Changer's Blood (Balancer's Soul cycle)

by Lee Morgan

  Pulling into the gravel parking lot and coming to a complete stop, Mark turned off the ignition and exited the vehicle. Only one vehicle besides the jeep say on the premises and it belonged to Gerry. He did a good job at following my orders. Mark looked at the empty diner and smiled.

  The old-style diner has a maximum occupancy of one hundred people and on any given day can feed over six hundred meals, on holidays can feed near a thousand. The diner serves just about everything. They offer; eggs, all breakfast meats, seafood, steak, chicken, vegetables, bread, pancakes, waffles, biscuits, ice cream, soda and finally beer – both imported and domestic – at all times of the day. The store hours are from six in the morning until eight at night.

  Mark looked at the outside of the diner and looked for anything out of place. The blinds on the windows were all pulled down and the front glass door’s orange sign said ‘CLOSED.’ The outside walls were pained a silver/white and the diner’s lettering were enameled in a deep shade of red. The solid letters spelling ‘DINER’ stood atop the roof as a display that people from the road could easily see. The shrubbery that lined the front of the building was perfectly trimmed as was the grass. Having a well kept place of business kept him and his many customers content, satisfied and returning regularly. Mark could hear the vehicles passing the establishment and could smell the faint scent of jasmine in the air.

  The girls came around the jeep and Sarah said “This is a good looking restaurant.” and he thanked her for the compliment.

  The three of them walked up the handicapped ramp and Mark opened the front door. The bell above the door rang as he made an entrance. In the back they heard “I’m sorry, but were closed for the day!”

  Mark yelled into the back “It’s ok Gerry, it’s me!”

  He came out from behind the kitchen. Gerry stood close to six feet tall, but seemed proud to be built like a fluffy pillow. He is clearly a heavy set man, but one of the nicest people Mark has ever met. Gerry is a retired police officer from Georgia and he has a thick southern drawl. Two sons, fathered from his loins had just finished college and flew to live on their own and a wife waited at home who can make the best desserts anyone has ever had, if they wanted to tempt receiving a heart attack. Mark eagerly partook whenever she offered. Gerry wore an apron with a blue shirt underneath and blue jeans. “Howdy Boss, and little ladies. Y’all look very nice today.”

  Mark introduced them. “Gerry, this is my best friend’s wife; Sarah.”

  Gerry shook her hand. “Connor is a good young man. Take good care of him, ya hear.” Sarah smiled generously.

  “And Gerry you know my girlfriend Kara; Connor’s little sister.” Kara walked up to him, shaking his hand.

  “It’s been a very long time, Big Guy. How are the boys?” Kara said while flashing him a rare, calm smile.

  He drew back and studied her. “There fine, but… I didn’t recognize you there for a minute. Weren’t your eyes brown before, Lil Missy?”

  Oh crap… Kara instantly said back to Gerry “Nope, but I did need contacts. I always hated these silver eyes, so I always bought chocolate colored contacts to not feel so out of place. I’m sorry for the deception, big guy, but this is my natural eye color.”

  She did have a good cover up.

  Gerry laughed. “Girl, now don’t be tryin to hide them glorious eyes.” Gerry elbowed Mark’s ribs playfully. “Her eyes look like yours. I bet that’s why you were always so attracted to her.”

  Mark scratched the back of his head saying “You’d win that bet.”

  He laughed for a moment. “Boss, will ya be needing my services for ta’night?”

  Mark patted him on the back. “Thanks Gerry, but I’ve got it all covered. Have a good day on me.”

  “Thank ya, Boss. I’ll be back first thing in the mornin.” He said while leaving out the front door. Soon his truck left, heading south.

  The inside of the diner has twenty five bar stools that lined the bar table. There are ten square tables that hold four people to a table. All of the chairs were upturned and sitting on top of the wooden tables to show the floor had already been swept. And all of the lights remained on.

  Mark walked behind the bar and asked “What would you ladies like to drink for starters?” They walked up and sat side by side on the barstools and ordered their drinks. He filled two glasses and handed it to them on the table.

