This part might be pretty lengthy as well. This story itself is LONG. There's some timeskips coming up in this chapter too. I'll try not to go over 6 parts, but this MIGHT end up being 7 total. Which, actually, would be cool. It would make this chapter the exact middle of our story and this is in fact, the midpoint of Alvin 2.0's journey.

Genius-Alvin's POV

A rash? I had a rash! A really bad one that showed right through my fur! What was next? More nerdy changes? Shoot! I should really look up stereotypical nerds on TV Tropes to prepare myself for what's next. This is absolutely CRAZY! What did I do to deserve such ROTTEN luck!?

Dave and I reached the clinic located in our small town and another doctor, boy I was seeing a LOT of doctors, examined me. He had swept back blonde hair and tan skin and big ears. His name was, uhhh, oh oh! Dr. Peters. That's it.

As the doctor looked at my sudden rash, Dave watched, looking worried. At least my dad was worried about me. I knew he cared.

I was getting impatient. I wanted to know how to fix this. "So, um...Doc, do you know what's wrong with me?" I asked.
He tapped his chin. "Well, it's not a serious allergic reaction."

GULP! "It's not...? So what is it?" I squeaked, feeling so anxious I was getting dizzy.

"Is it just a usual teenage thing?" Dave asked, sitting in the chair in the office.

I frowned. "Please don't say "yes." I begged.

Luckily, Dr. Peters said nothing of a sort. "Also, no."

"Phew." I breathed a sigh of relief.

Dave looked puzzled. "So, what is it?"

I started scratching at the blemishes on my face. More specifically, the ones high on my cheeks close to my nose. They itched! They hurt! They were so annoying! I wanted to pull them off of me!

Dr. Peters stopped me. "Don't do that. It'll just make it worse."

"But they itch!" I moaned.

The blonde haired guy sighed. "Yes, but you have claws, little guy. If you scratch them with claws, you might cause scarring."

"SCARRING!?" I immediately took my hands away from my cheeks. I could NOT wind up with a face full of permanent acne-like scars.

Dr. Peters looked at Dave. "Your son's breakout seems to be a facial rash of some kind." He reported. No DUH!

"Oh no!" I moaned, reaching up to scratch my cheeks again with my weirdly retractable chipmunk claws. "Is it gonna spread? Is my whole body gonna be covered in chipmunk pox?" I caught what was happening and I put my hands down. No scratching. No scratching. Gotta remember not to scratch.

"It shouldn't." The Doc said.

Dave grabbed my arms to stop me from scratching the blemishes more. "What could have caused the rash, doctor?"

The Doctor looked at his clipboard. "Has Alvin been under a lot of stress lately?"

"Getting that straight B report card was REALLY stressful." I explained.

To my amazement, Dave agreed! "Actually, yes. He's placed a lot of stress on himself."

I started to sob. Why was I such a crybaby lately? "I was trying to be a perfect kid! Please don't abandon me in the desert, Dave! I can change! I really can!" I blubbered.

"What? Alvin, I would never even think about doing that." My dad responded tenderly.

Well, that's not what my nightmares said. Maybe I should stop believing everything in my dreams is reality. Although, my dreams are easier to remember than reality. That's probably a bad sign, right?

I blinked my tears away. "R..Really? Even though I screw up everything?"

"Of course!" My father exclaimed. "I love you the way you are. You don't have to be perfect."

I felt the tears welling up again. "But...don't you want a perfect son?"

"Alvin, doing all those chores for me really helped out, but you forgot to set aside enough free time for yourself." Dave patted my shoulder.

I groaned. "I know. I guess I just wasn't cut out to be a good kid." I admitted.

Dave shook his head. "You can STILL be a good kid. Maybe help out doing chores sometimes, but not all the time."

Oh? My all or nothing mentality was wrong? "So, once a month?" I asked.

"Alvin." My dad was stern.

Drat! I was hoping that would work! "So, like maybe once a week?" I tried another approach.

"Alvin!" Dave was getting more and more mad.

"Once or twice a day?" Hopefully, he'd be okay with this suggestion.

The doctor watched our interactions the entire time and looked confused.

Dave liked my last idea. "Yes, that would be nice. You'd be helpful, but not too helpful." SCORE! That worked for me.

"You got it, Daverino." I jumped off the table. "So, is there any, like, medicine, or pills, or a face cream or something that will make me look handsome again?" I asked Dr. Peters.

The man shook his head and held his clipboard tightly. "I'm afraid there's nothing I can use to treat it." I sensed he was lying.

"But, there's got to be a way to bring my beautiful face back!" I shouted, pointing at the rash.

The doctor actually had the nerve to chuckle at me. "Relax. There is. Just have fun and try to keep your stress levels to a minimum. Do whatever makes you feel good, and the rash should clear up in a couple of days, a week tops."

"Ohoho! YES!" I danced around. Finally, some good news.

"I think you made him very happy, doctor." Dave picked me up. "Come on, Alvin. Let's go home."

On the car ride home, I was ecstatic. I couldn't believe it! I finally had a way to get out of doing a bunch of chores! I had a GOOD excuse to slack off and have fun. I MISSED fun! I wonder how far my new perks could extend. Ohoho! Time to test it out.

"Hey, Dave, can we stop and get some ice cream?" I fidgeted with my seatbelt.

"Alvin, I have to get home and check on your brothers." My dad said, his eyes fixed on the road.
I crossed my arms and put on my best pouty face. "Just sayin, Ice cream would really help lower my stress levels."

My dad groaned. "Fine."

He swung by Cold Stone Creamery and got me a small dish of blue moon ice cream with gummy bears. Ohoho! I could get used to this.

I spent a full weekend doing whatever I wanted, which included skateboarding, ping pong, tree climbing, playing guitar, playing loads of videogames, drawing a new comic, and singing my favorite tunes. Unfortunately, even after all these Classic Alviny activities, my rash was still there. In fact, it was even worse. Some of the blemishy dots were growing! There was only one thing to do, because I was NOT going to school looking like this.

I sent Brittany a text. It was probably the first I'd sent her in ages. [I need some concealer. Can you send it over on the zipline?]

[What for?] She asked back.

What would Classic Alvin say? [A prank.] I typed.

[What color do you need? Dave's skin tone?] Brittany replied.

I hoped she wouldn't figure out why I actually needed it. [Lighter. Like my complexion.]

I waited for a response. There was none. I paced around the room. I was NOT attending class looking like a pizza face. I may have lost my mind, but I refused to lose my looks.

"Oh my gosh." Brittany exclaimed, arriving on the zipline without warning. No! She was supposed to send ONLY the concealer over, not herself too! It's why Simon made a tiny case on the zipline for transporting items.

I covered my face with my hands. "It's not what it looks like."

"I warned you this would happen." She clicked her tongue as she observed me. "I didn't expect it to happen so fast."

Neither did I. I didn't expect it at all. "Simon thinks I'm all burned out. The doctor said I'm just super stressed." I explained. "They'll go away. I hope. But I need your concealer stuff! If I show up to school like this, everyone will know the nerdiness is spreading!"

"You need to go back to acting like you again." Brittany insisted. "There's still time to reverse this."

I felt my voice get tighter in my throat. "I spent the whole weekend acting like the old me! Nothing worked! I'm still stressed!

"Yeah, well, two days isn't much. Plus, you have to act like the old you at school too." She frowned. "And, uh, I don't have concealer. I've never needed it. I have flawless skin."

