Balancer's Soul (39 page)

“Hey Jack, what’s your element?”
Connor’s playful side emerged as he jumped past Jillian’s
explanations. He began acting like a little kid who just received a
new and shiny toy.

Her father threw his head back and
laughed and when he settled down he said “My element is…
Fire!”

Connor stepped back when
Jack pulled most of the heat around the area and ignited a flowing
fireball the size of a regulation softball. Connor said quickly and
respectfully “I’m ok, but please don’t throw it at me.”
“Wow Princess I wonder what our elements will be?
Hey I’m going to be a kid for a moment. Love you!”
Connor quickly kissed her head and turned to her
father
“Hey Jack? READY… SET… GO!” and
Connor suddenly ran as quickly as his new abilities could take him
through the woods.

Not one to be outdone, Sarah’s father
soon had a challenging grin on just before he took off after
Connor, while still holding the fireball. “Boy, you’ve got a lot to
learn…” and they both disappeared in the forest. The pull of the
bond told her just how quickly her mate was traveling.

“Connor is something else isn’t he,
Sarah?” Her mother stepped next to her as they walked back to her
parent’s house.

“I know. That’s why I love
him, but tell me why
you
think so?” Sarah asked in a voice of
awe.

“Besides being an unprecedented
Balancer, as far as I know, he has turned this family upside down.
I have only seen your father have that look of challenge and follow
through with it only three times since... never mind. I will say it
again though, your mate is so much fun.”

As they made it to the house, Connor
and her father sat on the front step together, just laughing. “Who
won boys?” Sarah asked. Connor’s knees were dirty for some reason.
The two men looked as excited as before.

“Jack did. I was startled and tripped
in the dirt when a fireball whizzed over my head.” and Connor
laughed.

“Father! You didn’t?” She almost
yelled at the allegation.

“It was just a small one.” Connor
playfully punched Jack’s shoulder like they were now the best of
friends. It was a sight to behold. They both started laughing at
their own immaturity.

“Just you wait Jack, when I find my
element, we are going to have a rematch.” They both stood up, ready
for another challenge and went inside.

Jillian started to actually cry and
wore a haunted smile when she knew they weren’t watching. “I
haven’t seen your father this playful since Amber was a child.” And
Sarah hugged her knowing why her father hasn’t had fun since then.
After her mother’s tears dried up they went inside. Now it was time
to discover just what element they can use.

Connor sat next to Sarah as her father
brought out the simple items for the tests. He placed five
different objects on the coffee table that occupied the space
before them. The table held two solid cubes of metal, a cup of
water in an antique clay bowel, a lit candle, a black river stone
and two inflated balloons.

Connor picked the balloon up. “I get
most of the objects like the cube for Metal, the candle flame for
Fire, the cup for Liquid and the stone for Terra. What is the
balloon’s element?”

“It is for testing for the element
Pressure” Jillian explained. “It is better than using a leather
bladder like when we tried to find our element.”

Jillian sat down in the loveseat
across from them, to explain the tests while Jack moved around to
stand behind Connor. “Connor, this is the simplest way to find the
element that you’re compatible with. Since your new to this world
and haven’t accumulated enough energy yet, Jack is going to stand
behind you and supply you with some extra stamina.” Connor looked
behind at Sarah’s father and nodded. “Connor, take off your shirt.
To transfer energy you need to touch skin to skin.” Her mother said
and he didn’t question. He took his shirt off and laid it on the
floor beside him. Jack then put both of his palms over Connor’s
shoulder blades. And his hands began to faintly glow.

Form and
Intangible

“Don’t worry Connor, we are
all here to help.”
Sarah pushed into his
mind.

“I might need it.”
He smiled at her.

Meanwhile, Connor felt a slow and
small trickle of energy flowing into his body from where Jack’s
hands were placed. Connor remained seated in his in-laws living
room and slightly leaned forward as Jillian initiated the test.
“Before we get started you must know when you use an element, the
closer you are to it the less energy you’ll need to use, but if you
use your abilities on an object that is too far… it is possible for
you to die from the attempt if you force your abilities beyond what
they can sustain. It strains your heart. And the heavier an object,
the harder it is to manipulate. It’s always best to be cautious and
regulate your powers appropriately.” Her eyes shot to Sarah to make
an expressed point.

“I get it, the closer the better. Use
what you need, nothing more.” Connor said as she leaned forward
when she knew that he knew what she meant.

“Connor, first we are going to start
with the most versatile element Pressure. If you are a Pressure
Balancer you will be able to pop the balloon. Grab the balloon.” He
leaned forward, picked up the red balloon and held it in his left
palm. “Good. Now hold it between both of your hands. Ok, now first
calm your body.” Connor closed his eyes and slowed his breathing.
“Very good now the next step is to focus on what you want and
intend to do. My father is a Pressure Balancer and he said for this
test there are two uses for this. Pressure can be used to create
gusts of wind or can even be solidified into an invisible shield
that cannot be penetrated with the proper mental discipline. He
said ‘Imagine in your mind’s eye two invisible circular plates just
over your hands. With your arms, force the pressure plates together
to pop the object.’ Go ahead and try it.”

With his eyes still closed Connor
imagined two Frisbee sized invisible discs made solid, over the
palms of his hands. A strange sensation of circular spinning energy
out of the center of his chest began coursing through the limbs of
his arms and found an escape through his palms. Connor opened his
eyes when he no longer felt the sensation of holding
rubber.

