Halo and I did it again… We tested the triplets in the Pottermore House Quiz! Results were Sonic: Gryffindor (Well, duh) Sonia: Hufflepuff (she's very kind and loyal, but that doesn't mean you should mess with her) and Manic: Ravenclaw (actually, we had to think about this for a second and eventually it made sense. Ravenclaw is for the weird, and you can't get much weirder than Manic).

Remember Halo and my mutual friend who we refer to as Tintin? We have previously mentioned that she is the 'Sonic' in our friend group? Well, she's a Gryffindor. Halo (our 'Manic') is a Ravenclaw. I (the 'Sonia') am a Hufflepuff.

WHAT THE CHAOS IS GOING ON?

Reviews!

[NOTE: Halo has passed out from the anticipation of this chapter and is thus unable to contribute her responses to reviews. However, Era is perfectly willing to act in her place. She thanks you for understanding.]

ultimateCCC: You'll find out… Soon. Very soon.

StarlightSparks: I'm super excited too! AAAHHHHHH! Hope you enjoy!

Autumn: No promises. Sonia is pretty ticked.

Guest: Hope this was soon enough for you.

MeowthKitty: *hides* I'M SORRY BUT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN TOO LONG. DON'T KILL ME PLEASE. Here's the update to the cliffhanger!

Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT: Yeah, I do too. Cliffhangers are fun, but you want to kill them at the same time.

Quantum27: I think you have summed it up the best. It is time to wreak havoc upon Manic!

Okay, now we're here. Now I can properly scream. YAY! WE ARE HERE! WE ARE HERE! WE ARE HERE!

Matthew's POV:

Okay, so I don't know who the heck this girl is, what she was doing here, or what she wanted, but for some reason that has yet to be revealed to me she looked like she wanted to tear my head off.

Normally, strange girls in the shop means Ears got himself a new girlfriend for the weekend, but I had a feeling that wasn't the case this time, mostly because everyone was terrified of her. Oh, and they were kinda looking at me like I had risen from the dead?

Going out on a limb here, but I think I might have missed something.

When I walked in originally, I was expecting a warm welcome back from Farrell and Curtis, and maybe a slap on the back from the other guys, who were probably wondering what in Mobius had happened after I disappeared. What I got was Farrell looking at the ceiling and mouthing something that I guessed was a prayer. Something told me it wasn't in gratitude of my safe return. Curtis walked over and yanked me into a corner for no apparent reason.

"Matthews, I'm glad you're okay, I really am, but of all the times to come back, you choose the worst time possible." His voice was low and rushed- something was wrong.

"Why, what's going on?" I asked.

"Look over there." His head jerked towards the others and I finally saw the girl for the first time.

Pink hedgehog, light-purple skirt, white blouse and leggings, purple shoes, cutesy headband, and a surprisingly conservative amount of makeup. Really pretty, but in a classy, not trashy sort of way. Looked sort of out of place in the gang's hangout. Normal, nice girls didn't usually stop by here. Purple eyes were glaring at me with a look that seemed to kill.

And for the third time in my life, I couldn't get a read on her. Okaaay…

"Who's the chick? Another one of Ear's girlfriends?"

Curtis's eyes grew large and he motioned for me to talk softer. "Her name is Dodger. Don't you… don't you know her?"

"Uh…" I looked back at the gal and shook my head, "Don't think so. Why?"

"She's been looking for you. Apparently you owe her money."

So I did miss something. A lot of somethings.

I jerked my thumb at the girl, "Look, I have no idea who she is, and I sure as heck don't owe her any money."

Curtis shrugged. "Well, that's what she's saying."

"Then she's wrong." I motioned at him and Ears, "So how about you go take care of her. I've had a long week and I'm still getting over those drugs the demon-spawn gave me."

'Dodger' apparently, finally spoke, "You were on drugs?" Her voice had a slight southern tinge to it, which caught me a little off guard at first. It wasn't every day a country girl came to the big city and fell into the company of thieves. But what really got my attention was how very, very angry she seemed at the thought. What's her problem?

"Uh, no." I said. "I was drugged. There is a difference. One is you being stupid and one is you being forced. Fun stuff, I assure you."

Her expression relaxed slightly. "Well, at least you're not a complete idiot."

"Hey!" Okay, just who did this girl think she was? I didn't even know her and already she's coming at me on a personal level!

"And why are you wearing clothes that look like you got them from the dumpster?" she demanded. Oh, so little miss Classy Country Cornflake wasn't done yet? Thought she was better than me? I felt my temper rising, but took a deep breath and tried to calm down.

"Okay, number one, rude," I said with some annoyance. "And number two, so what if I did? You ain't the one wearing 'em!"

Dodger just looked at me, "You got your clothes from the dumpster. Wow."

"No, sheesh. I got them off a homeless guy." Why was I telling her this? Matthews, shut up!

"You mugged someone?" she shrieked so loud that the guys winced.

