Mom’s face turns white. “I can’t believe I’m allowing this. I don’t know if I can. I think you should just come to Vancouver with us.”
I shake my head. “No, this is for the best. I’ll be fine, Mom. Like Avery said, I’m going on a new adventure. And it’s not like we can’t still talk and text. That’s why getting into your phone is like getting into Fort Knox.”
She laughs. “I’m still having a hard time putting in those passwords.” She tilts her head at me. “So, we were talking about you and Brook. You changed the subject.”
“There’s really nothing else to say.”
“Are you okay? I mean, you’ve been through a lot the past six days. Almost being kidnapped. Breaking up with your boyfriend. Going to a new school. It would be hard for anyone to handle. You seem a little too composed.”
“Almost being kidnapped was horrible. Being kidnapped would have been worse, so I’m thankful. Brooklyn wasn’t my boyfriend, so we didn’t break up. He’s going surfing. I’m going to school. If we’re supposed to be together in the future, he says fate will intervene.” I roll my eyes. Sometimes his karma and fate talk sounds a lot like bullshit. “So do you have any advice for me? You made it through high school, were prom queen and all that. What do I need to know?”
Mom runs her hand across the top of her perfectly coiffed hair. “Just be yourself, Keatyn. And be confident. You’re worldly, mature, well-traveled, well-spoken, and confident. You’ve always acted older than you are. Kids are drawn to that. And if I were you, I would make friends with a few boys first. It takes some time to figure out how girls are going to behave. And I know you have to tell a different background story, but you’re still you. The you you’ve always been, with your father’s gorgeous eyes, my killer smile, and your own individual grace. You are unstoppable. Don’t worry, everyone will love you.”
“Mom, seriously?”
“What?”
“You just told me what Elle Woods told her dog when they got to Harvard in Legally Blonde.”
Mom’s mouth starts out in a little smirk and then beams into her famous megawatt smile. She laughs. “You’re right. I did. Well, everyone will love you. And I love you very much.”
I hope Mom’s right about that. For the first time in my life, I have to totally rely on me. And what if me is really a loser? What if no one likes the real me?
When we land, Mom hands me a manila envelope. It looks just like the one that the photographs were in. Only it has my name on it.
My heart starts racing. What didn’t they tell me? What else is there?
“Keatyn, your face just went completely white. What’s wrong?”
I shakily point to the envelope in her hand. “Did the stalker send something else?”
Mom’s eyes get teary. “Oh, no, honey. This is . . . this is something we should have talked about yesterday, but I couldn’t bear to.”
“What is it?”
“You’re not my daughter anymore,” she says, then she breaks down crying.
Tommy pulls her into his arms and says to me, “One of the ways you could be tracked is through a money trail. If our financial people paid your bills like they do now, too many people would know where you are. We had you emancipated. Legally, you’re an adult now. You can sign yourself in and out of school. Legally, you can do whatever you want.”
I grab Mom’s hand. “Garrett told me all this yesterday. It was necessary. I’m still your daughter, Mom. It’s just that I’m legal a year sooner than planned.”
Mom looks like she’s going to puke, but she squeezes my hand and smiles. “Your grandpa wants you to call him before you open this.”
“Like now?” I ask.
Mom and Tommy nod.
I pull up my scrawny contact list and hit Grandpa. He answers with, “Remember our talk this summer?”
“Yeah.”
“I know the situation is different, but it still applies. You understand?”
“I’m fixing to become my own man?”
Grandpa laughs. “Exactly. I’m not gonna beat around the bush. You’re going to be on your own for a while, and you’re gonna need cash. You know I set you up with a trust fund, right?”
“You told me you did, but I don’t know anything about it.”
“When your dad died, I set one up to take care of you. Pay for college, things like that. When I sold my company, all your dad’s share of stock went into your fund. You weren’t supposed to get this until you were older, but with the present circumstances, I’m giving it to you now. I should tell you to spend it wisely, but after all this, I’m gonna say life is short. Have fun while you can. The paperwork for your new accounts is in the envelope, along with new credit and debit cards. You’re a very rich young lady.”
“Rich enough to skip school, buy my own jet, and travel the world?”
“How bout you go to school, be safe, and let us deal with this mess.”
“Okay.”
“Take care, hotshot. Grandma and I love you.”
“Thanks for setting everything up in such a short time, Grandpa, and I love you both too.”