"WHAT!?" I fumed. "How am I supposed to act like Classic Alvin when I look like this?"

"You'll think of something." She walked uncomfortably close to me and then hugged me out of nowhere in a crushing bear hug. "You have to. Because the alternative is letting yourself become a full nerd."

"I don't want that." I squeaked.

"Exactly." She patted my hat.

So I tried my best to survive a day of school looking like this. I got a lot of strange looks as I skateboarded through the halls. The bullying was bad, but not as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, there was only one instance with Derek and his goons. Most other people felt sorry for me.

"Nice spots, zitface." Ray Ray shouted.

I ignored him and continued to skate through the hall. I could see a hot girl up ahead. I wanted to follow my Classic Alviny impulse and ask her out. Yeah, it didn't really work out that way.

"Why don't you get lost, geekazoid?" She said, beforeI could even ask her name.

I pointed to the giant A on my T-shirt. "I know I look weird, but I'm the same Alvin on the inside. I'm only slightly smarter and more mature." I claimed.

"The same? Ha! You can't expect anyone to believe that." She folded her arms.

"I can prove it!" I said, jumping off my skateboard and holding it proudly. "See? Same skateboard. If I were really a complete nerd, I would have lost that ability."

She looked down at me. "Sorry, still not interested."

By lunchtime, I was feeling like a wreck again. It didn't get better when I overheard my friends and family discussing me.

Simon nibbled some trail mix. "Jeanette basically did to Alvin exactly what she did to the villain from my videogame." He was saying.

Theodore tilted his head. "You mean Thornbagoober or something?"

"Thornbagough." Eleanor corrected him. "And yeah, she did. She took him, sanded down the rough edges and then cooked him til he was soft. And weak…and wimpy." I mean, she was right, but I didn't want to admit it.

"Eleanor!" Theo scolded his BFF.

The pigtailed Chipette shrugged it off. "What? He is!"

"He's weak and wimpy because he's still HEALING…FROM…TRAUMA!" Simon came to my defense.

I decided now would be a good time to join them. Clutching my lunchbox, I approached them awkwardly. "Are you guys talking about me?"

They all exchanged glances.

"Kinda." Eleanor mentioned. She cringed at my face. "Wow, is it me, or are those getting worse?"

"Worse." I admitted, taking my seat. I wanted to retreat to the library with Netta. No, that wasn't Classic Alvin thinking. "I've been checking them in the bathroom mirror between classes. They're spreading." There were like 26 when I first noticed them. Now, I was up to 58, in varying sizes. Most were still tiny, but there were 7 larger ones.

"Who knew getting better grades would result in this?" Simon commented.

I shot him a glare. "What do I doooo?" I moaned.

Brittany walked up to the table. She'd been sitting with the cheer squad, but she decided to pay us a visit for whatever reason. "Hey, guy…." She gasped when she saw me. "Oh no!"

"I must still be too stressed." I squeaked. "That's all these are." I tried to downplay how scared I was. "Just stress."

"Maybe your supercharged brain is making you really stressed." Theodore reasoned, eating a triple decker peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"Maybe it's because you keep making dumb decisions." Simon suggested. "Like trying to do everyone's chores for them and still manage everything else on your schedule."

I slapped my hand on the table. "I was TRYING to improve."

"And look where it got you." Brittany pointed at my face.

Jeanette met up with us and shyly took her seat. I guess she got tired of the library. Feeling a rush of weird confidence, I moved to the other side of the table to sit next to her. Britt was NOT happy about that, but I could care less!

"I hate to be the one to suggest this, but you'd be better off if you went back to not caring if you were smart or not." Simon looked slightly disappointed. "You're not equipped to handle the dreaded gifted kid burnout."

"We're all smart." Eleanor declared.

Theodore frowned. "We are? I don't feel smart very much."

The blonde girl in the mint colored T shirt with a trophy on it, stood up on the cafeteria table. "I think that intelligence is a circle and being smart and dumb co-exist." We all looked lost. What was she babbling about? "Let me explain. "Theodore is pretty dumb, but also pretty smart."

"Hey!" Theo commented, looking annoyed.

Eleanor continued talking. "Brittany is averagely dumb, but also averagely smart. I'm also average in both ways."

Brittany scowled.

"Jeanette is super smart, but also super dumb. Alvin and Simon are both incredibly smart, which ALSO makes them incredibly dumb. I rest my case." Eleanor dropped her banana like it was a microphone used for a mic drop.

"Uh. I'm not so sure that's how it works." Simon remarked.

Theo took Eleanor's side. "I think she's onto something. Cuz sometimes I feel smart and sometimes I feel dumb. And, I was starting to feel smarter more until Alvin became smart too."

"Sorry my intellect is ruining all your lives." I said bitterly.

Brittany smirked. "It's also ruining your life."

Theodore nodded. "It's really weird. Alvin and Simon basically share a brain." He quipped.

The pink diva couldn't resist taking a jab at us. "Who has it right now?"

"Simon." My baby bro told her.

"We do not share a brain!" Simon and I both yelled at exactly the same time. That didn't really prove our point. Oh well.

Not much to report from the rest of lunch. I just kinda zoned out and got lost in my thoughts again. I was paranoid something else bad would happen to me soon. I could almost FEEL that something would.

After school, I donned my skateboard helmet and reported to the soccer field for practice. I was gonna make the best of this, and, well, as an added bonus, maybe the helmet would stop them from noticing my face.

"Seville! What's with the helmet?" Gosh dang it! Coach Dopkins again. Why couldn't I ever please that guy? He was harder to please than Dave, which was really saying something.

I puffed out my chest. "I'm protecting my head."

"Are you kidding me?" The adult man growled, he wanted to call me a wimp again, but he caught Eleanor giving him an evil eye stare.

I rapped my hand against the helmet on my head. "I won't play without it. So, if you want your best player back, then the helmet stays." I was extremely firm with the guy.

And it worked! The helmet fully cured my scaredy cat syndrome! I was unstoppable on the soccer field! I was back, for real this time! I scored 13 goals! A new record! My physics powers hadn't even kicked in to help me either! This was all just my natural skill!

When I got home, I couldn't help but boast about my soccer skills. I took my helmet off and put it in the downstairs closet with my brother's helmets. Then, I met up with my brothers and the Chipettes in the living room. Brittany needed to hear me boast. She needed to know that Alvin was still very much alive!

"Ohoho! Wasn't I amazing out there today, Eleanor?" I asked, racing into the room and skidding to a stop.

Eleanor was leaning on the arm of the couch. "He was, you guys, sports are his calling."

"Sports, music, videogames, skateboarding, and sci…" I stopped myself before I could say "science." I didn't want to break the illusion that I had found myself. I wanted them all to finally stop worrying.

Brittany barely looked relieved. "Good job, Alvin." She said, sounding emotionless.

I walked up to Jeanette, who was sorting through a box. It was full of the home movies she'd been playing for me during our lessons. "Ohhh." She groaned. "I can't find the one I'm looking for."

"Allow me to be of assistance." I offered, slipping into helpful nerd mode again without realizing it. "Which one are you looking for?"

"The one where you help me with the green energy contest." She squeaked timidly.

"Netta, you should really put some labels on these." I suggested, rooting in the box. "Because the descriptions of what happens are long winded. Then, you can move the descriptions to the inside of the case. Labels would make them a lot easier to find."

She smiled at me, midnight eyes glowing. "Good thinking."

