Hey people! Hope everyone's having an awesome week. I'm back with the next chapter, and as always, I hope you guys like. I was actually pretty happy that so many of you could guess what was going on. Either you guys are all really good, or I'm just a crappy writer. I wasn't really sure how to lead up to it, and I guess I made it too obvious. Anyways, thanks for the support and the reviews. I'm leaving a note after this chapter, so I'll see you guys then. Bear with me, as I do believe I talk quite a bit. Thanks!

-Skychip

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

Regalia High

Chapter 16: Betrayal

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."

-O-

"What?! Why?!"

Gregor was shouting at the officers, and the looks he received from both of them were far from friendly.

"We have reasons to believe that she was involved in the burglary that took place at Regalia High School last night," said the first officer, nodding towards Luxa.

"Very strong reasons," added the second, holding up the bags with the stolen property.

"How did you get the warrant? You couldn't have just guessed those things were here," said Gregor, trying to figure things out in his head.

"We arrested an adolescent by the name of Gorger while he was trying to pawn some of the equipment that was taken from the school. We had the items flagged down in our system, and we were notified immediately when the pawn shop entered them into their database."

"There was an interrogation, of course, in hopes of arresting more accomplices," began the second. "The young man gave us their addresses but never their names."

"Then how do you know it wasn't Henry?" asked Gregor, which earned him a look from both Luxa and Nerissa. He felt bad about what he said immediately, but he didn't dwell on the thought. At the moment, he was trying to make sure Luxa didn't get arrested.

"He was a suspect, and we picked him up a few hours ago. Many people said that he has been seen with Gorger, and it was enough to take him into questioning. He was interrogated as well, and he denied everything. According to him, he was not involved."

"Then he is free to go?" asked Nerissa.

"Not exactly. It is still uncertain whether he is telling the truth or not. But so far, it seems he knew nothing of what happened last night."

"He was unable to tell you anything?" asked Nerissa, speaking in a weak whisper.

"Well, he said he knew that something was going to happen, but that he had heard Gorger was planning something." The officer turned to look at Luxa. "And he also told us who he was planning it with."

Nerissa closed her eyes and exhaled audibly. "He said that Luxa was involved?" she asked, still with her eyes closed.

Both officers nodded. "The boy told us that she helped him out with that little stunt they pulled," said one of them.

"That's why we got a warrant," explained the other.

Gregor turned to look at Luxa, who had been strangely quiet the entire time. He could see her pale skin grow whiter by the second, and he could tell she was having trouble believing the officers.

"Tell me exactly what he said," she finally said in a cool, collected voice. Her muscles looked relaxed, and her expression showed no emotion.

"After we arrested him, we asked if he could help us find out who broke into the school, since he was insistent that he was not there. When we mentioned that Gorger had given his address, he said that someone else lived here with him."

"That doesn't mean anything! Why would Luxa help Gorger?"

The second officer began talking almost immediately after Gregor had finished, almost as if he were expecting that point of defense. "He told us that a few months ago, she and Gorger got into a heated argument. Some words were exchanged, and it ended with him punching a decent sized crater into her locker."

"What does that have to do with anything? Nothing happened after that."

"Are you sure? Fear is a very powerful thing, kid. It can get people to do a lot of things. Besides, Henry stated that Luxa agreed to help Gorger because she was afraid to say no. She was too afraid of him. I mean, if I were in high school, I'd probably be scared of him too. That kid is huge," said the first officer, which only caused the second to roll his eyes.

"The promise to leave her alone was convincing enough to get her to help. Henry said that Gorger made a deal with her. She would help him break in and he would forget about their confrontation. She was the perfect person for the job. No one would suspect her, out of all people. Besides, it seems that's not all she had to gain."

"What do you mean?" asked Gregor.

"It is to our understanding that your grades are not the best. Am I right?" asked the officer, looking down at Luxa. She held his gaze but said nothing. "By breaking into the school, it'd be quite easy to get into the computer system and change one or two of those grades, wouldn't it?"

Luxa finally looked away, breaking the eye contact. Gregor wanted desperately to walk the few steps that separated them and hug her. He knew she was keeping herself together well, but he didn't know how much longer she could manage. No doubt her mind was plagued with a mixture of emotions at the moment. But he couldn't do anything right now. Not while they were in the current situation.

"I do not believe you," said Nerissa simply, keeping her eyes on an imaginary spot on the ground.

Luxa was still unmoved, but she was staring off into space. Gregor had seen that face before, when she was thinking really hard of something. He knew she was having trouble believing it also. Nerissa wasn't the only one. Hell, even Gregor was having trouble believing it.

"You don't have to believe us, ma'am. We're just here to search and make an arrest if we found evidence. And I think this is evidence enough," said the officer with the plastic bags.

