A rat. Short brown fur, small sharp claws, and that long tail, sitting on my window sill. The black beady eyes staring at Gregor before running off. Gregor gave a sigh and went back to the scrolls, there were only a few left now, and he could see the bottom. But something was off, the inside looked smaller than it should. He reached in and pushed at the bottom, and when it gave just a small bit he went to the side and pulled up, pulling the false bottom out of the box. Under the piece of cardboard Gregor saw a small note and a beautiful dagger. Polished red jewels encrusted the hilt, and an ornate sheath keeping the blade protected. He immediately recognized it as Solovet's dagger, gifted to him.

Alongside the dagger, Gregor found two more scrolls. Gregor opened one and began reading.

"Gregor,

Relations between the Gnawers and Humans have been declining for a few months. The Cutters attacked the Garden of Hesperides, destroying it once more. The Human-Gnawer colony ended up a failure with the Gnawers driving out the Humans. Tensions continue to grow and support for war is growing. We may very well need your help.

Vikus."

Gregor sat in silence for what felt like an eternity. 'All that work, for nothing? ' Gregor sat in silence for a few minutes just thinking over the scroll. 'Am I even able to go back? I mean, I'd love to help but I have a family up here, a full, loving family. I can't just leave them.' He rolled the scroll back up and tied the string back around it before depositing it back in the box. Gregor then pulled out the last scroll.

Gregor slowly untied the string, he was nervous. After what the last scroll had said who knew what this one contained. He unrolled the parchment and began to read.

"Gregor,

Ripred has decided that it is in our best interest to find you. He has left Regalia and is wishing to speak with you personally to discuss matters. He will send a message when he is ready.

Vikus."

'Just great, Ripred is coming to the Overland. Where does he plan on meeting me? He knows just as well as I do that him being seen in public is a terrible idea.' Gregor put the scroll and dagger on his desk, stood up, and walked over to his window, it was nearing dusk. The orange light of the evening sun hit the fields of wheat surrounding the house, turning the grains into a bright lake of fire.

"God, what am I going to do?" He felt the heat of the sun against his face as he leaned against the window sill. "Well, who knows how long it will be until Ripred gets here, as far as I know this box could have been sent weeks ahead." Gregor walked over to his bed and sat down. He pulled the photo out of his bedside table and took it in.

There they were, two children, thrust into a war that had been prophesied centuries before, one a queen, one a warrior. He thought about all they had been through, the wars, the plague, all the loss they had both experienced. They went through it all together. Gregor's eyes were locked on the photo, he felt like he should be excited, to see the Underland again, to see his friends again, to see her again, but he wasn't.

All Gregor had wanted for three years, three months, and twenty-one days was to go back down and be with his friends again. But now that he had the opportunity, he felt nervous, anxious, scared. Gregor didn't understand why he felt this way, to the point that it angered him.

He got up from his bed and began to pace, photo in hand. 'Why don't I feel happy, or excited? It's finally here! My opportunity to go back is finally here! Why am I hesitating?' Gregor slid the photo into his pocket and walked downstairs.

Gregor made a quick click with his tongue, illuminating his surroundings and informing him of the location of everyone in the house. With hardly a sound, he quickly made his way through the house. Gregor finally made it to the door and slid on his shoes before heading out.

Gregor didn't have a destination in mind, he only wanted to get away so he could process his emotions and thoughts. Gregor felt the warm sun on his back beginning to fade. Eventually the dark enveloped the land around him, and he was left with only his thoughts. He slowed his pace to a jog, the crunch of the rocky road beneath his feet giving off enough sound to highlight the road ahead of him.

Gregor allowed his senses to take over. He closed his eyes and focused. The crunch of

the rocks, a bat flying overhead, the far off sounds of the highway, the rustling of leaves in the wind. One more sound hit his ears, a car engine, far off but coming closer.

Headlights crested a hill in front of Gregor, and he felt the heat of the headlights on his face for a moment. The car grew closer and began to slow, Gregor opened his eyes as the car came to a stop in front of him, the sudden light blinded him for a moment and as the door opened he gave a quick click.

"Hey Lexi" Gregor stepped around the hood and grabbed the door as Lexi stepped out. He closed the door and leaned against the fender.

Lexi walked to the front of the car and sat on the hood. "Hi Gregor, what are you up to?"

"Just on a run, needed to think." Gregor shifted around the car and sat next to Lexi. "What about you?" He could feel the heat of the engine below him.

Lexi quickly folded back a stray hair. "I was just heading home and saw you on the side of the road, figured I'd say hi." She looked over at Gregor. "You said you needed to think, mind if I ask what about?" Gregor laid back on the hood and glanced over.

Gregor took a few deep breaths. 'Should I tell her? Why would she even believe me?' He sat back up and looked her in the eyes. "Could we go somewhere, off the side of the road? If you really want to know."

Lexi stood up quickly. "Absolutely, any destination in mind?" Lexi passed in front of Gregor and held out a hand. Gregor took her hand and allowed himself to be pulled up. The two took their seats in the car and clicked their seatbelts on.

