Chapter Three: Blue Eyed Boys and Squirrels

Oh, I wish she would just turn around and say she's mad instead of giving me the cold shoulder! We were almost there, and so far, she hasn't said a word. Sure, occasionally coming over a pot hole or two she would say, "Watch your step," but that didn't count. I caught her looking back at me once, but it was only to check to see if I was still there. Never has Jordan ever been so mad at me.

"Here we are," she said coldly. Explosions could be heard at a distance. "Let's go." Instead of bringing Jak's old gun, she had switched to small pistols that hung ather sides at all times. Haven claimed to be safe, but there had been quite a lot of robberies these past few years, and she didn't want to take her chances. "Are you armed?"

"No, do you think you could-"

SMACK!

"Thanks." She'd thrown one of the pistols and hit me in the arm. If you weren't so depressed right now... I cocked the gun and got up against a rock wall ahead of us. When I peeked around, I could see our 'bomb bug's' foot. Gotcha'. I shot a warning just below his heel. He jumped with surprize and dropped the bomb he was holding.

BAM!

It landed on one of the pipes. Water sprayed in our faces as we searched for the criminal. "There he is!" I could barely make out his silouette against the flowing water. Jordan jumped through and aimed. "You're under...a-" She gulped and dropped her gun. What the hell? I was expecting her to rush over and tackle him to the ground like we normally do, but she stood still. Staring at him. Her knees began to quiver, and her palms were obviously sweaty. If I got any closer I bet I could hear her heart beat. That's not fair, she was supposed to fall for a well-educated young man! It wasapparent that she had fallen in love at first sight.

He did look cute, but I didn't fall for him like my friend did. His hair was short and white, but he showed no signs of being over eighteen. If there were any bluer eyes than Jak's his definetely were. They were like neon sea-green orbs. He wore abright green tank top with a pair of denimpants that dragged theground like ours. A tattoo ran up his arm and another small one on his cheek. They appeared to be the symbols from the Baron's rule. No wonder he was bad.

"Uh, Jordan?" Nothing. "Chocolate!" Still nothing. OH MY GOD! Chocolate didn't work! What do I do? I smacked her in the arm. Not even a wiggle. "Jordan! Wake up or I'll really kick your ass!" Never took her eyes off of him. He was staring at her, too. I would have thought this was cute if it weren't between my best friend and a crook. "Jordan, I order you to stop this! Jak!" I pulled out my commi and hit all the buttons. "Jak! Hurry, it's Jordan. She won't wake up! I personally think the guy's cute but she thinks he's a god!"

"What? Nevermind, explain it later. I'm on my way!" He hung up, leaving me to try the remaining plans of mine. "Um, look! A monkey!...A dolphin?...How 'bout a puppy?...A KITTEN!" That boy made me sick. What made me even sicker was that he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, round bomb. "No! Leave her alone!"

"Hmph, pathetic..." He tossed the bomb at Jordan's feet.

Beep...Beep..Beep. Beep. Beep, beep, beep. Beepbeepbeep!

BANG!

Well, she woke up. The blast was so intense that it sent Jordan and I flying into the air. I opened my eyes to find one of the most horrifying sights in my life. A Dark Eco pit. I didn't know how it got there, but that wasn't what I was worrying about at the moment. "Jordan!"

"Tiffany!" She made a mad dash to save me, but it was too late. I was swimming around in the horrible substance...


Jordan's POV...

"Tiffany!" I rushed over to the swirling pit and looked around. Nothing. I know I was mad at her, but not so mad that I didn't care that she might die in there! The oozing goo shifted and turned making disgusting noises as it went. Oh, God, I'll give you anything if you just bring her back!

SHOOP!

"YAAAAHHH!" What the hell? A small object came flying out of the dark pit. It kept going higher and higher until it finally began to descend, screaming all the way down. "OOF!" The little animal landed in a nearby palm tree. I suddenly realized what it was and who it was. Tiffany was a squirrel! And a chubby one at that.

"Jordan! Help me! I can't climb trees!"

"You can now."

