Free Jewel of the East by Ann Hood Page B

nowhere to be found.
    “Maisie!” he called.
    At first he heard nothing. Then a loud scream came from down the road.
    Felix stood, frozen for a moment, until his sister’s voice cut through the silence.
    “Felix! Felix! Help!”
    In an instant, Felix was running back toward Horse Street, his heart pounding so hard he thought it might break through his ribs. He openedhis mouth to tell her he was coming, but his voice came out like a squeak.
    “Help! Help!” Maisie yelled.
    Right before the marketplace, Horse Street split and part of it dipped down toward the river. Felix followed Maisie’s voice there, tripping over roots that stuck out of the ground and scraping his arms on low branches as he ran.
    On the bank of the river, a small group of teenagers stood huddled together. And in the middle of them, crouched and covering her face with her hands, was Maisie. Her hat had come off, and all Felix could see clearly was her mop of hair. What were these boys doing? he wondered as he ran, panting.
    “Hey!” he called to them, his voice finally returning.
    A few of the teenagers turned in his direction. Felix saw then that they had big sticks in their hands. One of them held a large rock in the air, about to bring it down on Maisie.
    Felix increased his speed and leaped at the boy with the rock, knocking him to the ground and landing on top of him with a big thud.
    The boys with the sticks poked him hard in the ribs, taunting him in Chinese as they did. Felix tried to ward them off, but he couldn’t. The boybeneath him threw Felix off of him. Now Felix was flat on his back looking up into a crowd of angry faces.
    The biggest, meanest boy of them all took a step closer to Felix, his stick raised high.
    Felix closed his eyes tight, preparing for the terrible blow.
    “Zù zh
î
!”
someone shouted.
“Zù zh
î
!”
    Felix peeked from beneath his eyelids and saw the boys scattering.
    “Zù zh
î
!”
    There, in the middle of them all, stood Wang Amah, slapping them on the arms and shooing them away.
    Carefully, Felix sat up. His side stung from where he’d been poked. Now he could see Maisie clearly. Her cheek was scraped and bleeding, and her arms had red welts all over them.
    Wang Amah helped Maisie to her feet, scolding them in rapid Chinese.
    Felix’s and Maisie’s eyes met above Wang Amah’s head.
    “I have it,” Maisie said through her tears.
    “Have what?” Felix said.
    “The box. I took it so we couldn’t leave.”
    Even though he wanted to be angry with her, the sight of his strong, independent sister hurt and crying made Felix rush to her side and throw his arms around her.
    “I don’t care,” he said, hugging her.
    Maisie reached into her own pocket and pulled out the jade box.
    “Here,” she said. “I think it’s time we gave this to Pearl.”

    The next morning, Maisie and Felix woke up and headed to the kitchen as usual. Mrs. Sydenstricker had been so angry at them for sneaking out that they’d gone to bed early to avoid her. Even as she gently cleaned Maisie’s cuts, she’d shook her head in disappointment.
    “I hope we’re not still in trouble,” Maisie said.
    “I hope Mr. Sydenstricker doesn’t yell at us. He scares me even when I’m not in trouble.”
    To their surprise, the atmosphere in the kitchen was light, like it had been before all the trouble with the Boxers, before Mr. Sydenstricker had returned home to stay. Wang Amah and Chushi were chattering happily, and Pearl sat eating rice and salted fish out of her bowl with chopsticks.
    “Father has gone to give communion to an old lady,” Pearl said.
    That explained the lighter mood, Felix realized. Without the frightening presence of Pearl’s father, everyone relaxed.
    The day took on the old rhythms. Chushi toldthem the story of the Red Dragon, acting out each part. After breakfast, they all sat on the veranda, and Wang Amah told them once more about her childhood and her daring escape from the soldiers.
    “I wish we could