Gregor and the Prophecy of Royals

Chapter 2

A/N: Sorry for such a long wait! This chapter probably won't be the most exciting and I didn't reread it to check for errors. I will eventually fix it!

Also, this might not be that exciting of a chapter but I'm hoping that I can add some excitement in the next chapter!

Enjoy!

Gregor hoped his truck would start quietly. It wasn’t super new, and he didn’t need his parents to wake up to the sound of an engine roar, just to find out that their eighteen-year-old son is running away from home.

After throwing his stuff in the back seat, he turned the key in the ignition slowly, even though that wouldn’t affect how loud his truck was and let out a breath when it started easily. Good, he thought. Maybe this will be easier than I thought.

He began backing out of the spot the truck was parked and began driving down the road. Once he was away from the house, he would easily be able to buy food and things at the gas station and head north towards New York.

After driving a few miles, he stopped at a truck stop and got out. He’d need gas and a few things on his list. Going inside, he noticed movement in the bed of the truck and froze. Did he somehow bring an animal along with him? A stowaway raccoon? Or maybe a chicken from the neighbors next door? They always liked wandering to his family’s yard.

Slowly walking back toward his truck, he saw a head pop up. A human head.

“Maggie!? What are you doing!” Gregor asked, both surprised and angry. “You shouldn’t be here!”

“I want to come with to wherever you’re going!”

Gregor groaned. His parents would not be happy with him. “And what do you think Mom and Dad will think? Huh?”

“I dunno,” she shrugged. “But they can’t do anything if I’m with you!”

But they can! If they don’t have to worry about leaving her at home with Elizabeth, then of course they’ll come after us! And then what will I do? Gregor thought to himself.

He sighed. He’s been doing an awful lot of that lately. “Fine. I guess you’re coming with.”

“Yay!” Maggie cheered, a triumphant grin on her face. She climbed out of the bed of the truck, carrying her backpack, which was stuffed full. “I’m ready to go.”

Gregor shook his head. That little…. “Ok. Get in the truck and wait here while I go buy some things.” He went back toward the gas station.

After buying what he needed, and getting some pretty strange looks from the cashier, he left the gas station and went back to his truck, where Maggie was waiting patiently. It probably was a little strange for a boy his age to be out at this time of night, but they couldn’t do anything about it, right?

As soon as he got in the truck, Maggie started asking questions.

“So, where are we going?”

“How long will it take to get there?”

“Are we almost there?”

“How long will we be staying?”

With which Gregor replied, every time, “Just wait and see.” He didn’t have the energy to explain everything to her.

Ever since his family had moved to Virginia, the rule had been “no talking about the Underland”. His parents didn’t want Maggie to remember any of the horrors that were miles below the surface of the earth. Six foot tall rats. Cockroaches as big as coffee tables. People that looked like a walking circulatory system. That wasn’t even the scariest part.

The Underlanders- as they called themselves- lived as though they were still in medieval times, wielding swords and fighting wars. Of course, their way of life was no less civilized or intelligent- they’d lived underground for years with no trees and no light, fighting giant rodents.

While they lived fighting rats, there were also the prophecies. Gregor and Maggie had been in a few, and that was the reason that Gregor didn’t want to bring his little sister back there. She had only been two at the time, and who know what type of memories would be brought back.

Would they scare her? Make her too curious for her own good?

Gregor would have to try and think of a way to keep Maggie away from Regalia until he was able to get her back to Virginia. He remembered the hard times, but he didn’t want her to remember them.

It would just take some time.

After driving for a while, and after many, many questions from Maggie, Gregor let out another sigh, this time of relief, as he realized that she had fallen asleep.

He turned on his radio to some jazz music and leaned back. Leaving his family wasn’t the best idea, and Maggie sneaking her way into his truck wasn’t great, but he knew that this was where he wanted his life to go. Even if it included giant bats.

A/N: Again, apologies!