Episode 1: Introduction

Exposition: Spring

She listened to the tinkering of the piano keys as she stared out the window, following the racing rain drops with her eyes. The notes lamented the troubles of the world as they directed bittersweet minor scales in a light frail voice. As the rain came down harder, Yang Fenghuang closed her eyes and let the sounds draw her mind into her imagination. An image of a little boy, 10 years old, the same as her, laughed and smiled in her mind's eye. "I miss Xiao Long." She thought to herself.

Li Jilong was her best friend. Her only friend. They only saw each other four times a year, but no matter how long it had been since they had seen each other last they always reunited as if they had seen each other just yesterday.

Fenghuang's mom, Yang Chun Hwa was a concert pianist, touring the world, performing for millions of crowds, never staying in one city for more than a week. This was the same with Jilong's parents. His mother, Zhu Mei Yuan was a concert cellist, playing solos and duets with his father, Li Yundi, a concert violinist.

At the start of each of the four seasons, a large gathering of world renowned classical artists congregated in a city. Only the wealthy people with internal connections were able to obtain a ticket into this spectacular concert of famous musicians. Fenghuang recollected the grandeur and beauty of the concert halls and the crowds roaring with applause. Watching the performers in the balcony with her nanny, who was also her teacher and caretaker, along with all the other children of the renowned musicians, she was always captivated by the music that engulfed the listeners.

Remembering the day she first met Jilong, she smiled. At first sight, they knew they were friends. "I'm Li Jilong. These are my friends, Chang Dasun, and Song Lin." He said turning to the other boys our age to his left and right. Perhaps it was because they were only three years old at the time,  their friendship was instant and strong. For seven years now, the three days four times a year they had to spend together at these reunions were the best days of their lives. "Xiao Long!" Xiao Huang!"; the most intimate close friends could call each other. Fenghuang called her other friends, Dasun gege and Song Lin deedee; a friendly, yet polite address.

While all of this turned through her mind, a voice burst into her imagination. "Fenghuang!" Opening her eyes, she noticed that the music had stopped, yet the rain poured on. Turning around, she saw her mother looking at her quizzically from her place on the piano bench.

"Yeah?" Fenghuang hadn't heard her calling her the first couple times.

"Are you all packed and ready to go to Japan this weekend?" Her mother's sweet voice asked.

"Oh!" Fenghuang remembered. This weekend they would leave for Japan, for the reunion of artists to end the winter season, and to start the season tours of spring. "I'll go do that right now!" Jumping off the window seat, she ran through the music room and flew through the door past her nanny.

"Xiao Jie!" Her nanny shouted after her, "It's time for your lesson..." But Fenghuang was already out of earshot. "Ai ya. This child, will she ever stop running around and calm down? If she doesn't take her lessons and life seriously, how will she ever succeed...?" The lady mumbled. Her slightly aging face wrinkled in disapproval. Chun Hwa chuckled gently,

"Oh Ah Yi, what's wrong with being wild and young? You know I would give anything to be like that again." Her eyes filled, but for only a moment, with a longing and sadness she had known for too long. The nanny's facial expression changed to that of worry.

"Chun Hwa, you're still young and lively...is it that...have you been feeling...?" She stepped closer and leaned in anxiously. Another light laugh, one that sounded like spring itself escaped Chun Hwa's lips.

"I'm fine. You worry too much. I have not lost myself yet." Despite her lightheartedness, her laughter and shining eyes, her heart weighed heavily in her chest, unable to stand up. But she never showed any sign of distress, never spoke any word of pain, never allowed any thought of defeat.

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Fenghuang quietly peeked through the crack in the door to watch the line of photographers greet her mother as she stepped into the concert hall. She admired her mother's beautiful black hair, short and fitting around her chin. She stepped slowly and confidently through the sea of paparazzi, smiling a dazzling smile for the cameras. It bewildered Fenghuang that someone wouldn't think her mother was beautiful or wonderful enough, like her father did. Fenghuang remembered seeing a picture of the three of them together when she was just born. He was an American, and his large eyes looked dull and bored in the picture. Her mother's almond shaped Chinese eyes sparkled with life, the happiness seemed to come out of the picture at whoever was looking at it.

When her father disappeared one day, Fenghuang remembered her mother curled up on the couch, head buried in tears, on the phone with his parents in the United States.  Even they didn't know where he had gone. Every day, when Fenghuang would look in the mirror, she would feel guilty. She looked like a westerner through and through. Although her home was in Beijing, China, although she spoke only Chinese, although she had only ever known Chinese, her big brown eyes and double eyelids, her dark brown hair, her pointy nose and cheekbones identified her as American. She felt guilty for carrying her father's image around. She felt that every time her mother looked at her, she would be reminded of her father and be reminded of the pain every day.

"Yang Fenghuang!" A girly, shrill voice called from behind her. Turning around, she saw a group of girls her age, dressed up as nicely as she was.

"What do you want?" Fenghuang whined. The girl was Li Yue. Li Yue's mother was a new violinist that had just joined the world of concert performances the past year. Within that time, she had built herself up a posse of other girls who were as preppy and princessy as herself.

"You've been coming to these reunions longer than I have. Who's that one boy with the really cool, handsome hair?" Li Yue inquired, twirling her hair. Annoyed, Fenghuang sighed and raised an eyebrow.

"Who are you talking about?"

"The one boy with the long hair that covers his eyes. He always shakes his head to move it out of his eyes, and has the most handsome smile, and smoldering eyes!" Li Yue began to swoon.

Rolling her eyes, not at all amused at Li Yue's giggling or the giddy whispers of her friends.

"Are you talking about Li Ji Long?" She asked in a monotone, bored voice.

"He has two other cute boys following him around?"

"Yeah, that's him." Fenghuang couldn't help but chuckle at how they followed Ji Long around like puppies. Li Yue and her friends all squealed with delight.

"Do you know him? Do you think he'd like me? Does he know you? Would you introduce us? Then again he probably wouldn't really talk to someone like you..." Li Yue began talking a million miles an hour. Fenghuang raised her eyebrows,

"Someone like me?" She asked, her instinct readying herself up for a catfight.

"Yeah...you're so..." Li Yue started, taking in Fenghuang's short, messy hair, tan skin from hours playing outside, boyish build, and how she just didn't seem to fit the fancy dress she wore. "You're just not as refined..." She ended. Scoffing in disbelief that Li Yue would say that, not that it wasn't true, Fenghuang began walking closer and opened her mouth to insult Li Yue back. But just then,

"Eh!!" A loud voice shouted from across the room at the bottom of a staircase leading up to the balcony. The girls turned their heads to find Ji Long and his two friends looking at them. Seeing them dressed in tuxedos, hands in their pockets, slouching as they stood there with a cool aura, made Li Yue and her friends snap to attention and begin smoothing their hair and dresses. Smiling his handsome half smile, Ji Long shook his hair to the side saying,

"Come on."

Immediately Li Yue began whispering with her friends, bubbling with excitement. "Is he talking to me?" "Must be you!" "Hurry, go over there!". Li Yue straightened up and took a step forward. Then Fenghuang couldn't retain her laughter anymore.

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Next episode: Friday, 1/3/14