Balancer's Soul (6 page)

He sat it down in the mud, “Don’t worry, I
never go into the woods without this. My granddaddy made this for
me when I was little. He wanted me to have something with multiple
purposes, yet remained simple and sturdy. One half is a hammer and
the other is a hatchet, and any object worth its weight in gold
needs a name so I call it Tool.”

“Tool?” Sarah asked in confusion.

“Yeah, Tool because it can’t be used by
itself. It needs a wielder to be used.” And he smiled.

“Interesting.” Changing subject back to
Connor’s earlier questions she reluctantly said “Ok Connor. I
cannot tell you everything about me, but I will say something on
one condition.”

“And that would be?” He asked
skeptically.

“Simply call me Sarah from now on, not
Ms. Sarah. I’m not big on titles.” When she said that he smiled a
smile that made her heart beat like drums in her ears.
“Well that settles it, it apparently weren’t the
questions.”
Sarah returned with her own shy
smile.

“I can handle that, Sarah.” He said while
still smiling.

“Ok, as you said I’m
odd
. I can do things that most others
can’t even imagine. For example: run like the wind and jump
difficult distances. I can also do other things that I can’t tell
just anyone until I find my mate. Will that be a sufficient answer
for you?” Looking hopeful was all she had left.

To her surprise again he asked “You’ve been
searching for him for a very long time, huh?”

Looking down yet again she replied
“Yes, a
very
long
time.”

“How long have you been searching?” His voice
sounded content.

“Might as well tell the
truth.”
“Around three hundred years.”

Surprised yet again he didn’t laugh, scream
or make a joke at her expense. He said without any proof “Sounds
about right.”

“What?” Sarah looked up and directly at him
in astonishment “How can you possibly believe such a gross amount
of years?”

He replied “In a few ways: The way that
you walk and move around has no wasted movements. That can only
come from either harsh physical training or many years of
experience. Since you look like you’re in your late teens or early
twenties
and
you don’t have
the build of someone who trains regularly, that only leaves me to
believe you have years of experience. And the biggest tipoff to me
are from your eyes.”

“My eyes?” Sarah began blinking in confusion
while shaking off some rain.

“The eyes never lie. When I look into your
emerald green eyes, by the way your eyes are my favorite color,
you’re eyes say ‘I’m much older than I appear.’ Also I knew that
today wasn’t the first time you’ve taught a class before. You lied
to everyone, but apparently I was the only person who could tell.”
He crossed his arms over his massive chest and grinned at her. He
enjoyed her warring expressions.

The entire time he explained, her pulse
steadily beat faster as he spoke with such confidence. When he
mentioned the color of her eyes being his favorite, her pulse did a
back-flip and flared her features to be red hot. Her only hope was
that the darkness hid the color.

When he finished she tried to laugh,
but it came out as a school girl’s giggle.
“Oh yeah, very mature Sarah.”
She growled at
herself internally.

“What?” He asked, looking confused at the
reasoning behind the giggle.

“I just cannot believe how perceptive you
are, let alone me telling you how old I really am.” Sarah blurted
out again. Feeling like Connor had a right to know, at least a
portion of what she was about.

“Well Sarah it’s not everyday that you find
out that your History teacher has lived about as long as our
American History books.” Now he had a full blown grin spread across
his rugged features again.

Sarah truly and easily laughed at that.

Looking concerned he stated “It has
been a very long day and I can tell that you have had another and
recent painful headache.”
“He caught that
too?”
She thought to herself. At that same moment he
spoke as if he was reading her mind. “Yes, I saw you get a headache
right after you looked at me. It felt weird, like you were
scratching my brain and looking through me at the same
time.”

“Do you ever miss
any
details?” He simply smiled wryly. Sarah
sighed saying “Well Connor, I can’t tell you about that…Yet. It is
a rather personal subject of mine.” After that her heart beat like
a humming bird’s wings. She felt elated, at least in a way, to even
consider telling him about more of her secret.

Changing subject Connor calmly said “Ok
Sarah. Now get some rest, I’ll be up anyway so I will keep a look
out for any dangers.”

“Ok Connor. Thank you and goodnight.” Sarah
was actually tired and her throbbing headache and pain behind her
eyes weren’t helping matters. As she tried to find a spot to lie
down Sarah heard Connor let out a deep sigh and she looked at him
again, he stood up.

“What is it?” She became alarmed again.

“I cannot let you put your head on the cold
and wet ground to sleep Sarah. It is just too uncomfortable out
here to sleep normally.”

As she said “That’s alright Connor. I
can manage.” he started walking over to Sarah’s side and sat
directly next to her right thigh. He then crossed his large legs.
The heat and scent he gave off were so calming and pleasant.
“Wait… why is he so warm?”
“Connor,
aren’t you cold?”

“Nah, the rain has never bothered me.”

Instinctively, she leaned into him and the
warmth. The very moment they touched for the first time she felt a
sudden and unexpected jolt of energy shoot right through her entire
body and apparently Connor felt it in himself too. They both pulled
away from the sudden shock, but neither moved from where they sat.
They stared at each other for awhile until Sarah became too tired
to keep her eyes open. Leaning on Connor again she felt the jolt
again, but this time neither of them pulled away. He put his left
arm around her and she had never felt more comfortable or as safe
being in his arms.

Almost instantly, his warmth seeped into her
and was so pleasant that she could scarcely believe what had
happened and was transpiring at the moment.

The last thoughts that she remembered
was,
“Good night Connor and thank you for
coming to my aid. I’m deeply grateful. It was great getting to meet
you. I hope we can become close friends in the future.”

