The thrilling conclusion is upon us! Get ready for more antics with Albert as he discovers Classic Alvin was never that far away.

Genius-Alvin's POV

I sat at the patio table outside the treehouse, waiting for my brothers to arrive. I fidgeted with the rubix cube Jeanette had given me. Eventually, Brittany came outside to join me, sitting down to sketch something in her outfit idea notebook.

"Looks, uh, how would you say it? Fabulous." I squeaked, my voice oddly nasal today.

She closed the notebook and studied me, pink nose twitching. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Positively splendid. Why do you ask?" I sniffled. Great, I'd caught Jeanette's allergies? Was that possible?

"Your voice is weird." She said, putting her hands on top of the notebook. Why was she so secretive about those drawings?

"Well, it matches the rest of me." I laughed with a snort, disturbing Britt even more. "Can I see your designs?"

Brittany hugged the notebook to her chest. "They're girly designs. You wouldn't like them."

"Sure I would." I responded, twirling the rubix cube. I still couldn't manage to solve this thing. I'm pretty sure it was defective. "I've been getting in touch with my feminine side. Maybe I could be a fashion designer someday" I added.

She got up from the patio table with an annoyed huff. "Are you TRYING to steal everyone's things? Do you get some sick pleasure out of it?"

I shrugged. Things didn't bother me the way they used to. "I'm just broadening my horizons. You don't own fashion design. You're not the only person with that talent." I leaned closer to her and whispered. "But I know another even more unique talent you possess."

"You're possessed." She retorted.

Eleanor and Jeanette came out to sit at the patio table along with me. Brittany leaned over the railing of the treehouse balcony, maybe watching for Theo and Simon to arrive. I had told the Chipettes they were gonna visit.

"Oh, feel that beautiful summer breeze." Jeanette exclaimed.

"It's perfect weather for a game of baseball." Eleanor tossed a baseball up and down in her hand. "How 'bout it?"

Brittany snatched the baseball from her. "Stop throwing that thing. You'll break a window."

"I'm not really in a baseball mood." I yawned. It was pretty early. "I'm in more of a guitar playing mood, or a skateboarding mood, or a gaming mood." I sighed sadly. "Or a singing mood. I miss singing."

"Yeah. We miss hearing you sing too." Eleanor ruffled my hair. I didn't mind since it was pretty much always a mess these days.

"Dave really wants to get a new song released soon." Theodore joined the group.

"I have an idea for one." I said, fishing out a crumpled piece of paper where I'd written down the lyrics to There's No Rock And Roll On Mars. Technically, it came from my dream and from another me, so this wasn't cheating, right?

They looked over the lyrics. "This is actually fire." Eleanor commented.

"I like the rhyme scheme." Simon quipped.

"It's space themed again." Brittany sighed. "I guess there's no getting away from that."

Theodore smiled at me. "I really like it."

Jeanette gave her signature nod of approval.

I frowned. "Wish I could sing it with ya."

"Try your voice again." The Chipette in the purple tie dye shirt urged. "You have rested it for most of the summer."

"Yeah! Maybe it's back!" Theodore squeaked excitedly.

I stood up from the chair and closed my eyes. "There's no rock and roll on mars. There's no beat, among the stars. You can plainly see, the earth is the place to be, cuz there's no rock and roll on mars!"

"Alvin, you're a little flat. Watch it." Simon teased playfully.

I sat down at the table again and covered my face with my arms. "I'm not a LITTLE flat. I'm a LOT flat. My singing voice is STILL flat as a pancake! And it won't go back to normal." I moaned.

"You just stole my analogy!" Theo complained.

"He's lost his mojo." Brittany mused.

Simon frowned, looking at the way I was dressed, still in Jeanette's clothes and the flash T shirt. "He's lost more than that."

I picked my head up. "I'm STRESSED." I told them forcefully. "Stress is messin up my vocals. I've never been this stressed in my life. I've been having fun and yet I am STILL stressed."

"I have an idea." Eleanor waved her hand, but everyone ignored her.

Britt folded her arms and leaned against the railing. "Maybe you'd be less stressed if you were yourself again."

"HELLO! I HAVE AN IDEA!" The usually invisible Chipette repeated.

Simon covered his ears. "Eleanor, quiet down."

My other brother in green also had his ears covered. "She has an idea."

"What's your idea?" I asked her, making a mental note of how even I struggled to notice her words until Theo pointed out what she was saying.

Eleanor smirked at me. "How messed up CAN you make your voice?" She asked, a glint in her green eyes.

I rubbed my arm awkwardly. "Currently? Pretty messed up. Why?"

"There's a song verse for an alien, right? You can be the alien with your new nerdy nasal flatness!" She announced, pigtails bouncing as she jumped up.

"Hmmm. That might work." I replied. "Everyone will think I'm just doing an impression, and not that my voice is still broken! Eleanor, you're AMAZING!"

She high fived me. "This is why you people need to listen to me more."

A little while later, I changed into my cool new alien themed PJs and Eleanor gave me a pair of neon green alien antennas on a headband. I met up with everyone in the music room and we recorded the song. We would have done a music video, but I wasn't exactly video ready.

The Chipettes, Simon, and Theodore started off singing. I wished I could have joined them, but I knew I'd get my chance again once I finally got less stressed.

He came from far away

The answer to our dreams

Telling stories of strange places

That not many yet have seen

They were really getting into it. I'm sure if the other Alvin were here, the weird cartoony one, he would be cheering them on. They were doing GREAT!

He's traveled near and far

Yes, he's came a long, long way

If you ask him why he's come here

This is what he'd say

Simon was basically lead for the song, which bugged me a lot, but it made sense given that he also likes space-y stuff. It would have been too weird to have it be Theo or Britt.

There's no rock & roll on Mars

There's no beat among the stars

You can plainly see, the Earth is the place to be

'Cause there's no rock & roll on Mars

They all finished the chorus and Dave gave them the signal to start the next verse. I was bursting with anticipation. My part was coming up.

Now outer space is cool

But it's lacking music fuel

And the galaxy is neat

But it lacks a driving beat

The quiet and the calm

Are exactly what some need

I put on my most nasal voice possible. It was like three times as nasal as my weirdly off key new voice. Temporary new voice. I gotta keep reminding myself it's just temporary.

