Hey, how y'all doing? :)

As promised, I'm able to update a brand new chapter - just in time for the weekend. Yay! But before I move on, there's something I think I should mention.

Most of you have been wondering what version of the Chipmunks do I use in my stories. The truth is, I don't really know, because it's been a habit of mine to write the 'munks and 'ettes as they are in the 80's cartoon versions, then find myself slipping away into writing them as CGI chipmunks - mostly because of my OCs.

So what I'd suggest is for you to use your imagination. Go wild! It doesn't matter whether they're cartoon or CGI versions of themselves; it's written for you to enjoy it and love those characters as much as you can. Besides, if I told you, wouldn't that spoil your expectations of the story? :P

Chapter 6: Lucky Seven

Sunlight shone like a filter through the window on a Saturday morning. Given any ordinary weekend, Maia would have taken this time to pursue her studies, immersing herself in the Order's library for hours, breathing in the musky scent of the ancient tomes.

Once, when she was a youngster visiting the library for the first time, she picked up a book that caught her already blossoming eyes, only to later find out that she misplaced it. Her guts knotted themselves into a tight wave of anxiety; not because she dreaded the punishment that might befall her, but much like the book itself, little Maia suddenly realized how out of place she was.

Now that she awoke to find herself gazing wildly at her newfound surroundings, Maia felt like that helpless child once more. It took a moment before she realized why she was in the empty bedroom, and the creamy-white chipette was able to draw herself slowly back into the present as she groomed her bushy tail.

Given the situation I'm now in, so far everything's turning out really well. The Chipettes don't suspect a thing. And come this evening, they might even lead me straight to Soron! Lady Serenity will be pleased.

The thought of her mentor giving one of her rare smiles uplifted Maia's good spirits, even as she strolled into the kitchen to find the rest of her newfound family seated there having breakfast.

"Oh, hello there. You must be the girls' long lost cousin. They've been telling me so much about you!" said an elderly plump woman with greying hair. This had to be Miss Miller, their caretaker.

"Yes, I am. My name's Maia. And it's a pleasure to meet you," Maia smiled, making a deep curtsey.

"Come, dearie, there's no need to curtsey like that. We're all family here," said Miss Miller. "Now, why don't you take a seat? You must be very hungry after all that travelling!"

The creamy-white chipette managed a small chuckle. "I'm famished!" The smell of toast and eggs wafted temptingly through her heart-shaped nose.

"How much did you say about me?" Maia whispered as she sat next to Jeanette.

"Not much," Jeanette said. "You've been around the world, looking for a place to call home, and maybe there's a stranger who'll someday find purpose in your life!"

You've no idea how close you are to the truth, she thought, avoiding eye contact.

Maia picked up her fork. She scooped up a chunk of scrambled egg and nibbled it hesitantly. It was the best thing she'd ever tasted.

"Eleanor's a great cook," said Jeanette. "She always makes the best breakfast ever!"

The green-clad chipette blushed a bright pink.

"If you think my cooking's great, wait 'till you meet Theodore. Don't be fooled by his appearances, he may look cute and cuddly, but his heart's as big as his cooking skills!"

Much of the conversation was lost over the scrumptious breakfast Maia now found herself unable to resist. Brittany was the first to finish.

"Miss Miller, may I be excused? I've got to make a call to Alvin."

"Of course, dear."

Maia watched as Brittany got off her chair and dashed into the living room. This might be the chance she was looking for! As Maia wolfed down the little bits remaining on her plate, she did her best to remain ladylike whilst wiping her lips on a napkin.

"That was a really nice breakfast, Miss Miller. Could I use the bathroom, please?"

"Sure. You just go down the hallway and it's on your right."

Maia thanked her and walked down the hallway. However, instead of turning right, she hid herself behind the wall and peeked around the corner to the left, tucking her tail out of sight. Brittany was there, the phone in one paw and its cord wrapped loosely around her arm like a dangling rubber vine.

