...
Virginia
...
"Gregor, you open this door right this instant! You're not going anywhere!" his mom yelled furiously, pounding on the door.
Gregor didn't respond, but continued to shove clothes and other supplies into his bag. Before now, he had respected his mother's wishes. He knew where she was coming from- she only ever saw the worst of the Underland. But now, the entire Underland was in danger, and he was in a position to help- yet his mom was forbidding him from going. Any argument he could make to his mom would go in one ear and out the other. She cared about him, not his home. Finished packing, he swung his bag over his shoulder, opened his window and started to climb out; only to be immediately confronted by his dad.
"Gregor, let's talk about this inside alright? I'll try to calm her down."
Gregor shook his head, dubious. "I don't think that's going to work. You know how she is."
His dad shrugged. Unlike both Gregor and his wife, he had kept a level head. "We should at least try, right? And do you really expect to be able to leave right now? You won't make it far on foot."
Gregor sighed. His dad was right, he couldn't leave like this. He had acted rashly. Gregor needed to come up with a new plan of escape, so by the time they found out he was gone, it would be too late. "Fine, I'll talk. But I'm still going to leave."
He pulled himself back into his room and shut his window. He threw his pack on the ground and took a deep, calming breath. Bracing himself, he unlocked the door and swung it open to reveal his mom, who was absolutely fuming. But then, she did something that took Gregor completely by surprise. She hugged him.
"I just... I just don't want to lose you again." she said, her voice broken. Her finger absentmindedly traced over one of the scars on his wrist. "I know that if you go back down there I might never see you again." Her voice hardened again. "So you're not going, and that's that."
Gregor slowly withdrew from her hug. "Let's go work it out with dad, alright?" As he guided his mother to the living room where he knew his dad was, he noticed that she was crying.
...
Many hours later, everyone was sleeping. Nothing had come from the discussion earlier, as expected. The only thing his mother had agreed to do was to send a warning note to Mrs. Cormaci to give to the Underlanders through the grate in the laundry room. Gregor already knew that wouldn't be enough. When the Overlanders and the Underlanders first meet, they'd have no common ground, no go-between. Gregor could be that, as someone who had lived in both worlds.
As much as Gregor regretted sneaking off in the night after agreeing not to leave after the compromise was made, he had to. He had tried his dad's way first; and now, he was doing it his way.
He slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked into the living room. There his mom sat, on the sofa, with the light still on; however, she had fallen asleep. There was no doubt in Gregor's mind that she had tried to stay awake to make sure he didn't do exactly what he was doing now. He looked at her for a second. She was so peaceful when she was asleep.
Gregor walked past her, out the front door. He left a simple message on the counter:
I'm sorry mom, I had to go. I love you now and always. Don't come after me. Your son, Gregor.
...
New York
...
Helena Morten was furious. How dare they take her job away from her? She was the one who had discovered the pit with the strange air currents in the first place!
"I'm sorry," the head explorer told her. "We thought that a situation like this would be a good way for you to learn more about what it means to be a cave explorer. But climbing down a pit like this takes a lot of experience, experience you do not have yet. So I'm afraid we'll have to leave you behind."
"But sir!" She pleaded. "Just give me a chance! One chance! If I mess up, you can send me back to the surface!"
The head explorer looked her straight in the eye. "If you mess up, you're dead. I don't want to hear another word about this. Leave."
Helena gave him the best death glare she had and stomped out. What would she do now? Go back to the University and learn more about caves, hoping for another opportunity? There was no way she was doing that.
She wasn't going to go away quietly. This was her discovery. She had flown across the country to start a new life. And then right as things were looking up for her the situation flipped. They kicked her out of the expedition; these explorers were going to take credit for the discovery along with all the fame and money that came with it. She was not letting anyone do this to her. Not again.
She clenched her fists. When were the other explorers going to head down the pit? Tomorrow morning? The equipment to lower themselves down the pit was arriving tonight. And suddenly, a plan began to form in her mind.
...
Darkness had fallen by the time Helena began her plan.
Technically, she was supposed to have left Central Park hours ago, by the command of the head explorer, but she had been able to extend her time by saying she needed to "pack her things". Well, to be fair, she did pack.
She now had a backpack full of things she thought she might need down in the pit. Food, flashlights, first aid. She had to be prepared for anything.
Helena was currently crouched behind a large tree, peering towards the main part of the explorer's camp, where the supplies she needed would be delivered any moment now. But as the hours crept on she began to grow impatient. Her plan couldn't fail because of this. Helena sighed and leaned her back against the tree in frustration, ready for the long night.
It was 5:15 AM when the supplies finally arrived according to her watch. She hadn't realized she'd been asleep until the sound of trucks pulling up snapped her awake. Large men climbed out of the trucks, carrying giant boxes. They carried the boxes over to the center of the encampment, and got back in their trucks and drove away; all in the space of about five minutes.
Making sure no one else was about, she creeped forward and stole the supplies as quickly and as quietly as she could. Helena grinned when she took the gear; there were only three sets of gear remaining now that she had stolen one, which meant the explorers would either have to wait for more supplies or leave a person behind. She headed down into the tunnels.
Her headlamp illuminated the way ahead of her as she hurried along. The tunnels seemed much creepier now that she was alone in the darkness, without help or companions.
It was 6:00 now. The other explorers would be beginning to wake and would soon enough notice the missing gear. Helena wondered what kind of punishment she'd receive for stealing the gear; something severe, she imagined. Which meant she needed to find something truly incredible down in the pit to make it all worth it. She rounded a curve in the tunnel and there was the pit.
There was only one thing left to do before she began. With one end of the rope already attached to a device on her chest, she tied the other end around a large stone. This rope would catch her if she fell. Approaching the edge now, she began her descent.
...
Regalia
...
Queen Luxa looked out over the city of Regalia, her expression unreadable. Not much time had passed since a devastating earthquake had destroyed much of the city. Countless workers below her fixed the wall around Regalia, repaired the houses, and reopened the markets. She knew that the Underland was at peace now, with all of the main species having an alliance, but with the walls destroyed this was the most serious crisis she'd had to face in her reign as of yet.
Absentmindedly, she wondered if the Overland had been damaged by the earthquake as well. Wondered if Gregor had been injured by it.
She heard Mareth approaching long before he reached her. After his injury many years ago, his leg had had to be amputated and he now relied upon a cane for support. The sound of the cane tapping on the stone steadily grew closer until he was right behind her. "Queen Luxa," he rasped, "I have news."
"What is it, Mareth?" Luxa asked.
"I wished to inform you that the reconstruction of the wall is going along smoothly."
"I am pleased to hear that. Tell the workers that their hard work shall be rewarded."
"Very well, your majesty." Mareth bowed. But he stayed put, prompting Luxa to ask if there was anything else he wanted to tell her.
Mareth hesitated, a look of extreme tiredness and grief on his face. "Vikus no longer has time."
...
Many thanks to Vengeous and Clytuis (Guest) for the reviews!