But an alien like me

Needs a rockin' melody

I could tell they were all trying very hard not to laugh.

There's no rock & roll on Mars

There's no beat among the stars

You can plainly see, the Earth is the place to be

'Cause there's no rock & roll on Mars

Dave even sang a bit for the next part, though he planned to mess with his voice later via the audio software he uses. Now that I'm a genius, I could probably figure out how to use that software.

There's no rock & roll on Mars

There's no rhythm on the stars

There's no rock & roll on Mars

There's no rhythm on the stars

I danced around looking like a complete idiot in my PJs with the antenna headband on my head. Did I care? No! This was too much fun. Then, it was time for me to muster up the ultra-nasal voice again.

My folks are quite upset

I'm an embarrassment indeed

They had plans for me to be

The leader of a galaxy

They just don't understand

I've had a driving need for thirst

To become a rock musician

On this planet they call Earth

Once I finished, the rest of the group took over singing the chorus again. I'd made it through. I hated the idea of being a mere backup presence to give the song flair, but in practice…maybe it wasn't so bad.

There's no rock & roll on Mars

There's no beat among the stars

You can plainly see, the Earth is the place to be

'Cause there's no rock & roll on Mars

Once we finished, we played some softball together in the backyard. It wasn't actual softball where we kept score or anything. It was mostly just taking turns smacking the ball off a tee and seeing whose ball went the farthest. The winner was Brittany, much to Eleanor's dismay.

"How are you doing that!?" The disgruntled blonde in the teal shorts and seafoam T shirt with a dark teal star on it, threw her bat on the ground.

Brittany picked up the bat and leaned on it, sassing her sister. "Natural skill."

"She's right." I blurted out, racing around the backyard in the galaxy leggings I'd changed into following our recording session.

"Natural skill, my furry tail." Eleanor huffed.

I nodded. "And you're also right."

Brittany swung the bat over her shoulder. Her form was very sloppy. "How can we both be right, Dweebus? Oh, are you a therapist now too? Come to help us argue less or something?"

Haha, I was dressed an awful lot like Jeanette, but no. "It's very simple." I took a deep breath. What I said next could change the way Brittany felt about herself and the way everyone else felt about her as well. "Brittany has superpowers."

"What?" The other five Chipmunks echoed.

"Superpowers." I repeated. "Her strength is super strength. It defies the laws of physics."

The diva in the bubblegum pink off shoulder T-shirt and sky blue shorts wheezed with laughter. "I do not have super strength."

"My research doesn't lie." I rambled. "In fact, I think we all have superpowers."

Jeanette raised her hand meekly and then backed up my point. "My ability to talk to animals has always felt like a superpower." She squeaked. "Or like magic."

"Oh cool!" Theodore scampered over to me. "Have you figured out my power? Or just Brittany's."

"Just Britt's so far, although Eleanor's seems to be unwillingly turning invisible at random." I snickered.

The youngest Chipette smiled at her sister. "Brittany, hand me the bat."

Her big sister obliged and then I found myself running away from Eleanor as she chased me down, waving the softball bat. "It wasn't even a joke!" I shouted. "I'm serious."

Simon got in between me and Eleanor and managed to stop the feisty chick. "Settle down, you guys." He scolded. "Now, let's stop this nonsense once and for all. Superpowers aren't real."

"Your super memory is kinda like a superpower." Theodore pointed out.

"I can prove they're real." I squeaked adamantly. "Just give me time. I can collect the data and everything."

"I thought you said you had no interest in becoming a scientist." My taller brother frowned.

I rolled my eyes. "I don't. I just want to prove superpowers exist." I called over to Brittany. "Lift something really heavy, Britt. Show Simon what you can do."

The Chipette shook her head. "No way. Albert, you have gone nuts."

"I'll let you test me, Alvin...I mean, uh, Albert." Theodore offered.

Jeanette stood next to him proudly. "Me too."

And so began my research. Jeanette got me data on all the animals that she could understand and explained to me that she could also sense their emotions. Her data didn't do much to help prove things to Simon. It was basically her word against his.

The data collected from Theo was much more promising. He always said he thought he had stronger senses than average and the tests proved it. He could pick up even the most subtle flavors. His hearing was as good as a bat's. His nose could track down a scent as easily as a bloodhound.

"Oh, Simon!" I walked proudly into the closet lab a few days later. "I have officially proved that Theodore has SUPERPOWERS."

"We'll see." He looked at the results of my tests and gasped.

"Haha! Told! You so!" I grinned.

Simon ran to locate Theo. "Theodore, did Alvin actually test you or did he fudge the data."

"It's true, Simon." My baby bro jumped on his bed happily. "I have supersenses! I wish he fudged the data though. Fudge sounds really yummy."

Simon turned around to glare at me and I just smiled proudly back.

The next day, I enacted a plan to videotape Brittany using her super-strength. I put her precious hairbrush underneath my hot rod and set my phone camera up to record her. By which, I mean, I had Eleanor hide in the bushes nearby, holding my phone.

"Where's my hairbrush!?" The pink clad girly girl poked me in my skinny chest.

I put my hands in the air. "I took it to try and manage my crazy hair. Then I dropped it and, oops, clumsy me, kicked it under there." I pointed under my hot rod.

Brittany laid down and tried to reach the hairbrush. After a couple attempts, she got very angry. She picked up my hot rod and hurled it across our driveway. Then, she reached down to reclaim her precious brush.

"Wowza!" I exclaimed.

"Take it again, and I'll toss you next time." She warned, walking away with a confident wiggle.

I was mesmerized. My plan worked! She fell right into my trap. I'd gotten her on video! I parted the bush where Eleanor was hiding. "You got that recorded, right?"

"Yup!" She handed me my phone. "Cuz I am AWESOME! Nobody's as sneaky as I am."

My poor hot rod was pretty dented, but I could fix that later. I had other modes of transportation anyway, like my skateboard.

I ran away as fast as I could, hoping to show the unmistakably factual evidence to Simon. Unfortunately, I hadn't counted on Brittany being with him.

"Simon, Simon, I gotta show…." I raced into the living room with my phone in hand. I saw the Chipette in pink and stopped dead in my tracks. I needed a good lie and FAST. "…you this cool new app I downloaded."

