by K. B. Draper
“Bonds of Papyras.” He took Lexi’s elbow, bringing the bracelets in front of him for his own admiration. “He used these bonds to punish his slaves against resistance, to hold them against their will. I see that you have already taken advantage of their powers.” He lowered her wrist to kiss the back of her hand. “I would warn you that the suppressed have been known to revolt and overpower the ones who have enslaved them.” He gave her a shallow bow then disappeared.
Blue was juggling the towels, first aid kit, and the bottles of water she’d just snatched from the nearby makeup trailer when Theo jogged up beside her. “What’s going on?”
“Kanyon and Daylen are by the generator and I’m sidekicking the shit out of things right now,” Blue stated as she hobbled back toward Daylen and Kanyon.
“Hey, the only one sidekicking around here is me,” Theo protested as he reached for her supplies.
Blue twisted away, giving him a sideways up and down. “Yeah right, swizzle stick.”
“At least I can run.” He snatched the towels from her grip and took off.
“And we’re running again. Son-of-a–” Blue double-timed her hop.
Kanyon wanted to explain, wanted to tell Daylen that it hadn’t been her, or at least not a willing her. “Tell me you don’t think that I would’ve,” she coughed.
“We can talk about it later. Can you roll back over onto your side? I want to see what happened.”
Kanyon did as Daylen asked, flinching slightly as the movement pulled at her broken skin.
Theo hit the scene, nearly tripping over himself after skidding to a halt. “Holy applesauce, what happened? You need me to call–” He was saying as he fell to his knees alongside Daylen, getting his first close up glance at Kanyon’s wounds, “9-1-” he tried to finish before his brain fuse got thrown.
Blue snorted. “Some sidekick you are, sissy boy.” Blue dropped her haul, grabbed Theo by the armpits, and drug him out of the way, taking up sidekick position next to Daylen. She glanced at Daylen’s pained face and saw she was struggling to not hurt Kanyon any further. She gave Daylen a reassuring rub to the back, before leaning over into Kanyon’s grill. “What the hell did she do to you? She gave you a freaking STD, didn’t she? Some crotch and brain rotting STD.”
Kanyon’s response was half laugh, half moan.
“Hey, it could happen. Al Capone died of syphilis of the brain.” Blue tried to pull her sleeves over her hands. “Man, I’m totally going to hate you if you give me syphilis of the brain. Or crotch. Brain or crotch. It’s actually safe to say that I’ll totally wig if you give me syphilis of any body part. And while I have your attention, we need to talk about the whole pool ban thing,” Blue rambled on as she watched Daylen’s face go white as she pulled up the back of Kanyon’s shirt. Blue leaned over to see Kanyon’s face. “I mean, if you’re going to, you know, Charlie Sheen my ass with some funked up cooties, then I think we can call bygones, bygones on the pool. Right?”
“Sure,” Kanyon groaned.
“Cool, ‘cause I have this idea of a school of rabid, cross-bred guinea pigs, piranha creatures. I’m thinking about calling them guinnhas or piranea pigs? What do you think?”
Kanyon coughed. “Pirenea pigs, definitely.”
With Kanyon’s shirt moved out of the way, Daylen straightened as she cleared her throat. “If you two are done, then maybe we should try to stop Kanyon from, you know, bleeding.”
“I don’t know,” Blue tsked, “she’s kind of more agreeable when she’s bleeding.” Kanyon coughed another laugh but Blue was fixed on Daylen’s grim expression. “She’s going to be okay. You’re here.”
Daylen nodded absently as she laid tentative hands on Kanyon’s back. The heat did not rise. All she could feel was the rapid beat of her own heart. She looked down at Kanyon’s hand pressing against her leg.
“Only you,” Kanyon offered when Daylen finally met her eyes.
Daylen let out a shuddering breath, closed her eyes again, and thought of Kanyon, her voice, and the simple words she’d spoken. “Only you,” her mind repeated in Kanyon’s voice. “Only you,” it whispered again as the heat rising in her core melted all her doubts. It started in her chest, moved down her arms, then into her hands and fingers. She let images of Kanyon’s easy smile and her impossibly deep blue eyes that so easily portrayed strength and tenderness flood her. She thought of how those same eyes looked at her with vulnerability, trust, and … love. She felt Kanyon’s hand reach back to squeeze hers and she let her eyes open slowly.
