~ Two Part Harmony ~
by Colleen
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Chapter 3
Two huge vehicles pulled up outside the great arena in Seattle Washington. Ahead of them were two semis, full of the intricate staging, technical equipment, costumes and instruments. Whenever possible Sky and the band would roll along the highways to the cities on the tour, but sometimes it would be necessary to take to the sky. It was those times when the imminent jokes about the band's name would run rampant. They always chartered flights, but Skylar was seriously considering investing in her own plane. She had realized that it would also be much easier when she wanted to visit her hometown.
The band members piled out of the buses, stretching their legs and other tight body parts. Skylar had had the band's bus designed with as much comfort as possible with fold down sleeping for eight, a bathroom and a small kitchen. Sky's personal vehicle was a top of the line RV with a private bedroom, full bath, a complete kitchen and banquettes that could also fold down for an extra sleeping area. There was also a TV, DVD/CD player and surround sound system. The driver's compartment was separated for Sky's complete privacy. Skylar had always asked the ladies of the band to ride with her, but she made Bo travel in his own car. Surprisingly to her, Lisa Scott had chosen to ride in the second bus and of course Gable had wanted to be with her husband. That left Kyra, at Skylar's encouragement to ride in the luxury RV. The two of them had played board games and worked on more songs on the long ride from LA.
The group got a quick tour of the backstage and dressing rooms before they boarded the vehicles once again and headed to the hotel. It was around eleven in the morning and most everyone wanted a shower and some lunch. They would have the rest of the day to relax because the concert wasn't until the next evening. The techs however had a full day ahead of them, assembling the elaborate stage, lighting and sound equipment.
* * *
That evening, the guys gathered in Josh Roberts' room for a few rounds of poker. Lisa had wanted to visit a local night club and Sky invited Gable and Kyra to her room for a movie night. Earlier in the day, the two backup singers had done some sightseeing. Kyra excitedly recounted their adventures as Sky looked at a couple of dozen pictures that had been loaded onto a laptop. The blonde also told her friends of the travel diary she was starting.
"I wish I could have gone with you," Sky said. "That's the worst part about having fame." She turned to Gable. "Remember what happened at the end of last year's tour?"
"Oh my God!" the redhead laughed. "Wait till you here this Kyra."
The night went on like that, with stories and laughter, popcorn and root beer.
They never got around to the movie, but a good time was had by all.
* * *
The next day, just after lunch, Sky and the band were back at the arena for a sound check and rehearsal. The singer noticed that a few fans were already hanging around in hopes of getting an autograph. She would have loved to take the time to indulge them, but Bo hurried her along as usual. She settled for a quick wave. They entered through a back door and stopped at the dressing rooms to drop off some backpacks and duffle bags. Kyra rummaged through her dark blue pack and grabbed her cell phone. As they walked down the back halls and up a few stairs, she quickly checked for messages then clipped the tiny box to her belt. She suddenly felt the enclosed space around her fade away and looked up to see why. The green eyes grew to the size of golf balls and Kyra stood frozen in place while everyone else was moving to take their places behind instruments and microphones.
"Hey McCall," Bo shouted, "get your head on straight and get a move on."
"Hey Bo," Sky countered, "why don't you stick your head up…" It was really a waste of breath to finish. "Just give us a minute will ya." She walked over and put a hand on Kyra's shoulder, immediately detecting the trembling. "It's something to be on this side huh?"
Kyra kept scanning the huge arena and her face paled. "Yeah. I've been to concerts before, but to be up here with all those eyes on you…well their eyes will be on you, but…wow."
"I think there'll probably be more than a few admiring eyes on you too once your face flashes onto that." Sky pointed to one of two very large screens hanging over each side of the auditorium seats.
Kyra gulped audibly. "Thanks for telling me," she joked…sort of.
Skylar laughed good naturedly. "Well, I wanted you to realize that now instead of in the middle of a song, in front of the sell out crowd."
Kyra made a pinched face at her friend. "You're just trying to make me faint, aren't you?"
Sky continued smiling and handed her a bottle of water. "Of course not. But why don't you have some of this and take a seat over there while we get levels on the instruments." She leaned down and whispered in Kyra's ear. "I know it's overwhelming; I felt the same way. But you'll be fine. If it's too much at first, just watch me and pretend we're back in rehearsal."
