Free Duchess by Nikki Wilson

carefully folded herself inside. Kyle sat on the seat across from hers. She was glad she wasn’t doing this alone. This gig didn’t allow for many friends—Kyle was probably the closest thing to a friend she had right now.
    “Are you ready for this?” he asked, his voice emotionless, but Katie could tell he was nervous.
    “Dahling, I was born for this!” Duchess waved her hands dismissively. This was how it always worked for her. At a moment’s notice, she could become Duchess, who had her own personality and characteristics all very different from her real self. Sometimes it was freeing to become a carefree pop diva whose most difficult choice that morning had been which contacts to wear. She didn’t have to be Katie. She didn’t have to be responsible. She didn’t have to worry about her mother in the hospital. She didn’t have to worry about what would happen if none of the treatments worked. She could just smile at the camera and act like she didn’t have a care in the world. And for a second, she could believe it.
    “Well, remember to stick to the answers the PR team came up with.” Kyle reminded her, like Katie wasn’t the one who told the PR team to put the questions and answers together in the first place.
    “I’ll try, but I’m not making any promises.” Duchess winked at him, and Kyle grimaced. He never did like talking to Duchess. Always said she had a way of talking down to him. Plus, it really creeped him out knowing it was Katie behind the makeup and the costume, but Duchess wouldn’t break character.
    The car stopped, and Katie waited for the door to open.
    “Duchess?” A person from the studio waited for her out front. “This way, please.”
    Katie followed, and Kyle continued down the hallway, presumably to the room where he could watch the live feed.
    The woman took her to the set. The anchor table was the focal point. The lights burned brightly down on the anchor behind the desk. Katie was glad she’d doubled up on her makeup, though with the heat of the lights, she hoped it didn’t melt off.
    She reminded herself that she was Duchess and didn’t have a care in the world. She walked deliberately to the desk and sat down.
    The news anchor introduced himself and gushed about how happy he was to have her there. Duchess nodded and then reminded him to stick to the questions. He agreed, of course, but something in his eyes made her uneasy.
    Someone counted down, and Duchess could feel the heat of the lights already raising beads of sweat on her brow, though she supposed it could be from nerves.
    The camera started to roll, and Duchess sat up straight, trying to look as royal and confident as possible. She had to stay in control. After all, this was her chance to shine. This was Duchess’s moment, and she was going to live it to its fullest because if the world ever found out who she really was, it would be over. Her fans had proven to her that they would never be able to accept a serious musician like Katie. They wanted drama, mystery—smoke and mirrors. She smiled and decided to enjoy herself.
    “Welcome back, everyone,” the anchor said to the camera. “Just as we promised, I have the pop star Duchess here today in her first-ever interview in person.” He turned to Duchess and put on a smile she was sure he must have practiced in the mirror a thousand times or so. “Thank you for being here, Duchess. We’re excited to get to know you better.”
    “Thanks for inviting me, dahling,” she drawled.
    “The first question is this. How have you risen on the music charts so quickly?”
    This was one of the prepared questions, so she was ready with her scripted answer. “Because I’m fabulous, of course! Why else? People know good, fun music when they hear it. Plus, I don’t follow the rules. I’m my own person.”
    The lie tasted funny in her mouth, though she should be used to lies by now. Of course she followed the rules of the music industry, which was to look like you