Stand-in: Take 3 of the Kanyon and Daylen Series

by K. B. Draper

  “Twenty-minutes tops.”

  Blue rolled her eyes. “I have no idea. One minute I was ready to tag in and go all Terminator on his ass, then I don’t know, I just wanted his ass.” She shivered.

  “Didn’t feel anything? See anything? Smell anything?” Kanyon asked.

  Blue scrunched her nose. “Didn’t feel anything. Didn’t see anything. Only thing I smelled was last night’s stripper snitch and cheap cologne.”

  “Let’s pray it’s the cologne and not super-juiced strippers.”

  Daylen held up a hand. “I think we can go with cologne for now. The first guy, where Blue went–”

  “Do not finish that sentence,” Blue pointed a finger at Daylen’s face.

  “Fine. The first guy was still wearing last night’s clothes. The other guys had all taken showers.”

  “They all did get ready together in the locker room before they went out.” Kanyon added.

  “What about the sensation I felt in Cory’s bedroom?” Daylen asked.

  “Way too much over-sharing,” Blue interrupted. “And what’s with you two and dudes lately? I thought with you two back together you’d be going all bumper car on us.”

  Brain in case pondering mode, Daylen blinked at Blue confused. “Bumper … what?”

  “You know.” Blue pounded her palms together. “Bump-her car.”

  “Okay! Thank you,” Kanyon grabbed both Blue’s hands and forced them back down to the table.

  “So,” Kanyon turned back to Daylen, “we have some amped up AXE body spray out there?”

  “It’s a solid guess.”

  “Let me get this straight. We’re after some dime store cologne?” Blue took a bite of pizza and spoke over the pepperoni, “Geez, I’m hooked up with the lamest private detectives ever!”

  Chapter 16

  Blue stormed into Kanyon’s trailer while Kanyon was changing in the back room. “Seriously? She held up her cell phone to Daylen. “You gave him my phone number?”

  Daylen smiled. “You two seemed to have a connection.”

  “He just texted and asked me to the zoo!”

  “That sounds like a fun day,” Kanyon said, coming out in her all-leather onesie.

  Blue spun on her. “If I was three and a total nerd.” Blue’s phone alerted. She read the text and groaned.

  “What’s it say?” Daylen asked.

  “It says he’d ask me out for ice cream afterward, but he’s lactose intolerant. Sad face. Snow cones, question mark. Happy face.” She stomped both feet. “Make this hell stop!”

  Daylen motioned for Blue to throw her the phone. She typed out a message and threw it back. “Sorry, no zoo animals, it’s a condition of my parole,” Blue read. “Nice.” she said as she dropped next to Ralph on the couch. “Hey, buddy.” She gave his hindquarter a rub.

  Kanyon glanced at the shooting schedule. “I have a forty-minute break, then they have to shoot a longer scene, another break, then a third shot. Hoping we’ll wrap about two. You sure you want to stay?”

  “After today? Yes.”

  Kanyon smiled. “Okay. I’ll try to catch you between breaks and we can go from there.” She stepped forward to give Daylen a kiss good-bye but shot a glance at Blue. She looked back at Daylen for unspoken permission.

  Daylen took a step forward in answer, giving Kanyon a quick kiss then following her out of the trailer.

  Kanyon brushed a strand of hair from Daylen’s cheek. “Be safe.”

  “I’m not the one blowing up warehouses.” Daylen flipped Kanyon’s bottom lip with a fingertip.

  “Just blackened a wall, lost a couple of props, all good,” Kanyon countered. “So, Blue, Theo, Aunt Ruby?” Kanyon didn’t need to explain her question.

  “I’m good.” Daylen leaned into Kanyon.

  Kanyon smiled. “Me too.” She gave Daylen a quick kiss. “Very good.”

  “We’re in for a long night,” Daylen stated, dropping next to Blue on the couch.

  “TMI, Portia de Rossi. Just because you two finally decided to play adult slumber party, doesn’t mean I need to be punished with the details.”

  “Whatever,” Daylen dropped her head back on the cushions.

  Blue continued to stroke Ralph’s back for several moments, then finally spoke in a softened tone. “So, can I ask you something?”

  Daylen was slow to answer, surprised at the casual request for conversation. “I suppose.”