"What kind of app is it?" Brittany asked, not moving from her spot on the couch, or sounding interested.

Think, Alvin, think! "It lets you play chess virtually! I can play it with Jeanette while doing a bunch of other stuff! It's not boring anymore!" I switched my phone screen from the video to the Chess Master app I downloaded.

"I already know that app exists." Simon sighed. "It's been on my phone for ages. Is that all you needed?"

"Uh, well, pretty…pretty much." I admitted.

"Are you going to come home soon?" My brother asked, looking at me with sad eyes. "Theo and I made your bed for you and did your laundry."

"I dunno. I'm really digging hanging out with the girls." I replied honestly. I felt like I had to be honest after lying to cover up that I'd taken a video of Britt without her permission.

Britt couldn't resist taking another jab at me. "I bet you are, Jeanette number 2."

I placed a hand on my hip. "And by the girls, I mean Jeanette and Eleanor, because this one doesn't care about me AT ALL."

"I care more than you'll ever know." Britt growled, looking devastated.

"It's true." Now Simon was defending that spoiled diva? What a world! "In fact, Brittany's raised several concerns about your, err, improvement. We're both afraid you might be falling into a pattern of mimicry to avoid self reflection." Aw nuts! He figured me out.

If I stayed any longer, this convo would get really uncomfortable. "Anyway, I gotta run. Jeanette's gonna teach me how to read hieroglyphics and I'm gonna teach her to speak Klingon." I babbled quickly.

"Alvin, or Albert or whatever you wish to be called. You can't run away from your problems. You have to face this identity crisis head on if you have any hope of getting through it." My brother warned.

Britt was aghast. "You speak klingon now!?" She shrieked.

I folded my arms, keeping my phone in my hand. My outfit had no pockets. "It's an alien language, so YEAH. I spoke it as classic Alvin too."

"This is a nightmare." Brittany moaned.

Simon just watched me leave with that extra judgemental look on his furry face. He knew what I was up to. He knew I had no intention of actually doing the hard work to pull the broken pieces of me back together. Jeanette had given me instructions like my teachers would for a homework assignment and I was procrastinating.

I felt FINE as Albert. If I felt okay like this, there wasn't really any point in fixing it until I DIDN'T feel fine anymore. That was my interpretation anyway. All my attempts at locating Classic Alvin failed, so what else was I supposed to do?

That evening, I helped Theo and Eleanor cook a lovely spaghetti dinner for everyone. We all sat down at the table to discuss plans for the last week of summer. It was hard to believe that it was almost over already. I'd done a lot of things at least! There were hikes, trips downtown, shopping sprees, camping (well, technically glamping) in the backyard, pool days, library days, lots of skatepark trips, gardening, and just lounging in a hammock, enjoying the simpler things in life. Even though I wasted a fraction of it, all in all, my summer was still worthwhile!

"Well, fellas and girl fellas, who's up for a trip to the carnival to celebrate our new hit single?" Dave asked the group of us.

"I am!" I shouted, as everyone agreed with me. Ohoho! Who knew my freaky alien voice would be a hit? Eleanor I guess.

"I can't wait to ride the ferris wheel!" Simon announced.

"I can't wait to avoid the ferris wheel at all costs." Jeanette added with a good natured giggle.

Theodore swallowed his mouthful of spaghetti. "I can't wait to eat yummy cotton candy!"

"Careful." Eleanor teased. "Eat too much and it might start coming out your ears."

Brittany narrowed her eyes at me. "Are you still into carnivals?"

"Uh, yeah." I twirled my fork around the plate of spaghetti. "Tons of physics at work."

The Chipette in pink groaned angrily.

"And I also like the rides. They're exhilarating!" I wiggled in my seat.

Later, as I was helping Dave clean up, I got a bit of one on one time with my dad. I expected him to grill me about hurrying up to decide who I was, but he didn't.

He washed off a plate with a towel and handed it to me, so I could quickly put it away. "Are you ready to come home yet?"

"I'm not sure, Dave." I answered. "As soon as I feel like it."

"Why don't you feel like it?" My dad asked.

A good question. I had to soul search a bit for the answer. "Because this is Alvin's house. I'm not really Alvin anymore."

"You're still my son. You're still Simon and Theodore's brother." My father sighed. "We all miss you. It's not the same without you."

I looked down at my red and purple outfit. "It wouldn't be the same with me here either." I frowned. "Not like this."

"I suppose you're right. I guess I just thought I'd have more time before you left home." He frowned.

"Me too, dad." I felt a pang of sadness. As much as my family drove me crazy. I needed them. "Eventually, I'll come home. I promise. I'll figure out who I am. It's a whole, process."

He nodded in an understanding way. "Remember, you don't have to be perfect. You just have to be you."

"Got it." I put a few more dishes away. This was probably one of the best talks I'd ever had with my dad. We weren't fighting or screaming at each other. We were just…existing in the same space.

Carnival day arrived and I was ready. I couldn't take my phone with me, because I had no pockets. Girls clothes SERIOUSLY need pockets. No wonder Ellie loves cargo shorts so much. Anyway, I gave my phone to Dave and prepared for a day of no worries and only insane amounts of fun!

"Remember, we have to stick together." Simon reminded us. "And did everyone remember to apply sunscreen?"

"Dude, we have fur." Eleanor remarked.

My brother in blue lathered sunscreen all over his arms. "You can never be too careful."

I wished I had brought my cap. The sun was really bright. I could have used the shade. "Which ride are we gonna go on first?"

"The Tilt A Whirl!" Eleanor squealed with glee.

"Oh, uh…" Jeanette glanced at a small pavilion with a concession stand and a picnic table. "I might sit that one out."

"Come on, Jeanette." Brittany insisted. "You only puked once and that was years ago."

"If she doesn't feel like riding it, she doesn't have to." Dave reminded Brittany.

I got another brilliant idea in that unstoppable brain of mine. "Hey, uh, Netta." I told my similarly dressed and almost equally purple companion. "Could ya try it if I made sure I ride next to ya? Cuz, well, uh, I tried a bunch of stuff for you this summer."

She got all flustered. "Oh, I dunno." She squeaked. "What if I puke on you?"

"You wouldn't be the first." Theodore commented with a giggle. "Cuz that was me."

"It would be an honor to be your barf bag." I joked, winking playfully at the cautious Chipette.

