It was a chilly October evening in the city of Los Angeles, California. A few leaves were rustling here and there, while the moon and the street lamps had lit up the block with a dim and haunting glow. Walking along the side of the road in the woods surrounding the suburban area of L.A. was a lone female chipmunk, not much older than fifteen years of age. She had long, jet-black hair that was out up in a ponytail with a small pink bow, and she was wearing a multi-colored hoodie with a purple blouse underneath, jeans, and a pair of black and blue Nikes. Around her neck was a gold necklace with a locket in the shape of a heart attached, and on her mind was some confusion about how she ended up walking on the side of the road.
You see, the young chipmunk had a severe case of amnesia - the kind you could never get rid of. All she could remember about herself was her own name: Ally. She didn't even remember the brutal attack that the worst gang in town had done to her, which is what caused her amnesia. The only people that young Ally knew before she had awoken with amnesia, which had happened not even an hour ago, were her parents (recently deceased, I might add), who one year ago had been attacked by the same group that had harassed her.
Ally heard some distant footsteps behind her, so she quickly climbed on a nearby apple tree as the two strangers (about fifteen years old) she heard walking up the street get closer to where she was standing only seconds ago. One of the two strangers - a female wearing her brown hair up in a bun tied with a purple ribbon, a pair of navy blue-rimmed glasses, a purple hoodie, jeans, a pastel pink blouse, and plain white Nikes - stated, "I just don't understand exactly why no one has ever tried to conduct stem cell research without a so-called 'medical permit' from the government. I mean, something's gotta give, right?"
The other stranger - a male wearing black-rimmed glasses, a blue hoodie, a sky-blue t-shirt, jeans, and a pair of blue and white Nikes - simply replied, "I agree: something has to give. Why else would the government want in on the stem cell research? They want the money coming out of it!"
Suddenly, Ally lost her balance and fell off of the branch of the apple tree she was hiding in, almost landing on top of the two people walking next to the forest.
"I'm sorry," Ally apologized, graciously getting herself up off the ground. "Did I disturb you?"
Both of them nodded, and Ally let out a sigh of relief.
The female giggled. "I don't think you could have done that at a better time."
Glancing down at her feet, Ally grew nervous around her two new companions. She was out of her comfort zone, however much more so than when she had been attacked.
"Well, we better get going," the male insisted. "If I don't get home soon, Dave's going to start freaking out."
Ally nodded and waved goodbye to her two new friends, watching them wave back and start to walk away. However, little did she know, she was about to encounter a friend of a different kind.
It seems you're doing better than I hoped, a voice said from a distance.
Confusion and fear filled up Ally's mind. "Who are you?" she asked, managing not to stutter.
V, the voice simply replied. I know you probably don't know who I am, but I need you to trust me and do as I ask.
The voice Ally was hearing sounded sweet, kind, motherly. She had wanted to trust V, but Ally still knew the risk of befriending a stranger. In one swift, instinctive decision, she decided to do the only thing that seemed right.
Ally sighed. "I trust you," she admitted.
There was a long and dreadful silence before V continued on:
Don't be afraid of me, honey. I know you're going through a rough time, but within a few days, things will get better... I promise.
But before I go, I must advise you to check on your friends, especially the boy. Something might be happening to them...
Within seconds, Ally bolted through the woods and back onto the sidewalk she was standing on only moments earlier. She raced up the pavement, getting closer and closer towards a struggle in the distance. As she made her way up the street, she got a clearer view of the dilemma her new friends were in. They were stuck to the middle of the road, and there was a bus headed straight for them...
Ally saw another chipmunk across the street, this one wearing a red hoodie with a yellow "A" stitched on the front of it, jeans, a pair of black Nikes, and a red baseball cap.
"I'll get Jeanette!" the red-clad chipmunk shouted. "Get my brother!" He saw the bus continue to head for the other two chipmunks. "Hurry!"
Within mere moments of the chipmunk's outburst, he and Ally sprang into action, with stunning results.
"Jeanette, are you okay?" the chipmunk in the red hoodie asked in sheer worry for his friend.
"Yeah, Alvin," the brown-haired chipmunk (Jeanette) answered nonchalantly. "I'm alright... Thanks for the save back there. If it weren't for you, I'd probably be dead..." She paused a moment, coming to a realization. "Oh my God! What happened to Simon?"
Alvin gently placed his hands on her shoulders. "He's gonna be fine, Jeanette. He always is."
The two of them looked next to them to see Simon and Ally lying on the ground. Jeanette began to freak out as Alvin escorted her back home.
After being unconscious for two hours, fifteen-year-old Simon Seville found himself lying on the living room couch in his home in downtown LA, listening to the sound of his heartbeat and staring at the bandages on his arms and legs as he finally started to wake up. He soon realized that his old friend Phelan, whom he had met five years ago after an incident involving his former enemies, was sitting next to him on the couch.
"What are you doing here, Phelan?" Simon asked, rubbing his back in agony.
"I came as soon as I could when I heard about the crash," Phelan replied. "I didn't happen to see the girl that saved you, though."
Simon was confused. "You mean Jeanette, right?"
"No, my friend. Someone else saved you. Alvin was able to save Jeanette before either of them could get hit by the bus."
This didn't sound right to Simon. "But I thought maybe-"
Phelan sighed, interrupting one of his best friends. "Her sisters didn't save you, either. Someone else did."
Suddenly, the Chipettes - Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor - raced down the stairs and gave Simon a tight group hug.
"Well, isn't this sweet?" Dave pointed out from the kitchen doorway.
There was a silence before Simon asked, "Where is she?"
Dave widened his eyes, suddenly realizing who Simon was talking about. "She's upstairs in Alvin's bed. I'm not sure if she'll be able to... 'wake up'."
Simon suddenly became apprehensive and made his way upstairs into the bedroom he shared with his brothers, Phelan following his every movement. Lying on the bed Alvin had always slept in was Ally, her face and arms covered in dried blood.
"What are you doing, Simon?" Phelan inquired wholeheartedly as Simon sat next to Ally on his brother's bed.
No response.
In that instant of silence, Phelan witnessed as Simon placed a hand over Ally's chest. There was an odd, dim glow around Simon's hand, and he knew that glow from anywhere.
Simon could heal.
