Here we go again! Get ready to go on a fun and somewhat frightening adventure this chapter! We're back in Alvin's perspective now and I'll be honest, writing his POV is the easiest because I am the most connected to him as a character. I probably didn't need to mention that.
Anyway, since the last chapter was light on Alvinette, this one has a bit more! It's also one of the weirdest and wackiest chapters yet! If you thought the Dreambomber episode was weird, you ain't seen nothin' yet!
After this chapter finishes, there's only two chapters left and story 8 will be done! Journey to Excelsior is basically 75% complete!
Stories 1-4 were the beginning of the transformation.
Stories 5-8 are the heart of the identity crisis.
Stories 9-11 will bring us to a conclusion and establish the new status quo.
Now, onto the chapter!
Alvin 2.0's POV
Thanksgiving break gave me a lot of time to de-stress. It wasn't as much time as I wanted, but it was better than nothing. I failed once again at inventing and turned to hanging out with Warbie instead. He really had a lot of fun with that toy motorcycle and so did I. I guess it really WAS worth waiting for.
On the second to last day of Thanksgiving break, I took Warbie to the skatepark so that he could ride his motorcycle while I rode my skateboard. Because Warbie couldn't actually remote control the vehicle himself, Theodore stepped in to maneuver him around. Everything was going great!
"Faster, Theodore! Faster!" The little bird said eagerly, perching on the motorcycle seat.
Theodore stood on one of the benches, closest to the half pipe. "It doesn't go faster! I'm at the highest speed!" He shouted, shaking the remote.
I skated up to the half pipe and made sure my helmet was adjusted properly. Caring about your safety was pretty much a full time job!
I looked out across the skatepark. Eleanor was popping an ollie as she rolled by with Jeanette. Her taller sister stopped to pick up a rock lying on the ground. Should I go over and talk to them? Maybe after I finish a few tricks. I wanted to check "Master a new skate trick" off my to-do list. Shockingly, I had a to-do list now. Not so shockingly, Jeanette helped me set it up during one of the lessons.
The trick I wanted to attempt was impossible. Seriously. It was called The Impossible! Invented by some dude named Rodney Mullen in 1982, this trick has been challenging skateboard legends ever since! Today, I was going to make history! I'd be the first chipmunk to ever do The Impossible!
I rolled down the half pipe and assumed a kick flip stance. My physics powers kicked in to feed me all the data to time the trick correctly. Timing is key in situations like this!
"Hey, guys! Check this out!" I shouted, making Theodore, Eleanor, and Netta look my way.
Now that I had their attention, I basically made my skateboard do a 360 and a backflip. I'd practiced this trick so much, there's no way I'd screw it up. I landed back on the half pipe and launched into a few more spectacular skateboarding feats. I had done it! I'd done The Impossible!
"Nice job, Alvin!" Jeanette cheered.
"I could do that trick with my eyes closed." Eleanor bragged, "but your version is good too." She was teasing me. On purpose. Guess that meant we really were pals again, even though I bailed on her soccer team.
I reached the top of the ramp and flipped my skateboard up, catching it effortlessly. I blinked to try and clear all the floating equations, but they stuck around stubbornly. I ignored them and climbed down, joining the Chipettes.
"Did any of you film that? Please tell me you filmed that!" I asked, with my fluffy tail wagging.
"We didn't know we were supposed to." Jeanette answered honestly. "But I can try and film it next time, if you like."
"That was totally awesome!" Warbie cheered, riding up on the shiny red motorcycle with Theodore following behind him.
"You're a pro like that Tony Hawk guy!" Theo added.
"Yeah." I felt a pang of sadness. "Skateboarding's great. I love it."
"You don't sound like you love it." Eleanor pointed out. She was wearing the leather jacket with the rhinestone E on it today.
"No, I really do love it." I hugged my skateboard. "I just….thought I'd have my flying skateboard working by now and I'd be doing tricks with that."
The pigtailed blonde girl rolled her eyes. "You're obsessed with that thing."
"I put a lot of work into it." I responded. I had every right to be obsessed. If I couldn't make that thing work, then I couldn't be an inventor. I would have to admit to Simon that he was right and I really DON'T have what it takes. Yuck! Just the thought of that was making my insides squirm.
Jeanette looked at me, then at Warbie. I could tell she was thinking deeply. I was about to ask what was on her mind, but my little bro beat me to it.
"Whatcha thinking about, Jeanette?" He squeaked.
"Oh, uh, well,…" She looked startled and tried to regain her composure. "I was thinking about how funny it is that Warbie can fly, but wants to ride a motorcycle instead. Alvin can't fly, but desperately wants to fly."
"Not desperately." I protested.
All of them, including Warbie, gave me stares that meant "we don't believe a word you're saying."
I sighed and took a seat on the bench. "Maybe I'm a little desperate." They were still staring. "Or a lot desperate." I added, which seemed to make sense to them.
"Maybe it's time to work on a different invention." Theo suggested.
Warbie rested his wing on the motorcycle handlebar. "Or, spend lots of time with your favorite Best Birdie Friend Forever." He added.
I closed my eyes because the physics visions were getting annoying. "I know, I know. I just feel stuck. I need to get the project done before I'm allowed to think about anything else."
Jeanette tilted her head. "No, you don't." She told me softly.
"I know I don't. It just FEELS like I do. I try to fight it, but my head keeps going back to all my "unfinished business." I explained. I opened my eyes and the physics visions were STILL there.
Theodore started to push the buttons on the remote and Warbie's motorcycle was back in motion. He sped around toward one of the less difficult skating ramps.
"Who cares about unfinished business?" The tiny bird in the yellow baseball cap asked. "Go back to living in the moment!"
"I….can't." I said in a hushed whisper. "I want to, but I don't know how."
"Come on, man." Eleanor sat down on the bench with me. "Don't have another crisis on us. Get on that skateboard and skate your troubles away."
I followed her instructions and set my skateboard down, stepping carefully back on it. Lately, it seemed harder to balance, but that was probably because my mind was so scattered. "You really think this'll help?"
"I dunno." Eleanor shrugged and then gave me a forceful push. "It's worth a shot."
"We can have a race!" Warbie chirped. "You versus me! Winner gets to clean the loser's birdhouse….or bedroom." I watched the motorcycle cruise around me in a circle. "Not that you'll win. You don't stand a chance with those shaky legs of yours."
I suddenly felt a SURGE of confidence. I hadn't felt one of those in ages! I still wasn't nearly as confident as I used to be, but it seemed to be slowly coming back. "Yeah, well, these "shaky legs" as ya call 'em, just pulled off The Impossible!" I replied with a bit of my old cockiness.
Jeanette let Pippi out of her jacket pocket and the mouse climbed onto her head. "Pippi and I wish you the best of luck." She beamed at me.