Kanyon rolled and lifted a hand to Daylen’s face. “You. Daylen. Only you. You have to know that.”
“Ddd-zamn! Doogie Howser ain’t got nothing on you, Super D. You make House look like a punk-ass bitch.” Blue whistled. “Seriously, who needs health care when you got Doctor D. Speaking of which, I got this little, ummm rash …”
“Did it … ?” Daylen asked tentatively.
Kanyon rolled her shoulders and twisted. “Sore, but okay. Good. I’m good.”
Theo sat up with a jolt. “9-1-1!” He looked at Kanyon then Daylen.
Blue laughed. “Sorry, wannabe, you’re late to the game. You’re benched and I’m tagged in as the official sidekick on Team Superhero.”
“Hey, I … Well, you can’t even run,” he waved a hand at her face, “or go through airport security.”
“Seriously, Sir Faints-a-lot, that’s what you got? Daylen’s already said she’d take me to Foot Locker tomorrow. And airports?” She spoke to Kanyon out of the side of her mouth. “You can’t fly, can you?”
“Only on a plane,” Kanyon replied.
Blue faced Theo again. “Whatever. You suck.”
“I have mad computer skills,” Theo retorted.
“I’m going to make them some sick-ass superhero costumes,” Blue countered.
Hurt washed over Theo’s face. “You said we couldn’t have costumes.”
Daylen was emotionally exhausted and didn’t really want to deal with what was currently going on around her. She wanted, no needed, time to think about what had just happened and talk to Kanyon.
Kanyon was watching Daylen, saw the play of emotions and exhaustion wash over her. “Theo, we’ll talk about it later, okay?” Kanyon got to her feet and reached a hand down to Daylen.
“Kanyon, just one quick question.” Theo stood as well.
“Yeah?”
He pointed to the ground. “When I got here you were bleeding and–”
“Theo, buddy, there’s a lot we need to talk about, but not now, okay? We still need to find,” Kanyon hesitated, “what we’re looking for.”
Kanyon realized her mistake as she saw Blue’s eyes light up. “He doesn’t know?”
Blue spun on him as she jumped up to stand next to Kanyon. “Dude, I’m totally the sidekick, ‘cause I know about–” Kanyon slapped a hand across Blue’s mouth.
“Not cool,” Kanyon stated.
Blue protested underneath Kanyon’s hand.
“I’ll revoke pool privileges again.”
Blue sighed and dropped her shoulders in defeat. Kanyon removed her hand, giving her another warning as Blue started to open her mouth. “Take Theo over there.” Blue rolled her eyes but grabbed Theo by the elbow. “Come on, pass-out Patty. The grownups need to talk.”
Kanyon bent down, took Daylen’s hand, and held it against her chest. “We okay?”
Daylen coughed out a laugh. “Considering that we just found out your ex is a sadistic bitch and has the ability to–” She waved a hand at Kanyon, not able to speak the words. “No, okay would not be my first descriptor for our little situation.”
“I wasn’t talking about–”
Daylen squeezed Kanyon’s hand. “I know. I’m still trying to figure out what the hell happened. I mean, Kanyon, she–”
“I know,” Kanyon offered.
“How? What’d she say to you? What’d she want?”
Kanyon shrugged. “I don’t know. Nothing. Everything. She didn’t really say.”<
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“How?” Daylen asked again. “How was she able to do that to you?”
Kanyon shrugged. “I couldn’t move. One minute I was walking to the trailer, the next she was in front of me and I couldn’t move. It felt like I was, I don’t know, bound or something.”
Daylen lifted her other hand to Kanyon’s face. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry.”
Kanyon leaned toward Daylen and kissed her gently. “Thank you for believing me. Healing me.” Kanyon kissed her again. “Now, how about we find the article? Then figure out a way to–”
“Kick your ex’s ass?” Daylen offered.
Kanyon smiled. “Sounds like a plan.”
Blue quickly moved next to Kanyon’s elbow and smirked at Theo. “Side,” Blue pointed at Kanyon’s hip, then down to her own boots, “kick. Boo-ya!”
Theo glared at her then stepped forward to squeeze between Kanyon and Daylen. He leaned forward and stuck out his tongue at Blue. “Double,” he waved a thumb back and forth between Kanyon and Daylen, “sidekick.”
