Balancer’s Soul
Published by H. LeeMorgan at Smashwords
Copyright 2012 H. Lee Morgan
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ISBN 978-1-4661-6271-6
Stop and Go
An ancient and powerful race known as Balancer’s has lived among humanity for many millennia and rarely been noticed. They are human in most physical aspects, but are truly different in others. Our ancestors called them at one time or another; Witches, Sorcerers, Wizards, Demons, Monsters and so on. In reality they bring balance back to everything that they deem needs it, with the use of their abilities. That also includes balancing themselves.
All true balancer’s are born female, and are innately immortal. The power of a female Balancer is not in harmony, being single, so they require male mates to regulate their imbalanced energies. When an unbreakable pact is made, their mate also becomes a Balancer as well as gaining supernatural attributes themselves.
***
“Welcome to our new home.” Jack confirmed stoically to his daughter over the hand held radio that linked the two vehicles. Sarah had been following behind him in her little blue car as he drove the moving truck to their new residence for nearly two days. Jack left a few weeks earlier to come and get things setup beforehand for their new life, in a new town and returned to retrieve her. Now it’s Sarah’s turn to get settled in. Not that there isn’t much choice. He bought an old cabin home that had been on the market for a few years, but in the economy and area it wasn’t going to sell anytime soon. Finding such a place seemed perfect for them so he bought the property outright, after looking it over. The electricity and phone lines had previously been installed and supposedly from what he explained it had been built sturdy. After the paperwork had been finalized the phone lines and power was reactivated. Jack had even found Sarah the ideal job that would suit her for the time being. She hadn’t protested.
The sun had just begun to set as the small convoy of father and daughter arrived, with no city lights lining the road it became dark rather quickly. Just the way she liked it. The calm and quiet of rural areas suited her nature.
Pulling into the driveway just after her father, Sarah thought about the drive over here. They left Washington State early yesterday morning, well before the sun came up. It took well over twenty hours to drive the distance and they had no more than an hour or so of sleep. Jack was in a perpetual snit and wanted the long drive to take his mind off of a particular matter and forced Sarah to keep pace or be left behind. The Brandersons’ new home is now in Minnesota, in a small town that has a name that she’ll hopefully forget one day soon. Jillian, her mother, will catch up to them in a month or so to because she forgot to tie up a few loose ends. Sarah’s Parents loved the city life, but for her they always move to quiet and small towns, but were always no more than an hour from a large city. To Sarah, nature is more beautiful to her than an environment of concrete, crowds and annoying noises at all hours. Plus crime is lower in less populated areas and easier to deal without outside interference or law enforcement.
Before moving to this small town, they had work to do. Sarah and her family and had to create new identities and legitimate references. Those were easy to make or bribe. They kept their normal names, but had to change the year of their births to a more recent and believable date. Three elaborate backgrounds were also created so that they could remain inconspicuous to some level of scrutiny, but if need be they had enough pull to keep someone off their trail if someone caught on to their secret. They like privacy like so many others, but they have other backups just incase and even create last minute exit strategies to get out of any local danger.
Getting out of the car and looking around at the scenery of the new cottage it reminded Sarah of her thirtieth home. Wild and uncut grass wrapped itself around the house and the entire property. Small pine saplings peeked over some of the hip high grass, almost as a welcome sign. The single story dwelling connected to an open two car garage that stood before her. She closed the door of her small blue car, that her father built a few years ago. Growing up without any modern conveniences was not a pleasant time for anyone and she adored her personal mode of transportation. Still, Sarah couldn’t wait to take the burden of travel out of the vehicle and spend some time soaking in a bathtub of hot, bubbly water.
Jack opened up the house like he had been living there for years, after turning off the Do-it-yourself rental truck, and turned on all of the lights. She sighed thinking how boring this move has been, like all the others. Couldn’t there be one place I would feel content to live. Sarah though hopelessly and opened the back door. Grabbing her luggage out of the back seat of the car she casually walked through the front door of the house.
Firstly she began to look for her new room for the next few dreaded years.
There were three bedrooms, one bath, a fully stocked kitchen, a living room and an empty study, which her mother already claimed. All of the walls were painted a bland and ancient color that was peeling off the old surfaces. The living room needed new carpeting and the ceiling fans all need to be dusted as well and every window in every room needed to be scrubbed clean. It was easy to tell that this residence has been vacant for quite some time. Word is, the previous residents moved south to a warmer climate. The floor had been crafted all from hardwood, but it needed to be swept and refinished. The first bedroom room Sarah opened was the largest, so she knew her parents would occupy it and she didn’t want to cause a disturbance. The next room held far too much light, when the sun would come up in the morning, so that wasn’t an option. And the last room felt perfect for her. It is isolated from the rest of the house and doesn’t need too much work. The air tasted slightly stale, but it wasn’t musty thankfully. She opened the window to allow fresh air to circulate and a smile barely touched the corner of her mouth as she peered into the failing light. The bonus to this residence for her was that it felt really dark and it pointed to a wild, natural tree line. What new wonders did those trees hold?
In the new room sat a new single size bed, an antique dresser and a full length mirror. She sighed thinking: It’s just perfect for my plain and inconspicuous looks. Sarah looked in the mirror and thought: How could anyone would want to have a boring woman like me. My looks are bland and my mirrored wardrobe matches my outlook. The chipped paint has more personality than I do.
