Chapter 4: Deja Vu
"You've gotta believe me, Dave!" Alvin gripped Dave's collar as Dave rolled his eyes while sitting near Alvin's bedside in the Chipmunks' room. Simon had already taken off his glasses, but looked annoyed as he tried to settle in for the night. Theodore looked at Dave and Alvin from beneath his covers, which were pulled up to his tiny chin.
"Maybe it's Dracula, the Wolfman, the Boogieman, Mr. Sandman, maybe Freddy Krueger? And it's all after Simon and Theodore had their fortunes come true...!"
"Alvin, slow down." Dave scolded, but lightly. "Now, what's this about a fortune?"
"Well, you see, we went to see a fortune teller and...."
"Way to pull us in the whole argument, Alvin." Simon noted, sighing loudly.
"That's what this is about - a fortune teller?" Dave shook his head. "Alvin, fortunes aren't real, no matter whether they're good or bad. Many have their fortunes told everyday, by many different people claiming to know the future. Usually the ones that do come true are just by chance."
"That's what I told him. Somehow he got it in his mind that just because he got a bad fortune, he thinks the world's gonna end." Simon pointed out.
"Oh yeah? Every single one of the fortunes she told us came true - you just won't admit it, Simon. Well, almost every single one..." Alvin noted.
"You can't believe everything you read or hear from other people, Alvin. Just because someone says something will happen doesn't mean it will happen or that it can't be changed." Dave put a hand on Alvin's head, reassuringly.
"You don't believe me at all, do you? I'm telling the truth!"
Dave sighed. "We'll talk about this more tomorrow since it's late and I know you boys have school in the morning. I want to sit down with all three of you to talk about this when I get back home. And you are not to go back to the fortune teller you went to, understood?"
"Yes, sir." Alvin, Simon, and Theodore said in unison as Dave stood up approaching the door. His voice had been stern, but he didn't mean it to come out as harsh as it did. He sighed and looked behind his back as he opened the door.
"Good night, boys."
"Night Dave." They said as he shut the door.
***
During lunch at school the next day, The Chipmunks and Chipettes found themselves sitting across from each other in the cafeteria. Brittany saw that Alvin was playing around with his spaghetti and meatballs, seemingly distracted by something. She grinned slyly and placed a hand under her chin as she gazed into his downcast, but somewhat annoyed, eyes.
"I guess that song you wrote really didn't hit its mark, did it, Alvin? You should learn not to put your size 7 shoes into your size 1 mouth."
"For your information, Brittany - I'm still working on it. Just you wait - it's going to be bigger than the single you recorded yesterday, for sure. By a long shot."
"You wanna bet on it, buster?" Brittany jumped from her seat, placing one foot on the table and leering down at him with a confident, triumphant expression.
"You bet I will! And you're betting on my song- that is, the song that I wrote - just remember that!"
"You're on! And know that I wrote our latest single, all by myself too!"
Jeanette sighed, as Alvin and Brittany continued to argue. "The whole two tables over that way are looking at us weirdly. And I get the feeling its not because of who we are, but because of those two."
"Those two need a room all to themselves. But something tells me that wouldn't be such a good idea. It would probably be the end of the modern world as we know it." Simon sighed, suddenly imagining Alvin and Brittany as cave dwellers, arguing back and forth while waving clubs in the air. He grimaced at the thought and seemed to pop the thought bubble over his mind with a single finger.
"I wish they wouldn't fight so much." Theodore noted, stuffing a piece of a chicken leg in his mouth, but frowned as he chewed it.
"Me neither, Theodore." Eleanor noted. "But maybe we can think of this as a good thing - it's friendly competition. We haven't released singles against each other in a long time."
"Well...who won last time?" Simon asked Eleanor.
"Don't mention it." she said under her breath. "Brittany's still mad about it. You do it and she'll start declaring war on you - at least right now it's more like battle mode. We've seen her declare war - it's not pretty."
Simon's face twisted in a look of discomfort, and he laughed nervously. "I'll...keep that in mind."
