The Seeker and the Annihilation of the Underland: A Gregor the Overlander Fanfic

Chapter 7

Previously...

Stella's heart sank, remembering that Blake was going to leave to London within the next few weeks. "Oh."

Blake spoke up, "But I'll see you before you leave, right?"

Stella nodded sadly. "Yeah."

.

.

.

Stella watched — sitting on the sofa — as Leo paced back and forth in the living room, deep in thought. He paused regularly, opening the scroll from Luxa, reading it, closing it, then resuming his stroll. He was trying to think of the best way to return to the Underland, leaving no evidence of where they had gone.

Last night, towards the end of the birthday party, Leo had officially announced that Stella and him would be going on a family holiday to Florida to see their old home. He had also declared that they'd be gone for several weeks. Everyone had exchanged goodbyes with Stella and Leo. But no one had suspected anything. The truth was, that Stella and Leo weren't going to Florida, but to the Underland. Everyone who'd attended the party didn't know that, so they had to do it as secretly as possible, without anyone finding out.

"You know, there's no turning back from this," said Leo.

Stella gazed at the carpet, "Yeah, but we have to go. They need us."

Leo sighed, "What if someone finds out? They'll definitely send the FBI after us."

"And what business do the FBI have with us?" Asked Stella.

Leo stopped his stroll and slumped on the couch opposite her, "We're the kids of the two astronomers who died under strange circumstances. If we go missing, they'll definitely send their men looking for us. It might be all over the papers, and the internet."

"But that's the past," said Stella. "After we left Florida, don't you think they've got no issue on our well-being?"

"But we still had a status," Leo argued. "Even if it's the past. It's not like they would've forgotten about us. If someone finds out that we're gone, they would report it to the police. The police, knowing who we were, would send the case for the FBI to handle."

Stella sighed, "So you've got a plan?"

Leo buried his face in his palms, "Well, yeah. But I'm not sure about it. It's a huge risk."

"So? Everything for the Underland has been a risk. Besides, what do we have to loose?" Stella fiddled with the teardrop-shaped sapphire pendant on her necklace. 

"Our lives, our home, and everyone we know," said Leo. "If someone finds out that we're missing... we can't come back, sis. We'll be questioned and investigated."

"Nora said we should go. I'm doing this for Nora," said Stella. "So tell me what you've thought up so far. I'll risk this for Nora."

Leo sighed, closing his eyes. "Okay. First of all, we must get rid of our phones and break the SIM card inside. This means they can't track us. We factory reset our phones so that all the data is cleared, and the phone has nothing on it. We can throw the phones and SIM cards in dumpsters in different locations. Then, we pack everything we need in two backpacks, making sure to bring lots of light — oh, and our hoodies. We leave the house tomorrow after lunch, and take your car to the airport. When we get there, we walk inside like two ordinary people who're catching a flight. Then, once we're inside, we put our hoodies on, switch bags, and walk out of another entrance. We then take a cab to New York City and ask the driver to drop us off at Central Park. We find a phone box and call Gregor to ask for his address. Finally, we continue on foot to Gregor's house."