Broken Walls
The four chipmunks sat in the den waiting. Eleanor and Jeanette had explained what had transpired to Simon and Theodore and they were absolutely shocked. They didn't think Brittany would ever be able to do something so… so horrible.
The four of them had just sat in the den for hours. First there only worries had been for Jeanette and Eleanor, now there was another person. Alvin had been gone for a long time, and it was now getting very dark.
"Where is he? It shouldn't have taken him this long to find Brittany" Jeanette said concerned. Suddenly Simon stood up.
"Well, I'm tired of waiting. I'm going to go and find him" he said and started to head towards the door.
"Wait for us" Eleanor said and the three remaining chipmunks all stood and followed him. They exited the house and started to walk down the street. It wasn't foggy, but it looked as though it was going to rain, and the dark clouds blocked out the light from the moon and the stars. As they trudged along Simon noticed Jeanette shiver a little. He didn't think it was very cold, so it was quite strange. Then he realized. She was scared. He slowly moved towards her and placed his arm around her reassuringly. She was startled at first, then when she saw who it was she relaxed. Being with Simon always made her feel safe. He was always so strong and sensible. Whenever she was with him, nothing could hurt her, she was the safest person in the whole world. She let out a small smile then snuggled closer to him as they walked down the street. He smiled at her.
"Come on, let's go find Alvin" he said and continued to lead the group. They searched for some time, but eventually they spotted something near the park. A small red object on the ground. They all moved toward it, and slowly they heard sobs.
"Alvin?" Theodore asked as they grew closer to the red object. There was no response.
"Something is wrong with Alvin" Theodore said nervously. The group all looked very concerned, but they continued to approach him. As they circled around the red capped chipmunk they found out why. He was still on his knees in tears. The bleeding claw mark on his face still shone brightly from the sticky red fluid.
"Alvin what happened?" Eleanor asked. He still did not respond. Everyone looked at each other worriedly. Hours earlier the red-clad chipmunk had bravely gone off to confront Brittany, now he was on his knees crying in some park. Thunder sounded above them and slowly rain drops started to drip down on them.
"Let's get him home" Simon said quietly. The group all nodded, but the concern remained on their faces. They helped Alvin to his feet and started to lead him back towards the home of the chipmunks. He didn't look at any of them the entire journey. He just kept his head low and continued to cry. As they walked, the rain intensified and by the time they reached the front doorstep they were all saturated and shivering.
"I'm gonna go make us some hot chocolate" Theodore said and he headed to the kitchen. Eleanor followed behind him. This now left Alvin, Simon and Jeanette in the den. The two taller chipmunks led Alvin over to a chair and sat him down.
"Alright Alvin, tell us what happened? Did you find Brittany?" Simon asked as he watched his older brother. Alvin looked up at them. He wiped the tears from his eyes and cleared his throat.
"I found her" he said quietly. Simon nodded.
"What happened when you found her" he asked. Alvin looked away from them as he responded.
"I confronted her. I told her she had to apologize to Jeanette and Eleanor, then…" he started but then he stopped. He didn't want to say anymore, it was too painful. Simon and Jeanette exchanged a worried glance. Brittany had managed to break Jeanette and Eleanor down until they were crying uncontrollably on the floor, but didn't seem possible for her to do that to someone like Alvin. The red capped chipmunk still wouldn't look at them. Jeanette leant closer to him and turned his head so that he faced her.
"Alvin, please tell us what she said" she said softly. Alvin looked at her, then slowly nodded his head.
"She… she said… that she hates me and would never love me" he said quietly, just above a whisper. As he said this his eyes welled up again and tears fell from them. He covered his face and allowed them to flow. Jeanette and Simon just looked at each other. Brittany had been able to break him, with the only weapon he had no defense against. His own heart.
"Alvin, it's alright. Just forget about it. I don't know what has got into her, but…" Simon started, but Jeanette placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her. Her eyes told him, she could handle this. He nodded his head.
"I'm going to go and get us some blankets" he announced and headed upstairs to the closet. Once he was gone, Jeanette turned back to Alvin.
