Okay, so I haven't updated everyday this week like I said I would, but hey, this is a much faster update than I usually do. I was busy the day after the second chapter was posted, and I was working on this chapter yesterday. I finally finished it today, and I made sure to proofread a little better this time.

I hope you enjoy!

Also, I always forget to put the disclaimer. I don't own Alvin and the Chipmunks. I don't remember who does, but all I know is that they aren't mine. The plot is mine, and any similarities to other stories or people or events or whatever is probably coincidental.

Upon waking, the Seville pack gathered in the hallway of the second floor in the hotel they were currently sojourning in. Every person who exited their room waited for the rest of the pack members to awaken before they moved on with their day. This waiting process was taking a long time, however, due to the still sleeping alpha.

"Wake up, princess!" Steven shouted as he banged on the door.

No response.

Steven pounded on the door harder, "Alvin, get a move on! We're waiting!"

Allison stepped forward, "Let me try."

Steven moved back to give her some more space. Stepping close to the door, she hummed, "Alvin, the diner serves meat."

Nothing happened for a moment. They all stared at the door, waiting for something to change.

Allison pouted. She swiftly opened the door, "Alvin."

She was met with an empty bed and an open window. Rushing towards the window, she looked out over the town only to see Alvin's back as he sprinted towards the diner.

Allison couldn't help it. She began to laugh. Everyone looked at her puzzled. Shaking her head, she gestured for them to ignore it and to leave for the diner.

The remaining members of the Seville pack made their way downstairs. A tall, pale man stood behind the front desk as they passed by.

The Sevilles scarfed down more than their fill of meat. They continued ordering more and more. The wolves, being deprived of meat for weeks now, enjoyed every tiny sliver of meat that they could get.

The people in the diner watched the Seville pack devour nearly everything on the menu. The faces of the townspeople were twisted with various emotions that the Sevilles didn't care enough about to pay attention to. A few people whispered to one another while eyeing the voracious group of travelers.

The waiter walked over. He stared at the feasting group of people with pure disgust written across his face. He stood next to Alvin and waited patiently for Alvin to take notice of his presence.

Alvin felt the daggers being shot at him and slowly let his gaze rise up towards the waiter's. Alvin managed to read the name "Andrew" off of the waiter's name tag just before reaching his eyes.

"What?" questioned Alvin.

"You and your friends are scaring away customers."

"And?"

"And," shot back Andrew, "you guys have almost entirely cleaned out our meat reserves."

Before Alvin could respond, Simon cut in, saying, "What do you mean by 'meat reserves,' if you don't mind my asking?"

Andrew turned his frustration towards Simon and said, "What's it to you, Window Face?"

Alvin almost shot up into a stand, but Simon held him down before he could get up. Simon's gaze remained locked on Andrew's, even as he struggled to hold Alvin down. "I'm just curious. The area surrounding town doesn't seem to even have animals. How do you guys stock up on meat? We'd like to know, so on the way home, we will not be deprived of our favorite food."

Andrew, who had begun chewing on the end of his pen, examined him closely. All eyes seemed to be on him. Andrew rolled his eyes and said, "We do the same thing as any other place that doesn't have animals just roaming around does."

Simon pressed on, "Which would be…?"

Andrew glared deep into Simon's eyes, "We have a hunting group that goes out into the deeper woods to hunt. Anything else you wanna stick your nose in?"

Simon smiled, as if Andrew had just proven a point to him, and said, "Oh, no. I'm fine." Simon returned to eating, looking very pleasant.

Andrew eyed Simon. He looked back at Alvin, "Are you guys almost done here?"

Alvin grasped his fork tightly and said, "We'll be gone in a minute."

Andrew didn't respond. He stared a moment longer at the strange group before turning on his heel and walking through the doors that Alvin assumed led into the kitchen.

Alvin quickly stood to his feet. He dropped the utensils that had been used to feed him with a loud clang and began walking away from the group. "C'mon," he said. "We're getting out of here."

Once he and his pack removed themselves from the diner, they moved to an area behind a building to keep away from townspeople. The group gathered around Alvin as he began discussing what they were each to do.