"Simon, is it true you penned the latest single for the Chipmunks?" Eleanor asked.
Simon nodded affirmatively. "I still feel weird about it because they usually don't choose my songs. And not so suddenly, either."
"But that's great! It means you're getting more opportunity."
"Maybe...but Alvin seems convinced it was a fluke. Then again, he did tell me I've written better songs with my eyes closed - I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or not."
"I think Alvin meant that you've written better stuff that hasn't been discovered yet by the producers, Simon." Theodore noted.
"If he really meant that, I'd agree with him, not to take on his ego or anything. But still - it's the decision of the committee. I just hope we're not taking two steps back with the new song."
"I heard you guys recording in the studio late yesterday. I thought it sounded great. I mean...you know, for what you guys usually do." Jeanette blushed, a little fearful that Brittany would overhear her giving compliments to their rival group, and in Brittany's mind, that was definitely not in her agenda.
"Thank you, Jeanette. Now I think we need to pull these two away from each other before the vice principals start wondering what's going on."
***
"Are you sure you're okay after what happened last night, Alvin? That must have been really scary..."
Alvin laughed nervously as the brothers made their way home that afternoon following school. "I'm fine, Theodore. I'm worried about whatever that shadow was in the attic, and how I even got on the roof in the first place. I don't remember anything between that time - I don't even think I heard you guys in the attic, which creeps me out. Are you sure neither of you heard the scratching sounds in the attic?"
"I didn't hear anything at all."
"Neither did I. Are you sure you didn't just dream it?" Simon noted, dubious.
"I'm very sure. And I know for a fact I didn't get up to the roof by myself. There's no way I could have climbed up on the tiles from the window - it's too steep. Not to mention that I, in my right mind, would never try something like that by myself. I mean, I'm no scaredy cat, but I know when to say no."
"I don't know; you've given us many times to doubt when you're in your right mind, Alvin."
"Like when? Name one! I bet you can't." Alvin folded his arms and gave Simon a look out the corner of his eyes.
"I can name more than a few. How about that time you filled the bathtub and shower head with garlic because you were convinced that there was a vampire hiding not just somewhere in the bathroom, but in your toothbrush?! We ALL ended up smelling weird for a week. And how about the time you thought it was a good idea to switch the sugar with the salt because you thought imps would try to switch them when we weren't looking? Or how about the time..."
"Okay, okay. I get your point. But seriously guys, there's something fishy going on. Don't you see - the shadow part of my fortune already came true." Alvin gulped. "I don't think I wanna find out what the rest of it is. So we've gotta look into it before it happens."
"I really think you're reading too much into this. Like Dave said, it's not like you can't change a fortune, even if it were real."
"Actually, Simon, you just gave me an idea." Alvin started running ahead along the street.
"Why do I get the feeling I don't like where this is going?" Simon noted as he and Theodore ran after Alvin.
***
"Oh no we are not." Simon said sternly. "We are not going back in there. Furthermore, I am not going back in there."
"Come on, Simon!" Alvin pulled on his arm, but Simon wouldn't budge and yanked his arm away.
"Dave told us specifically that we weren't allowed to visit any kind of fortune teller, again!"
"Actually, Dave said we weren't allowed to visit the same fortune teller, not any." Theodore corrected.
"Meaning we definitely can't see Melina again. So, I'd like to know what are you two doing standing right in front of the same alley that we were on just the day before yesterday?!"
"We're going to see Melina, of course. Besides, it's not like Dave knows who she is. What he doesn't know won't hurt him." Alvin raised his eyebrows.
"Alvin! Okay, let me put this in terms that even you can understand. Yesterday, Theodore won $100 dollars. I, for no reason, had one of my songs signed and approved by the panel to be our next single. You nearly fell off the roof, which I would normally attribute to your clumsiness, except that you thought you heard something in the attic that freaked you out. Which leads me to one conclusion."
"That you finally believe me about our fortunes came true?"
