Chipmunkfan1001 = I beg your pardon?

ChipmunkFanNo. 1 = Wow, I just love your reviews. I don't have to read the chapter all over again just to think about what's gonna happen next.

Brittany's Point Of View

I lied down on the veterinarian bed, in shock about what Beatrice had said. In a way, her words made me see the light and brought shock into my body. For a moment, I thought my heart stopped beating and I clutched Alvin's pawtighter. I spoke my next words and my voice sounded soft.

"What?" I asked.

Beatrice maintained her smile and looked from me to the monitor, then back again. "Brittany, they're alive after all! You're still pregnant!"

A small smile slowly traced my open mouth as I slowly inhaled air. I took a look at Alvin's face, and he seemed to be as surprised as I am. But... Oh, God, I'm still pregnant! I'm not a murderer after all. But what about those tiny nubs Beatrice talked about? The one the used to be a baby. She said she found one,... or two.

As if on cue, Beatrice answered my question. "You see this?" Beatrice moved the monitor and gave us a view of what she was watching.

What I saw made my heart melt inside me. My smile widened even more as I saw small body parts floating inside me. And of course they're whole, in case you're wondering. I saw them - arms, legs, faces, tails, oh, my God, my babies are alive. Our babies. They're still alive!

Beatrice took her pen and pointed at a tiny nub on the screen. "This used to be a brother or sister of your babies. Sadly, he or she died, but that's something you have to be proud of."

I craned my neck and looked at Beatrice confusedly. Why should I be proud about my child dying? Frankly, I felt a bit offended. "Proud? Why?"

"Because he or she was a hero. The way he or she died was a case of vanishing twin." I listened as Beatrice explained further. "Vanishing twin, or fetus re-absorption is the breaking down of the embryo into nothing. But that happens to increase the chances of survival of his or her siblings."

"How is that?" I asked.

"When you lost nearly half of the blood in your system, the supply of blood cells for the babies turned low. So to get through that, one or more of them must take the ultimate sacrifice to lessen the needs. So you should be proud, Brittany. Your child was a hero."

As I listened to Beatrice, I couldn't help but notice the tears coming out of my eyes again. I didn't know whether to feel proud or sad after hearing her. I pressed my paw against my stomach right under the transducer and started to caress my fur. I looked back at the screen, not knowing what to say.

"It's alright, Brittany. It's common in animals. Especially in wolves and dogs. I guess you guys got lucky."

. . . . . . .

What just happened? Serene asked a lot of questions in her mind as she slowly drifted out of her unconsciousness. She hasn't opened her eyes, but she can tell that she isn't in her home. She's away from her parents, her family. The stench her nose first caught told her everything, and that something's not right. Instead of feeling a soft mattress under her body, she felt a hard metallic texture. Instead of waking up with a rising sun shining into her face, everything was dark. And warm. She felt the sweat beginning to form in her forehead.

Finally, with a moan, she opened her eyes and to her surprise, her glasses was already on her face. The first message her eyes carried out was a blurry image, then followed by something clearer.

Darker. The sun wasn't shining.

She set her sights upon the room she was in. It was a small room,... more like a cage. It had bars all over it, and the only the she could see was the outside of the cage.

Her first attempt to get up resulted in a stabbing ache in her head. She placed her paw over it to ease the pain as her mouth let out a small moan.

"Serene?" She heard a soft, high pitched voice. It undoubtedly belongs to a chipmunk. But whoever that was gave chills racing down her down. Other than that, she was both happy and shocked to have him around. She looked back and saw who she was expecting.

A chipmunk sat down on one corner of the cage, leaning against the bars and looking at her. His clothes were rugged and his fur had spots all over it. But despite these imperfections, her eyes were suddenly glued to his hazel-brown ones. She tried to look away, but she couldn't. It was as if she's just seen these orbs of his for the first time. She shook her head mentally and snapped out of it.

"Alvin?" For some reason she couldn't make out, saying his name felt somewhat good in her throat. And suddenly, for the first time in her life, she became speechless in front of him. Maybe that's because she doesn't trust him yet because of what she heard that he has a crush on her. But something inside her told her that that's not the reason.

Alvin stood up, and she can tell he's unsure whether he should go near her or not. "How are you?"

She sat up, her legs straight in front of her as she leaned against the bars. She clutched her head in pain. "Just a headache." She answered. "What happened? Where are we?"