Knowing how little sleep she received during this trip and her first day of school started in the morning, she took that heavenly bath and quickly went to sleep on her new bed that hadn’t been broken in.
***
“Another start to a great and terrible day!” Connor said airily while walking into the lit kitchen to first notice his mother, Jenny and his little sister, Kara. Kara was sitting at the dining room table eating a scrambled egg and cheese omelet and a piece of wheat toast. Jenny was already busy cooking eggs on the skillet for herself. They both turned to look directly at him.
“Awe… Quit your bellyaching and have some breakfast!” Remarked Jenny with a light laugh. Jenny is your typical mom of two young adults. She’s fun, loving and relentlessly overprotective. She is of average build of a forty three year old woman, but that is all that’s typical about her. Just keep out of her way when she is in a hurry, if you know what’s good for you. Being the son of the head nurse at the biggest hospital in the county, you learn to move out of the way when she needs to do something immediately.
“Brother! Why don’t you do something about those bullies at school? I know for a fact they won’t be a match, you need to stick up for yourself.” Blurted out his rambunctious eighteen year old sister, Kara. She is barley four foot seven and, dripping wet, weighs one hundred and five pounds. She has three hobbies that she is passionate about; cheerleading, painting and annoying the life out of Connor. She is highly adept at all three. Her personality is akin to a Jack Russell terrier who mainstreams caffeine. She is small, annoying, won’t be quiet for more than a thousandth of a second and he somehow adores her very much. She makes his life just a little more interesting and difficult at the same time.
“Because Kara. If I fought those guys, nothing would ever be solved.” Connor answered blandly with a yawn at the end of the sentence.
“What do you mean, Brother?” She asked somewhat innocently. She then threw an apple at him from off the counter and he caught it mindlessly. Also ever since Kara was little she has only ever called Connor Brother. She’s never once called him by his given name since she was born.
“He means that he is nineteen, six foot and two and weighs 240 pounds. He’s larger than your average high school senior, even for a football player, not to mention he’s built like a tank.” Jenny leaned closer to Kara and lowered her tone meaningfully. “Think Kara, what would happen if Connor so much as punched one of his classmates without holding back?” She asked while being serious and looking Kara in the eyes with a quizzical expression.
“Hopefully the bully will get a concussion. Better yet! Brother would knock him into a coma. Oh, and maybe Brother will break their bones like dry twigs.” Kara squeaked and grinned up at Jenny innocently.
“And? What else would happen because of his actions, Kara?” She asked, waiting for more. Kara started shrinking away because Jenny started to give her The Evil Eye when she realized her mistake.
“I would be suspended or worse, expelled. Then Granddaddy won’t take me out camping because of our agreement to not fight for myself. Also this is our last semester as high school students and then it will all be over. I can put up with their pointless and childish drama until then, Sis. Besides what would I have to gain if I hurt them?” Connor had to speak to get Kara out of Jenny’s spotlight. “Hey Kara! Go get my things ready, I’m in the mood to run fast this morning. Get a move on.”
As Kara gladly left the kitchen she said under her breath “Yes! This is going to be a fun ride today.” She said it obviously not only to help in Connor’s training, but to get away from Jenny’s piercing glare.
After Kara left the kitchen, Connor felt his mom’s eyes on the back of his head burning a bald spot. He could always tell when someone was watching or something strange was about to happen. David, his grandfather always called that his Sixth Sense or as Connor calls it, Instinct. To this day it has never been proven wrong. “What’s wrong Mom?” He asked without turning around. He then took a bite out of the green apple in his hand. Yea… What a great morning breakfast…NOT! He thought to himself. Not a moment later the toast popped up out of the toaster, he caught it in midair, without looking, and took out a large bite in one fluid motion. He has always had exceptional reflexes.
“Why do you always help your sister out when I try and ask her a serious question? I’m trying to teach her that she can’t always be so rash and impulsive.” She asked in a tone that was quite obviously annoyed.
“Kara, rash? Who could ever put a muzzle on that mouth of hers, that would ever work?” Connor said as a joke. He turned around and saw Jenny wasn’t even humored. “Ok. Ok Mom. The reason why I always help her out is because I can’t stand her not smiling. Also Granddaddy has always called me a protector, but with Kara, I try to make her smile so that she isn’t tormented, like me.” With that said Jenny’s face softened and became both proud and sad at the same time. Then he added “Kara is annoying, innocent and blunt. She keeps me on my toes.” He finished with a wide grin which made Jenny smile eventually.
“BRRROOOOTTTTHHHHEEEERRRR!!! I’M WAITING!” Kara yelled loudly from the garage. Yes she is exactly like a Jack Russell… Oh well.
“Get going you big ox, before I find a way to get mad at you too.” Jenny said in a sigh, while throwing his heavy backpack at him. And yes they always throw things in his family.
“I will look like an ox pulling Kara to school again today.” He said while waving goodbye to his mom.
Walking into the one car garage Connor spotted Kara already sitting in the wagon he built for her thirteenth birthday, with the help of his grandfather. She was waiting very impatiently in the wagon, it wasn’t out of the ordinary. Connor tossed his backpack to her and she handed him his chest harness. The harness was made in the shape of an X so that when he pulls it, the weight will be evenly displaced over his entire chest. On the back of the harness, a rope tethered to a metal ring and is attached to another metal ring at the fore of the wagon. For the past two years Connor’s grandfather has made him run to school every day. Actually Connor hinted that it would be a good idea, but made it seem as if it were his grandfathers. And their school laid just over eight miles away from their house, luckily only three houses are on the way to school. No one really see’s him doing the difficult training. And he felt happy that his grandfather will be here in the morning to take him camping this weekend. And during this past summer the two of them stayed out camping for a month together, for summer break.
