Harmonizer's Evolution (Balancer's Soul cycle)

by Lee Morgan

  Their daughter’s hazel and green eyes followed the sound of Jillian’s voice and soon their eyes connected. Pearl mimicked a nodding gesture as a yes. Connor’s arm tightened on her side as he took her a few feet to the side to give Jillian some room.

  “That’s a good girl, come to grandma.” Jillian said while reaching into the crib to claim her dimpled prize. Soon Pearl cuddled in the comforts of her grandmother’s loving arms.

  About ten minutes later, Darrel awoke and Sarah noticed that the brother and sister learned almost at the same rate because he too gave his mommy a dimpled and toothless smile.

  Thirty minutes later Veronica and Shannon showed up. They were all outside and were enjoying the first rays of the sun. When they showed up alone, Jillian was the first to ask “Veronica, where is Sorono.”

  The ten foot tall Keeper glanced at Connor for an instant and he didn’t miss her look either, but Sarah didn’t understand it. Veronica reconnected with Jillian who now held Darrel and Pearl wanted her mother’s embrace for a while. “Actually Sorono was called home during the night. His son Damian showed up at the cabin a few hours ago. It seems like after two years my mate’s brother has resurfaced once again.”

  Connor ran right up to Veronica and Shannon. “Veronica, what did Ranvan do to gain attention this time?”

  The tall Keepers hissed a sigh. “I wish that I knew. Actually Sorono didn’t give me any specifics either, but he did ask me to relay a message to you.” They were silent as Veronica steadied herself. “ ‘Connor, I’m sorry that I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye myself, but my son has said that the trail is fresh. Damian has been looking for me for the past two days and I must leave immediately before the trail turns cold. I hope that my sudden departure doesn’t hinder our relationship. I will be back as soon as I can. Until then, enjoy being a father as much as I am.’ That is what my mate asked me to relay to you, Connor.”

  Sarah’s Knight stood motionless as he processed what had been said. His tone became cool and comforting. “Veronica, was anything else said?”

  “Not much to my recollection. Sorono told me to stay as long as I would like. After that he said he would meet me at home if the trail wound up empty.”

  “Father looked different.” Shannon added shyly and Veronica didn’t rebuke her daughter because she looked just as fearful.

  Connor knelt in front of the child. He rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Shannon, there is nothing you should worry about.” The child searched his sharp features for any signs of falsehood. “I don’t know everything about your father, but I do know that you shouldn’t worry. Sorono is the strongest force on the planet and his level of experience is second to none. If anything comes to harm him he can deal with it without even trying. He won’t allow anything keep him away from you or your mother. He loves both of you very much.”

  They all watched as Shannon moved forward to give Connor a hug.

  After the tender moment ended Veronica grinned. “Can I embrace you too?”

  Connor laughed while Sarah said “I think he would like to keep his skin in one piece. Maybe some other time.”

  They all smiled at each other. Soon Darrel wanted to visit with his daddy and they all sat down together by a small fire.

  Around three in the afternoon Jack finally arrived. It was strange because he brought a folder with him and a small white box. He kept smiling. Sarah’s arms were free as she asked “Father, what do you have there?”

  He and Jillian sat together and they shifted their seating arrangement to look directly at her and Connor. Jack handed her over the single manila folder. Upon opening, it was filled with several documents. She picked up one paper while Connor read over her shoulder.

  They were brand new identification papers, but they weren’t completed yet.

  The first name was Darrel May; born February first at nine sixteen p.m. Weight: eight pounds one ounce. Sarah read through the work and said “Father, why are we doing this right now?”

  He smiled. “Actually you will need to have these birth certificates anyway. You’ll need them when they start school in about ten years. We can fill in their birth year when we need to. It is a good idea to be prepared for any eventuality. For all we know Child Services could see it as an unregistered child.”

  Connor’s voice turned to steel. “They wouldn’t stand a chance if they even attempted to take our children.”

