Balancer's Soul (18 page)

Jack squeezed his hand back just as
hard.
“You are stronger than I gave you
credit for old man.”

Both men poured all of their hand strength to
the other’s and by the looks of it no one seemed to be winning, but
Jack gritted his teeth and his face reddened. He was by far the
strongest man Connor has ever faced by the judge of hand strength.
From the look in his eyes, Jack was nearly beyond shocked about
Connor’s innate strength as well. Some part of Connor explained
that he didn’t need to hold his true strength back from this
man.

At exactly the same time, Jillian slapped
Jack’s shoulder as Sarah slapped Connor’s. Simultaneously they said
“Grow Up!” They were definitely mother and daughter.

Jack and Connor smiled at each other and both
quickly apologized for acting like childish fools.

Jillian took Jack’s hand in her own and they
both sat together on the couch facing the window. Sarah took
Connor’s hand and they sat on the other loveseat, facing her
parents and she let go of his hand as they settled in. Jack sat
thigh to thigh while holding hands with Jillian.

Jack looked directly across the table and
started the conversation. “So Connor, Jillian said that you passed
her tests. It is now my turn.” His expression remained unreadable
and ancient. “I have only one question and request.” His features
gave away nothing, but his voice shone full of concern and
worry.

“What’s your question, Jack?” Connor felt
oddly confident and it truly was complimented in the tone of his
voice and posture. Jack calmly asked “What are your honest feelings
towards my daughter?” Concern now dominated his eyes as well as his
voice.

Connor looked into those beautiful green eyes
that makes him forget who and where he is in an instant. He turned
his head to look back at Jack directly, before forgetting his
place. “Ever since I first laid my eyes on Sarah I fell completely
for her. Since then, I can never stop thinking about her and only
her. I can’t stop my eyes from following her every move or not hang
on her every word. Even when my eyes shut I can still see her
standing before me. If I could have a choice I would spent an
eternity with Sarah and I would not have any regrets for as long as
I lived.”

Jack nodded once while Jillian’s eyes were
sparkling excitedly and she wore a pleased smile. Then Connor felt
a sensation as Sarah took his hand into hers again. He turned to
look at her and noticed that her green eyes were full of unshed
tears, but she was smiling his favorite smile. Connor asked “What’s
the matter, Princess? Did I say something wrong?”

Sarah shook her head and leaned in
closer to lay the side of her head upon his shoulder. “Nothing is
wrong, Connor, it’s just that I feel the exact same way for you.”
She buried her face in his arm in embarrassment. She was still
trying to hide from her family.
“What’s
wrong? What are you so afraid of Sarah?”

Jack cleared his throat.
“
Princess
? Connor, by now you
should know that Sarah hates pet names and childish endearments.”
Now Jack got his full attention, because she never said otherwise.
“Not from him!” Sarah shot back forcefully in a voice that shocked
everyone, including Connor. He’s never heard such a forceful
reaction come from her before.

Jillian burst into a fit of laughter while
Jack blinked like Sarah had never spoken to him that way in her
entire life. Connor looked into his favorite colored eyes and Sarah
tried nuzzling back into his arm, trying to hide again. The heat in
her face seeped into his covered arm

After Jillian could breathe normally, Jack
continued “I accept your answer. Now Connor, for my request…” He
leaned forward. “Keep our daughter safe, protect her, for much will
depend on it.” He was being very serious and his azure eyes meant
every word and something more.

Sarah looked up from his arm and grinned and
Connor returned with a grin of his own. Jillian tried to cover a
laugh with a cough that didn’t work over too well.

“What? Am I missing something here?” Jack
pleaded to Jillian and she affectionately said “Listen My Love, it
is not my place to tell their secrets. Right, Connor?” Jillian
winked at the boy knowingly.

“Your right about that, Jillian.” Connor
winked back.

“Will someone please tell me what the hell is
going on behind my back? This is really starting to get on my
nerves.” He really was getting upset until Jillian touched his arm
and he visibly calmed down.

Sarah answered to her father’s question.
“Father, Connor has been my protector since we first met.”

