We're back! That was a longer break than expected. I was really enjoying Halloween though! This story is a riot. I hope you all enjoy it!
ALVIN: Alright, Si! I'm gonna let you pick up where we left off.
SIMON: Oh, I don't think that's a good idea. I thought I was narrating for the next chapter.
ALVIN: Surprise!
SIMON: (heavy sigh) Alright.
ALVIN: Trust me. Everyone needs your perspective on this!
SIMON: I suppose so.
Simon's POV
WHAT!? Alvin CANNOT be a scientist! He promised me he wasn't interested! He PROMISED! Science was my thing! Sure, Jeanette has dabbled a little, but she's not as interested in inventing things as I am. She's more interested in re-inventing people apparently.
Alvin could not just waltz in and take my role in the family from me. I was perfectly fine with him liking physics and getting better grades. I had begrudgingly grown to accept that my troublesome brother was pretty much never going to return to the way he was. But this? This crosses the threshold into territory that I am NOT fine with. Something is wrong here. Very very wrong.
My older brother stood there, dressed in jeans with paint splatters on the bottom of them, a red T shirt with a rocket on it, and the apparently now iconic cyan jacket with the shiny alien head pin. His shoes of choice were still the white sneakers that he'd defaced with marker doodles. He was a befuddling enigma. That fact was certain. At least he'd moved past the phase where all he'd wanted to wear was Jeanette's clothes. That had creeped me out something fierce.
"Simon, that was very rude." Jeanette scolded me.
I didn't know what to respond, so I just stood there, still in shock.
Alvin glared at me with his bright blue eyes. "Of course you object to it. That's fine. I expected as much."
"I also object!" Brittany waved her hand in the air.
"I'm very confused." Theodore whimpered, hugging himself in the kelly green T shirt that said Throw Kindness Like Confetti on it. "Not that that's anything new."
I finally found my voice, and boy it was rather loud. "You can't be a scientist!" I shouted.
"Why not?" The red capped chipmunk challenged. "And your answer better not be "because you're Alvin."
"Because…..Because…." Oh no. He'd predicted exactly what I was about to say. "I'm going to need a minute." I muttered, embarrassed.
Alvin sounded offended. "Wow."
Searching through my mind as if it were a computer database, I came up with a reason. "Because you have no idea what it entails."
"I could learn." My frustrating brother argued.
I sighed. "I doubt it."
Alvin walked closer to me. "I learned everything else, Si. I am sure I could pick up on how to invent stuff." He insisted.
"Wait, you wanna be an inventor too? Not just a scientist? An inventor?" Theodore asked, starting to look as worried as Brittany and I.
The Chipette in the ruffled light pink to darker pink dress growled at Alvin. "Stop trying to be like Simon! It's creepy!" She said.
I had to admit, at this point, I agreed with her. Alvin was taking his whole Genius thing too far. It would only end badly for everyone involved. Unfortunately, I was involved.
"Stop telling me how to live my life!" Alvin shouted. "Inventing is my passion now!"
Every time I think he can't get more annoying, he surprises me. "It can't be your passion because you haven't even tried it yet!" I retorted just as loudly.
Theodore covered his ears. We had recently discovered his ears were extremely sensitive compared to the rest of ours. "Everyone! Stop yelling!"
"Wow, so much drama in one family. Let me just say….it is an honor to watch it unfold." Eleanor couldn't resist adding to the chaos.
"Eleanor!" Brittany elbowed her sister.
"Hey! Cut it out, Ms. Muscles." The smaller girl rubbed her ribcage.
"Don't call me that!" Brittany pouted. "You know I hate being reminded of my super strength." That was another recent development. Alvin had figured out that Brittany was stronger than we all thought. He insisted we all have a power. Jeanette's is talking to animals and Eleanor's is being invisible without actually being invisible (although he has yet to prove it.)
Alvin can "see" physics, so I suppose that's his power. He didn't have the ability until he got a concussion that rattled his head so much that he temporarily forgot learning physics. I'm honestly quite jealous of that skill. I can only begin to imagine what it's like.
As far as my power, nobody knows exactly what it is….if I even have one. Am I kind of upset that my brother's the one who figured all this out? You bet I am. I'm the scientist in the family. If anyone could have figured out that we have LITERAL SUPERNATURAL POWERS, it should have been me.
Of course, I didn't really believe in the supernatural. Alvin always has. I suppose him figuring it out does make sense. Oh no! He better not be right about aliens existing too! That would really put a crimp in things.
Dave looked suspiciously at Brittany. "Super strength?"
"Oh Alvin didn't tell you?" Theodore asked, jumping out of the chair and running to sit in Dave's lap. "He figured out we all have superpowers."
"Well, not all of us." Eleanor corrected. "Brittany, Theo, and Jeanette." She stuffed her hands in the pockets of her teal colored vest.
"I'll explain everything later." Alvin promised, turning the conversation back to focus on him, which was his favorite pastime. "Right now, I need help. I know this is weird and really out of character and nobody wants to help me, but…"
"I can teach you how to invent things, Alvin." Jeanette offered.
She looked so innocent, sitting there in her light purple tank top and darker purple skirt. Did she know what she was doing? All the agony her lessons had caused Alvin?
I frowned. "Don't you dare. You have taught him plenty."
"What if we both teach him together?" The exuberant Chipette declared.
I felt my frown deepen. There was no way I was getting out of this. Was there? "I'll only agree to that if you stop feeding him candy all the time." I said rather coldly.
"Jeanette, have you been feeding him too much candy?" Oh no. Dave wasn't too happy about that reveal.
"It helps him focus!" Jeanette protested.
Alvin nodded frantically. "It does!"
Dave folded his arms and gave both of them his sternest expression yet. "It's not healthy."
Alvin started to whine. He'd changed so much, but he still couldn't change the fact that at his core, he was a spoiled child. "I eat plenty of healthy stuff to balance it out. She got me addicted to qweenwa!" He babbled.
"Quinoa." Jeanette corrected him, before I could.
The red capped munk rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that."
"Well, I still want you to cut back on the candy." Our father declared with a lot of force.
"Fine. I will." Alvin sassed. "But only if you ALL let me embrace my new passion for inventing." Drat. He was being so…adamant!
"You can't be serious!" Brittany jumped up from her seat in a panic.
I knew Alvin was serious, or at least, he appeared to be quite serious. There was no getting around this. If I didn't give in now, he would badger me every turn until I did give in.
I sighed. "Alright, okay. I'll teach you everything you need to know." This is not how I wanted to begin the school year.
"I can help….somehow…I think." Poor Theo. He just wanted to be included. He wasn't going to be very much help teaching Alvin to be an inventor though. I think deep down he knew that.
Jeanette excitedly flapped her hands. "Oh this will be so much fun!" Hardly, Jean. It will be the exact opposite of fun.
Eleanor paced around Alvin and I, as if sizing us up for a wrestling match. "Two inventors in one house. That'll go well." She commented, sarcasm evident in her last words.
Alvin's shoulders slumped. "If it bothers you all so much, then don't think of me as a full scientist. Think of me as a half scientist."
At least he was willing to kind of make a compromise. I put a hand on his shoulder. "Currently, I'm viewing you as an apprentice, learning the craft."
He got giddy almost instantly. "But I'm on my way to being a scientist person, right?" He asked.