"What are you talking abou- OH MY GOD!" She looked down at her little furry body, and fell out of the tree. "I said climb it not jump it!" Tiffany glared at me and sat up. "What am I going to do?"

"I don't know, but first thing's first, we have to catch that boy!"

"You mean maaaan!" The she-rodent adjusted her face into a dreamy pose. I didn't know what she was talking about. "What are you doing?"

"What do you mean what am I doing? You fell head over heels for him!"

"Huh?

"Guys! I'm glad you're...okay?" Jak came running up from behind us and spotted Tiffany. "I'm not even gonna' ask..."

"That's okay! We're gonna' explain it anyway! Ya' see, Jordan fell in love, guy threw bomb at her, I go hurtling into Dark Eco pit, I come out as fuzzy squirrel. Did I go too fast?" He just shook his head and urged us to follow him back to the city.

"Hey, Tiff. I just noticed something." Shelooked straight up at hme. "What?"

"What happened to your pants?" Panicking,her head shot down ather little fuzzy body. Sure enough,she found that her pants were missing. She still had her t-shirt and jacket, but the jacket dragged the ground and the sleeves hung a foot off her arms. "Ack! Get me some pants, quickly!"

"Tiff, come back!" Jak and I yelled in unison. But it was too late, she had already made it through the door...


Tiffany's POV...

"So lemme' get this straight, Jordan fell in love with this guy-"

"I DIDN'T FALL IN LOVE WITH HIM!" It took forever to explain our situation to the others back at the palace. Nicky, Michael, and Bram crowded around me. "She wooks cute, Daddy!" cried little Bram. He'd never seen someone smaller than him before. Nicky and Michael agreed by nodding their heads and patting me on the head. Never have I ever felt so loved by these toddlers. Being a squirrel might not be so bad after all.

"Oh yeah, Jordan, then what did happen?" I asked accusingly. Everyone stared at her like she was crazy. "I don't know! It was like he was hypnotizing me..."

"With loooove!"

"Shut up, Torn! You weren't there! This is just great, Tiffany's a squirrel and he got away...Damn!" She slammed her hand down on the table. Nicky, Michael, and Bram hid behind the couch. "Jordan! Careful around the children!" yelled Samos. Well, at least she's not mad at me anymore. Who am I kidding, this is worse, she's mad at herself... She stood calmly and left the room, leaving me alone to explain to the others.

"It looked like she was falling in love with him! Her palms were sweaty, her knees were shaking, and I could practically hear her heart beat from three feet away! It was odd, nothing I did could wake her up!" Samos seemed to be in deep thought. Keira stood and picked up her son. "I'm going to put the babies down..."

"I'll help," said Ashlynn. Without a word Tess went with them. Jak watched his wife leave and turned back to me. "What did he look like?"

"Well, he had white hair that was pretty short, and he had really really bright green eyes. He wore a green tank top and blue jeans. That's the best I can do." I looked down at my squirrely paws. "How can I get rid of my...squirrelyness? I heard that Daxter got turned into an Ottsel this way and he never changed back!" The old Green Sage suddenly spoke up. "I heard that there was a special jewel in the old temple in the Wasteland! Maybe that can change you back to normal..."

"It's dangerous out there, Samos. She could get hurt."

"No one said she had to go alone!" I thought about Jordan. I wonder if she's up to it... "I'll go! Let me tell Jordan first!" I sprinted off on all fours towards our room. This is different...and cool!

Jordan was sitting on her bed staring out the large window. She wasn't crying, so I thought it would be okay to consult her. "Jordan? Can I talk to you for a second?"


It was settled. The next morning we began packing our things to head out for the Wasteland. Most of my stuff I couldn't wear anymore, so I didn't even bother to bring an extra change of clothes. Instead, I cut the sleeves of my jacket to where they fit and found a pair of doll pants at the toy shop.

"Are you two sure you want to do this?" Torn asked. I'd never seen him care about us this much. When we first came, he didn't give a damn whether we were okay or not. Jordan nodded. "Just one more thing..." She ran up the stairs and into the elevator. When she came back, she was holding the Morph Gun over her shoulders. "Now we can go. Come on my squirrely friend!"