Lyre

by Helen Harper

  Yuri just looked at her.

  ‘Come on, who…’ Sibyl’s voice died away. Her eyes widened and she abruptly sat down on the sofa. ‘Oh.’

  ‘Now you’re getting it.’

  ‘I’ll call my great-aunt again.’ She shook her head, temporarily stunned into silence. Then she shot Yuri a look of genuine sympathy. ‘You’re right. You can’t do the story.’

  ‘It can’t be a coincidence, Sibyl.’

  ‘Yuri, believe me,’ Sibyl flicked her eyes momentarily upwards. ‘Medusa didn’t do this. You don’t want to see him, do you?’ She asked worriedly.

  Yuri didn’t answer. Sibyl nodded to herself. ‘Yeah. Okay. Stupid question.’

  ‘I can’t turn it down. Not now. I’ll be persona non grata at Yell if I do. Someone like me saying no to an opportunity like that? I was practically drooling at Don’s feet when he told me about the story. I didn’t find out it was going to be Oz until after I’d agreed to do it. Well,’ she amended, ‘less agreed and more fell at his feet in worshipful delight like he was freaking Zeus himself.’

  Sibyl raised her eyebrows. ‘I think you’d be more likely to try and stab Zeus in the heart rather than fall at his feet.’

  ‘Chance would be a fine thing,’ she muttered.

  ‘You could just come clean,’ Sibyl suggested, ‘tell Don you’ve got a history with Oz and that’s why you can’t do it.’

  ‘That would make things even worse. He’d want me to write about it. And then it would become some awful tabloid feeding frenzy. I can’t say anything to him.’

  ‘Doesn’t he know you’re both from the same area?’

  ‘He knows Oz is from Devon. I moved around so many times, no-one knows where I’m from. Not even me.’

  ‘Right.’ Sibyl took a deep breath.

  ‘Maybe this is my chance to prove myself as the ultimate professional. Ask my questions, maintain my distance, write the story. And then I’ll never have to see him ever again.’ Yuri rolled her eyes. ‘Except when, as Yell’s so-called professional representative, I turn up to interview him and he refuses to even give me the time of day, just how is that going to look?’

  Sibyl’s shoulders sagged. ‘I take your point.’

  ‘This is so fucked up.’ She sat down heavily on the sofa, leaning back and rubbing her forehead.

  ‘I could always do a divination.’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Just to see…’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Fine.’

  They sat in silence for a moment.

  ‘We could go out and get horribly drunk.’

  Yuri flicked a glance at her friend. ‘That sounds a hell of a lot more like it. I’ll get my coat.’

  *

  In retrospect, drinking copious amounts of beer followed by several shots of tequila had not been the greatest idea in the world. Oily nausea was roiling in the pit of her stomach and her head was throbbing mercilessly. She closed her eyes and sucked in several slow breaths, attempting to bring herself back to some kind of hangover-less equilibrium. It didn’t work. Yuri hadn’t even thought to bring any breath mints with her. Considering she was one stomach lurch away from sprinting to the restroom to throw up the remainder of what was left from last night’s ill-advised kebab, it would have been a smart move to plan more in advance. But when Don had called her at eight in the morning to cheerfully burble about how Oz and his entourage had agreed to meet her that very morning, she’d barely managed little more than to pull herself into a cold shower and put on some clothes. She wasn’t even entirely sure the clothes were clean, but whenever she twisted her head to attempt a surreptitious sniff, her head swam unpleasantly.

  Maybe vomiting would be a good idea. It might settle her stomach and then she could breathe all over Oz and whoever else happened to be in the room and knock them out in one fell swoop. Then she could make her escape. She might have to spend the rest of her life on the run from his legions of fans for killing him with morning breath - but it would be worth it. Yuri frowned. Of course it was entirely possible that her nausea had less to do with her hangover and everything to do with her now almost debilitating fear at seeing Oz again.