I chuckled. "Skateboarding isn't about luck, Netta. It's about skill." I pushed off with my foot and the board rolled along faster.
Theodore sped up Warbie's motorcycle to top speed. The little bird was gaining on me, but I was still a lot faster.
Still, he tried to trash talk me! Can you believe that? His own dad! "Eat my tail feathers!"
"Ohoho! It is on now!" I pushed myself faster and faster until both of us were nearing the edge of the skatepark.
"Watch me take on this mountain!" Warbie called out.
I noticed he was approaching one of the ramps. It was a little ramp, but still a big challenge for a motorcycle riding songbird. I would be an absolute wreck if anything happened to Warbie. More of a wreck than I already am.
"No!" I shouted out. "Warbie, that's not safe! You don't even have a helmet!"
"I agree." Jeanette added. I heard her quiet voice behind me. "Just stay on the level ground."
"Oh come on." Eleanor insisted. "Don't be killjoys, you guys. Besides, where is he going to find a bird sized helmet?"
I skated over to the warbler, prepared to whisk him off the board the second something went wrong. "THEODORE!" I shouted. "STOP HIM RIGHT NOW!"
"I can't!" Came my brother's panicked cry. "The lever is stuck!"
I watched in horror as Warbie, who is PRACTICALLY MY SON, went zooming up the ramp at 35 miles per hour. During this, I got a taste of how Dave used to feel watching me do death defying stunts on the daily. It was not a nice feeling. Frankly, I hated it.
Of course, I had something Dave didn't have. My special skill. My secret weapon. As the motorcycle launched off the top of the ramp, my physics hallucinations were in full swing. I skated up the ramp moments after Warbie, calculating where the little bird would end up if I failed to get to him in time.
Like I have said, so many times, timing is everything. I reached the top of the ramp and launched myself off of it, careening through the air and following the runaway motorcycle.
In the meantime, Eleanor, Theo, and Jeanette were all racing around, hoping to catch Warbie if he fell off the motorcycle. He was clinging to that thing for dear life. The toy hit the ground and jostled its birdie passenger. I hit the ground too, and continued to roll toward the gate leading out of the skatepark.
My pulse quickened even more than it already had. If Warbie kept going in the same direction, he would wind up exiting the skatepark and go speeding into the STREET! I needed to make him change direction somehow! Or I needed to get him OFF that motorcycle.
Eleanor reached for the runaway bird, but she was too slow. She missed him by a tail feather.
Jeanette started to frantically shout. "Fly, Warbie, fly!"
"He can't!" I shouted back. "Not with the motorcycle moving that fast! He won't be able to build up enough momentum to fly!"
"So should I fly or not?" Warbie was getting increasingly irritated.
All four of us shouted at once. "DON'T FLY!"
"Theodore, can you slow that thing down at all!?" Jeanette squeaked.
"I'm TRYING!" Theodore wailed.
Eleanor tugged the remote out of his hands. "Let me try something." She started banging the remote against the concrete.
"Not helping, Eleanor." I grumbled.
The motorcycle cruised to the open gate. I had to act now, or live to regret it. I pushed my legs as fast as they'd possibly go. The skateboard threatened to slip out from under me with every movement. I started to veer off course. Then, at the very last second, when I knew the timing was right, I JUMPED!
My feet left the skateboard as I sailed through the air, I snatched Warbie off the motorcycle and held him close to my chest. Then, like a cat, I rotated my body in midair and landed perfectly on my feet, holding the precious little bird in my arms.
My skateboard crashed into the fence, missing the gate entirely. Perfect! Just as I had intended. The motorcycle went sailing out the gate and into the street. As I had feared, a car came whizzing by and crushed it beyond repair.
"That was a close one." Theodore scrambled up to me. "Are you okay, Warbie?"
Warbie fluttered out of my hands and looked at the ruined object from a distance. "NOOOOOOO!" He wailed. "I LOVED THAT MOTORCYCLE! THIS ISN'T FAIR!"
"That coulda been you." Eleanor pointed out.
I was at a loss for words. "Little buddy." I whispered softly to him. "Oh my little buddy. I almost lost you."
"The motorcycle can be replaced." Jeanette took off the yellow baseball cap and patted Warbie's head. "You can't be."
Theodore's lower lip quivered. "Alvin told you it wasn't safe." He looked at me with the weird stare I had become accustomed to. "Did I really just say that?"
"You're lucky I'm so quick on my feet, little dude." I told my bird pal.
Warbie's feathers were quite ruffled. "Does this mean I have to clean your room for you?"
I shook my head. "Nah. But it does mean we'll have to get a new motorcycle at some point."
Jeanette looked at her feet. "They don't make that brand anymore. The store sold out and never ordered anymore."
Her pigtailed sister attempted to crush the remote with her foot. "Probably because they're defective."
"Eh, we'll figure something else out." I said, retrieving my skateboard from the fence.
"Maybe I should just stick to flying for now." Warbie agreed. "Since it's safer."
"It was fun while it lasted." I quipped, taking the batteries from the remote and then stuffing the cursed thing in the trash can.
Following the almost tragic experience at the skatepark, I relaxed with some videogames. Or at least, I tried to. My physics visions were STILL on and wouldn't turn off. It was annoying.
By the end of the day, Simon had noticed something was wrong with me. "Is there a reason you keep closing your eyes?"
"The visions." I mumbled, squinting and blinking, as an attempt to clear them. "They won't go away. They've been on all day."
Simon climbed onto my bed to join me. "Perhaps a distraction can help?"
"I've tried." I moaned. "Why did I have to be cursed with such a lame superpower?"
My brother in the dark blue PJs with the robot design, folded his arms. "It's not a lame power at all. It saved Warbie's life today, didn't it?"
I rested my chin on my pillow. "Yeah. It did. I'm just sick of it being on. It's starting to make me nauseous."
"I'll make you some soup!" Theodore offered. I hadn't even been aware he was in the room.
Did I want soup? Maybe. It would probably help the nausea. "Thanks, little bro."
He scampered out of the room, leaving me and Simon there to talk.
Simon bounced back to his own bed. "You know I would give so much for a mere day to experience your powers?" He asked, looking up at the ceiling.
I chuckled. "I know." The disappointment overtook me again. "But I am TRYING to not think about school stuff right now." I groaned. "It's Thanksgiving break. I gotta relax so I can handle going back to school." I hated admitting this next part. "You were right, Si. I've bitten off way more than I can chew."
He nodded. "You have to narrow down your interests."
I blinked in surprise and finally the physics visions faded away. "Narrow them down? Dude! I already left the soccer team. I'd say they're pretty narrow already."
"I mean science wise. You've thrown yourself into so much. Physics is such a broad topic. It would help if you could just focus on the parts of physics that actually interest you." He explained.
