"What? I don't remember that," said Pandora. "Why would I even say that?"

Luxa shrugged her shoulders. "I do not know."

"I didn't even know that Bartholomew of Bologna even existed!"

"It is Bartholomew of Sandwich," Nerissa said matter-of-factly.

Aurora's quiet voice spoke up, keeping them on track. "You did say his name. Ripred and I heard you say it as well."

"The Last Prophecy is upon us," Nerissa said.

Pandora forgot that she was holding the prophecy in her hands. She held it close to her face to read the neat cursive handwriting printed there:

Apple of Regalia,

Of wisdom and release,

My time runs short,

I present you in peace.

Apple of Change,

Of compassion and might,

My faith goes with you,

I give you my light.

Apple of Spirit,

Of those lost and others found,

My words of meaning,

I find them unwound.

Apple of Mystery,

Of amazement and notion,

My name lives with you,

I give you my devotion.

"This is confusing," Pandora admitted. "He's talking about an apple."

"And yet there hasn't been an apple in the Underland for many years," Ripred said.

"And there have never been any apples growing in Regalia," commented Vikus.

"What if 'apple' is code for something?" A little voice spoke up. Everyone turned to look at the boy known as Hazard. "Like maybe in a different language, 'apple' doesn't mean a fruit you can eat."

"Can you speak different languages, Hazard?" Asked Pandora curiously. She took many different languages in high school and college. She partly was interested in asking Hazard this question, but also partly wanted to change the subject. The talk about prophecies was making her head spin.

"Yes, I can speak many," he answered.

"Tu parle Francais?" She asked, but only got a blank stare back from the boy. "German? Italian? Latin, maybe?" Hazard shook his head. "Well, what languages can you speak?"

"I speak crawler, nibbler, gnawer, and hisser," answered the boy. Pandora noticed his English wasn't as formal as the other Underlander's. He sounded less British and more... like he lived in New York City. "I am passable in flyer unless the tones are too high-pitched, and I am working on the vibrations the spinners use to communicate."

Luxa looked very proud; she was positively beaming at Hazard. Maybe they were half-siblings?

"I haven't heard of any of those," Pandora said.

"What was that language you spoke in?" asked Hazard.

"French," Pandora said.

"Latin is a very old language," said Howard. "Some names of diseases come from Latin."

"Almost every other language came from Latin," Pandora replied. "Except English, which derived from German.

"Can you teach me how to speak those languages?" asked Hazard.

"Uh," Pandora said. She didn't want to say yes, for teaching meant time. She wasn't planning on staying here for very long but didn't have the heart to refuse. "I don't know."

"Hazard, nobody down here in the Underland speaks those languages. You would have no need of them," Luxa said. Hazard yawned. "You should get to bed, Hazard, and get some rest."

"I think we should all get some rest," Vikus said. "We have been at the table for longer than we have realized. Off to bed, all of you. Nerissa, can you show Pandora where she can wash and rest for the night?"

Nerissa nodded and stood from the table. She leaned against the chair while she walked around to face the exit. "Follow me," she said.

Nerissa lead her down two flights of stairs and into what reminded Pandora of a locker room. One wall held nothing but shelves; some were empty, some held bottles, and some held what looked like towels. On the ground, water flowed continuously through some sort of hot tub.

"Here is where you can bathe. I'll ask someone to get you some fresh clothes. In fact," Nerissa said, turning to look at Pandora, "I'll ask them to fetch your own clothes, from the Overland. I can understand how lost you are here, where everything is different."

Pandora smiled. "Thank you. That is very kind." Nerissa might have been quiet, but Pandora decided that she was one of the friendliest Underlanders Pandora met.

Nerissa returned the smile. "It is no trouble to us but would make a big difference to you." She turned to walk out of the wash room. "Come this way, I'll show you where you will sleep."

Across the hall and around a corner were narrow entrances covered in curtains. Nerissa pulled aside a curtain to show a simple, yet cozy, room. A torch burned on the wall across from a bed.

"If you need anything else, you can ask one of the attendants in the wash room." And with that, she left; leaning against the wall and disappearing around a corner.

The water in the tub felt nice and relaxed her body. Her mind on the other hand, required more than just running water to relax it. Everything was so strange: the people, the animals, the food, the clothes, and even the bathroom. She closed her eyes. Out of all the thoughts running through her mind, the most prominent one was that she wanted to get home, but home seemed far away. Not just by distance, but by time as well. Pandora had a sick feeling that suggested she wouldn't be able to get home for a long time.

Pandora remembered the last time she was a long way from home. Two years ago, she had saved up enough money to go on a college trip, with fellow classmates, to Niagara Falls. It was close enough to drive from New York, although the trip lasted several days. Sight-seeing made Pandora feel closer to her mom, especially when they visited museums, and Pandora eventually forgot to call Rose to tell her that she had arrived safely.

At the end of the week, Pandora realized her mistake and felt extremely guilty. She returned to the apartment, apologizing to a very annoyed, but relieved, Rose. Pandora promised that if she was away from the apartment for more than a day, she would not forget to call frequently so Rose knew she was safe.

Pandora tried to shake the thought from her mind. There weren't any phones in the Underland, so she couldn't possibly call Rose to tell her she was safe! Rose was expecting her to do laundry, not plunge into some strange world full of even stranger inhabitants!

When she got out of the tub and wrapped a towel around her, she noticed her familiar jeans and white t-shirt folded neatly on one of the shelves. Her frown curled up into a smile at the sight. They smelt fresh and clean, and the denim felt warn but loved under her hand. She read the faded black words on her t-shirt for the millionth time, "The American Museum of Natural History: Where history comes alive." It was the closest thing to home she had, and she was very glad the Regalians gave them back to her.

After getting changed, she walked out into the hallway to get to her small room. She felt suddenly exhausted, although she had only been up a few hours, as if the emotional impact of the day stripped her of energy. As she walked, she twisted her wet hair into a loose braid. She turned the corner and bumped into someone. Pandora almost jumped out of her skin as she was snapped out of her weary trance.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Pandora," said Howard, putting two hands up on her shoulders as if he thought he had knocked her off balance. "I just came to see how you were faring in your new room."

"No, no... it's my fault! I wasn't looking where I was going," Pandora's cheeks suddenly got hot; she hoped Howard didn't notice. Pandora sure knew how to make dramatic entrances in the Underland.

Pandora noticed Howard had several small scars on his body. Purple round marks pocked his skin on several places, but were healed enough for her not to notice until she got closer. There was one on his forehead, two on his neck, and a few on his forearms.

Not wanting him to feel as if she was staring, Pandora looked down at her hair as she unbraided it awkwardly, tugging as she got to a knot. "The room is really nice," she said. She yanked a few pieces of hair forward to hide her red face. A few strands hung in her eyes, partially hiding Howard from her gaze.

"Do you need me to get you some water?" Howard asked, reaching out to move the hair. He rubbed his thumb across her cheek as he looked at it, as if trying to decide if Pandora was sick or if she was just embarrassed.

"I'm fine," Pandora assured him. "Well, I'd better get to bed..." She slowly started to move backwards, out of Howard's reach. "I'm sort of... Well, you know... tired." He waved back with his outstretched hand.

"Goodnight, Pandora," he said with a small smile. She matched his smile with a lop-sided grin before pushing aside the curtain.

"Goodnight, Howard," she responded before entering her room.

Getting into bed, she decided to sleep without her jeans on, for the denim pinched her skin. She took them off and laid them on the bed near her feet. The sheets were so soft, they could have been made with velvet or silk. In a few minutes, she was fast asleep.