Changes
The sun was slowly beginning to set as the group trudged along the path towards Miss Miller's house. All the fog was completely gone since yesterday, and there was still the warm orange glow from the setting sun.
"What are we going to say to Brittany?" Jeanette asked as they entered the yard. Everyone shrugged but Alvin.
"I'm not completely sure. But we have to ask if anything is wrong. We need to know why she is acting so strangely" Alvin said firmly. The rest of the group nodded, although it didn't stop their nervousness. As they reached the door, they all entered to a shocking site. The den was in ruins. The bookshelf had been knocked over, the couch and been pushed on its back and the cushion thrown around the room. The mirror in the middle of the room was now nothing but shattered glass.
"Oh my god! What happened?" Eleanor shrieked as she saw the site. Moments later a crying Miss Miller entered the room.
"Miss Miller what happened? Did someone break in?" Simon said very worried. Eleanor and Jeanette had started to cry from the site. Their counterparts pulled them close and started to hug them, while Alvin simply stood gaping at the horrible site.
"No, no it wasn't a break in…" Miss Miller said through her sobs.
"Then what was it?" Alvin asked worried. Miss Miller looked at him for a moment.
"It was… Brittany" she said before bursting into tears again. Everyone gasped. Alvin just turned at stared at the room again. When he was angry, he had occasionally made a mess of the house, but nothing like this.
"Do you kids know anything about this? She came home screaming and started destroying the place. I-I-I told her to stop it, but she just screamed at me and broke the mirror. She just walked out a few moments before you got here" Miss Miller sobbed, covering her face with her hands. Jeanette and Eleanor were still in complete shock. Their sister had done this. She got angry all the time, but never in her right mind would she even conceive doing something this horrible.
"I'm going to go find her. We need to find out what is wrong with her more than ever" Alvin said sternly and he turned to walk out the door.
"Wait Alvin. Let us come too. We all need to find out what is wrong" Simon said. The other four chipmunks all nodded in agreement.
"Ok, but we need to leave now. It's getting dark" he said. He turned to Miss Miller again.
"Miss Miller, did you see which way she went?" Alvin asked her. Miss Miller removed her hands from her face and nodded her head.
"She… she went to the left. I think she might have been heading toward the park" she said, trying to hold back tears. The group all nodded then proceeded to head towards the park. It was almost dark by the time they reached the park. The orange glow had almost diminished completely. The park was completely deserted, except for one swing. Sitting in it was Brittany. She had her head in her hands as she gently pushed herself back and forth with her feet.
"Come on. We need to talk to her" Alvin said quietly, ushering the group towards her. They had almost approached her when she looked up at them. She had been lightly crying.
"Oh hey. What are you guys doing here?" she asked wiping her face clean. At first no one said anything; they were all just exchanging nervous glances. Alvin was the first to break the ice.
"Brittany. We need to talk to you" He said, taking a step towards her.
"About what?" she asked looking up at him.
"I think you know" he said softly, taking another step towards her. She looked down.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. After you guys stopped me beating up Nathan I… I don't know. I was just filled with rage. I just couldn't stop myself. The part that makes me sad is that… that it actually felt good to break everything and hurt Nathan' she said glumly and placed her chin her hands, resting her elbows on her knees. Alvin sighed and kneeled down so that he was in front of her. She looked at him curiously.
"Brittany. Is something wrong? You have been acting so strangely all day, and just now beating up Nathan and destroying your den. You would never do something like that" Alvin said softly, placing a gentle hand on her arm. The rest of the group just watched. It felt a little awkward. As much as they wanted to find out what was wrong with Brittany, it seemed as though this was leading into a caring moment for just the two of them.
"Well, I don't know. I guess I felt good that I went so well in sports today, and that burger was really tasty" she said, looking up and drooling a little as she remembered the food. Alvin did his best to hide his disgust as he also remembered the greasy food.
"But the thing we want to know is why you have been so angry? All those things as well, but today you have just been really… aggressive" Alvin said looking into her sparkling blue eyes. For some reason he wasn't sure of, her eyes seemed slightly different. Brittany just looked at him and shrugged.
