Chapter 3: A Parent's Worst Nightmare
TWO WEEKS LATER
Ms. Toluene was in the middle of a lesson when the principal voice was heard on the P.A. announced that if Simon Seville would report to the office immediately.
"Oooh, now you did it, Simon!" Alvin said sarcastically to his brother. "They discovered about your 'mad science' experiments and are going to take you away now, heheh!" There were a few other snickers heard through out the classroom aimed at Alvin's little joke to his brother.
"Class, settle down now!" The teacher called out.
"Shut up, Alvin!" Simon glared angrily at his brother as he left the classroom. Alvin has been bugging him all week it didn't matter what it was the two of them would just be at one others' throat.
Simon left the room and headed towards the office, while the rest of the class continued with their lessons.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
LATER THAT AFTERNOON
Alvin and Theodore waited outside of the school both had a concerned look on their face. Dave pulls up in his car. Alvin and Theodore jump in, Dave looks at them puzzlingly, then asked, "Where's Simon you guys?"
"Don't know!" Theodore said shrugging his shoulders.
"He was called into the office for some reason this afternoon and no one's scene him since." Alvin finished.
"That's odd!" Dave said, while undoing his seatbelt. "You boys stay here! I'm going to see if I could find him." Dave walked into the office and immediately started to talk to the secretary. "Excuse me, I'm David Seville. I was wondering if you've seen my son, Simon. I was told that he was sent here this afternoon."
The secretary started to look very confused and said, "Mr. Seville, I don't recall your son ever coming to the office, little alone being called in here. Perhaps the principal would know something; I will go ask her right now for you."
"You do that!" Dave said as the secretary called the principal on the phone. When she got off the phone she turned back to Dave. "She'll be right out to speak with you!" She told him.
"Thank you!" Dave said as the principal came out of her office. "Mr. Seville? Please come in!"
As Dave walks into the principals' office she ushers him to sit down, then she takes her seat behind her desk. "I'm sorry to hear that you son is missing. His teacher came in earlier and asked the same question!"
Dave was starting to get really worried at this point. Simon was defiantly not the type to just disappear without telling anybody. "That doesn't make since! If you didn't call Simon to the office then who did?"
"According to Ms. Toluene, I did!" The principal sorely admitted. She thought for a moment. "Come to think of it one minute I'm doing some paper work then this strange man with dark clothes comes in. And then next thing I know I'm looking at the clock and twenty minutes has past and I'm still doing the same paper as I was before, but I didn't remember any of that until now." Suddenly a sick feeling crept inside the principal's stomach. "Oh my God! I don't know how, but I think this mystery man maybe responsible for you son's disappearance!"
OoOoOoOoOoOo
Meanwhile back in the car Alvin and Theodore's patience was starting to wear thin. "Man! What is taking Dave so long?" Alvin whines.
"I don't know, Alvin!" Theodore pouted. "I'm more worried about Simon and where he could be…you think he that mad with us to just run off like this?"
"What do you mean, Theodore?" Alvin asks as he turns around and leans over the passenger seat to face his brother in the back seat.
"Well, we have been kind of taking him for granted, even when he was feeling down about not being able to go the museum, and all. A-a-and, you were giving him a hard time all week about how he's so much of a 'smart one' of the family!"
"Hey, it's not my fault if Simon is 'too smart' for us that he won't help me with my homework! He can go sulk all he wants, but not to do it on my time!" Alvin finishes with a huff.
Suddenly a parade of three police cars appeared and stopped in front of the school. Four in uniform ran from their vehicles and into the school followed by two well-dressed detectives, one being a female chipmunk and the other a male human.
"Wow!" Both boys looked at each other with astonishment. "I wonder what's going on?" Theodore asked.
"I don't know, but there's on way to find out!" Alvin said as he opened the passenger side door.
"Alvin!" Theodore protested, "We're supposed to stay in the car!"
"Come on Theodore, you are as curious as I am. We'll just sneak in and see why the police are here and get back before Dave knows we are even gone."
Theodore lets out a big sigh and reluctantly follows his brother back into the school. He wishes Simon was here, at least he would know how to handle Alvin's actions.
When the boys found the officers inside the principal's office, dusting for fingerprints and asking both the principal and the secretary question about a missing person. It didn't take long before they realized that they were talking about Simon. They found Dave talking to the female chipmunk in the principal's office.
"Dave what's going on? Alvin asked with a terrified look.
Dave motioned for both boys to come to him, and immediately they ran up to him and jumped into his lap. The female detective continued with her questions.
"Is there anything else you could tell me about your son, Mr. Seville?"
"No, I told you everything!" Dave said nervously as he held his two remaining boys tightly in his arms.
Just then the male detective came in with a file folder. "McCormick," he said as he entered the room, "here's the file you requested!"
"Thanks Costar!" She replied when she received the file. The female took a look at the file while walking back to the principals' desk and sat down. Dave and the boys watched intensely as the detective turned each page in the file. Alvin noticed that the file had Simon's name on it. His heart began to beat a million miles a minute.
"Simon is a very bright child, Mr. Seville. You must be very proud!"
"I'm proud of all my boys, detective!"
The female detective takes out a picture out of the folder and has a good look at it. "Is this a recent picture of Simon?"
"Yes!" Dave responded. "It was just taken last month!"
The detective pondered for a moment, then shook her head. "This is just like all the other cases I've read up on."
Dave started to really panic, "What other cases?" He began to hold Alvin and Theodore closer.
