They, Themselves, and I
Chapter One: Be Aware
"Yes!" I did it! I finally beat that blasted Errol! Gone for good! Now Jak and Daxter can live in peace and harmony. Maybe there's still hope for him and Keira. And Daxter and Tess will definitely hook up. "What's this?" I watched in horror as I saw Jak and Ashlynn, KISSING! I couldn't actually see it, but Daxter had that obnoxious grin on his face again. I threw the controller down. "Screw it!" I was happy that I beat the game, but rather disappointed that my favorite couple didn't hook up. I walked away and shut the door to my bedroom.
I'm so obsessed with this game, I thought. I lie down and stare at the ceiling. What if I'm too obsessed? I turn on the radio and heard one of my favorite songs. It was Ryan Cabrera singing True. I actually had a dream about Jak walking around with this song playing and meeting up with Keira at the end and kissing. I AM obsessed! I shut off the light and turn on my side. If I were there, those two wouldn't have a choice but to hook up. Heck, If I had to, I'd make them! I couldn't stop thinking about it. This is so unfair! They were meant to be! Not Jak and Ashlynn! Furious, I jump out of bed and stomp around for a bit. I have to get myself together…
I pause. A wild grin spread across my face. Torn didn't have anybody. Keira didn't have anybody. No! No, no, no, no, NO! They shouldn't be together. By know I had begun to think that I was insane for thinking so deeply about this. It was almost as if I thought they were real. What if they were? Stop it! They're not real…. Although it wouldn't be that bad if Torn and Keir- NO! They aren't! Yep, I'd lost it. I finally calmed down and lay back on my bed.
Phew. I thought I would never come back again! This is out of control… Or is it? That's it! I shut off everything in my room, even the radio. I lay back on the bed and concentrated. They're not real. They're not real! THEY'RE NOT REAL! Now I knew I was insane. I was practically screaming at myself! This had to stop. I finally rolled over and shut my eyes. I drifted off into a light sleep. I silently sung the words to myself, trying to get the fact through my head; they're not real. "They're not real. They don't exist. The- Jak looks cu- THEY'RE NOT REAL! Phew!"
The next day at school was a living nightmare. I overheard some other boys reviewing how "wonderful" it was that Jak finally got hooked up with a babe. Ashlynn is not a babe. She's a thief! I turn in fury and begin to tell them. "You are out of your minds! Jak was meant to be with Keira!" I suddenly realize who I was talking to. It was my old "pal" John. We used to talk about Jak and Daxter all of the time… In the fourth grade. "Well then!" he exclaimed. "If it isn't Jordan-the-Jak-Fan!" I blush thinking of how things used to be between us. Before Ashlynn came along our relationship was better, not that we had any of course. It was always constant reviewing of the facts and basics of the game. Yeah, things were a lot better without her.
He cocked his head back and laughed. I walk away and continue to gather my books. God, he's so immature! But look who's talking. He never would have said those things if you hadn't have been eaves dropping! The image of him laughing at me played over and over again in my head. I never wanted to talk to him again. Not if he liked Ashlynn.
"Ah! Home Sweet Home!" I immediately ran through the halls to my cramped bedroom. It was much too small for a teenager like myself, but still, it proved satisfactory as a sleeping quarters and a personal getaway. The first thing that I always do when I get home is empty out my pockets. The sound of washing quarters and passed notes aren't my idea of a good nights sleep. Next thing on the list: homework. I sat down at my "desk" and started my math. Sometimes I wish that all I had to do for homework is to enjoy myself with the sweet sound of kicking someone else's butt on videogames! I suddenly remember earlier that morning when John laughed at me for being so obsessed with Jak and Keira. Without thinking, I continue to scribble on my paper. What does he know about match making! If he wants those two to be together, then screw him! I mean, look at them! Sure they both like to kick butt on the battlefield, but Jak and Keira have known each other longer. If it weren't for Daxter… I look back down at my paper. There was a gaping hole in the middle. Good thing it's not due 'til Friday! I crumpled it up into my hands and toss it into the waste basket.
