Three Days Later

"We're home," Dave called. "At last!"

Callie had given up trying to talk to her captors. She just sat shivering in the corner of the cat carrier. The walls were blank and cold. Nothing like her cat carrier at home. She looked through the bars, the full moon reflected in her large purple eyes as the chipmunks and the man that held her cat carrier—Dave, they called him—hurried up the front walk and into the house.

She blinked and crawled forward slightly to peer through the bars of the carrier. She saw the interior of the house and blinked again. Something was…familiar about this house. Something was familiar about the people who had kidnapped her, too.

"Simon, we have to do this quickly, just in case the media shows up. Or Zoe." Dave carried the cat carrier into the house and set it on the floor.

"Are you going to let me out now?" Callie asked in a small voice.

The chipmunks exchanged glances.

"Only if you promise not to run away," Alvin said finally, uncharacteristically gentle.

Callie nodded.

Simon carefully opened the cat carrier.

Now!

Callie burst out of it and streaked for the door.

"She's getting away!" Eleanor shouted.

Dave barely managed to get to the door first and slam it shut, locking it.

Callie skidded to a halt.

Brittany made a grab for her, but Callie crouched down and flipped over Brittany, leaving her sprawling in the dust. Eleanor lunged next, but Callie did three back handsprings and soared through the air, landing on the banister and sliding all the way down. She dodged Simon, did a somersault, a triple front flip, and soared through the air.

"GRAB HER!" Brittany screamed, jumping for her. Callie landed several feet in front of Brittany and looked frantically for a way out.

The window!

It was open! If she could just get to the sofa, then she could jump out!

She veered to the left, avoiding Simon's lunge, and ran as fast as she could on all fours toward the sofa.

Suddenly, something hard slammed into her. Alvin had tackled her from behind. He pinned her firmly to the ground.

"Let go of me!" Callie snarled, struggling to get free, but he held her where she was.

"Dave, get the window," he called.

Dave hurried over and shut and locked the window.

Alvin shook his head. "Dang, you're good," he told Callie. "You almost got away."

She glared at him. "Get off of me," she spat.

"Nope," he said cheerfully. "You're just going to run away again."

"Good job, Alvin," Brittany called, struggling to her feet and helping Eleanor get up as well.

Unknown to the Sevilles, Zoe and Adam had been on the plane with them. They had followed them all the way back home to their house, and now they were in a van just down the street.

"Ready?" Zoe whispered to Adam.

He nodded determinedly. "Let's get Callie back," he murmured.

They both crawled out of the van and hurried down the street. Adam jumped onto the windowsill and peered in. What he saw almost made his heart stop. Callie! She was free!

She was running around the house. All the figures kept making grabs for her, but she used her gymnastics to get away from them. Adam felt a surge of pride. That's my girl, he thought.

Then she veered and headed for the window.

He saw a red blur streaking behind her, and he wanted to shout a warning, but the blur hit her and knocked her to the floor before he could. Then he saw that it was one of the chipmunks, holding her down.

"Dave, get the window," he called.

Adam quickly dove into the house through the window and dropped behind the sofa before he knew what he was doing. He heard Zoe behind him in the darkness hiss his name, but he couldn't help himself. He had to get in there and save her!

Dave hurried to the window and closed it. Now Adam was trapped inside the house, too.

"Dang, girl, you're good," the chipmunk on top of Callie said admiringly. "You almost got away."

Adam gritted his teeth and tried very hard not to scream.

Callie glowered at the chipmunk. "Get off of me," she snarled.

"Nope," he told her. "You'll just run away again."

"Good job, Alvin," the girl dressed in pink called as she got to her feet and helped the others up.

"We have to get her into the lab, fast, or she might get away again," the blue-clad chipmunk with glasses said, hurrying over.

They were going to experiment on her!

Adam felt fury surge through him, hard and hot. Before he knew what he was doing, he had sprang from his hiding place and slammed into Alvin as hard as he could.

Alvin, taken by surprise, was thrown off of Callie, and Adam knocked him to the floor.

"Adam?" Callie cried in shock.

