

"Sorry to be calling you this early, but I was wondering if you knew why the school is closed."

"No, don't be sorry," he said quickly. Gregor didn't want her to feel bad about anything. This was actually really good. Even without school, there was a way for him to hear her voice. He told her the reason the school was closed based on what the district had told his mom.

"Who do you think broke into the school?" she asked.

"I don't know," he admitted. He hadn't given much thought to it. "Who do you think would do something like that?"

"Gorger, of course," she said, though Gregor couldn't tell if she was being serious or not.

There was silence after that, as neither of them said anything. Gregor wasn't sure how to respond to her comment, and he felt the silence starting to get awkward. In truth, if Luxa had only called to ask about the reason school was out, they no longer had a reason to talk. He had answered her question, and it was perfectly fine to end the conversation now. But he didn't want to.

"Please tell me that you are as tired as I am," Luxa said finally with a small laugh.

"If by tired you mean almost falling over, then yes, I'm as tired as you are," he replied, thankful that the silence was over.

Luxa laughed again, making Gregor smile. He loved to hear her laugh.

"I have never had that much fun before," she said.

"Yea, me either."

"If this is a side effect from having fun, then I guess I do not mind being so tired."

"It'd be great if we could do that every few days. Not every day though. We would need some time to recover, because my legs are killing me."

"As are mine."

"Then why don't you take a nap?"

"I cannot. It is rude to sleep while you are a guest. I came to sleep over at Aurora's house, and I cannot just fall asleep at will."

"Well at least you can do something. I don't know what Larry's doing, but I doubt he'll want to hang out. He looked pretty tired last night too."

He thought about saying 'Larry and Angelina,' but decided to leave Angelina's name out. There was no way he was saying her name in his conversation with Luxa. Not with the way Luxa had reacted at the dance. "I'll probably just fall asleep."

"Sleep then. Try and be rested for later," she said slowly.

"Later?"

There was a pause. "My cousin Nerissa will be off early from work today. She will be home early in the evening."

"Okay?" he said, unsure of what she was trying to say.

"And… well…" She took a deep breath before speaking again. "Would you like to come to my house tonight for dinner?"

-O-

Over the phone, Gregor arranged the details of the evening with Luxa. After he hung up, he walked over to his mom with his fingers crossed to ask permission to go.

After a while of intense questioning, Gregor was able to get his mother to understand that he and Luxa would not be alone in the house. Her older cousin Nerissa would be there, and that was precisely the reason Luxa had chosen that day to invite Gregor to dinner. In the end, his mother gave in, and he excitedly called Luxa back to tell her the good news.

A few hours later, and after a very refreshing nap, Gregor waited anxiously for Luxa to arrive. She was going to get dropped off by Aurora so that they could walk to her house together.

At the sound of the doorbell, Gregor jumped up and ran to the living room. He took a moment to straighten himself out before opening the door. Luxa was visibly tired, but it didn't make her any less beautiful. The matching outfit looked better on her than it did on Aurora, since Gregor was pretty sure those were Aurora's clothes. He remembered seeing Aurora wear that to school once or twice.

Luxa called Nerissa to let her know that she was on her way. Temp and Tick arrived while Luxa was on the phone. They were there to take care of Lizzie and Boots while Gregor was gone, since his mom would leave in a little while for work. After saying bye to his mom, Gregor and Luxa left the apartment.

The walk to her house was better than any other time they had walked there. This time, their conversations were full of excitement, unlike the shy way they spoke to each other before. When Gregor had first started walking Luxa home after their private rehearsals, they talked with awkward pauses, asking anything that popped into their heads, trying to get to know the other person a little better.

Now, it was different. They didn't hold back their laughter, and their looks were full of affection. Gregor enjoyed the way Luxa looked at him, and he felt himself like her just a little more every time she smiled. As they walked, they bumped into each other playfully.

On one of the contacts, his hand touched hers. Gregor hadn't been expecting it, but he took full advantage of it. In one swift movement, he swung his hand over and intertwined his fingers with hers. Luxa looked over at him in surprise, raising her eyebrows and smiling, but she didn't pull her hand back. Instead, she closed her fingers over his more tightly and continued their conversation like nothing had happened.

When they finally got to her house, Gregor let his mouth drop open a bit. Whenever he walked Luxa home, he only watched her as she disappeared into the door. But as he walked through the small stone gate, he looked up to the house for the first time to admire its beauty.

The house was huge, illuminated on the outside with small twinkling lights. It was a dark gray, and if Gregor didn't know any better, he would have thought that the house was made of stone. But it was like a stone he had never seen before. The surface of the outside looked as smooth as glass, although there were a few carvings of intricate shapes that lined the bottom.

The inside, to his surprise, was the exact same way. The walls were painted a stony gray, and the furniture was made of all kinds of different materials, except for wood. In fact, not a single item in the house was made of wood. Hanging on the walls were small candles that served as lights, shining light on beautiful carvings and paintings that decorated the walls.