Forget the homework, time to play some Jak 3! I ran to the living room and gather the Playstation into my arms. As I was hooking it up, I suddenly remembered that I had already beaten the game! Oh well, that's what the other memory card is for! I pulled out the second memory card and slid it in. All of the cords and do-hickeys were plugged into place. Time to rock! Leaper-lizards, dune-buggies, blaster guns, oh yeah! This is definitely the life for me! I drew out the controllers and began to destroy everything in sight. This makes good therapy! I didn't know how long I had been playing by the time I had first beaten Errol, but I figured it must have been at least an hour. So I continued to play. Finally, when I had found the so called "mighty precursors", I checked the clock. "6 HOURS!" It was already ten o'clock! I AM addicted to this game. I shut off the lights and sat down on my bed. My time telling instincts were usually better than that. As I started to get undressed, I heard a tap on my window. Being paranoid about every little noise in the night, I froze and listened for another tap. There it is again! This time, someone called. "Hey, Kid. Are you awake?" I shook my head in disbelief. Daxter! I put my clothes back on and proceeded to my window. With a few clicks and slides, the window flew open. And sure enough, there he was, in the flesh, well, something.
"Hi!" he said, and held out his hand. "I'm Daxter! But you probably know that already!" My mouth was hanging wide open. I held out my hand to shake his. It was real. "S'matter?" he asked, noticing my face. We sat in silence waiting for my next move. "Wh-what are y-you doing here?" Daxter had jumped down on the floor and started to walk around the bedroom. "Nice place… Uh." He looked at me and scratched his head. "Jordan," I finished. He snapped his finger and winked at me. "Yeah, Jordan! I knew that. But back to your question. Ya' see, we've been watching you for a couple of weeks. Samos was just curious about other worlds, so he 'stumbled' into yours! We called him crazy for awhile, but then found out about that video game. We eventually became interested and sat down and listened. As watched from this weird portal like thing, we found a lot of kids playing it, but we were particularly interested about what you had to say about it."
He stopped and turned around to meet my eyes. I was shocked. "You read my mind!" I exclaimed. "But I thought that you guys weren't real!" He shook his head and continued. "We're as real as you! Anyway, we know you don't like it here. Why don't you come with us and, you know, answer some questions for the curious log-noggin." I thought for awhile. Yes! They ARE real! Say yes! Say yes! I straightened up and whispered! "Yes! I'll come. But can you give me an hour of so to get ready?" Daxter shook his head and climbed out the window. "We'll be waiting at the… The?" He paused to think of the landmark. "How 'bout the fairgrounds?" I suggested, seeing he was having trouble with navigating. He snapped his finger again and scurried off. "Yes!" I said again, and began to hop-skip around the room. "I'm as good as gone!"
It's finally happened! I started to pack all of my basic everyday needs: hairbrush, toothbrush, another change of clothes, my favorite book, a notepad to write down everything I see, Jak 3, a picture of my baby brother… All of a sudden, it didn't seem like such a good idea to runaway anymore. I'm leaving my family… The thought of never seeing them again made me sick to my stomach. And Michael! He may live in Texas but he's still your boyfriend! I snatch the picture of me and him off the top shelf. A small tear dropped to the floor. I'll never forget the day he left. Him telling me that he would be back again one day, giving me a beautiful necklace, trading our phone numbers. I grasped the necklace around my neck. I hadn't taken it off since he gave it to me. Then I remembered, Mom has a cell phone. Being careful to wake her and my brothers, I sneak into the bedroom and unhook it from the charger. I can still call him! I tucked it neatly away in my pack.
After all of my things were put away, I started to focus on my look. What if we're going into the Wasteland? My long hair certainly would defiantly get in the way. I summoned all of my courage and went to the bathroom. A pair of scissors was laid on the sink. I picked them up and began to butcher my hair. Finally, it got to a point to where it looked like a supermodel that wanted to stand out. It actually looked better than I thought it would, considering that I wasn't a hair stylist. Then there was the matter of weapons. I can't go without a weapon! Thinking quickly, I grabbed a long knife from the kitchen counter, just in case there was an attack.
That's it. I'm ready. I had 15 minutes to spare, just enough time to get to the fairgrounds. Wait! I forgot about the city curfew! The police are everywhere at about this hour. I paced the room thinking of how I would sneak past security. When all of my plans proved to fail, I sat down on the bed. I was already late to meet Daxter. Jak would know what to do. Like the time he went down in the sewers… "That's it!" I whispered. I climbed out the window and stood on the porch. The sewers were just big enough for me to crouch down in. Sure it would be nasty, but what did I have to lose? I ran down the street being cautious about the police. When I rounded the corner, the ditch came into plain view. I slid into the murky water and got down on my hands and knees. The chill was intense, but there was no going back now. Every time the pipe ended I held my breath and peaked up above the ground. When the coast was clear, I ran to the next passageway and proceeded through the pipes. Finally, I reached the fairgrounds. Since no one thought the fairgrounds were fun during the winter, my chances of getting caught by the police were slim to none. I crawled out of the ditch and passed through the large gateway.