Brittany made gagging sounds and I ignored her.

"Well…." Jeanette grabbed my hand and we walked up to the Tilt-A-Whirl together. "Okay."

Turns out, she didn't puke! We had a whole lot of fun being twisted and spun every which way. Theodore didn't even puke, but he did put earplugs in to block everyone's screaming! Brittany looked bored the whole time. Simon just closed his eyes.

We rode a few more rides together, like this one where you laid on your belly on hang glider things. We rode like three different rollercoasters and a couple more gentle paced rides to balance it out. I puked after the first rollercoaster, which was odd. I puked again after a few more rides too.

"Are you getting sick, Alvin?" Theodore asked me, as we approached some of the booths to play games and win prizes.

"No." I rubbed my queasy stomach. "I don't know what's up with me."

"No one does." Brittany commented bitterly.

Eleanor's green eyes twinkled. "Actually, I do, but you're gonna hate it." She warned me.

"Lay it on me." I challenged the twin pigtailed chick. "I can take it."

"So, you guys know how I studied sports injuries when I wanted to be a doctor, right?" She began.

Everyone looked at the mint clad girl, totally lost. None of us knew this.

"Seriously? Urgh, fine. Anyway, sometimes when people recover from concussions, their bodies can't take a lot of intense motion anymore. They get sick from it." She patted my back.

I felt sicker. Was she right? I gulped. "You mean…I can never enjoy carnival rides the way I used to again?"

Dave came in with the save. "Of course you can." He assured me. "You can take medicine before you ride them to prevent motion sickness."

"That's a thing!?" I was overjoyed! My life wasn't ruined after all.

Dave's phone started to ring. He looked at the caller ID. "Urgh, it's work. I have to take this. Stay right here and don't wander off. Especially you, Al…bert." Pretty sure that last part he said out of habit only.

We stayed by the carnival games and I spotted something fun to challenge Brittany to. It was one of those strength measuring games, where you had to whack it with a mallet to ring a bell.

"Oh, Britt-Brat." I teased playfully, drawing from the few bits of the old Alvin that remained. "Bet ya can't score higher on the strength test than me."

Her strawberry blonde tail bristled. "You already know I can."

Ohoho! Exactly, but this would be the first time Simon got a load of her impressive ability. The best part is, she would be outing her superpower on her own, without me deviously recording her.

"Show me!" I challenged again, picking up the mallet, which was absurdly heavy and swinging it down onto the platform. It barely made it to the one third mark. I was such a weakling! Granted, I always had been. By chipmunk standards I was quite strong.

Britt, on the other hand, was strong by human standards. "You asked for this." She quipped.

"Go Brittany!" Jeanette and Theo cheered together.

Brittany swung the mallet and the bell rang loudly, causing Theo to plug his ears.

Simon's eyes went wide. "You really DO have super strength!" He gasped.

"Wait, what?" Brittany glared at me as she realized what I did. "ALVINNN!"

"That's not my name." I reminded her.

"How on earth?" Simon sat down in the grass. "Is this possible?"

"She's like the hulk!" Theodore exclaimed.

I laughed loudly. He was kinda right. At base level, she was strong. If you made her angry, she got way stronger.

Britt raised a fist. "If you compare me to the hulk one more time, I will punch you."

"You're making it really hard not to compare you to him right now." Theo replied.

The Chipette in pink put her hands on her hips. "And how would you know that?" She fumed.

"Hey!" My baby bro squeaked. "Superheroes are the one geeky thing that I know a lot about!"

"Oh." She softened a little. "Well, uh, as long as it's a compliment."

The carnival game person told Britt that she won a stuffed plush animal of her choice. She chose a beagle puppy plush and then gave it to Theo. It was really sweet of her. She was like me, or like I used to be, rough on the outside and soft inside. You just had to dig deeper to uncover her softness.

Next, Eleanor and I played a game where you could pop darts with balloons. Then, Simon tried to get a ring around a bottle. Theo did this duck pond guessing game and won another plushie. This time it was a hamster. I swear, Theo's got all his luck and all my luck too. Because my luck is rotten.

Dave wasn't back from taking his phone call yet and I could feel the boredom brewing. It was like a lava pit in my stomach.

"Why isn't he back yet?" I moaned. "He's wasting our day."

"Be patient. It's probably a very important phone call." Simon advised.

Eleanor sat on the grass beside Simon. "Or he forgot about us." She muttered.

"Perhaps we could wander, if we don't wander too far." Jeanette suggested.

"Maybe just across from here?" Theodore proposed.

Simon planted his feet firmly on the ground. "You all can do whatever you want. I'm staying right here."

"Suit yourself." I scampered toward a sign that said Fun House. "Come on, team."

"Who made you the leader?" Brittany asked.

"It just feels right." I reasoned.

She frowned at me. "Alvin's the leader. You're Albert now, which makes me the leader."

"Does not." I argued.

"Does so." She retorted.

"Would you both knock it off?" Surprise! Simon had joined us.

I smiled the dorky new smile I'd acquired. "What happened to "I'm staying right here?"

"I have to keep an eye on you." He reasoned. "You need someone well prepared to balance out all your…entropy."

"You realize I know what that means?" I asked, smiling wider.

"I do." Simon continued to follow our posse to the Fun House

Brittany scoffed. "I don't." She said angrily.

We all entered the crazy place and tried to balance on a moving platform. After that, there were loads of stairs and also some ramps to run up and down. Since the place was built for humans, we had to be extra careful. I wasn't as careful as I should have been and almost wound up with my toe caught in the moving platform. Luckily, I pulled it away at the last second, but it was too close for comfort.

I was enjoying the Fun House. I felt like an intrepid explorer leading my team of adventurers into the unknown. Until, I was face to face with the one thing I'd tried my best to avoid all summer.

I wished I had registered my friends and family's warnings before I ventured into that horrible section of the fun house. I could have closed my eyes and let them lead me through.

"Oh no, you guys!" Eleanor was the first to realize what was coming.

Simon's voice was the next one I heard. "Wait for us, Albert!"

"Watch out for the…" Theo shrieked. It was too late. I was already looking into one of the treacherous things. "Mirrors." He finished.