I clenched my teeth and forced an awkward smile. "…Sure." Just humor him, Simon. He won't want to do this for long. He'll get bored. He HAS to. I repeated this mantra until I believed it.
After the family meeting, I reluctantly met up with Alvin inside my closet lab. I sat down in my desk chair and started to rifle through my blueprints. My older brother paced about, touching literally everything and leaving his sticky root beer scented fingerprints all over. I would have to polish EVERYTHING once he left.
"So what should I invent first?" The eccentric budding prodigy asked.
Was I really doing this? Teaching Alvin how to replace me as a world famous inventor? No, don't think like that. He ISN'T going to replace you. He's not even going to be good at this.
"Well, for starters, you need ideas." I said.
He sat down on top of a lab table. "I have approximately 30."
I lifted him off. He was surprisingly light. Regardless, lab tables are NOT for sitting! "Really?"
"Uh huh!" His wild red hair swished as he nodded.
"Alright, uh, you'll also need blueprints and concept art for those ideas." I showed him all of the blueprints for my past inventions.
His smile turned into a scowl. "I do? That sounds like a lot of work."
Aha! Exactly as I expected. "Did you think being an inventor was easy?" I replied, somewhat condescendingly.
He gave me an innocent smile. "You make it look easy." Buttering me up would get him nowhere.
"It's NOT." I told him sharply. "It's extremely complicated. Now, what is your idea?" I couldn't wait to hear the dumb and poorly thought out drivel that would inevitably spew from his mouth.
"I want to make, wait for it, are you ready for this?….a skateboard that can fly!" Alvin held his arms out as if they were wings and ran in a circle.
I facepalmed. Hard. "Hoverboards already exist."
"No no! You're not listening." He flapped his arms up and down. "I don't want to just hover. I want to fly! Like a bird!"
This was the most frustrating day of my life by far. "I am listening. Cool your jets, Icarus." I responded calmly.
"Who?" Alvin asked, ears twitching.
I snickered. Finally, something he didn't know. "Perhaps instead of being a scientist, you should go read a Greek Mythology book." Icarus was famous in Greek Mythology for flying too close to the sun with wings that were crafted from feathers and beeswax. I wouldn't put it past Alvin to make his own wings out of candle wax and suffer a similar fate in the California heat.
Even without the heat, he'd fail to fly. The laws of physics, those precious laws he knew by heart, simply wouldn't allow for feathery wings to hold up a chipmunk roughly the size of a human baby. Icarus is a MYTH for a reason.
"There'll be plenty of time for that AFTER I prove I can be a great inventor!" My brother laid on the floor on his belly, playing with my Newton's cradle AGAIN. I don't like it when my things touch the filthy floor.
"Isn't a skateboard that can fly a little…advanced for your first invention?" I asked. Someone had to say it, and I was the only other person in the room.
Alvin put a finger to his chin. "Maybe, but it's the idea I'm set on most! Pleeeeease! Help me make one!?" He stood up, setting the Newton's cradle back on my desk.
I tucked my blueprints away in their folder. "I'll give you as many pointers as I can, but, if you're serious about inventing, you will be doing the majority of it yourself." I replied.
"Okay!" He pumped his fist in the air. "So how do you make a blueprint? Is it just drawing? Is it more than drawing?"
"It's a very technical drawing. A two dimensional model that you must use as a reference to design something three dimensional." I explained.
"Oh….I'm not good at making stuff in 3D." He looked sad. Maybe he was finally realizing he didn't have the drive to invent that he thought he did.
"No. You're not," I sighed. "Alvin, there's a BIG difference between knowing physics and knowing how to invent something using physics." I almost took pity on him.
"But I could learn!" He insisted, although I could tell he was starting to doubt himself as much as I was.
I frowned. I had to be truthful. "Or you could spend countless hours trying to learn and get absolutely nowhere because you don't have the knack for it, or the patience to learn it."
"I have to be a scientist! I have to!" He raised his voice.
"But why?" I asked.
"Because it's my passion." He put a hand over his heart.
I was getting even more annoyed now. "Since when?"
"I don't know. It just...suddenly makes sense for me to try it out." He squeaked. Why did his identity crisis have to lead here?
My patience had thinned again. "You can't be an inventor." I told my brother. Better to crush his dream now, then to watch him struggle to be something he's not meant to be.
Alvin winked at me. "But I can if you drop the T."
"Do not use grammar humor with me right now!" I felt my nose twitch angrily. "Alvin, you don't have what it takes."
"Yes I do!" He gestured with his arms as he paced through the lab. "Don't you see, Simon? Schemes and inventing follow the same steps. You make a hypothesis, test that hypothesis, find out what works and what doesn't, and then you do it again, and again….until you finally succeed." His voice got whinier again. "I like doing this. I really do! I feel like it's what I was born to do!"
Ohhhh! That explained it. He wanted to scheme, but he didn't want to ruin his new reputation, so he was attempting to channel his scheming energy into inventing instead. But something still didn't add up. This wasn't right. He'd once again changed himself too much.
"What you were born to do!?" I echoed in disbelief. "Alvin, listen to yourself. This has gotten out of hand. You promised me that you had no interest in being a scientist. Remember?"
"That was then, Si." He rubbed the sleeves of his cyan colored jacket. "I've done a lot of soul searching and I know that I'm ready to invent stuff. I just gotta figure out how."
"This is going to require a lot of research." I handed him a book on mechanical engineering. "If you're serious about inventing, then read this cover to cover. Learn everything you can, and then maybe you can work on creating something that actually makes sense."
"A flying skateboard does make sense." Alvin opened the book and began to immerse himself in it.
I waited a couple minutes and then waved my hand in front of his face. His attention could not be shifted. Excellent. Now, I could work on my own things while he was otherwise occupied.
I started to plan out some upgrades for the Munkmobile, such as a setting for faster speed and making the grappling hook extend further. I didn't get far though. From my peripheral vision, I saw Brittany peeking into the lab.
"Did you get the brain scan invention finished yet?" She asked, the desperation in her voice particularly strong today.
I stepped away from my desk. Alvin appeared to still be nose deep in the Mechanical Engineering book. However, I couldn't take any chances.
"I did." I whispered to Brittany. "Almost." Stepping outside the lab, I led her to the window.
"What do you mean by almost?" She rested a hand on her hip.
"It's 98% finished." I explained. "I only have to tweak a couple more things."
"Fabulous." The pink clad Chipette squeaked hopefully.
I didn't want to let her down, but it was important her hopes didn't get too high. "You know, I may not find anything wrong."
"Oh you'll find something." She looked rather tense. "There's no way this "self improvement" is natural. He is NOT Alvin."
"Yes he is." I replied. "He isn't prepared and he expects me to snap my fingers and make him a master inventor instantly. He's Alvin, he's just….different now." I furrowed my brow. "I can't say I'm enjoying the differences."
She shook her head. "He won't be Alvin much longer. What you saw over the summer is only the beginning."
I smirked at her. "Maybe you don't want to see him as Alvin, because you're afraid if you do, you'll start to crush on the new Alvin." I had her figured out now. We'd spent enough time with each other as she pestered me to create a brain scanner.
"Uh, Wrong." She scoffed.
My smirk spread wider. "It makes sense." Why was I enjoying provoking her so much? Well, I guess because I wanted to provoke Alvin, but I couldn't seem to.