"Everyone, listen up. I want to know what's going on here. Get into groups, like how I said last night, and start asking around, visiting shops, talking to townspeople. Do what you have to do to figure out what's going on in this town without the people living here knowing what you're doing."

They all nodded in response to Alvin's command. They began dividing themselves up into smaller groups of two or three before heading out. Alvin watched them all, making sure they were doing what they were supposed to do.

Steven made his way over to Alvin. Leaning against the building they were meeting behind, Steven asked, "What are we going to do once we figure out what's going on with this town?"

Alvin shrugged, "I don't know. I'll probably decide based on what we find. I'll let you guys know when I've decided what's going to happen."

Steven nodded in understanding and began walking away. Passing by a patiently waiting Allison, he grabbed her tiny hand and pulled her along. They walked out from behind the building, leaving only Alvin to remain there.

A small creak from above him rung about in Alvin's ears. Looking worried, he moved away from the building to get a better look at the roof. A bird sat upon the roof, shifting its feet every few moments and turning its head often. He laughed softly and made his way back onto the main road.

Alvin traversed through the town of Shroudsville on his own; he didn't mind not being with someone else from his group. Though Alvin cared deeply for his pack, it often became irritating having to lead that many people. The members of the pack were looser and more disobedient than most packs were, so Alvin was actually surprised that they had been obeying his orders so much recently. The Seville pack usually lacked respect for him and his leadership, which he assumed was because he began leading the pack as a child and no one wanted a child to lead them. It drove him crazy the way they treated him sometimes.

But, all in all, the members of the Seville pack were amazing. He was happy to lead them. As frustrating as they were, they were his family. Not just family because of blood relations, quite a few members he was related through blood to, they were family in the sense that they were his home and the people he cared most about.

Alvin strode down the street, not really fulfilling his own orders. He decided that now was a good time to just let his pack do what he needed to have done so that he could rest as much as he wanted. But, in case someone from the pack passed by, he continued to walk up and down the streets to make himself appear busy.

As he walked down the side of one street, Callisto appeared in Alvin's vision. He shuffled down the street towards Alvin without actually taking any notice of the pack leader. Callisto seemed troubled, and that confused Alvin. Yesterday, Callisto had seemed like an very positive guy; he was the only townsperson who didn't seem extremely dangerous. What happened between Callisto's departure last night and now that could have changed him like this?

Alvin decided he wouldn't try to ask about it. He doubted that Callisto would tell him something like that. Callisto may even bonk his head like he did to that woman from the hotel. Callisto was someone that Alvin wanted to watch though. He seemed like he had the key to the town. Everyone tried to chat with him as he walked by. Alvin could only assume that Callisto knew a lot more about this town than others did, just from the way he was treated and from how many people he actually spoke to.

Alvin looked the opposite direction as Callisto and he became closer to passing each other. Strangely, Callisto said just as they began passing each other, "Hello, Alvin."

Crap. Alvin clenched his fists and turned to face the man. He forced a real-looking smile onto his face and responded, "Hello, Callisto."

"How'd you sleep? Did you finally get to eat this morning?"

Nodding, Alvin said, "Everything was fine. We ate breakfast at the diner." Alvin stayed silent for only a moment more before looking straight into Callisto's eyes and continuing, "Oh, me and my friends exploring the town right now."

Alvin smirked inwardly. He wanted a reaction from Callisto. Something. Anything. A flinch would even do at this point. Alvin almost felt it necessary that Callisto responded with some amount of fear of the Seville pack discovering something. If Callisto reacted the way Alvin wanted him to, Alvin would feel so much more confident about something being hidden here.

Callisto reacted immediately. He didn't even seem to think of what needed to be said. He smiled and said, "That's great. I hope you all enjoy what you see. You know, you should stop at Candy's Candy Store. Candy sells the best taffy you'll ever taste."

Alvin's clenched fists tightened. He tried his hardest to force a smile at Callisto, "Oh. Sounds great. I'll have to stop there later."

Callisto smiled at him. Alvin could have sworn there was some amount of satisfaction in Callisto's smile. He asked with that annoyingly joyous smile on his face, "Well, do you need to know anything else about the town before we separate?"

