On the TGV back to Bordeaux, Julie was sleeping with her head on Cyrielle’s shoulder. She had worked really hard during those three days, negotiating the contract and trying to form connections with people from the fashion industry. It was normal to be tired.

  On the other hand, Cyrielle felt perfectly fine, probably thanks to her ‘better endurance’. She was looking through the window, thinking about the evening with Bernadette.

  ‘What was all of that about ?’

  Cyrielle had been really anxious during the whole time she was with the editor-in-chief, keeping her composure only thanks to ‘refinement’. She was expecting everything, from Bernadette compining the photoshoot was a disaster and they would change the model for the cover, to her saying Cyrielle was good at modeling and she needed to stop singing to focus on the fashion industry. But what happened was totally different from what Cyrielle had imagined. She even had to drink water to hide her surprise when Bernadette had asked about her stylist.

  ‘Are my clothes that good ? I mean, I know it suits me, but not to the point of thinking I have a designer or a stylist. And why did she suddenly talk about helping me ? I’m grateful, but it felt a bit strange…’

  She was deep in her thoughts when blue characters appeared in front of her eyes.

  [Your birthday message has been put on hold. Do you want to open it now ?]

  ‘My birthday message ? Oh, has it been put on hold because I slept all day on my birthday ? I didn’t know you could do that. Yes, open it.’

  Julie had already gifted her a few things, including new makeup brushes and a sewing machine, but Cyrielle knew what to expect from ‘Path of Destiny’. She had been waiting for it.

  [Congratutions, 365 days have passed since your st free ability. You are now 24 years old, and you will be gifted a new ability. Use it well, and walk further on the road designed for you !]

  [Calcuting positive karma… Using a small amount of positive karma to give a necessary ability for a coming opportunity. Acquiring ability : Horseback riding.]

  Cyrielle almost screamed, but the time had slowed down. Otherwise she would have woken up Julie.

  ‘Now that’s just getting ridiculous ! You could have given me ‘acting’ or ‘drawing’, but you choose ‘horseback riding’ ? What the hell is wrong with you ?!’

  Thankfully, the ‘coolheadedness’ of her refinement ability helped her calm down fairly quickly. She always left it activated just in case, and it had proven to be useful. With a newfound serenity, she thought more about that strange birthday gift.

  ‘I won’t ever get to use ‘horseback riding’. After all, I might be able to somehow buy fabric and sew, or rearrange someone’s apartment, but finding a horse at my doorstep is impossible. However, Path of Destiny said this ability is necessary for a coming opportunity, and it is never wrong. It means there is a big opportunity ying somewhere, and I need to catch it. I must stay vigint.’

  With that settled, she accepted the gift and let the warm sensation take over her body.

  ***

  Once back in Bordeaux, life was more hectic than ever. Firstly, Julie received the video of the concert, fantastically edited by the two amateur cameramen and their friends from audiovisual css. After checking it and judging it was perfect, Julie sent them more money for their trouble, and posted it on the MyTube channel. It was not a surprise, but the video blew up in less than a day.

  [Mademoiselle Cyrielle] Full concert at the boat in Bordeaux ft Heavy Protector, Madame Fabergé

  Views : 681,924

  -omg omg omg omg

  -our angel did it again mdr

  -I can die happily now…

  -Came for Madame Fabergé, stayed for Mademoiselle Cyrielle

  -When is the next concert ? I need to see it right now !

  -But is it real ? Best concert I’ve ever seen !

  -I didn’t know this singer, but I’ll become a fan from now on

  Bits and pieces were also uploaded in the shorts and on Instantgram, bringing back new subscribers to the MyTube channel. Thus, a new task had been added to the schedule in order to ride on the current hot issue : Guitar covers.

  Those were also becoming popur at a fast pace, taking over the Internet along with the concert, and creating a new demand that Cyrielle didn’t anticipate :

  -When will our angel have her own album ?

  They wanted original songs. But neither Cyrielle nor Julie had the time to worry about that. After the concert video, the Angel-Minet agency received a lot of inquiries from different event pnners wanting to book Cyrielle for performances. It was the same for photographers, word had traveled fast thanks to the Instantgram account, and booking Cyrielle for a photoshoot was considered as having a perfect portfolio to enter the fashion industry.

  Thus, Cyrielle’s schedule contained more tasks than anyone without ‘better endurance’ could handle. It worried Julie, but she was astonished everytime her friend told her she was fine. Today, only one week after they were back in Bordeaux, was no exception. Julie had parked the car in front of the studio, and was walking next to Cyrielle while checking her notebook.

