I'm really sorry; I'm not a big fan of this chapter. I'm trying to convey her growing feelings for Jak, while still making the chapter interesting, and not too off the original plot. Well, please enjoy it more than I did writing it This chapter may also be a little shorter than the rest, but it's also like a filler, just showing what happens in the meantime, while were waiting for the big thing, you know?
DISCLAIMER: Yes, yes, I know I do not own any of the characters . . . etc
Walking through the jungle, dodging snakes and frogs with poisonous tongues, I realized something: I was falling for Jak. How hard I didn't know. I just felt a spark when he looked at me with those innocent sky blue eyes.
I tried to stop myself, knowing what he was going to turn into in the end. All that innocence was going to be gone, replaced with hatred and spite. Gone forever. I didn't know if I could stop that, but that would involve changing the story line. Jak had to get pumped with Dark Eco, or else the game would never exist. I wouldn't care about changing the story line if that's all it would do, just change a little, but I couldn't. There was a risk of someone dying. Jak, Kiera, Samos, even Daxter. I had grown to care about all of these people, and I would die if one of them died, knowing that I was the one who had caused it.
"Do you suppose there are any Power Cells inside there?" I said, gesturing to the Precursor Tower.
Jak nodded. "We should go, then." I said while dodging around a moving vine sticking up out of the ground.
In a matter of minutes we were inside the Precursor Tower, after both Jak and I ran through the Blue eco to build the bridge and open the door. We climbed to the top, and found a Power Cell there before going down and walking through a bit, and finding the button to turn on the Blue Eco vent. I was the one that ran to the top and jumped on the button and grabbed the Power Cell. I heard Kiera's communicator but I was ignoring it, focusing on the sounds I heard from the other room where I knew the plant monster was.
"Do you guys here that?"
"That sounds scary, let's not go in there." Daxter said, cowering on Jak's shoulder.
"I say we should." I knew we had to go in there; that was the exit.
Jak and I walked side by side through the door, over some floating platforms, over some more, until we finally got to the monster I knew was there. And it was scary. Not wanting to look scared, I looked at Jak, mouthed ready, and when he nodded, ran towards it.
Together, we beat the monster, me dodging the weird plant bugs and distracting the monster, and Jak hitting it when its gaze was sufficiently diverted.
When the monster was definitely dead, with its head laying on the ground and Daxter jumping on it, picking up the Precursor orbs, I heard Kiera's communicator come out of Jak's pack. "I have to admit. You two make a good team!" She sounded jealous, even over the communicator. It made me feel gleeful, even though I shouldn't have.
"Look! Blue Eco. That must be the way out!" I said, trying to hide my feelings.
O.o.O
"Wait!" I yelled out suddenly. We were standing on top of the whirring machine, ready to break the pole and deflect the eco beam when I remembered. Both Jak and Daxter looked at me curiously, Jak poised to punch the pole. "I think I know something." I remembered from the game that if you ran through the Blue Eco, and ran to the door on the side of the precursor building, it would open and there would be a Power Cell inside.
So I did. I ran through the Blue Eco and straight to the door, picking up the Power Cell that was inside, and running back and standing next to them. I did all this is a span of five seconds. Man, Blue Eco feels good. I felt wrongly prideful under Jak's impressed gaze. I heard him say, "Good Job." Inside my head, and heard Daxter's "How'd you know that?"
"Lucky guess? I don't know it just felt like there was something in there."
Jak looked back at me once, then broke the beam.
O.o.O
After repositioning the beams, we followed the canyon out to the sea, and got a Power Cell. After that, we walked back to the fisherman, following the river. Finding he told us he would let us use his speed boat and give us a Power Cell if we caught 200 pounds of fish.
"Step aside, boys. Here comes the pro." I sauntered my way to the net. This had always been one of my strong points in the game. I could do it perfectly, without missing a single fish. Which I did.
I picked up the net, dipped it in the water, and began. I heard the fisherman cheering me on, and when I got all of them, I pulled the net out of the water, and dumped all 200 fish which, miraculously, fit in one net, into a big basket.
"Ya did it! You caught 200 lbs. of fish! Not bad for a couple of land lubbers! Here's the Power Cell I promised, and you can use the \ boat at the village dock whenever ya like!"
"Yes!" I yelled while fist pumping the air. Jak picked me up and spun me around in a hug, and I hugged him back, forgetting about my previous efforts to not fall for him. The only thing I felt right then was how well I fit into his arms.
I looked at him, and couldn't see anything wrong. I would always have Jak to protect me from harm.
'But what about when you go home' A sneaky voice said in my head.
'Shut up. Shut up. Shut up!' I couldn't think about that right now.
He was still spinning me and I was starting to feel dizzy, and reluctantly said, "Jak. Jak! Can you put me down, please?" I sounded breathless and giggly. He looked down at me, fully stopping, but not putting me down, and I got lost in his, naïve, sky blue, eyes. They knew nothing of the pain I knew he would feel in the future.
"Maddy? Jak?" That was Daxter, once again ruining the sweetness of the moment.
Jak unhooked his arms from around me and looked away like he regretted everything that had just happened. I automatically felt sad, and like any girl, I took it as a sign of rejection.
I looked away and felt the small tear roll down my face, even though I knew Jak was supposed to end up with Kiera, but it still hurt. I was supposed to be the tough girl, the bad ass. And here I was, crying.
"Yeah. Let's go."