"I don't know. And you came here unconscious."

Y'think? Serene sarcastically thought. "What happened exactly?" She asked.

"They took us."

Serene craned her neck. "Who's they?"

AJ shook his head. "I don't know. There are two of them."

"Do our parents know where we are?" Serene asked. In fact, judging herself, that was a stupid question to ask.

"I don't know that too."

"Is there anything that you know?" She tried her best not to sound offensive.

"Nothing, honestly." AJ said before sighing in disappointment. "I'm sorry, Serene, but I really can't tell you anything." Something in his tone told her that he was taking it way too seriously, as if he was answering a test that involves his life.

She sighed. "It's okay. I can't blame you."

She looked down, facing at the space between her thighs. The cold, hard metal of the cage combined with the rotten stench of the room they were in made the picture of a living nightmare to her. Trapped, no parents, enclose space... Oh, my God,... space! Serene immediately thought as a familiar fear struck her. Suddenly, as she took a better view of the cage, they felt like they were closing in on her, ready to crush her any second. Her eyes were glued to the roof of the cage as she started to pant harder and harder. She brought her knees close to her chest and embraced them, then small tears of fear started to come out of her eyes.

"Serene?" He heard a voice. "Serene, are you okay?"

Her eyes wandered all over the closing space before finally setting his sights on her cousin. "Th- the cage... it's- it's getting smaller." Her voice clearly amplified fear.

AJ started to look around, dumbfounded before setting his sights back on her again. "What are you talking about? Serene, nothing's happening."

Serene only gave a sniff in response as she hugged her knees tighter. She looked at AJ as he walked towards her, but as close as he got, the fear only intensified. "No, no, stay away!"

AJ seemed taken back by her reaction and stopped walking. It took a moment for him to realize what was really happening with her. "Serene, are you by any chance,... claustrophobic?"

Serene nodded after sniffing her tears back. "I'm... I'm sorry. It... it just happened." She saw AJ walking closer towards her again. She crawled back, ignoring the bars pressed against her back. "No, please stay away." She closed her eyes and allowed the tears to drop. After a moment, she felt AJ's presence in front of her. She felt the urge to scream, but held it back.

AJ's paw on her shoulder pressed her to shut her eyes even more, causing his eyelids to contract. "Serene..." He started. "Serene, please look at me."

Serene only curled into a protective ball.

"Serene, please. Please, look at me."

Something in the tone of his voice made Serene open her eyes and do as he said. She looked straight into her eyes and maintained the gaze.

"Serene, don't be afraid." AJ told her. And for the few times in her life, she actually believed him. "It's okay if you don't trust me, but please don't be afraid. Whatever happens, I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I promise."

A strange, sudden, and unfamiliar feeling struck her after hearing his words. Something that made her feel like she wanted to trust him, something that made her feel... safe. She was taken back by this sudden feeling, but before she could speak again, her arms found it's way behind his neck and quickly pulled him close to her. Then another warmth started to engulf her body, a foreign warmth that made her comfortable.

She suddenly felt too awkward holding her cousin and she tried to push him away, but her arms wouldn't let her. Her face found AJ's shoulder and wiped her tears on the soft fabric of his jacket. After a moment, the warmth intensified and heat up her cheeks as she felt AJ's paw pressing against her back.

Under the warmth and security she felt, strangely, the feeling of fear became distant.

Okay, so guys, I had a writer's block at the first part of the chapter, so sorry about that. I spent most of my time looking for a video about Vanishing Twin to show to you guys, and the only shortest one I found is this:

www. youtube watch?v = voGYuSEp2hI (Remove the spaces, will you?)

So, I don't know what else to say.

What should I say?

So, I'm not sure if my idea for the next chapter is good (Except for ChipmunkfanNo. 1's idea. I'm going to use that in the next, next chapter).

So, I'm going to give YOU guys the opportunity to decide what's going to happen next.

You know, you don't really have to. If you feel like you want something to happen in this story, then write ON! If not, then this story is probably going to end by the 2nd week of the month. But don't worry, I've got plenty of new stories in mind, and I'm dying to write them (after I finish "Through Our Eyes". I did Hilsy a promise).

I'm not saying I have a writers block concerning the next chapter. I don't. I just want to give you guys the opportunity to steer this story. Pass the wheel to the passenger, you know? But just this once.