  “So, you guys are like into some serious crazy stuff, aren’t you? Like real bizarre, not normal stuff.”

  “Kind of crazy, yeah.” Daylen answered.

  “Like paranormal, voodoo stuff.”

  Daylen laughed. “Voodoo? No.”

  “How else do you explain me macking down on geekboy, besides someone putting pins in my ass?”

  Daylen pondered for a brief second. “What we talk about can’t be repeated. Broadcasted. Known by others.”

  Blue rolled her head to look at Daylen. “You can trust me.”

  “I know I can,” Daylen offered, no hesitation this time. “It’s just going to sound a little … crazy and a little hard to comprehend.”

  “You have supernatural gifts, don’t you?” Blue blurted out.

  “Or not,” Daylen muttered. “Yes. I have certain heightened abilities.”

  “Does Kanyon?”

  “She has some special things she can do as well. Though, we’re both just starting to figure these things out.”

  Blue was silent for another long moment. “You used your gifts to save my mom?”

  Daylen shied. “Yah, I guess. Didn’t exactly know what I was doing back then, but …”

  Blue’s hand stilled on Ralph’s side. “Thanks for that. Saving her.” Daylen didn’t respond, instead she reached out to lay a hand over Blue’s. She was surprised when Blue didn’t jerk away. They stayed like that for a long moment, neither moving except for their hands rising and falling with Ralph’s breaths.

  “Will you tell me about it? And what we’re really doing here on the set?”

  Daylen spent the next several minutes giving Blue the history of Guardian and Seeker and about the articles they were charged to collect. When she concluded, she waited for the onslaught of questions.

  A devilish grin rose on Blue’s lips. “How do you feel about red leather and whips?”

  “Um? Come again?” Daylen choked out.

  “For your costumes,” Blue stated. “I’m thinking red leather for you, black for Kanyon ‘cause, well, duh. Blue was off in her own thoughts.

  Daylen laughed. “We’re far from superheroes and we’re not–” Daylen didn’t finish since Blue wasn’t listening. Instead, she was standing and talking to herself about tool belts versus utility belts. Daylen stood. “Blue. Blue!” she repeated, catching Blue’s shoulder as she paced and threw out more costume ideas.

  “What?”

  “We aren’t superheroes,” Daylen repeated.

  Blue stopped and looked at Daylen. “Maybe you don’t think so, but maybe to someone else you are,” Blue stated, then immediately stepped back and away from the intimate confession. She started for the door. “Kanyon, definitely going with tight black with silver buckles …” she was saying as she left.

  Daylen stood completely still, not sure exactly what had caused her jaw to hit the floor, Blue being nice or the thought of Kanyon in something tight and black, with lots of silver buckles. She shook both thoughts from her head as she grabbed her bag and turned to Ralph. “You wanna go find Kanyon?”

  Ralph barked once and jumped down from the couch.

  They found Kanyon talking to Steven. She was nodding in understanding as Steven explained something with large exaggerated hand movements. As soon as they got close, Kanyon’s attention left Steven and found her. Daylen’s heart couldn’t help but warm at Kanyon’s response to her arrival. Kanyon had seemed to simply sense her, feel their connection. Daylen gave her an acknowledging wave. Kanyon quirked a smile then went back to Steven. They talked for another
minute, then Kanyon broke away.

  “Doing your own stunts. And let me guess, no rigs or safety precautions?”

  “Awesome, isn’t it.” Kanyon’s eyes lit. “I always hated all those freakin’ ropes and straps. They always gave me wedgies.”

  “Yes, wedgies are so much worse than concussions and broken arms …” she trailed off.

  “I know, right.” Kanyon agreed.

  Daylen sighed. “How’d you even get them to agree to it?”

  Kanyon shrugged. “Made doing my own stunts part of the contract, signed a half-dozen hold-harmless waivers, and reminded them of the money and time it would save since they’re on a tight shooting schedule.”

  “You’re ridiculous,” Daylen stated.

  “But happy,” Kanyon replied.

