Great Call of China (S.A.S.S.)

by Liu, Cynthea

  Kallyn shrugged, looking just as horrified as Cece.

  “I expect big paper at end of term. You pick something in Chinese culture that influence human behavior today. Example be religion, pop culture, holiday, what you please. But you must apply theory from class to your paper. Worth forty percent of grade. I give you time to think about what you write.” She wagged her finger at everyone. “Topics due in six weeks.” She tossed her piece of chalk into the tray.

  Cece swallowed. Forty percent on one paper?

  When the day ended, Cece and Kallyn walked out of the academic building together. “Can you believe all this intense work?” Kallyn asked.

  “I know. I love evolution and archaeology, but language and culture are going to be tough.”

  “Man, I wish Ryan were here,” Kallyn said.

  “Yeah?” Cece said as they crossed the lawn.

  “He’d love this program. He’s as into anthro as I am.” Kallyn stopped to lift the flap of her bag. An oval pin of Kallyn and her boyfriend was stuck to a pocket underneath. “Cute, isn’t he?”

  Cece nodded.

  “What about you, Cece? Do you have a boyfriend back home?”

  “Not exactly. The guys who like me are always. . . well. . . a little weird.”

  “Hmm. Well, there are plenty of guys to choose from here. What about Will?”

  Cece turned. “What about Will?” she said, a little nervousness creeping into her voice.

  “Hey, Cece!”

  Cece turned to see Will trotting up to her, a couple of textbooks under his arm.

  “Hmm, what about him?” Kallyn whispered, a grin on her face. Then she spoke louder. “Well, I’m off to meet... uh. . . James for lunch. Bye!” She left so quickly Cece hardly had a chance to say good-bye.

  Will caught up with her. “Hey, I was bummed that you aren’t in any of my classes.”

  “Really ?” Cece said.

  “Yeah. . . . Look, I wanted to talk to you.” He ran his fingers through his hair, and Cece stared at those dark gorgeous waves. So cute. “I was kind of hoping you wouldn’t share with anyone what I said last night. About my parents?”

  “Oh, of course,” Cece said. “And um. . . maybe it’s a good idea to keep my plans for Beijing quiet, too.”

  “Sure. No problem, but I was wondering. . . ” He shifted his books from one arm to another. “Aren’t you going to need some help? I was thinking about it last night. . . ”

  He was thinking about me last night?

  “And if you need anything, just ask. Okay?”

  Cece’s heart pounded in her chest. “Same here,” she said. “I mean if you ever need to talk or whatever. . . ”

  “Right, thanks.” Will smiled. “Well, I have to meet up with the guys. So I’ll see you later?”

  “Um, yeah.”

  “Great.” He took a few steps backward and waved with his free hand, then turned and headed off in the opposite direction.

  When Cece returned to her room, she finally got around to checking her e-mail. She’d been gone for only two days, but she knew there would be at least a couple of messages from her mother wondering why Cece hadn’t contacted her. She opened her laptop and logged in. Yup, two e-mails from Mom—both titled: Where are you?, and one from her dad, saying WRITE YOUR MOTHER. Cece typed up a short message, letting her mom know everything was fine.

  Then she opened an e-mail from Alison.

  ------------------------- To: cece2me@e-mail.com The Great Call of China

  From: alisofine@e-mail.com

  Subject: So?????

  Hey Cece,

  So???? What’s it like there? Is it everything you’d hoped it would be?

  Who’s your roommate? I bet you’re already making loads of friends and you’ve forgotten all about me because WHY ELSE HAS IT TAKEN YOU SO LONG TO E-MAIL? Helloo?!

  By the way, the summer season at Six Flags started off with a terrific bang. Get this: Eugene got fired! Security caught him with $3000 tucked away in his socks and UNDERWEAR. GROSS.

  Hurry up and write back!

  Al

  Cece couldn’t believe it. Now Eugene gets fired?

  She wrote to Alison and gave her an update of her stay in China so far, including the vomiting episode, her trip to the Muslim Quarter, the club, and finally all the details about Will she could give. Writing about him—the way he looked, talked, what he’d said—made Cece wonder if she’d met the perfect guy at last. When she finished her e-mail, she closed the laptop and sighed with satisfaction.

