Only Emptiness Remains

The Wonder Years

Brittany exhaled deeply and her shoulders relaxed as a wave of relief washed over her upon reaching her destination. There it was. The Chipettes' old treehouse that she used to live in with her sisters until Miss Miller took them all in. This was back when her biggest worries were beating Alvin in the class president election or impressing Muffy Hollingsworth and Courtney Banks in hopes that they would make her a Sister.

So many memories came flooding back to her as she stood outside and stared at that treehouse. She could practically smell all those colorful markers they had when they were kids as she vividly recalled drawing up numerous campaign posters in the room she shared with Jeanette and Eleanor the first time she ran against Alvin. Then there was that time she attempted to put together snacks for Muffy and Courtney in anticipation of her very first assessment for their club in the little treehouse kitchen.

The moment she put on her cheerleading uniform for the first time after she made her elementary school squad. As luck had it, a spot for a new cheerleader opened up mid-year after one of the girls on the squad moved away unexpectedly. And of course, she barely even had to try out with the way she effortlessly blew them all away immediately! This was undeniably the most thrilling memory she had of Thomas Edison Elementary. She even thanked Jeanette for insisting they all had to go to school after Simon had told them all about it in the hotel when they first met the Chipmunks. This gesture came as a surprise to even Brittany herself.

And finally, having Jeanette and Eleanor help her put together a disguise so that she could pretend to be their mother at the PTA meeting. Naturally, this failed spectacularly and Brittany was exposed right away. Yet, it worked out for the best since it paved the way for their eventual adoption by the best mom they could have ever asked for.

But even after moving in with Miss Miller, the girls never totally abandoned their beloved treehouse. They would use it as a private hangout spot and the Chipmunks would often be invited. Especially once the Chipmunks and Chipettes all became teenagers and paired up with their counterparts romantically.

Each Chipette would frequently want to go over to the treehouse for some alone time with her respective Chipmunk boyfriend. Jeanette also would sometimes just go there if she needed some quiet studying time and could not get it at home, while Eleanor used it to do yoga and meditate in peace. Although Simon didn't really need the treehouse for just himself too often due to having his own laboratory, Theodore would occasionally come here when his brothers (mainly Alvin) were giving him a hard time about stuff and he just needed to get away from them for a bit.

Brittany took a deep breath as she continued to stare at the extremely familiar, cozy, old treehouse. All the memories of good times shared with her little sisters during a simpler time in their lives were beginning to warm her up a little bit. With that comforting feeling taking over her body, she pulled the key out from its secret hiding spot under the faded gray mat that read "WELCOME" in the center, which was clearly worn out from age. Once the little silver key was retrieved, she jammed it into the tiny keyhole of the pink door that she herself insisted needed to be that color (as well as the awning since she also demanded it had to match the door). As she was in the middle of turning the key, she let even more memories from eight years ago fill her head.

She remembered building this treehouse with Jeanette and Eleanor as mere eight-year-olds. At first, it was just the two younger Chipettes doing all the work. Brittany initially refused to lift a finger in helping out with any of the construction. She insisted she had just had a manicure and couldn't work because her nails were wet. And if she hadn't just painted her nails, her excuse was that she did not want to risk breaking one.

However, the eldest Chipette was more than happy to give out orders in spite of not putting in any labor herself. While Jeanette and Eleanor were slaving away with putting up wallpaper, painting, drilling, and hammering as they tried to assemble what would be their new home, Brittany would sit cross-legged in a little corner outside on a lawn chair while either doing her nails or reading a magazine. And as the oldest sister was simply lounging in her designated spot, she would boss her sisters around by telling them what color they should be painting each room, what kind of wallpaper they should be putting up, and where each piece of furniture should go. This frustrated Eleanor and even the normally soft-spoken Jeanette to no end.