Jeanette's Hero
Chapter 1: The Accident

Deep below a suburban home in California, a diminutive scientist busily worked in his lab in the basement. It was late at night on a Friday evening, and the boy had been recently sketching up ideas in his Chemistry class for a solution to his eye problems. He couldn't see any farther than a centimeter away from his face. He constantly strained his big blue eyes to see things that were far away. He wore bulky glasses that made him look very intelligent, however they were a constant bother in gym class because there was always the constant fear of them being broken. The rounded frames now occupied his face and slid down his nose. In annoyance, the chipmunk routinely shoved the spectacles back up into place.

"Once I finish here, there'll be no need for that." he reminded himself for about the seventh time. "No more geeky ol' Simon..."

He picked up a beaker that bubbled and fizzed, then prepared, in his other hand, a hissing substance. He smirked as he spoke his monologue. He wanted to be a nerd no more. Simon poured the now spitting beaker into the bubbling one, and the two liquids together formed an evil alliance. They growled and snarled and foamed, building high above the narrow rim of the beaker. Simon staggered backwards from the lab table when he realized what he'd done. He pulled his arms up in front of his face as the foam cornered him. Within seconds of his back hitting the wall, the substance exploded, sending shards of glass and other debris soaring across the room with a BOOM!

Simon lost consciousness, also losing feeling in his body. He lay there, numb and limp, unable to move. The last thing he remembered as he tilted his head sideways and shut his eyes was regretting playing with chemicals alone. He heard yelling upstairs and partially hoped that his family would find him, and partially hoped they wouldn't.

Simon's P.O.V.

I someone yelling, but I don't care to try to recognize the voice. At this point, the last thing I feel like doing is listening to any sounds. My head is pounding and I'm not even sure if any of what I'm hearing is actually real. Why did I go into the lab that night, when I should have been safely tucked away under the plaid sheets of my comforter, far from any harmful substances? Maybe I'm just that much of a lunatic. I've gone mad. Even madder than Dr. Jackyl, when he created Mr. Hyde. Heck, I'm loonier than Bugs Bunny, head of the Looney Toons cartoon series that Theodore enjoys so much. Most of all, I feel like the biggest idiot on Earth. Not even goldfish, which have almost no brain at all, have much more intelligence than I do at this point.

I refuse to mull this over anymore and try to focus on other matters. The concoction I had cooked up obviously didn't work. I almost died. Perhaps I should quit my science career. I didn't want to endanger my life anymore. I wanted to live. I wanted to be able to see Jeanette. Jeanette… I almost forgot about her! The most beautiful chipmunk, who means the universe to me, had slipped my mind. I mentally slapped myself. Nice one, Simon. She probably forgot me too, knowing how unfocused she could be at times.

My thoughts shifted to her, mind and soul studying the wonderful memories I had with her. The mental image I had couldn't compare to the moments that could be physically shared. Her scent ran through my mind and her sweet laugh rang throughout my skull. I envisioned the way her lips would curl and her purple eyes would scrunch up when she smiled and laughed. Jeanette's brunette hair was tossed every which way on her head, finally pulled into a pony-tail like bun between her ears. No matter how unruly the fur was behaving, or how crooked her glasses were, or how many times she tripped over her own toes, Jeanette was perfect. Always.

I wondered about her now. Was she informed of my harmed state, or blissfully unaware? She was living in the same house, you dolt, I reminded myself harshly. Either way, I knew that I had to pull through this, for Jeanette's sake. I knew that Theodore would be devastated, too, and I didn't want to ruin his childhood. I wasn't sure about Alvin or Brittany. Alvin and I fought a lot, mostly over silly things like who got to play the next video game or something. I try to be the more sensible one, but it always seems like Alvin, Brittany, and mine's personalities clash in a melee of arguing. Eleanor, who I knew would be right there for Theo if things got rough, would be sad as well, but she and I didn't exactly talk too much. I couldn't be absolutely sure of her actions, yet I still believed that she was able to pull everyone together and keep them strong if it were to come to my death. If I were to die, Dave would throw a fit, then rant about how much of a horrid parent he was. I didn't think that he was that bad of a father. He only had Alvin to deal with, which would give anyone grey hairs and stress issues.

But I was determined to stay alive and keep death at bay. For the sake of my loved ones. For the sake of my family.