"I would call this one Alvin's Assistant!" I held up two of the videos she showed me at my first video lesson. "And this one To Serve And Protect."

"What about this one?" She held up the 3rd video she'd shown me that day.

"Hmmm." I tapped my chin.

Theodore walked up to peer at the video. "How about The Gift?" He suggested.

"Nah, that's a stupid title." I replied. "I would call it A Vest To Impress."

"I thought The Gift was a nice title." Jeanette told Theodore sweetly. Then, she turned her eyes to me. "Alvin, what have I told you about calling other people's ideas stupid?" She pressed.

I sighed. "Not to." I looked at my youngest bro. "Sorry, Teddy boy."

I located the video she was searching for. "Aha! Found it!" I smiled at her. "I call this one Going Green."

I caught a glimpse of Brittany staring at me and Jeanette suspiciously. The girl in the pink cardigan looked angry and impatient as well. "Hello? Are we going to pick a game for game night or what?"

"Oh, sorry, yeah." Jeanette squeaked. "I just need to get these in order for Alvin's next lesson."

Brittany snuck up behind me and snatched me a minute later, pulling me into the hall. "What exactly does she teach you at these lessons?"

"Why do you want to know?" I asked, tilting my head.

My best friend's icey blue eyes looked sad. "Because I don't think you know what you signed up for. Like Eleanor said, she's making you too nice."

"So?" I shrugged.

"So, she's also clearly stressing you out. Look at your face!" She reminded me.

I'd almost forgotten about the itchy and bumpy tapestry under my fur. I didn't take kindly to being reminded. "My face is my fault. I dove too far into being a stellar student and paid the price. Jeanette had nothing to do with that. Why don't you mind your own business?"

"Alvin,.." Brittany grabbed my arm. "Tell me what she's teaching you."

"How to be a better guy, without losing my Alvin-ness." I explained. "That's basically it."

"Oh….okay." She didn't look so sure. "And you don't have romantic feelings for her, right?"

I shook my head. "She's just a friend. I swear. We get along well. That's all."

"Carry on then." She walked back toward the living room, where everyone was finally deciding on a game. "But, be careful."

I rolled my eyes. Why did everyone think Jeanette was ruining me? I WANTED her lessons. I asked for them. I wasn't forced. I wasn't putty in her hands.

"Anyone want to throw out ideas for a game here?" Eleanor asked, sounding impatient.

"I enjoy crazy 8s." Simon spoke out his game idea at a fairly quiet volume.

I felt the brain tingles again as I got an idea. "We could try a trivia contest!" I blurted out.

Four pairs of eyes stared at me in disbelief. Jeanette looked at me with an encouraging smile.

I covered my mouth with my hands. What kind of idea was that?

We wound up playing Candyland with Theo, and he totally won. I got stuck in the molasses swamp for like seven turns before drawing a red card to move again. My luck was not turning around. Theodore was really happy to have us all play the game though. He had been asking about it for ages. I was happy that he was happy. I guess some parts of Jeanette's lessons are sticking! Who woulda thunk it?

ALVIN: Brittany!

BRITTANY: I'm on it.

ALVIN: Good. I was going to ask Theo, but he's got a stomach ache from eating three enchiladas and one quesadilla.

BRITTANY: How does all that food even fit in his little body?

ALVIN: I dunno. It defies the laws of physics.

BRITTANY: Please don't mention physics.

ALVIN: I can't help it.

BRITTANY: Oh well. Was worth a try. On with the story.

Brittany's POV

After the game of Candyland was over, Eleanor and I returned home. Jeanette decided to stay longer and give Alvin another lesson that stripped more of his personality away. I needed to find a way to stop her. She meant well, really she did, but Alvin was basically like a puppy dog she was training. He would do anything she said! Plus, he didn't even realize it, but he kept staring at her with goo goo eyes. He was falling for her! I could see it!

I sighed as I talked to Eleanor, who was flipping through a cookbook on her bed. "Was he really as good at soccer practice as he said he was?" I questioned. I knew she would absolutely tell me the truth.

"Yeah, he was. A lot better than the last practice." She flipped onto her stomach and kicked her legs. "Why do you ask?"

I looked at a photo of Alvin in his red hoodie with his adorable smile and his eyes free from the clearly cursed glasses. "Do you think that he'll slowly start coming back? Now that his concussion is fully healed."

"I don't know, Britt." She answered, snapping the book closed. "Maybe. Maybe not. You can't break him out of this. He's gotta break out himself."

"He's already broken out." I gave a small giggle. "Gosh, I hate that I find that funny. But it is funny, isn't it? Narcissistic Alvin getting a hideous rash?"

"It's hilarious." She laughed.

My giggling faded. "But, what if it's a sign that he's…gone forever? That the nerd in him will win out in the end?"

"Again, nothin' we can do about it." Eleanor shrugged. "We gave him an intervention, we told him how we feel. Identity crises are tough to crack."

I sighed again. I wished Alvin had never set foot in Dr. Wilson's class. That was what changed him. Sure, the incident caused by me had played a small part in it, but Dr. Wilson was mostly to blame. He somehow took a kid who hated almost every school subject and turned him into an obsessive geeknerd.

And Jeanette was at fault too. She swooped in to help in her usual way while Alvin was confused and vulnerable. He'd jump headfirst into a snake pit if she told him to at this point. Although, she never would ask that. She's trying to knock the daredevil out of him. But how is she doing it?

To get my mind off things, I decided to re-organize our closet. That took a while. What else could I tidy? I dusted off the vanity. There! That should do it. After that, I moved on to making sure that the bookcase and nightstands were in order.

As I was cleaning up some papers that were sticking out from under Jeanette's bed, (she is super messy) I found a purple folder. It had a shiny gold label on it that read Operation: Hocus Focus. I knew I shouldn't look inside the folder, but Hocus Focus sounded like some sort of magic spell.

Oh my god! That's what Jeanette was doing! She put some kind of nerd transformation spell on Alvin! I didn't even need to open the folder to know that! THIS WAS BAD! How far along in the transformation was he? How much of the original Alvin remained? And, most importantly, could the spell be reversed?

I ran up to Eleanor and held out the purple folder. "Look what I found!" I exclaimed as quietly as possible. I didn't want anyone to overhear me.

"Hocus Focus?" My youngest sister read the label. "Huh?"

"This is Jeanette's lesson plan for Alvin." I said, my soft voice rising in alarm. "It's a magic spell. She's changing him with a spell."

Eleanor burst out laughing. "Hahaha. No way. Britt, we all know magic isn't real."

"Then explain his bad eyesight, the acne thing, his dictionary talk, and, most importantly, the fact that his idea of the perfect game for family game night was A TRIVIA CONTEST." I said, putting my hands on my hips.

The girl in the light mint green PJs with pink candy designs all over them, stopped laughing. I had finally gotten through to her. "It can't be true." Before I could stop her, she opened the folder.

I sat with her and looked inside. There were multiple papers with a bunch of brain training exercises written down. Notes in the margins of the pages said things like…

"He absorbs information better in small bits."

"Connect any math and science concepts to things he cares about."

"Try to boost his dopamine levels with Nerds candy and gummies."

"Allow him to recharge his brain with videogames."

"Remember to repeat lessons at least three times."

"Talk in a gentle and understanding voice."

"Reward him for good behavior."

Eleanor laughed. "This ain't no spell. This is just a collection of notes on How To Train Your Alvin."