  Jillian shook her head. “We are not worried about that. We just need to cover our bases incase we are forced to placate any nosy intruders.”

  They knew they were right. Jack opened the box and pulled out a pad of black ink. He pushed them to his grandchildren’s feet and then pressed them to the papers. Soon Connor and Sarah filled out some papers stating that they were in fact their biological parents and then signed them. Very soon the paperwork was finished.

  Rhoda called Sarah’s cell an hour after the work was finished. Apparently she came down with a cold and David had forgotten to call them earlier. She told Rhoda to get well and she said that the moment she feels better she’ll be over to play with her great-grandchildren.

  Mark and Kara showed up together after her classes were over and Mark’s shift was done. Mark allowed Pearl tug on his hair while Kara played a game of tag with Shannon. Darrel was currently fast asleep in Jack’s arms.

  During that time a memory came to the front of Sarah’s mind. “Oh man!” Connor stopped what he was doing and came to her side. Apparently he was the only one to hear her. His silence and piercing eyes were demanding an answer. “I just remembered a promise to Mrs. Burrow’s. I’d promised that we would go visit them when the twins finally arrived.”

  He rested a comforting hand on her shoulders and stated “Then we will visit them tomorrow morning. Since it will be Saturday tomorrow, Deputy Burrow’s will have the weekend off since school’s out.” He looked back at the house and said “While it’s on my mind I’ll go ahead and give him a call.”

  “Please do.” And he did.

  After Pearl and Darrel went to sleep in their cribs that evening, there was something that has been missing in her life for a while now.

  Connor was all too thrilled to be intimate with her. It had been too long for them both and after so long, it proved to be much more pleasurable. She missed his tender touch and the warmth their body shared as they made love once again.

  Connor’s body felt so relaxed when he awoke early in the morning. He was thankful for Sarah’s willingness to make love once again. He had been afraid to be so physically intimate with her for fear of harming her or the children that it made last night all the more perfect.

  While Sarah gave her first morning feeding to the twin’s, he had prepared more food. When Sarah returned she said that she already dressed them for today’s very first outing.

  They soon entered their room and they were both awake. He opened up one of their closets and quickly found their individual car-seats. Connor sat them both in the center of the open room. Sarah grabbed Darrel while Pearl slipped in his arms. They each securely placed each child in their car-seat and stepped back. His wife and he stood side by side and looked at their adorable children. Darrel watched them with unwavering little eyes while remaining calm and still. His sister was the opposite. Pearl’s eyes were only looking to Daddy and continuously pointing at him rather than wiggling all of her fingers in his direction.

  Sarah watched as Connor dropped down to sit on his heels so they didn’t need to look up for him. His tone became light and the ranking authority of the room. “Alright you two, listen very carefully… Pearl, please stop pointing at me and listen.” His tone remained calm and Pearl finally quit struggling. “Thank you, Sweetie. Now we are going to visit some of Mommy and Daddy’s friends today. They aren’t like those you have met so far. They won’t understand how special you both are if you begin pointing to who you want to go to. What I need the two of you to promise us is not to really do much except pretend to sleep.” Darrel closed his eye
s meaningfully. “That’s right, son. Do only that and you’ll make mommy and me very proud of you. As long as you can do that you can get to see them again. Ok?” Darrel’s eyes opened and he gave a curt nod with his tiny head. They smiled at each other.

  “Pearl, can you do it for Mommy too?” Sarah asked and she nodded.

  As a reward Sarah and Connor both kissed both of their soft foreheads. They smiled all the more.

  Connor picked up both seats as Sarah opened the front door. She locked it and walked by his side. Both of their children watched with fascination as they casually cut through the woods. During the stroll, Sarah and Connor began lecturing the two of them of all of the plants they came across. There was no telling how much they knew or retained, but they continued teaching nonetheless. Fifteen minutes later they exited the woods and began explaining everything they saw.

