The sequal for 'The Lessons They Teach' will be up someday. It may be around Christmas time, it may be longer. Remember though, this sequal is going to be very novel-like, just like the first installment was.

Now, onto this story. This story is going to be a lot different from TLTT because it is, in my terms, a short story (meaning it'll most likely be under 100 pages). So I hope you enjoy this as much as you have my other works...

AND DON'T FORGET: Sign my petition to let Ross and Janice know that we want to see more of the cartoon Chipmunks (and not just the old episodes either...the Chipmunk Adventure needs to be shown on TV as well as the fact that they need to make more).

Switched

Chapter 1: The Show

"That's right kids! Get your parents consent and have them give us a call to enter your names to switch with some other family somewhere in the United States of America. Who knows? You could switch homes with some celebrity fifty states away from where you are or with some kid that just lives right down the street. But your parents have to agree because, after all, they're going to be giving you up for two weeks and taking in someone else's kid for that same amount of time."

Alvin jumped up off the ground as the lady on TV went on explaining the rules of the newest TV show, 'Switched.' Every week, once they got enough names, they'd pick two families to switch kids. The kids would go stay with the other family for two weeks (the station had worked out all the scheduling so that there was one new episode every week from August until April) while the other kids came to stay with their family. "Now, you have to be between the ages of seven and seventeen to qualify."

"Don't forget about multiples!" the man beside her declared.

"Right! If you are a twin or a triplet, go ahead and bring your siblings along for the ride! We'll switch you out with another pair or trio from somewhere. But if you're siblings have a few years difference, they have to enter separately because then you're still considered a single. For those of you who aren't a multiple…" Alvin didn't care about that part. He was a multiple so he'd have to get Simon and Theodore to consent to it. He scribbled down the phone number at the bottom of the screen and dashed for the kitchen. Theodore would be the easier one to convince.

"Hey baby brother of mine," Alvin greeted as he went over and leaned on the counter under where his brother was mixing a cookie batter.

"Hi Alvin!" Theodore replied. "You're going to have to wait a while for the cookies though…"

"I wasn't here to ask about the cookies. Theodore, you like adventure, right?"

"Not really…"

"Adventure that doesn't involve lying and taking off around the world?"

"That's a little more agreeable, but, no offense, adventure with you is usually really scary."

"Theodore, this can't be scary. We'd just be visiting some other loving family somewhere else in this country. For two weeks."

"I don't understand…"

"It's a new TV show! Kids switch families with some other kids for two weeks. Singles switch with singles, twins with twins, and triplets with triplets. So Dave wouldn't have to worry about it being quiet around here. He'd still have three kids to take care of. Meanwhile, we could end up switching with some rich kids from New York, or Florida…or who knows where! We could be cowboys on a ranch for two weeks or we could end up staying with a movie director or who knows what!"

"A chef?"

"Theodore, you think way too small."

"I'd be happy if we ended up with a professional chef."

"Ok, yes. We could end up with a chef too. We could end up with anyone in the United States!"

"What if we ended up in Alaska?"

"Um…" Alvin hadn't thought of that. "Do they even have TVs in Alaska? Don't they live in those ice igloos?"

"Alvin," Simon scolded as he came up from the basement. "That's so stereotypical. There's towns and cities up in Alaska. You're thinking of the Eskimos that you see on TV. Now, why are you talking about Alaska anyway?"

"We don't want to end up there," Theodore tried to explain.

"Why, pray-tell, would we end up in Alaska?"

"If we switched with triplets from Alaska," Alvin stepped in for the youngest Chipmunk.

"Why would we do something like that?"

"There's a new TV show called Switched…"

"Forget it! We're not going to do something just for your twisted dreams." Simon turned to head for the den.

"Even if we end up with a professional scientist?" Simon stopped in his tracks.

"What's this show anyway?"

"We, being triplets, can end up switching with some other triplets somewhere in America. We go to wherever they are from for two weeks and they'd come here and stay with Dave."

"Does Dave know about this yet?"

"I haven't seen him since I found out about it. The show starts the first week of August, but they're pulling the first names out next week, seeing as it'll be two weeks before they can actually do a show on the kids that switched. The first season of this show is going to run from August until April. We just have to be picked before school starts!"

"What if we're not picked until January or something? Can you imagine going to a different school in some place like…like Ohio for two weeks?"

"Why Ohio?" Theodore asked.

"It's in the north, and the further north you go the colder it gets. It's be really cold in January…We've never really been in a real winter. We've lived in California all of our lives. We've only seen snow…twice is it? Can you imagine going to school and there being snow on the ground?"

"A real snowball fight!" Alvin cheered. "I wonder if there are pretty girls in the northern states?"