"It's still bad news." I pointed out. "She's warping his personality and making him as smart as Simon. She thinks she's doing him a favor, but she's worsening the crisis."

My youngest sister closed the folder and shoved it back under Jeanette's bed. "Or maybe she isn't. He was awesome at practice today. He didn't call me names once. No cracks about how I was invisible either. Like it or not, sis, the world could use a nicer Alvin."

"But….but….but…" I sputtered.

I heard the door creak open downstairs. Jeanette had returned. I climbed into my bed and grabbed my laptop. I hoped I could make it look like I was writing on my blog and not snooping through my sister's private folder. Although, really Eleanor was the one that snooped. All I did was touch the thing.

"Hello, girls." Jeanette entered the bedroom with Pippi on her shoulder.

My youngest sister smiled, acting as innocent as I was. "How were the lessons? Did Alvin behave himself?"

"Oh yes! He did a spectacular job." She took off her round purple glasses and put them on her nightstand as she got into her bed. "He's now able to identify his biggest flaws and work on them."

"But I like Alvin with his flaws." I complained. I shut my laptop down and set it on my nightstand.

"Yeah, Jeanette." Eleanor added, taking her hair out of her signature ponytails for bed. "If you fix his flaws, he'll just develop a bunch of new ones."

"I'm not "fixing" them." She explained. I didn't really believe her. "I'm only helping him improve. Nobody can be flawless." She yawned. "Goodnight, girls."

"Goodnight." Eleanor seemed content with what Jeanette said.

"Night." I frowned as I turned out the lights in our bedroom. My rose shaped night light glowed brightly. It gave me just enough light to not be afraid of the dark.

Because I had other fears to worry about. Fears that were even more terrifying. I knew I was right and that Alvin was in danger. I didn't care how many people believed me. I would find a way to save him before he turned into Albert entirely. If I could, anyway.

During my sleep, I was haunted by an unusual nightmare. I'm not someone who gets nightmares often, so this really shook me up. The nightmare began with me, hanging out with Classic Alvin just like old times. We were at the arcade and he was betting me that he could beat my high score at that game where you have to throw a ball into like…these circle shaped things. You get tickets based on which part of the circle the ball lands in.

"Watch and learn, Brittany." He tossed a ball and hit the bullseye. It went into the middle hole of the target.

I swished my hips as I walked up to him. "Lucky shot."

"Nuh uh!" He said. "It was pure skill."

I tossed a ball and hit the middle hole too. "Guess I also have skill."

"I guess you do." He squeaked, adjusting his cap.

"Wanna see what other skills I have?" I asked, flicking my tail.

"Sure!" He grinned that obnoxious smirk I couldn't resist.

"I've always been told I'm the best kisser." I pressed my lips together and prepared to smooch him.

But, before I could, thunder rumbled! The arcade vanished and instead I was trapped in a haunted house wearing a glitter covered light pink witch costume. I tried to move my arms, but they were stuck. They had strings attached to them. I was a puppet! I was still able to turn my head if I really forced it. I saw Eleanor next to me, dressed in a teal colored witch costume. What was going on?

"Come here, Alvin." I heard Jeanette's voice beckon. She rode in on a broom stick with a black cat riding with her. Her witch outfit was a deep purple with black accents. It was much more ornate and detailed than either mine or Ellie's. I was actually jealous of it!

Classic Alvin looked freaked out when he caught sight of her. "J…Jeanette? What's going on?"

Jeanette's lips curled in an evil grin. "You're so adorable when you're confused. Now, hold still. This won't hurt a bit."

Alvin knew he was in trouble. He tried to run, but he was glued to the spot. "Oh no! No!"

I wanted to help him, but Eleanor and I were just puppets! We had no freedom to move either.

Jeanette landed and got off the broom. Her black cat walked over and brushed against Alvin's leg. "Struggling will only make this worse for you."

"W…What are y…you going to do to me?" Alvin stammered.

She laughed a tinkly fairy-like laugh. "I'm going to make you a new munk, of course."

"But...I don't wanna be a new munk!" He shouted.

"Don't worry. You'll enjoy it." She approached him as he struggled to get away, still glued to the spot.

Alvin looked horrified as the witchy girl's hands started to glow.

Jeanette reached out and touched him on the nose. Her touch was like a shockwave that pulsed out.

Alvin was free to move again. "Oh, yeah, that wasn't so bad." He touched her hands momentarily and then they started to dance around together.

Eleanor and I were forced to be backup dancers. I was very unhappy.

Jeanette began to sing as she danced with Alvin, who looked very comfortable with her. Moments before, he'd been scared out of his mind.

"I put a spell on you

And now you're mine

You can't stop the things I do

I ain't lyin'"

As Jeanette continued to sing, Alvin's shoes switched from his red converse to those awful tacky rainbow ones in a blast of purple light.

"It's been several years

Right down to the day

Now the witch is back

And there's heck to pay"

She danced around with Alvin some more and suddenly the red glasses appeared on his face with more purple light and some sparkles.

"I put a spell on you

And now you're mine!"

The cyan jacket appeared next, when Jeanette twirled him around. After which, the rash blistered all over his face again.

"I put a spell on you

And now you're gone"

She continued to gloat and sing, summoning a microphone in her hand.

Eleanor and I were forced to sing backup. Whoever was puppeting us, probably another spell of Jeanette's, wouldn't let us have much free will.

"Gone gone gone, so long!"

My lips were moving without my permission. I hated it!

"My whammy fell on you

And it was strong"

Jeanette kissed nerdified Alvin's cheek and he blushed.

"So strong, so strong, so strong!"

Eleanor and I sang and danced in the dreary haunted house. I wanted to throw up.

"Your wretched little lives

Have all been cursed

'Cause of all the witches working

I'm the worst"

The witchy girl in purple forced Alvin to follow her around like a lovesick little puppy dog. He looked happy. Too happy.

"I put a spell on you

And now you're mine"

She sent another flurry of purple sparkles at him and his hair went from perfectly combed to an unruly mess that stuck out everywhere. Einstein hair, Simon called it.

"Watch out! Watch out!

Watch out! Watch out!

She ain't lyin."

Eleanor and I continued to be forced to sing and dance against our will. I had to break these strings somehow.

"If you don't believe

You better get superstitious

Ask my sisters"

Jeanette floated into the air and did a flip. We were forced to follow her. Nerdy Alvin stared up at us, looking impressed.

"Ooh, she's vicious!"

I sang with Eleanor, who looked totally content backing up Jeanette.

"I put a spell on you...

I put a spell on you…"

Jeanette floated back down and started to dance more wildly with Alvin. Eleanor and I were once again forced to follow. And forced to join her as we circled Alvin and chanted at him.

"Ah say ento pi alpha mabi upendi

Ah say ento pi alpha mabi upendi

In comma coriyama

In comma coriyama

Hey, hey, high, high

Say bye-bye!

Bye bye!"

I finally felt the puppet strings give a little. I turned my head and started to chew myself free of the strings. Chipmunk teeth are pretty powerful. Finally, I was able to break free. Once one string had been chewed, they all dissolved.

I wasted no time grabbing my Alvie and bashing through the door of the Haunted house. Alvin still looked sort of dazed. I couldn't worry about that. Surprisingly, Jeanette didn't follow us. She just stood on the front step of the house, holding and petting her black cat.

Once we were far enough away, I hugged Alvin close. "That was terrifying. I almost lost you."

"Yeah…" He broke away from the hug, nervously adjusting his glasses.

