Discovery

I follow the six of them to lunch, and sit beside them on the table. "So…" Alvin turns to me. "How old are you, anyway?"

"Five."

Simon turns to me, shock in his eyes. "Five!? What are you doing in high school?"

"Ian. And Dave didn't ask."

Jeanette shakes her head. "We're supposed to be in high school, but you're practically a baby, Shey!"

Alvin puts an arm around me. "We're telling Dave when we get home, Little Sis. No one's going to hurt you anymore."

Theodore sighs. "Our parents left when we were really young to join a commune…"

"My parents came from one, and hurt me—wouldn't let me leave…"

Simon's eyes widen slightly. "What were you like back home? I mean, you seem as sweet as Jen is, but I don't know…"

I smirk, looking almost like Alvin with a mischievous look in my eyes. "You don't want to know how devious I can get, Mr. Seville."

The Chipettes' eyes widen, and Brittany reaches over and snags my glasses before I can stop her, causing me to glare at her and try to grab them. "Hey! I need those to see!"

Brittany nods toward where I'm still reaching for my glasses. "Simon, tell me what you see."

"My best friend's sister stealing a child's glasses when she—" He looks closer and gasps. "No way… Alvin…"

"What?"

"Look closer at Sheyenne." He leans closer, practically in my face, staring right into my sapphire eyes and making me flinch at the eye contact. "Your eyes… Si, she's got your eyes!"

"And your smirk, and that…little twinkle you get in your eye when you have some random scheme in mind."

Theodore grins. "And her fur almost matches mine, it's just…redder!"

"Redder?"

I look at the back of my literally carrot-colored hand. "You mean completely red?"

"No, he's right." Simon looks closer. "There's a hint of blonde in there…you just have to look really close." He leans back, but not before snatching my glasses while Brittany is distracted, and slipping them back on my face. "There, Little One. Better?"

"Much. Thank you."

"Now, I'm going down to the office to call Dave, and I'm taking this little one with me. Alvin, behave yourself, and no going over to Ryan or Xander, we've got a family situation and we need you."

For once, Alvin nods. "Si, if she's really…" He sighs. "Then I have to be a good influence…and that means…"

"That means behaving yourself?"

"As hard as it's going to be, I have to…"

Simon takes my hand. "Come on, Little Star. Let's go call Dave, and see if he can come get you."

"Not leaving you." I reach up, wordlessly asking the much taller chipmunk to carry me, and giggle when he picks me up. "Did you guys think I was a midget?"

Simon turns to me in shock. "Where did you even hear that word?"

"I lived with Ian, remember?"

"We didn't know what to think, you look so little but you acted so mature…"

"I had to…to survive…"

"So did we." Simon sighs. "When you're abandoned at 6, you kind of have to be…" He sighs. "But you chose to leave." He sets me down and hops up to the counter in the office. "Can we talk with Dr. Rubin?"

"Sure, Simon. Go right in."

He hops down and picks me up before carrying me into the office. "Dr. Rubin, we need you to call Dave."

"What's wrong, Simon?"

"Um…" He rubs the back of his neck with his free hand. "It's regarding Sheyenne, and this isn't something we can discuss over the phone."

"Is this going to wind up being one of those "we have to go home early because Alvin broke another rule" things, because I'm not letting him off anymore, Simon."

"No, this is "Ian has now added child labor to his list of crimes" and "we didn't realize how young Sheyenne was until just now". She's too young to be in high school, Dr. Rubin. She's five…"

"Holy…" She turns to me. "How have you been getting your work done?"

I look down. "Bad gwades…"

"Not counting her math last night because I helped her do it, though it was more doing it myself, but I understand why now…" He turns to me. "Are you acting or are you finally being yourself?"

"Hadda be 'big'…"

"Then you were on your own…" He sighs heavily.

"All right, I'm calling Dave. Get your stuff together and find your brothers and the girls. This is a family emergency—a minor one, since no one's hurt, but we have a severely mentally abused child here, and she needs a parent right now—a good one." She picks up the phone and dials before sticking it between her shoulder and ear. "Leave her with me, Simon. I won't hurt her." She smiles. "I've got a PhD in education, I think I can handle a single child."

"A single child with a mischievous streak almost as large as Alvin's?"

"We'll see. Go get the others, quickly." She turns her attention to the phone, one finger running over my tiny braids. "Dave, it's Dr. Rubin."