  That simple statement had Daylen stopping her next retort. She looked at Kanyon, the residual rush, satisfaction, and excitement still prevalent on her face. Kanyon had always taken pride in her work, but this was the first time, she realized, that she’d seen any kind of happiness. The same happiness, the same fire of excitement she’d seen at the Hoyt museum, after the fire at the Defalco’s, the fight in the alley, and every other brush of danger. As much as it twisted her heart, her warrior, her hero, her Guardian was made for danger, made to save, made to risk everything for her and she did so willingly, without doubt or thought, and without any regard to herself. She couldn’t believe how she hadn’t realized it before and how she’d tried to take it away from her. She raised a hand to Kanyon’s cheek. “You better be freaking careful.”

  Kanyon laid a hand over Daylen’s. “Always.” She gave Daylen a wink. “This is a short shot, then I should be done. “Meet you at the makeup trailer? Blue should be there.”

  “Sure.”

  Daylen sat, Ralph at her feet, watching Blue transform a guy into a gunshot victim and a rather handsome young man into someone who looked like they came out on the wrong end of a bar fight. When the last guy left Blue’s chair she knelt to pet Ralph. “That’s the last one I have tonight. Just have to stand by for touch-ups if someone screws up their makeup.”

  “You have an amazing gift,” Daylen admired. Blue shrugged, stood, and began cleaning up her brushes and supplies. “No really, Blue. You’re extremely talented.”

  “I don’t have superpowers like you two,” Blue replied flatly.

  Daylen chuckled as she picked up a glass with a severed finger in it. “Yeah, well, what you do is pretty amazing too.”

  “What all can you do?”

  It was Daylen who shrugged this time as she set down the glass. “I can kind of sense things; read people’s emotions.”

  Blue dropped in her makeup chair and spun toward Daylen as she grabbed her sketchbook and a pencil. “So, you’re like a super-psychic.” It wasn’t a question, it was more of a statement as she stared at Daylen for a second, then down at the paper and began scribbling.

  Daylen waited curiously, attempting to peek over at Blue’s drawing, but Blue blocked her by spinning around in the chair to grab purple and yellow colored pencils.

  “While you’re doing whatever you’re doing to my detriment and your pleasure, I’m sure, you hear anything new?”

  “Like any poor innocent virgin-ness young women, like myself, getting voodooed by some bad geek mojo?”

  Daylen snorted. “Yeah. Anything like that?”

  Blue focused back on her drawing. “Nada.” She furrowed a brow and angled her head slightly as she took in her drawing, erased, brushed off the page, and began sketching again. “Bam.” Blue flipped the drawing around to show Daylen.

  Daylen took in Blue’s creation. She was characterized in a purple skintight suit with hints of electric yellow, which highlighted her um, essentials. A front zipper was unzipped low exposing the inner curves of her generous breasts. Her legs and arms were bare, except for tall mid-calf high boots that sculpted tight to well-defined legs. Her hands and forearms were covered with form fitting gloves. One hand held a crystal ball that looked as if it glowed with a rainbow of auras, surprisingly accurate to the colors she actually saw around people when she had her shields down. Her hair was bellowing behind her as if the lights coming from the sphere were radiating power and her locks of hair were riding the waves.

  “You’re beautiful,” Kanyon said from behind them, causing Daylen’s heart to start with a jolt.

  “Ah, well, Blue is quite the artist.”

  “True, but she had an excellent model. So, I take it from the little pic, someone knows about …?”

  “She asked and I trust her,” Daylen answered.

  Kanyon nodded her agreement.

  Blue hitched a thumb at Kanyon. “You didn’t tell me what Wonder-not Woman’s superpowers are.”

  Kanyon looked at Daylen for approval.

  “Oh, like I could stop you.” Daylen gave her a go ahead motion.

  “Don’t know everything I can do just yet, but this,” Kanyon gave Daylen a cocky grin, “is kind of cool.” She swung up a hand in front of her, fingers up, then paused for dramatic effect.

  Blue scoffed. “What? You command the tuba section of a silent orchestra?” Blue quipped in a non-impressed tone.

  “Not exactly,” Kanyon replied as she brought bright blue flames to her fingertips.

  Blue scurried up and over the arm of her makeup chair, crashing down off the side. “What the holy flaming fuc– seriously?” She righted herself.

  Daylen stood with a chuckle, picking up Blue’s pencils and sketchbook, which had scattered across the floor, and sat them on her workstation. “I have a feeling this is going to be a bad mix.”