Then, Brittany revealed something that flipped my interpretation of recent events on its head. "Simon, he had a dream about being a famous scientist!" Her ice blue eyes were wide with worry.
I bet mine matched hers, even though I couldn't see them. "What?" I said in disbelief. "Okay, now there's definitely something wrong with him."
"And it's up to us to fix it." Brittany's pink lips spread into a determined smile, before she started panicking again. "Because I cannot lose him to Albert. I can't."
I bit my lip. "How will we convince Alvin to agree to the scan?"
Brittany looked at me like I'd lost braincells. "We say "hey, weirdo, we want to measure how much of a genius you are now…and he takes the bait like the little rat he is." She rubbed her hands together.
"Devious." I raised an eyebrow. "But it could work."
"Oh, one more thing. I'll be right back." Brittany jumped on the zipline and returned with her laptop. "I need you to fix this."
"Okay." I walked over to my mini desk and opened her laptop. "Fix it how exactly? What problem are you having?"
She frowned. "I don't know exactly. It just keeps being weird."
I needed more information than that. "What do you mean by weird?"
"It's slow." She folded her arms and sat at Alvin's mini desk. "My computer is slow."
"WHERE IS THE COMPUTER SLOW!?" I shouted in frustration. "I need to know WHERE."
Brittany rolled her eyes. "On the internet, duh."
Finally, we were getting somewhere. I calmed my voice as much as possible. "Is it because you're having issues connecting to the slow wifi or is it an issue with your computer itself?"
The Chipette in the pink dress just blinked at me. She didn't have the foggiest idea what was actually wrong. I wasn't surprised. This was on brand for her.
I pointed at the laptop. "Just show me what's happening."
Brittany stood up and then typed something into the laptop while I watched. "Well, the webpage I'm trying to load crashes when I hit refresh." She said.
I rubbed my forehead. "Have you tried opening a new tab?" I suggested.
She looked completely lost. "What's a tab?"
ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? How does she not know what a tab is? I know, I know, she's savvy in other ways and not tech savvy, but HOW DOES SHE NOT KNOW WHAT A TAB IS?
"These things." I moved the cursor across the 5 tabs at the top of her screen.
"Oh. That's what they're called." She gasped as I closed all her tabs and opened a new one. "Wait, no! Don't do that!"
"Why not?" The internet was a lot less slow now.
"Because now I've lost my place on all those shopping sites!" She wailed.
"Well, next time, only focus on one site at a time instead of opening a ton of tabs. Or, fix your computer yourself." My patience was nonexistent now. She and Alvin had used up every last bit of it.
And Alvin CONTINUED to irritate. He'd stopped reading now and was loudly rapping his hand against the wall to grab our attention.
Three consecutive knocks. "Leonard and Penny." Three more knocks. "Leonard and Penny."
Oh no. He was back to imitating Sheldon. Was he just oblivious or was he bothering us on purpose? Judging by the mischievous grin, this was a targeted attack on our sanity.
He knocked two more times and Brittany grabbed his arm.
"Say it one more time and you're going flying out the window." She threatened.
"Okay okay." Alvin squirmed out of her grasp.
"Get tired of reading already?" I teased.
He frowned. "Yeah. What else can we do? I'll read the rest some other time. I just, you know, needed a processing break. Let it all soak in my synopsis."
"Synapses." I corrected him.
"Right. Yes. Those things." He leaned against the opening for the closet lab. "What do you guys wanna do?"
I looked at Brittany and she winked. This was the moment we'd been waiting for. "I would like to run a test of your cognitive processing power." I told Alvin.
But he didn't make it easy on me. "Why?"
"For science." I answered. "Aren't you curious how it compares to the previous time I tested you?" Come on, Alvin. Take the bait.
"Alright, sure!" He skipped into the lab gleefully.
It didn't take long for me to set up the brain scanning invention. Brittany made herself comfortable in my desk chair while I attached several electrodes to Alvin's head to monitor his brain. It was time to find out what was really going on with my brother and how I could get him to agree to be…less of a genius. Genius-Alvin had run his course, far longer than anyone expected.
"Comfy?" I asked.
Alvin complained, as he loved to do. "Your wires are getting all tangled in my hair."
"You wouldn't have that problem if you got a haircut." Brittany commented angrily.
Alvin stuck his tongue out at her.
I started up the device and watched the screen to see the literal mind map created. This was AMAZING! "Now, you may feel some slight tingling."
"Ain't nothin' I'm not used to." Alvin remarked. I didn't know exactly what he meant by that.
I ran Alvin through a quiz where the questions kept getting progressively harder. As he answered, I recorded the results. I looked over the results when I finished and I couldn't believe my eyes. 60% increase in cognitive processing power? SIXTY!? This kind of thing only happens in sci-fi movies. This wasn't a sci-fi movie. It was real! Alvin was undoubtedly getting smarter. He was even smarter than I thought. I jotted the most important results down on my clipboard.
"Are we done yet?" Alvin asked. At least things like this still made him bored. But for how long would that continue to be the case?
"Yeah. We're done." I untangled the electrodes from his hair.
Brittany lifted her head up. She'd been falling asleep. "So what are the results?"
"Yeah, does this prove I'm as smart as you?" Alvin's tail wagged. He was so excited.
The results hadn't been what I expected or hoped. In fact, they were frightening. I didn't want to tell Alvin all the results in case it caused him to lapse back into crisis mode. But I owed him at least something. He'd agreed to do this and I knew he wouldn't leave without me telling him what he wanted to hear.
Taking a deep breath, I told him as much as I could. "Your cognitive processing speed has increased by 60%."
"Whoah ho ho! That's a lot! Guess Jeanette is the brain training champion!" Alvin patted his head.
"What exactly IS cognitive processing speed?" I appreciated Brittany taking an interest in learning a little, but I seriously hoped she wouldn't fall in love with science like Alvin had.
Alvin and I answered her at the same time. That happens far too often now. I'm not a fan. "It's the time it takes for someone to understand and react to information they receive."
"Oh...so it's a fancy way of saying Alvin learns faster. Got it." Brittany grumbled. "I don't get why scientists have such a hard time using small words."
"We like to sound sophisticated." Alvin invaded my personal space to pull me closer to him.
I glared back. "You aren't a scientist yet." I reminded him.
He smiled and then started to walk toward the exit of the lab. "But I will be! Ohoho! I am going to invent sooo many things! I'll be in the record books! But, for now, science brain is tired. Time for videogames!"
Once he was through the exit, I closed the lab door. I faced Brittany with a gulp. How did I even begin to explain this? And could I ever tell Alvin?
"Oh no." Brittany noticed my horrified expression. "It's bad, isn't it?"
I nodded. "It's bad. I wish I'd listened to you earlier."
"So what did Jeanette do to him?" The strawberry blonde Chipette asked.
I felt guilty. So guilty. "It wasn't Jeanette." I admitted. "I think it was me."
"Huh?" Her mouth gaped open in surprise.
"A while ago, quite a while before Dr. Wilson's class, Alvin and I tried this mind reading experiment. It went wrong and our personalities were changed as a result. We turned into each other, basically." I continued, trying not to breakdown. "I thought I'd fully reversed it. I was so sure I fully reversed it, but…"
"But what?" Brittany was trembling.