I sat up and looked at him, tilting my head. "Everything interests me."
"Cool, well, how about we narrow that down into a specific thing that interests you the MOST? Like Classical physics? Theoretical physics? Astrophysics?" Simon continued to try and force me to pick a topic.
I could not. "Hmmm…nope. I can't choose. I love them all." I answered honestly.
He let out a sigh. "Of course you do."
"I'm sorry." I said reflexively.
He looked more confused. "Why are you sorry?"
I fidgeted with my hands.
Jeanette's voice echoed in my head. "Be honest. He'll understand."
I gulped. Here goes nothing. "I think I may have ruined our dynamic, Si." I admitted.
Simon's brown colored eyebrows went way up. "Well, yes, in a way."
"I knew it." I moaned. "I'm sorry I like science now and I'm sorry science hates me…and I'm struggling so much to accomplish something you could do in a snap! I'm sorry I'm obsessed and that I'm stealing your favorite hobby and that I'm still a screw up even though I try really REALLY hard not to be one."
He stopped me, coming over to rest a hand on my shoulder. "Alvin, it's alright," He insisted.
I wished I could believe that. Maybe I could have if he hadn't thrown such a stink about me being a scientist. "But…but…I ruined our dynamic! The show will never be the same." My voice cracked. It hadn't done that in a while, but the stress was starting to build again. "I'll never be the same!" I whispered.
"In that case," My brother said quietly. "…we need to create a new dynamic."
I was dumbfounded. "We can do that?"
He nodded. "Absolutely. It won't be easy, but I am sure we can…somehow." He patted my cap. "We, uh, are both very intelligent and good at problem solving."
I felt warm and tingly. He called me intelligent. I still wasn't totally used to that, but it felt SO GOOD! "I'm glad you've got confidence in us."
He smiled. "And soon, you'll have it too. Just, give it time."
He was right about that. Gosh dang it. Why is he ALWAYS right? What are the odds he's not right about me being a failure as an inventor? Slim to none.
Theodore returned with the bowl of soup and I sat at one of my mini desks to eat it. After I finished, I read a few chapters of an Animorphs book before bed. I was currently up to book 8. It was narrated by my second favorite character. He was an alien. Surprise surprise. I really need to curb the alien nonsense, don't I? Wait, no I don't. Not at all! It's not hurting anyone!
Soon, it was time for bed. There weren't many days left of Thanksgiving break. I needed to spend tomorrow really living it up.
"Did your weird mathy vision stuff turn off yet?" Theodore asked, cuddling Talking Teddy and his beagle plushie he got from Brittany.
I had forgotten to tell them. Oops. "Yeah, yeah, it did." I squeaked.
"That's good." The little chipmunk in the pale mint green striped PJs yawned. "I hope you have really sweet dreams tonight." He said.
"Ha." I let out a laugh. "Me too." I knew that wasn't likely. I was pretty much the king of nightmares. Honestly, it felt like I barely ever got enough sleep. My dreams felt as real to me as "reality." I wonder if that's a cartoon thing, or just a me thing. Ah, doesn't matter, does it? I thought about Jeanette and Eleanor as I closed my eyes. It was fun hanging out with them today. We'd even eaten some pumpkin pie. Or at least, Ells and I did. Jeanette wasn't into it. Ah, rambling again. Sorry.
Onto my dreams. It was a night of really strange dreams. This might be a struggle to describe, but bear with me, I will try my best.
First, I appeared out of nowhere in the middle of our school. I watched as a group of kids gathered around someone. I couldn't tell who it was exactly, though from what they were saying, I expected it to be my Classic self.
"You are the coolest soccer player ever! Teach me some of your moves sometime!" A random girl squealed.
"Can we have a picture with you?" A boy with messy hair and a green varsity jacket asked.
Jesse and Tracy both were going absolutely nuts. "You are like, amazingly talented. Your singing voice is to die for." They exclaimed.
"Can I have your autograph?" Logan asked.
"Of course you can." A voice answered. It wasn't Classic Alvin's voice. In fact, it sounded nothing like my voice at all! But I KNEW that voice!
The crowd parted and there she was. She signed autographs for all the students with a teal colored pen while wearing a very familiar looking lavender and mint jacket and a pair of grey sweatpants. Eleanor Miller. It was at that point, I realized that I was clearly dreaming.
"So, this is what you dream about, Ells?" I teased, walking up to the normally barely noticed girl.
Eleanor stopped signing autographs and glared at me. "Get out of here, Alvin." She ordered.
"Not what I would expect." I chided, moving closer to her. "Though I guess I shouldn't really be surprised. After all, you are pretty DESPERATE for attention." Yes, I was throwing her words back in her face.
"How are you even here? I wasn't thinking about you before I fell asleep!" Eleanor wondered aloud.
I snapped my fingers and the crowd of people around Eleanor froze. "Really? I was thinking about you." I replied.
She looked weirded out. "What?"
"This is….strange." I murmured.
"I'll say. How did you freeze them like that?" She rapped her hand against Annie's skull. The bratty girl didn't move.
I looked at my hands. "I don't…know." I admitted.
"Can you make them move again?" The Chipette was getting angry now.
"I can try." I tried snapping my fingers again, but it didn't do a thing. I waved my arms in a magical wizardy way. Nope. Still nothing. "I now command you all to move again!" I shouted.
The students all turned to dust before my very eyes. Then, Eleanor and I were trapped in a dust storm. We were no longer at school, but in the middle of the desert. NOHOHO! Not another desert nightmare. It had been a long time since my last one. I thought they were finally over.
"What the heck did you do!?" Eleanor screamed over the wind whipping at our faces.
"I don't know! Stop asking me that!" I cried out.
Eleanor tripped and fell into a large footprint. It looked like the print of a shiny dress shoe. That could mean only one thing.
"Oh no." I gasped. "He's here!"
"Who's here?" Eleanor climbed out of the giant footprint in the sand.
"ALVINNN!" Dave's voice echoed over the wind. "ALVINNN!" The ground beneath Eleanor and I started to shake. Then, a giant shoe tried to crush us. I peered up to see my dear old dad, the size of a skyscraper with shoes as big as a car!
"Is that Dave?" Eleanor shielded her eyes from the sun as the wind stopped blowing dust around.
"Do your homework ALVINNN!" Growled the angry giant. "And don't forget the chores!"
"I did them all! I swear!" I raised my hands up into the air. "I'm allowed to have a break!"
Eleanor looked at me. "Dude, isn't this a little much?"
"I'm trying to make him go away! I can't! I don't know how!" I covered my ears and closed my eyes.
"Well, I would love to stick around, but…even I don't know how to help you with this." The Chipette raised her left hand and used her right hand to pinch it. "Time to wake up!" She disappeared in a puff of teal colored smoke.