"Alvin, don't listen to what she told you. You told Eleanor and me to not listen to her. Now you have to do the same. You are a strong person. You need to forget what she told you. It is just the curse. She doesn't have any control of what she is saying. Believe me Alvin, she cares about you. As soon as this whole curse is over with you can talk to her. Now you just have to be strong. You can do it Alvin. You were there to support us when we were upset, and now we are here for you. You aren't alone. Just forget everything alright" Jeanette said kindly, but forcefully. The words slowly started to sink in. Alvin looked up at her and smiled through his tears. He pulled her into a hug.
"Thank you Jeanette. You're right" he whispered into her ear. She smiled. A few moments later Theodore and Eleanor returned with some hot chocolates and Simon brought down some blankets to warm them up. Once they were all in the den Alvin spoke.
"I'm sorry about that guys. I'm still a bit upset, but thank you all" he said happily. Everyone smiled. Then Alvin's face went from happy to serious.
"Alright, now we need to speak seriously. Eleanor, Jeanette and myself have all been…" he said struggling to find a way to describe what Brittany had just managed to do to the three of them, "Anyway, we don't know what is going on with her (he winked at Jeanette and Eleanor when Simon and Theodore looked down to take a sip of hot chocolate) but I suggest we all just stay away from her. When she calms down she may be willing to talk to us. But until then, we all need to stay away" he said firmly. All four other chipmunks all nodded. Simon now turned to address everyone.
"I agree. Girls, I don't think you should be alone with her tonight. I'm going to call Miss Miller and ask if you can stay over here tonight alright" Simon said. Both girls smiled at him and nodded.
"Thanks Simon" Jeanette said and he smiled at her.
"That's alright. We are your friends. We care about you and I don't want to see something like that happen to you ever again. I'm going to call Miss Miller right now. Theodore, maybe you could go and get dinner started. Dave said he would be late coming home so it would be nice for him to walk home to some warm food" Simon said. Theodore smiled.
"Sure Simon. Eleanor do you want to come help?" the little green chipmunk asked his counterpart. She smiled at him happily.
"Sure Theodore, I'd love to" she said and the two skipped happily back into the kitchen. Both chipmunks loved cooking. To Theodore, it was a place where he could truly show his inner confidence and strength. Outside he was a shy and timid person, but in the kitchen, he was able to do anything he wanted. He could make almost anything. Eleanor loved cooking for similar reasons. She could already show others how strong she was, but in the kitchen she could truly express herself. As they disappeared, Simon turned and headed over to the phone. While he was gone, Alvin looked at Jeanette with a worried expression.
"If you are staying here tonight, how will we watch Brittany?" he asked quietly. Jeanette was very surprised. After what had just happened, she had been positive that Alvin wouldn't want anything to do with Brittany, werechipmunk or otherwise. Alvin seemed to know what she was thinking.
"I am still feeling hurt, but Brittany needs our help. Regardless of everything that has happened, I don't intend to turn my back on her. She is my friend and I care about her, even if she currently doesn't think that way of me" he said. Jeanette was worried. She knew that this was going to be very hard for Alvin to face Brittany. She probably wouldn't remember what had just happened in her wolf-like state, but it was still going to be very difficult. He was being very strong, but he had just had his defenses broken. Could he face her again so soon?
"I'm not sure how we will watch her Alvin" she said after a while. He thought it over for a moment then turned back to her.
"We'll have to wait until Simon and Theodore go to sleep, then we'll sneak back to your house and bring Brittany back here. We can't stay at your house because we might wake Miss Miller. We will need to be very careful that Simon, Theodore and Dave don't find her" he said. Jeanette was still worried about Alvin, but she agreed, that was probably the soundest plan.
"Ok, we'll tell Eleanor later. We could hide her in your tree house. That way the others won't see her" Jeanette said. Alvin smiled and nodded. Moments later Simon returned to the room.
"Miss Miller is fine for you two to stay home tonight. She will have a word with Brittany when she gets home. Now, how about we watch a movie together?" he said. Alvin and Jeanette nodded.
