Chapter 19: No More Questions

AFTER SCHOOL

Alvin, Simon, and Theodore began to race each other from school to the front door of their home. They even made it challenging by jumping over fences and maneuvering through trees. Theodore struggled to keep up with his brothers, but this didn't bother him too much. Although it had reminded him that since as far back he could remember he was usually left behind, especially when his two older brothers would compete against each other. Simon and Alvin, even if they did fight mostly, would usually team up with some sort of scheme normally cooked up by Alvin. This harmless race did not bother him. Simon was home again, and they are having fun right now.

Simon, being ahead of his brothers by a few feet, reaches for the knob of the door and pushes it wide open. He continued running with his hand out to grab the bottom railing of the stairs with Alvin catching up intensely. A big smile grew on Simon's face, this would be the first time he had beaten his brother in any race they had. He became so excited over his victory that he nearly lost his balanced as he grabbed the railing seconds before Alvin did. "Yes! I bet you, Alvin!"

"No way…I let you win!" Alvin laughed as he covered up; he didn't like to lose in any sport, especially to his own brother. Then again, he was impressed with Simon's athletic skills as they raced home. It appeared from his point of view that Simon moved without any difficulty over the obstacles. If he were to join the Track and Field team that he'd be very good at it. Alvin reached over and attempted to give his smarter brother pat on the head, but Simon stopped him and the two of them started wrestling.

Theodore stood as he got to the doorway and giggled at his older brothers. He was just so happy that the three of them were together again.

The three brother's fun was interrupted when Dave makes a coughing sound in the entrance of the living room. The three boys look up at their dad with curiosity. Each of them mentally questioned if they did something wrong…as usual.

"Is…is there something wrong, Dave?" Alvin finally asked.

"Alvin, Theodore could you two go to your room?" Dave said avoiding Alvin's question.

"Dave, I didn't do anything, I swear!" Simon went right into defense thinking he was about to receive another lecture about something.

"Simon, this has nothing to do with what you did or didn't do…there are some detectives here to see you." Dave explained.

"Detectives?" It didn't dawn on Simon till he stepped into the living room and recognized the two detectives that brought him home from the Island.

"Hi, Simon…you remember us, don't you?" McCormick spoke in a calm tone so as to not sound threatening to him.

"Of Course," Simon replied with a questioning look on his face. "You…rescued me and my friends from the island." Simon looks up at Dave then back at the detectives. "What's this about?"

"We just want to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind?" Costar asked.

"Questions? Wha-what kind of questions?" Simon started to look a little nervous. Even though he had an idea of what the detectives wanted to know, he just wasn't sure if he should talk. Considering what the Founders told him that the 'outsiders' would never find out what really went on and why he and the other 'students' had been 'chosen' for their project on the Island. That's when it started happening again, 'No one is to know…' Where was this voice coming from and why does it have such a loud ring that only he could here. Just like it would happen before. Anytime his family asks him anything that had happened. Only this time, the voice seemed to get louder.

"This won't take long…just a few questions about the island, and about the people that ran that school on the island. Also if you knew of any reason why they kidnapped certain children, as yourself, and brought them there." Costar asked.

"I-I…I…don't remember?" Simon stuttered. For some odd reason his mind just started going blank. He suddenly couldn't remember anything during that nightmarish experience he endured from that Hell. 'No one is to know…' Came the voice again in his head. Simon winced in pain as this voice was starting to take over every thought he had in his mind. His breathing quickened and his heart raced.

"Simon we want to ask you about a particular girl that was from the island, her name was Mary-Anne Ellis…Did you know her?" McCormick spoke.

This made Simon suddenly pale in the face. Yes he remembered Mary, and all that she and the other three human boys did for him and his friends. But his thoughts again were interrupted with the same voice 'No one is to know…' This was beginning to frustrate him. The pain was beginning to take over in his mind. He started to bring pressure to his forehead with his right hand in order to hopefully silence that annoying voice. "I-I don't know…" It was all Simon could muster out to the detectives.