  Yuri twisted her hands in her lap. She could call Don. Tell him that she wasn’t ready for such a big assignment after all. It would probably set her career back by about five years but it might be worth it. She pinched the bridge of her nose. Or she could phone Cam. He owed her a few favours. This was only an initial pre-meeting after all. Cam could take her place and give her a little breathing space to decide what to do next. She stood up on rather shaky legs and made a decision. It was doubtful that anyone from the recording company would notice a switch in journalists. They’d be too concerned with making sure Oz was presented as the shining hero of chart-topping hits than caring about who was actually doing the presenting. It was for the best. It was bad enough having to take on Oz when she was at her best. With a raging hangover, it would be impossible.

  She dug into her bag and pulled out her phone, finding Cam’s number quickly. Her thumb was just poised to press call when she realised there was someone standing in front of her.

  ‘Ms. Tateno?’

  Shit. Too late. She forced a smile onto her face.

  ‘Hi,’ she said weakly.

  The man thrust out his hand. ‘It’s good to meet you.’ He peered at her. ‘Are you alright? You look a little…green.’

  ‘I’m fine,’ Yuri responded, ignoring the lurch her stomach gave and forcing on a mask of professionalism as she shook his hand. ‘And you are?’

  ‘Oh, my name is Dirk Duke. I act as Oz’s agent.’ He had an odd inflection to his voice and spoke with an unusual degree of formality that belied the fact his named sounded as if belonged to a porn star. ‘Oz is running late so it’s probably best if we get started. I am sure he will be along shortly.’

  Great, thought Yuri sourly. ‘I can’t wait.’ She hoped she sounded considerably more enthusiastic than she felt.

  She followed him through a maze of lightly carpeted corridors to a glass fronted conference room. Other than a large oval table surrounded by at least twenty chairs, it was completely empty.

  ‘Are we expecting many people?’

  Dirk Duke turned and looked at her quizzically and Yuri realised she’d mumbled her question. She repeated herself, trying to sound more firm and his face cleared.

  ‘Well,’ he said, ticking off his fingers, ‘there’s me, Josie, my PA, Jim, the solicitor for Orpheus, the make-up artist, the photographer and his assistants, the record label executives – I think three of them are coming, Greg, who’s Oz’s assistant, and Oz himself.’ He pursed his lips. ‘Not so many.’

  She stared at him, slightly open-mouthed.

  ‘What? Is there a problem? We told your magazine that we wanted our people to do the art so if you’re upset about us bringing our own…’

  ‘No, no,’ Yuri interrupted. ‘That’s fine. I just didn’t think there would be so many people for the pre-interview meeting.’ She licked her lips and tried to ignore the roll of stomach acid as her hangover collided with her nerves.

  ‘Oz is a big star. Your magazine is, quite frankly, lucky to be given a shot at talking to him in person. I was surprised when he…’

  The agent’s voice trailed off as three others entered the room, acknowledging both herself and Dirk with sharp bobs of their heads and a wave of their hands. The effect of all three moving in unison was oddly akin to a maneki-neko – a lucky cat ornament with an eternally beckoning front paw. Yuri supposed the resemblance should mean good fortune, instead, however, she wished she could ask Dirk what exactly it was he surprised about. Her opportunity was gone though as the trio took seats along one side of the table and immediately launched into business.

  ‘Dirk,’ nodded the woman in the middle.

  ‘Alicia.’ His returning tone was polite, but firm, hinting perhaps at an underlying tension between them. ‘This is Ms. Tateno.’

  Yuri leant across the table and
took the woman’s hand, hoping that the reek of alcohol emanating from her pores wasn’t overly obvious. The strength of Alicia’s grip and the hard steel reflected in her eyes made it abundantly clear that she was not someone to be taken lightly. She gestured Yuri towards a chair opposite. If she’d been feeling better, she might have rebelled somewhat at such an obvious command, but the truth was that she was glad to be able to sit. The room was starting to feel stiflingly hot and the collar of her blouse was chafing at her neck.

  She cleared her throat. ‘Would it be possible to have some water?’

  Alicia snapped her fingers in the air and the impossibly young looking man on her left immediately rose and exited with another swiftly executed bob of his head. Yuri tried not to let her mouth drop open. What kind of person literally snapped their fingers and had a bevy of minions to leap to their command? As far removed as her own life was from her childhood, she was beginning to realise that Oz was a million miles further away.

