"Okay, guys. This is the plan." Alvin sounded grim. "Two you are going to stay and make sure Simon's safe all day."
"And the other two?" Theodore asked
"The other two get to come with me and try to find a cure for him."
"Starting where?" Brittany asked. "I don't have the faintest clue where to begin!"
"Then I guess you'll be one of the ones to stay with Simon."
"Oh, great. Leave the cute one with the bloodthirsty monster." Jeannette glared at her. "Sorry. I mean okay, I'll stay with Simon."
"Good. Eleanor?"
"I'll stay with Brittany. So she doesn't get lonely."
"Okay, so it's me, Theodore and Jeannette who get to do what my newest monster brother does best – research." Alvin nodded decisively. "Sounds good to me."
"Actually, Alvin," Theodore said, "I think I want to stay with Simon too. He might wake up frightened and want one of his brothers there."
"Its okay, Alvin." Jeannette assured him. "We can handle this ourselves."
"All right, if you think so." Alvin stopped in front of their house. "So here's the big question. Where in the world do we start?"
"I think I might be able to help with that." Jeannette said softly. "I have an idea."
"Thank goodness. Because I'm out of them."
"Alvin, then, why don't you come with me?" Jeannette looked at him, determination in her eyes. "We need to go back to my house for a little while."
"Okay. Bye, guys. Keep him safe. And...be careful." Alvin didn't say what to be careful of. The remaining chipmunks needed to be careful in case Dracula somehow came...or Simon had changed more than they thought.
"Come on, Alvin." Jeannette knew that the others weren't used to her being this assertive, but this was Simon they were talking about.
There was no way in this whole world that she was going to lose him to a creature of the night.
OoooOoooO
"He seems okay. Dead asleep, if you know what I mean, but okay otherwise." Brittany said in a loud stage whisper.
"That's not funny, Brittany." Eleanor accused in the same voice. Her sister's irreverence sometimes irked her. They both jumped when Theodore spoke up loudly from the other side of Simon's bed.
"I don't think you need to whisper. He didn't budge yesterday when we were getting ready, so he's probably even sleeping deeper today."
"Well, I was only trying to be polite." Brittany defended herself. She sighed. "What are we supposed to do here, anyways? Watch him sleep?"
"I guess so. We're here just in case...I don't know, something happens, I guess."
"Ugh." Brittany slumped. "And this is what I am risking virtually weeks of grounding for."
"You can go watch TV, or something, Brittany. We don't mind." Theodore offered. "We'll just call you if we need something."
"Ok. I'll do that then." Brittany ran to the door. "Days of Our Lives will be on soon." She paused for a moment. "You're sure you don't mind?"
"No, go ahead." Theodore said. Brittany wasted no time doing so.
Eleanor watched Theodore for a moment as he tenderly adjusted Simon's blankets so that he was fully covered. It never ceased to amaze her, the gentleness that he displayed in every act in his life. That's probably why it had affected her so much when he had still been under the curse of the werewolf. The Theodore she knew – her Theodore – had been gone. He had still been walking, talking, and sounding like Theodore, but it wasn't him.
She knew exactly what fueled Jeannette's new forcefulness.
"I think he's comfortable now, Theodore." She said, noticing that he was moving the blankets around barely at all now. He seemed to be just wanting to assure himself that Simon was still there. "Come sit by me and let him sleep."
"Okay." He sat. Eleanor looked at him curiously. She still didn't know how much his ordeal as a werewolf had affected him. He never wanted to talk about it – he would just deny any remembrance of it. Did he really think that she couldn't tell he was lying?
Of the three sisters, Eleanor was the most logical. She didn't bother denying or burying the knowledge of the simple fact that her and Theodore were meant for each other. She knew they were still children, and many things could happen, but there was no doubt in her soul that she and Theodore would end up together. Why fight the inevitable? Consequently, she regarded him as if he was already hers, and so acted as such. "Theodore, how are you doing? Alvin's certainly made his feelings known, but I'm worried about you."
"Me? Oh, I'm okay, I guess. I'm just worried about Simon."
"He's going to be fine." Eleanor tried to reassure him, but the worry in his face didn't lessen. "Jeannette and Alvin will find something to help him."
"I hope so."
They sat in silence for a moment. Eleanor stared ahead.
"Theodore." She finally asked, screwing up the courage. "I need to ask you something."
"Sure, Eleanor." Theodore turned to face her. "Anything."
"Back at school...you said that I saved you." Eleanor winced at the flinch she had caused, but continued anyways. "What did you mean by that?"
"Um, I, I mean, I guess –"
"I know you remember being a werewolf."
Theodore looked at her in surprise. "You do?"
"Yes." Eleanor reached over and squeezed his hand. "And I'm guessing you're not really all that excited to talk about it, but I want to know. How did I save you?"
Theodore voice was quiet. "I guess... you made me remember who I really was."
"I did?"
"Yeah. When you were cornered in the theater, when I was about to attack you, I saw the necklace I had given you sparkling in the moonlight. It reminded me of when I had given it to you – right before I was bitten by the werewolf." Theodore's voice tightened. "I know what I was like after that. But when I realized that I was about to hurt you, I was suddenly really scared of what I had become. It wasn't fun anymore, because I was hurting you."
"Fun?" Eleanor was a little confused. "Being a werewolf was...fun?"
Theodore nodded. "That's why I'm so worried about Simon, Eleanor. What if he likes being a vampire? What if we can't make him change back?" He shivered, looking as if he was about to cry. "I can't lose my brother, Eleanor. I can't."
She hugged him impulsively. "You won't, Theodore. Not if we can help it, you won't." She wiped a tear from his eyes. "Listen, I think Simon will be fine for a few minutes. Want to get some ice cream?"