"Are you sure you don't know her, Simon? I'm sure there were a lot of things that went on around that island? What were in some of those buildings that blew up when we found you and your friends in that underground shed?" Costar asked as he tried to get closer to the troubled chipmunk teen.

'No one is to know…' The voice sung louder and louder in Simon's mind. It made Simon scream in pain. The scream caused Costar to stop and pulled himself back from proceeding closer to young chipmunk teen. The pain was becoming so great that it almost made Simon want to run into the wall. He really wanted to answer the detective's questions, but the voice was so distracting he could not focus straight. The words had a now constant flow to them, and also sounded like there were other voices echoing in the background. It just kept getting louder and louder…even more so from when Dave tried to get him to talk. "Please, leave me alone…I…I don't remember anything!" Simon began to plead as he tried to back out of the living room.

"Simon, what is wrong? Why don't you tell us what is going on?" Dave tried to ask.

"Get away from me…I don't remember anything, ok…Just leave me alone!!" Simon screamed before he ran out of the living room, though the kitchen, and out the back door.

"SIMON!" Dave tries to call Simon back, but Costar stopped him. "Let him go…it's alright, Mr. Seville."

"He's had the same reaction as the other four chipmunks did." McCormick sighs.

"What do you mean?" Dave asks.

"Lets just say that we have reason to believe that more went on around that island then we realize." Costar said.

"You think that Simon and the others might be keeping something from us?" Dave had a worried suspicious look on his face.

"No. We think that he and his friends want to tell us, but something is preventing them from talking?" Costar again said with a long face.

"Costar's right…you saw how Simon kept holding his head…like he was in pain? We feel it could be some sort of mind block?" McCormick notices Dave's confusion when she said that and explains further. "As silly as they may sound, it's not impossible. There are cases that if a person goes through enough brainwashing treatments it will cause them to think or react in a certain way that is triggered by either an object or word. These…people, if you'd call them that? They could have programmed the children on the island to block out any information that could blow the lid off a big conspiracy that went on there. From what we saw in part of the investigation on the island, we noticed that they were training these kids for something. But we are not sure for what reason; most of the information was destroyed. That is why we would like to somehow get the answers from the only survivors from that place." McCormick explained.

"You mean from Simon and the other chipmunks that you rescued?" Dave said filling in the rest. The two detectives, silently, nodded 'yes'.

"There isn't much more we could do here…we will keep you posted if we find anything, Mr. Seville." Costar said as he places his hat back on his head.

"Please do, a…and thanks detectives." Dave showed the detectives to the door and then went to the back yard to find the now distressed Simon. He found him up in the old tree house in a sitting up in the corner with his legs curled up to his chest and his forehead touching his knees, to hide his face as he cried. His mind still was in pain from the echoing voices, but at least they stopped and now his brain was slowly returning to the normal amount of chatter.

"Simon?" Dave called to him calmly. He struggled slightly to get himself all the way inside the tree house, but once in he crawled up to his son.

Slowly Simon looked up to his dad "Dave? Please don't make me talk about the island anymore?" He asked with a sniffle. "The memories are just too painful." He pleaded through his tears.

"Don't worry, Simon…no more questions…I promise." Dave assured him as he pulled Simon in for a hug to calm him.

"No more questions… Please…no more…" Simon kept asking over and over as he snuggled close to his father for security.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Meanwhile, the two detectives got in their car, Costar in the driver's side, and McCormick in the passenger side. They both pause for a moment in their thoughts…finally Costar spoke. "So…what do you think?" He asked his chipmunk partner.

"I seriously think these kids need that cure. Otherwise, the girl we met in Seattle, Mary, her attempts to have any survivors would have been fruitless!" McCormick snaps.

"I know…but you know how stubbornness those officials are. They just have to make sure the cure is legit." The human detective pointed out.

"Damn it!!" McCormick screeched as she kicked the dashboard of the car. "Why couldn't they have trusted the fact that these kids made that formula actually knew what they were doing?"

"Don't know…but I just pray that they smarten up real soon before it's too late for these chipmunks!" Costar added. "Shall we head back to the station to update our reports?" McCormick simply nods as Costar starts the engine and they drive off.