Opening Statement: Chapter 7 and boy is it a good one... I think, I haven't actually gotten the whole thing down, what I got is a general idea for Sandra to have a sleepover and inviting her new best friend, Gwen over to her house to camp out in the living room... and a little something else. Note for one section of the chapter, I'll be listening to Disturbed... so try and guess what's going to happen. Also, this is going to be the final chapter for this story, I have a sequel in mind that I want to get started on, so I hope you enjoyed this one... started out as a honeymoon tale, ended up being a family story... who'd think this would be where the end result would be? I'd like to thank all of you reading this for the support, both in the reviews and even if your support is unspoken. Simply knowing that my story is worth your worth your time is enough for me. Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: Chapters 1, 4 and 6... and I own Gwen.
It was the weekend, and all of Alvin and Brittany's children had become very attached to going to school, especially Sandra since she found a friend like herself there, a deaf human girl named Gwen, and for that reason Alvin and Brittany were currently calling Gwen's parents, "Hello, Edwards home, how may I help you?" a woman's voice asked, Brittany giggling into the phone a bit before she spoke, "Hi, I'm Brittany Seville, and I'm calling to see if-" "Oh my GOD- Sorry, you must get that a lot, so what were you asking about?" the woman asked, Brittany rolling her eyes a bit before giggling again, "Well, I have a daughter named Sandra, she's mute and speaks with Sign Language, and she's wondering if she can have Gwen come over for a sleep over tonight?" Brittany asked, Gwen's mother sighing a bit before she responded, "I'll see if she does, just give me a moment." the phone is then set down and Brittany hears Gwen's mother walk away, gone for about five minutes before returning and picking the phone up again, "Gwen would love to come over, she really likes your daughter... sorry about her being mute though," the woman said, Brittany chuckling a bit, "I understand what you mean, but I'd feel more sorry for you, at least my daughter can still hear me, she just has no voice, yours is basically the opposite... don't know how I'd feel if Sandra never knew what my voice sounded like." Brittany replied, before Alvin took the phone and chuckled into it, "What my wife means is that we feel for you and your daughter, and hope to help each other through the struggles, whatever they may be... and we do know sign language ourselves, so we'll be able to communicate with your daughter once she arrives okay." Alvin explained, all while being glared at by his wife.
Later that same day, Sandra was in her and her sibling's shared room, sitting on her bed with the ukelele her Uncle Simon had given her, just strumming away on the strings a bit out of boredom more than anything. Though when her parents walked into the room Sandra smiled warmly and set down her instrument, immediately gesturing a greeting, "Hey Mom, Dad, why are you in here right now?" Sandra asked, Brittany smiling and rather than speaking with her voice, she started to gesture herself, it wasn't that Sandra couldn't understand her, it was simply a way to show that, as a mother, Brittany cared immensely for her children, "We called your friend's mother and asked if Gwen would be allowed to come over the night... and her mother said "yes"," Brittany replied, Sandra's eyes lighting up before she gave a confused look to her mother, gesturing a bit, "You have a voice Mom, why not use it?" Sandra asked, Brittany giggling before returning a smile, "I like to keep in practice... besides your friend being deaf means that everyone in the house will have to either learn Sign Language, or have you translate for them." Brittany replied, before Alvin chuckled and gestured a bit himself, "That goes for me too," Alvin said with his hands, Sandra leaping from the bed and pulling her parents into a hug.
(A little while later)
The Doorbell rang and Dave opened the door, Gwen standing outside with a smile on her face, before she gestured a question, "Is this the right place? Not to sound rude but I figured Sandra and the others would be living in trees." Gwen said, Dave chuckling before going to say something, then remembering Gwen's condition and gesturing his response, "This is the right place Gwen, I'm David Seville, Sandra's Grandfather, but most in this house just call me Dave, please come inside." Dave replied, Gwen nodding her head before stepping into the home, looking around a bit from the doorway and, rather than hearing the sound of the TV in the living room, she felt the vibrations of the sounds through her feet, being deaf meant her other senses were much more sensitive than most people.
Once in the living room, Gwen was greeted by Sandra leaping up onto her shoulder and hugging her face, Gwen giggling softly at how the chipette's fur tickled a bit, before Gwen sat on the couch and let Sandra down onto the coffee table. Once there, Sandra gestured a brief message to her friend, "You met me and know about my siblings, but when we first met you didn't get to "hear" my brothers and sisters introductions, for that reason, I'd like to have them speak the "proper" way to you this time," Sandra explained, before she raised her hand to her mouth and let out a loud whistle, Gwen seeming confused before she saw five more chipmunks hop up onto the coffee table with their older sister.