That left me alone to outrun Angry Dad. I willed myself to run as fast as possible. My legs became a blur as I shot off across the vast expanse of sand. I felt like Sonic the Hedgehog.
Angry Dave continued to stomp after me, acting like the mean giant from Jack And The Beanstalk. "Fe Fi Fo Fum! I smell the blood of my chipmunk son!"
Please don't judge me for this. I know Dave's nothing like this in real life. My brain just likes to take minor issues and spiral them into major ones that affect my sleep, and my life.
Just as Dave was about to catch me, a giant shimmering blue door appeared in front of me. I bounced off it at first, since I wasn't expecting it to show up at all. I fell into the sand, but was able to return to my feet.
I yanked the door open and stepped inside. I wasn't sure what I would find on the other side, but it had to be better than being stuck in the desert with a mean giant and a very disappointed giant too.
I slammed the door closed and it vanished by exploding into a fountain of blue glitter. Ohoho! Try and follow me now, Davey Boy.
Where was I now? This room was blank. Just a pure white void. There were walls and a floor, but they were all white. The room made my skin crawl. It was too clean, too pristine, too perfect.
I wandered around it a while and then I saw a person in the distance. I moved toward the mystery person and when I finally got close enough, I couldn't believe my eyes.
There was, my brother, Simon sitting on the floor, putting together something that looked sort of like a medieval castle. He had instructions right next to him and he hummed softly to himself. I don't think he knew I was there. Time to change that.
"Dude, seriously? Even your dreams are lame!" I said, sitting down on the floor next to him.
"Alvin?" He looked up at me and then went back to assembling his mega castle doohickey. "I can't even escape you in my sleep, can I?"
"Guess not." I stared at the castle. "But honestly, Si, dreaming about instruction manuals? Come on! You can do better!" I scooted closer and poked him.
He got an evil look in his eye. "Who knows. Maybe someday this will be your dream too." He said as if he knew that for a fact.
I scoffed at his failure to understand me. "Hard pass."
"That's what you said about science." Simon's eyes gleamed mischievously.
I gulped. "The moment I find instruction manuals exciting is the moment Alvin Seville truly dies."
"Assuming he hasn't already." Simon teased. He was a lot more sly and sneaky in the dreamworld.
Suddenly, something else weird happened. Another copy of me ran into the room from some unseen place. He waved a stack of papers stapled together and wore a triumphant grin.
"Hey, Simon wanna read my new thesis paper?" He asked.
Simon didn't seem at all phased by the fact that two Alvin 2.0s were in the room. He just took the paper and started to read. "The world is a SIMULATION!? We live in a TV show!? ALVIN, YOU CAN'T TURN THIS IN!"
"Why not?" The other me pouted.
Simon ripped the papers up. "It could DESTROY our world!" He said frantically.
"Hey! I would never be THAT dumb!" I insisted, not that anyone was listening. "I know very well the risks of telling people about the nature of our existence."
Both Simon and the other me looked unconvinced.
"I mean it, guys." I put my hands on my hips.
"Sure." Simon laughed sarcastically.
"Whatever." I grumbled. "I'm outta here."
My brother looked at the two near-identical versions of me. "Wait, since when are there two of you?"
"I dunno! I'm not the dream police!" I kicked one of the plain white walls and it cracked apart, revealing a black hole on the other side.
"YOU IDIOT!" Simon shrieked as he and the other me were whisked away into the black hole, along with his half built castle replica. "Now look what you've done!"
The other Alvin laughed. "And he calls me accident prone."
"I'm sorry!" I wailed, flying into the gaping void. "I'm SORRY! I SAID I'M SORRY!"
"ALVIN!" Theodore's voice shook me out of the nightmares. Bright light streamed in through the window. "Alvin, are you okay?"
I was tangled in my covers and trying to untangle myself, ended with me and Theo both on the floor. "Yeah." I pulled the covers off. "I'm fine."
"Then why were you screaming about how sorry you are?" My little bro got up and followed me to the closet as I picked out my clothes for the day.
It took me a while to answer him. I hadn't wanted to cry out in my sleep. It was embarrassing. I know Jeanette says that I shouldn't be embarrassed about it, but I don't agree. It's one of the few things we can't agree on.
"Good morning, Theodore." Simon rose from his bed and grabbed his glasses. "Good morning, Alvin." He said, with much less enthusiasm.
Oooh boy. He sounded mad. But why was he mad at me? Did it have something to do with our talk last night?
"I'm sorry if my screaming woke you up…again." I said, as I continued to try and decide which look fit my mood today.
He joined me and selected a plain blue button down shirt and some black colored jeans. "It wasn't that. It was the fact that I can't even escape your antics in my sleep."
"Oh?" I smirked. "Were you dreaming about me?" I teased. "I guess I must make a pretty big impact."
"Did you dreambomb Simon?" Theodore teased me, putting on his favorite green T-shirt with the phrase "I Doughnut Care" on it and a picture of a doughnut.
I thought back to the dream I had about Simon. It really had felt like I walked into Simon's dream. But that was totally impossible. Wasn't it? "I dunno." I shrugged. "Did I, Si?"
Simon nodded. "You definitely did."
"Wanna tell me what the dream was about?" I pulled on my favorite old jeans and had to jump a little to get them to fit properly.
"Not particularly." Simon groaned.
"Dreams are private business." Theo squeaked.
I finished picking out my clothes and opted for my cyan shirt with the lightbulb and my red vest with the letter A pin. I walked out of the closet and around the room in my jeans. I hoped walking would break them in and make the weird tightness go away.
"This feels weird." I muttered.
Theodore and Simon exchanged concerned glances.
"Being 2.0 is supposed to feel weird though." My youngest brother replied. "That's what you keep telling me."
"Not that." I frowned. "My pants are tight. I think the washing machine shrank 'em or something." I undid the top button to release a little of the pressure.
Simon let out an awkward chuckle. "That darn washing machine."
"This sucks. These were my favorite jeans." I slipped the jeans off and exchanged them for a baggier pair. Even that pair felt tighter, but it was probably just my imagination. I couldn't have gained much weight. Last I checked, my waist was still weirdly thin. I rubbed my hands on my waist. Yep. Still thin. Slightly less thin, almost back to the size it was before I got stressed, but that was definitely NOT the cause of my tight jeans.
"Maybe you can go shopping for new jeans with Brittany." Theodore suggested.
I laughed. "I'd rather be chained to an angry grizzly bear." I joked.
"But aren't you friends with her again?" My little brother poked my back.
"Yeah. I am." I walked out of the room. "We just have a very complicated relationship. I can't spend too much time with her, or my identity crisis flares up again."
"You need to stop blaming her for your crisis." Simon warned me.
"I'm not blaming her!" I protested, as I walked down the stairs with my brothers following. "I'm just saying she says stuff that makes me question who I am. Therefore, I gotta limit the time I spend with her until she stops doing that."