Kanyon looked at Ralph. “And where do you want to be in this cluster of chaos?”
Ralph scoffed as he made his way through the line of them to take up position in the lead.
Theo and Blue both turned on each other, glared, then raced to Ralph’s side, fighting for hand positioning on his back. “Back off, Revenge of the Nerds reject,” Blue ordered.
“You back off, Bride of Pinhead,” Theo retorted.
Blue glared at Theo then grabbed his bicep and squeezed. “I’ve seen more muscles on a hamster.”
“Ouch!” Theo jerked back. Blue smiled as her hand took possession of Ralph’s collar. Theo glared. “You are, are, are like a vacuum cleaner in a straw factory.”
“Is that geek-speak for something?”
“Yeah, it means you suck. A lot!” Theo triumphed.
Blue rolled her eyes. “You wish, 40 year-old-virgin.”
Theo looked at Kanyon. “Tell Blue to let me hold onto Ralph too.”
“Ohhh no, no, no, no. You’ll have to talk to mom about that.” She pointed at Daylen.
“Why am I the mom?” Daylen protested.
Kanyon quirked an eyebrow. “Seriously?”
“Good grief. You’re both grown adults. Share.”
“See, perfect motherly advice. I would’ve gone with the cut him in half thing.”
Ralph stopped, looked over his shoulder, and growled.
Kanyon stopped as well. “We’re going with her advice, geez.”
Ralph scoffed and began walking again.
“It’s getting late,” Kanyon offered. “I say we head to the locker rooms if we’re still going to catch anyone.”
“You’re sure, you’re–” Daylen started.
“I’m good,” Kanyon interrupted. “Guys, let’s cut through here.”
They took a left, popping out next to the equipment tents where a few crew guys were still locking things up, but neither of them were who they were looking for so they moved on to the locker room.
Kanyon pointed at the men’s locker room door. “Theo, go see if any of your buddies from the other night are in there, especially Jeremy. If so, send him out to talk to us.”
“Is this an official assignment for your sidekick?” he asked as he looked at Blue smugly.
“Yes, official assignment. Go.”
“Ha!” He did a little victory dance, geek-style, in front of Blue then put a hand in her face. “Suck it, tackle box.”
Kanyon caught Blue before she could jump Theo. “Let me go. I’m going to play pick-up sticks with his severed limbs.”
“Chill out. We have a sidekick assignment for you too,” Kanyon offered.
“It better be cooler than flushing geeks out of the overgrown port-a-potty,” Blue huffed.
“Much cooler,” Kanyon assured her.
Blue narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “What?”
“We need you to interrogate someone.”
“Please let that be superhero speak for beat a confession out of them.”
“Sure. But only as a last resort,” Kanyon offered.
“Sweet!” Blue grinned wickedly.
“Okay. Stand right here so if anyone comes running out that door you’re ready to snatch them. Daylen and I will be over here,” Kanyon took Daylen’s arm and led her to the other side of the doorway, “as backup.”
“I don’t need no stinking backup,” Blue muttered.
“You’re evil,” Daylen whispered.
“No, this is just how Blue and I express how much we care for each other,” Kanyon retorted.
“I’d hate to see what you’d do to show someone you love them.” Daylen stiffened, immediately wishing her special powers included conversational rewind abilities.
Kanyon looked at Daylen. “I’d give up everything for them, sacrifice everything,” Kanyon offered softly.
Daylen stood silent for a long moment, simply searching Kanyon’s eyes for the depth and meaning of her words. “Kanyon, I–”
Blue screamed a warrior’s cry as the trailer door opened.
Jeremy paused on the top step. “Theo said that–”
Blue jumped. “I’ve been waiting all my life. I love you. You’re so freaking hot. Geek hot, but I don’t care. I want your poindexter babies.”
“And we have a winner.” Kanyon grabbed Jeremy’s flailing arm and assisted him in staying upright under the weight of a hundred and ten-pound, spiked, kissing machine.
Daylen grabbed Blue around the waist and tried yanking her off the poor guy, but Blue was plastered to him like an overly-needy suction cup.
Daylen yelled at Kanyon as she continued to tug at Blue’s waist. “Excellent plan.”