  Chapter Five

  For the next couple of weeks, Cece had to follow a tight routine to keep up with her classes and intense workload. Mark hadn’t been kidding about cramming an entire semester into one short summer. If she wasn’t in class, she was working with Peter over lunch or studying with Kallyn. Cece hardly had time to think about Will, and, more important, she hadn’t made any progress with her plans for Beijing.

  But finally, on a Friday, just before Cece had to go to the lecture hall to get her team project assignment, she stole a few moments to try to locate the orphanage in Beijing. The Great Call of China She sat at her desk, blew air at her bangs, nd opened her laptop.

  Cece went to Google’s mapping site and typed in the address she had for the orphanage. She quickly discovered the Web site didn’t cover China, but found a link for Google’s China mapping site instead. She clicked on the link and a map of China came up, with Chinese labels all over it. Not a word of English. Cece frowned. It could take her months to understand it. She went to a blank field at the top, entered the address, and clicked a button. Hardly anything on the screen changed. The map of China was still there, but this time, several lines of Chinese characters came up on the left. Cece squinted at the screen, recognizing only a few words, but not enough to understand it. She sighed. Maybe she had to enter Chinese characters instead of letters. She stared at the alphabetic keys on her laptop. Good luck with that one.

  Cece stared at the screen, wondering what to do next.

  She then tried to find a plain old map of Beijing online, one that was in English. But everything she found turned out to be too basic—tourist maps essentially—without nearly enough detail to locate anything but temples, palaces, and gardens.

  Cece rubbed her eyes. How could something so simple be this hard? She glanced at the calendar on her desk. She had three weeks to go before Beijing. Three weeks. Could she learn enough of the language to get herself there and then ask questions?

  A wave of nervousness swept through her.

  Maybe she should ask Peter for help. Surely he could figure this out.

  Maybe she could even get him to go with her.

  Hopeful, Cece got up. She’d broach the subject with Peter during their study session at lunch. She grabbed her backpack and left for the lecture hall.

  When she arrived, she took a seat next to Kallyn.

  “So where’s Jessica?” Kallyn asked.

  Cece looked around. She spotted Will, sitting with some guys on the opposite side of the hall, but no Jess. Or Lisa for that matter.

  “Maybe she’s at another massage session?” Cece said. “Or shopping?”

  “I wonder how she keeps up with everything,” Kallyn mused.

  “Me, too.” Over the past couple of weeks, Jess had gone out a lot. She regularly asked Cece to come with her, but lately, Cece had declined the invitations, worried she wouldn’t get things done for her classes. Plus, she wasn’t fond of watching Jess be so flirty with Will all night. So when exactly did Jess study? “Maybe she’s secretly a genius or something.”

  Kallyn raised an eyebrow. “Right . . .”

  “Well, perhaps it’s easier for her because she’s got the Chinese part down.”

  Kallyn looked like she was considering this. “True.”

  Just then, Mark took the podium. “Zao, everyone! I hope you’ve had a great couple of weeks at XU. The professors tell me we’ve got a bright bunch this year, which means I know team projects will be bett
er than ever. Jenny is handing out the assignments and a description of the requirements. And before anyone asks, there will be no switching. The teams were handpicked according to your proficiency exams, so that some of our weaker students will be paired with the most learned. This ensures a fair playing ground for all. Now I’ll give you a few moments to read over your team assignments.”

  Jenny came to Cece’s row and gave her a stack of papers. Cece took one and passed the rest down. She scanned the sheet for her name. There it was, under Team 3; next came Alex’s name, then Will’s. . . Cece’s heart skipped. Then she saw Jessica’s name, and her enthusiasm dissipated. No doubt Jess would be excited by the lineup, too.

  “Darn,” Kallyn whispered. “You’re not on my team.”

  “I know.” Cece found Kallyn’s name under Team 6. Kallyn looked over the list some more. “Hey, that guy Will is on your team.” She gave Cece a nudge, and Cece smiled nervously.