Distance was not a problem for the creamy-white chipette, not as much as the need to blend herself. After all, if seven years of training had enabled her to listen to the voices of others' hearts, how hard could it be to eavesdrop on a simple phone conversation?

"Alvin, is that you?"

Maia perked up her ears, her heightened senses picking up the sounds on the other line as clearly as Brittany's voice.

"Hey, babe. Did you miss the sound of my voice?"

"Dream on," said Brittany, before bursting into laughter. The voice on the other side was high-pitched and infectious, even when he joined in the laughs. When he next spoke, it came out soft and crooning.

"So, is there any special request you'd like me to perform?"

"Actually..." Brittany twirled a loop of hair around her finger. "I was wondering if you'd like to come over to our place this evening.

"Brittany, you know you don't have to ask twice."

Maia could already picture the friendly smirk that lit up the face on the other side.

"Oh, and bring Simon along. It's... kind of urgent that we need him."

"Are you planning on setting my brother and Jeanette up for another date?"

"That was a good one we pulled back there, huh?" Brittany laughed. "Nah, this time, it's different. It's kind of a surprise."

"Really? 'Cause the boys and I were planning on giving you girls a surprise too!"

Maia would never forgive herself for blowing her cover so easily, but she leaned forward from her hiding spot, her head sticking out amongst the furniture like a sparkling full moon. Now they were getting somewhere.

"Why don't you tell me your surprise first?"

"No way! You first!"

"Come on, babe. You spill first."

"Only if you tell me first, Alvie."

Maia couldn't resist palming her face.

"You're not making this easy for me, are you?"

"Alright, alright. We'll both show each other our surprises tonight – at the same time. Deal?"

"Deal. I'll see you at, say, seven o'clock?"

"Seven o'clock."

"Brittany?"

"Yeah?"

There was a gentle sigh on the line.

"I miss you already, babe."

"I miss you too."

"Bye."

"See you, Alvie."

The hands of the clock were now pointing to five minutes to seven, but already the front door was crowded by the girls, including Maia, who stood behind Brittany as she was told.

Maia shifted herself to glance over Brittany's shoulder, considering she was a few inches shorter than the pink-clad chipette, but this went perfectly according to the latter's plan. And after much persuasion by Jeanette and Eleanor, Maia switched her toga to a nightgown of baby yellow. The creamy-white chipette loved the way it hugged onto her fur, showing off the delicate curves of her shoulders that the girls agreed she could keep it as long as she wanted. It was one of Brittany's old nightgowns, but she didn't wear it often because "there simply wasn't any pink in it".

All night long, Maia had been bugging Brittany to reveal the course of the 'plan'. However, she knew better that someone like the pink-clad chipette treated her ideas as preciously as her own makeup collection. Even Jeanette and Eleanor hadn't the foggiest idea what their sister was going on about.

"Don't worry, Maia," said Jeanette, as Maia checked herself in the mirror for the umpteenth time. "You look beautiful."

Maia tucked a loose strand of hair back in place. "Remind me why I'm doing this again?"

Brittany's answer was cut short by the sharp ring of the doorbell.

"It's them! It's them!" Clearly, Maia wasn't the only chipette concerned about her appearance as Brittany made a few last-minute adjustments to her hair. "Now remember Maia, stay behind me!"

When the door swung open, Maia's view was blocked by Brittany's back. She heard the same voice from the phone that morning, and as Maia inched closer, she could see a red cap sitting atop a tuft of matted fur. It had to be the chipmunk called Alvin, if her memory served her correctly.

Fortunately, his eyes were closed as he came up to Brittany and kissed her in his embrace, obviously enjoying the moment. She must have been doing the same thing, or else the slightest change would have swayed her expressions. Then he stepped back, hiding his face from sight once more.

"So, where's your surprise, babe?"

"Where's yours?" challenged Brittany, not moving an inch from her spot.

While they definitely had affections for each other, it was clear to Maia that neither one was willing to be the first to step in. So much love, and yet, so much conflict at the same time.

"On the count of three, we'll both present our surprises. Ready? One..."

"Two..."

"Three!"

