Balancer's Soul (33 page)

Connor stepped out of the bathroom to see
Sarah leaning on the wall, wearing a green top and white shorts.
“Well look who it is… My Knight looking more handsome than ever
before.” She pushed herself off the wall and gave him a good
morning kiss.

He loved living alone with her.

Before they left he grabbed Sarah’s bag while
she grabbed two thick sandwiches. They walked together through the
trees and ate their breakfast. They talked about nothing in
particular as they crossed the tree line of her parent’s property.
It was still a dark morning, and as they came upon Jillian’s house
they heard “Brother! Can I ride with Sarah this morning?” When she
ran up to them she stopped and her chocolaty eyes completely
widened. “Brother? Is that really you? It can’t be…”

“Yes Kara, it is.” Sarah said happily. His
easily excitable sister squealed and ran up to hug him, but she
stopped mid-jump and turned to hug Sarah instead.

“You are a miracle worker, Big Sister!” She
laughed with delight as did Sarah.

“Big Sister huh… so that’s
how you see her.”
“Kara, what do you think of my new
look?” Connor spun around just for her.

“I think no one will recognize you.
That will be a given.” And Sarah agreed. “Sarah, you going to need
to get a stick, a very
big
stick.”

“Why would I need one?”

Bluntly, Kara elaborated “To beat away
the competition. Now my brother is
Hot
and the girls are going to flock to him like
never before!” At her words, Sarah’s fear, insecurity and jealousy
came to life in her eyes like she might actually lose
him.

“Sarah, I am yours as you are mine. If anyone
comes between us I will stop them if they are a guy and you do the
same for the girls.” She smiled in acceptance.

Sarah looked at his obnoxious little sister
and then towards him. “I think we need to go. Connor, will you ride
with us?”

Connor shook his head. “No we can’t be seen
so close together until this last week of school is over. After
that, everything will be fair game.” She nodded in understanding,
but still looked upset. He walked up and kissed her. All of her
fears vanished instantly to be replaced with love. Connor felt
grateful he could do so much to her. Then she began winding her
fingers through his hair.

“Why don’t you two just get a room?” Kara
said impatiently.

Connor pulled away from Sarah to look at his
annoying little sister. “Why don’t you and Mark go do the same?”
Her face went red and she stomped away silently and in
embarrassment. He kissed Sarah’s head before starting his run.

It felt good to stretch his legs with a good
sprint through the trails that led to the school. Not a single
speck of dirt or piece of nature clung to the new attire. He ran as
fast as he could, almost flying through the forest and noticed that
since he’s built the cottage that he had become slightly faster. He
shaved nearly five minutes off his normal run and still felt great.
He didn’t even break a sweat.

Arriving at school Connor walked over to his
favorite tree and climbed it.

Mark showed up later with a shout. “Connor,
is that you up there?” Feeling better than ever he lunged out of
the oak tree and in front of Mark’s path as he walked up. “No Way!”
His jaw hung by its hinges.

“Yep, it’s me Bud. What do you think?” Connor
smiled meaningfully at his best friend.

Mark spoke, wide eyed, with his silver eyes
blazing with excitement. “I think that you’re now the manliest man
in the entire school. It looks like I’ve finally gotten some honest
competition. No one will notice who you are with that new look. I
can’t wait till they realize...”

They talked continually until the first
morning bell rang. Staring straight ahead through the hallways
Connor heard what people were saying with his excellent
hearing.

From some of the guys he heard “Who is that?
Is he new here?” “What is up with those muscles?” “Is he a pro
bodybuilder or something?” “What is he doing here?” “We need him
for football practice.” “Could he be a student or a new teacher?”
And on and on it went.

From some of the girls: “Who is that
hunk?” “Is he a movie actor?” “Did you see his
butt
? What about those arms?” “Who
is
he?” “Do you think he’s nice or
naughty? I’m hoping naughty.” The schools female population’s
gossip grew more rowdy and racy from there.