  ‘The parameters of the interview need to be transparent from the outset.’ Alicia tapped the table for emphasis, and slightly toward Yuri. ‘Oz will discuss his last tour. He will touch on his family and background as a source of inspiration for his songs, as well as his feelings towards his incredibly passionate fan base. He will not answer questions on the band’s lack of new material.’ Her voice hardened almost imperceptibly. ‘Neither will he be drawn into any answers which involve his political views, the amount of money he makes or his love life.’

  The young man re-entered, carrying a large jug of water and several heavy looking glasses on a tray.

  ‘Room temperature,’ he murmured to Alicia, before setting it down in the middle of the table and re-taking his seat.

  Yuri tried to avoid rolling her eyes. She’d been hoping for some ice to chew on to help her get rid of the unpleasant taste in her mouth. Still, she reached across and poured herself a glass, willing her hands not to shake, then sat back a took a tiny sip relaxing somewhat as the water hit her system and began to calm the churn of her stomach.

  ‘Yell is a human interest magazine, not a political digest,’ she finally responded. She tightened her jaw and held Alicia’s eyes. ‘However, without any reference to whom Oz is dating, then we don’t have an article. It’s what our readers are interested in.’

  The corners of Dirk’s mouth turned up ever so slightly at her apparent audacity.

  Alicia gazed back, coldly. ‘It’s non-negotiable.’

  As much as Yuri would rather crawl into the nearest, darkest and smelliest sewer than ask Oz anything about his love life, she was fully aware that if she agreed to these terms, Don would probably throw her out on her ear. All anyone was ever interested in was who Oz was dating. Was it the leggy model who’d just launched her own fashion label and who he’d been seen with last month? Were the rumours about him and his personal assistant true? Or, even more salaciously, was he actually gay and refusing to come out of the closet even in this day and age? As much as Yuri tried to tell herself that she didn’t personally care, it was the one piece of information that could make or break the article. At least she knew he definitely preferred girls.

  ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘It is non-negotiable. We can agree the terms of the question and the depth of the answer, but it must be asked.’ She took another sip of water and folded her arms, hoping it made her look as if she was being strong and implacable rather than the truth which was that she pressing against her guts in an effort to quell another sudden queasy lurch.

  Several other people entered the room and took up positions around the table. Alicia didn’t bother to acknowledge them; instead she kept her attention wholly fixed on Yuri.

  ‘We’re not going to give a little two bit operation like Yell get the scoop of the century.’

  Yuri didn’t flinch. This was a battle of wills that she was suddenly damned if she was going to lose.

  ‘Now, Alicia,’ Dirk began, with a rather nervous cough. ‘I’m sure we can come to some kind of compromise.’

  Alicia’s head whipped round in his direction, the look in her eyes effectively subduing him into silence. Despite herself, Yuri was vaguely impressed. She could almost give Medusa a run for her money. Almost.

  ‘I hardly think the romantic dalliances of a pop star will be judged as the scoop of the century,’ Yuri interrupted, keeping her tone as level as she could.

  As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Yuri realised what she’d said. Perhaps there really was a story here after all. Perhaps that was why frosty Alicia was so keen to keep it quiet. She swallowed down her continually rising nausea. Oz was clearly dating someone very important if it was deemed to be such big news. Her mind raced, considering the possibilities. Who could it be?

  As if sensing the direction her thoughts were taking, Alicia snapped at her. ‘It’s none of your business.’

  Yuri smiled grimly. No. It wasn’t any of her business. At least not Yuri Tateno’s business, anyway. But it was the business of Yell. As distasteful as it might be, celeb stories like this sold like proverbial hotcakes. She couldn’t let it go. And she had to get Alicia to agree to let the question be asked before Oz showed up and threw her out of the building. At least then she’d have something to give to Don and the writer who would ultimately replace her which might preclude her from being summarily fired.

  Yuri shrugged as if the matter were of little consequence. ‘Then we have no story. We won’t run another piece that’s already been done a thousand times before.’

  A malicious gleam lit Alicia’s eyes. ‘I don’t think you have much choice. You need us more than we need you. What will Yell do without Oz to fill in your last minute gap?’