I sighed. Time to put some more salt in Britt's already deep wound. "There's an irregularity in Alvin's brain."
"I thought Alvin's whole brain was the irregularity." She joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Britt." I groaned, starting to show her the scan I took of Alvin's brain. "Anyway, I located some supercharged synapses that shouldn't be there…and they're spreading."
She gasped. "That's horrible,…isn't it?"
"Extremely." I grimaced, continuing. "They're overwriting various parts of his neurology. In layman's terms, permanently changing the way he thinks. His brain is becoming more and more similar to….mine."
Brittany jumped to her feet. "Just like I said! He's turning into you!" She exclaimed.
"I expect it's also the explanation for the sudden jump in IQ." I told her. Though why would he be one point ABOVE me? That part still didn't add up.
Tears started to gather in Britt's eyes. "So he isn't Alvin anymore? It's official."
"No. No. I wouldn't go that far." I didn't WANT to go that far. Sure, he was completely different, but he was still my brother! "He's still Alvin-ish. I don't think the supercharged synapses are going for a full overwrite, but I can't be sure. They seem to be targeting specific sections. They're upgrading him."
Britt was getting angry now. "By making him a bigger jerk than usual? Then making him into Jeanette? And now….whatever he is?" She clenched her fists at her sides.
I looked down at my feet. How could I have subjected my own brother to this? "I never said the upgrades were good."
"An Alvin with a Simon-like brain isn't Alvin. All this self improvement stuff…it's because he's thinking like you. You made your original brother disappear." Tears were streaming down her cheeks now. "You have to undo it."
"I….can't." I sank into a chair. "I don't know how to get my synapses out without destroying the rest of Alvin and leaving him an empty husk."
"So we just leave him like this!?" Brittany moaned. "Simon, he is MISERABLE! You heard him say it himself. Classic Alvin, the REAL Alvin, pops up randomly in hallucinations to try and stop him from changing more. He is FALLING APART! PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY!" She grabbed me by my shirt collar.
I swallowed my pride and finally admitted what I'd known since I got the results. "I had a perfectly average and amazing brother whom I loved very much…and I've accidentally erased him."
"Can't you just….I dunno….reset him to where he was when you last scanned his brain? Before this time?" She dried her tears with a tissue.
"I could. It would be difficult, but I could do it. Unfortunately,…I can't do it unless Alvin agrees." I looked at my puffy eyed reflection in a beaker. Apparently I'd been crying too.
Brittany got annoyed with me instantly. "Why not?"
"Ethically speaking, if this new Alvin is truly a new person…I can't just make him disappear to bring old Alvin back without his consent."
"So Classic Alvin is…as good as dead now?" She started to cry again.
I couldn't let her be a crying mess when she left my lab. It might prompt the newly inquisitive Alvin to ask questions. I had to give her hope. For a pessimistic person like me, that was going to be a challenge.
"Not….Not entirely. There's bits and pieces of him still around. Fragments." I explained the best I could. "Think…um…you dropped a ceramic vase and it shattered into a bunch of tiny tiny pieces. You use a bunch of glue that sticks the vase back together, but the cracks are still visible and always will be. The science knowledge is the glue holding him together because Alvin's psyche now is cracked. Classic Alvin exists as a hallucination, therefore he's not gone."
She frowned. "And I'm the one who made the first crack? Before your synapies or whatever started infecting him?"
I felt the dread creeping up on me. "Hard to tell, but if it was finding out how unpopular he is that pushed him into this….then….yes. My synapses wouldn't have upgraded him if he didn't WANT them to."
"And now I'm confused again." She held her head in her hands. "Confused and tired."
"I'll try to make this as simple as possible." I promised. I was explaining it for myself as much as I was explaining it for her. "Alvin still had some of my synapses following the mind reading experiment failure, but they never changed him immediately back then. However, the more jealous he became of my intellectual ability, the more he sought out to grow his own. Upon entering Dr. Wilson's class, he realized that he COULD in fact grow his own intellectual ability. As Jeanette said, he unleashed his full potential. The problem is, that due to having a few of my synapses, his full potential was boosted by my own potential. That's why he's suddenly very into science and becoming a scientist. In fact, it is quite similar to how Theodore put it. His dormant Simon side woke up." I frowned again. "But we can't make it dormant again."
She wiped her tears again and then handed me the tissue. "Well, at least I know I was right. That doesn't make any of this better."
"I think we're going to have to accept the new Alvin, Brittany." I told her. "And we can't tell him any of this, obviously." I added. "Perhaps, there's more of the original Alvin left than we can see."
"Yeah. Maybe." She and I exited the lab and then she grabbed her laptop. "Thanks, Simon."
I wasn't sure "thanks" was the correct word. "Uh…you're welcome." I responded awkwardly.
I had a feeling it would be a long night. School tomorrow would surely be a trip. The first day back after summer vacation. Everything the same, but different. The guilt of what I'd accidentally done to Alvin was compounding. What if the overwriting process DIDN'T stop when Alvin wanted it to? What if it continued to change him until he was even more unrecognizable. He insists the worst of the crisis is over. I'm not convinced.
And poor Brittany. She had a crush on someone who now only existed as a hallucination. Unless there was a way classic Alvin could regain control? Maybe that's what I'll have to study. I suppose there was also the possibility of somehow splitting Alvin and Albert into two separate people. That's ridiculous. Why am I thinking about this anyway? I'm just going to keep an eye on my brother and whatever happens to him, happens.
SIMON: You're up again, Alvin.
ALVIN: Aw man, can't we let Theo or Britt handle this next part?
SIMON: No. It's important for everyone to know how you felt going back to school after the summer of losing your identity.
ALVIN: Fine, yeah. You have a point. Let me get in the right mood and…
SIMON: Oh brother.
ALVIN: Here we go! Hopefully this part is funnier than that depressing Britt and Simon scene!
Genius-Alvin's POV
The next morning, I woke up early with an idea for the flying skateboard in my head, so I sketched it out. I was getting used to this whole idea of me as an inventor really fast. The thought of it was significantly less scary than it had been previously. Sure, I had absolutely no clue how to make a skateboard fly, but that was what all the testing was for! I knew my first idea would be a flop. Then, I could just revise it and tweak what didn't work. I was confident it would take only 10 tries at most.
Feeling satisfied with my blueprint doodle, I headed down to the kitchen to meet up with Dave. If I was gonna survive the first day back to school after summer vacation, I needed a LOT of nutrients.
My dad almost spit out his coffee when he saw me. "You're up early."
I grinned, showing off my braces. "Ya know what they say. The early bird gets the worm." I slipped a bag of gummy worms into my brand new red backpack with rainbow paint splatters. "By which, I mean gummy worms."
There was that iconic tired father sigh. "Alvin, I said you need to cut back on the candy, remember?"
"I know, I know, but there's no way I can possibly survive the day without them." I squeaked, hoping that would persuade him.
He studied my altered looks. I had on a cyan long sleeved shirt with a lightbulb on it, a scarlet bubble vest with my glow in the dark alien pin equipped on one side and my yellow A pin on the other. I had chosen to wear galaxy leggings today too amd my rainbow sneakers. I was going all in. First day back, totally new look.
I was a caricature of a person. Almost every stereotypical nerd trait listed on TV tropes had been applied to me. Skinny, freckled, redhead, with glasses and braces. AND allergies that made my voice all weird. But why? Why turn me into this? Was Britt right about the universe running on stereotypes?
