Page 46 of Tiger's Quest
We pulled into the garage, and I had a sudden vision of the four of us sitting in my parents’ library talking about favorite books. Yes, they would have heartily approved of Ren.
I smiled for a moment then frowned. “I don’t like the idea that you have other girls chasing after you.”
“Now you know howIfelt. Speaking of which, what did Jason have to say?”
“Oh. He gave me this.”
I handed him the article as we walked in the house. Ren sat down and read it quietly while I made us a snack. He came into the kitchen with an expression of worry on his face.
“Kelsey, when was this taken?”
“About a month ago. Why? What’s wrong?”
“Maybe nothing. I need to call Kadam.”
He got on the phone and spoke quickly in Hindi. I sat on the couch and held his hand. He was talking fast, and Ren looked very worried. The last thing he mentioned before he hung up was something about Kishan.
“Ren, tell me. What’s going on?”
“Your name and picture are in this magazine. It’s a pretty obscure publication, so we might get lucky.”
“What are you saying?”
“We’re afraid that Lokesh can trace you back to here.”
I responded, confused, “Oh. But what about my student ID and my driver’s license?”
“We had them all changed. Mr. Kadam has connections. He arranged it so your records don’t match your name with your photo. Did you really think he could arrange a passport in a week for you to go to India last summer?”
“I guess I didn’t think about it.” My mind reeled with the new information, and the vision I had seen in India of the power-hungry wizard flashed back to me. Suddenly worried, I said, “But, Ren, I’m registered at school under my name, and there are records of me in the foster care system that could lead back to Sarah and Mike. What if he finds them?”
“Mr. Kadam changed those too. The state records officially say you were emancipated at fifteen, and this house and all of the bills for it go to a hidden account. Evenmydriver’s license is a fake, and I’m registered under a different name. Kelsey Hayes officially goes to WOU, but your picture was switched out so he couldn’t find you. We left no records of your name tied to your picture. Those were the documents mentioned in the e-mail you saw on my computer.”
“What about my high school yearbook?”
“Taken care of. We wiped you out of the official records. If somebody contacted an old high school classmate with an old yearbook they could match you up, but the odds of that happening aren’t likely. They would have to check every high school in the country, assuming they knew which country to look in.”
“So, you think this article means—”
“That there is a record he could find you with.”
“Why didn’t you two tell me all this before?”
“We didn’t want to worry you unnecessarily. We wanted you to live as normal a life as possible.”
“So, what are we going to do now?”
“Hopefully, finish out the term, but, just in case, I’ve sent for Kishan.”
“Kishan’s coming here?”
“He’s a good hunter and can help me keep watch on things. He’d also be lessdistractedthan I am.”
“Oh.”
Ren pulled me close and rubbed my back. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”
“But what if something happens toyou? What canIdo about it?”