It was fun just hanging out with him.
Kara just looked at Connor as if he had lost his mind as he simply stood there daydreaming, but all she said was “Well?”
“Are you ready?” He asked trying not to look too pathetic.
“Well DUH!” She said in a mocking voice, dramatically crossing her arms.
Slowly, Connor began walking out of the garage, effortlessly pulling Kara in her wagon while trying not to jar her. At the end of their driveway he saw a moving van and a light blue car sitting across the street. What seemed strange was that he didn’t know the make or even the model of the blue vehicle. The house had been vacated for over five years after the original family moved. Cool, it’s about time we get some new neighbors. He thought expectantly.
Then he stopped cold when a voice from across the street yelled.
“SARAH. WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!” Yelled a tall man who Connor guessed to be middle aged, like his mother. He had a slim yet muscular build as he stood in the front yard. He wore blue jeans and a light blue t-shirt. Long silver hair cascaded over his broad shoulders and came to an end at the base of his shoulder blades. He was clean shaved with very sharp masculine features. He was very handsome, yet all the hairs on the back of Connor’s neck stood on end, his instinct said that that man was extremely dangerous.
Then came another voice in answer.
“Over here, Father!” The sound of the voice was like the softest of velvets. If he did not have extremely sharp hearing Connor wouldn’t have been capable of hearing her. It was impossible to see just who the voice belonged to though. And for some reason Connor felt very disappointed.
The silver haired man turned to her voice and yelled again. “You are going to be late! Get a move on it…Girl!” He said in a condescending voice.
Several things happened in the next frightening moment. The silver haired man turned and looked directly at Connor. He sneered at him with cold malice in his eyes and a chill shot down Connor’s spine. What was that? Connor instinct was telling him to run away now, but couldn’t even draw breath under those deadly azure eyes. Then Kara kicked her brother and at last broke eye contact. He then turned to look at her. Thank you!
“Go, Brother or I’ll tell Mom not to give you any supper tonight if we’re late to school.” She said while trying to look serious, which never works for her. All it made him do was laugh. Kara hasn’t really had any dangerous issues to deal with because she’s so cheerful, or Connor settled the problem without her being aware of them. She wouldn’t be in any of those situations if he had any say.
Without saying a word Connor took off running at his fullest, while pulling Kara. All she did was giggle at the change of pace. What she didn’t know was that he was really trying to get as far away from that man as possible.
Connor blazed down the long dirt road, almost out in the middle of nowhere, making nigh a sound or kicking up any dirt. The wagon was the only thing that gave them away. Here in this area all of the trees, plants and animals still thrive in harmony, with very little human interference. Twenty to thirty minutes away sat the local town, so it’s not too bad. Almost half of the year the trees are healthy shades of green and the other half is snow white, but it is so peaceful that no matter how bad a person’s day has been, the scenery just washes all the problems away.
Their high school is about eight miles away from their house. Connor ran there in under an hour, barely breaking a sweat in the crisp spring air. About a mile down the road laid an old trail through the woods that he always used instead of running all the way down the street to get to school. Not only did it take unsuspecting eyes from them, it also felt great to run along a path instead of a road. Running like this is a piece of cake thanks to his daily training. It was the only way to burn off much of his stress and pent up energy.
Luckily they arrived at school before any faculty or students showed up for another long day of mind-numbing boredom. Kara got out of the wagon carrying her school bag and also Connor’s. He picked up the wagon and placed it behind a dense thicket that grew off the side of the trail that led to the school. He always hid it there because the other students would find something new to use to torment him with. Afterwards he and Kara walked beyond the confines of the trees and entered the school’s campus.
Their moderately sized school is made up with both middle and high school students put together and is three stories tall. It is old and built mostly from red brick, back in the nineteen forties, and a few beige portables stood out in the backside of the campus. The teachers are usually nice and understanding to everyone, except towards Connor. The real problem isn’t primarily with the teachers, but with all of his peers. He has always worn long, solid black sleeved shirts and black pants or jeans. At all times, he wear hiking boots instead of sneakers. He has shaggy, sandy blond hair and keeps his disheveled hair over his eyes, so the nickname he was grew up with was Black Sheep.
People usually get startled when he looks at them directly for some reason so he keeps his hair over his eyes, to not make matters worse.
Kara waited with him for a short time and then went straight to her cheerleading friends, when they arrived. She said “Later Brother!” and then disappeared. When she left he looked into the sky and calculated it to be about thirty minutes until the first class begins.
Connor casually walked up to his favorite oak tree that grew at the tree line of the school. Effortlessly he climbed the tree, sat on a thick limb and closed his eyes. Being in a tree or out in nature calms him for some reason, but he simply figured that since he was an avid outdoorsman it was a love for nature and its beauty that eased his stress.
About ten minutes later a familiar voice shouted “Hey, Buddy!” and Connor knew exactly who that voice belonged to, without even opening his eyes.
“Hey Mark. Are you ready for another fun and disastrous day?” he asked with his eyes still closed. Connor could easily smell Mark’s aftershave rising from below because there wasn’t even a gentle breeze to carry it away.