If so, did that mean I could undo my awkward phase by becoming popular again? Did I want to become popular again?
"Pleeeease, Dave? I mean, look at me! Look how thin I am! I need the extra sugar to help me fill back out!" I reasoned. It seemed as good an excuse as any.
He frowned. "Okay, okay, as long as you promise to eat everything I packed in your lunch BEFORE the candy."
"Cross my heart, Daverino." I said, making sure I packed my new backpack with all the school supplies Jeanette and I had bought during our shopping trips. I was ready to rock 10th grade!
I ate a bowl of rice chex cereal as I waited for Simon and Theo to wake up. Mostly Simon. I was excited to show Simon my blueprint! Ohoho! It was going to blow his mind!
"Morning, Dave….morning, Alvin?" Theodore looked weirded out to see me up this early. "You're excited for school?"
"I'm not thrilled about it, but I figure, you know, new year, fresh start." I rambled.
Simon walked into the kitchen with dark circles under his eyes, wearing his dark blue Too Sad To Function bathrobe. He often wore it when he was having a real bad day. I noticed the robe also had light blue polka dots on it. They were so tiny you could almost miss them.
"Rough night, Simon?" Theodore said sympathetically, giving him a cup of dark chocolate walnut milk.
Simon rubbed his head and yawned. "You don't know half of it."
"Do you wanna talk about it?" The cheerful boy in the kelly green jacket with forest green accents asked.
The chipmunk in the bathrobe snuck a glance at me and looked even more miserable. "Not particularly."
I felt a sense of guilt. It was a feeling I was very familiar with. Was this Simon's reaction to me wanting to be an inventor? Was that what made him so upset?
"Simon,…" Dave looked worried. "I know Alvin's new hobby is a lot to process, but Alvin being an inventor doesn't make you any less of one."
"I know, Dave." Simon sighed. His eyes wandered over to my blueprints. "What's this?"
I sensed now was not the best time to show him my idea. "Uh, it's nothing."
He grabbed the paper away from me. "Oh…it's your invention idea." He frowned. "It won't work, but I doubt that'll stop you."
"I couldn't have done it without you teaching me, you know, all about making a good blueprint." I attempted to butter him up.
It didn't work out as I'd hoped. "Wait a minute…" He flipped the blueprint over. There, on the other side, was a sketch of his teleportation device.
Whoops! I'd been in such a hurry to draw my idea before I forgot it, I hadn't paid any attention to where I drew it. "…I can explain!" I said, gulping.
"You drew on the back of my blueprints!" He hissed angrily.
I jumped down from the chair. "Sorry, bro! I needed a spot for my idea and I ran out of paper! Used it all up drawing comics!" Not entirely the truth. I wasn't really thinking of finding any other paper at the time.
His eyebrows furrowed. My brother in royal blue was thoroughly perturbed "You mean your stupid idea to attach my rocket boosters to your skateboard!? That idea!?"
"Oh Alvin." Dave groaned.
Theo just tried to ignore us and eat his breakfast, but I knew with his super hearing he didn't have any choice but to listen.
"One of these days, it's gonna work!" I insisted. "My skateboard is gonna be able to skate and fly."
Simon's outrage grew. "Stay out of my lab!" He ordered.
"You stay out of mine!" I replied, needing a comeback and picking the first one to pop up in my head.
"You don't have a lab!" My younger bro reminded me. He thought he was the only scientist in the family deserving of a lab.
I smiled, I meant to smirk, but I'm not sure the smirk fully happened. "I don't yet!" I teased.
Simon screamed in frustration and stomped out of the room.
Theodore looked down at his bowl of cheerios. "I dunno why I thought them both being geniuses would make them get along. Everything is pretty much the same." He commented.
"Genius or not, you can't draw all over your brother's things, Alvin." Dave said sternly.
"I know, but….it was an accident." I reminded him.
Dave went out into the living room to calm Simon down while Theo and I finished getting ready for school. I felt bad for my blunder. How could I have been so careless? At the very least, I apologized. That counted for something, right?
We all walked to school together, as we usually did. Theo was munching on some grapes and raspberries and a bag of trail mix. Brittany and Simon kept hanging out and whispering to each other. I wondered what they were saying? Were they talking about me? About possible revenge for my mess up with the blueprint situation? Oh no!
I stayed with Jeanette at the back of the lineup. She was wearing a light lilac peasant blouse thing and a long purple skirt that reached past her knees. The skirt had flowers embroidered all over it. Her hair was braided and wrapped around to form some weird braid-bun combo. She had two knitting needles stuck in her hair that looked kinda like antennas. Her outfit was so beautiful. Everything was beautiful on her, let's be real.
Theo and Simon just had T-shirts in their favorite colors and jeans. Theo had his two toned green jacket and Simon had a simple darker blue jacket. As for Britt, she sported a light pink T-shirt with a really pale blue diamond that said Diamond's Are A Girl's Best Friend on it. She also had black leggings with fuschia hearts up one side. To complete the look, she had on pink glitter encrusted high heels.
Was I distracting myself with thinking about their outfits so that I didn't have to focus on the torment that awaited me now that I was the least popular guy in school? Maaaybe. Yeah, actually, I definitely was.
Simon and Britt broke off in separate directions as they entered the school. Theodore toddled behind Simon. I was about to head inside when I stopped. Suddenly, those stairs leading to the school entryway felt like climbing the highest mountain. I was feeling light headed.
I clutched the straps of my new backpack. "I'm not ready for this." I said quietly, which for me was still pretty loud.
Netta was there to be a reassuring presence. She gave my hand a squeeze. "It'll be okay, Alvin. Just take it step by step. Ease yourself back into it."
My heart beat faster. "I'm gonna be the laughingstock of the whole school." I moaned.
"Remember, none of them know you as well as you know you." She fidgeted with the amethyst butterfly pendant around her neck. It was joined now by a violet colored dolphin pendant.
"Do you think I could get my popularity back?" I asked her. "You know, now that it won't stunt my growth anymore? My sense of self is all solidified!" Mostly, mostly solidified.
She gave me an encouraging smile. "Let's just try and get through the first day, okay?"
"Right, yeah, I'm looking too far ahead." I agreed. There would still be time to regain my popularity later.
I took a deep breath and mustered up my courage. As we stepped into the school together, I noticed something on one of Jeanette's fingers. It was a mood ring, shaped like a butterfly. Currently it was yellow colored, but being a mood ring, the color changed depending how warm or cold her fingers were.
She'd gotten the mood ring the very first time we went to the arcade together. It was super expensive, so I volunteered to spend my tickets on it too. This was back when we first hung out. I was still classic Alvin then, obviously.
"You still wear that mood ring?" I asked, with my cheeks feeling hot.
She nodded and moved her hand closer so I could see the ring and her rubber friendship bracelets clearer. "I rarely take it off."
"I still wear your shirt sometimes." I admitted. I only do it when I need a hug from her and she's not around. That's not lame, is it?
She giggled as we found our lockers. "And my leggings." She gestured.
Oh right. I was wearing the leggings that were originally hers today. "Can't believe I wrote these off as "just for girls." I said proudly. "I was so dumb."
"You've come a long way." She ran her fingers across the mood ring, changing it from yellow to blue. "And you've helped inspire me to be more confident and wear what makes me happy too. Even if everyone says I look like I walked out of the 1960s."