“Elaborate.” He meant it. She looked at
Connor and nodded because she gave him her approval. “The day I
heard you yelling at Sarah and she ran off into the forest alone, I
tracked her down for fearing she might have gotten lost or became
hurt.”

Jack held his full attention on Connor, but
then he gave a look of doubt. “Get real! There is no way that you –
A mere child – could track Sarah down, in the wild. She’s
untraceable even to…” He sounded sarcastic and a little
annoyed.

Ignoring the remark Connor looked at Sarah.
“I believe that you should tell them about what happened on our
trip home.”

“I agree that it will help them better
understand what we’ve already been through…together.” Jillian and
Jack looked at each other in confusion and worry. Apparently
Jillian didn’t see that part of their fateful beginning. Sarah
turned to them and said “As Connor was guiding me back home, a
cougar attacked us!”

Jillian cut Sarah an incredulous look and
asked “A real Cougar? Sarah how did you kill a Cougar? You aren’t
strong enough yet. You’re only slightly stronger and faster than an
Olympic athlete.”

“I didn’t do the deed, but Connor did. I was
too afraid to do anything except stand there and look like a pretty
treat. Connor was the only one to keep a level head and saved both
of us.” Sarah then looked at her father meaningfully. “He killed it
with only one hit.”

Her parents were struck speechless, so Connor
continued the story. “And then yesterday, a student in class made
Sarah fall off of a desk while she was fixing the clock. I barely
caught her before she landed, possibly breaking her neck. I turned
her over in midair, taking the brunt of the impact solely upon
myself.” Connor started getting angry at remembering what happened
and his free hand clinched into a tight fist. “I wanted to kill him
for even attempting to harm her.”

Jack’s face turned slightly red with rage and
his voice matched it, at hearing this. “Why the hell didn’t you
kill him then, Connor?”

Both Sarah and Jillian laid a soft and
comforting hand on their shoulders and left it there. After a short
time, the two enraged men calmed and Jillian spoke quietly to
Sarah. “Any good man would obliterate anything that might bring
harm to their mate or offspring. It’s their natural protective
instinct.”

Sarah then spoke clearly to her father.
“Connor would have killed the insolent student if I didn’t stop him
myself.”

“Sarah did the right thing, My Love.” Jillian
said to Jack calmly as she tucked a loose strand of silver hair
behind his ear. Connor then saw true love in their eyes as they
looked at each other.

With the two men calmer now, Jack asked
pleasantly “What proof do you have that supports your claims? These
days, people lie and make it sound as truth.”

As Connor began quickly thinking, he came up
with “Do you want physical proof or can mental proof be enough for
you?”

“Mental proof?” He asked and Connor knew he
was testing him so he said “I’m sorry Jack, but I thought you could
read minds like Jillian.”

He looked down at Jillian “You’ve told
him we can read minds? Is our secret that meaningless?” He sounded
like he was used to her impulsiveness. She shook her head to
quickly say “No, My Love, Connor actually
felt
me reading his mind and asked me to stop. I
had to use quite a bit of power to get through his powerful mental
defenses. He is quite a remarkable young man. It was harder than
seeing into Ben Franklin’s mind.” She then smiled at the two of
them with a wry smile.

Jack turned back and looked at him
again. “Yes, I can read minds like my mate here. Also I will accept
your
mental proof
if it is
sufficient enough.”

“Ok please just give me a moment to collect
my thoughts.” Sarah placed her other hand on his thigh while they
still held hands. She spoke too “Father, read my mind as well to
see from a different perspective.” After collecting their thoughts,
Sarah and Connor told him “Ok.” Jack closed his eyes and instantly
there was a painful sensation inside his head reading trough
personal thoughts and observations. Unfortunately, Jack’s mind was
even more painful than either Jillian’s or Sarah’s, but Connor had
to push beyond the blinding pain and show what needed to be
seen.