It was a maze of mirrors. I had assumed since I didn't see it from the outside of the Fun House, I'd be safe. Not so. It was here. Hidden inside this whole time. My reflection mocked me from every angle, showing me what a mess I'd turned into.

I faced one of the mirrors head on. I had to get out of here! I couldn't let myself start caring about the way I looked again! I couldn't! But it was no use!

I had to look at myself, really examine myself from every angle. As I stood there, capless, blemished, with dorky glasses and shiny braces, wearing clothes that weren't my own,…Jeanette's clothes, I started to sob. Who was that guy? Was this really who I was now? Was this who I wanted to be?

Why had I let myself turn into Jeanette!? No wonder Britt kept mocking me! Nobody could recognize me anymore. There wasn't anything Alvin about me. I couldn't even recognize myself.

My hair was less brown at the roots than before. That was good. It was also getting longer. It tickled my ears. I guess when you spend a whole summer not giving a frack about your appearance, ya get fun little surprises like that.

I pressed my hands against the mirror and sobbed even harder. Everything felt nightmarish again. Simon was right. I couldn't just spend time pretending to be someone else. I needed to find the real Alvin again. Maybe once I found him, I wouldn't have to fear mirrors anymore. People would know me again. I wouldn't feel like a stranger in my own life!

"Is that really me? That can't be me!" I wailed.

"Urgh, could you not do this here?" Brittany asked, trying to rush me along. "There's a whole lineup of people who need to get through the maze."

"Brittany, he's having a mental breakdown." Simon snapped at her. "Could you have an ounce of compassion?"

"Well he picked the worst time to have one!" The Chipette in pink said, standing on the step near the start of the Maze Of Mirrors.

Eleanor and Jeanette both swung into action.

Jeanette grabbed my hand. "There there, Al. It's okay. It's all part of the process." I figured she had called me Al because she wasn't sure if I still felt like being called Albert or Alvin.

"The universe HATES ME!" I sobbed.

Jeanette rubbed my back tenderly as Eleanor showed us both the way out of the awful mirror maze. "The universe doesn't hate you."

"LOOK AT ME, JEANETTE! LOOK AT ME!" I screamed like a banshee while still crying. "If this isn't solid proof the universe hates me, what is?"

"You're more than just your looks. Remember? What counts is on the inside." She squeezed my hand even tighter.

I shut my eyes and leaned into her.

"This way, guys." I heard Eleanor's commanding voice. "You're almost out."

"How could I do this to myself?" I moaned. "I miss being Alvin."

"Alvin never left you." Jeanette assured me. "You've been him this whole time."

"I have not." I muttered.

"And you're out." Eleanor poked my back. "You can open your eyes now."

I opened my eyes as I exited the Fun House and of course the first thing I saw was Dave, face boiling red with anger. I cannot catch a dang break.

"I told you to stay put." Dad shook his finger at me.

"I'm sorry." I blubbered. "I'm really sorry. I just…got bored."

"You'll have to be easy on him right now, Dave." My favorite Chipette in her beautiful purple tie dye top cautioned.

"Why? What happened?" Dave knelt down closer to me.

Eleanor caught him up in a few words. "Mirrors. Mirrors happened."

"I'm sick of pretending to be someone I'm not." I wiped my tears. "But I still don't know who I am."

Brittany, Theo, and Simon came out of the Fun House.

"Maybe we should head home." Simon suggested.

"No way!" Britt argued back. "I'm not giving up my fun day at the carnival just because Albert's a wreck."

"I can go wait for you guys in the car." I offered.

"And I'll go with him." Jeanette said, protectively slipping her arm around me.

"Nevermind." Brittany changed her tune suddenly. "There will be other carnivals."

I frowned. "All I am gonna do in the car is nap. I swear."

"I'll go with the two of them." Eleanor offered. "To make sure they aren't smooching."

Me smooch Jeanette? Hard pass. "There won't be smooching!" I shouted. "Why doesn't anyone trust me!?"

"You know why!" Brittany snapped.

"If the other three of you still want to enjoy the carnival, then it's okay with me." Dave tossed the car keys at Eleanor. "I hope you feel better, Alvin."

I glanced at Jeanette's kind face. What would I do without her? "I think I'll be okay."

Ells, Netta, and I walked back to Dave's car. Netta and I did most of the talking while Eleanor observed us, watching us, as Britt expected her to.

I slipped the purple plaid button up off. "You can have your shirt back." I held it out for my generous friend.

"Keep it for now." Jeanette insisted. "I have plenty of other clothes. This'll give me a chance to experiment with a new look!"

I looked at the shirt in my hands. "This isn't my style though…not that I really…have a style anymore." Suddenly, a thought dawned on me. "Maybe I should start experimenting with my look too. Find what speaks to the new me?"

"Great idea!" She fidgeted with the gummy rubber friendship bracelets on her hands. "Although you should wear your cap again. You've been sad ever since you took it off."

"Oh I will! As soon as I can!" I tied the purple plaid jacket around my hips. "I just...can't right now for….reasons."

"I don't understand, but I support you." Netta assured me.

I brushed away a messy strand of hair that had fallen over my glasses. "Hey, uh, Netta, thank you for being my shoulder to cry on…and for teaching me to be sensitive."

"You're very welcome." Those irresistible midnight eyes gleamed.

Eleanor watched us with a puzzled look that morphed into a sly smirk. Clearly, she thought we were madly in love. But we weren't. At least, not yet. Likely not ever, since I was pretty much promised to Britt by management. Urgh.

Onto a happier topic, with my breakdown past and me officially on the mend, Jeanette and I started to put together our new looks. We spent the last week of summer gathering a bunch of stuff to try on. She bought a lot of tie dye stuff, and some long flowy boho skirts and peasant tops.

By far, my favorite of her new outfits was a lilac colored dress with a layer of sheer shimmery fabric and some three dimensional shimmery butterflies sewn onto the dress. She wore a stylish jean jacket over it and added that hypnotizing little bow on a dangly satin cord that hung from her messy bun. And, she even let me bat at her bow and watch it swing around! She was the BEST!

As for me, I went back to combining crimson, gold, and cyan in most of my looks. I kept my beloved plush cyan jacket, my rainbow sneakers, and my iconic T-shirts with the letter A on 'em. I got a brand new cyan shirt with a light bulb on it, a crimson vest, and a bunch of assorted graphic Ts with science and math sayings.