"Eh, they tell me I walked out of the 80s." I flipped my longer hair. "I take it as a compliment. The 80s were totally rad."
"Yo!" Eleanor popped into view and startled us, dressed like a punk rocker chick.
"What generation do you think she walked out of?" Jeanette asked me quietly, not knowing what to make of Eleanor's new look.
"I have no clue. 2000s? Maybe." Guess I inspired more than just Netta to get a new look.
Ellie had dyed black hair styled in messy pigtails with two different shades of teal streaked through her fringe. Dark eyeliner and even bright red lipstick? Eleanor NEVER wears lipstick. She was wearing a black tank top with fishnet T-shirt sleeves, a teal belt, and a ruffled skirt striped black and dark teal with a layer of mint green underneath. She had fishnet leggings and dark teal boots. A temporary star tattoo on one arm and cuffed spiky bracelets that were mint green colored and matched the dog collar on her neck.
"Hello," The punk girl grumbled. "Are ya gonna talk to me?"
"Wow, Ellie….you look….wow." I didn't know what else to say.
Jeanette tilted her head. "Why are you wearing…" She began, unsure how to finish that thought. "I don't know what you're wearing actually." She added softly.
Eleanor smirked and twirled around. I could see she was wearing my old backpack. The red cap on the skull had been covered over with mint green fabric so it was a mint green cap now. "I'm gonna finally get some attention. There's no way people won't notice all this." The youngest Chipette boasted.
"I dunno, Ells." I remarked. "Your powers are supernatural."
"That's never been proven yet, Albert." She sassed.
I gestured awkwardly to the yellow A pin on my vest. "It's Alvin again."
Eleanor put her hands on her hips. "If you say so."
Her taller sister was still confused. "I'm not so sure this is a good idea, but I don't want to put a damper on your creative spirit." She said sweetly.
Eleanor gave Jeanette a soft slap on the back. "Thanks, sis! You're AWESOME!"
"At least she's getting good use out of my catchphrase." I said. I meant to say it in my head, but it slipped out.
Jeanette's midnight eyes glistened as she studied me sadly. "Do you miss it?"
I had to be honest. Honesty and openness were what she valued. "All the time. But, you know, stupendous is pretty cool too. Plus, it's not like I can't say awesome. It's just not my official catchphrase anymore."
"Whoah, who's the new girl?" A group of students suddenly took an interest in Eleanor.
"Eleanor Miller. You know, soccer captain? Baseball captain?" The usually overlooked Chipette pointed to herself. "I've gone to this school for years."
"Never heard of her. Oh, hey, we already have a soccer team captain, but I'm sure she'd love to meet you." One of the boys told Eleanor.
Jeanette and I started to back away. This wasn't turning out how Ells had planned and it was bound to get ugly.
"I'm sure she would. Because she is me!" The punk Chipette sighed.
"That look is fierce!" A girl commented.
"Slay!" Another one said.
"Get it, girl!" This time even Amber, the mean girl, was complimenting Eleanor.
The punk Chipette groaned. I was even more sure now that the fact that people couldn't easily remember her name was supernatural. There was no other logical explanation.
As we rushed away to class, I got distracted by a sign up sheet for the science fair on the bulletin board outside Miss. Smith's classroom. Could I? No. That's too much too fast. Jeanette said to take it slow. Perhaps someday in the far far future?
I caught a glimpse of Simon staring at me again. Yeah, if I signed up for the science fair, Simon would hate me forever. I had to prove that I could manage this WITHOUT totally one upping Simon. Once I did that, then maybe we could both enter the science fair together.
"Are you wearing leggings? Haha!" A voice said behind me.
I turned around to face the bully. It was the third member of Derek's bullying trio. The one whose name I didn't know.
I readied my comeback. "Yep! Well, technically they're athletic compression trousers designed to optimize my performance and enhance my speed by cutting down on friction." I babbled. WHY DID I SAY THAT? Nerdy impulses, can you cut it out already?
"Huh?" The doofus bully scratched his head.
I decided to add on what I figured classic Alvin would want me to say. "Also, WHAT'S IT TO YA?"
"They look funny on you. That's all." The guy replied.
I bared my teeth at him, which showed off the braces but I didn't care. "Right. Go ahead. Laugh." I threatened in a slightly deeper voice than normal. "I dare you."
The bully took one last look at me and then ran away.
I smirked. That was really satisfying. I could totally handle this!
Throughout the school day, I continued my quest to grow a thicker skin. Every insult hurled at me, I had the most clever comebacks for.
"Ew. What happened to you?" A random girl student teased.
I smiled at her. "I found new meaning in my life. What have you done with yours?"
Ray Ray sneered at me. "Decided to embrace your status as a LOSER!?"
Ouch ouch ouch. Hit him back. Hard. Words can be as powerful as physical weapons when you aim them right. "Sure did. Loser. L-O-S-E-R. Likable, Opportunistic, Secure, Excelsior, Rebel."
"You're not a rebel anymore!" He retorted.
I shrugged. "Or am I the most rebellious rebel of all? Rebelling against my old personality to prove that I am more than a troublemaker?"
That blew his mind, and I speedily escaped before he could pound me. Where was Derek anyway? The head bully was nowhere to be found.
I finally located Derek just after gym class. I had worn my helmet while we all played basketball, which people found weird. I also had a sinking feeling that people kept hurling the basketball directly at my head, but maybe I was just paranoid.
Eleanor had a rotten gym class. She had to introduce herself to more people who didn't recognize her. In fact, I kinda had to introduce myself to a few kids who hadn't seen me with glasses or braces before as well.
"So, get people to remember your name yet?" I asked the girl in black and teal.
Eleanor folded her arms as she sat on the bleachers. "Don't you start."
"If it's any consolation to ya, I remember your name now." I squeaked, trying to sound friendly.
"Thanks." She pulled out her phone and started ignoring me.
I decided to give her space. Simon and Eleanor and Britt were always talking about how they needed their space.
I ran out of the gym and saw Derek sitting alone in the cafeteria when I entered. Perfect! I could finally get him to make fun of me! His insults were the worst, and usually cut the deepest. If I could thicken my skin against them, I would be home free.
I climbed on top of the table and posed with my lunchbox, making sure he could see the sticker that said how much I heart physics.
"Alright, Derek, let me have it." I quipped. "I know holding back is only gonna make this worse."
The boy in the purple and white varsity jacket looked uncharacteristically sad. "I'm not in the mood."
"Not in the mood? Come on! When I look like this? I'm the epitome of nerdiness! Surely you've got a few zingers. I'm practicing growing a thicker skin. I'm literally asking you to bully me." I provoked him.
But he just sat there, barely even reacting at all. "I said I'm not in the mood. Just….leave me alone."
My training kicked in. Evaluate the situation. Derek is sad. He's hurting. What do I do? Should I….gag…be nice to the guy?
"Is something wrong?" I asked.
He nodded glumly. "I've had the most miserable summer of my life."
"That makes two of us, pal." I remarked, remembering how my summer had gone. It was as miserable as it was wonderful. "Wanna talk about it?"
"No." He narrowed his blonde eyebrows.
I put on my best and friendliest smile. "Talking might make you feel better." Yowza! I was starting to sound like Theo.