My temper was very close to breaking. Never talk about mugging. It's evil on a whole different level (Locke. Let's just leave it at that). "No. I don't mug." I replied through gritted teeth, "I bought them from the dude. He had them in a shopping cart. I like what I wear, and if you've got a problem with that, ask me if I care. Are we done?"

Dodger shook her head and stamped her foot. "No, we are not! Do you seriously not recognize me?"

"Nope, and I don't think I'm going to. Maybe you could give me a hint. Y'know, since I'm not a complete idiot." I shrugged. "Curtis, why did you let her in? Better question, why is she still here?"

Curtis was looking back and forth between the two of us with a helpless expression on his face, "She's Dodger. She's like Rouge. You don't cross her."

Another Rouge? No offense to this Dodger, but she did NOT look anything like a 'Rouge' type. I mean, at first glance, she actually looked cute, not… She looked honest! And nice! Well, obviously she had a mean streak, but she seemed like the person you'd see volunteering at a food bank or collecting for some hippy-dippy, "Save the Pigeons" charity.

Then again, I couldn't get much of a read on her, so who am I to judge? And her name…

"Why Dodger?"

"She dodged bullets."

That got my attention. "She… what?"

Ears spoke up, "Straight from the Westopolis location. She dodged ten bullets and took out two guards with a metal rod, then pulled a gun on Philip."

Dodger looked up at the ceiling as if wondering how she got in this mess. "Alright, I'm done." She crossed her arms and glared at me, "Think hard, Manic. Was there anybody you left all alone six years ago? Someone you used to be really close with?"

I tilted my head a little confused and began to think. Well, let's see… Six years ago, I was ten and back with Uncle Chuck and- HOLY FRIKKIN CHAOS.

I felt the color drain from my face; I attempted to speak, but all that came out was a stutter. I was backing away slowly, startled when my back hit the wall. "You- I- Uh- Wha?"

The other Strikers looked very, very confused. Curtis finally spoke up, "You mean, Maniac."

"No, I mean Manic. Manic. Charles. Hedgehog." She walked right up to me and glared, her scarily familiar purple eyes piercing my very soul. "Isn't that right, Manic?"

All eyes turned to me as my shock slowly dissolved and my panic rose. No one moved.

"I'm out!" I attempted to turn and run, but 'Dodger' grabbed my ear and yanked me back. She then proceeded to whack me repeatedly with her purse while yelling at the top of her lungs.

"MANICHEDGEHOGYOULEAVEMEFORSIXYEARSALLALONEDOYOUKNOWWHATIWENTTHROUGHDOYOUKNOWWHAT'SHAPPENEDTOME?"

"OW! OW! SONIA, STOP IT! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! SHEESH, NOT IN FRONT OF THE GUYS! OW!"

"ISHOULD'VEKNOWNYOU'VEBEENLIVINGLIKEACRIMINALYOUNEVERCOULDSTAYOUTOFTROUBLECOULDYOUANDNOWLOOKWHEREYOU'VEGOTTENYOURSELFYOU'REAPUNKANDASLOB-"

"NOT THE FACE! NOT THE FACE!"

Over to the side, all the Strikers watched with shocked expressions on their faces as I tried to dodge the blows from her very painful purse. Then I heard Curtis speak up.

"This is pathetic."

Tony replied, "This is hilarious."

Ears was the last one to speak. "This is hot."

Sonia froze with her purse over her head and looked over at him with a murderous look in her eyes. I straightened up and stared at him.

"Dude. That's my sister."

"Manic. Shut up." said Sonia through gritted teeth.

"Woah, woah, woah, woah, hold up- you have a sister?" asked Curtis incredulously.

Sonia turned to me once more, arms akimbo. "You didn't tell them about me?"

I held up my hands in defense, "Look, Sonia, don't take it personally. I barely even mentioned Uncle Chuck."

"You told them about Uncle Chuck and not about me? Your own sister?"

She probably would've started hitting me again if Tony hadn't held up his hand, "Um… so just wondering, like, who's older?... Just wondering if you were being beat up by your big sister or your little one."

"Older. By two and half minutes." I groaned and put my face in my hands.

Curtis stared, his mouth gaping wide open. "You're a twin? And you never even mentioned it?"

Sonia cut in again, "Technically, we're triplets. But that's another story that isn't quite as important at the moment."

"Shut up, Sonia." I said, clenching my fists. We were not bringing up Maurice. Not now, not ever.

"Um," Ears said, looking confused, "but she wants to kill you."

Sonia rolled her eyes, "Did I say that?"

"...Yes?"

"I said he owes me money. Pay attention, smartie."

My eyes widened. Unbelieveable. "Seriously? Ten bucks? That's all you're here for?"

"No, I came to see if you were alive!"

I took her by the arm and led her towards the door, "Well, mission accomplished, sis! Congratulations, you know I'm alive! Thanks for coming, see you later, don't forget to write, BYE!"