Alvin's stomach twisted in fury. The smile was long gone from his face. He glared into Callisto's overly pleasant eyes and growled out, "No."

"Well, see you later, Alvin. Find me if you need to know anything," Callisto cheerfully stated as he strolled away.

Alvin glared daggers after Callisto, rage consuming him. Alvin was going to find out the secrets of this town, if only just to wipe that stupid smile off of Callisto's face.

Callisto held his laughter back as he paraded away from Alvin. Making Alvin furious like that just filled him with joy.

Callisto made his way back to the house he and Brandon had met in last night. He walked down a couple of streets before he actually went to the home to make sure he wasn't being followed. Callisto spotted some of the travelers visiting Shroudsville along his way. They were in shops and talking to random people on the street. A few of the townspeople looked scared, while many others reacted with the silent treatment towards the pondering travelers' questions.

Callisto finally arrived at the house. Pushing his hand into his pocket, he began searching for a key to the house. Finally finding it, he pulled the little silver key out of his pocket. He entered the key into the keyhole. Callisto walked into the home after unlocking the door to let himself in and locking the door once again behind him.

Callisto carefully stepped through the home. Though the house was usually boisterous with the people who lived in the town and with the people who actually resided in the home, it was completely silent and empty at the moment. That was probably due to the fact of the travelers visiting in their town. It could also be because Brandon was just about ready to snap.

Callisto quietly wandered through the home. Though Brandon worked here and not in an actual government building, which their town didn't have, this building was still a house that belonged to a family. Brandon's family. Callisto lingered next to a wall that contained many family photos. Smiling, he stared at one that contained their entire family. Even though they were supposed to hide every trace of her, this was one photo neither he nor Brandon wanted to take down just for the sake of people coming into their town. Callisto slowly took the photo off the wall to get a closer look at it.

From the two elderly people to Brandon's pretty wife and beautiful children, his and Brandon's actual joyful smiles. This was Callisto's favorite picture. Whenever he looked at it, he couldn't help but truly smile. After studying each person closely, Callisto's eyes finally landed on the little girl sitting in Brandon's lap. Her smile was larger than the others in the picture, and it wasn't like anything Callisto had seen before. It was much brighter than any other he laid his eyes on in his life, and he doubted she got that smile from any family member. Their smiles paled in comparison to hers. Her eyes, too, were unlike any other he had seen before. Though she and Brandon had the same colored eyes, a gorgeous icy blue color, their eyes were far different. Brandon's eyes seemed cold, just like the color meant to make them, and sent a chill through anyone who looked into them. But hers, the little girl's, they were even brighter than her smile. They were warm and welcoming, though icy in color. Her eyes were a treasure. Callisto adored them so much, just like anyone who saw them did.

Looking up at the clock, Callisto quickly hung the photo back onto the wall after seeing that he was late for his meeting with Brandon. He almost ran through the home. Callisto arrived at a door that was closer to the back of the house. He reluctantly knocked on it.

"Come in," a voice called from the other side.

Callisto slowly pushed the door open and walked in. He was met with the angry, cold gaze of Brandon.

"Where the hell have you been?" Brandon said, glaring at him.

Ignoring his question, Callisto said, "The travelers are going around town and asking questions."

"Did you tell everyone what they needed to say?"

"They all know exactly what they need to say," Callisto said. He continued, "I went to each individual house last night and told the people there what they needed to say, how they should respond, the way they should act. They know what they need to do."

Brandon looked relieved. He peeked out of the blinds of the window. "Good…"

"But," Callisto said, "Alvin's asking a lot of questions. I'm sure they're all suspicious about the town and they might actually dismiss anything strange going on here eventually, but with Alvin, I don't think he'll ever stop wondering or pondering or pushing. He'll never stop trying to figure Shoudsville out. And unless we want him to actually figure out what goes on here, we need him and and his pack to leave very soon."

Brandon glanced towards Callisto. Sighing, he stated, "We're probably going need to send her out, huh?"

Callisto frowned and nodded, "If they don't stop searching for our secrets soon, even by tomorrow, we'll probably need her to do what she does best. They've already been here way to long. They've asked too many questions."