Kyra nodded and followed her suggestion. She swallowed about half the water and gave herself a little pep talk. Sky's right; I'll be fine. No one will even notice me. Why would they with her here. Her gaze drifted back to the star, who was practicing a sexy dance move. As she continued watching, Kyra began to immediately feel better. She took a deep breath as the final nerves settled into place and an appreciative grin slid across her face. The pink returned to her cheeks, she rose to her feet and joined Gable, ready to do her job. She wouldn't disappoint Skylar Ramsey.
The singer turned and saw her new friend looking vibrant and energetic once more. Sky nodded and winked. "Okay ladies," she said cheerfully, "it's our turn for a little vocal activity."
* * *
After an early, light dinner, the band returned to prepare for the 8:00 curtain call. A huge crowd of teens and twenty something women and men had gathered at the back of the arena, where they knew Skylar would be arriving. Some of the really dedicated ones had been there over eight hours. A few chanted her name, some were singing their favorite Skylar Ramsey songs, but all kept a close eye out for their beloved super star.
A van pulled up and five of the eight band members exited and strolled past the excited fans. This actually sent a renewed thrill through the mob of young people, because they knew that Skylar Ramsey wouldn't be far behind.
And they were not disappointed as five minutes later a long, black limo turned into the barricaded lot and came to a stop about thirty feet from the building. The screams and cheers went up about ten decibels as the back door opened. They were not deterred as the imposing figure of Josh Roberts stepped out first. He moved aside, but not away as his wife and Kyra McCall followed. Once the dark headed celebrity appeared, her name rumbled from a chorus of thrilled voices, and as her long legs took just three steps it became too much of a temptation for the agitated mob to handle and in one huge push they knocked down the wooden barricades and rushed the star and her entourage.
They just wanted a touch.
Nobody was actually trying to hurt them, but the three women felt the terror of the unexpected moment as they were suddenly squeezed tight against the tall, chain link fence. Skylar instinctively moved her taller body between the wave of humanity and Kyra...for all the good it would do. Even Josh couldn't hold back the dozens of bodies moving forward. A frantic call went out for security and Bo Bowers charged out the arena door, screaming swear words until his voice cracked and finally failed. Several guards ran to the rescue and drove the enthused fans back away from the women. Josh wrapped his massive arms around the three and hustled them to safety. After a few deep breaths they wasted no time making there way to the dressing rooms.
"I'm so sorry," Sky said to her friends. "I guess I should have let you come in with the band."
"It's not your fault," Gable said. "I don't think you expected anything like that to happen. I guess your fans have been building up all that enthusiasm over the winter and it finally exploded. I'm sure Bo will make sure that doesn't happen again."
Skylar shook her head despondently. "I hope so. I love them all, but that's a dangerous situation for everyone." She looked over to the quiet blonde who was still standing by the door. "Kyra, you okay?"
It took several seconds for the clouded green eyes to look up. "Huh? Oh yeah; that was just…a little shocking."
"You're not having a very good day, are you?" Sky asked.
"Well, maybe I didn't realize exactly everything that would be involved in working for a superstar, but now that I've had my inauguration, I think I can handle just about anything."
"Situations like that are why we have the hulk out there with us." Hulk was Sky's affectionate nickname for part time bodyguard Josh Roberts.
"Hulk?" Kyra questioned.
Skylar laughed. "Sure. He's a damn good musician, but you've got to admit he can be a little scary looking." She directed her teasing remarks to the little redhead, before she stepped into the connecting bathroom.
"He ain't mean and he ain't green," Gable sang, "but he is all mine."
Skylar rolled her eyes and shouted. "Newlyweds!"
Kyra laughed at the banter as she opened her makeup case. "How long have you been married?" she asked.
"Eight months." Gable looked up and saw the blonde's back reflected in the mirror. "Kyra, you're bleeding!"
Skylar ran into the room. Her hair was pulled back into a pony tail and her face had just been scrubbed clean. She guided Kyra to a chair and sat down beside her. "Let me see." She gently pulled up the blood streaked, short sleeve of Kyra's shirt.