"CALLIE, RUN!" Adam shouted, still wrestling with Alvin. "ZOE'S OUTSIDE! GO! HURRY!"

Callie jumped to her feet.

"NO!" the pink-clad chipette screamed.

Callie sprang to her feet and began to run for the door.

Simon tried to go after Callie, but he couldn't catch up with her.

Just then, they all heard a shout and they looked up.

Eleanor was on the table, holding a long stretch of rope. The end was tied in a circle. She whipped it over her head and threw it at Callie as hard as she could. The lasso soared through the air and fell over Callie's middle. Eleanor yanked back on it, hard, and it tightened around Callie, pinning her arms to her sides and stopping her in her tracks. Callie fell to the floor just as Alvin managed to shove Adam off of him and pin him down.

"Adam!" Callie cried, struggling against the rope with all her might.

"Ellie!" Brittany cried in shock. "Where on earth did you learn how to do that?"

"I picked up a few things on the island," Ellie said with a modest shrug.

Just then, there was a scraping sound, and the door burst open.

Zoe was standing there.

"ZOE!" everyone screamed.

Zoe saw Callie tied up and Adam pinned to the ground, and her lip curled.

"Zoe, help!" Callie screamed.

"I'm coming, Callie!" Zoe cried.

She ran for the chipmunk.

Suddenly, Dave got in the way and crashed into Zoe before she could get there.

"SIMON, GET THE CURE INTO HER NOW!" Dave yelled.

Simon sprang up onto the table and grabbed the end of the rope from Ellie. He yanked Callie down the stairs after him with the rope, down to his scientist laboratory.

"CALLIE!" Adam yelled. Panic fueled his energy, and he shoved Alvin off of him and raced down the stairs after Callie.

Simon quickly pushed Callie into a chair and tied her to it. He grabbed a syringe filled with liquid.

"What is that?" Callie cried, terrified.

Simon stared into her eyes. "Jeanette," he said softly.

Callie froze.

Unknown to Callie, Jeanette was still there, trapped in a small corner of Callie's mind. Jeanette knew and saw everything that was going on, and she was begging to be released. But she was trapped—no one could hear her.

Please, the small piece of Jeanette was begging. Simon. Please. Free me. Let me out of here!

Simon saw that in Callie's eyes. He could see the small piece of Jeanette's mind in there, and he could see her begging to get out.

"This is for you, Jeanette," he said quietly.

And he put the needle into Callie's leg and pushed down the plunger.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

The shout came from the doorway just as Simon pulled the needle out again. Callie slumped into the chair, unconscious. Adam barged down the stairs and knocked Simon over.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?" Adam bellowed in his face.

"Hands off my brother!" an angry voice ordered, and Theodore knocked Adam away from Simon.

Brittany, Eleanor, and Alvin were right behind Adam. "Did it work?" Brittany yelled.

They all turned.

Callie didn't look any different.

Then there was a WHOOSH so big that it knocked them all over. A brilliant flash of light filled the room. When it faded, Callie wasn't there.

Sitting in the chair, the ropes completely gone, was Jeanette.

She was still in Callie's clothes, and her hair wasn't in its ponytail. It hung down only to her shoulders, though, and it was the deep chocolate brown that they remembered.

With a moan, she opened her eyes and blinked, and her beautiful violet eyes were still there. She squinted, blind as a bat, until Eleanor cried "Oh!" and rushed forward with a pair of Jeanette's spare glasses. She put them on Jeanette's face, and Jeanette blinked a few times before letting out another gasp.

She turned to see Simon just inches away from her, looking very apprehensive.

"I knew that you would save me," she whispered, her face breaking into a smile.

And without thinking, he threw his arms around her and kissed her.

She was shocked for a moment, and then she slowly began to relax. She closed her eyes and kissed him back.

Adam stared in shock and horror.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" he screamed, completely ruining the moment.

Jeanette, shocked, broke away from Simon and stared at him in astonishment. Her face finally cleared.

"You're Adam, aren't you?" she sighed.

"Yeah, I'm Adam!" He was furious. "Where's Callie? What have you done to her?"

Jeanette stepped forward and explained everything.

"Wait," Adam said, frowning. "So…YOU are Callie?"