  Blue took cautious steps toward Kanyon’s lit fingers. She waved a hand through them. “No flipping, hot, flaming way!” She ran another hand through the fire. “I can’t believe–” She grabbed Kanyon’s wrist and pulled up her sleeve to see if there was a special effects apparatus rigged to her hand or arm. “Totally freaking awesome.” She spun around suddenly, grabbed a tissue from her makeup kit, rolled it tightly, and stuck it into the flames. It lit. “Totally freaking awesome.” When the tissue incinerated, Blue spun searching for the next victim. She ripped off a piece of paper from her sketchpad and repeated the light and watch it burn routine. “Cool! I need something else.”

  Kanyon waved at the counter. “Magazine.”

  “And I knew it.” Daylen grabbed Blue’s elbow before she could tight roll an issue of People and put it into Kanyon’s flames. “Enough for now, pyros.”

  Kanyon cut the flames off with a flick of her wrist. “Right. Case now. Bonfire later.”

  “Hell yeah!” Blue cheered.

  “Nothing new,” Daylen replied.

  “Well, I have an idea. Ouch!” Kanyon jerked her hand up as she felt something jab it. “Blue! What the hell?”

  Blue stood with a scalpel. “I wanted to make sure your hand was not a prosthetic.”

  “So you poked it with a scalpel?” Kanyon asked.

  “Duh. Prosthetics don’t bleed. Well, some of mine do, but I’m good. Really, really good.”

  Kanyon wiped at the dot of blood forming on the back of her hand. “Can a prosthetic do this?” Kanyon reached out and grabbed one of Blue’s eyebrow piercings and tugged.

  “Ouchhh!” Blue protested, slapping at Kanyon’s hand. “You sure you’re not a villain?”

  “Put handlebars on your face and that’s what you get.”

  Blue huffed as she turned her back. Kanyon rolled her eyes. “It’s late, do you want to start over tomorrow?”

  “Not really. I think the article is here somewhere,” Daylen answered.

  “Okay. Next point of attack?” Kanyon asked.

  “Well, trying to read the guys involved has been a bust. I don’t think they know what they have or at least I’m not getting any deceit when I talk to them. I thought I was starting to develop the power to sense articles, kind of home in on them, but it’s in no way reliable.”

  “Hey, Kanyon,” Blue held out a sketch,
“Check this out.” Unlike Daylen’s character, who was a mix of superhero and supermodel, Kanyon’s character was a combination of Kanyon’s face and a cheap ninety-nine cent plastic convenience store lighter as the torso. If that wasn’t bad enough, Blue had inverted the lighter so it was facing down, which gave the added fun of it looking like Bic-Kanyon was blowing flames out of her ass.

  Ralph went laughing hyena, while Daylen cupped a quick hand over her nose and mouth to stifle the snorts of laugher that irrupted. Blue simply stared at Kanyon defiantly. Kanyon was grinning as she turned back to Daylen. “I think I just came up with a good way to solve our little problem.” Daylen lifted a curious eyebrow. Kanyon stepped beside Blue, struck a Vanna White-I-just-exposed-a-letter pose, then added in her best television game show host voice, “No need for special powers or the hassle of a lengthy investigation when you have Geek-dar. This pocket-sized Geek-dar lets you know when you have your man. The Geek-dar has a built-in alert and notification system. She simply attaches herself to the geek and then with her audible notification system, professes her undying love and affections.”

  “I hate you,” Blue growled. “And if you think for one minute that I’m going to–”

  Kanyon pulled out her phone, hit a button, swiped a couple times, and Blue professing her undying love played through the phone’s speakers.

  Blue stomped a heavy boot. “Give me that.”

  “Ain’t happening. And I bet Theo could post this little jewel on YouTube.” Kanyon stated, making a show of watching the video.

  “You are an evil, evil woman.”

  Kanyon grinned. “Geek-dar?”

  “Fine! But I swear if you let me go suck face on any of those dweebs again–”

  “You’ll what? Go all kissy face on me?”

  “You freakin’ wish! You couldn’t handle it if I did!”

  “Okay, okay,” Daylen broke in. “Truce, you two. Geez. Blue, Kanyon has a good point.” She held up a hand to halt Blue’s protest. “You could help us locate the article.”

  “How much does this sidekick gig pay?” Blue asked.

  “Sidekick?” Kanyon snorted.