"I really don't know. Thank you for the concern, but honestly, I really haven't a clue what is going on" she said honestly, standing up from the swing. Alvin stood back up as well.
"Alright then. If you figure it out, please tell us. We want to help if we can" Alvin said, before extending his hand out for her to take. She looked at him and smiled, accepting his hand.
"Ok" she said happily. Alvin started to lead her back to the Miller house, the rest of the group following behind. Once they had arrived, Brittany apologized to Miss Miller and promised to pay for a new mirror. Miss Miller seemed more concerned about Brittany then the mirror. She gave the pink-clad Chipette a great hug the moment she had walked through the door.
"Please don't ever do something like this again" she said sternly. Brittany nodded sadly and apologized again. Before the chipmunks left for their own home, they offered to help clean up the den. With all 7 of them cleaning, the job was done in minutes. They pushed the bookshelf back up against the wall and moved the chair back on its legs. They cleaned away all the mirror shards and made sure that everything was back in its place correctly. Once they had finished, Simon looked at the clock.
"Oh jeez, we're late. Sorry girls, but we need to get home or Dave will kill us" he said turning back to the group.
"No problem dears. Thank you for the help" Miss Miller said happily as she led them to the door.
"Bye guys" the girls all said in unison and started to wave. The boys all smiled and waved in unison as well. Once they had left, Miss Miller turned to the girls.
"Alright, you girls can go up and play in your room for a bit while I go and make dinner" Miss Miller said happily and left the room. She was still very worried about Brittany, but she was happy that the girl had calmed down. She didn't want to spark her off again tonight, so she decided to wait until the morning to see if something was bothering her. Up in the girl's room, Eleanor and Jeanette were just as worried. Brittany was sitting on her bed playing with her new hair.
"I know what Brittany said, but I'm still really worried about her. She is acting like nothing is wrong, after just demolishing the den" Eleanor whispered to Jeanette.
"I know, but if she doesn't want to tell us yet we can't force her too. She said that when she knows she'll tell us, so until then let's just be patient and hope she starts to act normal again" Jeanette sighed. They both just continued to watch as Brittany playfully flipped her hair around, making poses in the mirror. This continued for a while until Miss Miller called down that dinner was ready. As the girls entered the kitchen they were greeted with the smell of lasagna.
"Dinner smells great Miss Miller" Eleanor complemented as the smell wafted passed her nose.
"Thank you sweetheart. Alright girls, hop up to the table" Miss Miller said as she carried some plates over. The girls all obeyed and took their places at the table. As their food was placed in front of them, Jeanette and Eleanor politely waited until everyone was served. Brittany however immediately started to shovel the food into her mouth the instant the food touched the table.
"Brittany, it's rude to start eating before everyone else is ready at the table. You know that" Miss Miller scolded. Brittany grumbled and put her fork down. In the few seconds she had started eating she had already consumed half the plate. Miss Miller brought the girls over their favorite drinks and sat down at the table herself.
"Alright girls, you can start eating now" Miss Miller said and she started to eat her own lasagna. Eleanor and Jeanette picked up their forks and started to slowly eat the lasagna. Brittany resumed her shoveling, barely closing her mouth as she chewed the food. Within moments her plate was completely empty. Sauce covered all of Brittany's mouth. Suddenly she let out a huge belch before patting her stomach satisfied.
"Brittany, that's gross" Jeanette said disgusted by her sudden disregard for manners at the table. Miss Miller and Eleanor looked just as annoyed.
"Huh, oh right sorry, excuse me" Brittany said, as she noticed their stares. She grabbed a napkin and wiped her face before hopping down from the table.
"Brittany, what's gotten into you? You know to wait at the table until everyone has finished eating" Miss Miller said astonished that her daughter was acting so rude. Brittany grumbled then returned to the table. She started to drum her fingers on the table bored. Finally Miss Miller had had enough.