"Do you want to go back to the arcade? Pick up where we left off?" I wasn't sure how to do that, but I offered anyway.

It turned out not to matter. "Not particularly."

"Why not?" I touched his cheek and he pushed my hand away.

"I don't really fancy myself an arcade guy. I'm more of a museum and library guy." He backed away from me.

"No, no, come on, Alvin." I grabbed his arm. "You don't mean that."

He raised his eyebrow. "Who are you calling Alvin?"

I heard Jeanette let out a witchy cackle.

I felt small and helpless. "You. You ARE Alvin."

He shook his head. "Maybe I used to be. It's Albert now, Britt. I'm happy this way. Just let me be." He smiled. "Someday, I'm gonna be the biggest nerd in school."

I fainted and fell backward.

Then, I woke up. It felt so real, but now that I was awake, I could recognize that none of it had been. I still worried about Jeanette and Alvin together though. I knew in my heart that it wasn't good for him. But obviously, asking Jeanette to stop the lessons wasn't going to work. I was going to have to be craftier. Ironically, the person I really needed to help me come up with a plan, was Alvin himself. That option wouldn't work though. I was all on my own. I only hoped I could figure something out before another big change hit Alvin.

ALVIN: Hahahahaha

BRITTANY: You think my nightmare was FUNNY!?

ALVIN: Yes! Hysterical. Also twisted and creepy. I'm getting serious Halloween vibes! Where's the song from?

BRITTANY: Hocus Pocus.

ALVIN: Ohhhh! That explains why Jeanette's folder with the words Hocus Focus triggered it. Of course!

BRITTANY: Jeanette says dreams and nightmares often go heavy on symbolism.

ALVIN: That's true. Anyway, uh, back to my turn. Get ready for a time skip!

Genius Alvin's POV

I survived a few more brutal weeks of school. I was looking forward to that sweet sweet summer vacation. During this time, the rash on my face improved, and then got worse, then got better, and then worse again. It was definitely a stress rash because every time I was given a new multi-part assignment to complete, it flared BIGTIME.

Since everyone was already making fun of me for just being my odd and eccentric self, I decided not to waste my allowance money on concealer. I lived with the irritating rash in full view. Some of the other kids could empathize with me. They had bad acne, which was similar.

It felt like my life was on a downhill slide and there was nothing I could do to stop it. With Dr. Wilson's class gone, I still studied physics, but it wasn't the same. I missed being able to tell him all the cool new facts I learned. Simon was an outstanding brother, but he didn't GET me the way Dr. Wilson had.

There was one bright spot during all the yuckiness. I was still having weekly lessons with Jeanette. She had to cut them down to two days a week instead of three because she picked up more volunteer work, but it was really nice to see her and learn more ways to control my brain better.

I played a lot of sports in those weeks. Basketball, tennis, soccer, even some football. Eleanor was happy to have me back as a player. I also didn't do as many chores anymore! Dave didn't even bother me about doing them. That was awesome!

Plus, Simon, Netta, and I worked on a cool chemistry experiment. It didn't go the greatest. The important thing is that I tried.

"What does this do?" I asked, shaking around a glowing beaker of orange stuff.

Simon grabbed it from me. "Don't touch that!" He scolded. "The solution can be volatile."

"My bad." I pointed at another beaker, this time with purple liquid. "What does this one do?"

"It catches fire." Simon responded. Sounding annoyed.

I was glad I hadn't picked that one up. I scratched my head. "Dave lets you keep flammable stuff in the basement? You lucky duck!"

Jeanette helped Simon pour a few chemicals together in a test tube carefully.

"That should do it." The girl in the lilac colored labcoat said.

We all had labcoats. Simon's was cobalt blue, Jeanette's lilac, and mine was cyan colored. I'd made it myself specifically for being Simon's lab assistant. Predictably, that meant it was covered in a plethora of random doodles too.

"Stellar job, Jeanette." Simon got out his bunsen burner. "Now, we have to heat the solution to exactly 121 degrees fahrenheit."

"Why?" I asked.

Simon sighed. "As I already told you, FIFTEEN TIMES."

"I wasn't really paying attention." I admitted, with my usual awkwardness.

My little brother let out a huffy sigh. He both enjoyed and hated explaining things to me. "Because that is the temperature required to…"

"Set the mixture." Jeanette finished for him. "It makes sure the parts all stay combined together and don't separate back into their original parts."

I looked at the colorful swirly concoction in the beaker. "Oh yeah. Like fusion?"

"Well, not exactly like fusion." The Chipette explained. "But fairly close."

I leaned closer to the test tube that was sitting on the bunsen burner. "What happens if you heat the mixture too much? Does it explode?"

"Yes." Both chipmunks in their matching round glasses responded.

"Cool!" I blinked. I had startled myself. It was tough getting used to thinking science was cool. "Can I watch the thingie and make sure it doesn't overheat?"

Simon looked at Jeanette. I knew his first impulse was to say "Absolutely not." But he also knew that I was a far cry from the chipmunk I used to be, so maybe…

"Can you do it without getting distracted?" He asked finally.

I was giddy! "I think so."

He folded his arms. "I don't need an "I think so." I need you to be 100% certain."

"I'm 80% certain." Jeanette vouched for me.

I puffed out my chest proudly. "I've been practicing honing my ability to concentrate." I bragged. "It has improved dramatically."

Simon still looked unsure. "Well then. You may watch it while Jeanette and I mix up the next batch."

"What is this stuff anyway?" I asked, watching the test tube as Simon slotted it into the tray above the bunsen burner.

"A solution that helps plants grow faster." Jeanette said sweetly. "And helps the soil around them retain optimal growing conditions."

I got nervous. "So, uh, it's not gonna make another giant rampaging mutated venus fly trap, is it?"

"No. It won't." Simon seemed confident in that.

"Right right. So this is for a class project? Or just your free time?" I sure loved asking questions.

"Free time." Simon started to mix the next batch of chemicals with Jeanette.

The girl in purple was happy to explain in more detail than Simon. "I'm going to use it to revitalize some of the dying plants around the school."

"What a noble purpose." I said to her sweetly. I loved the way she cared about everything so deeply.

While I was daydreaming about Jeanette, the mixture started to bubble over. "Wha oh." I hoped that Simon and Jeanette hadn't noticed.

"Okay, Alvin, don't panic." The nerdy voice in my head said. "All you have to do is turn the heat down."

"No! Let it explode! It'll be funnier!" Classic me insisted.

The nerdy voice got sterner sounding. "And Simon will never trust him again."

"Who cares about silly science stuff?" Classic Alvin groaned.

What to do? What to do? Fighting the impulse and curiosity that compelled me to blow the sucker sky high, I turned the heat down. The solution was still bubbly, but everything looked thoroughly mixed.

"Here ya go." I handed the bubbly test tube to my brother.

He was NOT happy. "What did you do to it!?" He screamed at me.

"I did exactly what you said to do!" I shouted back.

"No! You didn't!" He held the tube as far away from himself as possible in his gloved hand.

The bubbly mixture bubbled more and then launched itself out of the tube and straight up onto the ceiling. It stuck fast, like a slimey blob.

"Oh come on!" I was annoyed now. "It was only two degrees hotter than it was supposed to be."

Jeanette backed away from both of us. "He tried his best, Simon. At least it didn't explode everywhere."

Simon's blue eyes narrowed. "I warned you multiple times that calculations NEED to be precise. Nothing can be even a tiny bit off, or it won't work."