"No...that Melina might have had something to do with everything that's been happening! She's the number one suspect on my mental dossier list. Even if we weren't restricted from going there, I would not go back there willingly after everything that happened."
"And how exactly can you prove that she had something to do with it, Sherlock?" Alvin noted slyly to Simon.
"Well...I haven't deduced that far, but it would be too dangerous to engage her now after everything that's happened."
"And you don't understand what it means to investigate the scene of a crime! When there's any kind of suspicious event, you dig until you get to the bottom of it, regardless of the situation or the danger involved. I wanna know what was in our attic and why it attacked me...if you call what it did attacking, I guess. The only way we can find that out, is start talking to the person that knew about what would happen before it happened. So, you tell me, Einstein? What other person do you know would know that?"
Simon sighed. "Okay, Alvin, you've got me. But still, if she's charging you for information or she threatens you again, I'll drag you out of there myself."
"Fine, you wait here, and I'll go inside. Theodore, you coming?"
"Sure, I'll go!"
"You two are impossible." Simon said, shaking his head as he saw Alvin and Theodore entering the fortune teller's business.
***
"Melina knew that you would return, young Alvin and young Theodore." Melina had a big, warm smile on her face as Alvin and Theodore moved past the beaded entrance to where Melina sat. Since the time they'd been there, Melina had collected another few filled money jars, and Alvin wondered how many people came to see her for such a small place. It didn't seem particularly busy, even on the day they initially came.
"It's nice to see you too, Miss Melina, though...I think I want to ask you a few questions."
She seem to nod knowingly. "You came to ask Melina about your fortune, young Alvin."
"Yeah...about that...can you tell me what exactly you mean by...walking with the dead?"
"Melina is afraid that even if you paid her money, she cannot interfere with the route of comic forces. But young Alvin will soon see the path before him - very soon. Melina says that you should wait by the clearest moonlight, and you'll find its true form - though it may be dangerous, it shall reveal itself to you. And Melina gives you that advice for free." She winked.
"Thank you! Um...can I ask you some other questions too?"
"Sure, ask me as you like - Melina and you boys are friends, yes?"
"Yeah, definitely!" Theodore quipped.
"Melina is very happy to hear that."
"Well, I know you can't tell us but specific things, but...is my attic possessed or something?"
"It is inhabited by some disturbing occupations, indeed. Many they are, but you must determine that. Melina cannot tell you."
"See, I told you, Theodore, now I know I'm not crazy."
Theodore didn't say anything, but gulped in response.
"There's also something I can't remember that happened..."
"Ah - you will also find that answer in your fortune. That I cannot reveal to you."
"Oh, I see."
"Well, looks like that didn't really help." Theodore said under his breath.
"I know, but that's not her fault." Alvin noted. Melina smiled without much words in edgewise.
Alvin exhaled with relief. "Thanks Melina, that's all I really needed to know. If I have more questions, can I come back?"
"Certainly. Melina owes it to young Alvin and Theodore for their company. And young Simon too, though still a skeptic."
Alvin nervously laughed. "Sorry about that. Simon tends to be a little...oh, I don't know...stuffy when it comes to things like this."
"I heard that, Alvin!"
Melina stifled a giggle as Alvin and Theodore shook their heads at Simon's yell from the alley. They didn't know he'd actually approached into the alley from the street to wait for them.
"Melina does not blame young Simon for his suspect, but warns that too much suspicion can be dangerous."
"Yeah, we know. We won't let Simon be too...uh, what was the word you used to describe Simon again, Alvin?"
Alvin casually eyed the door and grinned. "Stuffy, Theodore." He raised his voice just enough to where he knew Simon could hear it.
"Alvin!"
"Okay, we're leaving! Thanks, Miss Melina, bye now!"
Melina shook her head as she heard Alvin and Theodore racing off, and Simon yelling something to the effect of not disrespecting him in front of company when he wasn't in the room. She believed that they would be perfect for the tasks that awaited them in their home, and she knew it all too well.