  Five minutes later Sarah turned around in her stool just as Connor’s green super truck pulled into the parking lot. Her bond allowed her to know just when her mate had arrived. Soon Connor, Jillian and Jack entered the local establishment. They must have all ridden in his truck together. Mark assumed. His exhausted friend sat next to Sarah and her parents sat beside him.

  Connor wore his black sleeveless shirt and black shorts. He cleaned up properly and shaved, but still looked completely drained. Jillian had on a fresh red shirt and white shorts, looking as chipper as ever. Jack attired a blue shirt and blue jeans. He sat in a refined and alert position while ordering a drink.

  Giving everyone a cool drink, Mark let them look over the menu. While they were looking it over he went back to the freezer and checked that it remained fully stocked. It was. Coming back through the stainless steel swinging door that separated the kitchen and the bar, he took all of their orders.

  Everyone urged for Connor to go first. “I’ll have ten steaks prepared well done, five hamburgers done the same way, five orders of fried popcorn shrimp, two fully loaded omelets filled with bacon and sausage minus the bell pepper. Finally I will have three deep fried chickens.”

  As Mark easily memorized all the information Sarah said while shutting her menu “That sounds good. I’ll have the same.”

  Both Jillian and Jack each ordered twelve scrambled eggs, a half pound of bacon, five steaks and a chicken.

  Kara ordered six steaks medium rare, three orders of fried shrimp, a plate of sausages, two chickens and ten hamburgers. Mark knew that her stores were mostly craving protein and fats.

  Mark walked into the kitchen and was relieved to find the deep fryer’s oil remained hot and ready to be used. He grabbed the food cart and gathered everything he needed from the back freezer. He had to put the whole chickens into the oven and have them thawed before he could put them into the boiling oil or else he’d start a grease fire.

  Starting with the steaks, he turned on the grill and started cooking.

  As Mark continued cooking he focused on increasing his hearing. When the voices in at the bar table were clear enough over the kitchen sounds he began multitasking like the best there is.

  “…that was a good cover for your eyes.” he recognized Sarah’s voice.

  “What did she come up with?” That was Jillian’s chipper voice.

  “I can’t hide the fact that my new eyes are so different. I knew girls on the cheerleading squad who got colored contacts for special events like pep rally’s and such. I just told Gerry that this was my real eye color and my brown eyes were contacts.” Kara’s voice sent bells ringing throughout his entire being.

  Finally Connor’s distinctive voice spoke clearly. “How will you explain the new eyes to Mom?”

  She became silent for a moment. That could mean that she was either thinking or upset. “Brother, I would think that it would work too... Why are you shaking your head like that?”

  “Because, Mom will see right through you. She’s not stupid either because you were born with brown eyes like her. I could get away with it because I don’t share that genetic quirk like the two of you have. Now… what could work…?” He went silent for a moment. “Jack, I’m sorry for eavesdropping, but that is a great idea.”

  Kara chimed, saying “What? What is this great idea?”

  Jack finally spoke. “My idea was; What if you got those colored contacts you were talking about. Just pop them in when you go and see your family.”

  Skeptically Kara asked “And just where would I get them?”

  Jack went silent.

  “L
eave that to me, Sweetheart.” Kara turned her head towards Mark as he came into the room with the first round of food. Ten fully cooked chickens, a heaping tray of burgers and steaks were spread amongst the ravenous customers.

  As everyone began eating he continued speaking to Kara. “Tomorrow we will go to an optometrist and I’ll get you those contacts in the exact shade of color that your eyes used to be.”

  “Alright Honey…” She smiled brightly at him.

  Jillian cut her off. “Connor, you’re looking better, but do you feel better?”

  “Yes.” He took another bite of his hamburger. “But using lightning was risky and I feel I did it too soon… I’m glad that I can recover so quickly, simply from eating.” He cocked his head to the side. Mark’s only seen Connor show this exact expression when he figures something out. “Jack, I have a question.” The silver haired man put down his chicken wing as he gave his full attention to Connor. “We survive on our energy reserves right?” Jack nodded. “The fire shield I taught you… can we absorb enough energy from a fire to sustain us for a short period of time?”