The officers moved towards the door, one of them pulling Luxa with him by the arm, which was held behind her back by the handcuffs. Before they could leave though, Gregor thought of something. How could he forget something like that?

"Wait!" he almost shouted. Both officers turned to look at him, an expression of annoyance on their faces. "Luxa was with me at the dance the entire time. There were a lot of people who saw us."

"The burglary happened slightly after the dance was over. Everyone had left the school, but staff and security were occupied for a little longer."

"But she didn't stay at the school. She went home after that," said Gregor. This was his last chance, and he wasn't going to let it go that easily.

The officers turned to look at Nerissa. "Can you be sure that she was here the entire night?" asked the first.

Nerissa shook her head slowly. "She did not come home last night."

Both men raised an eyebrow in confusion and turned to look at Gregor again.

"I went elsewhere," explained Luxa in a low voice. "I spent the night at my best friend's house. Ask her. She will tell you."

Luxa's words caused the officers to share a look and a sinister chuckle. "Your best friend's house? How convenient. Yea, nice try kid."

And with that, the officers took Luxa away and put her in the back seat of the police car.

-O-

The police station was cold and badly lit. The secretary there looked like she hadn't slept in a week, and she made the most annoying noises every time she chewed her gum.

Gregor and Nerissa waited patiently for news to arrive to them. They had followed the officers to the station in Nerissa's car. Neither of them said anything throughout the entire ride, which was well over twenty minutes.

Now, at the station, they were sitting side by side on the small hard chairs that were provided for the waiting line. Besides a few officers who had to take the night shift, Gregor and Nerissa were the only people there. That is, they were the only non policemen who weren't arrested.

Luxa had been placed in a small cell by herself, which was visible from where Gregor was seated. He couldn't see her, exactly, but he could see the bars that turned any regular room into a prison. In the back, in another room, were the holding cells where Gorger, his friends, and Henry were at. The evidence collected in Luxa's room was convincing, the officers had said, but Henry would not be released until his story was proved to be a hundred percent true.

Gregor's questions were mostly ignored, and he gave up after half an hour of asking the random officers that passed by occasionally. He was sitting down, too worried about what was happening to feel tired or sleepy, when Nerissa's phone rang.

She stood and walked away a few steps to answer quietly, but returned only a few seconds afterwards.

"It is for you," she said. "Your mother is worried about you."

Gregor groaned inwardly when he remembered that it was really late and that he should have been home. He wondered for a moment about how his mom had gotten Nerissa's number, but then remembered that Luxa had given it to her. Right before they had left his apartment, Luxa left Nerissa's number on a slip of paper for his mother, which seemed to relax her more. He knew it was Luxa's way of making sure he could go, and it had made him smile. Now, it made him uncomfortable to know that it had become a way for his mother to find him.

"Gregor, where are you? It's getting late," said his mother, a hint of worry in her voice. "Is everything okay?"

He thought about lying to her, but that was no good. Too much was happening at the moment, and a lie would only make things worse. He quickly explained what was happening, using the calmest tone he could find to break things down for her. He knew that she would immediately worry if he sounded panicked, and he tried to avoid it. But it turned out to be for nothing.

"What?!" his mother screamed over the phone, causing Nerissa to turn and look at him. "And how long do you plan on staying there? All night?"

"If I have to," Gregor told his mom.

"No, there is no way I'm going to let my baby stay in a station all night when there's crooks and criminals there."

"But there's also, you know, police officers. The ones that are supposed to stop crime from happening."

"Do not try to talk your way into staying. You are coming home now."

Gregor took a deep breath. "No."

"Excuse me?"

"I can't, mom. I need to stay here."

His mother let out a long breath. "I can't believe this. You can't just stay there alone."

"I'm not alone. I'm with Nerissa, remember? She won't leave me out on the street."

There was silence on the other end. "I need to work tomorrow," said his mom after a moment in a soft voice. With that statement, Gregor knew he had won, which made him feel horrible. His mother was stressing over him, and this was only cutting into her sleep. The only good thing was that Regalia High was still closed, so Lizzie would be able to take care of Boots.

"You should get some rest, mom."

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

"Yes."

She sighed. "Alright then. I love you, baby."

"I love you too, mom."

Hanging up was harder than he had expected, and he absentmindedly handed the phone back to Nerissa, whispering a quick thanks. Nerissa was leaning her head against the wall. Gregor decided to do the same, and he immediately felt his eyelids beginning to close. The last thing he saw was Nerissa closing her eyes completely, falling asleep as well.

-O-

A loud announcement woke Gregor up from his dream. Well, it had been more of a nightmare, but based on the situation he was in, it wasn't much of a fright. His reality at the moment was the same as any nightmare.