A few hours passed, and now the chipmunks were getting ready for bed. Dave had been a little surprised to find Eleanor and Jeanette over at the house so late, but when Simon explained the situation, he had been more than happy to allow them to stay. Simon and Theodore had gone through their own clothes and found some pajamas for them to wear. Now the four chipmunks all looked the same as they prepared for bed. Theodore thought that the clothes were cute on Eleanor. Dave got out some sleeping bags and set them up in the chipmunk's room for the girls to sleep. As the group all finished brushing their teeth, they all trudged into the room and got into their beds.
"Alright, now remember you do have school tomorrow, so don't stay up and talk too much. I'll see you all in the morning" he said and turned off the light. Like Jeanette, Theodore was a little scared of the dark so he left the door slightly ajar so that the outside lights could enter the room.
"Ok, well I'm tired and Dave is right, we do have school tomorrow. I'll see you guys in the morning" Simon yawned and closed his eyes. Alvin, Jeanette and Eleanor waited for a while until they were sure that Simon and Theodore were asleep before they got ready to leave. Quietly they tiptoed out of the house and headed off down the street towards the Miller house. The whole walk Eleanor and Jeanette exchanged worried glances. They were still very nervous about being near Brittany themselves, but they were more worried for Alvin. He tried to hide it, but they could tell he was still very hurt and upset by what had occurred.
"Alright, let's climb in through the window" Alvin said quietly. The three of them crept around the back of the building and climbed the tree next to their bedroom. Once they reached the window, they saw that Brittany had already transformed. She hadn't destroyed anything but she looked quite excited to be on her own. She was bouncing around the room happily. Alvin slowly opened the window and climbed through. Brittany hadn't spotted him; she was having too much fun. Eleanor and Jeanette climbed through next before closing the window again. Brittany turned around and jumped when she saw the three figures suddenly in the room.
"Alright Brittany, come with us. We are going to take you somewhere new tonight" Alvin said. She cocked her head, not sure what he meant. Eleanor walked to her bedside table and pulled out Brittany's leash. When the werechipmunk spotted it she stared to pant happily. Finally they were going to let her go outside. As Eleanor approached to clip the leash on, Jeanette stepped in front of Brittany.
"Now Brittany, you will behave on this trip, or we won't let you out again" she said firmly. The werechipmunk watched her then nodded.
"Well, she knows who the boss is" Alvin chuckled, although he still could not hide how he was truly feeling. Jeanette let out a silent sigh then allowed Eleanor to place the leash around Brittany. She let out a happy bark.
"Ok, let's go" Alvin said and he lead the way through the house and outside. Brittany wanted to start running around and climbing up trees but Jeanette gave her a warning glance, so Brittany calmly trotted alongside the three chipmunks. As they approached the chipmunk's house, they went around to the back where Dave had built a tree house for the boys. It was relatively small, and they didn't use it very often anymore, but it would be perfect for watching Brittany for the night. First the girls climbed up the ladder attached to the structure, followed by Alvin. He kept a hold of Brittany's leash while she climbed up the side of the tree instead of the ladder. Once they were inside, they removed her leash and she started to run around in circles playfully.
"Alright, can you two watch her for a minute? I'll go back and get your sleeping bags and some sheets for myself" Alvin said. Eleanor and Jeanette nodded. As he climbed down the tree, both girls let out a sigh. So far Alvin had seemed alright, but they could tell he was still very upset.
"Well, he seemed ok. We'll just need to keep an eye on him" Eleanor said quietly. Jeanette nodded, but she wasn't reassured. Eleanor wasn't so sure herself. They let out another sigh and watched as Brittany used her claws to climb up onto the roof of the tree house.
Alvin tiptoed into the bedroom. Theodore and Simon were still asleep. Quietly and bent down and picked up Eleanor and Jeanette's sleeping bags and hung them over his shoulder. Next he walked over to his bed and grabbed the covers off and rolled them into a large ball to make them easier to carry. Once he had gathered everything he turned to go, but accidently banged his arm on the door.