She nodded.

"Then…then you love me, too. Why are you kissing him?"

Jeanette stared at him.

He drew her close to him. "Jeanette, you remind me so much of Callie. You're not Callie, but you could be. You love me, too, don't you?"

"I—I—Adam, I—," She couldn't form coherent sentences.

Simon's face fell. "Jeanette?" He sounded hurt and betrayed.

"Leave her alone," Adam sneered at him. "She loves me, not you."

"Jeanette…" Simon stared at her, and his eyes filled with tears.

Jeanette took a deep breath.

"Adam…" She reached a hand up, and Simon closed his eyes, unable to watch.

To everyone's surprise, though, she gently pushed Adam away from her and took a step back. "Adam, I'm sorry," she said gently. "I'm not Callie, even if we have similar qualities. Callie was never real. Callie was me. I'm Callie. But at the same time, I'm not. I'm Jeanette, and I'm sorry…but I don't love you."

Adam stared at her, not comprehending.

"No matter how much Callie did," she continued, "I don't. I'm so sorry."

She turned her back on him and walked over to Simon. He stared at her in astonishment. She smiled at him, reached up, and wiped his tears away.

"Adam, Callie may have belonged with you," she said quietly. "But I don't. I belong with Simon." She looked into his blue eyes. "I love him."

"So that's it, then." Adam's voice sounded strangled.

Jeanette turned to face him, and her eyes were filled with apologies. "I'm sorry, Adam. I never meant to hurt you."

"No," Adam said, and his voice was nearly a growl. "You have to come with me. Now."

Jeanette blinked, shocked.

"What are you talking about?" Brittany said, her tone dangerous.

"You have to come back with me, and Zoe. You don't belong here. You belong with us. Zoe can change you back."

Jeanette stared at him. "Change me back?" Her voice was a hoarse whisper. "Back…back into Callie?" She felt a surge of fright and took a step backwards. "No. No, Adam, I can't. I can't do that again. I'm not Callie! I'm not! Whenever Callie exists, I'm a prisoner, Adam. I'm a prisoner in her mind, and I can't think, or move, or function, or speak…I can't…I barely exist anymore, Adam. It's horrible. I can't."

"You have to come with us," Adam repeated, his voice low and dangerous. "Now. I need to get Callie back. I have to."

"No." Jeanette spoke firmly, not betraying her fears.

Adam's eyes narrowed.

"Fine," he said, and it was a half-snarl. "Then I'll take you myself."

Jeanette backed away, frightened.

And then, to everyone's astonishment, Simon stepped forward, putting himself between Jeanette and Adam. He drew Jeanette behind him, glaring at Adam.

"You're not going to touch her," he hissed.

Jeanette clung to his arm, frightened.

Everyone seemed to back away slightly. Eleanor and Theodore were pressed against the wall next to the stairs, and Alvin slowly took a step backward, pulling Brittany with him.

"Hey, now," he said in a low voice. "There's no need for a fight—,"

"Not if you give me Jeanette," Adam agreed.

"No," Brittany said firmly. "We can't do that."

Jeanette peered around Simon's arm, staring at Adam. "Simon," she whispered. "Don't."

He pulled her a bit farther away from Adam. "I just got you back," he told her, but it seemed like he was speaking to Adam just as much as Jeanette. "And I'm not going to let you go again."

Then, there was a thud from upstairs.

"DAVE!" Alvin and Theodore shouted at the same time. They looked frightened.

The door was flung open, and both Zoe and Dave barged into the basement.

Zoe's eyes landed on Jeanette.

What came from her mouth was something halfway between a scream of despair, a shriek of alarm, and a snarl of fury.

Jeanette cowered behind Simon.

"YOU!" Zoe bellowed at Simon. "YOU TOOK CALLIE AWAY FROM ME!" She took a step forward.

"You took Jeanette away from me first," Simon snarled back at her, pulling Jeanette closer instinctively.

Zoe took a step forward, but Dave pushed her back.

"Jeanette, get upstairs, now," Simon whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

"No," she said, her voice trembling. "I'm not leaving without you."