When Mark eventually reached the Oak tree Connor was perched in, he sat down below in the solid roots. With a sigh Mark said “Yep and nope!” and then blurted out “We have a new teacher for our history class. Just found out a minute ago. She supposedly just moved over here from Washington State.” He ended his statement with a short laugh.
When Mark said she Connor cracked an eye to look down at Mark’s expression, just to see him grinning up, waiting to see a reaction of his own. Mark is like your average size best friend and is also quite popular among the ladies, but he’s never dated anyone seriously for some reason. He’s always getting good grades in every subject and in every class, like he has done this before. He could charm any lady, young or old. He has jet black spiky hair and practically liquid silver eyes. He lives by himself in an apartment, so he works at the local diner on the weekends to earn enough income to live. Apparently his parents died a long time ago and he really doesn’t like talking about it so Connor leaves that particular subject alone. Mark’s said he’s been an emancipated teen since he was thirteen which is hard to believe, but he has all the legal documents to prove his case.
Also Mark is Connor’s one, and only, best friend. Growing up together for the past seven years, Mark is the only person outside Connor’s family who knows his painful secret.
When it came time to enter class, Connor jumped out of the tree, landing silently next to Mark. Agility like a cat he’d sometimes compare. Mark always jokes about Connor’s agility compared to his large size being impossible. They both entered the school shoulder to shoulder, only to be greeted by most of the senior varsity football team. There was only one choice to choose from, either go around and be late or try passing through. He’s been late enough already.
Connor accidently bumped into the quarterback Mathew “Sorry Mathew.” he said meekly. Mathew turned and saw who barely brushed his shoulder, then he laughed in Connor’s face. Here comes another round of ignorant banter.
“Well! Well! Well! What looks like a cow, thinks like a cow and is built like a cow?” Some popular girls laughed along with the other players and a boy behind Mathew answered “Connor!” in an obvious reply. Connor put his head down out of both habit and necessity and started to walk away.
Seconds later Mathew dashed at Connor while his back was turned. Here he comes, should I side step or take the hit… I’ll take it so he can feel better about himself. When Connor was successfully tackled to the ground Mathew yelled “And that’s how you tip a retarded cow!”
Everyone in the locker lined hall laughed, except Mark. He knelt down by his head and asked “Are you alright, Buddy?”
“Yeah bud, it will take a lot more than that to really hurt me, but you know that already.” Connor pushed himself up to his knees, slowly, and pretended to actually be hurt from that weak assault.
And surprisingly Mark smiled and gave a knowing wink while whispering “Yep. It would take a tank to even scratch your thick hide.” With that he offered his hand to lift Connor up.
Now a teacher came out into the hallway to see what all of the commotion was about. He was a short, balding man with a mean streak that knew few bounds and his name was Mr. V. Also Mr. V. is Connor science teacher (last year Connor singed the man’s eyebrows accidently and ever since then he’s been returning guilt with interest. It was his fault for getting too close to the Bunsen burner when Connor was using a hydrogen filled bladder and an open flame.) Also Connor’s well versed in many subjects, especially in sciences and knows more in that subject than Mr. V. does, but Connor pretends to be ignorant to keep trouble away. He doesn’t need a teacher who is overly prideful, but Mr. V. is all they have at the school for seniors and the credits to graduate were needed. Mr. V. looked solely and distastefully at Connor, but to the rest of the students he yelled “Get to class! All of you!”
Everyone went away as ordered, but they were still laughing mostly because Mr. V singled him out yet again. Ah, another day, another disaster.
The rest of the day went about the same. During lunch, Connor surprisingly received only had one carton of milk spilled accidentally over his shoulder and down his back. Usually he ended up worse on the average day. Meatloaf day always caused dread, especially trying to remove barbeque sauce from his clothes. Together he and Mark walked into an empty Home Ec. room and washed the milk out of his shirt before anyone could come back in and see the secret he hid from prying eyes. Mark was always there to keep a lookout. After lunch it was Science class with Mr. V.
In science Mr. V. began asking what were the parts contained in atoms. The teacher looked directly at Connor and asked “What is this part?” he pointed at a representation of an atom.
His only reply was to look silent and beaten while saying “I don’t know, sir. I didn’t have time to study last night.”
Mr. V’s snide remark wasn’t original in the least. “What a surprise!” Connor thought to himself, Get over yourself. I really do know you pompous fool. There are three basic parts to an atom; the proton, neutron and the electron. And all of the elements are categorized by the atomic index and all matter…
Finally came the last period of the day, American History, and not a moment too soon. Mark sat next to Connor because it’s the only class they have together. “Ready to meet our new teacher?” Mark asked in a barely suppressed joy. The desks were designed for two people to share and individual chairs to slide in and out of the desk. The classroom held a total of twenty annoying students, if they all were present.
“Thrilled!” Connor exclaimed in a chipper tone while actually being bored and wasn’t thrilled in the least. Mark knew his friend well enough to know when he was having another bad day so Mark jumped on to another topic.
When Mark finished chatting on his Algebra assignment that he passed with perfect numbers, yet again, Connor looked out the window to see two squirrels fighting over an acorn. They chased each other up and down the oak tree merrily, in fast moving circles, sometimes jumping from one tree to the next. Their lively excitement became the perfect distraction and balm for his mood. Connor began laughing to himself quietly at seeing the jokesters of the animal kingdom. One of the rodents got a hold of the nut and began fleeing from his pursuer. But then another squirrel jumped out and began the chase anew.