I started wearing my jeans again, including the pair with the paint splatters, but occasionally I'd put on the galaxy leggings too! Because why not!? They fit my whole crazy space enthusiast aesthetic.

I also kept Jeanette's plaid shirt for those gloomy days when I needed a hug. Oh yeah, another thing, I was staying in my own house again. I missed hanging with the girls, but it felt good to be back. Yep. Everything was evening out again.

Except for the fact that I still didn't have a handle on my personality. I still didn't know who I was deep down. I knew what my sense of style was now, but I still didn't know anything else! It was maddening!

"I hate this backpack." I said, setting the black backpack with the skull and guitar crossbones on it down on the Chipettes' dining room table. "I need a new one."

"Alvie, no!" Brittany looked horrified. "You love that backpack!"

"It doesn't fit my new vibe." I reasoned.

"I think I have just the thing!" Jeanette left the room and returned with a scarlet backpack covered in rainbow colored paint splatters. It had straps that were made of a glittery scarlet fabric. Sure, it wasn't crimson, but it was perfect!

I took it from her eagerly. "Where did you find this?"

"On one of our shopping sprees." Netta smiled. "I've been saving it. I was going to surprise you on the first day of school, but now works too."

"Dibs on your old backpack." Eleanor snatched the black one off the table and slipped it on her back. "Oh yeah! I could get used to this."

I chuckled. "Go ahead, Ells." I slipped on the new backpack. It was amazing.

Stubborn old Brittany HAD to wreck it. "Why do you have to keep changing EVERYTHING!? Your clothes, your hair, your backpack, your pajamas? None of this stuff is you! It's all part of the guy Jeanette's TRAINING you to be."

"Huh?" I felt an ache in my chest. "No, that's not right. That's not true. I like this stuff. I LIKE THIS STUFF!" So many thoughts were whirling in my head.

Jeanette handed me a notebook and a shiny crimson colored pencil. "I think now would be a good time to finally do some self reflection."

"I…I don't know how to start." I admitted.

"I told you. Find the facets." She repeated that weird advice from a long time ago.

"Yeah, I know that, but like, am I supposed to write it out? Like a brainstormy mind map thing?" ZAP! CLICK! I knew exactly what to do. "Wait a sec, I AM supposed to write it out!"

"I don't know what's happening." Brittany commented as I rushed upstairs to the Chipettes' bedroom.

"Me either." Eleanor continued to flex her muscles while wearing my old backpack. "But I think whatever it is, it's gonna be good."

Jeanette joined me in the bedroom and sat down on the floor, looking up at me with hopeful eyes. I knew she would be patient, but I didn't want this to take all night.

I sat down at Brittany's vanity and started to give the gears in my mind a huge workout. I took each persona I created and wrote down the traits I loved the most about them in the notebook.

Shockingly, I found patterns. I guess that shouldn't be so shocking, but for me it was.

The Dark Shadow the superhero, Lorenzo Lorenzo the secret agent, Dargo from Brothers Of Dagarack, Captain Copperhair the pirate, my cowboy persona called The Chipmunk Kid…. They were all leaders! They were savvy! They honed their crafts and they owned it! They had confidence, a sort of effortless cool. They were also REALLY smart! They had to have wits about them in order to do what they did. Rescue citizens! Pilot a spaceship! Collect treasure! Round up lil' dogies! Crack enigma ciphers and save the world!

Classic Alvin had a bunch of traits I loved, that everyone else loved too. He was athletic, musical, passionate, creative, comedic, persistent, adventurous, and most of all, a rambunctious dreamer for whom anything is possible.

Mr. Manners and Albert represented my softer side, my geeky, nerdy, bookworm, responsible, compassionate, and polite side. He wasn't any less me than Classic! He was an excuse for me to show that side of me without having to ADMIT it was me! Apparently I was also secretly a fan of sweatervests? Weird.

I dove deeper. There was Chantrelle Bulregarde. She liked glitter and makeup and leggings. She represented my usually untapped feminine side. Similar to Albert and Mr. Manners, she was an excuse to let that part of me shine too.

But I didn't need to be her to be feminine! I could just be feminine on my own! I could be a bookworm! A geek! An athlete! A Rockstar! I could be ANYTHING I wanted! Whenever I wanted! The problem was, stupid people would STILL say I wasn't Alvin anymore unless I stuck to only being Classic. Bummer.

"I know my personality now!" I kissed the notebook and handed it to Netta. "I'm all of this, but above all else, I am an ideas guy, the leader, but also the brains."

"You always knew who you were." She looked at what I had written in the notebook. "It was inside you all along."

"Yeah, but, if I choose to be all this…" I frowned. "Everyone will struggle to get used to it. I'll still struggle to get used to it. Maybe it would be better to keep all these personas, you know, separate."

She got up from the floor and patted my back again. "Who you are doesn't depend on others. You are the only one who can decide who you are and who you want to be?"

I sighed. "But what if who I want to be…..isn't Alvin?"

"But he will be! Because no matter what you turn out to be, you ARE Alvin. Nobody can take that away from you." She looked deep into my eyes. "You're Alvin, you're also Albert, you're even, uh, what was your girl persona's name again?"

I flipped my slightly longer hair, imitating Brittany. "Chantrelle."

"You're her too. And she's also an Alvin." Jeanette jumped up onto her bed. "You are anything you want to be, as long as you feel happy and fulfilled, that's all that matters." She declared.

And FINALLY, FINALLY, my oblivious brain got the message. At last, I had actually found myself…even if he wasn't the person I expected him to be. "Okay….yeah….that….that makes sense!" I stammered.

Jeanette looked giddy, she played around with an owl plush toy on her bed. "So what do you want to do now?"

I hadn't known until she asked that question. Once she did, my latest desire was revealed. Boy, was it a doozy. "I want to get my own library card." I stated proudly. I did. Me. Not Albert. Not anyone else. Me. Alvin Seville!

"Really?" Jeanette looked surprised, but also excited.

I was both excited and terrified. The next words just spilled out of my mouth without me holding back. "Yeah. I want to fully claim my identity as a nerd!" Whoah! No! Slow down, buddy. "Err, you know, half nerd." I added, because I was still a TON of other stuff.