Kevin smiled and stepped forward, his hands gesturing an introduction, "Hello Gwen, my name is Kevin Seville, I like coloring, music, and watching cartoons." Kevin explained, Gwen smiling before Kendra stepped up and gestured away, "I'm Kendra Seville, up and coming singing sensation, and I like playing sports like basket ball and dodge ball." Kendra explained, this series of introductions going on until it was Amy's turn, the youngest child sighing before she gestured an introduction of her own, "Yo, I'm Amy Seville, I like video games and, in the event my sister Sandra is being picked on, beating up bullies... even though I'm not supposed to do it." Amy explained, Sandra rolling her eyes and silently sighing before five bats flew in, this startling Gwen and making the human girl cover her head, Sandra waving her hands to indicate there was no danger before gesturing an explanation. "They're family, my Uncle Nathan and Aunt Cleo, as well as my cousins Julian and Amani... and my Aunt Kris." Sandra explained, Gwen looking at the five bats before waving sheepishly, then she saw one of the large bats that was wearing an orange coat start talking, Sandra gesturing to translate for him, "'My name is Nathan, and this is my mate Cleo, and my pups Julian and Amani, we are really rather friendly and didn't mean to startle you, though you might have seen Kris in school before, she's my younger sister and is a bit of a hybrid between a long eared myotis and vampire bat.'" Sandra said on behalf of her uncle, Gwen smiling and offering a simple friendly wave.
After a few more minutes, Alvin and Brittany came in, Gwen covering her mouth and then gesturing a bit, "OH MY GOD! I know you said who your parents were Sandra, but to actually meet them in person is... wow!" Gwen said, Alvin chuckling before gesturing his response, "Don't worry, my wife and I get that a lot, and when you're in our home don't feel the need to treat us like celebrities," Alvin explained, Brittany nodding and adding in her own words, "My husband's right, you can treat us like the parents we are... though if you really want an autograph, we wouldn't object to signing one for you." Brittany said, Sandra shooting a light glare at parents before rolling her eyes.
(later that night)
All the girls, including Gwen, Sandra, Kendra, Jade, and Amy slept in the living room, it being the weekend meant they were allowed to watch TV later than they usually would on normal school nights. Though, as luck would have it, Sandra found herself unable to get to sleep, and almost annoyed by this nightly event of hers, she decided to test the waters first before she assessed anything, "H-Hello?" Sandra spoke, covering her mouth instantly upon hearing her own voice, a sense of dread filling her immediately as she looked around, everyone who should have been there with her was gone, and the floor started to shake with the monster's foot falls. Being in the living room had a down fall, and that was how much room there was, as she was able to see a set of red glowing claws grip the door frame before the monster actually pulled itself into the room, it's glowing teeth and fangs dripping with liquid, a growling chuckle being heard before it started to speak, like it had ever since her first day of school.
"What a disgrace... you can't even make normal friends!" the monster growled, Sandra shivering a bit as the creature approached, whimpering before she rushed to escape the room from the other door, it slamming in her face and locking shut, causing Sandra to turn and scream into the face of her nightmare, a devilish grin on it's black furred face and staring at her with glowing red eyes, "Where do you think to run? To your parents... maybe that RAT again?" the monster roared, Sandra curling up in a corner and trying not to listen, when she remembered something Silas had told her, also from that first time the creature had spoken, before she growled and stood up, glaring at the monster of her nightmares, the creature chuckling in amusement at this simple act. "What's this? Courage? You honestly think to make me go away-" before the monster could say anything more, Sandra raised her hand and started gesturing, though in her dreams she had a voice, she finally understood what her great grandpa had meant by this thing being of her own creation, "I am not afraid of you anymore!" Sandra said, the creature backing away as if she were holding a gun to it, a small grin forming on Sandra's face until she felt her hands go numb, glancing down to find them gone, replaced with stumps, not anything horrific to see mind you, but at the same time this brought a scream out of Sandra's throat, looking up just in time to see the creature laughing a bellowing roar, "As I've said in the past... YOU ARE BROKEN! NOTHING IS GOING TO FIX THAT!" the monster roared, before Sandra thought of something and smiled, a look of confusion crossing the monster's face before Sandra brought up her hands again, gesturing away, "You forget something... this is MY dream, and I make the rules... NOT YOU!" Sandra said, each of her signed words seeming to hurt the monster, a shriek of pain loosing from it's throat as it slowly began to shrink.