"I'm sorry, bro." I threw my hands up. "What else do you want me to say?"

He rubbed his head. "Can you let Jeanette and I handle this? Please? Chemistry really isn't your thing. Just stick to physics."

"Oh…okay." I took off my labcoat and walked out of the lab. "I won't bother you guys anymore."

But I couldn't resist cupping my hand around my ear and eavesdropping to hear them talk about me.

"Simon, he was excited to help and you shut him down." Jeanette's soothing voice said.

My brother was still miffed. "These are potentially dangerous experiments! I can't have him messing around! Alvin and danger don't mix!"

"He can't learn anything if you keep yelling at him. Why do you think Dave's had a problem teaching him for years?" She asked softly.

"Look, Jeanette, I know you think you're some kind of psychology expert, but the truth is, some kids NEED to be yelled at or they don't ever understand or care about what you're trying to tell them." Simon argued. Geez, he should join the debate team or something.

"Alvin understands more than you think." I loved that Jeanette was sticking up for me. "He's come a long way."

"Yes he has." Simon scoffed. "Mainly because you've been bribing him with shiny new toys and candy! Can't you see? He's using you! He doesn't ACTUALLY care about self improvement. He only cares about the rewards."

"You're wrong." That was the last thing she said to him. They worked the rest of the time in awkward silence.

Was Simon right? Did I really only care about what Jeanette was teaching me because of the rewards? Well, no. I cared about the rewards, yes. I needed them to motivate me. I ALSO cared a lot about learning to be a better and less troublesome kid. I didn't WANT to be seen as a troublemaker anymore. Gosh, this was so frustrating. Why did my brother always assume the worst of me?

Another few days passed, during which I played videogames, watched TV, and got most of my homework done. I had more lessons with Jeanette. She gave me some Nerds candy, which I refused at first, fearing it would make me even nerdier.

"These have more sugar than the fruit snacks." The girl, in the purple sweater with the giant butterfly decal on it, told me. "I noticed that sugar seems to give you a boost. It's unhealthy, yes, but we are running out of options."

My brain was extremely stubborn to train. "But, Jeanette, they're NERDS! Can't you get me Lifesavers gummies or something? My life could REALLY use some saving." I itched at the rash on my cheeks without meaning to.

"They were on sale." She handed me a box of grape flavored purple Nerds candy. "Remember, trying new things is part of your therapy."

I still didn't want to try them, but her beautiful midnight eyes and kind smile were so persuasive! Curses! I reluctantly took the box and dumped a handful of the candy into my hand. "Ew. This looks like the stuff they fill fish tanks with, only purple." I complained. Aquarium gravel is what I meant, but I couldn't find the words.

She giggled. "I love how descriptive you are."

I looked at the pile of purple pebbles in my hand and then slowly brought the hand to my mouth. The second the candies hit my tongue, whichever part of my brain controls flavor interpretation just LIT UP! They were scrum-diddly-umptious! (As Ned Flanders from The Simpsons would say.) "WOWZA!" I squeaked, as I poured myself another handful. Then another.

Then, Jeanette swiped the tiny box back before I could empty it entirely. "That's enough to do the trick, I think."

I started to pace around the Chipettes' dining room table, rubbing the sleeves of my cyan jacket with the alien pin. "How long until it kicks in?" I asked.

Jeanette set the stack of homework I hadn't done yet on the table. "No idea. Shouldn't be long though."

My glowing cyan physics vision turned on again and I used it to measure all the angles I could find in the treehouse while I waited for the motivation to do my actual homework.

About fifteen minutes later, my brain started to get those tingles I was growing accustomed to. They were stronger than they'd ever been before, although they also get pretty strong when I have ice cream too, I think. "Netta!" I yelped. "I think it's working."

Suddenly, I was stimulated the perfect amount. Not so understimulated that I was bored. Not so overstimulated that I was freaking out. I suddenly had motivation for EVERYTHING! It was a darn shame I had to do homework first, but I was also really excited to work on it and see how focused I could be. Oh drat! The candy increased my nerdiness! There was no doubting that. At least it was only temporary.

"How do you feel?" She asked, making notes in her notebook, likely about how well this experiment was going.

"Stupendous!" I exclaimed, opening my math book and copying down the complex algebra problems that Miss. Smith assigned. Ohoho! Jeanette's hypothesis had been correct! The joy of it all almost made me want to start coming up with experiments on my own. Gasp! Did that mean I was turning into a scientist now too? Aw nuts!

But I didn't care. Classic Alvin never broke through to send me ideas. I was in full nerd brain mode and loving every second. For the first time in my life, I did my homework the way you're SUPPOSED to do it. I didn't jump from assignment to assignment randomly. I didn't have to plug music into my head. I just, did it! It went so fast!

I zipped through all the algebra problems and handed them to Jeanette so she could double check my calculations. While she did that, I read the next chapter of the book we were reading in English class. Catcher in the Rye was the title. Not my usual sort of read, but I not only understood it without having to re-read it a dozen times, I was able to complete a comprehension worksheet too.

No doubt about it, I was nerdified to the max. Even the history worksheet was sorta fun. I still hated the subject matter, but I made a game out of remembering the answers to questions. Finally, I knocked out my science worksheet which was all about biology stuff, which I hated just as much as history.

I handed everything to Jeanette. "That's everything except my acrostic poem for writing class." I declared. "How long did it take me?"

She stopped the stopwatch she'd used to keep track of my elapsed time. "Only one hour!" She revealed.

Ohoho! I could get used to this! I poured myself more Nerds candy and crunched it. "It usually takes me like 4 hours." I informed her. "And that's on a good day." Bad days take about 6 hours.

"I think it's safe to say we may have found you a method that actually works." Jeanette looked at the near empty box of candy in my hands. "I only wish it was a healthier method."

"Beggers can't be choosers." I stated, before finishing off the box of Nerds candy. I never wanted this feeling to end! I felt so calm! So productive! Yet, so speedy!

"I suppose not." She led me to the living room. "What would you like to do now?"

"Can we watch the Discovery channel?" I blurted out. "Or a documentary about a famous astrophysicist?" What? Why in the world did I suddenly want to watch TV that wasn't a sitcom or cartoon? The answer was simpler than I thought. I wanted to see if I could pay attention and learn from it while on a sugar rush. It was all part of the experiment.

"That sounds lovely." She flipped on the Discovery channel and we snuggled up on the couch listening to some guy talk about the possibility of opening a wormhole to another dimension. I managed to stay awake through half of it before passing out cold with my head on Jeanette's shoulder.

The Chipette in purple kindly shook me awake a while later. Her two sisters were home now and watching everything I was doing. Gulp!

"Thank you again, Netta." I said, standing up from the couch. My head and body were beginning to ache a bit, but I ignored the sensations. "You've saved my academic career." I felt my cheeks grow hot. It was true though, she did save my grades! She may have saved my face too! With less stress suffering through homework, surely the rash would clear up.

"I'd love to watch another documentary with you sometime." The kindest of the Miller sisters led me to the door.

"DOCUMENTARY!?" Brittany gasped. "YOU WATCHED A DOCUMENTARY?"

I nodded, still running on my new and much nerdier impulses. "Indubitably." I smiled. "I found it quite captivating."

"Okay, it's official." Eleanor said, looking creeped out. "We don't know who you are anymore."