  “So you like him, huh?” Kallyn said.

  “I don’t know. . . maybe.”

  “Go, you,” Kallyn said with approval.

  At that moment, Mark started talking again, and Cece turned her attention toward the front. “I want you all to split up into your groups. Team One, please take the first row. Team Two, the second, and on down the line. I’ll give you a few moments to get situated, say your hellos, and then we’ll begin again.”

  Cece and Kallyn got up and started moving toward their rows.

  “Try not to drool,” Kallyn whispered.

  Cece smiled, rolling her eyes, and headed to the third row. She took a seat next to Will and tried to act like being mere inches from him wasn’t going to give her a panic attack. Since the night at the club, they hadn’t really talked without Jessica around.

  “So is it you?” Will said.

  Cece glanced around nervously. “Uh, is what me?”

  “You know,” Will said, smirking, “our team’s weakest link.”

  “Oh.” Cece blushed. “Well, I did flunk the language part of the exam.”

  “Just the language, huh? That’s nothing. I screwed up both the evolution and archaeology sections.”

  “I guess it’s you then,” Cece said playfully. Before Will could respond, Alex and a guy Cece hadn’t met yet joined the row.

  “Hey, Alex,” Will said. “What’s up, Chris?” The boys sat beside him.

  Will looked over at Cece. “You know, I think I know the answer to our question. Chris has to be the deadweight on our team. Am I right?”

  “Yup,” Chris said. He was a stocky guy with a super-deep voice to match his physique. “I slept through the exam, if you have to know the truth.” He pointed at Alex. “From what I understand, this one’s the nerd.”

  Alex tried to look innocent. “Since when is it a crime to have a high GPA?”

  “It’s not,” Chris said. “It’s just, you know, nerdy.” He looked at Cece. “You’re Jessica’s roommate, right?”

  “Yup,” she said. “I’m Cece.”

  “Chris. Nice to meet you.”

  “Where is Jess anyway?” Will said.

  “I’m not sure,” Cece said.

  Just then, she heard Jess calling her name. “Cece!”

  Will and Cece both looked back.

  Jessica was hurrying down the aisle, waving a copy of the team list in her hand. “We’re on the same team. I can’t believe it.” She sat next to Cece. “Sorry I’m late, guys. Lisa lost an earring in the middle of the lawn, and it took forever to find it. Did I miss anything?”

  Will smiled. “Not yet.”

  Cece looked at Will and Jess, and inwardly sighed.

  “All right, everyone, ” Mark interrupted. He waited for the room to quiet. “On the back of your team list you will see project topics.”

  Cece flipped her paper over and scanned the list: The Silk Road and Its Influence on Xi’an’s Inhabitants Today. Burial Rituals of the Banpo. The Peking Man and the Theory of Evolution... almost any of them would be great to work on, but the one that caught her eye was Qin Shi Huang: The First Emperor of China.

  “The main goal this morning,” Mark continued, “is for your team to rank your top three choices and turn those in. This should go fairly easily. In the future, however, you should plan on spending every Friday developing your documentaries. Also, Jenny will be handing out camcorders next week, and if you need props, XU’s theater department can loan some to you.

  “Finally, keep in mind that you will be graded on demonstration of knowledge, creativity, and teamwork. Your projects will be presented and critiqued during the last day of the program. Good luck.”

  “So, what do you all think?” Alex said.

  “I really don’t have a preference for a topic,” Jessica replied. “Do any of you?”

  Chris shrugged. “Not really.”

  “Burial Rituals sounds interesting to me,” Will said.

  “The Peking Man would be great,” Alex said.

  Cece studied the list again. “I was thinking we should go for the Emperor Qin Shi Huang.”

  “Really?” Will said, looking at her intently. “Why?”

  Cece swallowed, surprised that he would be so interested in her answer. “Well, from what I know, the guy practically built China all on his own. Plus, he was responsible for the army of Terra Cotta Warriors. So the topic seems fun to explore . . . . ” She inwardly groaned. Did she have to sound so geekish? “I mean, that is, if you’re into that sorta stuff.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Will said.

  “We would have a lot of material to work with,” Alex added.