"Fine Brittany, you can leave the table. I don't know what has gotten into you tonight" Miss Miller frowned shaking her head.
"Thanks Miss Miller" Brittany said happily and she jumped from the table and raced out of the room. Moments later they could hear the television turn on from the den.
"I really hope she is ok" Miss Miller said softly to Eleanor and Jeanette as they sat sadly at the table after watching their sister's behaviour. They both nodded in agreement before continuing their own meals. After dinner the girls all watched a movie together. They chose to watch a romantic movie. Throughout the movie Miss Miller, Jeanette and Eleanor kept taking glances at Brittany. She seemed restless and bored. Towards the end of the movie, she actually left the room.
"This is one of Brittany's favorite movies. Why doesn't she want to watch it?" Miss Miller asked confused. Eleanor and Jeanette looked just as puzzled. After the movie, Miss Miller told the girls to get ready for bed. After they had brushed their teeth and got into their pajamas, Miss Miller came in to tuck them in.
"Alright girls, I'll see you in the morning. I love you" she said and kissed them all goodnight.
"Good night Miss Miller" they all replied in unison. Miss Miller turned off the light and left the room, leaving the door open a crack for Jeanette. Brittany dozed off relatively quickly, but she was rolling around struggling in her sleep. Jeanette and Eleanor heard her, preventing them from sleeping. After a while Jeanette left her bed and made her way to Eleanor.
"Can't sleep?" the blond Chipette asked as her sister approached and lay down next to her.
"No. Brittany is keeping me up. I don't want to wake her, but she is being really loud" Jeanette whispered to her little sister, taking a glance at Brittany. She was rolling about even more now, making slight growling noises, like they had heard that morning.
"Well she is keeping me up too. She won't be happy, but I would like to sleep tonight. Let's wake her up" Eleanor sighed as she hopped out of her bed. The two younger Chipettes crept towards her bed. As they approached her Brittany started to act strangely. She seemed to duck underneath her covers. Her growls started to sound deeper and louder and she was struggling around under the blanket.
"What is she doing?" Jeanette asked concerned as they approached the bed. The two Chipettes cautiously pulled down her sheets. What they found caused them to let out a scream.
Brittany had transformed into, a werewolf. Her hands had changed into claws; her ears had become sharp and pointed. Her hair had slicked down along her back like fur, but it was her mouth that took full attention. Her teeth had sharpened and she had two large fangs. She looked up at them and let out a growl. Eleanor and Jeanette started to back away, scared out of their minds. Brittany leapt from the bed and landed in front of them on all fours, still growling.
"N-n-n-nice B-B-B-Brittany" Jeanette stuttered nervously as their werewolf sister approached them. They backed up until they were touching the wall.
"S-s-s-stop Brittany. We're your sisters. Remember" Eleanor started to plead as Brittany continued to stalk towards them. Jeanette started to look around for something, anything to get Brittany away from them. She spotted Brittany's favorite brush sitting on top of their dresser. She grabbed it and held it up defensively. The werewolf chipmunk looked at it for a moment starting to back down. She started to whimper and beg.
"What is she doing?" Eleanor asked, watching the strange behavior of her wolfish sister.
"I think she wants the brush" Jeanette said. She threw the brush over to the other side of the room. Brittany excitedly chased after it. As soon as it hit the floor, she dived towards it. She grabbed it in her mouth and started to roll around on the floor with happiness. She hopped back up on all fours and walked back over to her sisters. She started to growl again.
"I… I think she doesn't want you to touch her stuff" Eleanor said nervously as she watched the were chipmunk drop the brush on the floor and pushed it behind her.
"I think I have an idea" Jeanette said. She looked around and spotted another of Brittany's possession. The yellow bow she usually wore with her scarf. Jeanette grabbed it and waved it around in front of Brittany. As before the werechipmunk started to whimper and beg.
"Look what I have. Come on be a good girl and you can have it back" Jeanette said, as if talking to a dog in training. Brittany growled at her for a moment, then let out a whimper of defeat and lay on the ground. Jeanette tossed the ribbon to her and she grabbed it playfully, before tucking behind her again. This time she did not start growling again. Instead she simply kept her eyes locked on Jeanette in case she tried to take more of her possessions.
