Second chances Book 5/6

Chapter 16

"It's in the box!"

Kris smiles and stands up applauding Kate as she comes out of the recording studio, happy that the album is finished. It's as she wanted it, as she dreamed of. Kate puts her guitar back in its case, knowing that she could never have made this album without Tilly and Abigail. The clip for The fighter had been shot a few days earlier. Tilly and the director had got along as if they had known each other forever, especially when she told him about his films. He had never met anyone like Tilly before. Kris couldn't take it anymore and suspected Tilly of being a witch who had bewitched everyone, including her. The director looked at the storyboard and listened to Tilly. His explanations were much more lively and precise, and he fully subscribed to Tilly's vision. Abigail listened to what was expected of her before jumping into the green-bottomed pool for the special effects. It only takes two takes. The music video was Abigail and Tilly's creation, they knew what they wanted. Within a week, Abigail had shot in three music videos. Kate watched her friend, transformed, playing her character with intensity and depth. All the technicians and the director find her fantastic. Only Kate and Tilly knew she wasn't performing, it was Abigail revealing Abigail.

The other clips were shot in the studio, the girls returned to the restaurant, resuming their lives.

****

"I know you're paying me and I don't have anything to say, but you're putting me in an awkward position, Kate.

— I have no one but you Martin. I don't want it to just be a lawyer doing it, I want it to be a friend. It will be hard and incomprehensible for them, I count on you because you are also a friend.

— That Abby, she cares a lot about you, I understand.

— Yes, she was a real fan before we met. I love her as she loves me. She will cry, beg you and probably threaten you.

— Thank you for the gift! Why are you doing this to me?

— Because you loved me at one point in my life. That we had a beautiful story together, and that you remained my friend.

— Yeah, probably. Regarding the other file, everything is ready to be signed," he said, pushing a pocket towards her, which she opened and leafed through, approving.

— Thank you, Martin."

Kate knows the media will go wild, her disappearance will cause a lot of questions, including a publicity stunt to boost sales of the album, but, and she checked, there's nothing legally stopping her from leaving, disappearing and returning to anonymity. She has no current contract, no commitment that could bind her contractually, except a certain morality. Kate had been planning her departure for a while, she had thought of everything except this record. Except to Abigail and Tilly. They thwarted her plan a little, Kate had to make adjustments, but a new reality had just been added to her plan, forcing her to review it, to delay it. This disc. They offered her a way out that she hadn't imagined.

Packing her suitcase, she takes one last turn, looking at what she might have forgotten, but it's all in her head, at least for now. Loading her suitcase in the trunk, she sends a message to her lawyer, to warn him "I'm going. Thank you for everything". If initially, she had considered leaving her phone behind her, Kate does not resolve it, wanting to keep the messages exchanged with Abigail and Tilly, the photos taken together, the happy days, all together, like those of Shanna and her daughter. Pressing the button on the remote control, Kate climbs into her car, a very simple and all-purpose little intermediary, and sinks into the night, accompanied by the wind. With the help of her lawyer, she has acquired a small ranch in Wyoming, she is in a hurry to go get her horse, boarded with a neighbor. Kate bought it a few months ago and hasn't had a chance to ride it yet. Everything is organized for his arrival. A quiet corner, in the middle of nature. Ironically, she only aspires to that, until the end.