Cyrielle got out of the car. The harbor was windy and dark clouds predicted rain for the afternoon.

  ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have put on makeup…’

  She wasn’t overly dressed, just her usual high waisted pants with her knitted beige sweater and a long dark green coat, paired with a discreet makeup to give the idea of being put together without being overly fshy. She just wanted to give the impression of being professional.

  Today, Julie had brought her to meet the owner of the boat. They needed to finalize the details, like the pn for the concert or the appearance fee. All these words were foreign to Cyrielle, but she had seen Julie study diligently, even sending questions to wyers and talent agents on social media. If she put so much effort into being the best manager, Cyrielle needed to be the best artist.

  They arrived on the coast of the river, where a big ship was permanently parked, secured to the ground with ropes tied to metal poles. They crossed the wooden bridge and found themselves on the deck. It wasn’t a big boat made to sail, more like a two story terrace that could somehow float.

  A man saw the two women and ran towards them.

  “Hello, nice to meet you ! I’m Augustin, the event pnner.”

  Julie broke into a polite smile, shaking the man’s hand with a bit of force. She didn’t want Cyrielle to be underestimated.

  “Yes, I remember, I gave you my number at the drag show, right ? Oh, this is Mademoiselle Cyrielle. But I’m sure you already knew.”

  Indeed, Augustin couldn’t take his eyes off of Cyrielle.

  ‘She is more impressive up close… She looks so elegant and majestic, I could be mesmerized if I’m not careful.’

  “Nice to meet you.”

  She nodded and shook his hand, but goosebumps and an electric feeling were crawling up Augustin’s arm. It was as if he had touched something he shouldn’t. It was a feeling difficult to expin, as if his instincts were telling him ‘You can look, but you are not qualified to get close’. Following this feeling, he stepped back and discreetly took a deep breath.

  ‘Is she a singer or a goddess ? What is going on with that aura ?!’

  “Where is the owner ?”

  Julie’s question helped Augustin’s mind to go back on track.

  “Oh, over here on the second floor ! That’s where the concert will take pce, the first floor is only a restaurant. He thought that you should first take a look at the stage and the equipment to adjust your pns, and then you will be able to talk about the details. I’ll take you there.”

  They took the stairs and arrived on a second terrace that was essentially a concert hall. Cyrielle’s face was as stoic as ever, but inside she was very impressed.

  ‘It must be so pretty at night with all those lights ! And I suppose the whole city illuminates the river too, I really want to see that. Oh, I thought the stage would be small since we are on a boat, but it’s the same size as Madame Farbergé’s show ?’

  While she was observing the hall, a middle aged man came to them.

  “Welcome to the boat, I’m happy to have you here ! So, what do you think ?”

  Cyrielle thought for a while.

  “Yes, this is nice… You are aware that I pn on bringing two guests, I suppose. Can I see the space backstage ?”

  She probably looked very thorough, but inside she was anxious.

  ‘I hope there is a room for Madame Fabergé to put her drag on. If there isn’t any space for ‘Heavy Protector’ to store their instruments safely before the show, it will also be really bad !’

  But contrary to her fears, the backstage area was very well organized, even if it was small. She continued discussing with the owner until she was satisfied, and they got on stage so that Cyrielle could get a feel of the space she would perform on.

  “I understand that you want to bring guests with you, and that should occupy a chunk of the show, but for the rest… Do you only do pop covers ? I’m afraid it would feel a bit one note…”

  Augustin was staring daggers at his boss.

  ‘What are you saying ?! Are you going to take responsibility if she drops out ? Do you know how famous she has become ? You should thank her for even agreeing to come !’

  Cyrielle noticed none of that. She was staring at something else in front of her, blue characters.

  [Sensing an opportunity for destiny. Acquiring ability : Guitar.]

  ‘Guitar ? Can I py instruments then ? ‘Path of Destiny’ is so random… Do I only have 16 abilities left, now ? I really want to learn how to draw, though…’

  She whined inwardly, but let the warm sensation take over her body. She had gotten used to it, so there was no pain. She muttered to herself :

  “Guitar… I should buy a guitar…”

  Julie, who was next to her, jumped in surprise.

  “Guitar ? You want to py the guitar on stage ?”