The detective let out a sigh, "There have been 52 cases in the last six years that all go about in the same pattern. Every few months a school across the States and the rest of the world would receive a bogus test sheet from the government 'supposedly'. A few weeks shortly after the test has been returned a child or two that would appear to be one of the brightest, or at least gifted students in their class would suddenly turns up missing, just like your son has. I mean, two and a half months ago, about the same time when my partner and I were assigned to the case, there had been two recent kidnappings on the other side of town. Another report was one from England and again in Canada. Like Simon, they too were chipmunks. But until recently the kidnapped victims was mostly human children…"
"What are you saying?" Alvin said, unable to believe any of this is happening, especially to any of his brothers. "These so-called kidnappers take only the smartest kids, like my brother, from schools? How are they doing this? Where are they taking them?" He paused for a bit to reflex on what is happening…he realized that Simon is gone, some stranger has taken him away without any reason. Not even a ransom note was left…Alvin felt sick in his stomach and only one thing was on his mind…
"I WANT MY BROTHER BACK!!" He finally yelled out in shear anger as tears began to fall from his eyes. Alvin begins to hide his face in his hands and leans back on Dave's chest. Theodore was also crying and Dave himself was practically in tears.
The detective kneeled down beside Alvin and placed her hand on Alvin's shoulder.
"What is your name, son?"
"Alvin!" He replied through his tears.
"Alvin, I don't know how they are doing these kidnappings, or why, but I promise you no matter what I'll bring your brother home safely."
"You promise?" Alvin said composing himself and whipping his tears.
The detective gave a soft reassuring look, "I promise!" She replied.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
TWO MONTHS LATER
(Christmas Eve)
The doorbell rings at the Seville's home, Dave answers the door and immediately recognizes his guests. "Hi Miss. Miller. Hi girls! Um, Merry Christmas!" Trying to put a smile on his face, he ushers the four ladies in.
Brittany, Eleanor and Jeanette head straight for the family room with Christmas gifts in their arms and placed them under the Christmas tree that didn't look as decretive as it usually does each year. Then they sat beside Alvin and Theodore and began to watch TV with them. Dave and Miss. Miller went into the Kitchen. Miss. Miller evidently tries to comfort him while making some tea.
"David, how's the search coming? Is there any word on where Simon might be?"
"No!" Dave said while rubbing some sleep from his eyes. "Detective McCormick and Detective Costar say that they are doing their best to find more clues. They gave me an up-date, but they still have no idea where the kidnapers might have taken Simon and the other missing kids."
"How are Alvin and Theodore handling this?" Miss. Miller asked with sympathy.
"Alvin mopes around the house; he just doesn't really say to do anything anymore. And Theodore barely eats. I'm really worried! What if they never find Simon?"
Miss. Miller walked up to Dave and sat down beside him to comfort him. "Oh David, I'm sure the detectives will find Simon! In the meantime, you should get some rest you look exhausted!"
"I've tried, Miss. Miller, but anytime I close my eyes I see Simon and the look he gave me the day when I couldn't take him to the museum. I just feel horrible about that. The last couple of weeks I may have gotten 10 hours sleep max."
"Perhaps you should consult your doctor on getting some proscription sleeping pills? That might be able to help you rest so you can at least function properly during the day?" Miss. Miller suggested.
"Maybe your right, Miss. Miller! I'll get a Doctors appointment set up the day after Christmas." Dave answered, again while rubbing his eyes.
Just then the teakettle began to whistle; Miss. Miller got up to turn it off and made some tea. She let out a big sigh; "It's just not going to be the same this Christmas without Simon around. But I'm sure where ever he is right now, he's thinking of us too!"
Dave just nodded in agreement.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
The Chipmunks and Chipettes sat and watched 'A Christmas Carol' on the TV they all were very quite. Finally Eleanor couldn't handle the silence, she looked at the plate of cookies she brought over, and then looked at Theodore. "Here Theodore," she offered, "I baked you some cookies! Would you like to try some?"
"Thanks Eleanor," Theodore said, without taking his eyes off the TV. "But maybe later!"
Feeling hurt that Theodore wouldn't accept her cookies she placed them on the coffee table.
"I wonder what Simon is doing right now?" Jeanette said, more to herself then to anybody.
Alvin suddenly went wide-eyed and blinked to hold back tears. Just hearing his brother's name made his heart ach.
Brittany tried to be support of and puts her arm around her sister and says, "I'm sure he's doing just fine, Jeanette!" Then she looks up at Alvin, "What do you think, Alvin?"
What do I think?" Alvin face suddenly began to look angry and jumps off the couch. "I think that Simon is probably lying dead somewhere in a gutter, because they're probably never going to find him…"
"Alvin!" Brittany screamed, while pointing at a now very upset Theodore. "Your scaring Theodore!"
Alvin stopped frozen with fear. He could have sworn he heard Simon say that just then. Slowly Alvin turned and faced away from Theodore and the girls. "Alvin," he said in a quiet voice. "Your scaring Theodore…That's what Simon used to say!" He finished emotionally in a yet still quiet tone, but loud enough so the others could hear.
With tears in his yes, Alvin ran out of the living room and up the stairs and into his room. As far back as Alvin could remember he has not been separated from any of his brothers for more then a day or two the most. Alvin walked up to Simon's bed and started to stroke the spot where his brother slept the most. He wondered where in the world he could be and if he's thinking of him and the rest of the family right now too.
He closed his eyes and tried to picture Simon right there and what he would say to him.
How he wished to hear Simon's wisdom when things looked its worst. When Alvin opened his eyes he could have sworn he saw his brother at his computer. He wore the same old long blue sweater and big glasses and the image seemed to turn to meet Alvin's gaze. Alvin backed away slowly, not sure if he should fear this spirit or welcome it. A horrible thought crossed Alvin's mind that perhaps his brother maybe already dead and he was seeing his ghost. He sat on his bed and watched Simon's spirit slowly disappear and Alvin began to cry. Burrowing his head in his pillow he shouted, "This has got to be the worst Christmas ever!" It wasn't long before Alvin cried himself to sleep.