So there we were, at the local library. It was a lot larger than the school library. I stood in line waiting as the librarian made me my very own nerd identification tag. My palms were sweating, my mouth was dry. Calm down, Alvin! I yelled at myself. People do stuff like this every day. Besides, this card is a marker of how far you've come. Be proud of it!

"Alvin Seville." The nice lady with the silvery hair called my name. Jeanette gave me a small nudge.

I walked up to the counter with more nervous energy than a prisoner headed to death row. My rainbow shoes squeaked on the polished floor. My cyan jacket that was tied around my waist swished rhythmically with every stride. I was wearing one of my usual letter A shirts proudly. It helped give me some confidence back, even if I didn't have all of it.

Okay, I think I've stalled enough. I took the library card in my hands. It didn't have my picture on it. I was afraid it would have. I don't know why. Simon's and Jeanette's didn't have their pictures either. What it did have, was my name. I was Alvin again, not that I'd ever really stopped being him.

"Thanks." I walked away from the counter, turning the card over and over in my hands. What was I so scared of? Having a library card felt FANTASTIC! No more borrowing Simon's or Jeanette's! No more sneaking around to borrow books with no one knowing it was me. I didn't need to hide who I was, at least not locally.

Jeanette quietly tapped just her pointer fingers together. That was a library thing called quiet clapping. "You did it." She whispered.

I showed her the card proudly. "Yeah. I did it."

"NOHOHOHO! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!" Oh, hi, Classic Alvin. I was wondering when you'd get back. He'd appeared in the window of the library. I didn't wanna make a scene, so I quickly shut my eyes to make Classic Alvin vanish. He did, but the physics hallucinations were back.

Nevertheless, I didn't let that stop me from checking out some books with my brand new library card. I got a few books about mutants with superpowers. I didn't go nuts, since I knew I'd have to remember to return them. Jeanette checked out a book on astronomy and one about birdwatching. Then, we went back to the treehouse to read them at the patio table.

The next morning, I rolled out of bed ready to take on the world. I even got brave enough to look in the mirror again. My face felt less itchy! Maybe that meant my rash was cleared up! Fingers crossed!

Yes! My face was nearly clear! There were a bunch of tiny bits of the rash still spread all over my cheeks, but they could easily be mistaken for freckles. The braces and glasses still bugged me, but I'd made peace with them. As long as I could still eat candy, the braces weren't so bad. Sure, taffy and caramel were off the table, but I wasn't as into those as gummies and Nerds anyway.

My hair was actually a little past my ears now. I decided to continue to grow it out. I wanted to see how long it could get. Oh! And the best part! The darker brown roots were gone! My hair was ONE color again! WAIT, A SECOND! This isn't the same color I had before!

My hair was ORANGE! Not as bright orange as Kevin's or Cheesy's, but substantially more orange than copper. I sighed. No, you know what? I was DONE nitpicking my appearance. Save that for other people. I looked GOOD!

I was less vain about it now, but I knew I looked good. I would grow to like my new look. If it changed again, I'd simply grow to like it again. I was also looking forward to showing off my new outfits when I got back to school. New looks for a new school year.

"Oh my gosh." Simon got a load of my new look as I exited the bathroom.

"I know, I know." I had just finished restyling my hair with gel, but it was still a little bit messy in places. "I look like a carrot exploded."

"What did you do? Try to dye it?" He questioned.

"Nope." I pointed at my hair. "It did this on its own. But, ya know what this means?"

"That you're officially a redhead?" He couldn't stop staring.

I smiled widely. "I can wear my cap again!"

I ran to my room and put my cap on over my mildly messy hair. "Ohoho! I missed you so much!" I exclaimed.

Theodore caught me talking to my cap. "It's good to have you back, Alvin." He squeaked.

With school coming in just a few days, I decided to try and come up with a better system for doing my homework. I used what I knew about raising my sugar intake and how gaming provided me with a similar boost to devise a little…test.

"What are you doing?" Dave came inside the house and immediately caught me playing my games and stuffing my face full of gummies and Nerds candy.

I kept my hands on the controller. "I'm running a very important experiment, Dave." I responded, pausing the game to down another helping of Nerds.

He didn't sound convinced. "Using videogames?"

"Simon and Jeanette failed to teach me to use my brain, but I have an idea." I said as I shot a missile right into a zombie hoard in the game World War Z.

Dave stepped in front of me, blocking my view of the TV. "That requires candy and videogames?"

I rolled my eyes. "I know it sounds suspicious. Just hear me out." Since Classic was officially back, so was my signature attitude.

"How about you turn off the games and try meditating?" My dad suggested.

"No." I moved my head to see around him and killed a few more zombies.

Dave sat down in a chair, frustrated with me once more. "Why not? Simon uses it to clear his head."

Simon groaned, entering the room. "Don't even try it, Dave. He won't agree."

"I've got a better system! It's all part of the experiment!" I insisted.

"You're doing an experiment? Since when do you come up with your own experiments?" My brother in the blue tank top and darker royal blue hoodie looked at me suspiciously.

"It's just one." I said quickly. "I'm not gonna become a scientist person or anything."

"What hypothesis are you testing?" Si asked, crossing his arms.

"It's uh…kinda unexplainable." I responded, pausing again to much more sweets. Give me that motivational brainpower!

He couldn't figure me out. Neither could Dave. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Luckily, I had mostly figured me out. "I mean you'll both think it's stupid. But it's important to me, so…. I'm doing it anyway." I replied with my "attitude."

That made them both give up and leave me alone. My experiment turned out to be a success! I was full of so much motivation afterward that I breezed through all my chores. Dave was pretty surprised. Just goes to show, maybe I know me better than most other people do, even if there's still a few things about me that make no sense whatsoever.

Unfortunately, due to my excessive candy consumption, I eventually had to lie down and nap. My energy levels hit 0 again. I couldn't imagine doing this every day after school. Maybe smaller doses? It would be a less potent effect, but at least it wouldn't result in this.

My dream, or nightmare, or, I'm not exactly sure what to call it, was absolutely bonkers. I was dressed in a sharp looking crimson suit with a gold A and cyan accents. My braces were gone, but the glasses were still there. I was sitting in the audience at some kind of award show, next to Brittany of all people. What was she doing here? That fuschia dress with the slit in the side and flowers around the bodice was super hot though.

