Gonna Be Me (A Turning Red Story)

Sun Yee's Secret

Mei's POV

'I still can't believe this is happening. First, Mom embarrassed me at Daisy Mart last night, then, I became a giant red panda, and now, my parents, Uncle Chiang, and Auntie Ai knew about this? What is this world coming to?' I thought to myself of all the predicaments that happened to me within 2 days as Mom, Dad, Uncle Chiang, and Auntie Ai led me and Xia to the temple.

When we got there, Mom pulled up the painting of Sun Yee and pulled out a box. She opened the box and showed us a scroll.

"As you two know, our ancestor, Sun Yee, had a mystical connection with red pandas. In fact, she loved them so much that she asked the gods to turn her into one. It was wartime. The men were all gone. Sun Yee was desperate for a way to protect herself and her daughters. Then one night, during a red moon, the gods granted her wish. They gave her the ability to harness her emotions to transform into a powerful, mystical beast. She was able to fend off bandits, protect her village, and save her family from ruin. Sun Yee passed this gift to her daughters, for when they came of age. And they passed it to theirs. But overtime, our family chose to come to a new world. And what was a blessing became... an inconvenience," Mom explained, ending in hesitation as she bit her lip.

I shifted my eyes over to Sun Yee's painting. The very same woman who gave me this power which got me in a lot of trouble. I felt rage seething within me.

"Are... you... SERIOUS?!" I angrily snapped and attempted to destroy Sun Yee's painting.

"Mei-Mei, no!" Mom protested as she, Dad, Xia, Uncle Chiang, and Auntie Ai held me back.

"It's a curse!" I continued to screamed.

"Sun Yee meant it as a blessing!" Auntie Ai retorted.

"It's a curse! It's all your fault!" I kept on yelling at the painting.

"Mei-Mei, stop!" Mom shouted, "Listen to me! Listen! There's a cure!"

Upon hearing this, I stopped and calmed down.

"Really? How do you know?" I asked.

"Because... it happened to me," Mom responded.

"Then how come I haven't got it?" Xia questioned.

"You're from my and your dad's side of the family, Xia, and only girls from Ming's side have the red panda gift," Dad explained to my cousin.

"Why didn't you all warn me?" I asked.

"I thought I had more time!" Mom replied, "You're just a child. I thought if I watched you like a hawk, I'd see the signs and be able to prepare. But it's going to be fine. I overcame it and you will too. On the next red moon, you'll undergo a ritual that will seal your red panda spirit into one of these."

She showed us her necklace that had a bright red jewel on it.

"And then you'll be cured for good, just like me," Mom told me, "But any strong emotion will release the panda. And the more you release it, the more difficult the ritual will be. There is a darkness to the panda, Mei-Mei. You only have one chance to banish it and you cannot fail. Otherwise, you'll never be free."

Xia and I nodded.

"Let's see," Dad checked calendar on the wall, "The next red moon will be the 25th."

"That's a whole month away!" I complained.

"Don't worry, dear. We have a lot of time left to prepare," Uncle Chiang assured us.

"We could even ask some of our neighbors to help you," Auntie Ai added.

"We''ll wait it out together, cous," Xia reassured me, "And all of us will be with you every step of the way."

Mom nodded in agreement and I changed back to my human self.

•°•°•○•°•°•

Xia's POV

Later that evening, it was time to go to sleep. Since Mei had wrecked the bedroom while she was a red panda, everything that was still intact and not fallen over got removed and it was empty. It felt strange because all of a sudden, the room that me and Mei hang out together in had nothing in it for the moment. We changed into our pajamas and pulled in two mattresses, two blankets, and two pillows since the bunk bed was broken, me and Mei had to sleep on the floor right now. We both sat down on our bed and Uncle Jin gave Mei her dog plushy and gave me my small cat plushy.

"Chiang and I saved Wilfred and Sonya," he told us.

"Thanks, Dad!/Thanks, Uncle Jin!" my cousin and I smiled.

Mei took her glasses off and we both laid down with our toys.

"It's only temporary, girls," Auntie Ming told her, "This way, we won't worry about any more accidents, hmm?"

"And if we find a way to keep that panda under control we can return this room back to its former glory," Added Mom.

Auntie Ming kissed Mei on the forehead while Mom hugged me.

"Sleep tight," Auntie Ming smiled at both of us and left.

"Red is a lucky color," Uncle Jin smiled before leaving.

After he shut the door, me and Mei just lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.

"They're gonna make you stay for a whole month?" I whispered anxiously, "I won't be able to cope with school without you, Mei."

"I know, cous, but I think it's for the best," she whispered back, "I need to keep my beast in."

"You're not a beast, Mei," I whispered, "I think your panda is really cute. Plus, that red is an upgrade."

We then overheard our respective parents speaking about it outside.

Auntie Ming: This is awful! What are we gonna do?

Uncle Jin: Don't worry. We'll get through this.

Mom: We need to be more aware of what is gonna happen if Mei's red panda is unleashed once again.

Auntie Ming: No one can see her like this. I never wanted this for her. Did you see how she was in the temple? Her eyes...

Dad: We know, Ming. We know.

I stopped listening when I heard sobbing next to me. I turned and saw Mei crying. She poofed into her red panda form from sadness. I gave her a massive hug and we fell asleep.