Theodore rubbed his head. "Are you and Brittany ever going to get along?"
"No." Simon answered, before I could. "Alvin needs an opposing force. Brittany is that opposing force. They hate how much they're entwined in each other's lives and how they NEED each other."
"Well, maybe I don't need Britt as an opposing force anymore. I have, you know, SO MANY people opposing my decisions." I snapped angrily. Then, I felt the need to tell them exactly what else was going on in my mind. "But, even if I can't stand her being a constant opposing force, I do still want her to be my friend."
Theodore picked out some cocoa puffs from the cupboard and poured them into a bowl. "That's good, cuz Eleanor invited us all over for lunch today! And I said yes."
"Nooooo!" I wailed. "Theo, why, why would you do that? There's so little of Thanksgiving break left!"
"Cuz I wanted a do over." He slurped up the cocoa flavored milk. "You remember what happened last time, don't you?"
"I thought Thanksgiving WAS the do-over." I grumbled. I was not looking forward to lunch in the treehouse with Brittany. Not even with Jeanette there. Jeanette was much more talkative one on one with me, than when we were all together as a group.
Simon glared at me. "How could Thanksgiving be the do-over? Do you even remember what happened on Thanksgiving?"
I didn't. I hadn't been awake long enough for my memory to fire up at all. "Not….not much."
"Oh! I'll tell you." Theodore sounded annoyed. "You and Brittany got into a big argument over stuff you put on your Christmas lists. Then, Brittany threw Jeanette's tofu turkey into your face. That started a really big food fight and then Miss. Miller almost tripped on a biscuit and fell! Dave caught her and then he gave you and Britt a big lecture."
It was all coming back now. The wave of intense guilt. I had followed my Classic Alvin instincts and they'd led to nothing but chaos. I was starting to wonder if that was all they were good for. "Ohhh. Oh yeah." I sighed. "So what's Eleanor making for lunch?" I gave a sheepish grin, indicating I was on board with the do-over lunch idea now.
To prepare myself for lunch with the girls, I listened to some music and drew a new installment of my comic series until it was time to go. I felt pretty calm. The calmness wasn't even agitating me like it usually does.
When we finally got to the treehouse, Simon opened the front door and there SHE was. Brittany Miller. My nemesis who I long to have a more stable friendship with. Her beautiful strawberry blonde hair in that usual ponytail swished back and forth as she led us into the home she shared with her sisters.
I was about to apologize for the Thanksgiving food fight, when she started up IMMEDIATELY with her usual bullcrap.
"Good to see you, Theodore. Welcome, Simon." She led my brothers to the dining room table. There were seats marked for them with green and blue index cards. "And hello, mister Alvin wannabe who looks nothing like Alvin." She giggled, leading me to a chair bearing a red card marked "Alvin" with a giant question mark after it.
"Okay, there's two ways to handle this." I thought to myself. "The question is…which one?"
Words that Jeanette and Brittany had told me many times previously echoed through my head.
"Please don't make fun of my sister." Jeanette appeared in my mindscape, in her breathtakingly exquisite satin dress with butterflies on the belt. It was the same one she wore to homecoming.
Brittany appeared next to her, in the pink glitter dress that made her look even more pretty than usual. "I wish you'd tease me the way you used to." She said sadly. "I miss it."
I missed it a little too. WHAT DO I DOOOO!?
"Earth to Alvin? Did ya zone out again, spacecase?" Eleanor's voice snapped me back to reality. She was wearing her signature watermelon hoodie and holding a plate of spaghetti.
"I uh…." I felt my ears droop and my cheeks get warmer. "Maybe. Yeah. I think I did."
"Does that surprise anyone?" Brittany took her seat and helped herself to some spaghetti. "He's always getting lost inside his head these days."
"He's probably thinking about his invention again." Theodore guessed.
Eleanor nibbled her lip. "No invention talk." She said, looking nervous. What? Did she think that would lead to a fight between me and Britt? Hmm, yeah it probably would. Let's be honest.
"Where's Jeanette?" I asked, eager to change the subject and slightly disappointed that I missed my chance for a snappy retort to Britt's rude introduction.
"She's warming up some buckwheat noodles and then she'll be with us." Eleanor reported.
I noticed that I was sitting between Brittany and Simon while Jeanette was going to be on the opposite side of the table, across from Simon. "Can I sit next to her?" I asked. "Does anyone want to trade seats with me?"
Brittany narrowed her eyes. "You'll stay seated where you're assigned."
"But I don't like this seat." I complained.
"Too bad. This isn't your house." The girl in the fluffy pink sweater snapped.
I fidgeted in my chair. "But I'm a guest. Don't guests get special treatment?"
"Cut it out, Alvin." Simon nudged me.
Jeanette entered the room in her purple and blue ombré shirt and darker purple skirt. She sat down with her plate of vegan noodles. Her pink nose twitched as she spoke. "It's so nice to have everyone gathered here today. Especially after, well, what happened last time." She squeaked awkwardly.
"Because of Alvin." Brittany commented in her sassy way.
"Because of Brittany." I replied reflexively.
"Not again." Theodore groaned as he served himself a second helping of spaghetti. He'd already devoured the first one.
Brittany folded a napkin neatly in her lap. "I can't believe you put inventing supplies on your Christmas list." She told me.
"I had to! I'm OUT of supplies!" I responded, angrily taking a handful of spaghetti.
"Because you stink at inventing and you keep wrecking everything?" Britt was already getting on my last nerve and I'd been here less than an hour.
"I don't stink! Failure is part of the process!" I insisted.
Simon twirled his fork around in the pasta as he added to our conversation. "He's right." Then, he added under his breath. "Although, most people who have failed over 100 times would revise their idea or move on to a new idea."
Eleanor sighed. "What did I say about inventing talk? Did anyone hear what I said about inventing talk?"
"I DID revise it." I said, getting more and more agitated. "I revised it and revised it and re-revised it." I sighed and looked at my plate. "I just don't understand why nothing has worked!"
Brittany smiled. "It's very simple."
Was she actually about to help me? "It is?" I wondered aloud.
"Absolutely." Her smile got more devious by the second. I should have known she couldn't actually help. "You see, Simons are meant to invent things and Alvins are meant to cause accidents and start fires." It was another attempt to make fun of me.
I felt my face heat up. No! Don't blush! If you blush, she'll assume you are attracted to her! "THAT'S NOT….HEY!" I choked out.
Theodore decided that if he couldn't beat the arguments and teasing, he might as well join in. "What are Brittanys meant to do?"
Brittany tossed her head, causing her ponytail to swish. "Look fabulous."
"What about Theodores?" My littlest brother asked, with his mouth full.
