...
Virginia
...
"He's gone, Grace." Gregor's father said, looking at the note his son had left on the counter. "Our son is gone."
"I know," she said, her voice hollow. Grace sat on the couch with her arms wrapped around her knees, her eyes staring off into the distance. "He went back to that place, the place that ruined his childhood and took you away from me for almost three years. We have to go after him, James."
James moved to sit next to his wife on the couch and put his arm around her. "What about Lizzie and Margaret? Who'll look after them while we're gone?"
Grace opened her mouth, then closed it again, at a loss. Then she saw the look her husband was giving her and she knew what he was going to suggest. "No," she instantly protested. "I'm not staying home while you go get our son. I can't lose both of you." Her eyes were pleading.
"Then what are we supposed to do?" James asked. "There's no relative that lives close enough who can look after the kids. We can't afford to hire a babysitter. And we certainly can't leave the kids here alone, or bring them with us."
Grace hesitated. "You're right."
There was a pause.
"Mom?" Lizzie asked, entering the living room. "Why are you crying?" Grace wordlessly handed her daughter Gregor's note.
After Lizzie finished reading the note, she was crying too. "I can't believe Gregor's gone. I miss the Underland too, but I can't believe he just left like that." Her expression hardened. "Mom, I'm thirteen now. I can take care of Margaret. You and Dad go after Gregor."
"Out of the question." Both Grace and James said in unison.
"Then what if you leave both Margaret and I with Ms. Cormaci?" Lizzie suggested. "She always used to look after us when we were younger."
James faltered. "It's been five years, and we haven't kept in touch. I have no idea if she even still lives there, but I suppose we could always give her a call."
...
New Jersey
...
The bus jerked beneath Gregor as it moved down the highway.
It had been hours since he had left Virginia and his family behind, and the sun was now high in the sky. He regretted he had had to leave his family the way he did. He hoped they didn't come after him.
He found it hard to believe it really had been five years since he'd been to the Underland. His time in Virginia had never felt real- he always had to pretend to be someone who he wasn't. A normal kid. He had to hide his scars and fake a medical condition to get out of P.E. Gregor had to pretend that he hadn't seen genocides, fought in wars, and that he hadn't seen his bond die before his eyes.
Down there, he wouldn't have to pretend anymore. He could see everyone again. He could see her. Gregor's last memory of her was as clear as day. Her standing half-emerged from the entrance to the Underland, her silvery-blonde hair glowing in the moonlight. Their final kiss goodbye. His dad rolling the stone back into place, separating them and their worlds once again. He wondered if she still remembered him after all this time.
Gregor shifted in his seat on the bus. Even though he had left his own family to go back, he didn't exactly have positive feelings for the Underland. The war had broken him in ways no one should be broken. He hasn't been able to laugh at anything since before the war. When Gregor reads in the news of a mass shooting or some other tragedy, he feels nothing. When other people cry, he doesn't. When other people walk happily down the street, he checks behind him to make sure no one's following him.
Not to mention that even though he had befriended a lot of Underlanders during the war, all of them had used Gregor in one way or another. Those accursed "prophecies" had led to the end of his childhood. Although one could argue that his childhood had truly ended when his dad had disappeared.
Regardless, though, his friends were in danger and he had to help them, no matter what. Gregor turned around and stared out the window, admiring the view of the ocean. Just then, the loudspeaker came on and the bus driver spoke. "We are now in the final part of our ride. If you look out the front windshield now, you can see the skyline of New York City."
Gregor leaned forward and peered out the front window. Sure enough, the city was on the horizon. He was almost home.
...
New York City
...
The darkness was suffocating.
Helena had been slowly descending into the pit for over an hour now, and there was still no sight of the bottom. She was beginning to worry that her support rope wouldn't be long enough. If it wasn't long enough then she'd have to go back up empty handed. A cold fear set in her heart.
The upward winds from the pit had only gotten stronger as she went on, making it harder for her to keep her rope steady. Maybe the head explorer was right; she was too inexperienced for this. Helena shook her head and slammed her fist against the wall. She had to keep her head clear if she was going to survive this.
Helena froze and stared at where her fist had hit the wall. Cracks spread everywhere, spiderwebbing up and down the wall. She only had time to cover her head with her hands before stones came showering down upon her, slamming her against the wall, and she felt more rocks ricochet on her back. The support rope came loose and she was sent plummeting into the darkness.
The stones fell faster than she did. Bleeding from a dozen different wounds, Helena screamed, knowing she probably only had a few more moments to live. But curiously, she felt herself begin to slow down. After minutes of falling, the bottom of the pit came into view below her. She landed on a pile of stones lightly. Helena sat up and turned on her flashlight, scanning her surroundings.
Three tunnels lead away from where she was currently. The one on the right seemed the safest, while the other two seemed dark and Helena could've sworn she heard shrieking noises coming from the left tunnel.
Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself. Her wounds were minimal; Helena was fairly confident she could walk. As her father always said, when in doubt, follow your gut. She pulled herself to her feet and headed down the right tunnel.
...
Note: I took the liberty of naming Gregor's father James because I have no idea what his actual name is in the books. If anyone knows his real name, please tell me!
Many thanks to Vengeous for the review! To anyone else who might be following this story, I'd really appreciate it if you gave me some feedback :). It'll help me improve not only this story, but also my skills as a writer. Even just a few words would be helpful! See you all next chapter!