During lunch, Mark sat beside Connor while he
crossed his ankles on the bench and threw his head back to enjoy
the sun with closed eyes. All this attention was new, but ever so
fun to watch people trip over themselves. Everyone kept glancing at
him as he looked around the courtyard towards the end of the
allotted time before the next class.

One timid little girl approached the two of
them while Connor glanced around her to see a flock of other girls
telling her to go on and speak to him. “Excuse me?” She said
quietly and timidly. She wore a purple top and beige short. She was
cute, but nothing compared to his goddess.

“May I help you?” She almost jumped out of
her skin as Connor spoke deeply and with unleashed confidence.

“Umm… Yes, my friends and I would like to
know what you are doing at our school so late in the year. Where
did you transfer from?”

Connor laughed as did Mark. They’ve been
waiting all day for someone to have the nerve to come up and
personally ask those questions. “I didn’t transfer in from
anywhere. I have always gone to this school. I’m Connor.”

“I don’t understand? Connor who? I don’t ever
remember you coming here. I would have remembered. No one around
here looks like you do.” She looked honestly confused.

“Let me try another way. You might know me by
my nickname.” Mark still laughed as his friend continued to tease
the poor girl. Connor forced his expression to remain calm, but he
wanted to laugh as hard as Mark was doing.

“What is your nickname?” She really wanted to
know despite Mark’s incessant laugh.

Connor leaned forward and froze her
with his stare, enjoying the reaction. “Everyone here Call’s
me…
The Black Sheep
!” He said
in an annoyed voice.

As she tried to remember the nickname and
place it with her older memory of him, she froze completely still
suddenly. Her face paled and she looked at him again, more closely.
She then looked at Mark who no longer laughed and he nodded in
confirmation. Her voice became shaky “Umm… Connor I… I have to… a…
a…” She turned and ran as fast as she could back to her friends,
and for safety. As she told them who he was, their faces paled and
they looked at him and back to her like she just lied to them.

Connor stood up from the bench and Mark
followed as he walked up to the girl’s table. The students in the
courtyard followed his movements as he walked over to them. The
little girl who had the nerve to talk, moved over, but stayed close
enough to hear what he had to say. Connor leaned down so that only
the girls at the table could hear what was to be said. He spoke
softly, but they didn’t move or breathe. “Yes ladies. It is me
Connor, the Black Sheep.”

One girl bluntly said “But it’s impossible.
Why would you look the way you did, if you look so…”

Mark spoke up and saved him because Connor
was going to say something not appropriate to say in front of a
lady. “He is finally done with everyone kicking him around. He’s
now showing everyone who they’ve been messing with.”

The first bell rang a few seconds later. Mark
and Connor walked away and as they did, almost everyone flocked to
the girls table and stopped when they saw their stunned faces. It
made the two of them laugh all the more.

Just before the last bell rang, signifying
the start of science, Connor opened the door and walked into class.
Mr. V. walked up to Connor with guarded eyes as he looked the
student over. The old man stared directly at his knotted arms for a
minute, probably trying to figure out if he was dangerous. In fact
Connor was; if he dared cross him again. As he looked down at the
teacher he asked sharply. “Excuse me, but I think you have the
wrong class.”

The rest of the class watched him and he
heard one guy ask quietly to his peer “Is the new guy in our
class?” “Nah, this class is already full.”

“You’re wrong Mr. V. I am in this class and
have been all year.”

“Bull… I think I should know all my students
by now!” He snarled while getting a little red and sweaty.

“Really? Is that so? Hmm… I wonder?” Connor
easily sidestepped him, making him gasp at the level of agility he
possessed. He walked through the rows of chairs to his empty desk
as everyone in the class silently watched the leisurely gait.

Connor sat in his usual desk in the back of
class and as the sun hit him his armlet flashed its reflection in
Mr. V’s face. The annoying teacher’s expression paled as he began
putting the pieces together and his voice sounded in disbelief. “It
cannot be! Connor?” Everyone in the class started mumbling his name
to one another with mistrust and skepticism.