The blonde peered behind her as the star examined the injury that was on the back of her right arm. "It can't be much," she said, "it hardly hurts."
Skylar sighed. "It's a small puncture wound, but it might be kind of deep. It's bleeding quite a bit. I think you need to see a doctor."
"We don't have time for that, Skylar. It'll be fine; I'll just stick a band aid over it."
"Gable, I saw a first aid kit in the bathroom; can you grab it for me?"
Kyra was very uncomfortable taking up the star's valuable time. "I can probably reach around and do that," she said nervously. "You have to get ready for the show."
"There's plenty of time," Skylar assured as she rummaged around in the white box. With slow, easy moves she tended to the small wound. "This may sting a little," she said as she cleaned the area with some peroxide. Kyra sucked in a quick breath and Skylar felt the pain. The thought of this gentle woman being in any kind of pain was almost unbearable. She'd never felt an empathy this strong before. "It had to be something on the fence that poked you," Sky murmured as she worked. "Have you had a," Sky sniffed as the powerful emotion tore at her, "a recent tetanus shot?"
"Umm yeah, about two years ago."
"Good." Skylar placed a small, skin colored covering over the injury and with a quick swipe of her cheek, wicked away the single tear that she just couldn't fight off.
"Skylar," Kyra whispered. "I'm fine." She took the hand that had treated her so gently and gave it a comforting squeeze.
"I know, but you got hurt because of me. That's never happened before and it just hit me hard I guess."
"Like Gable said, you're not responsible for their actions. But thank you for taking care of me." Kyra released her hand even though it felt so good. "Now, I believe you have something more important to do," she said before turning back to prepare.
I can't think of anything more important than you. Like a whisper you strain to hear, Skylar vaguely perceived the thought that just skimmed across the deepest recesses of her brain. She patted Kyra's shoulder one more time and stepped out of the dressing room. She just walked a few steps when Bo turned the corner in front of her.
His usual scowl deepened. "What are you doing out here, looking like that? You should be just about ready to go on."
"I need to speak to the manager of this place," she answered. "Can you track him down?"
"What do you need?" he huffed impatiently.
"They need to check the fence where we were pushed up against it. Kyra got hurt and someone needs to fix it."
"Hurt how?"
"She got cut on the back of arm."
"Great, I suppose you wanna call a paramedic and that's gonna cause a delay."
"Don't pop a vein Bobo; I took care of it."
"You took care of it? She was bleeding?"
"Yeah."
Bo threw his hands up in the air, angrier than ever. "What the hell were you thinking Cash; what if she has HIV or something?!"
Skylar turned and walked away disgustedly. "She does not have HIV or anything." She kept her voice low, but convincing.
Bo stomped after her. "And just how can you be so sure?"
She stopped again to grudgingly answer his question. "Not that it's any of your business, but she told me that she had a recent physical and got a clean bill of health."
What Skylar would not tell him was that the physical was for a life insurance policy, a very sizable policy that she offered all of her employees…except Bo. She had to keep those a secret from him. He struck down that idea the moment she had first suggested it, calling it a total waste of money.
* * *
All lights in the huge, filled to capacity arena fell away, drowning the space in shadowy blackness. The darkness hummed with a soundless energy as many thousand hearts accelerated by a beat or two. A deep thrum began and every seat began to vibrate. All eyes zeroed in on the upper level of the elevated stage, while below that, newcomer Michael Fisher let rip with a very impressive drum solo. The piano sounded off next and just a few seconds later the entire six piece band lit up the dark night with an illumination of notes. The introduction lasted another five minutes as the audience began to move to the edges of their seats in anticipation. As good as the music was they wanted their star.
A single spotlight popped to life and the crowd sprang to their feet, clapping, cheering, whistling and calling out her name. Skylar took one deep breath, jogged up the stairs under the maelstrom of admiration and appeared in the white light. Camera flashes joined the earsplitting vocal fray as she ran down the ramp on one side, across the stage and up the other ramp back to the spot where she began. More lights of color began criss-crossing the stage and yet more flashed across the excited viewers.