I sighed sadly, realizing that since I consumed that candy, I'd been acting like a slightly more enthusiastic version of Simon. "That makes three of us." I said bitterly. How could I let the candy do that to me!? And more importantly, why was I starting to want more as the brain blasts were wearing off? I didn't need it to do more homework. I'd gotten all my homework done. Oh no!

The fallout of my candy binge happened the next morning. I woke up with a pounding headache and my limbs feeling like jelly. I could still think, but it was significantly harder than it had been. That was a good sign though! The candy that spiked my concentration hormones had worn off. I was back to having my usual brain chemistry again.

"Alvin, you don't look so good." Theodore said, waking me up to get ready for school.

"I'm okay." I fibbed, trying to ignore the pain. If this candy thing was a dangerous solution to my focusing problems, it wouldn't work in the long run. That meant I was pretty much back to the drawing board. Oh joy.

Another few days went by and I resumed my usual Classic Alvin stuff again, mainly skateboarding. I was doing some impressive tricks. I hadn't heard from Classic guy much, since the day I tried that new candy. I hoped he was alright. Gosh, he's fine. Don't worry. He's just a voice in your head. He can't actually die. He thinks he can, but he's mistaken.

Eleanor skated up on her shiny teal and mint colored board. She did a kick flip and then motioned for my attention.

Making sure my helmet was secure, I skated over to join her. "What's up, Ells?"

"We've got rehearsals today in like five minutes. Dave sent me to find you." She studied me with her green eyes. "You forgot, didn't you?"

"I was preoccupied with my skate tricks. I invented a brand new one! It's called the double-triple super duper flip! Wanna see it?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Maybe later. Right now, you have to pick a new song cover to release. You know how the music scene is. Gotta keep putting out content or people get bored."

"Right. Yeah." I stuck my hand in the pocket of my red jacket and kept the other hand on the board. I was wearing the red jacket with a yellow A pin and cyan shirt combo today. I felt more like the old me in it. It helped for skateboarding. I think anyway.

We started to walk home, but I got bored of walking and got back on my skateboard. Ellie did the same thing. Eventually, we met up with Brittany who was roller skating along the way. Her glittering pink skates shined as she tore down the sidewalk at top speed. 28 miles per hour, according to my physics powers, which activated as she almost slammed into me and knocked me off my skateboard. She missed me by mere inches.

"Hey!" I shouted. "Watch where you're going!"

She slowed her roll as she entered Dave's driveway. "I had the right of way."

"No you didn't." Eleanor said, pulling herself out of a bush in Miss. Miller's yard. Apparently Brittany had missed both me and Ells, but had startled her sister enough to make her fall off her skateboard.

Brittany took off her skates as she reached the end of the driveway. "It's so good to see you skateboarding again." She shouted to me.

I was confused. What does she mean? It had been like almost a month or more since I was cleared to skateboard and play sports again. I did this a LOT! How did she not notice? "I do this ALL the time!" I shouted, skating closer to her and popping an Ollie. (That means I lifted the front end of the board off the ground, temporarily.)

"I barely see you do it." She replied. Then, she looked at Eleanor. "Hey, can you grab me a pair of shoes? I don't want to get my socks dirty!"

"Maybe if you apologize for almost running me over!" The girl, in the seafoam colored striped shirt, fumed.

"Sorry!" Brittany waited patiently for Eleanor to bring her those gaudy pink ballerina flats with the giant bows on the toes.

We all gathered in the music room and Dave looked at me. I could tell he didn't know exactly what to ask or how to ask it.

I raised my hand and waved it around. Typical teacher's pet behavior. "Wanna hear my song idea for my solo?" I asked.

"If you've got it all ready." My dad said, taking a seat in his chair by the computer.

I grabbed the mic as Simon prepped the recording equipment. I prepared to sing a song I'd learned from a movie called Over The Moon. I watched it with Jeanette, because as we have established, I am a total nut for anything space themed. I'd been singing this song to myself on and off for days. It helped to boost my confidence! And I NEEDED a confidence boost!

I took a deep breath and introduced my song idea. "I will be singing Ultraluminary, as long as we can get the rights to, you know, cover it."

Brittany rolled her eyes. "That sounds like a science song."

"It's actually more of a space song." Jeanette squeaked.

I frowned. "Just let me sing it. Okay? It's really good! I promise."

Simon sighed. "Go for it, Alvin."

I closed my eyes and let the music channel itself through me. I was really glad my "seeing physics" ability didn't also let me see sound waves. That would have been super distracting. The ability as it was, distracted me plenty, hence, closing my eyes.

"You wish on me in my glitter light

First star you see tonight

So wish away, wish with all your might

Upon this radiant sight

The stars ignite

They flame from dust

Born out of gravity and force, they combust

And though they try in rivalry

They'll never shine bright as me

I'm the light every night in your world, hey

You revel in the glory of my beauty

You ready to watch me be legendary?

'Cause I'm ultraluminary

Whoa, welcome to lunaria

Whoa, so spectacularia

Whoa, super singulary

'Cause I'm so very, very

Extraordinaria

The cosmic shine of my fine display

Can turn the night to day

I hear they say that the Milky Way

Can't help but envy me

I am the brightest star

Superb, spectacular

It was a desert on the moon when we arrived

Gathering all of my tears, heartbreak and sighs

Jeanette made a potion ignite and turned the night

To a radiant city of light

From tears I rise

I riiiiiiiise

I'm the light every night in your world, hey

You revel in the glory of my beauty

You ready to watch me be legendary?

'Cause I'm ultraluminary

Whoa, welcome to lunaria

Whoa, so spectacularia

Whoa, super singulary

'Cause I'm so very, very

Extraordinaria."

I finished the song and opened my eyes. Everyone was staring at me. I couldn't tell if they were staring in a good way, or a bad way. "How was it?"

"Well…" Simon started to say. "It's a good song, but…"

"You were off key." Theodore told me.

OFF KEY!? OFF KEY!? I RARELY EVER GO OFF KEY! "What? I thought it sounded great." I started to panic internally.

"You were, uh, how do I put this?" Eleanor started to say.

Brittany finished for her. "Flat."

"Flatter than a pancake." Theodore added. "Maybe it's just that song?"

Dave nodded. "Yeah. It's probably not suited for your range."

"Try singing something else." Simon suggested. "Something that we know is in your range."

I was shaking now. My throat felt tight. I picked a song I couldn't possibly mess up and I tried that.

"Where is the moment we needed the most?

You kick up the leaves, and the magic is lost

They tell me your blue sky's faded to grey

They tell me your passion's gone away

And I don't need no carrying on"

This time, I heard how weirdly off it sounded. It wasn't too far off, just enough to be a problem for the LEAD SINGER OF A FAMOUS BAND! If I couldn't sing? Who was I? Not Alvin, that's for sure.

"'Cause you had a bad day

You're taking one down

You sing a sad song, just to turn it around…"

"Okay, that's enough." Eleanor stopped me. "You're actually getting worse."

Jeanette looked down at her shoes.

"What's HAPPENING to me!?" I screamed, my voice cracking on the words.

Simon had his usual stone faced expression, hiding whatever emotion he was feeling. "You've been crying and screaming A LOT recently. I shouldn't need to tell you how bad that is for your vocal cords."

"You'd scream too if it was your life falling apart!" I shouted.

Dave rubbed his temples. "Alvin, that's enough. I'll figure something out. For now, you need to drink some lemon juice and rest your voice."