"Spread kindness." Brittany said sweetly. How come Theo got a good trait while I was stuck with "cause accidents?"
"What about Jeanettes?" Theo took a swig of his orange juice.
The sassy Chipette tapped her cheek, before describing her sister. "Inspire others."
"And Eleanors?" Theodore's brown eyes shined brighter.
Britt answered with a shrug. "No one knows."
Luckily, someone was able to fill in for her. "Eleanors are meant to KICK BUTT!" Eleanor exclaimed with a lot of power.
Ohoho! This opened me up for the perfect request. "Can you kick Brittany's butt for me?" I asked.
The Chipette in the mint hoodie looked confused. "What did she do?"
"She said Alvins are made for causing accidents!" I waved my arms.
I thought Ells would defend me. I was wrong. "Yeeeeah. That's true though."
"OH COME ON!" I shouted.
"Can we all quiet down? Please?" Jeanette requested.
"Yeah, we need a nicer thing to talk about." Theodore whimpered. "Before there's another food fight."
Eleanor nodded. "I am NOT cleaning spaghetti sauce stains off your clothes. I refuse."
No sooner had she said that, Jeanette dropped a forkful of spaghetti into her lap and onto her skirt. "Oopise daisy."
"Except you, Jeanette." The pigtailed girl added. "I'll do it for you."
The adorable girl in the round glasses let out a nervous giggle. "Thanks."
The rest of the meal went well. Brittany and I just gave each other aggravated stares across the table. The others conversed about back to school plans, which I wasn't interested in. Besides, school wouldn't last long and then we'd be on break again for Christmas.
Soon, Eleanor and Theo were taking our empty plates to the sink. I got up to take my own. "Need any help with the dishes?" I asked Eleanor.
Her green eyes studied me. "No. I'm good." She said, sounding weirded out. "But thanks for asking."
"Would any of you like to stay for a movie? Or some karaoke?" Brittany asked, getting out of her chair.
I stood up as well. "I would love to, but…I gotta get home and revise my blueprints again." And then I added something I knew would set her off even more. "And then I'm gonna watch some physics lectures on YouTube to recharge the ol noggin."
"Every word out of your mouth disgusts me." The ice blue eyed Homecoming Queen scoffed.
I smiled my dorky little half smile. "And looking at you disgusts me." I fibbed. She was gorgeous, but shhhhh! She doesn't deserve to know.
"Get a life, Two point zero." She sneered.
I headed for the door, ready to be free of this devilish diva that I have a whole host of confusing feelings about. "I have a life! I'm sorry it's not one you approve of!" I shouted, slamming the door behind me. Then, I realized I still had more to say. I opened the door back up and marched back inside. "I mean….it's not like I even WANTED to become obsessed with physics. It's freakin PHYSICS! But I didn't get a choice, really. My brain just went "hey, you like this now" and I said "okay?" and dealt with it." I explained.
Simon turned his head. "Physics isn't the problem. The fact that you're trying to accomplish something impossible and burning yourself out to do so, THAT'S the problem." He told me, thinking he's always right about everything.
I would show him! I would show them all! "It's NOT impossible!" I squeaked in frustration.
"It is!" Brittany insisted. "Face it. You're never going to be a famous scientist or a famous inventor! Maybe, uh, we could compromise! You stick to being an inventor in your dreams, and be yourself again in reality."
I walked up to her and stared her down. She could NOT intimidate me anymore. I was done being a wimp! "No! Besides, what I dream about is NONE of your business." I growled
"It IS my business." She poked my chest. "You made it my business when you freakin' dream-stalked me."
I frowned. "Nuh uh! You dream bombed me!" I said in an accusatory tone.
"Here we go." Theodore plugged in his headphones and started to bob his head to the music as he helped Eleanor wash dishes.
Jeanette looked utterly baffled by the situation unfolding.
Actually, so did Simon. "Wait, I thought that Alvin TOLD you about his dream." My bespectacled brother in blue said to Brittany.
"No, Simon. I was there!" She insisted.
Jeanette's midnight blue eyes widened. "Fascinating!" She said.
Simon started to pace while rubbing his chin. He and I often did that when we were thinking. "Alvin entered my dreams too. Last night. I didn't believe it at first, but there's no other logical explanation." He declared.
Popping out his headphones, Theodore added in…"And I saw him in mine. Two versions of him!"
"Two versions?" The blue clad munk gasped. "I did too!"
Jeanette stood up and looked very interested in our conversation. "One must be the dreamworld Alvin, while the other is ACTUALLY Alvin." She theorized.
Finished with the dishes, Eleanor came over to join us. "If that's true, then he also invaded my dream and then dragged me into his!" She pointed a finger at me.
I backed away toward the door. Had I REALLY done all that? "I'm sorry! I thought those were all my dreams and nightmares!" I wasn't lying. How was I supposed to know that anyway? Maybe I'd have figured it out if Simon told me about his dream last night!
Simon approached me slowly. He didn't want to scare me away. "Given that you're the common denominator in these dream shenanigans, apparently this is a skill of yours." He didn't sound like he fully believed it.
I was at a loss for words. Why did that happen so much? Was it because I wasn't as impulsive as I used to be?
"To dreambomb people?" I finally murmured, after deciding what to say.
"And dream snatch them!" Brittany added.
Theodore waved his arms above his head. "It's your superpower! Err, second superpower!"
Jeanette came close to me and took my hand, probably to discourage me from leaving before we figured out more about my power. "It's a form of astral projection." She said sweetly.
Hold up! Astral projection? I knew that term. But, it couldn't mean that! Could it? "Wait, are you saying I'm PSYCHIC!?" I asked. My mind had once again been blown.
Simon nodded. "Ordinarily, I would disagree, but….it appears so."
"Wow! You didn't even need to take a class on psychics!" My baby bro squeaked. "You're already a natural!" Ah, typical Theo. He was right though. I WAS psychic. I couldn't read minds or predict the future, but I could walk in other people's dreams. Wild.
"Whoah!" Eleanor commented. "That is freaky."
"Do you know how it works?" Jeanette asked, squeezing my hand and leading me to the couch in their den.
I laughed bitterly. "Know how it works? I didn't even know I HAD it."
"Wait, so he SERIOUSLY can just pop in our dreams whenever he wants?" Brittany folded her arms. "What about our privacy?"
"Why?" Eleanor teased her sister. "Do you dream about stuff that you don't want Alvin knowing about?"
Now, it was Brittany's turn to blush. Her cheeks were pinker than her top. "No! Of course not!" I sensed that was a lie.
Simon sat beside me on the couch. "It would be nice to have a scientific explanation for this skill." He mumbled.
Suddenly, one came to me. My genius brain was full of surprises. How did I know this stuff? Oh right. The excessive studying must have paid off. "Dreams are basically just a bunch of electrical signals that happen in the brain. I guess I have the ability to mess with them. Some sort of electrically charged metaphysical energy manipulation!" I guessed out loud.