I decided to check the track since it was the only clearing in the fair. Sprinting down the fairgrounds made me happy. Chasing my little brothers around the fairgrounds like wild geese. The smell of fresh Tennessee hot dogs and hamburgers. I'm gonna' miss this place. It's the only place I ever had fun! I lingered around for awhile, reminiscing on old memories. Then I remembered that I was supposed to meet Daxter. When I reached the stadium, the doors were open. Yep, he's definitely here. I passed through the large door and entered the track. There in the middle was Daxter, looking like a lost puppy. I giggled at his funny expression. His tail was in between his legs and his ears were drooping. But they soon perked up when he heard me laugh. "I thought I would never find this place!" he complained. "I was afraid one of those little dune buggies were gonna' hit me!" I shook my head and corrected him. "We don't call them dune buggies, we call them cars." He looked confused at first, but forgot about it in a few seconds.
After a minute or two of silence, I finally spoke again. "What are we waiting on?" Daxter turned around and answered. "That slow-poke Jak, that's what!" He soon forgot about the cars and fairgrounds and began to complain again. "I quote, 'I'll only be gone a second, Dax. I just want to explore!'" I rolled my eyes and began to rub my foot in the dirt. "I'm gonna' miss this old track." Daxter looked up at me and tilted his head. "Why? I thought you hated it here." I looked around and smiled. "I don't hate it. It's just that this place needs adventure! This track is the only place I got it. This is why I wanted to meet you here, so I could remember the good old times." I stopped for a moment and pointed at the stands. "That's where I almost broke my leg trying to pet the horses when they were racing." Daxter laughed and commented on the statement. "You're just as bad as Jak for-…"
"Getting stung by wumpbees on his ninth birthday?" I interrupted. He stared at me in awe for knowing one of their most hilarious secrets. "How'd you know that?" he asked, still in a daze. "It was on the game," I answered casually, trying to hide the least bit of interest. "Do you know anything else about us?" This time, there was a touch of fear in his voice, afraid of having his own personal thoughts used against him. I turned around to where my back was facing him and replied. "Yes," I taunted. "But I'll make sure it stays with me!" He let out a sigh of relief and continued to watch for Jak. But after a few minutes, I started to get bored. A wicked grin spread across my face. I sat down and removed my pack. As I pulled out its contents, Daxter became curious and started to look at all of my stuff. Finally, I found the cell phone. Beep, beep, boop, beep, boop, boop, beep! "What ARE you doing?" he nosed. I pushed the send button and put the phone up to my ear. "Making a prank call." After a few rings, a groggy voice answered. "Hulloh?" said the half-asleep teen. Time for some fun! "Hi!" I practically yelled into the phone, causing the person to groan. "Jordan, is that you?" he exclaimed, wondering what in the world I was calling him for, especially this late at night. "Yeah, I was just wondering if you snored." It sounded so sweet and so innocent, but John wasn't buying it. Daxter kept on running his hand across his throat, trying to tell me to knock it off, but still I kept on. "You can go back to sleep, I'll just listen. Here, I'll sing you a lullaby! Hush little baby don't say a word, Momma's gonna' buy you a mocking bird!" By then Daxter had started to crack up. John hung up, and I lost interest. Daxter was still laughing. When he finally stopped, he wiped a tear from his eye and sat up. I dusted off my backside and put away all of my things.
A faint hum came from the far side of the fairgrounds. Then the noise became louder and louder. A trail off dust could be seen in the distance. We sat up and watched as Jak pulled up on a rather nice looking motorcycle. When he pulled up, he screeched to a halt just inches away from Daxter's face. Being the cowardly Ottsel that he was, he recoiled back and hid behind my leg for dear life. I rolled my eyes and stepped aside. "What are you doing riding one of those things! They're the enemy!" yelled Daxter, suddenly remembering almost being hit by cars. Jak too rolled his eyes and climbed off the vehicle. "'Cause they're cool," he answered, a touch of casualty in his voice. I watched as he strode up to me and picked up the scared Ottsel. He was even more magnificent in person! His Wastelander clothing fit him perfectly under his armor that he had recovered from the desert in the third game, and his blondish-green hair was just as gravity defying as in the game. Muscles were visible just under his shoulders, and his height was almost a couple of feet taller than me, maybe more. He sat Daxter upon his right shoulder and turned his attention back to me. "So," he began, stretching his arms from loss of comfort from riding on the motorcycle. "What's your name?" I stood for a moment, still in my trance. A couple seconds later, I snapped back to reality and answered. "J-Jordan!" I stammered, still in disbelief that I was talking to the Jak.