I couldn't believe this. All I wanted was to share a new favorite song of mine. I sat down as the others prepared to sing their solo songs. "I've lost everything that made me who I am. Everything! My looks, my voice, my brain, my talent!" I sobbed.

"And yet, somehow you're still annoying." Commented Eleanor. I sensed she meant it playfully. I wasn't in the mood for playful stuff.

Brittany looked at me with an expression that could only be described as crestfallen. (New word of the day I learned from Netta.) "I warned you about this." She said.

Theodore hugged me. "Don't worry, Alvin. You'll get your voice back when the stress goes away."

"Stress can cut down on vocal range." Simon reminded me.

"Y…Yeah." Jeanette added.

I left the room, not wanting to hear any of their amazing voices while my own failed me. Needless to say, I was pretty far down in the dumps. I sipped my lemon water and sighed. How could my life have taken such a turn so suddenly? What was causing all this? If I was doing this to myself, how could I fix it! I wanted to be awesome again.

My flawless singing voice didn't come back for more weeks. Dave and the management team lied and said I had laryngitis. Really, what I had was a bad case of Murphy's Law luck. Murphy's Law states that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. And that it usually does, at the worst possible times.

Hoping to regain that Alvin-like optimism, I played more sports. I played a game of ping pong with Theo and won. Then, I played golf against Brittany. I don't think she really enjoyed it. She was too busy worrying about me and my messed up life.

Then, another tragedy struck. It happened as I was skating along on the sidewalk beside Eleanor, minding my own buisness. Suddenly, my skateboard hit a stone and veered off course. It sent me crashing face first into a pole. Logically, I likely should have gotten another concussion, but by some strange miracle, I was fine. Except for one small thing.

"Oh my god." Eleanor picked me up off the ground. "Are you okay?"

"That depends." I touched my face, looking for any bumps…aside from the rash bumps. "How do I look?"

The blonde girl rolled her eyes. "Only you would be concerned about your appearance at a time like this."

I could taste blood. Uh oh. "Am I bleeding?"

"Your lip is." She cringed. "And you're going to need a dentist."

"Why?" I asked. "Did I lose a tooth?"

She walked me over to a store window. "You know what they say. A picture is worth 1,000 words."

I stared at my reflection in horror. The bleeding cut from my lip had already started to stop, but my two front teeth were crooked, and overlapping each other. "Nohohoho!" I wailed. MUNK YOU, MURPHY'S LAW!

You can probably guess what happened to me after that. I had to get, urgh! It pains me to even say it. BRACES! It was a horrific and traumatic experience. They had to have five dental assistants in the room to pin me down because I fought so much. Then, eventually, they had to SEDATE me with laughing gas to make me compliant.

When I woke up, my teeth felt heavier. They had metal attached to them. I thought they were only gonna do the top teeth, but they'd done my bottom teeth too. Just freakin' great. (Sarcasm) I questioned how braces were even going to correct the whole overlapping tooth situation. It seemed to defy the laws of physics. I was starting to notice a lot of things in this universe that seemed to defy physics.

When I was done being manhandled and forced into an even dorkier appearance, I walked out into the orthodontist's (that's basically an advanced dentist) office waiting room with Dave by my side.

Simon looked visibly worried. "So what's the verdict?"

"He got braces. The orthodontist insisted on them." Dave informed my family and friends. Then, he whispered. "I think she just wanted to prove she could put braces on a chipmunk."

I didn't say anything. I just looked down at my feet. I wouldn't smile and I really didn't feel much like talking.

"So, Alvin, how are you?" Theodore asked, looking at me with sympathy.

I gave them all a big thumbs down. This was HUMILIATING.

"Come on, Alvin." Eleanor tried to cheer me up. The attempt was futile. "I bet your braces look cool. Like you're part robot or something!"

Sigh. Nobody would shut up until I showed them. I forced a grin showing off my new braces. My ugly silver colored teeth cages.

"I still think you look good." Jeanette assured me.

I decided to try talking, which was a mistake. "I look thilly ath heck, but thankth, Jeanette." As soon as I heard my voice, I put my paw over my mouth.

Eleanor, Brittany, and even Simon giggled.

"You sound silly too." Eleanor slapped her knee.

Jeanette put an arm around me protectively. "You will get used to it. It's actually kinda cute. But, you just need to adjust. You'll be speaking clearly before you know it."

"I can'th even thalk wight!" I lisped angrily.

Brittany sighed and looked at me sadly. I expected her to make fun of me, but I was glad she wasn't.

Since Eleanor was doing that. "I think they really match the glasses."

"Enough, Eleanor." Dave scolded. "Jeanette's right, Alvin, you just need to adjust."
"Wathewer." I groaned. Whatever wouldn't even come out right. I wanted to crawl in a hole.

As we walked out of the orthodontist place, Simon tried to butter me up. "You don't sound that bad."

"Put a thock in ith Thimon. I am lithping worth than Cheethy." I fumed. I could not take this. Any more changes, and I was going to explode!

When I got home, I went straight to the bathroom to survey the damage further inflicted on my gorgeous face. Maybe they were right? Maybe it wasn't that bad. No, nope. They were WRONG! I looked like someone that I would have made fun of and cracked jokes about relentlessly before I BECAME them.

I never intended to hurt dorky looking dudes like this, but maybe I did sorta deserve some of this. Certainly not all of it! Talk about disproportionate retribution! This was wrong! All wrong! How could I let all this stuff keep happening? WHY WAS IT HAPPENING!?

I was about to do my usual routine of putting gel in my hair to keep it looking amazing. when I stopped. I looked at my face. The braces, the face rash, the red hipster glasses. What use was cool looking hair when I looked like this? I was a mess. Fabulous hair wouldn't distract from what was going on below it. Did it really matter if I did my hair?

I washed the gel off my hands and then ran them through my unruly locks. Taking off my hat, I noticed my gorgeous hair was still mostly auburn, but now brown roots were even starting to show. BROWN ROOTS!? Just like Simon. The universe was slowly turning me into another Simon! No, it was making me someone even NERDIER looking than Simon!

I was sick of this. So sick of this. I pulled at my hair in frustration which only made it messier and messier. When I finished I snuck one final peek at it. There, now my wild Einstein-esque hair fit the rest of my hopelessly uncool appearance perfectly. I turned away from my reflection and vowed that from that day on, I'd never look in a mirror again.

It hurt me to say that. It went against my instincts. I was Alvin! I was KNOWN for getting lost in a mirror admiring myself. There was nothing to admire now. My looks were ancient history. My singing voice had joined them. I needed to learn a lesson from all this, but I still couldn't tell which one. I decided, uncomfortable as it may be, the only way I stood a chance of surviving this was to STOP focusing on the way I look. It would be the toughest challenge I'd ever faced in my life. Could I actually do it? And more importantly, if I did, would I ever get my looks back someday?

Some of them, little dude. Some of them. You do grow to love and appreciate your new looks though! So that's something!

Whew, that was a heavy chapter. What did you think? What will Alvin do next? How will he adapt to the new challenges?

Coming up, there's no more physical changes. He's pretty much at maximum stereotypical nerd appearance now. There will be clothing changes ahead though!

By the end of this story, he'll be out of his funk. I promise. I break him down to build him up.

Some people need a small push to learn lessons. Others need to be pushed down three flights of stairs, off of a cliff, and then run over by an 18 wheeler truck. Eventually though, when they finally learn what they were supposed to, it's the most beautiful thing.