Chapter Text
It was a tranquil, yet busy day at the Lee Family Temple, located in the Chinatown region of Toronto. A serene breeze swept over the walls, the leaves of trees planted there rustling in the wind. Sunlight radiated onto the ground and into the still water of the pond, reflecting off it like a mirror. Meilin Lee, a fourteen year-old student with the ability to transform into a giant red panda, along with her new friend Sarah Vaugn, a former agent for the notorious government group, the Panda Control Agency, prepared the place for any visitors who’d be arriving later; people often came from all over the city to see the giant red panda, who’d become a popular attraction since the incident at the Skydome almost a year ago, and learn about the history of the family and their temple. They arranged various items in the shrine into their correct spots, dusted around until there wasn’t a spec to be seen, and brushed the floors so no dirt was visible.
It had been five months since Harvey Vaugn, an infamous poacher, trophy hunter and the head of the PCA, had been imprisoned, five months since the deaths of Tyler-Nguyen Baker, Ming Lee, and Xia Lee. These memories stayed in Mei’s mind ever since, taunting her like a bug which refused to leave no matter how much she tried to swat it away. She was relieved neither she, nor the rest of her family and friends, had to deal with the PCA anymore, or so she thought.
Once Mei and Sarah finished preparing the temple for the tourists, making sure everything was spotless, they threw the gates wide open with such force, they almost tore their hinges right out of the wall. Mei poofed into her giant red panda form, giving a wide, toothy grin upon seeing all the guests cheer in excitement. The two of them invited the visitors inside, waving at them as they entered one-by-one, showing them all around the temple, teaching them the history of the Lee family and their ongoing rivalry with the Vaugns, who’ve been trying to wipe them out since the Ming dynasty, the time of Sun Yee. Mei’s father, Jin Lee, held out a Polaroid camera, taking pictures of the guests who posed with Mei, still in panda form, much to their excitement, handing out the printed photos after the pictures were taken. Mei had wanted to be rid of the panda when she first gained the ability from fear of how others might see her, but decided to keep it after seeing how much it impacted both herself and those around her, bringing joy to everyone at school.
It got dark as time went by, the moon rising up in the starry sky, rain dripping onto the ground like a leaky tap which hadn’t been turned off. The visitors were all starting to leave one-by-one, taking any red-panda themed souvenirs they brought at the temple with them. Mei, Sarah, and Jin waved at them as they went, closing the gates once all the visitors left. Satisfied with their work, and how much they’d raised to help pay for repairs for the Skydome, Mei transformed back into her human form and she, along with Sarah and Jin, went inside, ready for dinner; Mei wondered what the night’s meal would be, the thought bringing a smile to her face.
The second they entered the house, Mei gasped, taking a step back, almost tripping over the threshold before regaining her balance; Mike Smith, the current leader of the PCA, was standing in the far-right hand corner of the room, a young woman stood behind him. Neither of them had seen this woman before, but assumed she must work with Mike. Jin walked into the kitchen, ready to make dinner for the evening, while listening to everything Mike said.
“Mei, Sarah, I apologise for the intrusion, but I’m afraid I’ve more bad news for you,” Mike said, looking towards the two of them while avoiding their gaze. He Instead turned his attention to the left-hand corner of the room opposite him; this was something he’d regret telling them.
“If you’re here, Mike, it’s always bad news,” Mei said, looking down at the ground, listening to whatever Mike had to say, bracing herself for the worst. She was used to Mike giving unfortunate news whenever they encountered each-other; it was he who told her about the murder of Ming Lee, and the truth about Jason Vaugn.
Mike took a deep breath, knowing his next words would upset Mei, and began speaking, “Earlier today, one of my former agents escaped from custody. I suspect he’s trying to eliminate you and your kind for some sort of revenge act,” Mei knew who he was talking about; Harvey Vaugn, and was sick in her stomach. This was a man she hated above all else, a man who’d kill to satisfy his own lust for violence, and he’d somehow escaped despite being sent to a max-security prison. Mei knew without having to ask that Harvey had some inside help.
“Who’s the woman with you?” Sarah asked, deciding to change the subject. She didn’t recognise the lady at all, having never seen her in her life despite her being a former PCA agent. She waited for Mike to answer, but the woman replied instead, wanting to introduce herself to them.
“My name’s Michelle Smith. I’m Mike’s wife, and an agent for the PCA,” The woman replied. Michelle was a tall woman with long, black hair and sparkling blue eyes. She was wearing the usual all-black uniform of the PCA, and a silver watch which had clearly been bought at an expensive jewellery store on her left wrist. A necklace with a small, metallic red panda figure was hanging around her neck, the figure reflecting the light in the room. Both Sarah and Mei pondered why a PCA agent would have a red panda necklace, but figured she just liked red pandas, much like Sarah herself did despite working with the PCA.