“Hey, we know who has the article now, don’t we?” Kanyon pried Blue’s fingers from Jeremy’s neck, allowing Daylen to get the top part of Blue detached, leaving Blue’s hooked legs and ankles around Jeremy’s waist.
“Jeremy, you want to tell me,” Kanyon grunted as she tried to release Blue’s locked ankles, “anything? Maybe about the cologne you’re wearing?”
“Yeah, it’s awesome, huh? Gets me all kinds of attention,” Jeremy boasted, as he tried to untangle a heel from around his leg. “Maybe a tad too much attention.”
“You think? Where’d you get it?” Kanyon asked, giving up on Blue’s foot, going instead for tugging her boot off.
“He was the only one,” Theo stopped in the doorway, “in here. What the heck is going on?”
“Grab a leg!” Kanyon ordered.
Theo lunged for a kicking leg, holding on to it like he was trying to hug the tentacle of a drunk octopus. “Wiry little thing, isn’t she?” he stated as he was flung up against the railing.
Kanyon uncoiled Blue’s other leg, freeing Jeremy from Blue’s hold. “Here.” Kanyon shoved the leg toward Theo who placed it under his other arm. “Don’t let her go.” Kanyon turned to Jeremy. “You, back inside.” She pointed, pushing him up the stairs and through the door as Blue continued to struggle and profess her undying love. Once inside, Kanyon closed the door to distance Blue from her self-proclaimed pookie wookie. “Alrighty,” Kanyon held out a palm, “give it up.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously. Give it to me,” Kanyon waved an impatient hand.
“This is going to be so badass.” He started fumbling with his belt. “I like take charge women.”
“Whoa there, cowboy. One, not my type and two, I was talking about the cologne.”
“Oh,” he dropped his hands from his belt buckle, “I thought it was too good to be true.”
“Way too good. Cologne,” Kanyon ordered.
He sighed. “Friends wouldn’t have believed me anyway.” He walked over to a locker and worked the combination. He looked back to Kanyon. “How about the little chick? You think she’d wanna? I mean, she’s a little clingy, but she’s hot in a mad and dark kind of way.”
“No, she’s–” She saw the hope in the kid’s eyes. Crap. Now she just felt sorry for
the guy. “Jeremy, you don’t want to, ahhh–”
“Yeah, I do! I’m totally into tattooed goth girls. Any girl really, but, I don’t know, she seemed cool,” he said shyly.
“Well, I don’t know how to say this but,” Kanyon paused and lowered her voice to a whisper, “you can’t say anything. Promise?” He nodded. “She’s kind of got syphilis. You know, like Al Capone. The make ya go crazy kind of syphilis.” She circled a finger at her temple.
“Ohhh. Thanks for the warning.” He sighed, pulled out a small ornate silver bottle, and held it out.
“Mind telling me where you got this?”
“I didn’t steal it or anything. Cory left it on the sink after he bagged–” He stopped at Kanyon’s raised eyebrow.
“Do you know where he got it?”
“No. He just said he found it somewhere on set.”
“You don’t know where?”
“Not really. I think he was helping build the street set at the time and said it was just sitting there. Someone must’ve set it down and left it there or something.”
Kanyon nodded as she slid the bottle in her pocket. “Thanks, Jeremy.”
“Kanyon?” Jeremy stopped her retreat. “Will you tell your friend to call me, you know, if she gets her little ummm, issue cleared up?”
Kanyon nodded. “Sure. And you might want to take a shower before you leave. I mean, mini-typhoid Mary out there did have her tongue down your throat.”
“Right. Cool. Thanks.”
Kanyon came out of the trailer, looked at Daylen, and patted her pocket that held the bottle.
Daylen was still holding onto Blue by the back of her shirt. Theo was sitting on her feet, his legs and arms wrapped around both of Blue’s knees, like a kid wanting an adult to give them a swing on their leg. Blue had her arms crossed, her eyes staring at the sky, swearing she was “totally cool” while Ralph was lying in a nearby patch of grass watching the “stupid humans.”
“Theo, you can release her. She should be good.”
“Told you, loser.” Blue smacked him on the top of the head.
“Hey! Better a loser than a Suc-ur-face.” Blue didn’t show a response. “You know, like a succubus but you sucked his face.”