He smiled warmly at me and extended his arm. "Jak Mar. Nice place ya' got here, Jordan. Can't get anything like this in Haven." I stared at him for a moment before I realized that he was trying to shake my hand. Daxter suddenly noticed my sudden lack of movement and decided to be nosey. "Jak! Put away your gun, you're scarin' her!" Jak reached for his gun, but I stopped him. "No! I'm not afraid of it! I think it's awesome! Scatter Shot, Blaster Mode, Vulcan Fury, Peace Maker!" I stopped and held a pose as if I were holding the gigantic weapon. "Aim and fire! One less Metal Head in the world and I'm not cryin'!" I froze, suddenly remembering that I wasn't alone. Shades of red and pink covered my face as I slowly lowered my imaginary gun and hung my head. Jak grinned and turned his head towards Daxter. "Samos was right. We might make somethin' out of her yet!"
They didn't seem to be laughing, so I undid my ridiculous pose. "Hey, Jak," I said. He turned around and continued to smile. "So you like my world, huh?" He nodded and looked back at the motorcycle. "But I don't understand, why doesn't anything hover here?" he asked, obviously confused by the lack of technology. I smiled, thinking of how cool it must be to fly around all the time. "We're not THAT smart," I finally answered. We stood in an embarrassing silence until Daxter, of course, broke the ice. "So, what are we waiting for? Let's go back to Haven!" My eyes lit up as the thought of running away to another world filled my mind. I'm finally leaving! But then I looked around. "But how do we get there?" Jak and Daxter looked at each other and winked. Then Jak looked at me and answered my question. "You see," he began. "We didn't exactly land here when we teleported to your world. We landed in this place called Texas."
My heart leaped with joy. I hadn't seen Michael in over three years, and the worst part was that he wouldn't come back for another eight! "So we have to travel my foot and whatever else we can take." He paused and waited for me to say something against it. Instead, I totally agreed. "Cool! I've always wanted to go to Texas! Is anyone else coming?" And by that I meant Keira. This was my chance to make the connection. Jak nodded yes. "Ashlynn, Samos, Torn, Tess, and Keira."
My heart sank as soon as he said Ashlynn. She would only make things worse. But at least Keira was still coming. "Well, where are they?" Jak shrugged and said, "I don't know, they said they wanted to explore too. We'll have to split up and search." This is perfect! If I can find Keira first, I'll have the chance to talk to her about her feelings for Jak! I smiled and picked up my pack.
We waved goodbye and headed out to search for the rest. As I left the track, I thought of how I would search the city. My watch said it was twelve o'clock, so I had to be quick. We had to leave by morning if I wanted to get out of here without being caught. My mom always wakes up at four, which didn't leave us much time. Again, I got down on my hands and knees and climbed through the sewers. Eeew! This time at the openings, I would look a little longer to see if I could spot Jak's friends. Having no luck at this part of the city, I decided to try the number one place that you would find Keira: a garage. My uncle owned a Toyota shop, so I decided to head that way. When my supply of sewer ran out, I had to hide behind cars and trucks that didn't have alarms. I finally reached the shop at about twelve thirty. The lights were on in one of the offices. I carefully peeked in, and sure enough, there was Keira.
She had different clothes on though, but still as pretty as ever. Her hair wasn't tied up any more, instead it flowed down her back gracefully. She had on a long-sleeved white shirt and mechanic's gloves. Her pants were now replaced with a pair of nice jeans and black boots to match. I tried my best not to surprise her, but it didn't work.
"Hello!" I whispered. She jumped and dropped the tool that she was holding. The spun around and looked around frantically. When she saw my eyes and my forehead peeking around the door, she let out a sigh of relief and shook her head. "Don't ever do that again!" she said in her normal sweet voice. I smiled and said, "Sorry! It's time to go. I'm Jordan. This is my uncle's shop. My family loves cars and trucks." She smiled back at me and followed me out the door.
When we were halfway down the street, I started to explain to her. "I've always wanted to live in your world. It looks so cool! When I first played the game, I didn't think that anything like that would happen to me, but now it will! After I beat the game Jak 3, I was kind of disappointed though. I still think you and Jak are the perfect couple." She seemed surprised. "You do?" a touch of hope in her voice. I nodded and reassured her. "Sure! Everyone does! Michael especially!" My hearts leaped again at the thought of seeing my sweetheart again. She grinned and taunted me. "You're boyfriend?" My expression went from happiness to embarrassment. "I guess you could say that." And we continued our journey back to the track.
