Changer's Blood (Balancer's Soul cycle) (77 page)

Jack looked at
him
with
uncertainty
, but walked over to the front door and started making two vertical holes inside the wall
after he
pulled the yellow wallpaper back
.
He worked quickly as he used his Balancers strength and speed.

Connor
didn’t know how
much energy this will use, but he
didn’t have any other choice
.
It had to be done by any costs.
He
sat down on the other sofa while S
arah’s eyes never left him for a moment
.
He
sat down one magnet on the coffee counter and put both of
his
hands to each side of the other magnet.

He
closed
his
eyes and in the quiet
recesses
of
his mind he
pictured
strengthening the magnet with
electricity.
He called upon his
power a
nd used his
instinct to focus
and govern
the current into
his
hands and
flow
into the black magnet. Opening
his
eyes
he
saw
his
body glowing again. The beating
sounds
at the wall
by the front door
stopped. As the
focused energy flowed to his
hand
s
while
he
said to Jack in a strained voice “Keep working!” When the glowing
had
firmly
concentrated to
his
palms Jack continu
ing
working
on the wall
.
Connor
could feel
the summoned
electrical charge flow
ing
in a circular pattern inside the Magnet
; from positive to negative
. When the bl
ack magnet started glowing red he
said “Jillian, make a bubble of water. This needs to cool quickly or the heat will make the magnet
a
useless
lump of metal
.”

The moment she pulled the water from the sink and made an orb of water,
he
threw the magnet inside. It hissed and made the water bubble
steam
because it quickly heated the water. As the magnet cooled rapidly
he
grabbed the one on the table and started charging it
while he still held a powerful charge
. As it heated
he
looked up to see
his
green eyed
princess holding her own orb of water. Her body language said she was ready. The moment that
the charged
magnet left
his
hands
he
stopped
the immense
flow of energy.

As the
magnet cooled in Sarah’s water Connor
laughed
mildly
.
He
entered
S
arah’s mind.
“That only used ma
y
b
e
ten percent of my energy.”

“You’re lucky, you need to be at full strength for the mayor. He might
sense
if you
’re in a
weak
ened state
.”

Jillian stood and walked over to the sink. She stemmed the flow of power and the
now
dark and
murky water dropped into the sink.
T
he
charged
magnet clang to the bottom of the sink with renewed strength.
H
er brow furrow
ed
as she strained
against the magnet’s attractiveness to the sink
and then she finally pulle
d it out. “You really did super
charge these magnets.” She said to
him
.

Connor
stood up and took the magnet from her and walked to the front door. Jack was now worki
ng on the second hole quickly. Connor
used
his
finger to make sure it
s depth will work
. Satisfied
,
he
slid one magnet into the wall
and
then covered the hole with the yellow painted wallpaper.

When the magnet Sarah held had cooled, she handed it
over
to him
. After sliding the magnet in and covering it with the wallpaper, Jillian quickly swept the wood pieces off the floor and
threw it in the kitchen garbage.

All was ready and everyone knew what to do.

Connor
stepped over and looked through the blinds as
the
uninvited guests started to arrive. The first to arrive was the local news network.
A
young blond woman exit
ed
the van along with two men
, one held a camera over his shoulder while the other held a microphone
at the end of a pole
.
She wore a light blue lady’s
business
suit and a matching skirt along with blue high heels.
Sarah walked
up
beside
him and he
could feel malice rolling off her in waves. “So
she
came here personally.” And he
knew it was the woman who made Sarah so upset
this weekend. Tuesday night Connor
finally got her to open up about it and
he
knew
Sarah was looking forward to
a little
retribution.

Next
to
roll in
was
the local newspaper.
Four people exited the van and Connor
recognized
a sullen and pained face.
He
said
calmly
“Jim is here. By the way he looks
…
it seems that he doesn’t want to be here
.
I can’t be angry with a man trying to do his job, especially when he looks like that.
” He had on his press ID over his neck and he wore a blue and black t-shirt along with blue jeans.