"Why did you bring me here?" She asked, very rudely.

I shrugged. Given I didn't know where "here" was. What to say? Oh! How about? "I thought you'd enjoy the fashion."

"Simon deserves this award. Not you." She sneered. That should have been a clue as to the nature of this award, but I ignored it.

I rolled my eyes. "Ah yes, because Simon's the best at everything." I scoffed.

"This is his thing. You can't do Simon's thing. You promised you wouldn't." Brittany looked devastated, as she often did these days.

"Times are changin', Britt." She tried to grab my hand, but I pulled it away before she could.

I watched as the announcer strutted onstage and read out the award recipient. "And the award for most Innovative Scientist goes to…Alvin Seville!"

I raced onstage to accept my award. Then, I realized what I was accepting. ME A SCIENTIST!? There had to be some mistake. I was dreaming about being a scientist!? Oh no! This couldn't happen! I promised Simon I wouldn't! It was like no matter how hard I tried to hold on to my Alvinness, it was all slipping away.

The scene around me started to crack apart, then it all glitched like pixels on a videogame screen. "Most Innovative Scientist!" The voice boomed again.

"No! Please!" I screamed. "There has to be some mistake! I just study physics! That doesn't make me a…"

The scene around me glitched to a dusty old lab, my fancy suit changed into my cyan labcoat. My hair under my cap was an unruly mess. Oh no! No! I had to get out of here!

Brittany opened the door of my lab and stared at me. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Britt, no! It's not what it looks like!" I pleaded. "This is a nightmare! That's all! This isn't me! This is not what my future looks like!"

She sighed. "If this is your life now, you're gonna need a lot of hair gel, Alvin Einstein." She turned her back on me and slammed the door.

I woke up, startled. What did the dream mean? Did I really WANT to be a scientist? I did use the scientific method a lot. I even used it frequently when scheming. AW CRAP! I guess I did want to be a scientist.

Jeanette had mentioned that the deeper I connect with my true self, the more shocking things I'd find, but this? My brotherly relationship with Simon might go up in flames. I'd be more of a rival than ever before.

I'm supposed to be the lowly lab assistant, but I wanted to be a leader. Scientists were leaders of their own projects. I couldn't sing at the moment, though I had no doubts my voice would return soon. Still, it couldn't hurt to branch out on a second career path.

The more I thought about it, the better it all fit. I couldn't hide it either. I'd risk hurting Simon and Britt even more if I did. What would Jeanette think of Scientist me? Did she know that new passion had sprung up following Dr. Wilson's class. Because, hey, if someone like Dr. Wilson, who was a troublemaker like me as a kid, could be a scientist, then I had the potential to be one too!

Following my intense period of more self-reflection, I called a family meeting. There was only one day left until school started up again. I needed to let everyone know exactly what sort of Alvin they were going to be dealing with from here on out.

"Gather round, gather round. I have a big announcement to make." I said, with cautious excitement.

Brittany looked at me from her spot on the couch. "You finally decided to stop this phase and be yourself."

"Yes! Actually! Yes! I have, at long last, decided on the kind of person I'm going to be. I have a good handle on the new personality that has developed within me." I rambled.

The Chipette in pink groaned. "Oh crap."

"Fair warning, he isn't gonna be who anyone thinks. In fact, I was pretty surprised by it myself." I laughed nervously. At least my voice was sounding less nasal today.

"Spit it out already, Al. We haven't got all day." Eleanor complained.

"What's your new personality like?" Simon asked, I could detect worry on his face.

I took a deep breath. "Well, uh, I'll start with the classic Alvin traits you know and love. I'm still musical, creative, athletic, rambunctious, dramatic, messy, a risk taker, though less of a risk taker than I used to be." I paused to give them time to respond. No one did, so I kept talking. "As for my new traits, I'm now analytical, a bookworm, open-minded, mature, innovative, compassionate, nerdy as heck, sensitive, verbose, tenacious, and a lot less vain, though I must admit my new looks have grown on me." I gestured to my face with my hand.

"The orange hair has grown on you?" Brittany raised a brow.

I nodded.

Jeanette stepped forward to wrap me in her warm embrace. "You sound like the best version of you that you can be."

"It's all thanks to you." My new freckled cheeks grew hot.

"Congratulations on making it back to being yourself….your new self, that is." Dave sounded confused, but he accepted me.

Theodore smiled a gappy tooth grin. "We'll all adjust to it." He promised.

"You do you." The mint clad Chipette winked.

Simon nodded in agreement. I could tell he didn't think my crisis was over. Which, it wasn't exactly, but the worst of it seemed to be.

Britt slumped her shoulders. "URGH. Okay."

Excellent. They were all cool with this. Now, for the biggest reveal. "There is one more thing, and uh…this surprised me most of all." I confessed.

"What is it?" Eleanor looked intrigued.

Here goes. No turning back. Once these words are out, no one will look at you as Classic Alvin ever again. I was warned internally by good ol Me.

"I want to be a scientist." I put my hands on my hips like Superman does.

The room was silent. Several pairs of eyes stared at me.

Then, Simon broke the silence by loudly shouting. "OH COME ON!"

Yep! This school year was sure to be a rollercoaster. I was starting over, basically. I was stuck at the bottom of the popularity food chain. I wasn't Classic Alvin anymore, but I wasn't Albert either. Actually, wait, I was them. Like Jeanette said. I was BOTH of them. I could be both of them and anything else I could dream up.

I'd accepted the invasive nerdiness that flowed through me, molding me into my best self. I'd gotten less superficial. My looks were still important to me, but I also knew that they didn't define who I was. I could be more than a perfect complexion and super styled hair. I could wear clothes that I liked, whatever felt comfortable to me. Who cared if it was trendy or masculine enough? Yawn! Boring! Everyone was correct. I did, in fact, lose my mind, but I think I gained a better one.

Phew! That wraps up this chapter and this part of the story. I had so much to cover. Part of it had to move over to story 7!

I hope you all enjoyed this part. A lot of introspection from Alvin this time around. He's finally growing into the guy he wants to be, but surely more challenges await. Plus, he's got his looks back…sort of. It's good enough haha.

How will Simon adapt to having another scientist in the family? Find out in the next tale entitled Two And A Half Scientists! (Alvin is the "half")