Jeanette's Point of View

I woke up this morning to a really loud noise at approximately one twenty-three this morning. (Or maybe it was twenty-two. I can't be sure; I was trying to put on my glasses to see what was going on.) My heart pounded wildly in my chest and I panted heavily, sweat pouring off of me like rain. I'd been having nightmares all night of Simon being in danger. I hadn't the foggiest idea why. I remembered waking up several times before the explosion, trying to reassure myself that he was perfectly fine and laying in the bed across from mine. I could have sworn I'd bid him goodnight only three hours earlier after leaving his lab. He'd been cooking up a serum that would surely rid him of his eyesight problems and his need for his glasses. I didn't think he needed to change anything about himself though, especially not his glasses. They made him look so smart, so wonderful. I didn't really want him to change that. The spectacles made him unique and…to tell you the truth, I found them quite fetching on him.

But apparently, he didn't think so. He tinkered and toiled and messed with this and that until, finally, it was ten o'clock. It was time to close up shop and call it a night, as we'd agreed to with Dave. We carried ourselves upstairs, a failed day of labor done. I was exhausted from the Biology test I'd had this morning that I'd studied a whole week for. I was barely able to keep my eyes open as Simon helped me to my bed. He tucked me in despite my drunken protests that I would do it myself. With painstaking precision, Simon took my glasses from me and kissed me on the nose and told me to rest. I couldn't say anything through a yawn that was impossible to stifle. He smiled in satisfaction and hopped down to reappear in his own bed. Unable to fight sleep any longer, I mumbled a weak attempt at telling him how much I didn't need rest. I soon lost my grip on reality, though, and my eyes closed inevitably.

That was when the nightmares started.

Now, facing the clock, I clumsily stumbled out of bed and onto the wood floor where my two sisters and Simon's two brothers congregated. I was shocked out of my state of drowsiness and began to worry when I realized that Simon was missing. Horrified, I scurried up onto his bed, hoping that he was just a heavy sleeper. Unfortunately, he wasn't there. Besides, I'd learned one thing while living in the Seville household: Theodore and Eleanor were the heaviest sleepers in the house. If they couldn't sleep through it, no one could.

I made a great leap off of Simon's bed and tumbled across the floor. Ignoring a throbbing pain in my ankle, I raced to the basement without another word or glance at the others. I was a blur of brown and purple as I streaked through the haze of smoke and endured the blaring smoke alarm. BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP…

"SIMON!" I cried at the bottom of the stairs.

I hurried through the debris until I found him, sprawled out against the wall with a minor head wound. I fearfully removed his glasses and then checked the bleeding cut on his head. It wasn't gushing, but I wasn't about to risk anything. I took a cloth that was a bit dirty and wrapped it around his forehead to stop the blood flow. He was unconscious, making moving him by myself nearly impossible. With a voice as loud as my meek lungs could muster I yelled, "ALVIIIINNN!"

The response was almost instantaneous. The red-clad chipmunk scampered down the stairs in less than a heartbeat, just as confused as I was. As soon as he caught sight of Simon, though, he instantly seemed to know what he needed to do. He quickly padded over to Simon's side and tossed his brother over his shoulder. Simon hung limply, which worried me. He couldn't be dead, could he? Alvin led the way through smoking debris and ruin. I followed him absent-mindedly into the living room. With all of his might, Alvin heaved Simon onto the couch. I coughed and made a weak leap onto the sofa in an attempt to keep up.

Alvin was on the couch already, studying his brother's scrapes and bruises. I scrambled to get a foot hold, but my bum ankle was on the leg that I usually use to do so. I fell, barely hanging on to the edge of the cushion with the feeble toothpicks I called arms.

"Ah!" I cried. "Help!"

Alvin looked down at me and grabbed my furry wrists. He pulled me up with his football-player strength and I was flung all the way to the back of the couch cushion.

"Whoops, sorry." Alvin apologized with a careless shrug.

I stood and dusted myself off. "That's alright."

I suddenly remembered where I was and what I was doing. I skittered to Simon's side and grabbed his paw. He looked dead, lying there limply. When he gave a small mumble, though, I knew that he was still breathing. I hugged his arm excitedly.

Alvin rolled his eyes.

"He's blown up things in the lab before," he stated. "He'll be fine."

I sighed. "But he never has while I've been here."

I noticed that Simon had always been cautious of what chemicals he mixed when I was in the lab. Nothing drastic or volatile while I was around. I realized now that he was trying to protect me. But now, I felt as though I weren't protective enough. I should have made sure that he was asleep before I went to sleep. However, I had been so tired, I couldn't focus or think at all. That was no excuse for the back of my mind, which screamed out my neglect. I shook my head to clear the thoughts from my mind. I tried to think only of Simon. What could I do for him now?

"Alvin," I said with authority. "Get me a damp cloth. We need to clean him up."

Alvin did a mock-salute and ran off to fill my request. I ran my fingers through Simon's soft hair, unable to move from the spot myself. When the red-clad chipmunk returned, I swiped the glasses lens wipe from him. I blinked and stared at the small packaged wipe that I held in my paws.