Simon looked like he'd seen a ghost. Everyone besides Jeanette was staring at me again. Whyyyy? Why does this happen so much?
"That….That may be true." My fellow nerdy bro admitted.
Theodore scratched his head. "Can we get a translation?"
"Yeah." Brittany moaned. "Please. Because it all just sounds like…like…"
"Gobbly gook." Theodore finished for her.
"You wanna explain it, Si?" I nudged him.
He gave me a weak smile. "Actually, I think you could use some practice translating your ideas into layman's terms."
"Please do it for me?" I begged.
"It's not as hard as you think." He insisted. "You can do it."
"Yeah, and if you get stuck, just think about how classic Alvin would describe it." Jeanette suggested, sitting on the opposite side of me. Guess I got to sit next to her after all.
"Oh!" I knew exactly how Classic Alvin would say it. "Okay, so, you all have brain lightning and my spirit or soul or whatever rides through that brain lightning to get into your dreams. Or to take you into my dreams."
"This is unbelievable." Brittany grumbled.
My shoulders slumped. "Aw nuts. I thought for sure you'd understand that."
"I understand it." She clarified. "It's just unbelievable."
"Figures." Eleanor rolled her eyes. "You get two superpowers and we get none. You say the universe hates you, but I think you're its favorite."
"My other superpower came directly from a concussion." I reminded her.
"So? Peter Parker's came from a spider bite." The pigtailed girl told me. "Superpowers being triggered by traumatic life changing experiences is common."
"Yeah…" I thought about what she said. Maybe she was onto something. Then, another idea blasted through my mind. "You guys, we could BE SUPERHEROES!"
"You mean like play superheroes!?" Theodore asked, sitting on the floor.
I shook my head. "I mean like actually BE superheroes. We could use our powers to fight crime! Keep the city safe!"
"I'm not sure we're ready for that." Simon quipped. "Besides, I'd like to run a few more tests on you first. See if I can find a way to keep your powers controlled. I cannot have you invading my sleep any more than you already do."
"Not more tests!" I covered my ears and groaned. "I've had enough tests!"
"I think Alvin might need time to process all this." Ah, sweet Jeanette. She was always there to help me out.
Predictably, I was already stuck on my next idea. "So what do the rest of you think about being real superheroes? We could do it, right?"
"I guess…maybe." Theo said.
Eleanor's ears twitched. "I'd be up for it. After all, I was made for kicking butt!"
"It could be a fun experience." Jeanette agreed.
Brittany sat down in the cozy chair by the window. "I outgrew superheroes years ago."
"But we can't grow up." Theo scampered over to her. "Could you un-outgrow them?"
"No." The sassy chipmunk retorted. "I think this is a dumb idea."
My impulses came back online. "Do you only think that because it's MY idea?"
"Don't start with me again, dreamstalker." She growled.
"I'll agree to it." Simon interrupted us. "But only if Alvin agrees to another brain scan."
I sighed. Simon was getting as good at playing hardball as Britt and Miss. Smith. "Fine. Okay. Deal."
"Urgh, since you're all in, and you clearly need me, I'll do it." Brittany muttered. "But I get to pick my supergirl name."
Whoah! I wasn't expecting that. Maybe she wants to try this out more than she thinks she does. Isn't this absolutely nuts? We went over expecting a spaghetti lunch with the girls, and now, we were talking about fighting crime and living life like we're inside a comic book. Like I always say, we have a weird family. I love our weird family so much.
Later that day, I humored Simon and allowed him to perform "brain scan: the squeakquel." I sat in his desk chair this time with even more wires connected to the helmet than the last time. It was uncomfortable, but it was necessary.
"Does it tickle?" Theodore asked me, looking up at the machine.
I stayed as still as I possibly could. "Little bit."
I watched Simon as he murmured and analyzed the scan on his computer. "Interesting."
"So, how does my brain look?" I asked, fearing the answer, but also overwhelmed with curiosity.
My brother in the blue shirt frowned. "Like someone set off a bomb inside it." He answered.
Oof. That didn't sound good. "Any change from last time?" I tried to regulate my breathing so I wouldn't panic.
Simon wrote more notes on a clipboard. "None that I can see."
OHOHO! That was the best news! "SWEET! Guess I'm not doomed to be your clone or anything." I was in the clear! I wasn't going to turn into Simon, at least not more than I already had.
"Guess not." He answered, sounding relieved. "If I was correct about the synaptic overwrite occurring, it appears the damage is done."
"Thank goodness." Theodore quipped. "Cuz I don't wanna have two Simons for brothers."
I tapped my fingers on the chair. "So, according to the results, I'm part you…and mostly me?"
"It sure seems like it." Simon typed something into his computer.
I didn't love that idea. "But I could still be all me, right?"
He furrowed his brows as he tried once again to figure me out. "Possibly, yes. But, given your similarities to me…." His voice trailed off. "You know, maybe we shouldn't talk about this anymore."
That, I could agree with! "Yeah. I'm sick of being told I'm you." I said. "I'm Alvin 2.0! Alvin!"
"You are!" Theodore cheered.
Simon nodded in agreement. "Now, let's find out whatever we can about your dreamweaver skills." He said, continuing the analysis of the scan. "Theodore, are you ready to try and sleep?"
The little brownish blonde boy seemed surprised. "But it's not bedtime yet."
"Well, I want to see what's happening in Alvin's brain while his powers are in use. In order to do that, Alvin needs to sleep and enter your dreams." My genius bro explained.
"Ohhh okay. Uhhh…maybe you could sing me a lullaby?" Theodore climbed up onto the small platform that Geizmo usually used as a bed.
Simon wasn't thrilled about that idea. "I'm not really the lullaby type, but I have another idea. It's a tad unorthodox, but I think it might work on both of you."
"It's worth a shot." I squeaked.
"Yeah! Go for it!" Theo added with a gap toothed smile.
Simon launched himself into a scientific lecture, with the hopes that it would bore both Theo and I to sleepytime junction. It worked…on Theodore.
"Scattering theory is a framework for studying and understanding the scattering of waves and particles. This can be demonstrated by such things as sunlight scattered by raindrops to form a rainbow or billiard balls on a table. More precisely, scattering consists of the study of how solutions of partial differential equations, propagating freely in "the distant past", come together and interact with one another or with a boundary condition, and then propagate away to "the distant future."
Simon took a long gulp from the water bottle on his desk. I guess talking without stopping had really dried out his mouth.
Theo's brown eyes drifted closed and he started to snore softly.
Me? I was wide awake, staring at Simon and absorbing every bit of the info he said.
"How are you still awake?" My brainy bro asked, putting down the water bottle.