Nothing could be seen but
Connor could feel a solid air current coming from each of his
palms. The red balloon looked like it began levitating and spinning
end over end between his hands. It became a dancing balloon, but
with nothing sustaining its levitation except his will and power.
Moving his hands closer to the balloon, its sides began to compress
and flatten. Pulling apart, the object resumed its shape. With one
final burst of strength Connor pushed the balloon flat and it
exploded with a loud
POP
.

Connor was breathing heavily because
he didn’t realize how much energy needed to be expended on this
attempt and it made him feel slightly light headed. “Well that was
fun, what’s next?” he said to Jillian who sat with a wide eyed
smile. Jack removed his hands and sighed.

“You did it on your first try. You
really are a natural.” Jillian shook her head in disbelief. “Not
yet, first tell me what you pictured.”

“I pictured two Frisbees. I didn’t
realize how much energy it would take though.” Jillian nodded in
agreement.

“Now that was amazing, Connor!” Sarah
said it honesty.

Turning to look at Jack, Connor asked
“How are you?” He was breathing slow and deep, but said
nothing.

Jillian continued. “Connor, since you
are able to control Pressure, I can tell you three unique things I
have seen my father do. He was able to change the direction of any
object that came at him. Whether it was an arrow or a cannonball,
it didn’t matter. He was strong enough to flatten small buildings
when he solidified the element and he was also able to manipulate
Pressure so that he could even fly over long distances.”

“Balancer’s can fly!?” he sounded like
a kid at a candy store.

“Some can, and you will too…one day,
but your body is still developing your reserves. They need to be
filled because you are still running at only a tenth of your true
power as far as I can tell.” She looked at the table. “Ok let’s see
if you are compatible with another element.” She looked at the cup.
“Pick up the water.” He did so and sat in on his lap. “This is my
personal element Liquid. Liquid is the most flexible of the
elements. It can be used both as an offence and defense. The way I
use this ability is that I picture an orb of water in my hand. Put
one hand over the top of the water and try to pull it out. Give it
a try.” Jack rested his palms on Connor’s back again to transfer
over more of his stamina.

Remembering the water ball that
Jillian made earlier Connor pictured that as a reference. Closing
his eyes he focused on this new task. In the safety of his mind he
pictured a baseball size orb of water. The power grew from within
as he began to focus on the palm of his left hand, but it felt
different this time. Instead of a circular spinning motion a cool
sensation of a flowing current came from his chest and made its way
down the arm of his focus.

Opening his eyes, a small stream of
water began flowing from the cup and collect into a ball over his
hand. A beautifully clear ball of water formed. Connor then felt a
need for payback. “Here catch.” He tossed the water ball at a
startled Jillian. From where she sat Connor felt her gather her
power quickly and she caught the ball without spilling a single
drop.

“Sooo you are able to use two elements
now.” She sent the water back and controlled it with such precision
to land back in the cup. Her expressive face became an unreadable
mask for some reason. Sarah and Jack’s expression began to match
hers.

Jack removed his hands, breathing
harder from delivering so much energy. “This time it took less
strength to use Liquid than it did with Pressure.” Connor admitted
truthfully.

“The reason it was like that stemmed
from the fact that you didn’t need to collect anything from the air
and surroundings. It was already collected in the cup for you.”
Jillian looked at Jack who was still behind them. “Let’s switch,
you look like you’ve given him much power.”

“I have.” They traded positions. Jack
walked around and Jillian put her hands on his back. “Let’s test
the element Terra this time.” He left the room and came back in
with a soda can. “Terra is the element that has the greatest
defensive capability. A Terra Balancer can block and stop anything
that heads at them. Pick up the stone.” Connor did and felt it to
be smooth and cool to the touch. “Jillian’s mother is a Terra
Balancer. She was able to make craters in the earth or fill in a
sinkhole or make a deep well in moments. Take the stone and make it
hover.”

“I have a better idea.”

“Connor what are you up
to?”
Sarah was now in his mind.

“I have a weird feeling and
I’m going to act on it.”

In his mind he pictured breaking the
stone in half. Closing his eyes he pictured making a small fracture
and forcing the stone in two. This time the sensation didn’t flow
like the others. The energy slammed into his hand like swinging a
hammer and hitting a nail in with only one fast and massive strike.
Connor opened his eyes just in time to see the rock split into two
equal halves with a loud crack that shook the room for a moment. He
then pictured floating the two of them up and had them dance above
his right hand. The instantaneous force altered and replaced with a
fast stream of energy. Connor cut it off immediately because the
drain was very intense. As the stones landed on the table he said
breathlessly “Now that was harder than doing the first two trials
put together.” he looked at back at an exhausted Jillian. “I’m
drained, can I get something to eat?”

“I’ll bring something for everyone.”
Sarah ran into the kitchen.

Jillian walked around to stand in
front of Jack. “Connor, we need to have a personal conversation,
please give us a little privacy and try to not eavesdrop on what we
say to each other.” He nodded while trying to stand up. “No, I
meant don’t enter our minds. We’ll step out for a moment.” Connor
sat down and waited while they got up and had their conversation.
They went out the back door and closed it. He was unable to hear a
word they shared.

Sarah came in fifteen minutes later
with a large tray filled with food and several cans of soda. As she
sat down the heaping tray, her parents entered the house again and
took several items off the tray and started eating ravenously.
Connor felt like he shouldn’t emulate them, but was unable to help
it. It was as if he’d missed eating for three days without even a
snack. He ate nine hotdogs, six bananas, and a large bag of
barbeque chips along with drinking five cans of soda. The funniest
thing was that Jillian ate almost double what he consumed. Connor
wondered where she put it all and then remembered. Most of the food
a Balancer eats is converted into usable energy nearly
instantly.