The police officers that had arrested Luxa were standing towards the middle of the room, holding up a few large manila envelopes. Gregor rubbed his eyes a few moments to get a better look at them. They were definitely the same people he had seen the night before, but they looked refreshed and rested. He look at the clock that hung from the wall and realized that he had been there the whole night. The two officers must have gone home to shower and sleep.

"We have the test results," said the officer with the envelopes.

Gregor and Nerissa stood up and stiffly walked over to where the officer was standing. They watched as the man opened up the envelopes and slid the papers out. He read them silently to himself, raising his eyebrows in surprise every few seconds. Gregor felt like biting his nails in the suspense he was being put through, and he was pretty sure Nerissa had stopped breathing.

"Well," said the officer suddenly, causing everyone to jump. "This is quite revealing."

"What? What is it?" asked Gregor in desperation.

"Gorger and his friends were in the school."

"What about Luxa?"

The man leveled his eyes with his. "She wasn't there."

"I told you!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. He felt foolish afterwards due to the looks he got from everyone in the station that had heard him.

"But someone else was there."

Gregor looked at the officer in confusion before his mind registered what he had said. Of course someone else had been there. It was obvious now who Gorger's little helper was.

"Henry's fingerprints were found all over the affected school areas and on the stolen property. Luxa's were not."

Nerissa seemed to lose her balance at the exact moment the officer said those words. Moving quickly, Gregor caught her as she collapsed, carrying her over to the chairs they had slept on. He was surprised by how light she was. With the clothes she wore, Nerissa didn't look overly thin. But now, as he carried her across the room, Gregor could feel her bones digging into his arms.

The officer with the envelope followed him to the seating area and spoke again, this time in a calmer tone.

"His fingerprints were not the only ones found in the girl's room."

Both Gregor and Nerissa looked up at this. Who else could have been in Luxa's room? Gregor had never even seen her room, and he couldn't think of anyone who would go into Luxa's room with Henry.

"Do they belong to anyone that you've already arrested?" he asked.

"No," responded the officer. "No one that's in the system, either."

"So you have no idea at all?"

"Well, son, you can be sure that we'll investigate. For now, all you need to know that the girl is innocent." The officer paused and gave Nerissa a look of pity. "And the boy… isn't."

Nerissa leaned back in the chair that Gregor had set her down on and buried her face in her hands. She didn't cry, but instead only sat there, completely silent and still. Gregor was unsure of what to do. Should he try to comfort her? Or should he just give her some space?

He decided to go with the first option. If she pushed him away, then he would know what she wanted. But it seemed almost cruel to try not to comfort her in some way first. Gregor moved closer to her in his seat and placed a hand on her shoulder. She didn't pull her shoulder back or try to move his hand away. In fact, he wasn't sure she had felt his hand touch her at all.

The officer left to formalize the charges against Gorger, Henry, and the rest of the guys. He also promised them that when he returned, he would bring Luxa with him so that they could go home. As the man walked away, Gregor jumped slightly at the sound of Nerissa's voice.

"This is all my fault."

Gregor sighed. He knew the news about Henry were a lot to take in, but he didn't want Nerissa to blame herself for this mess.

"No," he said. "It's not. Henry made his own choices. He is where he is now based on his own acts."

"I'm glad he is here," said Nerissa quietly. The way she said it told Gregor that Nerissa believed entirely in what she was saying. But why?

"What do you mean?"

She stared off into the room for a moment, looking at nothing in particular. "If he were in some sort of personal turmoil, it would be easy for others to take advantage of him. But if he is separated from the world, then he can cause it no more harm."

"You think he was in trouble before this?"

"It is very likely. Henry was always a daring boy. Ever since the death of our parents, he changed and was never the same."

So the parents of Henry and Nerissa had died too? Just like with Luxa, he decided to only listen and not press on. It wasn't his business. If she chose to tell him, then he would listen. But Nerissa seemed lost at the moment, and he didn't want to upset her in any way. Still, her comment made him think of Henry. She believed that he was troubled, and it was quite possible that he was. He had only seen him hang out with Gorger, and he had no idea who else could have been in Luxa's room with him, helping him out.

Gregor was still thinking of who when he saw the chief of police come into the station for the day. He was much older than most cops, and he wore a uniform that looked different than the common one. It was mostly black, though it had some color due to the badge on his chest. The man was very tall, and seeing a tall figure dressed in all black reminded Gregor of what Ares had worn to the dance.

Ares…

The realization hit Gregor so hard that if he weren't already sitting down, he might have fallen. Ares, the guy who he had slowly begun to know a little better. Ares, who no matter what, had always been loyal to Henry. Ares, the one who was possibly responsible for getting Luxa arrested.