They say that when something takes your breath away, time freezes just for you and the world stops spinning so you can appreciate that wonderful moment. But unlike her fellow members of the Order, Maia had her own way of seeing the world.

Nothing freezes over like ice, but that one second appears to last longer than the rest of time itself, because infatuation takes control over the mind as well as all reasoning.

And that was exactly what Maia felt when Alvin and Brittany stepped back to reveal their special guests.

A while ago, Maia was frightened of the thought of accidentally blowing her cover to an unsuspecting stranger. Now she found herself staring into the eyes of the most handsome-looking chipmunk she'd ever seen.

They were a dark green, brought out by the mahogany-brown of his fur. In retrospect, Maia thought of the trees in the forest she once stayed in as an infant before she was taken in by the Order. A wave of sadness washed over her, and she wondered for a moment if she was homesick, or touched by the pain hidden beneath those pupils of his?

Then Maia heard a shriek of joy, and she watched as the Chipettes surrounded the chipmunk with great excitement, pulling him into a group hug. They called his name, and as he grinned, his mouth parted to reveal two tiny fangs jutting out from the corner of his upper jaw.

As she looked at him closely in his yellow jumpsuit, there was no trace whatsoever of the bloodthirsty and heartless shade she saw in Serenity's vision. What she saw instead convinced her that this wasn't the face of a chipmunk, but that of a wolf. A handsome, young, sturdy and free-spirited wolf who ran on his own, away from his watchful pack. Beneath all that unkempt fur and tufted ears, there was no denying that he looked devilishly... cute.

"We thought we'd never see you again!" squealed Jeanette, wiping a tear from her glasses. "When did you come back?"

"Just last night," said the wolf-like chipmunk. "I'm sorry; I would've loved to have come over yesterday, but it was getting late. And me and the boys had some catching up to do."

"That's alright, Phelan. We understand," said Eleanor as she gave him another hug. "Welcome home!"

"It sure feels good to be back!" agreed Phelan.

The red-clad chipmunk suddenly took notice of Maia, and he wolf-whistled. "Wow! Who's this gorgeous hottie?"

"Boys, this is Maia. Maia," introduced Brittany. "Alvin, Simon, Theodore and Phelan."

Now that she had a proper view of their guests, Maia took her time to study each and every one of the boys. Alvin was still the chipmunk in the red cap, but there was a swagger in him as large as his ego that suggested how confident he was of leading his brothers. The tallest one in the blue sweater and the glasses had to be Simon, and now Maia could see why Brittany would have needed him for an urgent situation. Anyone would, considering it wasn't rocket science to see his appearance as the studious, intellectual chipmunk he really was. And Eleanor was right: Theodore looked adorable from all his chubby sides, but something about that little guy brought enough warmth and sweetness radiating from him like a miniature oven.

And then there was-

"Maia? That's a pretty name for a pretty girl," said Phelan. "May I?"

The creamy-white chipette was speechless as Phelan reached out and took her by her golden-tinged paw, kissing it tenderly. She felt the slightest breeze from his lips brushing the fine strands of fur, but the effect was electric. Instantly, visions began swimming in and out of the cave in her mind.

Phelan scampering through a dark forest on all fours, the wind whipping his tangled fur as he glanced back with a fearful look on his face...

There he was again, arguing with his reflection, cradling his bleeding paws as the glass shattered around him...

You think that being accepted into a house means that you can play happy family and start over again, the demon in the mirror hissed. But that's where you're wrong...

Alvin had punched Phelan in the eye, and now both chipmunks were rolling on the floor, trying to beat each other into a furry pulp...

They'll hate you, like everyone else, because you're an outcast...

Phelan sank his teeth into the shoulder of a hazel-brown chipmunk, and to hear his screams brought tingles of delight to his ears...

An abomination of creation. You – are a destroyer!

"Stop it!" Phelan yelled. "Shut up! SHUT UP!"

Maia drew back her paw slightly, breaking the visions. She hadn't felt her heart race like the wind since she first heard about him. But even now, standing before her, the look on Phelan's face was ever so the cub that'd just had his first lick of honey.