Theodore looked over at the bed in indecision for a moment, and then nodded. "Sure, that sounds great."
Neither of them noticed Simon throwing the covers from himself as they left the room.
OoooOoooO
"Okay. So we're searching for Simon's cure...a cure for the curse of vampirism, no less...on the Internet?" Alvin's voice was disbelieving. "Come on, Jeannette, I thought you could do better than that."
Jeanette was typing furiously. The computer was her new passion, and she excelled at making it bow to her every whim. "I don't think you realize just how powerful the Internet is, Alvin. Believe me, this is the best place to start."
"I don't know, I just thought we, well, visit a bunch of moldy old bookstores and look at really ancient books or something." Alvin flopped on a chair next to her. "Like they do on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or something."
"Hardcopy is dying." Jeannette told him absently. "Though that might be an option later."
"Can I do anything? I feel kinda useless here."
"Just...be patient." She told him, watching the information scroll past rapidly on the screen. "And we might get to visit some of those moldy old bookstores, after all."
OoooOoooO
"Oh, come on already!" Brittany glared at the television in frustration. "I don't care about these stupid elections! Put Days back on."
The screen remained stubbornly on a newsflash. She gritted her teeth. Of course it would have to happen during a love scene. "Stupid presidents!" She exclaimed. "Who cares how many electoral votes they got, anyways?"
Suddenly she felt chills in her spine, and knew she wasn't alone. "Eleanor? Theodore?" She called out, sitting up straight.
"In the kitchen!" Eleanor's voice wafted out. "We're having ice cream. Do you want some?"
"No." She stood up slowly, afraid to turn. "Is Simon still okay?"
"Yes! He was sleeping." Eleanor's mouth sounded full. "Why?"
Brittany turned slowly. Simon stood behind her, looking at her, his head lowered. His eyes were yellow – like a panther's eyes she had once seen at the zoo. "Oh, no." She whispered.
And weirdly, he still looked cute. That annoyed her, for some reason.
"Simon, stop it. This isn't funny."
He just stared at her with that animal gaze. Fear clutched her.
"Simon?"
Simon growled suddenly, and leapt at her. She screamed.
The wind was knocked out of her as she landed on the ground hard. "Help!" She managed to yell out before Simon's sharp teeth thrust into her neck.
"Simon! Get off of her!" She heard Theodore shout as she began to get dizzy. "Simon, please!"
Suddenly he was gone. She lay on the floor, clutching at her neck, staring up at her once-nerdy friend in fear. His eyes had cleared, and he was staring at her, a horrified look on his face.
"Brittany??"
She sat up with some difficulty. "I told you..." she gasped. "He'd go after the cute one!"
"Brittany?" Simon asked again.
"Yeah, its me. The one you just tried to kill." She glared at him, trying to dampen the terror that she still felt.
"I...what?"
"Tried to kill, you blood stealing fiend! Oh!" She felt her ponytail. "And you messed up my hair!"
"I...I'm sorry, I don't know..." He seemed to be at a loss for words.
"Yeah, well, keep your sorry." She hurried over to where Theodore and Eleanor were standing. "I don't want it."
"I don't know what happened. One minute I was talking with Dracula, and the next –"
"Wait a minute. You were talking with Dracula?" Theodore interrupted.
Simon hesitated. "Yes. In a nightmare. And next thing I knew, I was on top of Brittany, uh-"
"Drinking my blood?" Brittany accused.
"No! I mean, well..." Simon seemed to give up. "I guess. But I didn't know I was doing it. I am so, so sorry, Brittany. I didn't mean it."
"Well," Brittany huffed, "I suppose when your friends tell you they accidentally tried to kill you it doesn't count."
"Brittany..."There was a warning in Eleanor's voice. Brittany closed her eyes and took a breath.
"Okay, okay. I guess I'm not that mad at you." She narrowed her eyes at Simon then, her face betraying her words. "But why did you decide I suddenly looked like lunch?"
"I don't know, Brittany. Maybe because I was so hungry." Simon's face fell. Even so, looking at him made her uncomfortable, because he still looked as handsome as could be. She wasn't accustomed to looking at him and thinking that. "I really, truly don't remember."
"How do you feel now?" Theodore asked cautiously.
"Okay." Simon looked at Brittany guiltily. "Full."
"I wonder why." She said. Suddenly she gasped, clutching her neck. "Oh no! Am I going to become a vampire, too?"
"No." Jeannette said from the doorway. Alvin and her studious sister stood there, both weighted down with heavy books.
"Jeannette!" Simon said, rushing over to help her. He skidded to a stop inches from the sunlight that flooded the hallway.
"I got it, thanks, Simon." Jeannette told him calmly, putting down the books and closing the door.
"So why aren't I becoming a vampire?" Brittany asked, relieved and confused at the same time.
"Simon's got one more bite before he, uh, really dies." Alvin said. "And even so, there has to be intent to make a vampire. Otherwise the world would be overrun by them."
"So Dracula wanted to make Simon a vampire?" Theodore asked.
"It would seem so." Alvin said, glancing at Jeannette. "I don't know why, though." They all looked at Simon.
"Beats me." Simon said after a brief pause. "I don't know why."
"You guys were back fast." Theodore said. "How'd you do it?"
"Well," Alvin sent a funny look Jeannette's way. "I guess there are forces on this earth that I didn't realize there were."
Brittany rolled her eyes. Alvin had such a taste for the dramatic. "Well? Are those books supposed to help us?"
"I don't know, Brittany." Jeannette said, coming over and depositing one firmly in her arms. "That is exactly what we're going to find out."
End of part 7
Review appreciated!