  “Connor you were the one who created that specific technique. I’m not really sure.” Jack’s blue eyes were staring at the ingenious and young Balancer gently. “In theory it might work, but you’ll need to test it all on your own. How about tomorrow we give it a try?”

  Connor looked up. He nodded.

  Even in recovery, he comes up with strange things that seem to work.

  “I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to make it tomorrow.” Jillian said to all of them with a pouting bottom lip. “I have to plan a wedding and it’s not close enough for me to meet up with you all tomorrow.”

  “Mother, I hope that you’ll have a great time.” Sarah said sincerely and without any malice.

  “I will,” Jillian sighed “but I like working out with everyone. These past few months have been more exciting than the past century.” She then yawned.

  An hour later Mark finished cooking everything that they ordered and they were finished consuming their meals. They mainly talked about fine tuning the plan regarding Kara’s eyes. Before Mark went back into the dining area he called and ordered more food from the restaurant distribution center. Four Balancers and two Changers ate a large amount of supplies from the freezer.

  Finished with the call he reentered behind the bar. Mark saw Connor whispering in his sister’s ear. She had taken a chair off the table and was sitting next to the window shades. Connor’s towering form stood hunched over her as he spoke quietly. As he pulled away, Kara studied him for a moment as she deliberated on whatever he had asked of her. Kara then shook her head slowly and his best friend smiled warmly at her. I wonder what all that was about? It didn’t really matter at this moment. She was here and that is all that mattered.

  Connor walked back up to the bar and sat next to his mate. Both Connor and Sarah looked so much better after all that they ate. His voice grew in strength again as were his facial features and the way he moved. Sarah looked and moved the same, but she kept silent. Her eyes would rarely stray from Connor as he consulted with Jillian and Jack.

  Connor said “Mark, thank you for all of this.” He motioned at all of the dirty plates that lay on the counter. The only thing that was left on the plates were the skeletons of the chickens and some ice still in the glasses. The dishes were a barren battle field and they were the victors.

  “No, this was my thanks for all that you have given to me.” Mark pointed with his chin to Kara who still sat by the window. Connor said nothing, but smiled as he stretched his fist across the counter.

  When they bumped fists Connor spoke. “You’re welcome then.” He spun around in his chair, looking at Sarah and her parents. “Let’s go home, but first we need to go grocery shopping.”

  The four soon left together in Connor’s truck after offering to help clean up. Kara helped Mark clean up the untidiness as she told the four Balancers “Just get going. We can deal with this small mess.” It took about ten minutes to clean up thanks to their advanced speed. Mark made up several large bags of food to take home from the diner and before they left he locked the front and back doors.

  “Mark, is it ok if I stay with you tonight?” Kara asked as they were driving down the winding road in his jeep. The window stayed down and she was looking to her side of the forest. The wind continued whipping her sandy blonde hair and infusing her scent into everything around him. From now on he could find her anywhere in the world by scent alone.

  This topic could get dangerous. “I don’t see why not. I’ll take the couch.”

  She didn’t retort back on that subject. She rubbed her stomach. Over the course of an hour, her stomach became flat again. “I must have eaten at least ten pounds of food today. I’m not hungry, but I don’t feel full either.”

  She turned to look at Mark with a confused expression and he answered her. “When you reach your maximum weight, you’ll feel full. So full that you’ll make yourself sick if you’d take another bite of anything. You will hit your weight in about three or four weeks if you keep eating at this rate.”

  “But will I get fat?” She asked honestly.

  “Only if you wanted to.” He smiled as he turned the steering wheel to go around a sharp curve in the road. “We store or nutrients at a cellular level. You have the ability to change your height, hair pigmentation, to be tall or short, fat or skinny and even muscular or lean. Each of our viral cells roughly weighs twice as much compared to normal cells. That is why I weigh about four hundred and fifty pounds, twice that of a normal man.”