"My dad got arrested!" Derek finally blurted out.
I blinked. That wasn't exactly as shocking for me to hear as it was for Derek. His dad was….a downright abusive monster. "What?"
He slumped his shoulders. It was as if all the fight had left him. "Yeah. I have to live with my aunt now. She's a real piece of work. She signed me up for stupid anger management classes!" He fumed.
Oh dang! He seriously needed those, but I knew they were probably pretty rough. "Maybe it won't be so bad once you get used to it. I mean, your dad was pretty nasty to you. Is your aunt nice? at least?"
"Too nice." He rolled his eyes. "She always bakes me cookies and asks me how my day is. It's WEIRD!"
She sounded like a good fit for him. He deserved someone to look after him who actually cared. "Well, ya know, a wise person once told me that some changes can be good, even if they're hard to get used to."
"Figures a nerd like you would say that." Derek scoffed.
"Cheer up, big guy. At least you don't have to put up with being beaten up anymore. That's a good thing, ain't it?" I patted him, tentatively.
He had the ability to smack me and send me flying, but he didn't. I wasn't the only one who changed over the summer. "I guess so."
Jeanette walked by and looked surprised and confused.
I smiled at her awkwardly. I really hoped this awkward phase was temporary. "I gotta go, Derek, but, uh, if you ever need to talk more…you can text me."
He didn't answer. I'm not even sure if he heard me. He just laid his head down on the lunchroom table. I felt so bad for the guy, even though he tormented me and Simon and even little Theo for YEARS.
"What happened to him?" Jeanette asked me as I jumped off the lunch table and joined her.
I didn't even know where to start. "I'll explain it later. Where are the others?" I stood in the center of the lunchroom, wondering where to sit if we weren't sitting together today. I hoped we were. We had been sitting together a lot since my changes started.
"Um…." Jeanette brushed a strand of brown hair behind her ear. "I don't know."
"Okay, uh, we're gonna have to just walk to every table I guess." We started to shuffle around the lunchroom.
I passed the popular table and watched as everyone there stared at me. Absolute jerks. The whole lot of them. Okay, maybe not all of them. Anita was alright.
She waved to me in a friendly way. "Hi, Alvin!"
The rest of the table glared at her and Jeanette and I hurried off.
"Don't look now, but here comes Magica DeSpill and the Alv-uminati. I said don't look!" My ear twitched. I turned my head and saw Eleanor, in all her punk glory, sitting with Kevin, Cheesy, Warren, Bruce, Theo, Simon, and Brittany. What were all of them doing at the Dweeb table? Were they going to give me another intervention? I was so tired of interventions!
"Did you dye your hair too?" Kevin asked me, looking from me to Eleanor and back.
I was dreading that question. "Nope."
"Was it one of Simon's experiments?" Bruce asked.
I shook my head. "Not that either."
"You finally learned to talk with the braces." Kevin said. I couldn't tell if he was trying to make me feel better or just stating the obvious. Did I look like I was upset?
"Yeah. Practice makes perfect." I sat down at the table. The dweeb table. Guess this would be my home from now on when I wasn't sitting with my family and the Chipettes. Yep. Home sweet home. Gosh, I am pathetic. No, don't think that way. I am not pathetic! I am reborn. Upgraded. "Can we talk about something other than my changes? How about we talk about Eleanor and how she's suddenly embraced her dark side, you know, externally?" I didn't want the attention on me. HOLD THE PHONE! I didn't WANT attention!? That was new.
"Eleanor?" All four of the human kids asked.
The punk Chipette pointed to her head, sounding aggravated. "Me! Hi! I'm Eleanor!"
"Ohhhh, right." Cheesy suddenly recalled her. "You're trash can girl."
Brittany cracked up and Simon gave her one of his signature glares until she stopped.
"You look different." The chubby human boy said.
"No dip sherlock." Eleanor growled. "Really? Trash can girl?"
Cheesy nodded. "Remember? We got stuck in a trash can together while we were trying to catch the guy who messed up the school newspaper."
The Chipette's green eyes burned with rage. "Never call me trash can girl AGAIN! My name is Eleanor! E-L-E-A-N-O-R!" She climbed on the boy and put him in a headlock the best she could when she was so much tinier than him. "Say it! Say my name!"
"Someone get this crazy girl off me!" Cheesy freaked out.
"SAY! MY! NAME!" Brittany pulled Eleanor off the poor nerdy guy.
The pink clad Chipette scolded her sister. "Stop it!"
"Eleanor! Eleanor! Your name's Eleanor!" Cheesy moved to the other side of the table. "I'll never forget it again."
The punk Chipette sighed. "Yes you will. Everyone does. It's pointless."
"It's her superpower." I blurted out.
"Alvin, now is not the time!" Simon warned me.
I climbed onto the top of the table. "No, I think now is a perfect time."
"You guys actually have superpowers?" Bruce's eyes widened. "Like REAL superpowers?"
"Yeah! Eleanor's superpower is her stealth ability, which makes people ignore her." I explained. "Unfortunately, years and years of being forgotten have made her quite unhinged and volatile."
"Whoah! Cool!" The human boys chorused.
"Exceptional." Warren added. "What's your power, Simon?"
My brother in the blue jacket threw his hands up. "No one knows."
"I do." I squeaked. "It's your superbrain. I've done the research. Your memory isn't just good, it's near eidetic."
"It's not eidetic. I forget things." Simon argued. "It's easy for me to find what I'm looking for, usually. That's because I have spent years studying."
"I still say it's a super brain. Because mine still can't remember stuff without a ton of delay!" I was sick of arguing with Simon. We were supposed to be on the same wavelength now. It should have made us get along! "Anyway,.." I pointed to the rest of my fellow chipmunks. "Theodore has supersenses, Jeanette can talk to pretty much all animals, and Brittany has super strength."
"Don't say that!" Brittany begged me, but the words were already out.
"Why not?" I stared at the strawberry blonde girl with the face caked in makeup.
She looked down at her fists. "Because I don't want this power. I reject it. I hate it."
Awkward silence. I felt a pang of sadness. This went deeper than just hating being compared to the Incredible Hulk. Brittany wasn't comfortable with this because….hmmm. I'm still not sure the reason. I owe her another apology gift though. I'll get something less romantic than roses this time.
"I thought you wanted to be a superhero, Britt." Theodore said, looking at her sadly.
The Chipette in pink sighed. "Maybe when I was younger." She told us sharply. "Now, I prefer them on screen where they belong. I'm not interested in living a double life. Could you imagine how frustrating it would be!?"
I rolled my eyes. UH! HELLO!? LOOK WHO YOU'RE TALKIN' TO! "Yeah. I think I have some idea." I replied.
"What's your power, Alvin?" Kevin caught me off guard.
What was my power? Because if the lab we were created in gave us these abilities, then I would have to have something besides my weird hallucinations! Right? "Uhhh…I can see physics."
"But that's from the concussion." Theo squeaked, nibbling his lunch. "You might have another power!"
I took my gummy worms out of my lunchbox and started eating them, before the rest of my lunch. Take that, Dave! "If I do, I have no idea what it could be."
"I don't think Alvin's got another power." Eleanor looked at me sadly. "He's the prototype. He was created by accident. Then, because he was created, they created the rest of us. So, no special power."