Connor began to think first about trying to
track Sarah’s difficult trail. Jack then started speaking to
himself. “Wow. Even with almost no visible light… You are a very
skilled tracker…” Killing the cougar came easy to pull to the front
of his mind because one’s fright and terror is easy to recall in
detail. “Now that’s a hit… You’re exceptionally strong, but I
already knew that.” And finally, catching her before she landed on
the ground at school was frightening itself. “You sure are fast,
even better than most athletes…Good, I see that you would have
killed him if Sarah didn’t stop you.” Unable to withstand any more
pain from the onslaught, Connor demanded “STOP!” and the pain eased
almost instantly. He rested his head on his hands and tightly
gripped his hair because the pain was even more uncomfortable than
Jillian’s. Connor had begun panting heavily without even realizing
it. Through the pounding headache he heard Jack whisper “You’re
right he has extremely strong mental defenses. That was…
challenging.”

Sarah began slowly and gently rubbing his
back for she didn’t feel the pain as he did. “Father, these are
just some of the reasons we are together.” Connor finally looked up
from his hands and for the first time, he saw Jack wearing an
honest smile on his face.

“Connor, you have passed my test.” He looked
at Jillian to announce “Since he has passed both of our tests and
understands the value of secrecy, I believe it is time to reveal
our secret.”

“Finally, I get to learn
about all about this.”
Connor thought to himself.
Sarah’s hands start trembling in fear and anxiety before she
stopped rubbing his back. He looked at her and saw she was
genuinely frightened for some inexplicable reason. To ease her
apprehension, he laced his fingers with hers so that she knew that
she wasn’t alone in this. She then stopped fidgeting as their eyes
met again.

Jillian caught his attention a few moments
later by sighing “Connor, it is time for you to know what we are.”
Steeling herself, she explained “We are of an ancient race of
immortal beings, better known as Balancers!”

When Sarah’s mother and father
eventually told Connor that he had passed each of their tests, she
suddenly became nervous and deathly afraid of what was about to
come next.
“It really is time to do this. I
thought I was prepared after all this time, but at this moment its
frightening… Connor, I won’t be angry if you run away after knowing
about my family’s secret, but please don’t hate me for what I am.
Please…”

Connor wove his fingers between hers after
she began drawing her hand away from his back. Then Sarah realized
that her body trembled all over because their hands were the only
things that weren’t fidgeting in expected fear. It made her become
self-conscious of her reactions, but grateful for his solid
grounding. He looked at her in a special way that said ‘Everything
will work out so stop shaking.’ The vibrations of her body ceased
instantly after he smiled her favorite smile.

“Connor, it is time for you to know exactly
what we are.” Jillian leaned forward seriously to emphasize her
meaning. “We are of an ancient race of immortal beings, better
known as Balancers!”

Connor looked up at the ceiling and
mumbled “Balancers… Balancers…
Balancers
… BALANCE!” He lowered his head and his
eyes were fixated on Sarah’s. “The very first day we met and I was
explaining in class how I told time, I said something about balance
being nature’s one true law. You looked at me almost dangerously.
Then I felt you trying to search through my thoughts. Were you
trying to see if I knew what you were?” He questioned
seriously.

“Yes, and to see if you were a threat to me
or my family.” Sarah spoke quietly and honestly, knowing she didn’t
have anything to hide from him anymore.

“Now I understand…” Still looking at her he
calmly said “And when you told Jack about me, he was drunk and
furious about you not being able to get a read on me, right? That’s
why you fled off into the woods, to take his attention off of me
and focus it all on yourself.” All she could answer with was a weak
nod.

‘Ahem.’ Jillian cleared her throat in minor
annoyance, they were in their personal world again and forgot about
her parents presence momentarily. It didn’t last long, but they
returned to the conversation. Jillian was getting rather annoyed so
Connor and Sarah broke the bubble to look back at her oddly
hesitant mother. “May I continue the story?”

“I’m sorry. Jillian, please continue.” Connor
said apologetically.

Jillian slid even closer to her one true love
and he didn’t want it any other way. She laid her hand down on his
thigh gently while Jack laid his arm around Jillian’s lower back,
to hold her hip. She looked up at him and they both smiled. They
smiled the same way Connor and Sarah smile at each other, with
love, admiration and desire. Sarah finally understood what it was
like to truly be in love.