I felt bad... I felt afraid.

Simon had said that Brittany would come back soon enough once I'd had enough electric charge built up. I didn't believe him though, I didn't know what to believe.

I watched him as he worked away at his lab station, and I gave a small gulped, worried that whatever he did next with his experiments, that things would only get worst with each try to make things normal.

I leant against the stone wall and looked my eyes tiredly to the ground. I had to get out of here and be in the open air. I was scared.

Maybe Brittany would come back if I was doing something fun?

I nodded to myself and began to fly up the stairs and out of the house. As I reached the sky, I looked down at my neighbourhood and town.

"Brit, it's beautiful, isn't it?"

There was no reply. I grew worried and pretended to speak in her tone.

"Oh yes, Alvin, just like you."

"Awe, shucks," I said to myself, grinning at my own self-praise, "Some people are born great, and some people have greatness thrust upon them. I am both."

I burst into laughter, expecting her to reply and give her own remark, but she was silent within me.

I didn't like this, I didn't like this at all.

I slowly lifted myself higher, nearly reaching the lower-lying clouds. I felt some aching in my hands and looked down to the red gloves that had melded into my arms.

As I looked at this, I began to grow angry. I raised them forward, pointing them out to space and bright beams shot out of them, lighting up the sky like fireworks.

But that wasn't what frightened me. No, what did... was the fact that the beams were coloured pink.

PINK! As in, Brittany's pink from her own laser beams.

I quickly stopped the stream of beams and looked down to my deformed hands and gloves in fear.

"Brittany..." I whispered, and swore I heard a whine in my head.

"BRIT!"

Alvin... she whispered and I thought back to her.

Are you okay...? Why were you so quiet before?

I need to rest... she answered me with a tired aching voice, I need... to...

BRIT! I yelled at her in my mind, and demanded, don't you dare go quiet again!

I thought you didn't like my whining...?

"No." I said back, this time out loud and continued with wet frightened eyes, "But I'd rather have you blabber on then to be... gone...

What are you talking about?

Brit, I replied, You haven't spoken in more than an hour.

Oh... she whispered quietly in my mind. It was then, she went quiet again.

Brit! Brit! BRITTANY! I screamed.

After five minutes had gone by, I found myself with tears slipping down my cheeks and falling down to the distant ground below.

As I watched the droplets fall... it dawned on me. I must be using up too much energy by flying all the time. I didn't want to be stuck on the ground... but realized it was the safest option.

My feet hit the cement pavement a few minutes later and I waited another bit in case Brittany had enough charge to come back again.

But no matter how long I waited... things stayed the same. I sighed heavily using my red sleeve to wipe my face.

I began to walk down the roads, passing the houses and entering a wooded area of old tall fully leaved trees.

The sun was beginning to set under the horizon, and I saw a tree that reached up so very high to the sky.

I gave a pained smile. There was a small path, and I walked it seeing it lead to a bench that had no occupants.

Until me, that is.

I sat down on it and watched the pink sky spread all around the atmosphere. The sun itself was a deep red colour. Soon it had gone, and I closed my eyes... seeing her in my mind's visuals.

It was a daydream – or afternoon dream. Whatever it was... it wasn't real.

I could see Brittany sitting next to me in it, and her hand reached forward to hold my own.

The minute she touched me, I expected to blow up again, like what had happened in real life earlier today.

BUT that wasn't what occurred.

No. Instead I swear I was suddenly in her mind, seeing moving images surround me like many TVs in an invisible maze.

I didn't know what any of this meant. It was like I was in the hippocampus of my brain... like I was sharing two minds at once, and not just me.

I couldn't hear what was happening in the video memories, but soon I swore I saw Brittany standing away in the darkness, watching me with quiet eyes.

I knew that it was her, and not some mind trick. I knew... because it was like I was seeing her soul. And she was seeing mine.

"Is that really you...?" We both asked one another in trepidation and I reached out my hand to poke her, but she only blew away like smoke.

Her voice, however, began to whisper around me as she said.

"Alvin... Alvin... Alvin..."

"What?!" I yelled annoyed at her repeating my name so many times in that airy voice.

"Open YOUR eyes!"

I blinked, confused. I suddenly realized that when I did open my eyes as she told me... I was no longer seeing the woods. No... my eyes were seeing the inside of my mind.

I shook myself awake just then and jerked forward breathing heavily on the bench I had sat on while the sunset.

It was like, the further I had gone with my thoughts leading me... the harder it was to come back to reality.

But I knew... I had to see those memories...

I had to know she was alright... as somehow, I knew... Brittany was caught in the same mind trap I had been just then.

But she may have gone deeper into the unknowns of a chipmunk's brain...

I had to give it another go... I wanted to know she was still with me and intact in herself.

At the present, I didn't know any of this. Just an inkling.

I could handle anything. Even mind games... even my own mind's trickery.

I was the king of that, of getting away with anything through my smarts and wit.

At least... I believed that.

I had to talk to Brittany again.

I had to know she was safe.

I did not want her to disappear into my mind.

And I knew... she was beginning to...

I was running out of time.