Brandon stayed silent for a while. His eyebrows scrunched together as he thought, a trait a majority of their family shared. He seemed to give up almost. Brandon mumbled, "Go ahead and send her out."

Callisto froze. "W-What?"

Brandon looked at Callisto. His eyes had darkened. They lost their coldness and now appeared lifeless. He said, "You said it yourself. The others may stop snooping, but Alvin will not falter. He will continue to look as long as he's sure something strange is going on here. So, let's shut him up. Send her out. You probably don't need to tell her anything. She has a tendency to find trouble on her own."

Alvin and his pack met back in his room at the hotel. Alvin leaned against the far wall. Everyone else sat scattered about the small room. He even had people sitting and standing in the bathroom because of the large number of people in the pack. They all chattered as they awaited the arrival of the entire pack.

Once everyone showed up, Alvin called out, "Everyone, shut up!" They all looked in his direction. He said, "Just start saying some stuff that you saw today which you thought was strange."

No one spoke up for a moment. Brian sat up and said, "Everyone's really awkward. They seem like they're on edge."

Another said, "Yeah, I agree. Out of everything here, the people are the weirdest things."

Alvin looked towards Allison, "Any strange smells?"

All eyes turned towards her. She said, "Well, it's weird. It's like in the forest before we entered Shroudsville. There's lot of false smells. No real smell trails."

"What about the people? Do they smell weird at all?" Alvin questioned.

Allison looked excited. She smiled, "Yeah! Yeah! It's really weird. They don't have smells."

Everyone went silent, their gazes locked on Allison.

Simon mumbled, "Now that I think about it, wouldn't Allison have smelled a town while we were in the woods? We were definitely in a close enough range for her to figure out a town was nearby." He looked at Allison, "Did you ever smell Shroudsville at any distance from it?"

Allison looked like she was thinking, trying to remember. Biting her lip, she said, "No, not really. At least not until we got in about a twenty minute walking distance from it."

Simon nodded. He seemed like he made a mental note of Allison's words.

Alvin watched Simon closely, "Have you figured anything out?"

Simon returned Alvin's gaze, "I have a few theories. I'm almost sure of some things. I need more evidence, though. I can't make a definitive accusation until I have more reason to believe what I'm thinking the town is hiding."

"Can we know what you think is going on in this town?" Alvin asked.

"Now, Alvin. Where's the fun in that?" Simon said, smirking.

Alvin rolled his eyes. "You better tell us what's going on immediately if you actually figure it out."

Simon chuckled, "I'll tell everyone once I know."

Alvin nodded, "Good."

Everyone else spoke of less important things they had experienced. Some rude words from the townspeople, people standing strangely, the lack of meat in the area. Though important in a sense, they weren't important enough for what the pack was trying to figure out.

Alvin took his turn to tell about his day after everyone else had spoken. He told them about his conversation with Callisto. He mentioned how he was almost sure that Callisto was the person here who knew the most about the town.

Simon suggested, "Maybe Callisto only knows so much because he's close with the mayor."

"Didn't Callisto say they were brothers?" Allison asked.

Simon's eyes widened, "How could I forget that?"

"Because you're dumb," Allison shot back. The room erupted into a fit of laughter. Simon's ears turned a bright red color.

Alvin, after laughing for a bit, told everyone to calm down. Once they finished their laughter, everyone returned their attention to Alvin.

"Anyway," Alvin began, "I think I've got an idea that'll help us out."

Now, everyone was curious.

"What if we broke into the mayor's house? He's got to have the important stuff all over his home. One of you mentioned how a townsperson said the mayor works from home. So, if we go into his house and take a peek around, I'm sure we'll find something."

Simon stood up, "Alvin, if we do that, everyone will suspect us immediately of breaking and entering. They're scared of us."

Alvin smiled, "No, they won't. Not unless all of us are somewhere else when the break in happens."

"How will we do that?" Simon asked, raising an eyebrow at Alvin's statement.

Alvin stayed silent. He merely turned his attention towards his dad, who was looking down at his hands and not even paying attention to the meeting.