The final bell to get to class rang loudly.
Just as the chime died Connor heard the classroom door open. Here we go again, someone new to laugh at me for their expense!
This was the first day Connor met her.
School and Life
When she walked behind the desk Connor realized this stunning creature has to be the new teacher Mark spoke of earlier this morning, but she looked more like a student. But there something about her sent his instinct off.
Connor tore his eyes away from her so he continued to blandly stare outside, but unfortunately he got a very good look at her. She stood far shorter than he, barely five foot at most. She could be about the same height as Kara if not slightly shorter, by his initial guess. Her figure was obviously petite with a heart shaped face and perfect porcelain skin. She looks about to be in her late teens or early twenties and has a flawless complexion. Long, silky brown hair flowed down to the small of her back. The hair looked thick and held only the slightest touch of natural curls, but she kept her hair loose. Her long hair reminded him of healthy, nutritious earth. What really caught his eye in that single moment he looked upon her were those knowledgeable emerald green eyes. It’s the color of life and also his favorite color.
As he continued to stare out the window, hoping to find the playful creatures again, Mark sharply elbowed Connor’s in the ribs. He felt surprised that Mark didn’t hurt himself to gain his attention. Connor casually turned to look at him and he heard something unexpected. “Look at this new teacher; she is as bland and plain as the wallpaper. Talk about giving your hopes up.” He said in a very quiet voice that only Connor could possibly hear. And Mark’s eyes were hiding something else as he looked upon her… or did Connor imagine it. His eyes must be playing tricks again.
Connor looked at him fully, but didn’t say anything. Inside his head it was a different matter. Who are you talking about? Not the new teacher? Why would you say that about her? She’s perfect! I just wish I was older and braver to ask her out on a date one day…Dream on… He shook his head to clear out the random thoughts growing out of control.
She then wrote her name on the board. Ms. Sarah Branderson
Connor had to look away from her again because he could feel something in the air, energy? drawing him in. And finally she spoke.
“Hello everyone I’m your new history teacher Ms. Sarah.” She has a very feminine and velvety voice. She is also quite soft spoken. Where in the world did I hear her voice from? ... Wait! Is she my new neighbor? She went on saying “This is my first time teaching so bear with me if I make a mistake.” Her tone and the sudden shift of her eyes spoke otherwise. Why are you lying? But Connor remained quiet. Sometimes catching someone in a lie and confronting them about it was the worst thing a person could do. She ended her introduction with a question “Since this is a history class and time is always a factor and constantly moving forward, adding that much more to our histories. How do you personally tell time?”
Connor assumed the class looked around at each other in confusion. Some of the talkers went silent while some chairs grated on the floor as the person it supported tried finding a comfortable position. Mathew, who is also in class, answered first. “ You mean like a clock?” She nodded her head approvingly when Connor caught her vague reflection on the glass. Why, even when he tried looking for the squirrels, did his eyes seek hers, even in a reflection? She went on and calmly, asking every student how they tell time. Some said their TV, her watch, his calendar, computer, cell phone and so on.
Connor could hear her steps and even they were perfect.
Mark then answered her with “My Tablet!” which made everyone in the class laugh and it pulled Connor out of his rampantly warring mind. Finally she got to him. Great, now everyone will laugh. Oh well I’ll just do it regardless.
Ms. Sarah called “What’s your name, Sir?”
“I’m Connor.” He said, forcing himself to look out of the window and not directly into her exquisite eyes. Just thinking about them again quickened the pace of his heart and he began feeling slightly flush. Thankfully his hair would hide most evidence of his reaction.
“Ok, Mr. Connor. How do you tell time?” She asked innocently.
“You’ll laugh like everyone else.” Taking a deep breath through his nose was a mistake because she smelled too pleasant. Her fragrant smell already permeated the room. She smelled just like apples and strawberries. “I use nature as my time keeper!” He blurted out before the smell of her could make him any worse or spontaneously combust.
Everyone laughed, just as expected, but Connor heard a distinctive sigh amongst the boisterous laughter. He had to make sure he didn’t hear his imagination getting ahead of him once again.
Through the hair that shaded others from his eyes he looked at everyone around and for some reason Ms. Sarah stepped up right in front of his desk. By their will alone, his eyes went up and met her lovely emerald green eyes and noticed she wasn’t laughing or making fun at his expense, like the others. It was a first and for some reason Connor cherished her ignorant innocence of not knowing what everyone else thought of him. And she asked in her velvet coated voice “Can you give us some examples?”
Connor stared at her for a long moment and noticed that no one in the class currently laughed at his expense any longer. He forcibly tore his eyes away from her and noticed all of his classmates were staring slack jawed at her. He thought it was because no one has ever asked him such a question, in a polite way before. Only two people were smiling in encouragement, both Mark and Sarah. No Connor, its Ms. Sarah.
