Oh, so this is how you add text to the start of a chapter. Alright then, so here's Chapter 3. N-T-C-U out. Huah!

CHAPTER 3 Discoveries and Tragedies

All was silent at our house for the next few months. Alvin died in May. It was now August and we still didn't speak much. Dinner was always disheartening with one extra place at the table. Theodore made it a point that Alvin's place was still set every night.

Amazingly, Theodore had taken Alvin's death the best. Brittany was isolating herself, crying herself to sleep at night. Simon and Jeanette had grown closer and started dating. Theo and Ellie had done the same.

Now the one I was most worried about was Brittany, whom I had always seen as the one who could handle herself, never needing a shoulder to lean on. None except Alvin's that is. She and Alvin had started dating about 4 months before he got sick. What was Alvin's secret crush, which was one of the many things he had confided in me, turned out to be a mutual attraction and he and Britt were deeply in love.

Now that he was gone, she fell into an emotional pit. She didn't spend much time anywhere but her room. (The boys and girls were in separate rooms once "puberty" came) She barely ate, and when dinner was finished, she just went up to her room. With school coming up, I'm worried. She does have her 'brothers' and her actual sisters along with her friends at school, but if she shuts them out, it will be difficult.

August faded into September and with September came school, for all 6 of us. We all went to West Eastman and managed to survive the first few weeks. People wore red wristbands for Alvin and Chipmunk ballads were among the most popular songs in the LA area. One in particular was a favorite of mine. Dream On by Aerosmith. I was listening to it when I made a discovery which changed the Chipmunks and the Chipettes forever.

It was mid May, about a week before the one year anniversary of Alvin's death. We all had turned 17 at various points in the year. I had taken a day off of school to clean the house and decided to acknowledge the white elephant and organize Alvin's stuff. I found what I was expecting, his hoodies, a hat, some of his CDs from artists like Metallica, Van Halen, and Motley Crüe, an assorted collection of Bruno Mars, Pitbull, and Phillip Phillips albums too.

But I wasn't expecting to find a banker's box full of demo CDs (where the original recordings of songs are stored before they are edited and released on albums) of Alvin in the studio dated about 2 months before he died. These were the tapes of his final recording sessions.

Just then, the other 'munks and 'ettes arrived home from school, and Simon and Brittany were arguing. I couldn't make out what they were arguing about, but I heard Brittany storm out of the house and slam the door.

"The hell was that all about?" I asked, walking downstairs into the living room.

"Brittany's pissed off."

"Why?"

"She's mad because someone told her that it was God's plan for Alvin to die or some shit like that. I was just trying to calm her down."

"Who was it?"

"One of the religious extremists at our school. Thinks anyone not believing in God is going to hell. Brittany got mad and yelled at him, told him he was full of shit."

"Sad," I said.

After about an hour, Brittany still wasn't home. I was a bit worried. Just then a heard the phone ring.

"Hello?" I said.

"Mr. Seville?" said a scratchy male voice.

"Yes, this is Jake Seville. Can I help you?"

"I'm Sergeant Johnson with the LAPD. Your cousin Brittany was in a major car accident on Santa Monica Boulevard. She was driving when a driver was speeding and ran a red and t-boned her. She's on her way to Beverly Hill Municipal Hospital now."

"Thank you. We're on our way." I said, grabbing my jacket and hanging up the phone. Simon and Theodore came in.

"What's wrong?" Theodore asked.

"Get the girls. Brittany's in the hospital."

They ran up to the girls' room, and we all hopped into my car and drove to BHMH. Deja vu flashed before my eyes. I couldn't help but think of the day we found out Alvin was sick.

It was February of last year, and all was well at the Seville house, except Alvin. He said he wasn't feeling well one morning. I shrugged it off as Alvin being Alvin and we all went to school. Two weeks later, he was still complaining. I said I would try to get him to the doctors as soon as I could but for now, he had to go to school. I'd taken that day off to clean (something I do once a month), when the phone rang. Brittany was calling and when I picked up, she was panicking.

"Hey Britt, you alright?''

"ALVIN COLLAPSED!"

"What?''

"HE JUST PASSED OUT. He was going to the nurse's office, and he collapsed! He's going to the hospital now!"

"I'll meet you there."

To make a long story short, I arrived at the hospital and met up with the others in the lobby of the emergency room. There I met Dr. Martin for the first time.

He ran some blood work on Alvin and after about 3 days we had an answer. Alvin had a rare form of leukemia. The worst part was that Dr. Martin couldn't get us in to tell us in person. When we couldn't work out a time to meet, he just told me over the phone.

And as they say, The Rest Is History.

So, what do you think? Chapter 4 to be up soon. N-T-C-U out. Huah!