  The two men turned to Cyrielle with wide eyes.

  “You know how to py the guitar ?!”

  Cyrielle, surprised, started screaming internally.

  ‘No, how did she hear me ! I usually talk like that to Path of Destiny but since time is stopped, it doesn’t make any sound. I forgot it would flow normally again once I accepted the ability ! I’m so dumb…’

  She wanted to sp herself, but she had an image to keep. So she silently met the owner’s eyes and decred :

  “You said my concert would be one note. So, I’m thinking a moment with a slower pace and acoustic guitar, in the middle, could be a good idea. The order would be : two songs with ‘Heavy Protector’ first, since their equipment takes time to set up. Then my first part solo, followed by an emotional moment with the acoustic guitar. Then Madame Fabergé does a number or two, which would allow me to take a break and change my outfit, and I would do my st part and conclude the show.”

  She turned to Julie.

  “What do you think ?”

  Her reply was two thumbs up, and she nudged the two men, still frozen in shock, out of the stage to start the serious talk about the details.

  ***

  When they came back, it was the evening. Cyrielle was so tired that her mind was blurry. She remembered signing papers while Julie discussed things she did not understand with the owner of The Boat, and then somehow she and Julie had ended up at home.

  Julie, who was working on her ptop, looked at Cyrielle. She seemed very tired, it was mostly due to the complicated and boring discussions that took pce during the day, but Julie didn’t know it. She could only bme herself.

  ‘We finally received the first paycheck from MyTube and an appearance fee for a solo concert, but nothing has changed at all. She sleeps curled up on a couch in a small apartment where she barely has enough room to store the clothes she makes. The worst is that we can’t do anything about it ! My sary is not enough backing to rent a bigger apartment, and the pay from her other activities won’t matter as a justification until a year ter. So even if we make enough money to rent a vil in six months, we won’t be able to. Administration is such a stupid thing !’

  She didn’t mind sharing such a small apartment with Cyrielle, but she knew her friend was always feeling guilty about it. And most of all, Cyrielle had been pushing herself to fwlessly complete each task Julie gave her, but Julie realized that using so much energy without being able to properly recharge with a good night's sleep was bound to break anyone. This worried Julie. Cyrielle had gotten stronger than before, but she was still delicate.

  Julie smiled affectionately while seeing Cyrielle study for the culture show in a few months. Even now, she was working. She needed to be protected. So Julie decided to make a silent promise.

  ‘I will get you out, baby. I will use everything that I have, and I will make you swim in luxury.’

  Same time, different pce. In a conference room of a building in Paris, several people were looking at a pile of paper.

  “What about her ?”

  “The theme of the cover is ‘underground celebrity’. Is she underground ?”

  “Well, if she starred in a Hollywood movie, even as a minor role, she can’t be considered underground.”

  “Then what about her ?”

  “She doesn’t fit well with our image. And look at this face ! She isn’t photogenic at all ! A cover is made so that people want to buy the magazine ! But who would buy that, honestly…”

  A middle aged man with round gsses stroked his chin. He had stayed quiet since the beginning, but suddenly he raised his hand, prompting people to look at him.

  “Remember when I was teaching new photographers, st summer ?”

  A strict looking woman nodded.

  “Yes, obviously. Who wouldn’t want to learn from Jean-Louis Volmin, the ex-photographer of Vogue ? You had a few hundred students, right ?”

  The man shook his hand, telling her to stop.

  “The point is, I’ve stayed in contact with a talented young man with a thirst for knowledge. He usually asks questions, but this time he just sent me photos. Take a look.”

  He handed his phone to the strict looking woman, and her eyes almost popped out of her skull. The pictures showed an elegant looking woman, with brown hair and hazel eyes. She was beautiful, yes, but the most noticeable thing was the quality of each picture. The poses seemed natural, as if capturing a fleeting moment of everyday life, and yet it always made best use of the lights, the body, the fabric… Each photo was intense.

  “Who is that ?!”

  Jean-Louis shrugged.

  “An underground celebrity, I guess. I’ll ask the guy for more info. So, what do you think ? We put her on the board ?”

  The strict looking woman nodded. She showed the phone to everyone around the table, and they immediately gave their approval. Without knowing it, something big was happening to Cyrielle again.