Simon's Point of View
Alvin is absolutely, positively, without a doubt impossible to work with or teach! All day I've been forcing him to read and all day I've gotten "One sec, Si, these books take time" and "But I'm tired" and I was sick of it! Within the first hour of his reading session he'd read through a single page, and I had no idea if he started with the table of contents. Books and Alvin, learning altogether and Alvin mixed as well as a vegetarian and a carnivore. Not only did I have to pronounce most of the words for him, but he didn't even attempt to show interest and he kept trying to find ways to get out of studying. He was a true slacker, but he was also in my body, which meant that he'd have to change his his whole lifestyle as much as I did, and that meant study. IT was already noon and I'd managed to coax him into reading the first chapter. If he paid any attention, he should know at least the difference between an atom and an ion.
I knew he wouldn't be able to remember these things so easily, but couldn't he at least act like he cares about this stuff? Couldn't he take any of this seriously? That was part of being me after-all! Responsibility, doing my best, no slacking off. All of it was key to who I was, who I am, and who I intent to be.
"I don't know why you're so worked up, Si," Alvin said, stifling a yawn, "It's not like I've done anything significant that anyone will notice. I'm a good actor. I could totally be you without all this hassle." Was he freaking kidding? In one day he's probably changed my whole image at school!
"You've made me a dodge-ball legend!" I exclaimed.
"That's a bad thing?" He exasperated, "I'm making you popular! You should be thanking me."
"Oh, gee, that isn't suspicious at all!" I countered, "Simon Seville, book nerd to sports legend in a single day?! Not to mention the changes you've made in how Jeanette sees me!" It's been painful to even look at her, knowing that she was so hurt and probably just as confused.
"Hey, that's not entirely my fault." He argued, "I mean, yeah, I guess I didn't think through the sports thing and messed up a little, but you're as much to blame for Jeanette as I am." I wish I could have debated against him about that, but I knew he was right; whatever it was that Jeanette and I had before, it was going down the drain fast than water. This whole Jeanette thing was practically eating me alive, maybe my own views weren't what really mattered. Maybe it would be better for Alvin to take her and for him to act out my one chance. Alvin looked at me sympathetically through my glasses and I looked back into my own blue eyes, "Si, take my advice," I pricked my ears, what advice could the self-called 'love doctor' have to give me? "Just follow your heart, bro." That's it? That's the best he had to give?! I could have told myself that! Heck, that's what I've been doing and look where that's gotten me! I should have foreseen that though, just because Alvin tried, it didn't mean that he'd actually helped. Take the transmitter for example; he's "trying" to help out and study, but the pain in my gut told me that he was going to mess it up somehow, AGAIN. I wasn't even one hundred percent sure I wanted his help with the machine, was it really smart to trust Alvin with the responsibility of helping me rebuild this delicate machine? Lately he hasn't been very dependable.
"How much of this book do I have to read?" He whined, flipping another page and groaned at the probable five-hundred words on the one side.
"Both of those books should be done as soon as possible." I explained, gesturing to the second book that he hadn't even started yet, "The sooner, the better. And make sure you're actually paying attention, we want all the information ingrained in your hippocampus."
"Huh?" Clueless, I guess I should watch my vocabulary if I'm Alvin. "English please?"
"We want you to be able to remember all of it."
"Then why not just say that?!" He complained.
"You need to sound smart too!"
"I sound plenty smart."
"See, right there!" I caught him.
"What?"
"That was terrible grammar."
"For Munk's sake, Si, no one's gonna notice how I'm talking." It was hopeless, sure maybe he was right about the talking thing, but everything else… Once I got back into my own body, there'd be no hope for me. Alvin wasn't stupid, but I was for thinking he could be taught how to be as smart as me and I had many doubts that he could handle helping me with rebuilding my precious science fair project. I could get it done alone, that I knew, but with my restricted time frame, it'd cost me a few sleepless nights. "Can we stop and just sneak out and have some fun already?" He grumbled, "You need help more than I do. Kissing is supposed to be fun and let's face it, you're not fun."