  They made it to the truck while explaining every object that they could see. They put them in the backseat and secured them properly. Even if they didn’t have the strongest parents in the world, this truck had been better built than any assembly made car on the market. Once they were safely secured, Sarah and Connor hopped into the front seat. She turned around to look at them and say “Here we go, kids.”

  He turned on the ignition and pulled out the driveway. Just before pulling on the road, both Jillian and Jack were waving goodbye from the front window.

  Sarah returned the gesture.

  About twenty minutes later they found the police station. They then turned down the opposite street. About a mile west of there, were several small houses. The deputy’s wasn’t difficult to find because not only did his old aluminum mailbox have Burrow written on it, it also had his deputy’s seal on the side too. It was a bright yellow sticker. They then turned in the driveway and Connor put the truck in park once it stopped beside the white and blue police cruiser.

  The deputy’s house was a single story and made of large logs. It was even larger than Connor’s in-laws. The house had been painted a calming brown and the roof was slanted for any winter snow. There were several windows and the curtains were all half drawn. The front door required seven handmade steps to enter the home. And finally the grill of the green truck pointed to a closed garage that remained linked to the log house. The ground of the front yard remained brown with the dead foliage, but there were a few green shoots that showed that winter was finally over. Also there were a few buds showing on his maple trees, that were growing in no particular order on his front yard.

  Connor turned off the ignition and turned around to look at his children. “We’re finally here, kids. You know what to do.”

  They both smiled happily at him and then immediately closed their eyes and became motionless. Sarah then said “Good job. Just listen to them like you always do with everyone else.” They both gave a quick nod before feigning sleep again.

  Sarah and Connor smiled at each other. They then opened the truck doors and slammed them loudly. They did it on purpose because everyone knew how silent this truck is. As he moved to open the back door he heard the deputy shout inside his house “Honey, they’re here!” Connor heard his quick footsteps moving to the front door and someone was right on his heels.

  He started unbuckling Darrel’s seat as the front door opened and followed by the smiling voice of the deputy. “Connor, where are the new little rascals!?”

  As he finished unbuckling his son, he pulled him out of the backseat. Connor turned around to see the deputy and his wife hurrying over to them. He put a finger over his own lips and whispered “Shh, they just fell asleep. They are light sleepers so don’t make too much noise.”

  Deputy Burrow wore his regular t-shirt and blue jeans where as his wife wore a long and classy navy blue dress. His pure white smile was a complete contrast to the dark melanin in his skin. His wife was slightly darker, but they were both well educated and their best friends, outside their family. The deputy’s daughter had been married a few months ago and she and her baby went to go live with her husband. Their two sons no longer live at home and are enjoying their lives. That just means it will be the six of them for today’s introduction.

  Mrs. Burrow caught her first glimpse of his son and her mouth opened for a squeal, but the deputy quickly placed the palm of his hand over his wife’s mouth. He smiled and whispered “Don’t do that, Honey. We don’t want to make them cry.” Connor caught Darrel crack an eye so he could see who he came to meet. Before they looked at him again his eyes were already shut.

  Then they heard Sarah shut the door and quietly walk around the front of the truck. Connor met up with her and they walked up to their friends while each holding a child. Mrs. Burrow’s finally calmed her voice, but her excited eyes couldn’t be contained. “Awe, they are so adorable. Sarah didn’t you say they would both be girls? Why is that one wearing blue?”

  Soon they introduced the two Burrow’s with the new May’s and their friends were instantly entranced. Mrs. Burrow quietly introduced herself to the children and gently kissed each on their forehead. The children were both doing everything their parents asked of them and more.

  Neither showed any outward signs of being awake.

  Deputy Burrow smiled and silently said “Alright, how about we get the kids inside before they get chilled.”