"Don't worry, Phelan's really a gentle-munk. He does that with every girl he meets," said Brittany, but Maia could see the chipette's face glowing deep scarlet under the faint moonlight.

Maia still kept to her thoughts, even as the boys stepped inside. For a chipmunk who lived almost his whole life in the wild, Phelan seemed well-adapted to being in a cosy home with four walls surrounding him. Bricks, concrete and machinery seemed as natural to him as bark, cherries and maple leaves. He didn't even seem to flinch as Miss Miller came up to him with a hug.

"Why, hello there, Phelan! We haven't seen you around in a while!"

"I'm sorry, Miss Miller; I've been busy," said Phelan as he returned the hug. "But I have a small favour to ask. See, I've accidentally ripped my coat here," he pointed to the damage. "And I don't know anybody who can fix it."

"Not to worry, dear. A tear like this would only take me less than an hour to sew. Why don't you join the others and have fun? I'll call you when I'm done."

"Thank you, Miss Miller."

I can't believe this! He's so polite, so genteel, and he makes friends with the greatest of ease. Forget the Order; even Lady Serenity would be honoured to stand in his presence! Why does she think he's nothing but scum?

"Maia? Maia?"

She didn't hear Jeanette call out to her until a waving hand came into view. "Are you alright, Maia? You've been awfully quiet."

"I'm fine, really. Just a little out of place, that's all."

"Don't worry about that," smiled Simon reassuringly. "Phelan was just like you when we first came to meet him. A little on the wild side, and full of surprises at first. But right now, he's proven himself to be a true Seville, and very much one of us!"

For the chipmunks to be invited into a girls' room, it certainly sounded like a privilege. In this case, they knew that this surprise, whatever it was, came at a bigger privilege first. They waited until Brittany had shut the door and turned the key in the lock before Simon could speak up again.

"Alright, so why the need to call on me, Brittany?"

Seven jaws went numb and dropped in complete shock as Brittany pushed Maia into the centre. "You're the expert on science, aren't you? Well, Maia actually fell from the sky last night and landed in our backyard!"

Maia could feel her ears prickling stiffly, along with the back of her neck burning with a rising flare. Had she known this was a trap, she could've aborted the mission right then and there. But the idea of returning empty-handed would be an even greater shame to bear. And whether she liked it or not, Maia was in unfamiliar territory playing by their rules.

Theodore, who looked adorable as always, caught her off guard as he snuggled up next to her with a hug. "You were the fallen star? Thank you so much, Maia! You got Phelan to come back to us!"

"Aw... that's really sweet of you, Theo," giggled Maia. "But you must also know that Phelan made his own decision to return home. Isn't that right, Phelan?"

Alvin then turned to face Phelan. "So, you really didn't cause that earthquake, huh?"

The wolf-like chipmunk raised his paws.

"Innocent until proven guilty, I'm afraid. But let's not point our fingers at anyone else. And besides, Maia's new around here. Let's not make her any more uncomfortable as she might be."

Maia raised a brow. Cute, charming, and now caring, even though he's only met me once! If I didn't know better, I'd say he's going all out to protect me! She heaved a sigh of relief, prompting Brittany to ask again.

"So, Simon, what d'you think?"

"Well, considering that taxonomy isn't exactly my speciality, I'll see what I can do."

Simon paced up and down the room, inspecting Maia from all sides and muttering incomprehensibly to himself. There was something almost unsettling about the way he kept looking at her, almost as if she was one of many displays in a science exhibition.

"Hmm... very interesting. Tamias striatus, the common Eastern chipmunk. Very unusual coat of fur, possibly due to the absence of usual pigments. And... different colouration of the eyes. It looks good on you by the way, Maia."

"Thanks. It's just heterochromia."

Nobody seemed to understand what she said, except for Simon, who seemed pleased that someone else shared his thirst for knowledge.

"It just means that I've always had these eyes since birth," Maia smiled.