At last he answered what he knew that few others did, looking out the window again “The sun and the moon reveal day and night and were the original means of establishing time. There are four seasons; Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. I use the phases of the moon to tell the date, for even it is constant for setting time and date. It is more accurate than our calendar system because it stays remarkably the same, even as it moves further from the planet each year. Also tonight there will be a full moon, if you’re wondering. There is also the sun dial which our ancestors used as a clock by reading the dial’s shadow during the daylight hours. It must always face north to function properly.” Connor finished with confidence because he knew precisely what he was talking about. He finally looked up at Ms. Sarah and she had a look of nostalgia written on her expression (probably remembering something from her past.) The look revealed compelled him say something that apparently caught her off guard. “Another thing that would be pertinent Ms. Sarah, our ancestors also regarded balance as nature’s one true law. It’s balance is the only reason we can create a timeline.”
Ms. Sarah gasped and for the first time she truly looked upon him. Her green eyes were blazing, and he got the feeling that she was looking through him. Also there was this sudden and weird sensation, like someone scratching at his brain. It became quite irritating.
After a few moments, she turned away quickly and started to the front board. She said “Everyone please read chapter nine, section six and answer question number seven. Then turn your answers in at the end of class.” As she finished writing on the board, she slid into her chair. Her brow furrowed and Connor knew that look all too well. She began having a bad migraine.
While everyone began working on the assignment Mark leaned in close and quietly asked “What was that all about? Connor seriously, when you said something about balance, she looked like you were a long lost friend or lover. Or maybe a snake would be more precise.” adding a smile he continued “And you look like you finally found something you’ve always strived for, Buddy.”
“I’m just glad it’s Friday.” He sighed while trying to change the subject and answer the book’s question. When he finished answering the lengthy answer he looked up from his paper to noticed Ms. Sarah glancing back at him from under her eyelashes with a curious and delicate brow raised. Then she bit her bottom lip nervously, but the migraine remained plaguing her.
The bell rang and he turned in his answers, on her desk. Connor then strolled out the door and on his way. Kara sometime later met up with him at their usual spot. Pulling out the wagon from the thicket Kara asked “How was your day, Brother?”
Only one word came out “Weird” and he took off running back home.
***
Sarah asked an average good looking boy with silver eyes and jet-black hair the same question and he answered with “My Tablet!” and everyone giggled. I have found another class clown. Walking around the obvious jokester she saw the next participant. Now let’s ask the big guy staring out the window. His shaggy hair covered most of his feature and his eyes were hidden. He was wearing a black long sleeve shirt with black jeans. Black on Black? Not too many people can pull that off, but he can. His sandy blonde hair makes a good contrast to his outfit. He looks like he is avoiding me for some reason. To see if it was true she asked him “What’s your name, Sir?”
He still stared outside and answered the question without emotion.
“Ok, Mr. Connor. How do you tell time?” Please, I hope someone in here tells it like I do.
He replied. “You’ll laugh like everyone else.” He took a deep breath to steady himself. “I use nature as my time keeper!” And everyone in the class actually laughed at his honest answer.
Sarah sighed after finally finding the rare dying treasure, a person who can tell time without modern conveniences. And he abruptly looks away from the window and started looking around the room. Wow he heard me sigh during everyone’s vigorous laughter, he has good hearing. And the way he is scanning everything, he has the eyes of a hunter searching for his prey. Let’s test that theory.
Sarah took a step forward, barley a half step and finally saw the color of his eyes through his hair. His hazel eyes zeroed in on her instantly and her heart jumped in fright. Yes, he defiantly has the eyes of a predator, but there is something else too. What is it? She continued smiling and asked politely while feeling like something highly dangerous sat in the class. “Can you give some examples?” Everyone in the room became eerily silent.
What’s so shocking? Does anyone like this kid? Is he an outcast or something? She looked at his table partner Mark. He seems to be the only one encouraging Connor. That’s when their eyes fully connected and she felt a massive sensation flow through her body. Whoa, who is this kid? He is not like your typical student in this day and age. Also what in the world was that feeling?
He looked away again and that allowed her to take another breath. Thank goodness, I couldn’t move while his raptor like eyes were zeroed on me like some helpless prey. Yes, he defiantly has the eyes of a hunter. Now that I look closer, he looks slightly older than these other kids. Could he have been held back? Connor finally answered in his strong masculine voice. “The sun and the moon reveal day and night…” he then continued his moderately length explanation with perfect clarity that it gave her chills. Ok one thing is for sure, he’s been raised well. At least he tells time like the people of old did, like I still do. I have found someone who thinks like me. It’s rare to find anyone like this anymore, especially at his age. Then he truly surprised her by adding the last two sentences.
It felt as if lightning struck her whole being.
Who in the world is this kid? He spoke of balance like he knows of what I am. Connor might be too dangerous to my family. I have to know for sure. This will not be pleasant, but I need to know who he is or if he knows about me. For the first time in many months, she used her limited powers. Sarah dove deep into her mind to concentrate and then pushed out with her special innate sense with all the will she could muster and without being obvious to what she was doing. Then just before Sarah’s power reached Connor’s mind it felt like colliding into a brick wall at a full run. Why can I not read his mind? Then a thought came. Maybe I’m not at my best and my powers aren’t working properly. The whole time she was conversing with herself, Connor barely stared like he felt something.
Trying to change the mood and flow of the class Sarah broke contact with Connor and walk up to the chalkboard. Writing on the chalk board she said to the entire class, masking her worry quite well “Everyone please read chapter nine, section six and answer question seven. Then turn your answers in at the end of class.” Finishing writing she thought. Ok, now I need to get Connor out of my head and think of a solution to this problem… Oh man here it comes. Just as she started to sit down, the migraine hit with the power of an air horn on a hangover, inside her head. Pain throbbed behind her eyes and the back of her neck knotted to make the consequences known. It was truly painful, but not a surprise anymore. This is the always the cost of using my power without being balanced with a mate. Sarah always chastises herself after using her abilities.