Steven shot up quickly. He started speaking in defense of his adopted brother, "Hell no! Alvin, you know Alex can't do this. He's a broken man."

Alvin waved him off. He walked over to Alex. Alvin knelt down in front of him. He breathed out, "Dad."

Alex didn't look up. Alvin repeated, "Dad."

Alex grunted. Alvin smiled triumphantly and said, "Hey, Dad, I'm gonna need you to look at me."

Alex remained still. He squeezed his hands together.

Alvin said once again, "Dad."

Allison came over. She squatted down and looked up at Alex from the ground. He immediately met her gaze. She smiled sweetly at him, "Daddy, Alvin's trying to talk to you."

Alex slowly raised his headand looked into Alvin's eyes. Alvin had forgotten about how easily Allison could get Alex's attention. He also forgot how dead his father's eyes looked. It had been quite a long time since Alvin had actually tried to talk to his dad.

"Dad, we need a little help, if you don't mind."

"With what?" Alex slowly croaked out. How long has it been since Alex had last spoken?

Alvin said, "We'd really appreciate it if you could use your ability."

Wolves and vampires, though uncommonly spoken of, sometimes had special abilities. It wasn't as common in wolves as it was in vampires, but it did happen. Alex was an example of this. Ever since he was young, Alex had the ability to shift reality and make people see what he wanted them to. It had been a very long time since he had last used it, but they could still feel the ability pulsing under his skin, ready to be used at any moment.

Alex sighed, "Alvin…"

Alvin frowned and said, "I know you really don't want to and you just want to sulk and wash away in your own tears, but we really need your help."

Alex stared at him. Alvin nudged Allison's leg. Allison slowly nodded. She pulled on Alex's sleeve, which immediately responded in his dead gaze focusing on her. She smiled at him and said, "Daddy, it'd be really nice if you could help."

A frown pulled at his lips. He sighed and, returning his gaze to Alvin, said, "Alright."

A smile slowly grew on Alvin's face. "Thank you," he said. Alex responded with a nod.

Alvin stood to his feet. He looked around at everyone. He said, "Okay, so besides the people I choose, everyone will be going to where I send my dad, okay?"

Everyone nodded.

Alvin's golden traveled over the group of people. He stated, "Alright, then, the people breaking into the mayor's home are me… Simon…"

He continued looking around. "Hm… Steven… and Frances."

Frances pumped his fist and cheered a quiet, "Yes!"

Alvin chuckled before continuing, "That means the rest of you are going to go with Alex. I want all of you to make sure that people know you were out while this was going on."

He looked at Alex, "Dad, you're going to make it seem like Simon, Frances, Steven, and I are there with you. Especially make it seem like I'm there. Maybe have me get into an argument with the waiter or something so people will remember me being there. If they discover someone broke into the mayor's home, I'm for sure the first they'll suspect."

Alex nodded.

"When is this happening?" Simon asked, frowning because he was being forced to go.

Alvin looked at him puzzled, "Why do you even ask? We're doing this tonight. During dinner."

"Why during dinner?" Steven questioned.

Alvin rolled his eyes, "Everyone eats dinner out. Probably because of the meat shortage they've been talking about. Did you see how full that diner was last night? And, Shroudsville has that curfew. If we go during dinner, we'll know exactly when the people in the mayor's house will leave and when they'll most likely come back."

"Oh…" Steven said in realization.

As Simon started trying to figure out how'd they get in and all the other trivial information Alvin didn't like coming up with, Allison came to Alvin, pouting, and asked, "Why can't I come on the cool mission with you?"

Alvin knelt down to her height. He smiled at her, "Dad's not going to do his job properly without you there. Your special mission is to protect dad, okay?"

Allison thought about it for a moment before a big smile covered her face. She nodded her head vigorously.

Simon finished explaining to the group how the plan would go. Once it was clear that the entire pack understood, Alvin grinned at everyone.

"Okay, guys," Alvin said, smirking, "let's go break into the mayor's home."

Okay! So, since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, there probably won't be an update. I'll most likely be working on the next chapter, though. (It's already in progress!)

Make sure to tell me what you liked, hated, what needs fixing, anything at all. All commentary is very much appreciated!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!