Chapter 7: Signs
"And so you mean to tell me that you don't remember anything about going to Miss Miller's last night?"
"Not at all, Dave." Alvin sighed as he yawned and fiddled around with the spoon in his Fruity O's. It was morning as usual in the Seville household, except Dave had been trying to pry the events of last night out of Alvin, and he didn't want to talk about it. He knew Dave wouldn't believe half of the stuff he'd learned, and he didn't really want to get in trouble for things he couldn't explain.
"Well, I'm glad you're all right. I ought to ground you three for not listening to me in the first place, but..." He sighed, trailing off for a minute. "Not today. We have rehearsal for the new single this afternoon at the studio. I think Miss Miller said the Chipettes would be there rehearsing with their schedule, so we'll have to make accomodations as necessary. Simon, I'll work with you after school to make some minor edits on the song - it looks like it pans out fine, but the management wanted to tweak the arrangement a little."
"Okay Dave, sounds good to me."
After Dave gave them their usual lunches and they headed out to school, Simon suddenly stopped Alvin about a block up from their house.
"Okay, Alvin, spill the beans. I know you were lying to Dave about something."
"Whatever do you mean, Simon? You hurt my pride, to the core of my immortal soul."
"Yep. You're definitely hiding something, all right."
Alvin sighed. "Okay, you've got me. I guess I'll explain everything at lunchtime - besides it's a long story, and I still don't understand it all."
***
"That's extreme even for your imagination. The night of the red moon...actually, that's probably the least farfetched part of your story." Simon noted thoughtfully as he bit into his sandwich. The lunchroom was crowded that afternoon, as usual, but the Chipettes didn't seem to be there yet, and Theodore was too busy eating to comment, though he listened with part fascination, part horror to everything that Alvin had gone through the night before.
"Why?" Theodore asked, looking at Simon with a confused expression.
"Because I've heard on the news that there's supposed to be a red moon tomorrow evening. It's called a Tetrad, where the moon eclipses the sun. It really doesn't happen often, though. I planned to watch it myself using my new telescope. They're also having an event at the Art and Science Museum for those who want to see it happen. I was going to ask Dave if I could see it - I know he's probably going to say no to the museum event, but if I'm at home, it shouldn't be a problem."
"Oh no..." Alvin sighed. "If it's happening tomorrow evening, then that means those scary guys will be in the mortal world. They'll be after more souls and everything! They could come after ours, too!"
"Which brings me to my next question - if they were talking about the mortal world, where the heck was the place you traveled to with Anilie?" Simon said, a frown crossing his features.
Alvin thought about it for the first time since he'd been there and back. "Now I get it, no wonder they were talking about souls so much."
"Hey! Miss Melina predicted that too. So that's what she meant by Alvin walking with the dead. She meant with ghosts and ghouls...and stuff..." Theodore observed, but gulped at the recognition of so many supernatural beings in one place, so much that he trailed off in thought.
"Still think it's just a coincidence, Simon? I think that's every last part of my fortune, wouldn't you say?"
"All right, all right, Alvin. As much I hate to admit it. So I guess Melina might be off the hook, for now - but it still doesn't explain how she knew this would all happen, and what's supposed to happen tomorrow night when these - what did you call them? - Riders are supposed to appear."
"I didn't get a chance to ask Anilie that, at least before she disappeared. I don't even know if she's okay." Alvin had a hint of sadness in his voice.
"Maybe she'll show up in the attic just like she did last night. If you said she disappeared before the riders got to you, then she should be okay." Theodore said, patting his big brother on the back.
"Only you two forget one tiny detail - we can't go in the attic, remember? We're lucky Dave didn't ground us this time around."
Alvin exaggerated his expression to a contorted look of horror. "Which would you rather have happen, Simon? Us being trapped by a bunch of angry, scary monsters who can do what they want with our immortal souls and control the entire world...or getting grounded by Dave?"
"In that case, you're asking me the lesser of two evils. I will go with the one that's more likely to happen."
"Oh, brother." Alvin said, his forehead meeting the slick wood of the cafeteria table.
"And would you like to tell me who this Anilie girl is?"
Alvin sat up, alert, almost immediately hearing the voice behind him. He turned with a sheepish grin to face Brittany's angry expression. Eleanor and Jeanette stood not far behind her, but Alvin wasn't sure just how much of the conversation they heard. From his best guess, they were around long enough to hear the mention of Anilie's name.
"Uh...Hi Brittany..."
"Don't you 'Hi Brittany' me! We're destined to be together forever and then you decide to go around with some other girl?! Well, I've got news for you, mister! When you come to the studio this afternoon, you've got a song that I'm dedicating especially to you! And you'd better be there to hear it!"
Alvin tried to put a word in his defense, but Brittany, carrying her lunch tray, sauntered off past Eleanor and Jeanette.
"Come on girls, we're taking our company elsewhere!"
Alvin exhaled sharply after watching the Chipettes leave the area. "I take it that dedication wasn't a good one, was it?"
"Do I have to state the obvious, Alvin?" Simon shook his head.
"No, I think I get it." Alvin said, hitting his forehead against the table again while Theodore gave him a reassuring pat on the back.
***
Alvin, Simon, and Theodore arrived at the studio later that afternoon after stopping on the way home for their instruments and music sheets, then doing what homework they could before the time they left. Simon spent a while with Dave in the studio tweaking the melody and learning how to arrange the composition more to his choosing.
Alvin and Theodore went to hear part of the Chipette's new single - "Signs". Alvin had to swallow a lump in his throat because when he heard the song midway, he could already tell what it was about.
"...Boy, you bewitch me all the time
I'm the rhythm in your broken rhyme.