  He led them into his home. Inside the living room it was carpeted so they all took off their shoes by the front door. There were two-three person sofas and they pointed to a forty six inch flat screen TV that remained on and the volume was turned down. The deputy is fond of his football games, as is his wife. Off on the far wall was a smoldering fireplace that removed the slight chill from the room. There was a central ceiling fan light that only used the light for now. An adjoining hallway led to the garage if you went right or if you went left, led to the kitchen, bedrooms and two bathrooms.

  They all walked in and placed Darrel and Pearl in front of the sofas and they sat down. Mrs. Burrow couldn’t stop herself from asking Connor to hold Darrel. He gently picked him up from his seat and transferred him. Sarah said she didn’t want the deputy to feel left out so he was given their daughter. Soon the Burrow’s became protective and would do anything for them. They became extended family without any further adieu.

  About an hour later they were returned to their carriers. What made Connor smile was that Pearl was no longer pretending to sleep. She was out cold. Darrel on the other hand was still wide awake.

  Soon the deputy’s dark eyes turned on Connor and his smile came easily. “Connor, guess what I’m going to be doing?”

  He gave him a quirked smile “That’s a very suggestive question.”

  “No, you idiot.” He pushed Connor’s shoulder since they were sitting together. And even the girls were listening when they heard the excited change in his voice. “Actually I’m going to run for Sheriff of this town next week.”

  “Really? Sheriff Burrow, Sheriff Burrow… Nah I can’t say it. You’ll always be Deputy Burrow to me.” he smiled and nodded. “That is some good news. Everyone around here knows how honorable you are. Well you have my vote.”

  “And mine!” Sarah added.

  “Thanks guys.” He really meant it. “Since the previous sheriff is retiring he asked me to fill his place. There will still be other candidates of course, but he’s going to endorse me. Since he’s done a good job these past twenty years I might be a sure win. Maybe I might be able to help more people this way?”

  “Maybe.” Connor agreed. “But don’t become a political tool, okay?”

  “If I have a friend like you keeping me honest, I won’t.” He smiled like he always has. It is a smile that makes everyone want to join him.

  Suddenly Connor’s instinct told him to look over at the TV screen. The news remained on and the volume was barely audible, but he still heard the sad change in the reporter’s voice. He saw Sarah’s favorite anchorwoman and above her left shoulder was a clip of fast moving water coursing inside and through city streets. Then the caption below her
read South America’s devastating Tsunami.

  “Deputy, can you go back and turn the volume up.”

  He looked at Connor questioningly, but grabbed the remote. He had satellite so he was able to rewind live TV. Everyone went silent as he hit play at the beginning of the newscast.

  The anchorwoman said calmly “Three days ago a massive Tsunami impacted most of the west coastline of South America. Seismologists and geologists have no recordings of earthquakes or readings from the freak waves that were recorded over thirty five feet high, but the scientists have all surmised that there could have been an underwater landslide that has caused the rogue waves and made such a horrific impact. Unfortunately there wasn’t an advanced warning when the first series of waves impacted the unsuspecting coast. As of right now there have been reports that over two thousands deaths have been reported and that number is suspected to grow exponentially as the day’s progress. There have been over two hundred sea rescues thanks to local efforts. Because of the gravity of this natural tragedy, the United States as well as other neighboring countries have begun preparations to aid South America from the disaster. As of right now, over twelve cities that line the west coast were completely obliterated.

  “Please stay tuned in for any further developments.” Then they showed pictures and clips of the decimated cities and it began to make Connor’s blood boil.

  The TV went silent and he felt Sarah enter his mind to begin shouting. “Connor, calm down! Let go of the armrest before you destroy it!”

  He didn’t realize how engrossed the news had made him, but now everything made sense. He removed his hand from the armrest before his hand strength could crush the fragile wood. He also realized how frightening his eyes looked to the others in the room. Both Burrow’s looked at him with wide frightened eyes. It was difficult to control his breathing and even harder not to scream in rage right now. Sarah might have mentally shouted, but her expression was serene.