When we arrived back at the track, Jak and Daxter had already found the others. Daxter huffed and scowled at me. "Where've you been? We've been waiting forever!" Jak rolled his eyes and shook his head. "We've only been waiting a couple of minutes." I checked my watch again. One o'clock. "We've gotta' hurry if we want a head start to Texas. The morning people will be out in just a few. Now which way?" I had no idea which way Texas was, so I searched the party for someone who did. While I'd been laughing at Daxter for being lost, I had forgotten that I myself didn't know much about navigating. Samos spoke up. "It's okay, we know the way from which we came." He pointed his staff to the back of the fairgrounds. Daxter jumped off of Jak's shoulder. "Well, let's get going!"
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement and we began our travel to Texas. At first I wondered how we would ever get there, but after awhile, it didn't matter to me. Time was not the obstacle, the police and guards were. And as long as I have time to think of what I can do to get Jak and Keira together, time didn't matter.
When we reached the end of the fairgrounds, six leaper-lizards were waiting, tied neatly around a tree. I'd ridden a horse before, but would a leaper-lizard be any different? As Torn began to untie them, Ashlynn spoke. "I assume you know what these are?" She motioned for Torn to bring her one. He tossed her the reins and she caught them. She handed me one and saddled the other one. I've ridden a horse before, but would a leaper-lizard be any different? I stood in silence while everyone else climbed aboard their lizard. The auburn black lizard nudged my hand holding the reins. Daxter hopped on the back of Jak's leaper. "Are you coming or what?" My head snapped up from the reins and directly at Daxter. I shook my head and mounted myself upon the lizard.
"Whoa!" I mumbled, making sure not to make myself look like a fool. Once it was steady, I picked up the reins and held them just like I would a horse. Seems familiar… The leaper held its head back and cackled the strangest call I'd ever heard. It put one foot out in front and started to move. It seemed easy enough. I kicked its hips and it began to move faster. Soon, I was right behind Jak, who was in front of all the others. Riding a horse and riding a leaper-lizard were two totally different things, but I took to it like a pro. I urged the animal to go faster. Now I was in front of the gang. But Jak, of course, felt the need to be the leader. He kicked the leaper sharply and took the lead again. Oh, it's on!
Snapping and kicking the leaper seemed cruel, so a shortcut seemed like the next best thing. A small passageway was coming up. I put my hand on the back of the leapers head and shoved. It lowered its head and ducked under the trees. After a few more branches, the passage disappeared. I pulled back on the reins and turned around. The others were at least thirty feet behind me. With a sharp kick, the leaper took off again. Once I had the lead, I was never giving it back! Suddenly, I felt a warm fuzzy hand touch my back. As badly as it tickled, I dare not give in. Chills crawled up my spine as the hand continued to work its way up to my neck. At last, I caved. I pulled back on the reins and spun swiftly around. The leaper sensed danger and flung me off. As I hurtled towards the ground, I struck my hand out to meet the mystery culprit and knocked him off as well. Crash! That was all I heard before everything went black…
"Urghhh." The world around me was spinning. Faint shapes of orange and blue slowly fazed into the shapes of Jak and Daxter. As I came into focus, the others appeared behind them. My head rolled back and almost fell on the ground. Ow. I rubbed the back of my head to check for bleeding. No blood. Yet. Finally, everything was back to normal, except the fact that I had a slight concussion. A small, warm hand touched my forehead. It felt good, but still I panicked thinking that we had been caught. I struggled trying to get away, but someone else held me back. "Jordan!" Jak shouted. I clutched my head and moaned. "Don't yell!" Daxter hopped onto my lap and stared me in the eye, well almost, if they hadn't been closed. "What were you thinking!" he scolded, noting our race and crash. The memory came back to me. "Someone had a hold of me." Samos laughed. "Why, it was only Daxter, child! But, still, you're a very skilled racer." He glared at Daxter and waited for and explaination. "She had the lead! We can't just let her have the lead!" I wasn't listening. My mind trailed off into la-la land again. "But what did I hit?" I asked, wondering how I got knocked out if I only fell a few feet. Torn laughed remembering my fall. "You swatted at Daxter and hit a tree, then fell on the rock next to it!" Double ow. But I smiled anyway. After a few moments of relaxing silence, I finally got the nerve to ask, "Who won?"