Luxa led Gregor into the living room, which was bigger than his entire apartment. He noticed that the room seemed bigger than it really was. This was due to the huge painting on the ceiling. It made the living room appear to have no roof, except it wasn't the sky that it opened up to. The painting was just more stone, like if the house was inside some sort of cave. To Gregor, this looked more like a roofless palace than a house.

Seeing him stare around, Luxa got his attention and spoke up.

"Sorry about the color and the decoration. My cousin likes everything old fashioned."

"Don't apologize. This is awesome. It's like you live in a palace," he said with a smile. "Sort of makes sense. Wouldn't you agree, your grace?"

Luxa rolled her eyes and smiled, shoving him playfully. They were still laughing when they noticed a figure in the shadows, watching them. Nerissa was at the door that led to the dining room, patiently waiting for them to finish their conversation.

"Nerissa, do not scare us like that. You could have announced your presence."

"I am sorry, cousin. I did not mean to frighten you. But it is rude to interrupt conversations."

Gregor couldn't help but smile when Nerissa spoke. Now he understood why Luxa spoke so formally. It must have been how she was raised. He had always wondered why Luxa never joined her words. And now, hearing Nerissa speak, he guessed it was something that ran in the family.

Luxa looked over at Gregor quickly before turning her attention back to her cousin. Nerissa also turned to look at Gregor, and he expected her to question him or something. Instead, she greeted him with a warm smile.

"Nerissa, you remember Gregor, right? From the play," said Luxa, since Nerissa showed no signs of wanting to start the conversation.

"Of course. How could I forget such an outstanding performance?" she said with another smile. "I am glad you could join us for dinner." Nerissa raised her hand slightly, gesturing to the next room. "Please, let us go into the dining room. I have spent much time preparing the dishes, and it would be a shame to let them get cold." She turned to leave, silently walking towards the table.

"He's my boyfriend," Luxa blurted out suddenly, perhaps a little too fast.

Gregor wanted to turn and look at Luxa. He was shocked by what she had just said, though his head was spinning with happiness. But Nerissa's reaction was something he needed to see, and he kept his eyes on her. Nerissa had stopped walking, and she stood completely still. As he waited for her to turn around, he felt Luxa's hand grab his, intertwining their fingers. It gave Gregor a bit more courage for what might come, but he still felt a bit uneasy.

Would she be shocked? Angry? Disappointed? He didn't know Nerissa enough to guess how she would react, but he hoped it wasn't too bad.

To his complete and total surprise, Nerissa only turned around and gave them a spooky smile.

"I know."

With that, she turned back to the dining room and walked away.

-O-

Over the course of dinner, Gregor decided he liked Nerissa. She was a thin woman, her intricate braids tangled and hanging down her face, but she was honest and sincere. He could tell that she was very reserved and quiet. However, it didn't keep her from making interesting conversation with him.

Gregor was grateful that she wasn't just trying to make small talk to keep things from getting awkward. He actually found her to be a fascinating person. He found out that every painting and carving throughout the house was made by her. She was a great artist, and he didn't get bored of hearing the stories she told.

While they were taking a moment to chew some of the delicious food spread out before them, Nerissa looked over at Luxa with a questioning look.

"Luxa, did you leave the door open last night?"

Luxa frowned and shook her head. "No, I did not. I never came home. I spent the night at Aurora's house. Do you not remember?"

Nerissa sighed and closed her eyes. "You are right. How could I forget? It must have been me."

The rest of dinner went just as smoothly as the first half. When they had finished with seconds, Nerissa removed the dishes from the table and washed them in the sink. Gregor thanked her for the food and stood from the table, following Luxa into the living room. Nerissa was there after a short moment, saying that she would be upstairs in her room. After excusing herself, she went up the stairs, leaving Gregor and Luxa alone in the living room.

Gregor took a few steps and threw himself onto the couch, looking up at the ceiling.

"I'm so full!" he said, remembering the food Nerissa had prepared. They had eaten a combination of rice, mushrooms, vegetables, hot soup, pudding, some spicy bread, and shrimp in some kind of cream sauce.

Luxa walked over to him slowly and lifted his head for a bit so she could sit on the couch. Resting his head on her lap, she began to softly run her hands through his hair.

"What did Nerissa mean about the door being open?" he asked after a moment.

Luxa sighed. "I do not know. Nerissa is very smart and I admire her very much, but she becomes confused sometimes."

"Well, confused or not, she can make some pretty awesome artwork."

"Yes, Nerissa is very talented. I cannot believe she did not pursue a career in something related to art."

Gregor got a sudden idea. "Hey, you think we'd be able to get her to apply for the new art teacher position? I heard we'll need a new one next year. The one we have now is retiring."

"Perhaps," she said, nodding slowly. "We would need to arrange a meeting with the principal. And it would help if some of the other teachers gave her their support. Although," she said, pausing for a moment. "I am sure you could arrange that."

Gregor frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," she said. "All I am saying is that you would not have any trouble getting teachers to support your cause."

"Why would the teachers do what I say."

"Because… you have friends there."

"Friends?"