As Sarah, continued wearing Kara’s
poncho and gently sleeping on his shoulder, Connor stared out into
the quiet and rainy night. His clothes were cool and wet yet his
mind weren’t on the clothes, but on this beautifully young yet
ancient woman sleeping upon his shoulder.
“Wow she is so pretty. She seems so frail, but she did things
even I would have difficulty doing. By the way what is this shock
that isn’t stopping while I hold her?”
Then a strange
noise caught his undivided attention and pulled him from his
thoughts.

Connor scanned all around, searching
their surroundings for the source of this slow and soft sound. Then
he felt the gentle vibrations on his occupied shoulder and so he
looked down. Sarah began sleeping soundly and so deeply that he
barley realized she was snoring.
“Well now
isn’t her snore adorable. Hmm the last time I heard someone snoring
was Kara yet hers were so very annoying and more than a touch
disturbing. I put a stop to that instantly by putting my old hiking
socks in her mouth. Since then, Kara hasn’t snored once.”
Connor smiled to himself at remembering that day.
“Well I adore your snore Sarah and I’ll never put
a gag in your mouth.”

“Isn’t this something
unprecedented, I’ve never had thoughts about anyone like you before
Sarah and we have only just met this day. I’m just glad she doesn’t
look at me as a freak as others do.”
His thoughts
remained on only one subject: Sarah.

A few hours later the clouds ended
their liquid barrage and cleared, and he was right there was a full
moon tonight. Its soft pale glow brightened the surroundings and
reflected off her flawless features and ethereal beauty.
“I wonder what others will think of Sarah and I?
...Yeah right, like that will ever happen… Dream on Connor! She’s
at least three hundred!!! And I’m nineteen…”

Later the sky began to brighten and
Connor knew that dawn will be approaching in about an hour.
“Well I’d better wake up my princess…Wait when did
she become mine”?
Somewhere in the back of his mind,
the possessive part answered
“When you
decided to protect her even more fiercely than Kara…”
“Oh well.” he said quietly

Pulling Sarah closer to himself he put his
lips close to her ear and whispered “Sun’s almost up, Princess.
It’s time to wake up.” The closeness to her stirred his raging
heartbeat and he felt the radiating warmth of her skin upon his
lips. And her scent became even more intoxicating up close.

As she turned her head to his voice she
opened her eyes to find Connor’s face just an inch away. Her
fluttering eyes shot wide open, but to his surprise she didn’t lean
away from their closeness. In fact she seemed comfortable. As he
continued to stare into those deep and beautiful green eyes, one
thought kept repeating in his mind.
“Kiss
her. Kiss her. Kiss her…”

The breeze shifted bringing the smell
of wild apples.
“Yes, I had better get
Sarah something to eat. She must be a little famished.”
He thought quickly. He regretfully pulled his head away from
hers saying “Are you hungry? I smell apples. I’ll go get us some
breakfast.”

“Ok I’ll be right here.” She said quietly,
not once looking away.

Connor got up, took a few steps over from
where he sat earlier and slid Tool back into his belt loop. As he
left the small clearing he felt Sarah staring at him

***

“What a great dream…”
“Sun’s almost up Princess, time to wake up.”
“Why? I’m so happy right here. Just a little
longer, please… Oh what a deep and sexy voice… Connor?”

At that moment Sarah slowly turned her
head to the sound of his voice and her eyes shot open, finding
Connor’s handsome features just inches from her own. She stop dead
in her tracks and held herself completely still.
“Don’t move Sarah.”
She told herself
wildly.
“Wow! I can’t look away from those
soul piercing hazel eyes.”
Another part of her told
him,
“Kiss me. Kiss me. Kiss me…”
All the while he held her Sarah’s heart kept beating faster
and faster. This was the best wake up of her existence. Only she
hoped he couldn’t hear her heart beating.

Feeing a soft breeze chill the cold
plastic on her back Connor pulled away from her very slowly.
“No! Don’t go.”
He tilted his head up
and sniffed the air for something. She did as well, but couldn’t
detect anything except the fresh smell after a good rain. He spoke
quickly in embarrassment “Are you hungry? I smell apples. I go get
us some breakfast.”

“No. Don’t go. Stay here
with me.”
Instead iv voicing that plea she heard
herself say “Ok I’ll be right here.”

Connor stood up, taking his warmth with him,
but his musky male scent lingered and she enjoyed it. He picked up
Tool his hammer/hatchet thing and Sarah watch him disappear into
the dark forest. His walk was so silent that if she wasn’t watching
him leave, she would swear he didn’t exist. He then melded into the
forest like the shadows and Connor were one again.

Thinking back to when their faces were
so close, her face flushed so brightly that the tips of her ears
burned hotter than ever.
“Wait! Did I
really want Connor to kiss me?”
In the back of her
mind she heard a voice demand
“YES!”

Sarah realized in the short time of
being alone that she still wore the poncho that Connor loaned, yet
the rain was long gone and the sun brought the dawn again.
“Not only is he sweet; he thought ahead to keep me
dry and warm…”
She slid the poncho over her head and
sat it aside after folding it back up and knocking out much of the
rain.

“Now it is my turn to be patient and wait on
Connor, after all he took time out of his life to see that I was
ok.”

***

“Alright time to go back to
Sarah. Six apples should be enough to satisfy us for a little
while.”
Stepping back into the small clearing Connor
stopped dead in his tracks. Sarah just sat there, comfortable yet
alert, like a regal queen.

When she finally realized he returned she
said in a sly way “Finally! You're back, Connor. I’m hungry, how
many did you bring?”

“Six.” He said, still mesmerized by her
beauty and lovely smile.

Connor sat down in front of her and handed
over three apples. She bit into the apple and groaned with
pleasure. Apparently she was quite hungry. She ate the other two
that were given in quick order. So he gave her his last one since
he already finished off two.