  She mumbled to herself “Better not crush me.”

  Just after six is when they arrived back at his place. She went up first and opened the door. He grabbed the bags of food and stepped up and into the apartment. As he came in, Kara shut and locked the front door.

  After putting the groceries away, Kara and Mark sat down in front of the TV and watched an old action movie.

  Around nine, Kara stood and entered the bathroom. She turned on the shower and soon Mark saw steam billowing through the cracks in the door. It was odd because she already showered earlier.

  About fifteen minutes later he saw her quickly walk into his bedroom with a silver and silky bath robe.

  A few minutes later he heard her call from behind the bedroom door. “Mark, can you come in here for a moment? I need your help with something…”

  What could she need my help with? Oh well, better help or I’ll never hear the end of it. Mark used the remote to turn off the TV as he stood. Before he knocked on the white door he saw that the bedroom light was off. She must need me to change the light bulb.

  Knowing it was going to be dark in there he focused. Mark made his eyes more sensitive to light. Doing that, he can see in almost total darkness. When his eyes finished their modifications he knocked on the door. “Are you decent?”

  “Hardly!” and Kara started laughing at herself again. At least she’s back to normal…

  Opening the door to the dark room Mark walked directly to his dresser. Pulling out the bottom drawer he grabbed a new bulb. Turning around he stopped cold. What laid before his eyes would be burned in his memory forever.

  Kara sat on the edge of the bed, simply looking at Mark with her new sexy silver eyes. Her toned legs were crossed seductively as she leaned back on her arms. She was still in the silver bath robe and her hair was freshly brushed, but still a little damp. Her complexion was still a little warm from the shower, but one could see that she was blushing as well.

  Seeing all this he cleared his throat before asking “Sweetheart, are you alright? Did the light bulb blow?”

  She gracefully stood up and crossed the short distance to stand before him. She took the bulb gently out of his hand and sat it on top of the dresser. She took his limp hand and stared at it for a moment. Mark’s heart couldn’t cease firing like a Gatling gun because he’s never seen Kara looking so shy or timid. Something was up and he found himself in grave danger.r />
  When she steadied herself, Kara’s silver eyes locked onto his. “Mark, I love you more than anything else in my life. I became what I am because of that love…” She lost her words for a moment. “Will you be with me forever?”

  Mark smiled softly as his answer was true. “Of course I will, Sweetheart. I can’t imagine my life in any way, if I didn’t have you in it. You’re the one I love with all of my being.” She leaned in and kissed him.

  “Good.” Kara said softly, pulling her lips away.

  Kara grabbed the string that held her robe together and pulled sharply. She ripped his inhibitions away as well; with a single pull.

  Mark no longer needed to worry about hurting her and they were both glad.

  Two and One

  The next morning Connor awoke at about nine and immediately understood just how beyond tired he wad because of how long he’d slept in. Creating lightning took its price from more than just his stored energy but also gave an insight that it should only be use in the most dire circumstances. Worse yet it gave Connor an insight that he was becoming something that no one has ever seen before. The looks his in-laws and best friend proved just how strange his abilities are. He glanced down at his chest and realized that Sarah wasn’t in bed. He flung the brown silk bed sheets off and quickly put on a pair of shorts.

  Through the bond that that they were eternally connected to Connor knew that his perfect mate was in the kitchen. Walking through the hallway he heard Sarah talking to someone. “That’s right, now tell me how your feeling?” There was a pause. “That’s a good sign… Yes, I’ll tell him.” She hung up her cell phone. She stood and turned around to see Connor leaning against the wall. Sarah knew he was there yet she still smiled his favorite smile. Just thinking about Sarah will make him smirk and when he looks at her… well the feeling can’t be put into simple words. “Good morning, Connor. You look so much better.” Sarah noted, wearing tight jeans that accented her petite yet heart-shaped posterior. A leather belt wrapped around her thin and curvaceous waist while tucking in her black sleeveless shirt. The shirt had a small cutout in the middle of her chest in the shape of a diamond that revealed just enough swell of cleavage to remain classy.