Was that true? "Wait, so all I get are physics visions? That's it!" My very soul felt like it would combust. "Aw man. I wanted to shoot fire from my fingertips or have telkunuhhesis."
"Telekinesis." Simon corrected me. "And those two powers are literally the worst for someone like you. You're dangerous enough without the ability to actually produce fire!"
"Agreed." Warren and Kevin looked at me strangely.
Brittany covered her head with her hands. "Can we please not talk about this anymore!?"
"I think talking about it is good." Jeanette stood up on the table now, as I had done before. "If we have these abilities we never knew about before, the best thing is to make peace with them and learn how to use them to our advantage." She placed her hands on her heart. "I've already learned to use mine. I'm sure the rest of you can too."
That's when my amazingly talented friend started to sing. You guys knew there was a song coming up again, didn't ya? We are a very musical family. I don't think the nerdy human dudes knew what was happening, but they went along with it.
"So you have magic
And it's not that great
But when it found you
You know it was fate"
The girl in the long flowing skirt walked across the tabletop, waving her hands as if she had actual magic powers.
"And it might seem scary now
But it can be wonderful, too
So how about we embrace the magic
And make the magic part of you?"
She looked directly at Brittany, taking her sister's hands and bringing her up to dance along.
"I know this song." Simon murmured loudly enough for us to hear.
Theo looked very surprised. "You do?" The chubby boy in green asked.
"Yeah, why…oh no." Simon covered his mouth with his hands.
Our baby bro giggled. "It's from a My Little Pony Movie."
"Technically, Equestria Girls: Legend Of Everfree. Jeanette's made us watch it a few times." Eleanor added.
I burst into laughter. I needed this today. It felt good to laugh. "Oh my gosh. Si, are you a BRONY?"
My brother was starting to turn as pink as the hearts on Britt's leggings. "No! I'm not! I'm really not! I just know the song."
Theodore smiled. He was happy he picked up on something. It didn't go over his head. "That My Little Horsey club you wanted us to make sounds an awful lot like My Little Pony." Oooh! Checkmate, Si!
Brittany looked like her world had been rocked to the core. "Wow, Simon, this is…not like you."
My younger bro groaned and then adjusted his glasses. "This is why I didn't want any of you to know! Jeanette, can you stop singing? I know we're famous, but this isn't some high school musical movie! People are staring!" He always was a killjoy. I guess that's true whether he's the only Seville family scientist or not.
I patted him on the back. "Just relax and let the magic happen, Brony Bro." I decided to get up and dance with Jeanette and soon the whole table was grooving to the music. Oh how I wished I could sing along, but my voice hadn't fully returned yet. I still sounded all flat, though much less nasal!
"You take a little dash of magic
And you let it ignite
Mix things up a little bit
And it might start to go right"
Jeanette and I danced together. I didn't care how many people were watching us from every section of the cafeteria. I was only focused on my family, the Chipettes, and Kevin and Cheesy who were bopping their heads awkwardly to the music while Bruce muffled his laughter and Warren stared at Simon wondering how we all got to this point.
"In just five seconds flat
How the story has changed
All 'cause now you've embraced the magic
And it just got better in every way"
Jeanette urged Theo and Ellie to join her, while Simon denied her invitation to perform on the lunch table. He sat firmly in his seat, not budging.
"I say embrace the magic
No more holding back, just let it out
If you can take the magic
And learn a little more what it can do
Once the magic is part of you"
Theodore danced with little miss Punk-anor. Then, he started juggling cheeseballs he nabbed from Kevin. Brittany and Jeanette danced together. The physics visions kicked back in for me, for but a fleeting moment. I used them to pull off an impressive slide across the lunch table, without overbalancing and falling on my face.
"What's standing in your way
That you can't move today?"
As Jeanette continued to sing, Eleanor flexed her arms, encouraging Britt to do the same. Brittany looked uncomfortable.
"You've got the strength in you
To make your dreams come true"
Jeanette pulled Brittany toward her and Brittany very reluctantly did the same flexy thing Eleanor had done. She rolled her eyes while doing it. I sensed she only did it to humor Jeanette.
"No need to shield yourself
From the magic that can help
Protect from any harm that might come"
After quite a bit of urging, Simon joined us all on top of the cafeteria table. Jeanette twirled him around and he softened up a bit. He looked slightly less sad and angry. Hopefully he stayed that way! Fingers crossed.
"So you have magic
And it's not that great
But when it found you
You know it was fate"
Jeanette grabbed Theo's hand and Simon's hand at the same time. They ran down the cafeteria table together. I nudged Britt and she and I grabbed hands, leaving poor Ellie to boogie alone in the background.
"So if you listen close
You might make a new friend
And together we can make it!"
Theodore cupped his hand around his ear and Pippi came jumping out of Jeanette's lunchbox to startle him. He handed Pippi off to Jeanette and the little mouse sat upon her shoulder.
"I say embrace the magic
No more holding back, just let it out
If you can take the magic
And learn a little more what it can do
Once the magic is part of you"
Jeanette and I danced separately and then bumped into each other. I quickly caught her before she could fall and Brittany caught me before I could fall, holding both Netta and I up with her stupendous superpower.
"Once the magic is part of you
Once the magic is part of you
Once the magic is part of you"
Jeanette wrapped up the song and we all returned to our seats. Kevin and the other nerds all applauded while the rest of the kids in the cafeteria looked befuddled, yet amazed. That was so FUN! I wished we could dance like that every lunch period.
I wished I could sing again. Gosh how I missed it. It was high time we put out another song again. I still really wanted to release a cover of Ultraluminary. I know my patience had grown a bit, but it was still shorter than the average person's.
Jeanette's song really spoke to me. Sure, these strange physics powers weren't exactly what I asked for in the superpower department, but they were unique and they were MINE. I love them now. I'd grown used to them and I would eventually find even more ways to use them to my advantage. Nothing would stand in my way! I was a hero, even if most people still saw me as an unstable disaster.
I wonder if seeing physics could help me make better schematics for a flying skateboard. Just strapping rocket boosters to a skateboard wouldn't cut it. The boosters needed to be integrated. They needed to be fully attached to the board itself. It also needed wings. Should the wings be shaped like bird wings? No. Not aerodynamic enough. I needed something sharper, like the wings of a plane? That could work. Time to revise those blueprints. That'll make Simon see how serious and capable I am!
Urgh, Alvin, focus. Before you worry about that, you gotta learn why Britt hates being strong so much. Then, you have to help her come to terms with it. Maybe this will be the start of rekindling our severed friendship! A guy can dream, right?
Another chapter hot off the press! What did you think of this one?
Are Simon and Britt onto something? Is there more to Alvin's improvement than meets the eye?
How many times did you laugh this chapter. Be honest lol. I laughed a lot writing it.
Poor Eleanor. Gosh, this cartoon is rough on everyone, isn't it?
I shall be back with part 2 in a couple days! (hopefully)
Coming up. Eleanor continues to try and circumvent her special stealth ability. Brittany opens up to Alvin about why she hates her power. Simon continues to angst over the possibility that he and Britt together are the catalyst for Alvin's change. Jeanette continues to be adorable as she hangs out more with her clueless little psychology project. Lastly, Alvin makes plenty more rash decisions like the doofus genius he is.
Please review! Like Alvin, I need more motivation! The more reviews I get, the sooner you get to find out how all this drama unfolds!