"Wait, wait, wait; slow down, Theodore. Alvin did what?"

"He left! Darn it, Dave! He just up and left!" Theodore answered, his voice sounding both worried and hurt.

"He left the house?"

"Yeah! We tried to stop him, Dave, but he just wouldn't listen!"

Dave's brows furrowed.

"Did he give you any idea where he was going?"

"Negative," Simon frowned. "As Theodore said, he just 'up and left!'"

"Did he give you any warning? Did you notice him becoming more agitated before he left?" Dave found it hard to believe that Alvin would just "up and leave" without anything setting him off.

"Well, Simon and Alvin sort of…sort of…" Theodore began, then looked at Simon worriedly, attempting to read the second-eldest chipmunk's expression. Would Simon be angry at him for telling Dave about the argument?

"We…we had an argument." Simon said, finishing Theodore's sentence.

"About what?" Dave's demeanor remained unchanged.

Simon rubbed his forehead, wondering how to begin.

"Al…Alvin…we…I was attempting to…" he stopped, then looked to Theodore hopefully.

"Simon was trying to read," Theodore took the reigns from Simon, much to the bespectacled chipmunk's relief. "And Alvin was making a lot of noise, and Simon got frustrated."

Theodore related the rest of the story quickly and almost unintelligibly.

Dave rubbed his temples, trying to decipher what his son had just said, then sighed.

"Well…how long has he been gone?"

"Approximately thirty-six minutes." Simon frowned, looking at the clock sitting on Dave's bedside table.

"Okay, guys. Let's go look for him." Dave got up from his bed.

"Dave, it's ten o'clock at night!"

"I know, Simon. I know it will be hard to find him in the dark…but I don't dare wait until tomorrow."

"Eleanor, what shade of nail polish should I use? Crimson Beauty or Lady In Red?" Brittany asked Eleanor, who had just come out of the bathroom after brushing her teeth."

"Crimson Beauty; the color looks…tastier."

Brittany laughed.

"Trust Eleanor to compare nail polish to food!"

"It looks like the cherry pie Theodore and I baked last week!" Eleanor smiled at the memory of the pie's sweet aroma.

"Oh, I can't wait for my date tomorrow!" Brittany said dreamily.

"So what are you and Alvin going to do? Are you going to the movies like last time?" asked Eleanor, brushing her hair.

"A…Alvin? Oh…I canceled my date with Alvin." Brittany had almost forgotten about her date with Alvin. "I'm going with Leon."

"Oh." Eleanor said simply, frowning slightly.

"Come on, Ellie! Alvin's idea of a good date is a trip to the ice cream parlor. Leon's…exciting."

There was a pause.

"Where are you going?" Eleanor asked, trying to break the tension.

"I'm not sure. It…It's a surprise!"

Eleanor stopped brushing her hair to look at her older sister.

"He hasn't told you? Are you sure you trust him, Brit?"

"Of course!"

"I'm worried, Brittany! You should make him tell you where you're going!"

"Oh, Ellie! Don't be such a worrywart." Brittany laughed, screwing the lid back onto her bottle of nail polish. "Besides, I like surprises!"

"But, Brittany! Aren't you worried he'll…he could…do some very bad things to you, Brittany."

"Alright, Ellie…now you're just being insulting to poor Leon!" Brittany plopped down onto her pillows, her body sinking into her ridiculously soft bed. "I'm going. End of discussion."

"Okay, Brittany." Eleanor shook her head. "I trust your judgment."

"Good," Brittany closed her eyes, thinking of tomorrow. "Just…wonderful."

The phone rang.

Oh, fiddlesticks. Mrs. Miller looked up from her book. Who could that be at this time of night?

"Hello?" she answered her pale pink phone. "Who is this?"

"Hello, Mrs. Miller. This is Dave Seville."

"Oh, hello, David! How can I help you?"

Mrs. Miller always loved to hear from the young, attractive Dave.

"I…I don't want to worry you, Mrs. Miller…and don't tell the girls…but Alvin's gone missing. I just thought you should know…just in case you called and no one answered. We're going out to find Alvin."

"Alvin's missing? But…what…how…when?" Mrs. Miller asked worriedly, sitting up in her bed.

"The…the boys had an argument. I…I'll fill you in later; we really need to get going now."

Mrs. Miller frowned.

"Alright, David. Keep me updated, won't you?"

"Of…of course. I'll talk to you later."

Dave hung up.