I was about to push her out the door when she grabbed me by the arm and judo flipped me to the ground. I landed on my back with a grunt and tried to stand back up, but found her foot pinning me to the ground with a shocking amount of force. Pain shot through my chest.

"...Where did you learn that?" I asked between winces.

"I've had a lot of free time in the last six years. You know… being all alone with all our friends in the neighborhood, and our absolutely delightful Uncle."

I grunted, trying to get up and failing miserably. "He liked you. You're fine."

"The man drove me to vegetarianism, Manic."

"... I am so sorry."

Curtis stepped forward, "I'm sorry… what? Matthews, the heck is going on here?"

"Manic, can we please continue this in private?" hissed Sonia.

I looked at her with an annoyed expression, "I'm kind of on the floor, so…"

She hoisted me up by the ear without a word, then dragged me out of the back room and into the front of the store.

So yeah.

I missed a LOT.

XXX

"What are you doing here, exactly?" I finally managed to ask. It had been at least ten minutes since Sonia had dragged me up front and she had done nothing but chew me out the entire time, going on and on about my 'life choices' and 'nonexistent morals' (I have morals… I just don't think they matched up exactly with hers).

After a while, though, Sonia seemed to have gotten most of her frustration out. She took a calming breath and seemed to gather her thoughts. "Okay… So here's the deal, Manic. I'm here to get you."

Immediately, I gripped the counter. Oh, no. This was exactly what I had been afraid of. "I'm NOT going back to Uncle Chuck's and NOTHING you can say will change my-"

"Relax. We're not going back." She fingered her purse strap. "We're going to do something a little more important."

I shook my head. This had been a strange past week and everything was moving too fast for me to keep up with it all. "What?"

She glanced back at the Strikers, who were obviously eavesdropping. "I'll tell you later. Grab your stuff, we're leaving."

"Wait, what? Now?"

"Now."

Before Sonia could even take a step, I held up my hands to stop her, "Okay, time out. Sis, I'm really happy to see you. Really, I am. But I can't just leave. Can't blame you 'cuz you probably didn't know, but that's just not how a gang works."

An accusatory finger pointed at me, "We'll talk about your gang activity later, brother dearest. But for now- We. Are. Leaving."

"Do you want to get me killed? 'Cuz that's what's gonna happen, Sonia!"

Farrell suddenly 'officially' came into the room and motioned for the others to leave. Curtis stayed behind and stood in the background. Farrell turned to me and gave a smile, "Maniac, you know this… I think you're aces. You're a fine boy, a fine student… One of my best earners. But…" He motioned at the angry girl who was tapping her foot impatiently, "I really don't want to see this one too angry at me, ever. You've been here six years… and I'll be honest, I didn't like it to begin with. You were too young to get involved in this sorta stuff in th' first place. We only brought you in 'cuz we felt sorry for ya, but we kept 'cha cuz you're useful and we like ya a lot. But… now things are a little different."

I couldn't believe my ears. Surely he wasn't serious! "What… what are you saying?"

Curtis stepped forward and handed me my backpack. "What he's saying is… oh, chaos, how do I put this… I guess… try and have a good life or something, Matt. Your sister is offering you something we can't give. And because we care about you… well, to put it bluntly, you're fired."

I blinked. Things were really moving too fast. "Back up, back up… you can't fire me!"

"More like," Farrell said kindly, trying to find the right words, "Letting you go. If you love something you let it go, y'know?"

Curtis smiled and gently punched me in the shoulder. "Dude. Dodger there made a name of herself in the criminal underworld in three months, just to find you. If my sister ever did that for me… well, I'd bail on the Strikers in a minute."

I looked back at Sonia, who motioned for me to follow. I swung my pack on my back and looked at Farrell and Curtis. "Well… you can't fire me. I quit!"

The two grinned at me. Farrell placed his hand on my shoulder. "Never lose your touch, kid."

I smiled weakly and gulped back the lump forming in my throat. "I won't."

Curtis and I shook hands, then he pulled me into a brotherly embrace. "Stay out of trouble, Maniac. I can't always be there to look after ya."

I grinned, "Don't worry… I think she's got it covered."

We parted and I turned to go. I got two steps before Curtis called out, "I want my wallet back!"

I rolled my eyes, "When I see you again, you can get it back… as long as you still have mine."

Curtis held up my borrowed wallet. "Deal."

I turned around and stuck my hands in my jean pockets, following Sonia out of the building and down the sidewalk. Goodbye, Strikers. Goodbye, best place ever.

"Is that some sort of gangster custom? To steal your pal's wallet?" asked Sonia, bemused.

I shrugged, "Nah. Curtis and I just do it to each other. It's kinda our thing." I smiled, fingering the wallet in my pocket sadly.

Sonia looked up at the sky and pursed her lips, probably wondering what she got herself into.

Fortunately for her, I was thinking the same thing.

And, we're done! Oh Chaos, this was WAY too much fun.

Couldn't have said it better myself, Era. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go scream into my pillow for a while until the nerd chills wear off.

Review, please!