"Alvin! Move over, you're squishing me."
Mindy was getting annoyed, not that you could blame her. The weather was hot and she, the boys, her mom and Dave had been in the car for about three hours. She and her mother, Selena Flannagan, had moved into LA from Shadyside, Ohio four months ago. As it turns out, Dave and Selena were childhood pals, prompting Alvin, Simon and Theodore to spend more time with Mindy, or "Tracker", her preferred nickname. "Fine, fine, I'll move... Candybear!"
Tracker growled. "You know I hate that! Stop it!"
Candybear was her mother's secret nickname for her. Well, it was secret until Alvin had overheard Selena call her it, now never letting up on her for it. Over the last four months, Selena and Dave had reconnected as friends, spurring talk of what was now this hour plane ride and three hour car trip to Shadyside, Ohio, their childhood home. Yesterday had been the last day of school, spurring bouts of late nights and sleeping till noon; but for these four it was early to bed so they could get up at six am. And waste the whole day in a hot van. Right now the boys were doing their own things; Theodore was lost in his coloring book world. Alvin was perfecting the art of bugging the crap out of her and Theodore. Simon was asleep, as he had been for most of the trip. He was really doped up on Dramamine, because he got carsick very easily. His face was squished on the window of the car, and he looked incredibly ridiculous. Tracker decided she would follow his example and take a nap. But just as she closed her eyes, a wild rumbling shook her into realizing that something was terribly, terribly wrong. Pretty soon the screams of the six passengers outdid the rumble of flying rocks as the van careened off of a cliff.