I looked at him with confusion coursing through me. "Did you really think physics stuff would put me to sleep? Come on, Si."
"Even I think scattering theory is a little boring sometimes." He revealed with a worried look.
"Really?" I hadn't expected that. "I think it's neat-o! Think about it, Si. There are particles of light scatterin' all around this room right now!"
"Stop." The chipmunk in blue started to pace. "I would love to chat physics, but we have bigger fish to fry. What WOULD bore you to sleep?"
"Uhhhh…" I snapped my fingers. "A video of Miss. Smith talking about history!"
"That I can get you." He fetched one of our home movies and played a scene of Miss. Smith teaching about the Civil War. In less than 10 minutes, I had drifted off. I was thinking about Miss. Smith and also Theo. Would that influence whose dream I went into? Possibly. Though it wasn't likely that Miss. Smith was asleep at the moment.
I "woke up" at the beach where Theodore was surfing a wave of what looked like blue Hawaiian punch. I dipped my toes in the water and then submerged the rest of my body. I made a straw appear and then slurped up the water to test my suspicions. It was, in fact, Hawaiian punch. Mmmm. Theo's dreams are delicious.
"Hi, Alvin." Theo was wearing a green and teal wetsuit. He waved at me as he paddled over. "You're the real Alvin, right? Not the dreamworld Alvin?"
"I think so." I waved my hands and changed my glowing alien head PJs into a red and cyan wetsuit. Then, I made a yellow surfboard appear. "Surf's up!"
"Whoah! How do you do that?" Theo asked, getting up on his board as we approached a very large wave.
I blinked. "Do what?"
"Just make stuff magically pop out of thin air." He told me.
I shrugged. "No clue."
A shadow fell over us. There was someone else joining our surfing party. Theodore turned his head to see who it was. "Uh, Alvin? Did you make her too?"
"Make who?" I rode the wave like a pro and then turned my head to see…
"Miss. Smith!" Theodore shouted as he watched our teacher tear up the waves on a pink surfboard.
"Don't forget your homework, Alvin!" She bellowed. Sheesh! Even on Thanksgiving break I couldn't escape her.
I chuckled nervously. "Uh, I probably did. Sorry, 'bout that." I said to Theo. "I can fix this!"
I sent a bolt of glowing cyan lightning toward Miss. Smith. It was an attempt to throw her off her surfboard and allow us time to escape. All it did was turn her into an angry dragon.
I cringed. "Oops!"
"ALVINNN!" Our teacher yelled, with fire blasting from her reptilian lips.
Theodore jumped onto my surfboard. "Did you have to make her breathe fire!?" He shrieked.
"I'm sorry! I don't have as much control as I thought!" I caught another wave.
Miss. Smith the angry dragon was right on our tail. Her eyes glowed red and shot lasers at us.
I maneuvered the surfboard to dodge her attacks. Theodore clung to me. This was like playing a videogame! It was pretty fun! Until, a giant kraken that vaguely resembled Dave appeared. He sank our surfboard with one of his tentacles.
"Ahhhhhh!" Theodore and I both screamed as two other tentacles grabbed us.
The Dave kraken hybrid raised us high into the air, as we continued to scream.
And then….
I woke up.
Jolting my head into an upright position, I realized it was still connected to the helmet and wires.
Theodore sat up and climbed down from the ledge he'd been sleeping on. He looked terrified. "What was THAT?"
I felt guilty. I hadn't meant to drag Theo into that mess. The only reason Miss. Smith appeared, was because I was watching her lecture before I slept.
"It was an accident. I swear." I squeaked. "I gotta get a grip on these powers."
Simon was still busily running a data collection thingie on his laptop. I wondered if he had any good insight on how to control my ability.
"Si, what's the verdict?" I asked. "Learn anything new?"
He looked disappointed. "Unfortunately not. Aside from your brain becoming slightly more active than average while you sleep, nothing gave me much data at all."
"Bummer." Theodore mumbled. "Does that mean you can't help Alvin control it?"
"Yeah." Simon groaned.
I shrugged. I kind of expected as much. "Oh well. I'm sure I'll get a knack for it eventually. Now that I know I have it, I can practice. I think I've already figured out that it requires me to think about the person whose dreams I invade." I babble. "So, logically, if I think all about ME before I sleep, I'll stay in my own dreams."
"But will you drag us into yours?" My baby bro in green questioned.
I smiled sheepishly. "I'll try not to."
Simon closed the laptop and unhooked me from the scanning helmet thing. He was really upset he hadn't learned much about my powers.
"It'll be okay, Si. There'll be other experiments." I encouraged him. "But, you know, we did have a deal." I winked.
My taller brother nodded. "I remember. Okay, I'll play along with your superhero idea." He still didn't look into it.
"Terrific!" I high fived Theodore.
The little green shirted dude jumped around. "We're gonna save the town!" He said loudly as soon as we exited Simon's lab.
Dave peeked his head into the room. "What's all this about saving the town?"
I had to lie. I knew I had to lie. Neither of my brothers knew what to say and I knew Dave wouldn't exactly approve of my idea.
I took a small breath. "Oh, you know, just pretending to fight crime, and, you know, other stuff kids do."
Theodore and Simon nodded.
"Sounds fun." Dave bought it! Haha! "But don't do anything that's going to get you hurt." He warned.
"Wouldn't dream of it!" I exclaimed. Thank goodness I had learned to lie again. I wasn't as good at it as I used to be, but I was decent!
Dave seemed satisfied with that and left the room.
Simon raised an eyebrow at me. "Yep. Pretending." He said with thick sarcasm.
"We can tell him everything AFTER we defeat a bad guy and he's proud of us." I insisted. "Trust me. It's all part of the plan."
"I hate it when you say that." Both my brothers chorused together. Haha, well, better than Simon and I talking in sync.
I really thought this would be the turning point. That, maybe being a superhero was more my calling than a scientist. After all, why would we have superpowers if we weren't meant to use them to help people? And, most superheroes also had a lot of intellect and savvy-ness. It made total sense. Tomorrow, the 6 of us would begin our training! Soon, we'd be saving the world! Then, maybe everyone would finally realize that me being 2.0-ified is the best thing ever!
As you can probably guess, he's in for a rude awakening in the next chapter. There's more to being a superhero than just having powers and talent.
This is turning out waaay longer than I thought. I'm sorry, haha. I promise it'll all pay off. I had to split this chapter into 2 chapters as well. The best Alvinette bits moved over to chapter 36.
Which dreams/nightmares were your favorite? What do you think about Alvin's astral projection/dreambombing abilities? I came up with those back when season 3 was airing! Dreambomber is one of my favorite episodes because it's the closest thing I'll have to Alvin's dream powers animated in action.
Be prepared for the next chapter. It's gonna be a riot! See ya soon!