Jackal (12 page)

“I’m so glad that you’re in good hands. Enjoy yourself, baby.”

“For sure,” I said. “I’d better go, so I can give Ling back his cell phone.”

“Okay,” my mother said. “Goodbye for now. I’ll let your father know that you’re well!”

“Thanks. I’ll call you in a couple days.”

“You do that. We’ll call Ling if we need to reach you in the meantime. Have fun!”

My mom hung up, and I handed the phone back to Ling. “Thanks,” I said.

“Don’t mention it,” Ling replied. “So, how much do you know about Shanghai?”

“Not a lot.”

“You didn’t research the city to which you were traveling?”

“No, but my mom sort of did. She told me that it’s big.”

“It’s the most populated city in the world. More than twenty-three million people live here.”

“No way,” I said. “That’s
huge
.”

“It is. It doesn’t always feel big, though. There are two main halves, Puxi and Pudong, which are separated by the Huangpu River.”

“Isn’t one old and one new?” I asked.

“Yes. Puxi is to the west, and it’s the historic trading and banking center of Shanghai. The east side of the river is Pudong, which is kind of like ‘new’ Shanghai. That is where all the famous skyscrapers are and such. It is also where most of the growth and expansion is happening. You will be staying on the outskirts of Pudong in a very new, very Western area. You won’t find it much different from the United States, as I believe I’ve already told you.”

I stared out the window at all the streetlights and illuminated buildings. “I already don’t find it much different from the United States. If it wasn’t for the signs being in Chinese, I’d swear I was back in Indianapolis or even Los Angeles. I can see the haze of smog in the lights. Or is it fog? We’re by the ocean, right?”

“We are very near the ocean, yes. Shanghai is the largest port in the world. However, what you are seeing is smog, not fog. It is a bit of an embarrassment, but it is the price we pay for having so many people and so much industry. We are doing our best to manage the situation, including daily
pollution-count announcements. You will get used to checking them each morning. If the levels are too high, you will train inside rather than outside.”

“It’s
that
bad?”

“It can be. Most buildings have air-filtration systems, though. We simply stay inside on bad days.”

I shook my head, unable to comprehend not being able to go outside. I continued to stare out the window, watching as we turned off the highway onto a crowded street with two lanes of traffic going in each direction. Along either side of the street was a wide bike lane separated from the traffic by a waist-high wall; next to each bike lane was a sidewalk. There were hundreds of bicyclists using the lane, along with hundreds more on motor scooters and mopeds. The sidewalks were packed with people walking. Most of the pedestrians and nearly every single rider either wore a surgical mask or had some type of scarf wrapped over his or her nose and mouth.

“As you can see,” Ling said, “today there is a high pollution count. Hence, all the covered faces. While people remain inside as much as possible on a day like today, they still have to travel to and from work.”

I nodded, trying not to think about the pollution. Instead, I focused on the bikes. I saw more different styles in two minutes than I’d seen in my entire life in the States. We passed bicycle taxis, bicycle vending carts, and bicycles with trailers containing construction supplies. We even passed a guy riding some sort of oversized delivery bike that had so many plastic milk jugs strapped to the back, they reached the height of a second-story window.

Ling must have read my mind. “So many different uses for bicycles, no?”

“Yeah. I had no idea. I think I get what you and Mr. Chang are trying to do. People here think of bikes as a way to get around, not as a sport.”

“Exactly. I thought it would make more sense to you once you arrived.”

The minivan slowed for a traffic light, and I saw a huge line of people in front of a small shop. Ling powered down his window, and the oily smell of fried food wafted into the minivan. It wasn’t very appetizing.

“Are you hungry?” he asked. “Shanghai is famous for its dumplings, and this place is one of the best.”

“No thanks,” I said. “I ate on the plane.”

“Have you ever tried traditional Shanghai dumplings?”

“No.”

“Well, do yourself a favor and try some while you are here. I’ve never met anyone who didn’t like
xiao long bao
. People eat them at any hour, even for breakfast.”

“Okay,” I said.

We continued on through the night, merging onto another highway. I couldn’t help noticing a long row of illuminated billboards that looked like the ones you’d see in America, except these all had Chinese writing on them. It was surreal, because several of the billboards featured American actors selling different products. Then there was a billboard for—

“What the—” I began, but couldn’t find the words to continue.

Ling laughed. “Impressive, isn’t it?”

One of the billboards was a picture of
me
, along with Phoenix, Ryan, and Hú Dié road bike racing in California. It also showed four Chinese guys who were about the same age as us. They were dressed in matching road cycling uniforms and posed as a team. One of the riders was standing in front of the others as if he were the leader. He was really skinny and had messy black hair as well as close-set, beady eyes. He looked like a psychopath. I had no idea what the billboard said because, of course, the text was in Chinese.

“You and your friends are
big
in China,” Ling said, still laughing. “Literally! What do you think?”

“It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen!” I said, pulling my cell phone from my pocket. The phone didn’t work in China, but the camera would. I snapped off a couple shots before we passed the billboard.

“Seriously,” I said. “That’s nuts.”

“No, that’s the publicity machine in motion. Several of those billboards have gone up on both sides of the river. By race time, half of Shanghai will recognize your face.”

I put my phone away. “Who is the other team?”

“Yes, the other team,” Ling said. “I suppose we should discuss that. When you told us that you needed time to consider our offer, Mr. Chang realized that he needed a backup plan. Specifically, he needed a backup
team
. He made some phone calls, and our trainers put together a group of talented young Chinese riders. They wouldn’t settle for playing the role of backup, though, and Mr. Chang decided that there really was no reason for that. They should be allowed to compete alongside you and your friends as well as the entire field of adult participants. May the best team win, if
you will. If the young Chinese team wins, well … then you and your friends will go home and they will be the official poster team. If
you
win, then you will have the opportunity to stay, if you’d like, and be the poster team.”