"Yow!" he cried out, before immediately realizing what he had just done and covered his mouth. Simon rolled over in his bed, but both chipmunks still remained asleep. Alvin let out a relieved sigh then turned and left his room. Once he was outside, we walked toward the ladder to the tree house. He was about to grab it when he stopped. He looked up at it and let out a sigh.
"I don't think I can do this" he said quietly to himself. He sat down and leaned against the base of the tree and grabbed his knees. It had taken everything he had to keep a calm appearance earlier, and it had been even harder to make himself go and get Brittany. Curse or not, what she had said to him had never hurt so much in his life. He felt as though his heart had been diced to pieces. He lowered his head and started to cry. No matter how hard he tried, the words just kept ringing through his head.
"Alvin Seville, I hate you and I will never love you"
In his life he had experienced sadness; he had experienced pain, but nothing like this. Those words had done something to him that he couldn't even describe. It was beyond despair, beyond hurt, it was beyond the worst fate a person could have.
"I'm so sorry Brittany. I'm so sorry" he whispered to himself. He didn't even know what he was apologizing for. She had screamed at him when he had complemented her sister, she had screamed at her sisters for them trying to defend him, and she had just torn his heart to shreds. Why should he be sorry? He didn't know, but right now, those were the only words he could say. He sat under the tree for what seemed like hours, silently crying, unable to block out the sound of her cruel words. He never noticed when Eleanor and Jeanette climbed down the ladder, concerned about his absence. He didn't notice as they ran to him and began trying to comfort him. He didn't notice anything. All he knew was that he had lost something very special to him, and it had broken his heart.
"It's alright Alvin. You need to forget what she told you. She was influenced by the curse. She does not think that way about you. She cares about you deeply. Every time you two are together and you aren't fighting, she has the most wonderful time. This isn't her Alvin, this isn't who she is. You need to forget everything she told you" Jeanette said, almost pleadingly to the crying chipmunk. He didn't respond even slightly. It was if he didn't even know she was there.
"Alvin, be strong. You are Alvin Seville. You can sing to huge audiences, come up with crazy schemes, you can do anything. Alvin, you are a caring person. You defend your brothers all the time, and just before, you were there for us when we were upset and you went and confronted Brittany solely because of us. Alvin you are strong and brave. Forget what she told you and remember what you told us. You told us to forget what she said. She isn't herself. You are strong Alvin, you can do it. We are here for you, but you have to try" Eleanor said strongly. The chipmunk at first said nothing. Slowly he lifted his head and looked up at the two Chipettes kneeling next to him.
"I'll… try" he said through his sobs. He moved toward them and began to hug them fiercely, a move which they responded too. Eleanor gently rubbed his back as he cried.
"Let it out Alvin, let it all out. We are here for you. You are strong and you can do this" Jeanette said kindly. The red capped chipmunk looked at them and smiled.
"I… I can do this… Thank you" he said before he once again pulled them into a hug. The three of them sat there for a while. They said nothing; just let Alvin let all his tears out. As he began to calm he faced them.
"Thank you. Now, let's go watch Brittany" he said quietly. He got to his feet and climbed up into the tree house carrying the sheets and sleeping bags. As he entered he found that Brittany was gone. He was about to turn back and tell the others when the werechipmunk's claws suddenly slipped and she fell from the ceiling and landed in Alvin's arms.
"There you are" he said surprised. She let out a happy bark then started to lick his face. He smiled then put her down on the ground. She started to scamper around the tree house again. Alvin moved to the back of the room and lay the bedding down as the two girls entered the tree house.
"You two go to bed for a while. I'll take the first watch" Alvin said. Both girls looked hesitant.
"Are you sure?" Jeanette asked. He smiled at her.
"I'm sure. I'll be alright. I have to be strong" he said and moved aside so that the Chipettes could reach their sleeping bags.