"Close enough." I dismissed him.

Carefully, I slipped the cloth over the dirty spots on Simon's head. His cheeks were bruised and his forehead was in need of better care. I rolled up his sweatshirt sleeves (which had holes in them everywhere) and pulled the cloth over his blistered arms. He shivered when he felt the cloth touch his arm, and I couldn't blame him for his action. After I was all done, I gave him a kiss on the forehead and snuggled next to him. He was warm, I noticed. Warmer than usual. I hoped he didn't have a fever.

With the shock I'd gotten, you would think that I'd have the hardest time sleeping. However, once I knew that Simon was alive and that I was cuddled next to him, I was no longer afraid. My heart went back to its normal rhythm and I yawned. Alvin left us alone and scampered off to go tell the others the news. Unconcerned with the world around me anymore, I closed my eyes and listened to Simon's slow, steady breathing. Soon, all I was aware of were the thoughts buzzing through my head. Being this close to the chipmunk in a time of injury reminded me of when we were stranded on the island. Simon was "Simone", the dashing and daring French chipmunk who knew no fear. When we danced, we were closer than I ever imagined I could be with another being; not only physically, but spiritually as well. I had never known a happier time than that, when it felt like I could dance on the stars with that perfect partner. I sighed.

When Simon had learned of the things Simone had done, he tried to live up to the alter-ego's reputation. He tried to swing off of things and spin poetry from the air like cotton candy. Although he wasn't as suave or…well…French, I could tell that Simon was trying his best. I smiled at him through his attempts. After a while, I told him that I didn't care if he was nothing like Simone. I didn't want Simone. I wanted Simon. The real Simon.

That's when Simon and I began dating. We studied together and had long talks on the roof. We took walks around the block and watched TV together. We would even try to meet during lunch or during a free period at school and hang out together. Anything to just be together.

I sighed again and squeezed Simon's paw. I just wanted him to wake up all right. After a little while of relaxing and basking in the dim lamp light, I nodded off, surrendering myself to a deep, dreamless sleep.

Or so I thought.

I found myself running. Fleeing from an unseen predator. However, the dream chipmunk in my nightmare seemed to know. In what I can only describe as pure fear, I sprinted on all fours, trying desperately to escape through a city I didn't know. Skyscrapers towered over my head. Signs and displays from stores were obstacles in my path. For some odd reason, the streets were abandoned of all life. Wind whipped through the buildings and through my hair, howling angrily. A crumpled newspaper tumbled across the avenue. I skipped over it and continued my run. I felt like one of the characters from the popular game Temple Run, endlessly sprinting on and on, not stopping until I hit one pesky encumbrance.

Soon, I realized that there was no escape. Whatever was on my tail was resilient, with the speed and endurance of a well-trained racehorse. I told myself to stop. However, I just kept running, like I had the energy of the Energizer Bunny. I was too afraid to turn around and see what was chasing me. I didn't want to see my own demise.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a blue and white streak swooped in and swept me off my paws. I gasped, more in surprise than breathlessness. As much as I knew I shouldn't, I looked down. I was flying! My eyes went wide and I scrambled in panic to try to find my grasp on the ground again. I was in a frenzy as I was carried across the blue, cloudless sky of the endless cityscape.

"Please, don't do that," said a soft voice that was close to my ear.

I blinked and turned my head to the source of the sound. I stared upon the furry face of a mysterious animal, whose face I could not place. His eyes shined a deep blue that reminded me of the ocean. The fur under his white mask was a dark brown, much like my own. He smiled at me reassuringly.

"The heights are something to get used to," he purred, "but it's worth the sensation of wind in your fur."

The crooked grin was so familiar. I'd seen it before, but all that I could remember about it was that it was my favorite. Favorite. A hint that reveals so little, yet tells so much. I am not wise enough to solve the riddle of his identity. Instead, I ask for another hint.

"W-who are you?" I sputter, my voice strained in nervousness.

He looked distant as he prepared to reply. The sound of the wind began to fade and I felt as though we were descending. He opened his mouth to say something when the sight of him became clouded. A fog like no other closed in around him and between us, cutting away all contact. I reached out with both paws and began to scratch at the haze, trying to regain the image of the brave hero.

"W-wait a minute! Hey! Come back!" I cried out.

Alas, he was gone.

Hello, ladies and gentlemen! So, I've had this obsession with super heroes ever since I watched the Avengers movie. Then, inspiration hit. I would create a chipmunk super hero! I've had this story in my head for a while now, and I just wanted to share it. If you would like me to continue this story, please review! Maybe you might even have suggestions or corrections for grammar and whatnot? Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this! Thanks for readin'!