"Why is she acting like a dog? Shouldn't she be you know… trying to eat us or something?" Eleanor asked confused watching the strange behavior.
"I'm not sure, but I'd rather her be an obedient dog then a bloodthirsty monster, don't you?" Jeanette said back, watching as Brittany rolled over and started panting.
"Agreed" Eleanor sighed. They watched for a while as Brittany started to crawl around the room. She gathered all her possessions and placed them in a pile on the floor. She lay down in front of them and growled every time Eleanor or Jeanette tried to approach her.
"Well, werewolf or not, that is definitely Brittany" Eleanor grumbled as she was sent away again by the werewolf chipmunk.
"Maybe this is why Brittany has been acting so strangely. The burger, the sudden fitness level and even the aggressiveness, It all fits" Jeanette said as she continued examining her sister. Brittany watched her curiously before trotting around the room again.
"I think she is getting bored" Eleanor said as she watched Brittany sniffing the floor and looking around the room restlessly.
"Well we can't let her outside. Who knows what she'll do if that happened" Jeanette sighed as she too watched the restless werechipmunk.
"Hey! I think I know what to do" Eleanor suddenly said excited.
"What?" Jeanette asked. She had been puzzling all night, but she hadn't the faintest clue what to do. Werewolves weren't supposed to exist, let alone act like untrained dogs.
"We may not know much about monsters, but I know someone who does" Eleanor said. Jeanette looked at her and realized what she meant.
"Alvin!" they both said unison.
Alvin was pacing around in his room. He could not sleep. He was so worried about Brittany. What could have made her act like that? He was about to attempt sleep again for the night when he heard a knock at the door.
"That's weird. Who could that be?" he asked himself quietly before proceeding downstairs. Yesterday Brittany had showed up on his doorstep in the middle of the night. Now he was getting another late night call. Who could it be this time? He opened the door to reveal Jeanette and Eleanor. They were both still in pajamas, but they had placed a coat on each.
"Hi Alvin, we uh… need to get some… help" Jeanette said quietly. Alvin raised an eyebrow, but let them pass.
"So what do you need help with in the middle of the night?" he asked. This was very strange. Had they been attacked by a wolf too?
"Well… it's kind of weird. You probably wouldn't believe us if we told you" Eleanor said, exchanging a nervous glance with Jeanette.
"I'll believe you. You wouldn't have just come over to my house in the middle of the night if it wasn't important" he said concerned. This was getting very strange.
"Well… you might want to come with us and we'll show you" Jeanette said. He raised an eyebrow.
"Um, alright I guess" he said. He walked upstairs and grabbed his sweater.
"Ok, let's go" he said and the three of the quietly slipped back outside. They walked back towards the Miller's house. They were silent the entire journey. Eleanor and Jeanette were too concerned about Brittany, and Alvin still had no idea what was going on. As they approached the house a low howl suddenly erupted.
"Whoa! That sounded like a wolf!" Alvin exclaimed and he looked around nervously. Eleanor and Jeanette exchanged a glance. The beckoned him inside and went to their room. Once they entered Alvin noticed the large pile of Brittany's possessions in the corner.
"Why is all Brittany's stuff over there?" he asked curious.
"Brittany… put them there" Jeanette said quietly. Alvin raised an eyebrow.
"Ok, seriously, what is going on?" he asked sternly. Eleanor and Jeanette sighed then moved over to Brittany's closet.
"Well… this" Jeanette said before slowly opening the door. Suddenly Brittany bounded out and tackled Alvin to the floor.
"What the!" Alvin shouted as he was knocked off his feet. He looked up at the werewolf chipmunk on top of him and started to shake. Before he could say or do anything, Brittany suddenly let out a happy bark and started to lick his face.
"Hey, hey cut it out" he said, shoving Brittany off him. She sat next to him panting happily as he sat up.