  Her tired hangover, combined with being made to feel as if she was a second class citizen barely worth this stupid woman’s time and her fear at Oz’s pending arrival, made something inside Yuri finally snap.

  ‘Do you really think we are that desperate?’ She unfolded her arms and gripped the edge of the table. ‘We have a circulation of over a million. There are plenty of people who would be more than happy to grace our cover and answer our questions.’

  ‘Not more famous or popular than Oz,’ Alicia snapped back.

  ‘Perhaps not. But unless his legions of fans start getting some real information beyond what he likes to eat for breakfast, then they’re going to start getting bored.’ She allowed herself a small smile. ‘Fans can be fickle.’

  Alicia tossed back her hair. ‘Not Oz’s fans.’

  Yuri snorted.

  ‘Alicia…’ Dirk tried to interject himself into the conversation again.

  ‘Sales of Wheat Munchies went up six hundred percent when Oz said he liked them.’

  Yuri pasted on a bored expression. ‘Yay.’

  ‘Alicia, Oz said…’

  She ignored Dirk again. ‘You’re in no position to negotiate anything, Ms. Tateno. Piss us off and it won’t just be Oz’s door that slams in your face, it’ll be a thousand others.’

  ‘Because we want an answer about whether he has a girlfriend or not?’ Yuri injected just the right amount of ridiculing scepticism into her voice. Despite the circumstances, she was actually starting to enjoy herself.

  Dirk tried again. ‘Oz wants this.’

  ‘Shut up, Dirk,’ Alicia hissed.

  ‘Oz wants to…’

  The door behind Yuri opened and a heart-achingly familiar voice drawled in amusement. ‘Oz wants what?’

  Everyone around the table got to their feet. Yuri stayed in her seat, but slowly turned her head around, the sickness in her stomach abruptly returning with vengeful force. Standing in the doorway, with a crooked smile, was the man himself. He was dressed all in black, his dark jeans moulded to his body, and his t-shirt, which was emblazoned with the title of Orpheus’ most famous song ‘Stabbed in the Heart, clung to his broad and muscular torso.

  It was Dirk who pulled himself together first. ‘Oz! Glad you could make it.’ He leapt round the table and clapped the singer on his bac
k. ‘Alicia’s here, of course, and Josie. And you remember Luke and Simon?’

  ‘Sure,’ Oz grinned, half saluting them.

  ‘And this is Ms.Tateno,’ Dirk continued waving a hand in her direction.

  Yuri stopped breathing and slowly got to her feet. She’d been so close to getting Alicia to cave in to the girlfriend question. If she’d just had a few more minutes … she raised her eyes to Oz’s and waited for the inevitable explosion that would signal the end of these negotiations, the end of her chance to write a cover story and definitely the end of her career.

  ‘Ms. Tateno,’ acknowledged Oz, holding out his hand. ‘You’re the journalist from Yell?’

  Yuri stared at him mutely. There was nothing in his face beyond the welcoming warmth of a stranger, not even the faintest flicker of recognition.

  ‘It appears Ms. Tateno is suddenly starstruck,’ commented Alicia from behind her, with ice in her tone.

  Oz simply grinned. ‘It happens to the best of us,’ he said, taking her hand and squeezing it lightly. ‘It’s good to meet you, Ms. Tateno.’

  She found her voice. ‘Yuri,’ she murmured, watching his eyes carefully for any kind of reaction. ‘Call me Yuri.’

  ‘Then Yuri it is.’ He turned away from her and looked questioningly at his agent. ‘So what appears to be the problem?’

  Nothing, thought Yuri sinking back down into her chair. Nothing and everything, all that the same time.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  TORQUAY, DEVON, 2003

  On the battered wooden bench overlooking the seafront far below, Yuri made sure to sit a foot away from Medusa and her hissing hair. Medusa, for her part, merely quirked an amused eyebrow.

  ‘Do we have to meet here?’ Yuri muttered at her. ‘Couldn’t we just stay at the zoo?’

  ‘Are you afraid of heights?’

  ‘No.’

  Medusa watched her for a moment. ‘Fear should be confronted.’