"I am NOT afraid of you... not anymore, now that I know WHAT you are!" Sandra explained, the creature now trying to run, only for Sandra to wave her hand and slam the first door shut, the thing melding into the wall surrounding it and leaving the nightmare beast trapped, before it turned and growled back at her, "You think I'll be gone forever! Any time you feel insecure about yourself, doubt your own abilities, or even get your feelings hurt... I'LL RETURN!" the monster roared, before Sandra rolled her eyes and walked over, the creature the same size as herself now and allowing her to literally slap the monster's mouth off of it's face. "That may be so... but at least I'll know how to make you GO AWAY!" Sandra replied, before pulling her arm back and landing a punch to her tormentor, the creature's body trembling before, like a china doll, cracks started to form on the thing's surface, a glowing light shining from within. Sandra watched in satisfaction as the monster's glowing red eyes widened in terror, it's hands trying in vain to cover up the light, before it exploded into a burst of light, this light filling Sandra with a feeling of peace and understanding.
Slowly, Sandra's eyes fluttered open, sunlight shining through the living room window and warming her face, and for once she felt completely rested, this being the first time the voiceless chipette had ever slept a full night without waking up. Though, there have been times where Sandra had false awakenings, and just to test she tried to say something... and sighed silently when nothing came out. Deciding to go about her morning routine, even while Gwen came into the washroom and started to do up her hair a bit. Then glanced at Sandra and started to gesture to her friend, "You were tossing and turning a lot last night, were you having that nightmare again?" Gwen asked, Sandra nodding and silently giggling a bit, "Yeah... but I overcame it this time," Sandra replied, Gwen smiling and gently patting her friend's head, "That's great! But how did you do it?" Gwen asked, Sandra chuckling silently before gesturing a response, "I just realized that my nightmare represented my insecurities on being mute, and after that it was as simple as what I'm doing right now... sign language I mean." Sandra explained, before the two girls shared a friendly hug and made their way to the kitchen, Dave puling some toaster waffles out of the toaster and setting them on a plate, carrying the plate over to the table before everyone present started to chow away.
(Monday, homeroom in school)
Sandra was chatting with Gwen, when Ryan came up and sat next to them, Sandra shooting the human boy a glare before taking up a paper and pen, writing out a message for him, "What do you want Ryan?" Sandra wrote, Ryan sighing and shaking his head, "I'm here to say that I'm sorry...for calling you "broken"," Ryan said, Sandra raising an eyebrow before Ryan chuckled and continued his explanation, "I had no right to make fun of you for you lack of a voice... especially since my younger sister is now pretty much as close to you as she is with anyone..." Ryan said, Sandra's eyes widening before she glanced to Gwen, the red haired girl nodding a bit before gesturing, "I don't know what my brother said, but based on the look you're making he probably just said that he was my brother... I didn't mention it earlier, not after what he had said to you anyways, I didn't want you to think that I wasn't worth being a friend to you." Gwen explained, Sandra silently sighing before returning her own gestured response, "I would NEVER abandon you as a friend Gwen, you're the ONLY other person out there that I know personally that, like me, is not able to speak with proper words... and besides, you're my best friend, we stick together Gwen!" Sandra replied, before Ryan cleared his throat and drew Sandra's attention, Gwen turning her head to follow the brown furred chipette's gaze, "Look, I'm sorry for calling you "broken", as you can see that was out of line in more ways than one... can you forgive me?" Ryan asked, Sandra silently letting out a laugh before nodding her head, "Sure, just don't expect the same thing from my brothers and sisters... they are REALLY protective of me... HINT HINT!" Sandra replied, pointing to the left and showing about five desks down the other five chipmunks of Alvin and Brittany's litter, Ryan chuckling nervously before getting up, "It's cool... I'm cool, she's cool, we're all... cool." Ryan said, backing away and going back to his own seat.
Later on, the class bell rang, and everyone went to their first classes, for Sandra and her siblings it was music, the one class Dr. Rubin managed to get everyone into together. Sandra was taking her seat when she noticed her brothers were gone, looking around and finding them on the class stage, a couple people holding guitars standing there on the stage before Michael began to speak, "Hey everyone, I know we're supposed to be doing class work right now, but I have an announcement to make, during the weekend my older sister Sandra finally overcame her recurring nightmare... not going into detail on it, but I will say this much- Sandra! Don't do it-" before Michael could continue, Sandra threw a human sized eraser at him, knocking Michael over onto his back before she gestured like crazy, "THAT IS NOT SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT IN SCHOOL!" Sandra practically screamed, Michael picking himself up and chuckling a bit, "Sorry sis, I didn't catch that from the FLOOR! Anyway, I wanted to dedicate a song to this personal triumph of yours Sandra... if you'll allow me." Michael explained, Sandra's expression softening a bit before she nodded slowly, Kevin turning to the small band and giving a thumbs up.
