Hangzhou, China – October 8th, – 7:25 AM (The day before Anna arrives in China.)

  Man Lina loves the rain; it’s perfect for daydreaming or curling up with a good book. Today, she’s even more excited about the rain because it means she can show off her new Hello Kitty umbrella to her best friend, Lu Ju Zhong. As expected, when Lina reaches the school, Ju Zhong races over like the wind and huddles under the umbrella. She never remembers to bring her own.

  Before Lina can say hello, she is knocked to the ground by He Pengshi, the most annoying boy in their class. He bumps into her accidentally while roughhousing with his buddies. Pengshi opens his mouth to apologize but stops when he sees who’s landed in the mud. Instead, he crosses his arms and smirks.

  “Oops,” he jokes, glancing at his friends. “I hope she doesn’t go crying to her mommy.” He knocks on his head, pretending to remember something. “Oh wait, you don’t have one!”

  Ju Zhong picks up the fallen umbrella, folds it down, and wields it like a sword. Her fierce glare could melt steel. Pengshi and his buddies don’t need to think twice—they bolt across the yard with Ju Zhong hot on their heels.

  Lina appreciates her friend’s loyalty, but she can’t help worrying. I hope she doesn’t break my umbrella on Pengshi’s thick skull, she thinks.

  She picks herself up, brushing futilely at the mud on her clothes. Her hands sting, and when she looks down, she sees scrapes on both palms. The sight makes the pain sharper, and tears blur her vision. For the first time, the rain feels cold and lonely to Lina.

  A shadow crosses over Lina. She looks up to see a pink umbrella blooming above her, shielding her from the rain. It’s Teacher Westcott, her English teacher. She inspects Lina’s scraped palms with a careful touch before handing her the umbrella to hold.

  Lina watches as Teacher Westcott reaches into her bag. Dangling from her keychain is a small Hello Kitty charm—the same one she has on her backpack. A flicker of delight runs through Lina.

  Teacher Westcott takes out a package of wipes and gently helps Lina clean her hands. Once she’s finished, she tucks the used wipes into her bag to throw away later. Then, Teacher Westcott crouches down and brushes the mud off Lina’s shoelaces.

  As she does, Lina gets a close-up of her teacher’s beautiful red hair, threaded with copper and gold—like something from the mermaids and princesses in fairytales. It’s silly, but Lina can’t help wondering if it feels as warm as it looks. Before she can give in to the temptation to reach out and touch it, Teacher Westcott finishes tightening the knot in her laces.

  Then, she offers Lina her hand.

  Lina takes it. She doesn’t know about Teacher Westcott’s hair, but her hand is the warmest Lina has ever held.

  ***

  In their homeroom, Li Na and Ju Zhong sit at their desks, reviewing homework. Ju Zhong is in charge of math and science. She dreams of becoming a surgeon like her uncle in the United States or maybe a CEO like her dad. Lina knows Ju Zhong will be amazing at whichever she chooses. Lina, on the other hand, is more interested in language and literature. She dreams of traveling the world, having grand adventures, and writing stories about them someday.

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  “Did your grandmother give you a hard time over the math test?” Ju Zhong asks, pulling Lina out of her daydream.

  “No, my dad signed it,” Lina explains. “He’s avoiding Grandma—she keeps trying to set him up on blind dates.” She smiles, remembering how her dad had been in such a hurry to escape to work that he’d signed the test without even looking.

  She expects Ju Zhong to laugh or congratulate her on her luck, but instead, her friend looks concerned.

  “Your dad is going to remarry?” Ju Zhong asks. “What if your stepmother is mean?”

  Her dad wasn’t interested in marriage, so the thought of her grandmother’s plans succeeding had never even crossed Lina’s mind. “It won’t happen. He’s too busy with work. He barely even has time to come home,” she replies with a shrug.

  Ju Zhong leans in closer, lowering her voice so no one else in class can hear. “Then you really need to be careful,” she says, her tone even more serious. “My mom says men are easy to fool. She goes shopping when my dad isn’t home, takes all the tags off, and puts everything away before he gets back. He never notices.”

  Lina normally can follow Ju Zhong’s twisted logic—they’ve been friends since Year One—but this time, she’s stumped. “What does that have to do with my dad?”

  Ju Zhong is all too happy to share her wisdom, “Think about it. If your grandmother brings a woman home. He won't even realize he is married until it's too late.”

  Lina has to admit her dad doesn’t pay much attention to what is happening at home, he’s a detective, a hero, and he has to put all his focus into stopping the bad guys. Ju Zhong might have a point. Lina glances around the class to make sure no one is listening and then leans in closer.

  “You think that could happen?” she whispers, drawn into the conspiracy.

  “That’s how my mom caught my dad,” Ju Zhong replies, shaking her head knowingly.

  Lina’s imagination runs wild, filling with images of wicked stepmothers from books and movies. “What should I do?” she asks, suddenly worried.

  “You need to find him a wife first,” Ju Zhong says with the confident wisdom of a ten-year-old. “Someone you like.”

  “How do I—” Lina starts to ask, but she’s cut off by the sound of the classroom door opening.

  “Good morning, class,” Teacher Westcott greets them with a bright smile.

  The students immediately sit up, ready and eager for the day’s lessons. None are more excited than Lina and Ju Zhong, who share matching mischievous gleams in their eyes.

  ***

  Li Na and Ju Zhong hurry to find a private spot in the cafeteria. As soon as they sit down, Ju Zhong launches into conversation, “Are you thinking what I am thinking?”

  Thinking exactly what Ju Zhong is thinking, Li Na nods. “Teacher Westcott is perfect for my dad. She’s pretty and nice.”

  The girls chat as they trade their food. Li Na passes Ju Zhong her meat in exchange for a bag of chips.

  “I heard my mom say Americans get divorced all the time,” Ju Zhong points out, “So she won't care that your dad is.”

  “Are you sure?” Li Na hesitates. Teacher Westcott is young—what if she doesn’t want a secondhand husband?

  Ju Zhong waves a chopstick with authority, confident in her facts, “I heard my mom say it. She watches a lot of American dramas, so she knows these things.”

  Li Na can’t argue with that. Ju Zhong’s uncle always brings DVDs of American TV shows and movies when he visits. Still, another concern pops into her mind. “But she’s going home after the school year.”

  Ju Zhong dismisses the problem with a dramatic flick of her wrist, sending a grain of rice flying across the table. “If they fall in love, she’ll stay.”

  Li Na hands her a napkin to wipe the sauce off her face. She isn’t entirely convinced. Love conquers all in her favorite stories, but real life is different. “Wouldn’t she miss her family?”

  “Americans are independent,” Ju Zhong says as if it settles the matter.

  Li Na is willing to be convinced, but one question still bothers her. “How do I get them to meet?”

  This time, Ju Zhong falls silent, stumped for the first time.