"Brittany has turned into a… uh…" Jeanette started nervously.
"A werewolf" Alvin finished for her, examining Brittany.
"Yeah" Eleanor sighed and moved next to her werewolf sister. Brittany let out another happy bark then rolled onto her back, keeping her eyes on Alvin.
"The thing is she isn't… acting like a monster… more like a dog" Eleanor said sighing at her excited sister.
"She must like you. She only growls at us" Jeanette said. She showed Alvin by moving towards Brittany. The werechipmunk did as Jeanette predicted and started to growl at her.
"See" Jeanette said as she backed off. Brittany watched her then trotted back over to her belongings and sat back in guarding position.
"She does that every few minutes. I think she might be a little protective of her things" Eleanor explained as Alvin watched Brittany curiously.
"We don't really know much about… monsters but, you do, so we figured maybe you could help us" Jeanette said turning to Alvin. He got up off the floor and faced the two Chipettes.
"Well, I do know a few things, but at the moment, I'm not as much help as I used to be" Alvin said looking glum.
"What do you mean?" Eleanor asked confused. She had been sure that Alvin would be able to help.
"Well, you know how I was forced to stop being Mr. Hyde in the school play" he said unhappily.
"Yes, what about it?" Jeanette said. She hadn't been sure why he was no longer going to be the starring role, but she assumed it was some sort of punishment.
"Well, it's because Dave has banned me from anything to do with monsters. I know some things off by heart, but without my books or notes, there's not a lot I can do" he said. Eleanor and Jeanette sighed.
"Wait; there is a way I can help though!" Alvin suddenly said brightening up. Eleanor and Jeanette looked at him.
"Yesterday before Dave put the ban in place I ordered a book filled with monster facts. It arrives tomorrow. If we can get that book before my brothers or Dave find it, we can use it to try and help Brittany" he said excitedly, turning his attention back to the werechipmunk in the corner. She had been watching them intensely. When she realized Alvin was looking at her she let out a happy bark.
"Great. Tonight, I guess we just have to watch her and make sure she doesn't get into too much trouble" Jeanette said happily. She turned to look at Brittany. Suddenly the doglike chipmunk bounded over and knocked the three of them down.
"Oof! Easier said than done" Alvin groaned as he hit the ground. Brittany started panting and licking at Alvin's face again. Suddenly she turned her head and realized the door to the bedroom was opened. Jeanette was the first to realize what she was looking at.
"Quick shut the door before…" she started to say, but before she could finish, Brittany leapt through the doorway and scurried off down the hall.
"Brittany gets out…" she finished, exasperated.
"Quick we need to stop her before she breaks anything" Eleanor said urgently. The three of them raced out of the room after the werechipmunk. They raced down the stairs and searched all around the house, but they couldn't find any trace of Brittany.
"Where is she?" Jeanette started to plead, getting very concerned.
"Uh oh" Alvin said nervously. He pointed to a place in the kitchen. It was an open window. The girls' eyes widened as they saw what he was pointing at.
"Quick, we need to find her before someone sees her!" Eleanor shouted. The three of them raced through the front door and out into the yard. There was no sign of the werechipmunk.
"Alright, I'll go left, you two go right. We'll meet back here in 10 minutes ok" Alvin said before rushing off down the street. The girls followed his lead and took off down the left side of the street.
Alvin raced along the street as fast as he could.
"Brittany! Brittany come back!" he shouted, looking around frantically as he ran. Suddenly he heard howl. He looked up to see Brittany perched in a tree howling up at the sky.
"There you are. Come now" Alvin said, trying to get the werechipmunk's attention. She looked at him for a moment then continued her howling.
"You're going to wake up the whole neighborhood, shush!" he shouted. Brittany ignored him. Alvin let out an irritated sigh then started to climb up the tree she was sitting in.
"Fine if you won't come down, I'll get you down" he said annoyed. She watched him climb, cocking her head amused. He reached the branch she was sitting on.
"Alright, now don't move" he said quietly and started to crawl towards her. She watched him for a moment then leapt out of the tree and landed on the pavement below.