"I wonder what kind of food there is in the northern states!" Theodore giggled.

"Why are you wondering that?" Dave asked. They'd been so caught up in their conversation that they hadn't heard him come in the front door. Like clockwork, the three went over and took what Dave handed them out of the grocery bag to put away.

"We were just wondering about what it'd be like to switch with some other triplets from somewhere else in America. Like someone from New York…"

"Or Ohio," Simon interrupted.

"Or Alaska!" Theodore giggled. Everyone stopped and stared at him for a second. "Well, it's possible too, right?"

"Yes it is," Alvin agreed. "And so is Florida or Hawaii!"

"Why are you talking about this?" Dave asked as he put away the stuff that needed to go on the top shelf in the cupboard.

"There's a new TV show called 'Switched' and singles can switch with singles, twins with twins, and triplets with triplets…Anywhere in the US! Now, if we got picked, the triplets from the other family would come stay here for two weeks while we go live their lives for two weeks."

"You didn't already sign up for this, did you?"

"Of course not!"

"Did you?" Simon blurted, staring at his brother. Whenever Alvin said 'of course not,' it usually meant that he had.

"I can't! Dave's the only one that can call in and sign us up!" There was a sigh of relief from the rest of the family and Alvin glared at all of them. "That really hurts you know! Just assuming I'd go ahead and do something without permission…" Simon rolled his eyes as Alvin pulled the number out of his pocket and handed it up to Dave. "The first names'll be drawn next week! And there'll be names drawn every week from now until the second week of April. What do you think?"

"I don't know…two weeks and you three could end up anywhere in the US? What if we have a concert planned?"

"Well, then we'd have to go to it. Other celebrities have already signed up to switch families, so I'm sure there's some way to work it out." Dave sighed as he read the number four or five times before setting it down on the counter. "Well?" He glanced down to see Alvin's broken-hearted blue eyes staring at the slip of paper.

"We'll talk about it after we finish putting everything away and finish making dinner…"

"So basically we'll talk about it over dinner?"

"Yes."

…X…

"Are you sure you want to try it?" Miss Miller was asking the girls as she sat their glasses down on the table. Brittany always wanted chocolate milk, Jeanette had regular milk, and Eleanor loved her lemonade. "You know you could switch with any other triplets out there. And that family might not be so understanding to your little quirks."

"What little quirks?" Brittany said as she tried to check her reflection in the toaster across the room.

"The little quirks that make us unique," Jeanette hissed at her sister. "Like you being a fashion diva or me being clumsy."

"They wouldn't have signed up for it if they weren't willing to try taking care of someone else for two weeks," Eleanor explained. "They have to be open minded…But are you ok with it Miss Miller? You could end up with rowdy boys that never listen to anyone or never help out around the house!"

"Or worse…You could end up with the Chipmunks." Brittany's sisters glared at her.

"Their pretty good compared to what we could switch with," Jeanette replied. "Besides, we don't even know if they'd enter."

"Oh, believe me. If Alvin's heard about it, he's going to try to enter it."

"Not if Simon or Theodore or Dave don't agree. Everyone in the family has to consent to it or else he can't do it."

"I said try, didn't I? Besides, you like the idea. No doubt Simon would love the chance to possibly stay with some elite scientist for two weeks."

"But you could end up with anyone anywhere," Miss Miller told them as she sat down. She wanted to make sure the girls were fully committed to it before calling in and signing them up. "New York with a Broadway actress or in Nevada on a ranch or in North Dakota with some every-day average family."

"Or we could end up with some Hollywood actress," Brittany said.

"Or a published author," Jeanette added.

"I don't really mind where," Eleanor finished, "but it just sounds like a really great experience all around."

"What if it's around a holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas?" The girls froze for a second, glancing at one another.

"Would they really switch kids around Christmas time?" Jeanette asked. "Thanksgiving, maybe, just because it doesn't have the same effect is had ten years ago…but Christmas?"

"Christmas is very commercialized now," Miss Miller sighed. "It's a pity, but I think they would. It'd be a very twisted thing to do, but I think they would do it."

"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that then," Eleanor said. "The whole show is complete chance. A seven year old boy from Florida could end up switching with a seventeen year old girl from Michigan in the middle of January. That's some major extremes. It's all chance, and it's all a learning experience."

"So if you all want to go ahead and sign up, I'll call first thing tomorrow."

"Why wait until tomorrow?" Brittany griped.

"Alright, I'll call right after dinner."

…X…

"After dinner?" Alvin was complaining back at the Seville residence. "Call now! Call now!"

"After dinner!" Dave said sternly, but as he looked around the table at the other two, their eyes made him sigh and give in. "Alright, I'll call now." Smiles broke out on their faces as they cheered silently while Dave dialed the number.