It's the same deal, no matter how you're feelin'
You play a joker's hand - you send me reelin'.
You think I watch the world, hanging by a thread bare
But I don't call it, I see what's really there.
I see all the signs that are telling me no
And you need time for your heart to grow, yeah
When I call you out, you say there's nothing that you can do.
I'm not staying, boy we're through - I'm through with you.
You change things to go your way, but I don't fit
The poisoned apple that I've already bit.
You flow through me, hit me like a shockwave
Next minute, I know I can't be saved.
You think I'm crazy to read it on a tarot card,
But believe me boy, I'm not taking leaving that hard.
I see all the signs that are telling me no
And you need time for your heart to grow, yeah
When I call you out, you say that life's no clover
I'm not staying, boy we're through - and now it's over."***
"Okay ladies, that's a wrap!" One of the producers said, as the Chipettes filed out of the recording room. Brittany walked out of the room and right past Alvin without a word in edgewise. Eleanor and Jeanette, however, stayed behind.
"Brittany's got the wrong idea..." Alvin said.
"Then who was it that she was talking about - what was her name - Anilie?" Jeanette asked, adjusting her glasses slightly.
"Anilie is a ghost."
"A ghost?!" Eleanor and Jeanette exclaimed simultaneously.
"I don't think Brittany's going to take that very well...I mean, Alvin - you've never dated a ghost before, have you?" Eleanor asked.
Alvin shook his head. "It's not like that. I-I mean...our attic is haunted." He said it straight out, not being able to think of anything else to describe the experience.
"Yeah, by a ghost." Theodore followed up, repeating. "Alvin was the only one to see her, but Simon and I saw when Alvin disappeared from our attic with her. That's why we were talking about her at lunch."
"Oh!" Both of them made the connection almost immediately.
"Wait a minute, Alvin - did that have anything to do with Miss Miller finding you at our house last night? Miss Miller told us that much, but we were sleeping. Brittany thought you were coming over for some reason, so that's why she's kinda upset...about the whole thing with Anilie and everything...or at least what she thinks...you know." Jeanette made the connection.
"Yeah, somehow I ended up going from my attic to your front doorstep." Alvin sounded annoyed, furrowing his brow and crossing his arms. "And the night before that, I went from the attic to my roof without remembering how I got there. Well, I've had it! I'm going to figure out once and for all what's going on. And I have to find a way to help Anilie too."
"But how?"
"I think it's time that we pay a visit to Melina." Alvin said with a smirk, turning his attention to the two Chipettes. "Bring Brittany, you guys - and some money too - I think that discount's still on." They didn't know what he meant, but nodded in agreement as they left the studio to find Brittany.
"Wait a minute, Alvin - what about rehearsal, we've gotta be back here in an hour to record our single with Simon." Theodore mentioned, grabbing Alvin's arm.
"Simon's definitely not going with us since he's with Dave - and he'll probably be there a while until they need us. Relax, Theodore, we'll be back before they know we're gone." Alvin walked ahead as Theodore nervously wiggled his fingers.
"I sure hope we don't get in trouble..."
***
"Oh, Melina has more company, and her favorite company as well. Come right in, all of you. You ladies look beautiful today." Melina greeted the Chipettes as they entered the fortune teller's business, moving past the beautiful beading. Alvin noticed that Melina had switched the colors - to a red and mahogany set of beads. Theodore wondered how much time it took her to do it, but was a little
"Wow...she's got good taste." Brittany noted. "Both in her own fashion and an eye for seeing it in others, of course."
"Oh, brother." Jeanette said under her breath.
"So what can Melina do for young Alvin today? I trust your fortune from last we met has come true?"
"Yeah, does that mean I have any more bad fortunes, Miss Melina?"
Melina smiled. "That would depend on you, young one. Of course, Melina's offer still stands if you want Melina to read all of your fortunes, should you be curious. And they are all quite new."
"Ooh, I want my fortune told!" Brittany noted, but Eleanor and Jeanette held her back.
"Hold on Brittany, she's still talking with Alvin." Eleanor said, with an exasperated sigh.
Alvin shook his head. "Well, I'll wait until they have their fortunes told, if they want."
"Ah, young Alvin shows his gentleman side. A wise choice. Now, which one of you ladies would like your fortunes read first? It only costs a dollar."
As Melina started to read each of the Chipettes fortunes individually, Alvin and Theodore waited patiently near the entrance.
"You wanted to get another fortune from Miss Melina?"
"Maybe, Theodore...but I want a little longer to think about the questions I should ask her. I have a feeling that we should try to go back to the attic again tonight."
"But what about Dave? And what if something happens to you again, Alvin, that would be...really scary..."
"I know...there's gotta something that explains why I end up going from one place and then the next - and it's definitely not just the portal. Maybe I can ask her that too..."
"Um...just a question - how many questions are you going to ask her?"
Alvin looked from Theodore to where Melina sat with each of the Chipettes, laughing and talking. Alvin found himself nervously laughing.
"We might be here a tiny bit longer than we expected..."
"We're gonna be in trouble." Theodore recognized, with a worried frown.
***
"It's ten minutes past, where are they?" Dave seemed a little rattled as he stood outside of the recording studio, but his. "Simon, you don't know of any place they could have gone?"
"Well, I did hear Brittany said they were going out with Alvin and Theodore for a while - maybe to eat? They're probably held up in traffic since it's a little past 6 right now."
"Maybe that's it. Maybe I'm just worrying too much - but we can't keep the panel waiting for too long - it's already the end of the working day. They really wanted to hear the final version of this."
Simon looked through the window at the several members of the panel and sighed. He also hoped that wherever they were, Alvin and Theodore would get back to the studio soon.