"Jeanette, go!" Simon said, his voice urgent. "Now!"

Just then, Zoe jumped at them and snatched Simon.

Jeanette screamed.

"JEANETTE, RUN!" Simon yelled. He scratched Zoe's hand, hard, and she let go of him. He fell to the ground.

Jeanette didn't want to move. Brittany lunged forward, grabbed her sister's arm, and began to drag her toward the stairs.

"No!" Jeanette fought against her sister, trying to get back to Simon.

"He'll be fine, Jean! Come on, we have to get out of here!" Brittany yelled.

"Ellie, call the police!" Theodore whispered, and she ran after her sisters and into the kitchen where the phone was.

"ADAM, STOP THEM!" Zoe yelled, and in a flash, Adam darted up the stairs. Alvin and Theodore ran after them.

"GIRLS, RUN!" Dave yelled up the stairs as he fought with Zoe, trying to get her to let go of Simon.

Brittany yanked on Jeanette's arm and they ran into the living room toward the door. Just then, Adam slammed into Brittany and knocked her to the ground. Jeanette screamed.

"GET OUT OF HERE, JEANETTE!" Brittany yelled, struggling under Adam's grip.

Adam lifted his hand, about to hit Brittany. Brittany screamed and covered her face, but the blow never came.

Alvin's enraged roar filled the room as he knocked into Adam and pushed him to the floor. "DON'T—TOUCH—HER!" he yelled, punctuating each word by punching Adam.

Brittany scrambled to her feet and she and Jeanette bolted from the room.

In the kitchen, Eleanor was frantically telling the police where their address was.

Adam, growling, threw Alvin off of him. He grabbed Alvin and threw him across the room. Alvin slammed into Brittany, and they both hit the wall and slumped to the ground, motionless.

Jeanette screamed.

Adam shifted his weight, turning to face Jeanette, who was slowly backing away.

"Your choice, Jeanette," he hissed. "You can come quietly, or I can drag you."

She backed away from him, trembling violently.

Then, she turned and made a run for the door, which was still hanging open.

Adam was on her in a second, slamming into her from behind. She let out a cry as her leg bent awkwardly. She thought that she heard a crack.

"Guess that answers that question," he growled, grabbing her arm and pulling on it. This time she definitely heard a crack, and she let out a scream. He hauled her to her feet.

Then the quiet voice came from the doorway.

"Let. Go. Of. Her. Now."

They turned to see Simon standing there, fists clenched, glowering.

"Simon," Jeanette whimpered.

Adam laughed humorlessly. "And just what are YOU going to do about it?" he taunted.

Jeanette was the only one who saw the green movement in the corner.

"Let go of her now, and I won't kill you," Simon promised, his eyes sparking fury. Jeanette tried to squirm away from Adam, but he only held on tighter.

"In case you haven't noticed," Adam smirked at Simon, "I'm the one holding Jeanette here. And if you make a move toward me, then I will hurt her."

"You lay a finger on her, and you're dead, furball," Simon seethed.

"Oh!" Adam mockingly pretended to look down. "Look at that. I've got all my fingers on her."

"Not anymore!" a voice squeaked, and Theodore flew across the room from the corner, slamming into Adam. Adam fell to the ground with a yell, and he wasn't holding Jeanette anymore. Her leg buckled, and she collapsed with a cry.

In half an instant, Simon had darted across the room, scooped her up, and darted back to where he had been, across the room. Eleanor ran in from where she had been in the kitchen and helped Theodore hold Adam down.

Alvin stirred and then sprang to his feet with a cry. "Britt!" he gasped. "Britt, are you all right?"

He whirled and started at Adam. Eleanor quickly held him back.

"If you hurt her, you worthless scrap of fur, I will murder you myself," Alvin snarled at Adam, and then he whirled to Brittany's side again.

She was stirring!

"Britt?" he gasped.

She let out a moan. "Did I DREAM that you slammed me into a wall?" she muttered.

"In my defense, that was Adam's fault," Alvin said, but he was laughing as he pulled her off the floor into a hug.

"Oh, isn't that touching?"

They all whirled.

Zoe was standing there.

Holding a gun.