"Hello Seattle!" Skylar yelled into the tiny microphone near her mouth. She began clapping her hands high above her head, igniting the beat of her first number. "Take me away," she sang.
Kyra and Gable echoed. "Take me. Take me."
Not a single butterfly remained as Kyra drew on the energy of the overcharged atmosphere and of her exuberant boss. The show had just started and she couldn't wipe the smile from her face. It was so much fun, she realized; more than she could ever have imagined.
Skylar sang the rest of the song from her high perch, then energized with the power of the thunderous applause she descended to the main stage where she chatted and laughed with the audience. Turning back to grab her guitar, which was next to Kyra, she was happy to see her friend smiling and enjoying.
Kyra and Gable were wearing identical outfits of black, flowing slacks and black, sequined, sleeveless tops. Skylar gave herself a mental pat on the back for choosing such appealing costumes. Sky was wearing a pair of low riding, faded jeans which had an airbrushed scene of the Colorado Mountains on the lower right leg. They had been a present from someone very special. A thick, black and silver belt encircled her slim hips and she wore a top of the same style as her backup singers, only Sky's was a shimmery silver. Two black scarves hung out of the back pockets of her form fitting jeans. They waved and bounced as she moved around on stage throughout her high energy numbers. During the last song, before the break and Sky's costume change, the three ladies took center stage and performed an entertaining and spicy dance routine. At one point in the number, Kyra and Gable plucked the scarves from their snug locations, much to the delight of the audience. The satin adornments ended up draped around their necks and remained for the rest of the show.
After every performance, Skylar autographed the scarves and donated them to a local charity to be auctioned. They always brought in a tidy sum.
* * *
"So what did you think of your first concert?" Skylar asked as she cracked the top on a bottle of water. She had showered in her dressing room before they left Seattle and was dressed in a pair of nylon shorts and a tank top. Her bus mate's emerald eyes were still sparkling with vivacity and somehow Skylar knew the answer to her question.
Kyra sucked in a deep breath. "I just…I mean I've never…" She was still a little tongue tied. "Wow! That was the most thrilling experience of my life. Thank you. Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity."
Skylar leaned over and tapped Kyra on the arm. "You are very welcome. And you know the great part about all of this is we get to do it over and over again."
Kyra laughed, savoring the notion. She had on a pair of soft, loose fitting pants and a pale yellow t-shirt. She looked radiant, Sky thought, all excited and happy.
Sky was happy too. Very happy. But the adrenalin was finally beginning to drain and the fatigue was showing in the weary blue eyes. It was nearly two in the morning and the bus was racing down the highway toward the next city. A tired arm lifted the plastic bottle, but a yawn slipped out before she chugged down the last of her sparkling water. "You did a great job Kyra," she praised, licking the drops from her lips. "And I think we'll have a lot of fun…on stage and off." Sky's eyes slid shut, but popped right back open. "You must be very sleepy," she joked through another yawn. "And I'm sitting on your bed. You probably want me to move…so you can…" The lazy lids drooped once again as the smooth, rolling motion of the bus lulled Skylar into a twenty second nap. Kyra watched with a fond smile, which she maintained when the orbs showed themselves again. "…get some sleep."
"No, I'm fine," Kyra said. "But you, my friend are exhausted." She stood and reached out to the slumped woman. "I'll give you a hand." She pulled Sky to her feet when the bus hit a hole in the road. Both women went tumbling and the blonde landed in the taller woman's lap. This sparked a bout of giggles that was nearly unstoppable.
"Shall we try this again?" Ms. Ramsey asked, still chuckling.
The next attempt was mildly successful as it took the pair of long legs a few seconds to get a solid footing. Sky grabbed on to a handhold to really steady herself. "Well, I guess it's gonna take me a few days to get my stamina back. All that pampering by my dozen servants the last few months has made me soft."
"Ha, ha." Kyra spun her tall friend and gently pushed her toward the back of the vehicle to her bedroom. "Night Sky."
One final, weak chuckle was heard and the drowsy singer stopped at the door and looked back over her shoulder. "Good night Kyra. And thanks."
Kyra tossed aside a couple of turquoise colored cushions to reveal her bed for the night. "What for?" she asked. But the bedroom door was already closed.
Continued…