“I think you’re probably right. Okay, now back to our list. I’m also giving you pepper spray. Keep one on your keychain and one in your purse at all times. You’re getting a crash course in all this. Do you have any questions?”
“Is it safe for me to talk to the people you loaded in my phone? I was worried I wouldn’t get to.”
“Let’s bring everyone else in. We need to discuss that with them.”
I’m not sure who was listening to our conversation, but Mom, Tommy, James, and Brooklyn walk into the living room and sit down next to us.
Garrett hands everyone a phone. “These are your old phones. We’ve added a dual password protection system. If someone stole your phone, it would be very difficult for them to access your information. Always remember that whenever you talk, text, or email Keatyn, someone could be watching or listening to you. Never, ever mention her real name, the name of her school, or her location. In your phone, she is listed as M. Monroe. I’d suggest getting in the habit of calling her Monroe.”
I look down at my new phone. It doesn’t even have a normal passcode on it. “Why doesn’t my phone have all that password stuff?”
Everyone turns and stares at me.
And it sinks in.
I give them all a wry smile. “Oh, right. If he finds my phone, it’s too late anyway.”
Mom gets tears in her eyes, but Garrett continues. “So that’s pretty much it. I’ll personally be with the security detail tomorrow and make sure she gets to school safely. Keatyn, be sure to work on your backstory today. Figure it out. Memorize it. Own it.”
“You sound like a director,” I say. “You ever think of switching careers?”
I get a hearty laugh from both Garrett and James. “I don’t think so. I’ll see you all bright and early tomorrow.”
I go in my room, look in the mirror, and practice.
“Hi, I’m Keatyn Monroe. I’m from L.A. My parents, uh . . . shit.”
What about my parents? I can’t tell people they’re dead. It’s too horrible to even pretend.
What should my backstory be?
I run to the kitchen to grab a Red Bull. Maybe I need a little quick energy to jumpstart my brain. It seems I’m not the only one trying to concoct a story, though. Millie, Mom, Tommy, and Mr. Moran, who are all in the business of making movies, are sitting at the kitchen table throwing around fake lives like dollar bills at a strip club.
I pretend to scan the fridge for food, but instead I’m listening to their cringeworthy ideas. I swear, they want my life to be some bad teenaged sitcom.
We should all thank God that they’re not writers. Hollywood would go down in flames.
Millie says, “I know, she could be a scholarship student. A ritzy school like that, everyone would avoid her like the plague. No one would guess she’s your daughter.”
I try to keep my mouth shut, but I can’t.
I keep my head glued to the fridge, but say, “Millie! I’m not pretending to be a scholarship student. Kym is in New York styling my uniforms as we speak!”
Mom says, “I still don’t understand how we’re going to get you money. James, how are we going to take care of her financially, if we can’t give her any money for fear of having it tracked?”
“The less you know, the better, Abby. But we’ve got it all worked out,” James replies. He walks behind me, stares into the fridge, then whispers, “How about we order some of your favorite Chinese? You haven’t eaten anything for days.”
I turn around and hug him tightly. “I can’t thank you enough for everything, especially for letting me wear my locket. I trust Garrett. He seems to know his stuff. I just want you to know that I listened to everything he taught me today. Do Mom and Tommy not know about the trust fund?”
“Your mom was pretty freaked out about the whole emancipation thing, so Garrett was a little hazy on his explanation. You’ll get all the paperwork and account information tomorrow on the plane, so if you want to tell them the value of it, you can do it then.”
“Do you think it will it be enough? Pay for school, buy a car and gas and insurance and stuff, maybe get pedicures once in a while?”
James chuckles. “Yeah, I think it will cover that.”
“Hey, wait a minute. So you know all the details?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re chicken to tell her, aren’t you?”
He laughs. “Actually, I am. Garrett has the privilege of explaining it all to your mother. So I’ll call Wong’s and place an order,” he nods his head at the kitchen table, “and you go take control of your fake life.”
As I sit down, Mom says, “How about you’re an orphan, but your parents had some life insurance money, and your executor didn’t want to deal with you, so he sent you to boarding school?”
“No,” I say. “Come up with something cool.”
“You got kicked out of your last school, and you’ve been in rehab?” Tommy asks. “Isn’t rehab kinda cool these days?”
“Definitely no rehab. That would mean I couldn’t party. But maybe I got kicked out of my last school. Can I get kicked out for something cool? I could pretend to be a bad-ass trouble maker!”
“What would be cool?” Millie asks.
Mom says emphatically, “No, on the bad girl. No getting kicked out of school. I don’t want you to start there with a bad reputation.”
“Oh, I know!” Millie says excitedly. “How about you got pregnant, had a baby, and your parents made you give it up?”
“Millie, this is not your prime time soap opera. Next are you going to suggest I killed my mom because of it and buried her body in the backyard?”
Millie laughs. “That was a storyline on my show, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, it was. I need to be normal. And do I look like I just had a baby? Do I want boys to think I’m easy? Is that what you want? Tommy? Mom?”
Mom mutters, “No. This is harder than I thought it would be.”
Mr. Moran states. “You want close to the truth. We could go closer to the truth. Your father died in a plane crash . . .”
I stand up, knocking my Red Bull all over the table. “Don’t even say that! You guys suck. I’ll make up my own backstory. You’re all freaking fired.”
My fake lives.
7:30pm
I run out the door, down to the beach, and drop myself into the sand. Three of the security guys, including James, are on my heels.
“You know you aren’t allowed out here by yourself,” James yells at me.
“I’m pretty sure since you’re all following me, I’m not by myself.”
He drops into the sand next to me. “I can’t imagine having to deal with all this at your age. I know they treat you like an adult, but you’re still a kid, and I’m sure it’s scary.”
“I feel like I was cast in some bad horror movie. It seems like it can’t possibly be real.”
“Don’t let yourself think that for one second. No matter what you do from now on, this always has to be in the back of your mind. It has to influence everything you tell people, every decision you make. Got it?”
I sigh because I know he’s right. “I’ve got it. So do you have any ideas for my backstory?”
“I agree with keeping it close to the truth and keeping it simple. You’ve traveled the world with your mom and stepdad and were tutored. You recently lived in L.A. Your parents decided to move, you didn’t want to go with, so they shipped you off to boarding school. Or maybe you decided to go on your own because you didn’t want to go with them. Depends on whether or not you wanna pretend to be pissed at your parents.”
“I like that. They moved to France. I didn’t want to go with. It’s simple, and I can be me, just without my famous parents.” I laugh. “And we don’t have to kill anyone off.”
“Everyone is really upset, Keatyn. They’re trying not to show it.”
“I know.” I swallow hard. “I’m pretty upset myself, and I feel really bad about Cush. What if you went and talked to him? What if I sent him a letter?”