Connor silenced the crowd by saying “I’m back
and not one damn person in this school knew who I truly was. I’m
done taking your taunts and punishments because your personal lives
are miserable. Now you can all see who I really am.”

Mr. V. hates cursing, unless he does it
himself. Such a hypocrite. His voice steeled and took on a
demeaning tone. “Connor, why do you look like that? Are you on
drugs or something?” His face turned red with fury.

“Are you going to start class or are we going
to start playing twenty questions?” Connor sounded bored because he
was; especially with the teacher. A girl in the front of the class
giggled at the forceful question to take the spotlight off himself
and put it back on the teacher.

Mr. V. remained angry, but chose the right
path and started class.

Mr. V. was doing the day’s lecture while
standing behind the computer on his desk. During his lengthy speech
he stated “There are only one hundred and sixteen elements in the
periodic table of the elements…”

“Wrong! There are one hundred and
eighteen currently known elements and it is still growing with each
and every scientific discovery and manmade breakthrough! Science
isn’t set in stone and is subject to change, you should learn to do
the same.” His expression was in shock. Connor took it as a sign to
finally put him in his rightful place. “The elements are separated
into two broad classifications; Metals and Nonmetals. The Metals
are then broken and divided again into Alkali, Alkaline
Earth,
Lanthanides
,
Actinides
, Transition elements,
Other metals and Metalloids. The Nonmetals break down into Other
nonmetals, Halogens and noble gasses. Anything that hasn’t been
classified yet is put into the Unknown category until it can be
properly manufactured or found. Some have theorized that there are
more than two hundred and fifty elements, but until the theories
can be effectively applied or discovered we’ll not know.” He spoke
clearly so that Mr. V. and everyone else could hear him.

The entire class looked at him as if
Connor had lost his mind for interrupting a teacher, while the vein
in Mr. V’s forehead vein visibly pulsed. His face became even
redder, if it could be possible. “Connor!” He yelled directly at
him. “I will not be disrespected in my own class!”

Connor zeroed his eyes onto
the balding hypocrite. “You mean like how you have
always
disrespected me
in front of everyone!” Connor’s temper rose, but his voice turned
to cold steel. The teacher looked like he was going to murder him
until Connor stood up from his seat. He stared down the science
teacher like he was a misbehaving child. His classmates took a
quick deep breath and held it.

Mr. V’s. face began to pale and ashen
as Connor walked around his table and stood in the man’s personal
space. He stood with his back facing the class as Connor stood in
front of him, staring down upon him with cold anger. To the
students it must have looked like a fat, balding miniature poodle
faced off an enraged and massive Great Dane. He set his angered
gaze to look down the pompous fool in front of him. One forceful
command passed Connor’s teeth that the teacher probably has never
heard before from a student. “Move!”

As he obeyed and moved over from the
computer Connor felt the atmosphere of the class change and
actually heard the class exhale a deep breath, as one, with relief.
As Connor bent down to work on his computer he went on the internet
and pulled up an updated Periodic table. Once it was pulled up he
stood tall, towering over the now weak man who was all bark
compared to Connor’s bite.

“I said you were
wrong
Mr. V. Look here
at the element chart and it back’s my objection to your outdated
chart that is over forty years old.” Walking past him and back to
his seat the teacher looked down at the computer and looked over
the screen. Sitting down at his chair Connor caught his attention
again. “Next time, study up before you look like a fool in front of
all your students. Especially, if there is a student who knows more
about the elements and sciences than you do!”

After a minute of stunned silence Mr.
V said in a restrained voice “Alright Mr. May, let’s see if you are
as good as you say you are.”

Over the next fifteen minutes he gave
an oral quiz in the middle of class. Connor answered all of his
questions instantly and correctly as he read off of the computer in
front of his desk. Having an eidetic memory came in handy. The
teacher let out a sigh and looked up in disbelief “How do you know
all of this?”