What was she talking about? None of the teachers at school were his friends. Vikus was the only one he considered a friend. Maybe Ripred. But he wouldn't ask them for any favors.

"That is what I said."

"I don't have any teacher friends, Luxa."

"And what of the girl from the dance? Is she not a teacher?"

"Dulcet?" he asked.

Gregor had forgotten all about her. Of course she was his friend. But Luxa hadn't even been at the dance when he had bumped into her. "Someone saw us talking?"

"Yes," she said. "Talking and… embracing."

Gregor reached up to still the hand that was running through his hair and got her attention. Looking up into her eyes and smiling, he asked, "Are you jealous?"

Luxa made a face and tapped his head lightly. "Do not be ridiculous, Gregor. I am not jealous."

"Okay, just checking. I mean, if you were jealous, I would gladly explain my side of the story. But since you're not, I guess I don't have to."

Luxa went back to stroking his head a moment before speaking. "So you are not going to explain?"

Gregor closed his eyes. "Nope."

There was another long silence. "Why not?"

He smiled. "Because you're jealous, and frankly, I'm kind of enjoying it."

She laughed softly and hit his head again. They let a few minutes of quiet pass before Gregor spoke again.

"Did you mean what you said to Nerissa before we ate?"

Luxa immediately turned red and her hands stopped moving. It was a while before she spoke. "Are you angry?"

"No!" he said, sitting up straight and turning to look at her. "I'm not mad. Just surprised. We hadn't really talked about it, is all."

"We had not," she agreed. "But is there really much to talk about?"

"I guess not," he said. "I've honestly never felt so comfortable with anyone like I feel with you."

"I feel the same way," she said, smiling at him. "After my parents died, I thought I would never feel so caring towards another person again."

He wanted to ask about her parents, but decided not to push the conversation. It was the first time Luxa had mentioned her parents, and Gregor never had enough courage to ask her. He guessed it was a touchy subject for her. He decided it would be a conversation for another day.

"So does that mean I'm dating a queen?"

Luxa closed her eyes and laughed. "You are a stupid boy," she said. "I hope you know that."

It was his turn to laugh. It died down when he saw her smile, and he only smiled back at her. Pulling a strand of silvery blonde hair away from her face, Gregor leaned in and kissed her softly, feeling the warmth of her lips against his.

The kiss was cut short by the sudden sound of the doorbell. They both pulled away, turning to look over at the door.

"Are you expecting anyone?" he asked. It was a weird time for a visit, since it was getting pretty late. In fact, he had to go home in a bit.

"No," she answered. "Perhaps Nerissa is."

Luxa stood from the couch and walked gracefully to the door. She opened it cautiously, revealing two police officers in dark uniforms.

"Good evening, miss," said one of the officers.

"Good evening," replied Luxa. "How may I help you?"

"We're here about a robbery," responded the second officer.

"There must be some mistake. We have not been robbed."

"No, we're here to search the house for some stolen property."

"We have not stolen anything," she said, a bit confused. "You cannot search if we have done no wrong."

"We've got a search warrant, miss," said the first officer, pulling an envelope from his jacket and showing it to her.

"Let them in," said a voice from behind Gregor, who had walked over to stand beside Luxa at the door. They turned to see Nerissa standing there, a questioning look on her face. "We have nothing to hide."

Both officers nodded and entered the house. They quickly walked through every room, opening cabinets and drawers as they went along. When they were done with the first floor, they moved on to the rooms upstairs.

A moment later, one of the officers came back down alone.

"Who's room is on the far left?"

"That is my room," said Luxa hesitantly.

As if on cue, the second officer came back down with several things in his hands. He was wearing blue gloves, similar to the kind that doctors used, and he was holding a few bags. The were all clear plastic bags with zippers. One of them held a stack of money, while the others held metal and plastic parts of something.

"The money from the bookstore and a few parts from some of the stolen computers," he said, holding the bags up.

Turning his attention back to Luxa, the first officer walked over to her and turned her around, pulling her arms back roughly and locking them together with handcuffs.

The officer's next words nearly made Gregor faint. His head felt light, and his vision lost its focus, but the words were clear as day.

"You are under arrest for the burglary of Regalia High School."

My question is how did the police get the warrant? As far as I can see, there is no evidence pointing towards Luxa. I am extremely eager to see what happens next. I think Luxa will be found innocent fairly easily, since she has multiple people who were with her, and she was accounted for the entire night. Plus, the school has cameras, right? So they shouldn't be able to find proof of her stealing the money. If she mentions the grudge Gorger has against her, it would be reasonable for it to be a framing. So yeah, I don't think she is going to get into any real trouble. This is getting very interesting now. It's like a mystery for us to figure out, albeit it's not a very difficult one. Just keep in mind that Henry is still a character.

Question: How did the money get in Luxa's room? It's a very easy question, so I want details people! Kind of sucks that I can't answer it myself right here. I am 90% that my guess is correct! but it's also a long one with lots of details. If I put it here, a lot of you would see it and just guess the same thing.

Until next time,

-Tytonic