Sarah noticed Connor caught her unconsciously glancing at him so she looked away and closed her eyes until the migraine went away just a little bit.
The bell rang suddenly like only a handful of minutes passed, but her mind remained elsewhere. As everyone left they put the papers on her desk. Her last thought was; I’d better tell Father and see what his opinion is about this kid I couldn’t get a read on.
As Sarah hesitantly pulled into the driveway of the new house for the second time, she looked up and knew only a few hours remained of daylight. The new home will be called home for the next five years or so. Sarah and her family choose wooded areas mainly for her because not only is it quieter, but no one can really see them if they do anything out of the ordinary. Turning off the ignition, she stepped out of the car and walked inside, through the garage. She sat the keys down on the counter and took off her shoes.
The migraine still throbbed, but not as severely.
On her way inside, she found her father as he sat in the living room. The two of them moved here to get things setup before her mother eventually gets here. That’s the worst problem, she isn’t here. When Jillian gets too far away from Jack he becomes imbalanced, so he drinks heavily to alleviate his sorrow and pain. Drowning in liquor wasn’t the best substitute, but not much else is. They have been together for over seven hundred years. Also when he is really mad or upset, he can become hostile to everyone around him. As Jack saw her enter the living room he slurred “Meet anyone more plain or annoying than you, Girl?”
She replied timidly to keep him from jumping into a blind, drunken rage. “Yes, Father, some new faculty seem pleasant enough and a few surprising students.” It was best to leave him alone when he’s like this.
“Surprising to you is Muck to me!” He said in an angry manner, not his usual relaxed state, and is always frightening to witness.
Sarah looked over to the table in front of him and saw that he has downed an entire bottle of whiskey since she left to teach this morning or was that his second? Well he’s drunk, I had better not tell him about what I felt from Connor… She then looked at her father and apparently he was using his powers to read her mind. Too late! He exited the chair with inhuman speed and stood right before her and the burst of movement forced Sarah to take an involuntary step back. He grabbed her shoulder as the empty bottle shattered on the ground and yelled while staring her eye to eye. “Who the hell is Connor!? And why couldn’t you read him?” Struggling, she somehow broke free of his grasp. He followed as she tried opening the door to put as much distance between them as possible. He seemed to have gone mad. Once she finally managed to open the door she tried running, only to fail. “Who or what is Connor!? If he is a threat us, you know I will have kill him.”
Stumbling out the front door, Jack watched as she fell. Sarah tried, but wasn’t able to get back up from under his murderous glare. All she could say in a calm voice was “He is just a child. I simply could not read his mind. All I know is he is not a threat to us…” Just then Sarah faintly heard an odd sound coming from up the road… squeaky wheels? It was an odd sound. Her father suddenly helped her up, angrily as he heard the same thing and knew well enough to not cause a scene. Even drunk, he knew they couldn’t reveal their true selves to outsiders.
“It must be that Big Mule pulling a little girl in a wagon again.” He said, answering her quizzical thoughts. Then Sarah caught sight of the Mule, as her father put it, and instantly recognized who ran. Her eyes went frightfully wide, almost flying out of their sockets.
Connor was running at an unbelievable pace while pulling a wagon with a little girl and not make any sound while running. Sarah guessed it was his sister. It was an odd sight that one doesn’t see these days with automobiles readily available everywhere. What was even odder was that Connor was breathing normally while running at a rigorous pace. He has amazing stamina for a boy his size. Connor slowed his stride when he caught sight of Sarah and her heart sped in response.
He had a worried look cross his facial features.
Two choices were the only ones available to Sarah. Either introduce her drunken father and hope he doesn’t put the pieces together, and who is currently in the mood for blood, or run away into the woods. She took off running towards the woods with her father demanding “Girl, get back here!”
Connor stopped completely as Sarah turned around to look at him before she ran into the woods. His expression became even more worried than before. She smiled at him, knowing he couldn’t possibly see her do so from the distance they stood apart, but in her head she said I’m more worried for you than you should be about me. I can’t bring you to harm. You’re innocent. She broke through the tree line of her property and disappeared, leaving as little of a trail as possible. None could follow from her skills.
After a few hours of running she had come to realize that not only was it getting very dark, but she didn’t know where she had come to find herself. Worse yet the stars were being blocked by clouds. Great now I’m lost! I’m going to be in for a very long night. Sarah collected some dry twigs and sticks that were scattered along the ground and put them together, and had no choice but to use her power yet again. Summoning up what energy she could spare, she created a very tiny flame inside the tender bundle. Luckily the collection of dead plants took the flame and she made a small fire to keep her company, keep warm and keep unwanted creatures at bay. Sarah worried about spending the night alone in a foreign forest, but at least Connor wasn’t harmed by her drunken father.
The middle aged man with silver haired yelled “Girl, get back here!”
Connor caught the sight of Sarah running away, almost as if her life depended on it. She stopped by the trees and then turned around to look at him, and at no one else, to smile, but it was her that eyes said ‘I’m trying to protect you, Connor.’ She turned away and burst through the tree line of her property.
