A COMPLEMENTARY MAKEOVER
TWO
"Watch out!" I scream. A carriage is zooming toward us. Vikus and I duck back into the hole. "What was that?" I ask.
"Sorry," Vikus chuckles. "I should have warned you about the cars."
"I am confused," I say. "What was pulling those carriages? What about the Gnawers, the Crawlers, the Spinners? Where are the fliers?" Vikus chuckles again.
"Luxa, there are no creatures like those in Regalia. Well, there are, but in miniature."
"What do you mean miniature?"
"Let's take a little field trip, shall we?" Vikus pokes up out of the hole again, waits until there are no more…cars… coming, and he climbs out of the hole, lifts me up, and we stand in the street until another car comes, which is like, three seconds later.
And then it hits me. (A thought, not a car.)
"Gregor! Gregor lives in New York City!" I exclaim.
"Well, I suspect so," Vikus says. "Unless, of course, he moved to Virginia."
"Well, if he did live here, where exactly would that be?" I ask.
"Well, the thing is…" Vikus says, "You're here for protection. We have to change your appearance completely." I look around. We've reached a park now; I believe it's called Central Park. It greatly resembles the Central Park that Gregor told me about. I wonder if there is more than one.
"Does this mean Gregor will not recognize me? Why can't I just simply tell him I am Luxa?" And kiss him, and confess my undying love for him, and kiss him, and some other stuff I can't talk about, and kiss him again…..
"Luxa, no, I don't think you're understanding. The Warrior- I mean, Gregor, - is constantly being watched."
"Watched by what?" I demand.
"Gnawers, Fliers, Crawlers, Spinners, Stingers….. Every creature in the Underland keeps watch on the Warrior. He is the only thing that can destroy and/or seriously maim any living creature in the Underland, Rager or Non-Rager."
"Since when did Gregor become so powerful?" I envision a skinny twelve-year-old barely able to hold a sword.
"Luxa, Gregor has always been extremely powerful. But in his... pubescence," Ew. "He has almost reached the peak of his abilities. We might need him for the war. If he is distracted by a… treasured female," Vikus decides, "His Rager senses might not be as good as they should, or, even worse, his Rager senses might turn on when they should be off. Somebody could get killed!"
"I don't understand. What does this mean?" I ask.
"This means," Vikus says, "That your beloved Gregor the Warrior cannot be alerted that
you are not in Regalia. Gregor can't know you are here."