Ill: Evil's Definition

I've been gone for a while. A LONG ONE. But don't worry. I have the answer, and I've kept my faith/religion (and bias) out of it. It's from one of my original stories, 'Omniscience', that addresses this kind of question, and I'm going to be sourcing a little from it.

4.

It'd been two years.

Alvin had been recruited precisely twenty-four months ago by the Illuminati, taking their offer mainly for financial aid to purchase radical medication for Brittany's sake. There were no more pranks, no more trouble-making, no more general mischief. While it was considered a good thing at first (although none would say it out loud), there were other factors.

There was no one to rouse them at the top of their lungs with an 'up-and-at-'em' attitude. No one to drive them out of their minds with annoying shenanigans and keep them on their toes. No one to truly inspire self-confidence when they were out, despite their own efforts to step into the role. No one to mock-fight or play-argue with. No one to inspire competition, or to initiate a lively song to get their blood pumping.

There used to be a three-of-three with a three-of-three. Not only had he left his brothers, but he'd created an imbalance in their entire dynamic because of it; three chipettes to two chipmunks, they hadn't realized how much they truly valued him, even as a place-holder… until he was gone.

He used to stop by in the early months following his recruitment. He and his brothers were called 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' for a reason. Over time, however, they grew more irregular as Alvin pursued a 'solo' career. Their own musical careers were getting down, yet he thrived, even making more money than they all did when performing together. While unusual, it was worsened by the fact that the Red Seville no longer sang with them, differing to doing song features with other Pop and Rock artists. It was Eleanor who said what was all on their minds.

"Sell-out," she commented quietly, before going back to her room.

He did transfer all of his funds to his adoptive father to effectively manage his money, so Alvin was essentially paying the bills. It worked out; they were clothed, they received their schooling, food was on the table, Brittany was getting her medicine, so on and so forth.

Was it for the best? They didn't know. But they missed him. That didn't change.

…

"Brittany, you're going to be late," Dave reminded severely before he downed his hot coffee in a few painful swallows. Rapidly skimming through the headlines in his newspaper, he dropped it to look at the chipette who was still staring at the tiny pill before her. "Brittany…"

She acknowledged the warning and took the pill, washing it down with a bit of orange juice from her cup that was custom-made for her size. "It's not the taste. I was just thinking… that was the last pill, wasn't it? I saw you throw away the pill bottle in the trash." She looked up at the man, and he couldn't help but take note of her jaded expression. Drab eyes, a flat expression. She wasn't tired, nor was she unhappy. She was fatigued from all of her experiences, and a yearning she denied. He had already said all he could say, expressed all he could express. She'd accepted this bizarre turn of events as part of their new way of life.

She still abhorred it.

"I guess he doesn't have a soul left, huh?" The chipette had a strange, twisted smile on her face. "I finished it off. I ate a piece of it every morning. Sometimes, I had it with waffles, sometimes I ate it with a pancake, wash it down with milk or juice or water. Maybe if I hadn't taken a single pill, they would've let him go… I must be all kinds of crazy to eat his soul, am I right?"

"Brittany, we've been over this. He did this for you. Furthermore, I've been told that you're due to get another bottle. After that, there's another one. It's a six-year treatment, but it's been expected for you to have this illness licked within three more years-" The man brought himself to a stop when he realized that she'd stop listening. He thought that this she would've received it as good news, but in hindsight, he realized that he should've kept it to himself. He had made a show of throwing the empty bottle into the trash, a demonstration that she'd conquered a third of her treatment. Now, he couldn't even begin to imagine what was running through her mind. "… Um… Brittany?"

"Forget it. It's permanent. I might as well just accept it." She eased herself off of the table to drop onto the chair, then from that to the floor. "I'd better get to school."

"Everyone else already took the school bus, and it was due five minutes ago." Dave sighed deeply as he thought of how much time he'd lose by dropping her off at school. "I gotta call my boss and tell her I'll be a little late. Just get to the car. I'll drop you off on my way to work. Now, where'd I put that tie…" He murmured as he wandered out of the kitchen.

"Okay, Dave." She took up her bag and solemnly made her way to the front door, exiting through the installed partition flap in it. Out now on the porch, she was about to head over to the driveway where the car was, but she halted. A car had pulled up out in the street. It was obviously an expensive one, and Brittany instantly got it in her head that it was probably one of the important people that Dave worked for. The passenger door opened in reverse in the 'suicide' fashion, but instead of a person's leg alighting from the door, it was-

"… Alvin…?" She was already stepping forward, and before she realized it, scampering to her significant other. "Alvin?! You're here!"

The Red Seville grinned when he saw her. "Brittany!" he exclaimed, "it's been ages!" His thoughts became excited at the prospect of catching up with her. Turning to the person(s) inside the car, he yelled for them leave without him; with that said, they drove off and left him at the curb. He didn't stay there, though. The chipmunk found it in himself to dash forward to meet Brittany halfway and once they did, grasped her tightly in an embrace. "… I missed you."

"Me too!" Almost on impulse, she pushed him away just hard enough to express her displeasure. "If only you visited more often, or even called us every once in a while, it wouldn't have happened!" The chipmunk had the decency to become sheepish and grinned.

"Well, you know me. Always on tour. I only came back from Japan this morning-"

"J-Japan?" The chipette boggled at him in both disbelief and jealousy; she'd always wanted to go there. "You just came back from Japan?"

"Oh yeah, yeah. The airport was just in the next state, so I made a scene just to get them to take me here. I…" He looked down in growing embarrassment. "I, uh, didn't want you guys to forget what I looked like."

