Driven By No One

Chapter 9 - Last Goodbye

                The frame that had stood on the wooden desk for a few months disappeared in a box amongst books, posters and pencils. Kyra opened the last drawer of her desk and took out her small voice recorder, which she put in the same box.

Her eyes wandered all around the room as she sat down on her chair with a sigh. That was it. It was time for her to leave Musireviews forever. The transition was quite impressive. She had started everything at the editorial board of different independent magazines, and now she was ending up as a reporter for the official magazine of Parlophone Records. No more, no less.

She noticed the old turntable in a corner, and the corners of her lips rose. She went up to it and opened the box next to it, which contained all the records she had reviewed. Full Moon Fever by Tom Petty, Steel Wheels by The Rolling Stones, Guitar Town by Steve Earle, Sign O' the Times by Prince, and many more that were unknown. As her fingers slowly flipped the records like the pages of a book, her eyes landed on the final one. It probably was the only record she was going to take home with her.

Her breath slowed down when her pupils recognised the figure highlighted by a simple white background. The brown curls, the long nose, the thin mouth, the dimple in the chin... The corners of her lips rose, and her cheeks felt unexpectedly warm. She did not fully understand why Brian disliked this cover. It was simple, but she found it extremely charming. The only thing she regretted was that he did not look at the camera.

A knock on the door brought her back to reality. Kyra cleared her throat.

"Come in!"

The door opened slightly, and Cedric peeked in. His medium length hair was clumsily tied with a hair band, and his long green shirt was all wrinkly. He had apparently not slept very well, seeing the rings under his eyes and his pale face.

"Hi, Ky. Packing your stuff?"

"Oh, hi, Cedric. Yes, I've just finished packing."

"I guess you're ready to leave, now..."

The sad tone of his voice broke her heart a little. She stood up, holding Back to the Light carefully against her chest, grabbing a bag to put the record in it. She took a deep breath and faced her boss and friend.

"Don't worry about Musireviews," she tried to comfort him despite the crack in her voice, "you're going to make it big without me."

"As I told you, I don't care if I lose the magazine. It's you who shouldn't worry."

"I'm sorry that I'm letting you down," she whispered, staring at her hands. "I know that you counted on me, and I'm giving up on you."

Cedric rolled his eyes with a grin and went up to her. He pulled her into a tight and friendly embrace, rubbing her back.

"You made the right choice, Kyra. I know you're happy to start this new stage in your career, and I'm glad. You deserve better than that job at Musireviews."

"Thank you for understanding, Cedric."

Cedric smiled and patted her back. His eyes found the open box full of records, and he let out a silent chuckle. "Don't forget all your records. Would you like me to bring them to your house one evening?"

"No, no, keep them. You could play them during your little parties. They're all yours."

"Which one did you put in the bag?"