The silver haired man turned sharply and went back inside his house and he staggered in. Drunk? Great she has a drunkard she has to live with.
Kara grabbed Connor’s attention “What was that about?”
“I’m not sure, but I don’t like it. I’d better get you inside, Sis.” He answered her while feeling unsure and worried for his teacher.
“I trust your instincts, Brother.” She said in the same tense manner, while looking worried herself. Kara got up and out of the wagon and went inside. Connor quickly put the wagon in the garage, and sat down on the front step, waiting for Sarah to come back. Looking up to the sky, he noticed how the clouds were moving and building. If Sarah doesn’t come home in three hours I’m going to track her down to see that she is alright. Looking up again he said to himself. “If she doesn’t, it’s going to rain in about six hours.” It was time to be patient and wait. Not something many were good at, but he excelled.
Three and a half hours went by and it began getting very dark and the clouds were building just as predicted. Connor hadn’t moved from the front step since he saw Sarah flee into the woods. The front door slowly opened up behind him. Light flooded from the living room all around where he sat on the porch step, looking like a large black rock with sandy blonde hair. Kara stepped around and into his line of sight to say “Brother? You’re worried about her huh?”
Replying to her question felt easy. “Yes, Kara, I am very worried.”
Kara kicked his shin gently saying “Go track her down then! You’re the best there is and she is probably lost if she hasn’t come back yet. This isn’t the city, Brother, there are animals out here capable of making a snack out of someone like her. I’ll be fine.” His sister wanted him to go.
Before he took off after Sarah, Connor called Mark’s apartment quickly, knowing it was his night off. “Hey Bud, I have to go do something. Will you come over to my house and keep an eye on Kara for me while I’m gone? Our neighbor drinks and it wouldn’t be good for my sister to be home alone.” And Mark seriously replied “Sure, no problem. Just inform me on what’s going on later, ok?” Connor said that it is more than fair.
He hung up the phone and Kara felt thankful for calling Mark over. She didn’t think of the neighbor while he ran into the woods alone. Connor then put on the outdoor hiking boots again, knowing the terrain isn’t the best and can be treacherous at the best of times, especially at night made everything worse. He still wore his black long sleeves and black pants and there wasn’t time to change into a new pair of clothes.
Walking into the garage, Connor grabbed Kara’s poncho from her bag and stuffed it into his pocket. He also walked over to his work bench and grabbed Tool. It is an outdoorsman’s necessity. It is a tool that has a hammer on one side and a sharp hatchet on the other. It is made of solid metal as is its shaft. Sliding the shaft of Tool into his pants belt loop, he thought. I hope that I don’t need this, but just in case I’d better keep it close. Thank goodness I sharpened it last night and… Connor looked into the bleak and cloudy sky becoming more engorged once again and thought I need to get going before it’s too late and her tracks wash away.
Finally he was off. Connor raced silently across his own yard, crossed the road and ran to the exact spot where he last saw Sarah in just a few moments. When he found where the leaves of a tree had broken from someone violently pushing through, he took off following her footprints as quickly as he could without losing her trail.
He stopped.
Suddenly he realized a few things after only a few yards. With a quick glance over his shoulder he realized that none could have witnesses how her trail she left behind altered so dramatically. Her strides became too far apart for her legs to be running normally, especially for a girl her size. She was also barely leaving a trail unlike your average person. Then he noticed a seriously big problem. She ran off barefooted, “Not Good!” he said to himself and quickened his pace instead of admiring her running technique.
He started sprinting beside her unique tracks and thought Nope, she is defiantly no amateur. No wonder why I had a suspicion about how she walked earlier in class. He smiled to himself, ready to take on her challenge.
Sarah didn’t stick to game trails like average people; she cut through brush that would make weaker people cringe, and without barely disturbing the foliage. She ran on top of rocks and tree roots instead of dirt and grass, limiting her impact while trying to hide her trail from any who would follow. Connor knew it was her because the rocks were pressed down into the dirt by something approximately Sarah’s weight, making the soil rise slightly up the sides of the small objects that were traversed upon. She avoided tree branches that would snap and reveal her presence. She clearly was an expert on avoiding being found, that is for certain.
Connor stopped suddenly when he found a perfect casting of her right footprint in the dirt after several miles of searching. It was pressed deep and most of the pressure of her foot had been placed over the ball instead of the heel. Her footprint announced that she had jumped, and powerfully at that. Looking forward, he noticed a thicket of dense ferns and saw that not one stem or leaf had been recently disturbed in weeks. Nearby tree limbs also remained mostly undisturbed, but some smaller twigs were snapped, all pointing in the same direction. She proved to be very good at avoiding a normal tracker, but normal wasn’t applied to Connor. He followed the trajectory that her foot pointed for her jump. He found where she landed on both feet. She had jumped well over fifteen feet, heavily, and easily cleared the thicket without much of trace. Those broken twigs also told that she had jumped that high as well.
Darkness grew until becoming pitch black because the fat clouds were still building and the clouds began hiding the full moon, plunging the night even darker. Little does Sara know I can track during a new moon as well as well as I can during the daylight hours. Connor’s eyesight and hearing had always been sharp and acute and his mom always said his genes were the best.
He began running again, following her the faint trail of footprints the rest of the way as safely in the darkness as he dared. Rushing would only serve to harm the rescue and she didn’t allow herself to be found, even after that impressive jump.
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