“Mike brought me here to keep the two of you safe. He suggested I travel with you at all times, unless you’re with a responsible adult such as a teacher.” Michelle continued. Mei knew what this meant; she was being hunted yet again, and the PCA would stop at nothing to take her down. Nowhere was safe for her, not even school, which had been set on fire five months ago. The damage had been repaired, however, and the school was open yet again. She suspected the woman wasn’t telling the truth, or at least not the whole truth.
“I’m sorry about what happened to your mother, Mei. Same to you, Sarah.” Michelle added, with genuine kindness. Mei and Sarah knew they could trust her, seeing she wasn’t a ruthless killer like Jason and Harvey were.
Mike was about to say more, but his phone buzzed before he could answer. He reached into his pocket and grabbed his phone, reading the text message he received. “Sorry, I have to leave you girls. One of my agents called, said they need me for something,” He said, departing from the house, leaving Mei, Sarah, Jin, and Michelle alone.
The moon hung in the dark, star-lit sky, strong wind sweeping through the temple. Mei, Jin, and Sarah decided it was a good time to sleep, ready for the next day. Michelle stayed by the door, keeping watch for anyone suspicious, her right hand resting on her hip; Mei presumed she had a firearm concealed there.
Making her way to her room, Mei noticed a long case resting against the wall outside her door, the kind of case used to store a rifle. Why’d Michelle need a rifle? she thought to herself, but figured it had something to do with Michelle’s work. She entered her room, climbed into bed, and went to sleep, the thought of what Mike said replaying in her mind. She was relieved Michelle was there to keep them safe, but still had a feeling something was off about their new friend.
Morning approached, the light glaring through the window. Mei stretched her limbs, getting out of bed. She left her room, knowing her dad would be making breakfast like he did every morning. The sweet scent of porridge wafted by her. She made her way to the table, where she sat down, waiting for her food. The smell was so strong, she could almost taste it.
Jin walked out of the kitchen, carrying a steaming bowl of porridge in his hands and placing it on the table in front of Mei. Mei wolfed down her food, not wanting to be late to school and worry her friends, who were no doubt aware the PCA were still at large.
“Alright, I’m off to school!” Mei said, getting up and leaving the table, taking her bowl to the kitchen before walking towards the door. She was a few inches away from the door when Michelle stood in front of her, preventing her from going any further, a visible scowl on her face suggesting Mei had done something wrong. Mei looked at her, remembering what Mike said about the PCA and how she’d need an escort to keep her safe.
Michelle, seeing Mei understood, walked out of the house with her. A grey sedan, which Mei assumed belonged to Michelle, was parked outside the temple gates. She made her way to the vehicle and, after Michelle unlocked the doors, climbed into the back. Michelle got into the driver’s seat and, after igniting the engine, they headed off towards Lester B. Pearson Middle School.
Once they arrived, Mei walked up the steps towards the double doors which opened up into the main corridor. Michelle left after a few seconds, aware Mei would be safe with several trustworthy adults about.
“Mei, good to see you!” A familiar voice asked. It was Miriam Mendelsohn who, alongside Abby Park and Priya Mangal, sprinted up to meet her.
“Same to you, Mir!” Mei responded. She looked at her three friends, a smile forming on her face. She was about to say more, but Abby started speaking in her usual energetic tone.
“Mei, are you going to panda?” She asked, looking like she’d gotten a present and was wondering what it was. She waited for an answer from Mei.
“I’m not too sure turning into the panda’s a good idea, Abby. You know the PCA could be watching us, who knows what they might do if they spot me panda-ing at school?” Mei replied, shaking her head. Abby seemed to understand, and didn’t bring up the subject again for the rest of the day.
The four friends made their way to maths class. Their first class of the day used to be science, but it’d been cancelled for an indefinite period of time after the death of their teacher Xia Lee, Mei’s cousin whom she looked up to. She wished she was still there with her, but knew Xia would never be coming back.
Before they reached the classroom, they came across a sight which made the four of them all stop dead in their tracks; one of the students, Carter Murphy-Mayhew, was lying dead on the floor, blood trickling out from a gunshot wound in his chest. Mei looked up, and saw one of the windows had been shattered, likely by the bullet which killed Carter.
Not wanting to upset herself with this grisly sight, Mei entered the classroom and sat down by her desk and got ready for the lesson. Looking behind her, she saw two armed guards at the back of the room, and wondered why they were there; were they there to stop people getting in, or to prevent someone from getting out? Mei decided not to pay attention, knowing it was a security precaution Mike set in place to keep her safe from any harm, but she was still wary about them. There were murmurs from other students; Mei presumed they were talking about what happened to Carter, so tried not to dwell on it.