"I'll try not to take that as an insult." I muttered, a little hurt at the mockery my brother continued to bestow upon me. Surely if you knew the functions of kissing -which, after forced to read one of Brittany's magazines that Alvin stole, I did- then you could pull off a kiss. Especially one that would have no meaning other than to please my brother and his hopes-to-be girlfriend. "And, by the way, kissing Brittany is a last resort survival tactic." I don't know why I actually agreed to do it in the first place, but I did. Perhaps pity for my older brother.
"Whatever, let's go! I'm pretty sure that after what Dave saw, he won't be bothering us anytime soon."
"I'm pretty sure that after what Dave saw we'll be forced to therapy, wither that or he'll never talk to us again." I said, jeez that was awkward. "Besides, you need to read those books." I urged him, badgered him, but how could I force him to read? I even pushed his head down to the pages of the open one in front of him.
"Tell you what," Alvin proposed, pushing my hands away, "if we sneak out and have some fun, I'll read both books, cover to cover, without stopping." He even sounded enthusiastic about it.
"Now you're starting to sound like me!" I smiled. I didn't believe he'd actually do it, but at least he was developing my sort of attitude towards books. I stuck out my paw, and shook his, "You have a deal."
"Awesome!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Let's go!" I signed up for a death wish, knowing that this day was never going to end. I leaped to the window ledge after him and caught myself as a cool blast of air hit me hard, nearly knocking me over. "Where to?" He grabbed my shoulders excitedly.
"You want me to choose?" I stammered and he nodded, "I-I don't know, you're the expert."
"Where do you think we should go?" This was a test, his way for me to prove I could be him. Bu I didn't know where to go, I didn't want to choose a place that would cause me to have flashbacks of whatever havoc we would cause every time I went there. School and the library were definitely out. The zoo? I was already scared to go there, this trip couldn't possibly scar me any more than almost getting eaten by an eagle.
"Let's go to the zoo." I suggested and a wide grin was plastered on my brothers face, making me realize why I was not the evil one. I did not look good with a devilish smile.
"Let's do it."
The large metal gate that kind of resembled the entrance to a graveyard or a prison towered over us, and the statue lions at the top glared down as if they were real and knew that their next meal was only eight feet below them. The smell of thousands of animals fur blew all the way here at the entrance, and the outer border of the zoo was deserted of people. Then again, the outside of any zoo was always scarier looking than the inside with all the animals and people. The outside as a whole reminded me of a haunted mansion, but I knew that passed these large steel gates, passed the entrance booth, and passed the horrific gift shop that always wanted to smuggle you a "good deal" there were fifty acres of animals in cages, families studying them, and booths with either knick knacks or mini-donuts.
"Ready to have some fun?" Alvin asked, but I got the feeling that was a rhetorical question. I swallowed and dashed through the gates on all fours and sneaked past the entrance booth where normally we'd have to pay to enter, and past the gift shop. I followed my brother down the stone path and towards the first animal exhibit: reptiles.
"Y-You know, Alvin," I shivered, "some reptiles eat chipmunks." The thought of getting eaten again terrified me. And snakes ate their food whole, being digested would really hurt. Not to mention I wouldn't get to see Jeanette again.
"Relax, bro," How could he always so chill? It was more annoying than anything, he never took any precautions, he just went with the flow half the time and the other half was when he was getting into trouble. "It's not like we're going inside their little pit, we're just paying them a visit.
"But I think I read somewhere that some zoos have an open snake pit…" I trembled at the thought. Heaven forbid there's an opening to our death.
"Well, maybe this one doesn't." Alvin tried to reassure me, but to no prevail, "Besides, the walls are probably slick with grease or something so the snakes can't get out."
"That doesn't mean we can't get in." I thought. Alvin shrugged off my pathetic fear like it was nothing and perked up at the sight of a mini-donut vendor.
"Hey, let's snag some snacks."
"Who puts a donut vendor in the reptile exhibit?" I wondered, "Doesn't that violate some kind of health code?" Up at the vendor, a large bald man stood with tongs, a deep fryer, and several bags which would probably filled and sold by the end of the day. Funny, he didn't smell like donuts. Casually, Alvin and I hopped up on the cart and looked directly at the man.
"Two mini-donuts," Alvin said and I nudged him, "Oh, uh, please." He smiled. When the man didn't get them, Alvin reached to a tray and grabbed one for himself. The man, as if he didn't hear us screamed as he looked down.