The final vehicle to arrive was a sleek black SUV with tinted windows. “He’s here.” Sarah said in a shaky voice.
Connor
put
his
arm around her back
and pulled her waist gently against
his
upper
thigh. Four people exited the car all wearing business
suits. The
four men looked
like businessmen, but the way they walked and moved said they were
trained
bodyguards
,
experienced one at that
and probably have military training
.
Unfortunately for them,
Connor
was still far larger
tha
n they
all
were
.
Finally he
saw a husky man in a blue business suit come out of the back seat. He was balding and looked like a rabid bulldog that needed to be put down.
So tha
t’s his Daddy?
Connor
smiled inwardly as
he
prepared for this
new
battle.

“Let’s take our positions.”
Jack
said as the people out
side started coming in their
direction
together
.

Sarah and Connor
sat down together and started eating some eggs in a small plate
,
just for show.
He
could feel her anxiety and dread
growing
, but
he
made sure she could feel
his
hope and calmness
.
Jillian and Jack did the sam
e.

E
veryone m
ight have looked at ease. It only appeared that way
.

Finally there was someone knocking
at the door
.
He
nodded and Jack sighed as he stood
up
and walked to the
front
door.
Jack
cracked
the door and peered out
saying “Can I help you?”

A deep voice said “Are you Jack Branderson?”

Jack spoke in a chipper voice
at hearing his name
. “That I am. Can we make this quick, I’m having brunch with my family.”
He was doing as
Connor
said with perfect articulation and enthusiasm.

“Of course. I just have a few questions
that need asking
. May we co
me in?” The husky voice asked. Connor
detected a hint of annoyance in his
ton
e.
It he
ld a resemblance to Mathew and he
knew it was from his father.

“Father! Just let them in!” Jillian said as she played her part perfectly.

J
ack sighed and said “
Please c
ome in.” A
s the
eleven people entered the room Connor
sat
his plate down and stood up. As he
turned
to the crowd
he
gladly
noticed the magnets didn’t
steal any metal from anyone and cling the
ir
items to the walls. T
he blonde woman held
a hand held microphone. Her one man
had a camera
which was recording
and the other held a long reach microphone. The four guards positioned themselves into a wall to protect the short county mayor
as he entered the room
.
Every now and then their
alert
eyes would shift to one particular man.
So you’re the lead bodyguard.

Connor
spotted
his
first patron.
“Hey Jim, how’s the family?” Jim
finally met
his
eyes and tried his best to make a weak smile. “It’s alright man. I know it wasn’t your fault and you didn’t have a choice to be here.
Sometimes the job makes you do what you don’t like.
”
Jim
nodded
,
still silent and apologetic
looking
.

Sarah spoke up as she stood to
Connor’s
right. She used her soothing voice to speak. “What is everyone doing here this morning?”

“I called them
all
here.
I’m also Mathew’s father.
” The mayor spoke up. The camera w
as already
rolling because the red light
remained
on
as was the light
that
brightened who
m
ever was
in
the focal point
.
The light was trained on the County Mayor as he continued to speak politically.
“They are here for two reasons
. First to interview Mr.
Connor
May for rescuing that little girl
that got lost
last weekend.”

Before he continued Connor
spoke in a pleasant but annoyed voice. “Ah, so it was you who told them my name. Now it makes perfect sense…”

The balding mayor spoke in a guarded voice. “What does?”

He
turned to the press. Jim and his collogues were writing furiously and one held a tape recorder. “I don’t like my privacy
being
trampled on. Unfortunately Mathew’s father can’t help himself because he loves interfering
with others
.
He only knows the meaning of privacy when it suits him.
”

This gained everyone’s attention and the atmosphere tensed.

The anchor woman asked in the microphone “Can you please give us some details about this accusation?”
her eyes widened at a scandal she didn’t
yet
know about. Connor also didn’t like the way her eyes seemed to be undressing him.