"Alright then" Jeanette smiled. It seemed as though he was fighting again. His broken defenses were being rebuilt. Alvin still had a long way to go, but he would recover. The two girls lay down and soon were fast asleep. Alvin sat in the door to the tree house, dangling his legs over the side, staring up at the starry night sky. He felt a gentle nudge from behind him. He turned to see that Brittany had approached him. She crawled onto his lap and curled up into a ball. He smiled and gently stroked her hair.
"I will help you Brittany. Somehow I will find a way to help you. Until then, I have to be strong. My brothers need me to be strong. Jeanette and Eleanor need me to be strong. You need me to be strong. I can do this. I will find a way to help you Brittany, and you will become the person I care about once again" he whispered. He sat there for hours, gently stroking her hair as she snuggled against him. Eventually he began to get tired, so he carefully picked Brittany up of his lap and set her down on the tree house floor. He moved over to Eleanor and Jeanette and woke them up.
"Ok, I'm going to take a rest now. It's your turn" he whispered before sliding under his sheets. He was about to close his eyes, when Brittany lay down next to him and snuggled against him. He smiled. No matter how he was feeling, just being close to her, made him feel better. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
"Wake up Alvin. Brittany will change back soon, we need to get her home" Eleanor whispered into his ear. He opened his eyes. The sky was still dark, but he could feel that it was definitely close to morning. He sat up and climbed out from under the covers.
"Alright. You two meet me out the front of the house. I'm going to put the sleeping bags and sheets back" he said and picked up all the sleeping wear. Eleanor and Jeanette placed Brittany's leash back on her and climbed down the ladder. Alvin followed them, but instead of going around the side of the house, he crept through the back door and tiptoed up to his room. When he got inside he found that Simon and Theodore were still sound asleep. Carefully he placed the sleeping bags back on the floor and covered his bed again. He made one last check to see if Theodore and Simon were asleep, then he exited the room and met the girls outside. The three of them walked the werechipmunk back along the street. Brittany still wanted to run around and play, but she was suddenly starting to get very tired. She blinked her eyes several times. Just as the group reached the Miller front door, Brittany couldn't stop herself and she fell asleep. Moments later, the first morning rays of the sun shone down on the sleeping body of the normal Brittany Miller. Gently Alvin picked her up and carried her to her room. He tucked her into the bed.
"I hope we fix you soon, because I want to spend time with this Brittany again, and not the other one" he whispered, then he turned around and left the house with Eleanor and Jeanette. Quietly they reentered the Chipmunk's house and entered the boy's room. They all got under the covers and were soon asleep again.
"Alright guys, time to wake up, you need to get ready for school" Dave said sometime later, popping his head through the doorway. The five chipmunks all yawned in unison then clambered out of bed and headed downstairs.
"Alright guys, once you finish eating, go and get dressed and I'll drive you to school" Dave said happily as he placed some bowls on the table and grabbed the cereal and milk.
"Did you girl sleep alright?" Theodore asked as he poured some cereal into his bowl.
"I slept fine Theodore" Jeanette said as she waited turn for the cereal.
"Me to, thanks for asking" Eleanor said happily and Theodore beamed. After breakfast the kids all hurried upstairs to get dressed. After Jeanette and Eleanor had changed back into their clothes from the day before, they handed the pajamas back to their counterparts.
"Thanks for letting me borrow these" Eleanor said as she gave them back to Theodore. He smiled.
"That's alright Ellie. You know, you looked kinda cute in them" Theodore said bravely. Eleanor blushed.
"Thanks Theodore" she said happily and gave him a hug. Now it was Theodore's turn to blush. The gang all got ready and met Dave downstairs. He had prepared five lunches for them.
"I wasn't sure what to make for you girl's so I just gave you some cheese and lettuce sandwiches" he said as he handed them the bags.
"Thanks Dave" they both said.
"No problem. Alright, let's get going" Dave said cheerfully then he lead the way to the car. The group all piled in and they were off.
Well, this chapter was quite difficult to write. Not in terms of content, I just found it hard to keep the story flowing from the last chapter. I think I did alright, but the start is a little shaky. Well, I hope you guys are like the emotional roller coaster. Hold on because this ride still has some bumps to go. Get ready for the next update!