"Mary!" He called to someone behind him amongst a large crowd, "Two of 'em escaped!"
"So feed Henry!" A harsh voice shouted back and before I knew it, I was hanging upside down -always by the freaking tail!
"Wait, what?!" I interjected, "What did she just say?"
"Dude, don't you see our sweaters?" Alvin tried to reason with the man, but I caught a quick glance at the side of his head; earphones… I had the feeling we were about to meet Henry.
"He's not listening." I sighed and looked in the direction the man was carrying us to. "Uh oh, open pit, open pit, open pit!" I shouted and the man threw us in, twenty feet down.
"Ugh, you okay, Si?" Alvin asked and I grunted, "What's the point of being famous if no one recognizes you?"
"Shh!" I snapped and we shot up to our feet, back to back.
"Where do you think the snakes are?" Alvin whispered. Hiss… "Simon, not funny!"
"That wasn't me!" I insisted, "It came from over there." I pointed to my left -his right- and we kept watch. Hiss… "Okay, that did NOT come from over there." Hiss…We slowly looked at each other as we heard shuffling behind us. "It's behind us, isn't it?"
"I'd rather not look, thank you very much." Hiss…We instinctively turned around and I nearly fainted when the sixteen foot long albino snake slithered closer to us with it's forked tongue poking out like it was licking it's lips before a meal. "Heh, you must be Henry…" Alvin sighed lightly and held up the pastry, "mini-donut?" The snake hissed violently, "Ah! Okay, guess not…"
"Alvin," I breathed, "No sudden movements."
"Duh…" He whispered back. "We're gonna die, aren't we?"
"Probably." I stated and looked around slowly as the snake measured us. Far on the other side of the pit was a branch, angled upwards towards the top of the wall. It was close enough for us to be able to jump out, at least, I hoped it was. "Psst," I spat at me then followed my gaze to the branch.
"All the way over there?" Alvin hesitated, "Aw, man…"
"Alvin," I whispered sharply, "when I give the signal, throw the donut at the snake."
"What's the signal?" He asked.
"Now!" I shrieked and dashed towards the branch with Alvin right behind me. Turning back, I watched the snake devour the donut with ease and start it's way to us. "Run! Run! Run!" I panted and we bolted up the branch. This was easier than I thought, but we weren't safe yet. Alvin reached the edge first and jumped powerfully up to the ledge of the wall, pulling himself up.
"Come on, Simon!" He shouted and without thinking I jumped with all my might. Closer and closer to the wall, I slipped on the side and hung only by the hand that Alvin threw out to catch me. "Jeez, do I really weigh this much?" He groaned as he slowly tried to pull me up.
"You can go on a diet later!" I shouted, "Just pull me up!" With my body's upper body strength, at first I had doubts I was going to live, but I was wrong, and now I owed Alvin my life, or, at the very least, an apology. He'd saved my life, maybe he could be a little responsible, even though this whole sneaking out thing was his idea.
"Ha ha!" Alvin laughed down at the snake who hovered up in hopes of reaching it's meal.
"Alvin!" I yelled as if we were still being chased, "Let's get the heck out of here!" The snake lunged upwards, but with no luck.
"Ah!" Alvin screamed and bolted ahead of me. "There is something seriously wrong with this zoo!" He remarked as we left the area and ten seconds later without stopping to catch our breath, the zoo.
"Home!" We gasped and kissed the hardwood floor. Not once the entire run home had we stopped, for fear that there was a munk eating snake chasing us, and now I was exhausted. I collapsed to the ground as I caught my and Alvin jumped to the sink, turned on the tap, and began to practically drown himself with the rushing water.
"Alvin," I croaked, "study those books like your life depends on it… Cause… It… Does…"
"Hey, fellas," Dave called and walked into the kitchen, "I was thinking- whoa!" The sight probably didn't look good. Two exhausted chipmunks, one on the ground while the other gulped down a waterfalls worth of water. "If you guys are that tired, why not just take a nap in the chipettes beds?"
"I… Just… Might… Dave." I said between breaths
"Maybe you guys really are sick. Hey, I know! How 'bout we pack a lunch and we can go to the zoo for some fresh air?"
"NO!"