That's what he said, though it wasn't what she heard. Through the layers of his ego, she heard 'I didn't want to forget about you'. Immediately, she began to mentally curse the requirements of success, that of hard work by one's lonesome. "Sure you did. Anyway, Alvin, it's been two years!" she exclaimed excitedly, "and I finished all the pills! You can come home now, right?" Despite Dave's earlier caution that there was likely more medication on the way, she wanted to ignore it. She'd hated the fact Alvin had resorted to joining the Illuminati just to pay for her treatment. They took him away from her, notwithstanding that it was his choice to make.

Alvin fidgeted uncomfortably. "Oh yeah, about that…" He turned sideways to show her his backpack, something she had earlier failed to take notice of. "I brought you something." He wasn't behaving eagerly, so she didn't find in herself to be either. Instead, she was the opposite, becoming worried that it was something that she actually didn't want. He rested the bag on the ground and unzipped it. He then pulled out a large pill bottle, identical to the one the now-empty one that Dave had thrown away this morning.

Brittany's eyes widened. "No, no, no, no. NO!" At her outburst, Alvin backed away a step, befuddled at her behavior.

"What's wrong? They told me at the airport that you were gonna run out this week, so I told them that I could drop it off! It was a good excuse to get them to let me visit! Besides, don't you want to get better?"

"Is THIS why you even wanted to come here? Just to drop that off?"

"No! Of course not, Brittany! I came because I care, alright! I love you, Brit! But I'm doing this, all of this, just because I don't want to see you in pain!" he insisted. "Why's that so hard for you to understand?"

"You don't want to see me in pain?" Brittany echoed, "these pills heal my lungs and break my heart, Alvin. I didn't want you to resort to this-"

The front door opened sharply, interrupting the chipette mid-speech. The opening of it revealed a messy-looking Dave who was trying to tie his necktie whilst talking on the phone. "I'm gonna be running a little late, Lucy! Could you just stall the clients or something? Show them your rare-stamp collection or something, just long enough for me to get there-" For the first time, he perceived that someone was standing with Brittany in the front of the yard, someone who was chipmunk-sized. "Alvin?" He returned his attention to the phone and now spoke more calmly. "Lucy, I'm gonna have to call you back." He did not even bother to hang up, only slipping the cell into his pocket and went over briskly to his son. "Alvin? Is that you?"

"I haven't changed that much, Dave! Well, on second thought, I have. I'm even more awesome!"

To this, Dave only sighed, "I see that your ego is still as large as ever. But you stopped by at a really bad time."

"No worries!" Alvin nearly shouted in excitement. "So long as you haven't thrown out any of my old clothes, I can stay. I get to stay here for a month. Better than just a weekend like last time, am I right? You can still go to work. My only condition… is that Brittany stays home with me today. Summer holiday starts tomorrow, right? Today's the twentieth, so tomorrow's when it's gonna start. Sweet, huh?"

"Then you don't need Brittany to stay home, Alvin," Dave rebutted, "if you're going to be here for a whole month, you can at least let her go to school for the last day."

"I need to talk to her privately about a few things, Dave. Really important things. By the time she comes back with the others, they're just going to be in the way and... well…" His voice was making a small request, but Dave could see that his eyes were begging him. Dave himself did not know if he was becoming a softie, or too lenient since he hardly ever saw his son anymore.

"Fine. I'll allow her to stay. If she's alright with it-"

"I'm alright with it," Brittany agreed quietly. "Dave, could you just carry the pills inside before you go? Alvin and I can't manage it."

"Is that what this was?" Dave reached down and picked up the bottle of pills. "Is this your medication?"

"Yeah. It's my medication." Her voice was growing increasingly solemn and depressed, but Dave tried to ignore it, knowing that even a few hours with Alvin would make her a bit more chipper.

"Okay. Oh, and Brittany? Make sure Alvin doesn't burn down the house."

…

Dave had been gone for the past fifteen minutes, time that Alvin had spent wandering through the house, feeling this and that and recollecting his finer memories of growing up there. Ever since he and his brothers had come to this house, it'd become their home, more than any other. As he grasped that, he suddenly regretted ever joining the Illuminati in the first place. Of course, the number of benefits was staggering, high earnings and opportunities to sing with artists of high caliber, but he missed what he felt truly mattered. Living with his family, playing with his brothers, singing with Brittany. Sure, he sold out to be able to afford her medicine, but now wished that he'd had another solution.

"So Mr. Seville, if you're done feeling the furniture," Brittany broke him gently from his musings with a tease, "what was so important that I had to skip school?"

The chipmunk took a deep breath, pondering what was the best way to phrase what he wanted to say. "I've been thinking about what you said to me in the hospital. That I'd be going to hell after I die since I was going to join the Illuminati. Doesn't that mean that you believe in heaven too?"

"Sure I do. There's nothing wrong in believing that there's a better place waiting for you after you die," Brittany argued. "But where are you going with this?" Unable to make himself dance around the topic anymore, Alvin steeled himself to ask what needed to be asked.

"… Brittany? Do you believe in God?"

No, this is not a cheap shot. I intend to answer this question, and I'm already working on the next chapter… in my head. Anyway, pay close attention to the date mentioned in the chapter. It's important. I decided to drop in a small plot point in the fic that should be able to tide it over for another two or so chapters so I can end it properly.

Besides, Brittany's smart. I expect her to be able to answer the question without any bias. Or that's what I think, anyway.

Valete omnes,

MRAY 4TW.