Chapter 5
Now came the real test. Now I'd know for sure if dad believed me or not. If he did believe me, he'd definitely come to my rescue. If he just thought I was another psychopath, he wouldn't bother with me. But until then, I'd have to find something to keep me busy… I looked at my blaster. I only had a couple of clips left. Hmmm… there's a project. Find more ammo. Shouldn't be too hard. Ok… first things first, get as far away from the city entrance as possible. If dad does come back for me, I have to make him put some effort into finding me. That would prove he believes me!
Without thinking, I jumped into a small river just underneath me and started swimming. I swam through the small tunnel to the other side of the forest where the lake was even deeper. I'd always loved to swim. Ever since I was little and dad first taught me how, swimming had always made me feel happy, even when my day was crummy. I swam around for a little while, and occasionally dove under the waters surface to see how long I could hold my breath, and then I just floated on my back for a little while. I admit I felt relaxed now. Ever since I'd got here Dawn and I were very tense, and we had to be awake and alert every second. Now, since there was nothing around for miles, I could finally just kick back and wait things out. I was in my own little world now…
I shifted in the water so that I was in swimming position again. I figured that it was time I moved on… but one more dive. I took a deep breath and dove under water and swam down as far as I could, without being too far from the surface. I stayed there for a while, listening to the sounds of the water that surrounded me. After floating for a moment, I opened my eyes and stared up at the sky that was blurred from the water. For some reason, I always loved being fully submerged in the water and then looking up at the sky. I don't know why, but it helps relax me. Soon enough, my chest felt like it was about to explode. Time to come back up. I reluctantly surfaced and exhaled, allowing air to flow into my lungs again. I floated on my back again until I reached shore, and then I continued on my way.
I opened my eyes groggily. Oh great. I'd fallen asleep again. It's usually something I do after swimming. When I was back home in Spargus I didn't mind it so much, but now that I'm in Haven, it's become a bad habit. I looked up at the sky. The sun was gone. Now the sky was dotted with stars, and the moon hung up high in the sky. There was still no one around. I felt my heart sink at first. No one had come for me…
"Maybe he's still looking for me?" I said to myself, trying to cheer up a little. I bit my lip. Ok, Jakie, just be patient. You've been alone before. This is no different. I rubbed my eyes and stood up. Well, at least I could go for another swim now that I was rested up. And now it was far more peaceful and relaxing.
I left my gun and the rest of my weapons at the shore and drove into the water. I swam for a little while, and then I just floated there, for what seemed like hours, staring up at the night sky.
"Beautiful…" I whispered to myself. The whole time I'd almost forgotten about my dad, Dawn, Uncle Torn, and all else. I wished it could last eternity, but in the back of my mind, I knew that would never happen. But right now, I didn't care. I was comfortable now, and that's all that mattered to me. For a while I started wondering about various things like if I should go back to the underground and what I would do if I ended up trapped here. After thinking about all of this, I finally decided that this lake was my place where I would come to be alone with only my thoughts as company. This lake was officially dubbed as my secret spot that no one, not even Dawn, would or could ever know about. I smiled softly, thinking about it.
Oddly enough, I found myself quietly singing something that dad used to sing to me when I was little…
Step by step,
heart to heart, left right left
We all fall down like toy
soldiers
Bit by bit torn apart We never win
But the battle
wages on for toy soldiers
I'd always loved that song. I still do to this day. Usually when I was working I'd sing it or something else, depending on what I was thinking about. And it's obvious that I usually thought about dad. When I got tired again I swam back to shore with all of my weapons and before I knew it, I'd conked out… again.
This time when I woke up, I felt something soft underneath me. What the…? Was I dreaming? No… this was way too real. I could hear faint voices in another room talking. Sounded like Torn… Ashelin… dad and Daxter. I was back at the Underground. Wait… Underground! Holy… he DID believe me! I was dumbstruck. I thought for sure this was going to be harder than this.
"If what you're saying is true, Jak, then what are we going to do with her?" I hear Uncle Torn ask.
"I don't really know. I'm not even sure if I fully believe her," Jak answered.
"Well, we can't just throw her out on the streets," Ashelin interjected. No kidding, Ashe.
"From what I've seen, she could be a valuable asset to the Underground. That kid can definitely kick some ass," Torn continued. That's pretty typical of him…
"That's true," Ashelin agreed, "But she doesn't exactly belong here." Nice…
"That's not her fault," Daxter argued. Weird to hear him being serious for once.
"She told me she came here to save my life," Jak explained. Damn right, dad! You tell them!
"Save your life?" Ashelin repeated.
"She said I was killed by a bunch of metal heads and Krimzon Guard death bots," Jak continued, "and she came back in time to save my life when she accidentally landed here."
"Looks like we'll have to let her stay until we can figure out just what the hell is going on," Torn declared, "But while she's here, she has to make herself useful, Jak."
"Fine then. I'll talk to her when she wakes up," Jak agreed. I inwardly smiled. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all… baring that thought in mind, I fell back asleep again.