A new mixture of feelings stirred inside Gregor, all caused by the idea that Ares had helped Henry. First off, he was completely furious that Ares had accepted to do something wrong and illegal. He was also furious that they had done something to purposefully affect Luxa. But he also felt sad that Ares had been cruel enough to fall that low. And there was something else. Did he feel… betrayed? In the short time over the past few days, Gregor had thought that maybe he and Ares could become really good friends. It was obvious now, though, that it would never happen. He could never be friends with someone who hurt Luxa in any way.

Gregor was still wandering in his thoughts when he saw Luxa being led out of the small holding cell. Her hair was still in place and her eyes were bloodshot. Apparently, she hadn't slept at all throughout the night.

On her way over to Gregor and Nerissa, the officer walked slowly, leading Luxa by the shoulder. As soon as he removed his hand, however, Luxa ducked and spun in a half circle, taking off in the opposite direction.

Before the officer even knew what was happening, Gregor had taken off after her. Where the hell was she going?

He got his answer not ten seconds later, towards the back of the police station. Luxa was holding on to the bars of Henry's cell, unleashing a string of curses on him. He had never heard her swear before, and he had to admit she had quite the vocabulary. But there was nothing funny about it. In between yells and curses, Gregor could hear Luxa desperately trying to ask Henry why he had betrayed her.

Henry, who looked unnaturally dirty and ragged, only sat on the bench and looked down. Not once did he raise his face to look Luxa in the eyes, and Gregor was glad he didn't.

The cops were trying to get Luxa off of the bars, but she was holding on tightly. Gregor only watched until he saw that one of the officers pulled her by the wrist a little too roughly. At the sight of this, a rush of adrenaline went over him. He was at the officer's side in an instant, and one shove was enough to push the man back several feet.

But he couldn't stop there. The officers would only try again to remove Luxa from the room, since she was still screaming at Henry. So he did the only thing he could do. Stepping a bit closer to her, Gregor reached out and put his arms around Luxa.

He kept his arms firmly around her, trying to talk her into leaving. Gregor spoke as soothingly as he could, hoping something would make her think of what she was doing. Slowly, Luxa let go of the bars, and her yells died down to heavy breathing. As soon as he could pull her away, Gregor led Luxa out of the room, his arms still around her. He stayed this way until they were out in front of the chairs, next to Nerissa.

It was then that Gregor decided to let Luxa go. He was ready to take off after her in case she decided to go back, but she stood in place. She stayed that way, turned away from him with her head on the ground and her eyes on the floor.

After a moment, Luxa turned to face him, and he nearly teared up with what he saw in her eyes. Gregor had never seen so much pain in someone's expression before. The worst part of it all, however, was the fact that it was Luxa. The one person he would do anything for in order to see a smile.

She looked at him, almost as if waiting for him to say something. But he had no idea what. He realized how lucky he was to have her, when she could cheer him up in an instant and he could do nothing. So for the second time in five minutes, Gregor acted on instinct and pulled her in, this time while she was facing him.

Luxa immediately took refuge in his arms, holding him tightly. Gregor rested his chin on her head, holding her just as tightly as she was holding him. She had her face against his shoulder, and it wasn't long before her body started shaking softly, letting him know that she was crying. That's all she could do, at the moment. Just let him be there for her and cry. Cry until the pain was somewhat bearable. Cry until she decided she could move on. Just cry.

And he let her.

A/N- I know some of you might point out about how Luxa's reaction was different in the books, and I'm totally aware of it, but this is how I wanted her to react. I've tried my best to include as many things from the original chronicles into this story, as you guys may have noticed over the chapters, but there are some things I changed. It's just one of the freedoms that come with writing a fanfiction. In the books, Luxa is devastated by Henry's betrayal and goes into shock. Here, she goes hysterical. I guess I based it on her age. She's fifteen/sixteen here, compared to eleven in the books.

Also, I want to announce that the next chapter will be the last chapter. Actually, there's two more, but the next chapter is the last one, while the chapter after that is an epilogue. Tytonic had originally planned for this to be shorter than War of the Myriapods, and I based my planning on that. Again, thanks for all of the support, and please keep reviewing. You guys are awesome.

-Skychip

I have to say, that was an amazing chapter. I like that it doesn't go along with the book perfectly; it's a high school setting, the characters shouldn't be exactly the same as in the book, and Sky did a great job with that. I am a little sad to hear that the story is coming to an end, but it was great, and I'm sure the last chapters will be just as amazing as the previous ones. I don't know what the epilogue will be like, but I am hoping that it leaves some room for more. With the whole entire rager thing, I believe that there is more to be had. This was only the AU of the first book (and a little of the second mixed in). So, I am hoping (if sky is up to it, of course) that some of the other books could be done too. I'll talk it over with Sky, so look forward to an answer, be it good or bad!

Question: What will happen with Ares? We all know how it went down in the books.

Until next time,

-Tytonic