Before the music started, the lights in the room went out, a single light illuminating the stage, Michael hopping up to the microphone and clearing his throat a bit, the musicians behind him playing a tune from one of Sandra's favorite bands before he took to singing.
"Like an unsung melody,
The truth is waiting there for you to find it.
It's not a blight, but a remedy,
A clear reminder of how it began!" Michael sang, Sandra's eyes widening at what the words were saying, she knew this song, it was "The Light" by Disturbed, but unlike most of their songs, this one carried a beautiful message, one which Michael had dedicated to her.
"Deep inside of you memory,
Turned away as you struggled to find it.
You heard the call as you walked away,
A voice of calm from within the silence.
And for what seemed an eternity,
You wait and hoping it would call out again!" Michael sang, Kevin nearby and, upon Sandra noticing it, signing every single word with his hands, a warm smile spreading across her face as she simply took in the beautiful melody.
"You heard the Shadow beckoning,
Then your fears seemed to keep you blinded,
You held your guard as you walked away.
When you think all is forsaken!
Listen to me now,
You need never feel broken again!
Sometimes Darkness, can show you the Light!" Michael sang, before he switched places with Kevin, the auburn furred chipmunk smiling to Sandra before taking up the next section, Michael now signing the words out.
"An unforgivable tragedy,
The answer isn't where you think you'd find it.
Prepare yourself for the reckoning,
For when your world seems to crumble again!
Don't be afraid, don't turn away,
You're the one who can redefine it.
Don't let hope become a memory,
Let the Shadow permeate your mind and,
Reveal the thoughts that were tucked away,
So that the door can be opened again!
Within your darkest memories,
Lies the answer, if you dare to find it,
Don't let hope become a memory." Kevin sang, Sandra wiping a tear from her eye at the beautiful, and humorously accurate, message that her two brothers were trying to tell her, and if she had a voice she'd join her brothers on the stage herself, but as it were she was happy to just listen to Kevin's voice.
"When you think all is forsaken!
Listen to me now,
You need never feel broken again!
Sometimes Darkness, can show you the Light!" Kevin continued, when the light on the stage flickered out, the thing out for about ten seconds before it began to shine again, revealing an unlikely figure on the stage, her Aunt Kris, Michael and Kevin handing the bat a small headset microphone before Kris's eyes flashed from green to red, and she took up the hook of the song.
"Sickening, weakening,
Don't let another somber pariah consume your soul!
You need strengthening, toughening,
It takes an inner dark to rekindle the fire, burning in you!
Ignite the fire within you!" Kris sang, before she let Kevin and Michael both return to the mic and sing together for the final part of this song.
"When you think all is forsaken!
Listen to me now,
You need never feel broken again!
Sometimes Darkness, can show you the Light!" the two brothers sang together, the music ending aside from a light strumming on the guitar, Michael taking the last bit of the song and speaking it out, while Kevin signed the words for the audience, "Don't ignore, listen to me now... Sandra, you need never feel broken again. Because sometimes, even darkness can show you the light." Michael said, before the light went out and the rest of the lights in the room lit back up, everyone present clapping their hands and cheering, before Sandra leaped to the stage and pulled her younger brothers into a hug, one which was joined by the other sisters. Sandra realized now what truly mattered, not if you had a voice to speak with, but that you could speak at all... and to think her siblings cared that much for their older sister, it warmed her heart. She wasn't broken... not anymore.
And there we have it, the final chapter of this story! Now I know you guys are probably wondering why I just up and decided to end this here... well as mentioned in the opening statement, I have an idea for a sequel in mind.
Before it gets said, I do plan on writing a couple more scenes like "Class is in Session" in the future, such as a couple scenes based on rules from my rulebook post, as well as just short little scenes that I may find cute and funny. Anyway, I've been TimberWolf, you've been the reader, and I'm outta here! PEACE!
And now, a random moment in the Seville home:
*Alvin and Zack in the living room*
Zack: Alvin, you ever get tired of being random?
*Alvin is wearing a duck mask, shaking his head*
Zack: *now wearing a duck mask himself* Me neither.