"Yeah, I guess. You know how to get to Douthat Lake? That place is pretty quiet at night." Lexi gave a small nod and pulled back on the road. The two sat in relative silence for the majority of the ride.

Gregor's mind was racing. 'Can I really tell her? We worked so hard to keep this a secret. I lied to everyone I know, and I've only known Lexi for a few weeks. Why should I trust her?' Gregor stared out the window, focusing on the bright full moon and glowing stars. The trees raced by and were quickly replaced by rocky terrain as they lowered into the valley.

They were soon at their destination, and as Gregor predicted, they were alone. The car rolled to a stop and he got out. The two walked through the night to a bench on the edge of the lake.

They took a seat and sat for a moment. The area was serene, calm waves lapping at the beach, a cool wind rustling the leaves. But Gregor's mind was racing.

Gregor began, "So, you really want to know what I was thinking about?" Lexi gave a nod and Gregor faced forward. " Oh God, how do I even begin?" He cleared his throat and took a deep breath.

"Well, here's a start. I was never in a car accident." Gregor 'saw' a look of surprise flash over Lexi's face, he assumed that very few people would lie about something like that. "It was a story made up by me and my family to explain away my uh, issues." Gregor paused for a second. " My father disappeared when I was nine." Gregor saw another look of surprise flash over Lexi's face.

"But he's here. He teaches at the high school doesn't he?" Gregor gave a nod.

"Yeah, he's here now, but he wasn't five years ago. Everyone thought he ran away with some woman, but anyone who knows him would know that he wouldn't do that. I refused to believe that, I knew he would return." Gregor didn't wait for Lexi to respond.

"He was gone for two years, but when I was eleven, I had gone down to do the laundry with Boots, my sister, when she started messing around behind one of the machines. So I moved it to get to her and saw a vent shaking. Boots opened it and jumped in, hoping to save my sister, I jumped after her."

Gregor told the story to Lexi, leaving no detail behind, only pausing to answer questions. Gregor sat with his eyes closed as he recalled the events of those two years, those adventures that felt like a lifetime ago.

"... and so, the Warrior was dead. That day we were back in the Overland, my mom forced us to move here. I've spent the last three years living on my uncle's farm, pretending it never happened." Gregor finished, he finally opened his eyes and looked at Lexi, afraid of how she would react.

Gregor las Lexi in a state he hadn't seen before, slack-jawed and speechless. The two sat in silence for a few minutes, staring at the glistening lake, with the waves crashing on the beach only twenty feet away.

Lexi closed her mouth and swallowed. "I don't know what to say, I mean, I want to believe you and help you. But, you know that it's hard to believe."

"Yeah, I know. It's a crazy story, but I do have some proof." Gregor pulled his wallet out of his pocket and grabbed the photo. He sat and stared at it for a minute, taking in the picture. Her bright purple eyes, glistening silver hair, and happy smile, it put a small smile on his face. Gregor felt Lexi's eyes on him.

He handed the picture to Lexi. She studied it for a minute before handing it back. "Well, crazy or not, it clearly means a lot to you. I think you just smiled for the first time since I met you." Gregor turned to her, smile fading away.

He took a quick breath. "I still have the scars." Gregor's voice was barely audible. He instinctively reached for his chest and began tracing the scars. His mind flashed to those last moments. The warm blood, and cold stone. Gregor sat up and took a deep breath. "I've never shown my scars to anyone. Even my family hasn't seen them since the Underland."

Lexi stared up at the bright moon. A small breeze flew across the lake, hitting the two. Gregor sat uncomfortably as the breeze passed. "Well, there's my story, at least part of it." Lexi looked at him questioningly. "Yes, there's more. Look, today I received something, a box. It contained the dagger Solovet gave to me, and a bunch of scrolls. Those scrolls talked about unrest in the Underland, and another entrance that had been found near here."

She frowned. "Are you going back?" Lexi asked plainly. Gregor stood up and began pacing.

He began, "well, that's sort of what I was thinking about when you found me. Should I go back? I don't know." He paused for a moment and thought. "I- I don't want to leave my family, but up here, I just don't feel like I belong." He looked at Lexi, meeting her eyes. "I want to go down, but I just don't know if I can."

Lexi stood up and met her eyes with Gregors. "Well, you don't have to go down tonight, do you? I mean, do you even know where the entrance is?"

"Here's the thing, Ripred is coming up to get me some time soon, I just don't know if I should go." Gregor stood up and grabbed Lexi's hand. "Please, don't tell anyone what I've told you tonight. Please."

Lexi gave a nod and sighed. "It's getting late, we should head back." The two headed back to the car and got in. The long drive home was filled with silence.

Gregor soon saw the single tree that marked the end of his driveway. They pulled up and stopped. "Thanks for listening. And thanks for not judging me, at least, not out loud. Have a good one Lexi." Gregor stepped out of the car and closed the door. He watched the car pull away before turning back to the house.

"Well, nice to finally see you boy. Do you have any idea how hard it was to find you?"

Gregor turned to the tree and saw, sitting hunched against the trunk, a six foot rat, with two crossing scars over the face.