I felt my jaws clench. “That wasn’t the deal.”

“Your indecision forced this upon us, Jake. Moreover, it is uncertain whether US officials will even allow Phoenix and Ryan to travel here in time to participate in the race. We needed a contingency plan, and now we have one.”

“So what happens to me if Phoenix and Ryan can’t make it? I’m out?”

“No. Mr. Chang has decided that you and Hú Dié will still race as a team.”

“Just the two of us?”

“Yes.”

“We’ll get killed!” I said, nearly jumping out of my seat. “Two against four isn’t a fair fight in a road bike race. They’ll have twice as many people to rotate through their lead rider position. The lead rider pulls the
entire team
along in the slipstream.”

Ling shrugged. “It isn’t our fault that two of your riders may not be able to attend the race. Perhaps you now see the wisdom of Mr. Chang’s decision to assemble a second team of youths.”

I rolled my eyes, but Ling was right. From their perspective, it
was
a good plan. From mine, however, it meant that my trip here was pointless as far as the race was concerned if Phoenix and Ryan wouldn’t be here in time. Hú Dié might as well not even bother to show up if it was just going to be the two of us. I had to contact her as soon as
possible. Maybe we could figure out a way for me to go to Kaifeng, drop off the dragon bone, and then head straight home. There was no point in just her and me racing. We’d make fools of ourselves in front of twenty-three million people.

I sat back and turned away from Ling. I doubted this trip could get much worse.

We arrived at
the apartment complex, and it was just like Ling said it would be. It was very new and very large, and the neighborhood looked just like America. Even the street and building signs were in English.

I grabbed my backpack, and Ling grabbed my suitcase. Ling said a few words in Chinese to the driver, and the driver left.

“Keep an eye out for that same minivan tomorrow morning at seven a.m. sharp,” Ling told me. “There may be a different driver, but the vehicle will not change. You will return here around eight p.m. That will be your daily schedule right up to the race, seven a.m. to eight p.m.”

“That’s a long day,” I said.

“You have much work to do. Being a celebrity is a round-the-clock job.”

I sighed and followed Ling up a set of concrete stairs into the apartment complex. We passed through a set of
gates, and I saw that the complex was even bigger than I’d imagined from the street. At least twenty ten-story buildings surrounded a huge courtyard.

“How many apartments are in here?” I asked.

“Several thousand. It’s the largest concentration of Westerners in China. You’ll feel right at home.”

We entered one of the ten-story buildings, and Ling nodded to a security guard stationed beside the front door. The security guard nodded back.

“Jake, this is Loo,” Ling said. “Loo, meet Jake.”

Loo grinned. “Hello, Jake,” he said in perfect English. “Pleased to meet you. I saw your picture next to the highway.”

“Nice to meet you, too, Loo. That picture is kind of embarrassing.”

“No, it’s not,” Loo said. “Maybe if your legs were shaved like most adult cyclists’, then it would be embarrassing.”

I laughed. “Good point.”

Ling turned to me. “If you have any questions about the neighborhood or need anything, Loo is your man.”

“Got it,” I said.

“This is building number three. Your apartment is number one. Just remember three-oh-one.”

“Check,” I said. “Three-oh-one.”

We climbed up an interior staircase to a long hallway that had several different apartment doors. Mine was the first one. Ling inserted a key into the lock, and we went in.

The apartment was pretty sweet. It had new furniture and was bigger than most people’s houses. In fact, it looked like you could fit at least two of Phoenix’s house inside here.

“There are three large bedrooms and three bathrooms,”
Ling said. “You will share this apartment with Phoenix and Ryan, if they make it. Hú Dié will stay in apartment three-oh-two across the hall. It’s smaller than this one, but not by much. Residents here receive visits every other day from an
ayee
, or housekeeper. Many of the
ayees
also cook and will buy your groceries, too, if you give them money in advance. Your
ayee
is a wonderful chef, and we’ve made arrangements for her to have plenty of money to keep you well fed.”

“Wow. Thanks.”

He handed me his key and said, “I have copies of this key back at my office, so no funny business. I will be making periodic checks on you. I am also arranging to get a cell phone for you to stay connected with me at all times. I should have it by tomorrow. Do you have any questions?”

“Um, I don’t think so. This is all coming at me kind of fast.”

Ling placed a hand on my shoulder. “It is, Jake, but you’ll be fine. I realize that you’ve probably never been in a situation like this before. Your parents told me that when you trained in California, you lived with your coach as well as your friends. Would you like me to make arrangements to have an adult stay with you?”

“No, I’m good. I’ll be even better after a nap. I didn’t sleep a whole lot on the plane.”

“I’ll leave you, then. There is just one more thing before I go. Follow me out to the balcony.”

I tossed my backpack onto the living room couch and stepped outside with Ling through a sliding glass door. The night air was still warm and humid. I couldn’t see a single
star, but the lights from restaurants and shops shone just a few hundred yards away across a park.

“Well?” Ling asked. “What do you think?”

“It’s a great view,” I said.

Ling chuckled. “You
must
be tired, Jake. I wasn’t referring to the view.” He pointed to the opposite end of the balcony. “Look.”

I turned around and saw a brand-new BMX bike. It looked to be the perfect size for me, and was tricked out with more bling than a jewelry store. A skater-style helmet hung from the handlebars—exactly the type freestyle BMX riders wore.

“For me?” I asked.