  “The photoshoot is from 9 to 12, after that we’ll have to stop so you can create more outfits. Considering your speed now that you have a sewing machine, I think having new photoshoots in two weeks is reasonable. You’ll have a quick lunch by 12:30, and at 1pm we need to drive to the party hall to check the stage for the next concert. I’ll finish the discussion and sign the contract probably around 3pm if everything goes well. After that, we’ll go back home and you need to film another guitar cover. Don’t forget that the culture live is just around the corner, you need to be ready ! Oh, have you also checked the offers for World Music Day in june ? There are quite a few pces that want to secure you…”

  Cyrielle was listening, still stunned by the extent of her own fame.

  ‘Four months ago I was depressed on Marius’s dirty couch, and now people are fighting to book me… If it’s a dream, I don’t want to wake up !’

  Nowadays, she checked the hashtag #AngelFanartByHorseboy as soon as she had a bit of time, making sure to like every post and share or repost them. It had become a self care routine, raising her self esteem and her confidence. Another side effect she didn’t notice, though, was the emotions those actions provoked in her fans.

  {Hello fellow horseboys !

  I just wanted to write to express how grateful I am. I was an art student with a bit of talent, but I had to drop out because I was really bad at realism so I couldn’t get any good grades. My parents told me art wasn’t a real job anyway, and I totally stopped drawing.

  When I saw #AngelFanartByHorseboy being created, I forced myself to draw something, just to show my love for Mademoiselle Cyrielle. But you know what happened ? Our angel liked my drawing, reposted it, and even left a nice comment saying it was beautiful ! Those who check the hashtag regurly know how rare it is for her to comment. But she did it on my post ! I was so happy I spent the whole day crying.

  Thanks to her support, people saw my drawing and I got a lot of commissions ! It’s a total reversal of my life, I feel like a novel protagonist !

  I will forever be a fan of Mademoiselle Cyrielle, my faith has grown stronger than ever. I’ll follow the fan group’s rules to a T and show our angel’s content to all my friends. Go Angel, to the infinity and beyond !}

  -Just saw your drawing, it’s deserved ! You are so talented !

  -our angel casually improving the lives of the fans mdrrr

  -So jealous she commented on your post, but also it’s deserved… Guess I’ll need to work harder

  The hashtag became even more active after that, and Julie had to create a PO box because the fans wanted to send gifts to Cyrielle. If Angel-Minet had an office building, this wouldn’t be necessary, however in their current situation, it was the only thing they could do.

  Cyrielle entered the studio and went to the changing room. Julie was about to follow her when her phone started vibrating.

  -Brrrrrr

  It was a phone call from Bernadette Dupuit. Julie furrowed her brows. The magazine wasn’t supposed to be published until three weeks ter, so it was strange for the editor-in-chief to call her now. However, since Cyrielle had given her a summary of what was said during the dinner, Julie could guess what it was about.

  “Hello, madame Dupuit ? Yes, it’s Julie Minet. No, you are not disturbing me, I’m free to talk.”

  Julie suddenly stopped in her tracks. The longer she was listening to Bernadette, the wider her eyes got. Finally, she said in a shaky voice :

  “You mean… Someone wants to hire Cyrielle as a designer for a photoshoot ? No, of course it’s possible ! Let me check her schedule.”

  She hurriedly took out her notebook and skimmed through the pages, her phone stuck between her ear and her shoulder.

  “Yes, I understand that both the model and the magazine have a good reputation… You are telling me it’s for the end of the month ? It’s perfect, because Mademoiselle Cyrielle has a schedule in Paris at that time. If she can design and sew the outfits in two weeks ? Well, you must know her by now, she will probably get it done in ten days. Yes, please send me the concept and the moodboard, along with the model’s measurement and a photo. Ok, I will write down the date for the fitting. Yes, good day to you too.”

  Julie hung up and stayed on the spot, dazed. Cyrielle was hired as a designer for a well known magazine, creating three outfits for a famous model. The dates were perfectly aligned with the live culture show, so Julie didn’t have to worry about booking a hotel or paying the train tickets. Everything was falling into pce as if a superior entity had foreseen this situation.

  ‘Mysterious god, I don’t know who you are, but thank you so much for looking after Cyrielle !’

  After all, Mademoiselle Cyrielle might be an angel for the fans, but she was also one for Julie. The best of all friends.