It didn't take long for Simon to finally straighten the bridge of his glasses in satisfaction, before turning to face the others. "I think it's safe to say that our friend here is an albino chipmunk. It's nothing to worry about, Maia; you're just a very rare species. But you are certainly no fallen star."

"Thanks... I guess."

Seeing how everybody was taking kindly to her, Maia began to understand why Phelan chose to rest his laurels amongst these chipmunks. It was amazing how the bond of friendship and family grew stronger every passing second, and how each of them cared deeply for each other.

"We've still got about an hour or so till Miss Miller's done with Phelan's coat," said Eleanor. "Let's do something else!"

"How about 'Truth or Dare'?" Alvin said hopefully.

Brittany shook her head vigorously. "Nuh uh! No way! Remember what happened last time?"

The room fell silent for a moment. Even Phelan had to shift his gaze away from the group for a while, possibly dwelling on the past. Everybody else just went along playing pass-the-parcel, except that this parcel consisted of a monotonous question and answer.

"What d'you wanna do?"

"Dunno. What d'you wanna do?"

Even Maia had to admit it – nothing could have been more boring than the prospect of doing nothing on a night filled with vigorous company. This, she fumed, was a perfectly useless way to end such a promising day like this.

"I know what we can play!" As always, a mischievous grin crossed Alvin's face as he rubbed his paws together.

Everyone waited for Alvin's idea, despite knowing that his schemes were like dynamite: small and harmless at first, before blowing up into explosive catastrophe. At least it couldn't be worse than staring blankly into space.

"Seven minutes in heaven!"

The excitement that followed didn't seem to have its desired effect on Phelan and Maia.

"Seven minutes of what?" they chorused.

"And since you and Maia don't know anything about this game, you two get to play first!" Alvin was definitely enjoying himself as he put an arm around Phelan and Maia each.

"It's simple, really. The both of you will spend the next seven minutes in a closet all to yourselves. Basically, you can do anything and everything you want." He put as much emphasis on those words by fluttering his eyes and making puckering motions with his lips. "But there is one golden rule – whatever happens in the closet, stays in the closet!"

The two unlucky contestants stared at Alvin as though they would've loved to rip him into shreds. And they would've looked the same way too at Brittany, had she not returned the wink her counterpart had given behind their backs.

Brittany opened one of the side doors, where most of the Chipettes' junk could be seen lying about in lifeless gloom. "We can use our storeroom! It's got plenty of space for a good get-together session! Plus, Alvin and I had our first seven minutes here as well!"

Maia would have been grateful enough that Phelan didn't see her as she blushed furiously.

"Sorry, no can do," Phelan said. "Besides, I can't bear to be in a storeroom like that!"

"And why's that? Don't tell me you're chicken to play?" challenged Alvin.

The wolf-like chipmunk looked practically tongue-tied as he struggled to spit out the words.

"Because... because I'm claustrophobic!"

"You're a warrior of the darkness, and yet you're frightened of enclosed spaces?" Alvin was doubled over, rolling about on the floor. "Man, that's got to be the lamest excuse ever!"

"Alvin, I'm serious – let go of me!"

Phelan looked about wildly as Alvin had to literally drag him by his tail to the closet. "What am I supposed to do? Help me!" he whispered frantically to his brothers.

Simon and Theodore merely shrugged their shoulders.

Brittany was doing the same, although she was able to get Eleanor to usher a hesitant Maia step by step into the dark room.

"It's alright, Maia. Just go with the flow," Jeanette reassured, though she did share Maia's concern.

The creamy-white chipette felt the breath knocked out of her system as Phelan caught her, cushioning Maia's fall as they were both thrown roughly into the closet.

Alvin pointed to an imaginary watch. "Tick tock! Have fun, you crazy lovebirds!"

Then the door swung shut, blocking out all sources of light from sight.

To Be Continued...

Oh, and another thing. This chapter has actually been split into two, because I found this to be an excellent cliffhanger. Hehehe :P

Want to know what happens next? Keep those reviews pouring in fast, and who knows, maybe I'll throw in a few surprises too!

Until then, see ya soon, and please review! :D

~ Wind