  “All in favor of the Emperor raise your hand,” Jessica said.

  Everyone raised a hand.

  “Terrific. We’ll make Burial Rituals number two, and the Peking Man number three.” She sat up in her chair. “Now who wants to get some bubble tea?”

  “I’m in,” Alex said.

  Chris looked confused. “What’s bubble tea?”

  “They’re these drinks that come in all flavors,” Jessica said, “like mango, red bean, and grass jelly. And you can get them with gooey tapioca balls at the bottom.”

  He stared at her. “And people drink that?”

  Jess laughed. “Yeah. And I saw a cool place the other day just a couple of streets away. Let’s go, guys.” She turned to Cece. “You’re coming with us, right?”

  Cece glanced at Jessica, then Will. Did she really want to spend the morning witnessing Jess hanging all over Will? But she couldn’t say no. She didn’t want to seem like a drag either. “Uh, sure.”

  “All right then,” Jess said. “Let’s go.”

  As they walked out of the lecture hall, Cece tried to ignore Jess happily chatting away with Will. But Cece couldn’t stop herself from feeling annoyed once more. This time, though, she was more irritated with herself than her roommate. Why was it that whenever she and Jess were in the same room, it was Jess who always seemed more intriguing, more vibrant? The night at the club, Cece had told herself that Will was just tolerating Jess’s advances out of politeness, but now she wasn’t so sure. He seemed genuinely to like her. And why wouldn’t he? Jess was so many things Cece wasn’t. So girly-girl, so spontaneous, so... confident.

  It made her wonder if she could ever be like Jess.

  Cece sighed as Jess casually slipped an arm through Will’s.

  Doubtful.

  That afternoon, Cece put aside thoughts of Will and Jess when she arrived at a local noodle shop to meet with Peter. The place was a favorite of XU’s students, not only for its inexpensive food but also for its work friendly atmosphere. After they ate, Peter and Cece spread out their books, and Cece began her character studies for Professor Sutton while Peter prepared for an English quiz.

  “I am almost finished with my practice questions,” Peter said. “Have a look.” He scooted a piece of paper across the table.

  Cece studied the paper. Peter had been working on the past perfect tense. She took her pencil and made some corrections. “Peter, I
think you need to review your irregular verb list again. The past participle for forgot is forgotten.”

  He frowned. “I guess I had forgotten.”

  She smiled. “Now you’re getting it.” She returned the paper to Peter and went back to writing a Chinese character in her notebook. “Peter,” Cece said, “can I ask you something?” She tapped her pencil against the table. “How do you remember all these strokes?”

  Peter looked up. “You write, and write, and write... but sometimes you can look at the word and think of something that reminds you of it.”

  He pointed at one of Cece’s vocabulary words. “You see this one? Zhong? It means ‘center.’ So when you think of center, think of a field.” He drew a rectangle on his paper. “Then draw a line down the center of the field. And you have center. See?”

  Cece cocked her head as she stared at the word Peter had written. “Hmm. I’ve never thought of it that way.”

  “A lot of Chinese words are like something you can see or imagine. They are not just pulled out of a cap, you know.”

  “You mean hat. Pulled out of a hat.”

  Peter smiled. “Right, hat.”

  Cece looked at the next word on her list and tried to use Peter’s technique. The word was da, which meant big. It looked like a star, so she pictured a big burst of light in the sky. Then she wrote it down. Da. The final product almost looked like an asterisk. She compared her character to the real character on the list and noticed she had drawn too many lines. She bit her lip, frustrated just as she had been with the Google map earlier in the day. She glanced at Peter, thinking that maybe she should bring up the orphanage. It seemed like as good as time as any.

  “Peter?” Cece said. “I was wondering if you could help me with something.”

  He looked up. “Which character is it?”

  “No, it’s not that,” Cece said. “It’s not even related to S.A.S.S. actually.”

  Peter paused, his face turning serious. “What is it, Xiao Mei?”

  Hearing Peter call her that made her smile. Since he was a few years older than Cece, he’d taken to calling her his little sister. That would also make Peter her Da Ge, or big brother.