"Or just completely ignore" Alvin grumbled before climbing back down the tree. Once he reached the ground he turned and looked at Brittany. She was looking at him panting, playfully jumping up and down.
"Bad Brittany bad. You listen when people talk to you" Alvin scolded. Brittany started to whimper and back away from him. Alvin let out a sigh.
"I'm sorry Brittany. You just need to calm down a little" he said. She looked at him and started to pant happily again, then she leapt at him and tackled him to the ground and began to lick his face.
"Well I'm glad you're happy" Alvin sighed before pushing her off him.
"Come on, let's get you back home" he said and waving his arm in the direction of her home. She looked at him curiously for a moment then jumped onto his back excitedly.
"Fine, I'll carry you home" he sighed then started walking back with the yapping werechipmunk clinging to him. As he returned to the Miller's house he saw Jeanette and Eleanor waiting for him.
"Did you find her?" Jeanette asked anxiously. Alvin nodded and turned around so the two Chipettes could see their sister clinging happily to his back.
"We are definitely going to need a leash for her" Eleanor sighed and led the group back inside. As Jeanette was about to walk through the door she realized something. She looked up to confirm her theory. Above them, the moon was not full. It was only a crescent moon.
"Hey Alvin, aren't people supposed to turn into werewolves during a full moon?" she asked as she stepped inside with the others.
"Yeah. They aren't supposed to be able to transform without it" he said wondering why he was being asked such a basic werewolf question.
"Well then why has Brittany transformed? It's not a full moon tonight. It was yesterday, but not tonight" Jeanette said, indicating the moon through a window. Alvin looked at it and rubbed his chin.
"I don't know. Maybe being a werewolf is different for chipmunks… tomorrow when the monster book shows up, we may be able to get some answers" said, shrugging shoulders. For the remainder of the night, the three of them watched Brittany in their room. As the sun started to rise, Brittany suddenly grew very tired and fell asleep in her bed. Moments later, she transformed back into her regular form.
"Well, at least we know that she only transforms at night" Alvin yawned sleepily.
"You had better go home now Alvin. If Miss Miller finds you here we could all get in big trouble" Jeanette said, just as tired as Alvin. Alvin nodded his head and made for the door.
"Thanks for your help Alvin. We just didn't know where else to turn" Eleanor said as she sat down on her bed.
"Don't worry about it. I'm Brittany's friend too. I'll help her anyway I can. By the way, it might be a good idea if we don't tell Miss Miller or my family" Alvin replied. Jeanette and Eleanor nodded in agreement.
"Ok I'll come over later once I get that book" Alvin before he turned and left. Jeanette and Eleanor watched him walk from their window.
"Well, its Saturday so we are allowed to sleep in. Let's try and get some sleep before we have to get up" Jeanette yawned sleepily. Eleanor nodded in a agreement and the two of them pulled themselves under their covers and fell asleep almost instantly.
As Alvin walked through his front door, he heard movement in the den. Moments later Dave walked around the corner and looked surprised.
"Alvin, what are you doing up?" Dave asked. Alvin always slept in late on a Saturday. Alvin quickly racked his brain for some kind of excuse.
"Um… I was having trouble sleeping… so I decided to go for a… uh… jog, yeah that's right a jog. Yeah, it tired me out so I'm just gonna go to bed and sleep for a bit" he lied, hoping it would work. Dave looked surprised.
"Ok, I didn't know you liked to do morning jogs. Perhaps tomorrow we could go for one together" Dave said happily.
"Sure thing Dave" Alvin yawned before trudging upstairs and curling into a ball under his blanket. He hoped that later that day when his book arrived he could find a way to help Brittany, because he didn't want to have to go through another night of that. He let out a final sigh then fell asleep.
Well I enjoyed writing chapter 3. I found it a little difficult with the werewolf bit though since I didn't want Brittany to act like a puppy, but still not be a full werewolf. I think I pulled it off a bit, but that's your call. Anyways, the next chapter will be out soon so be ready!