Hello everyone. Here's the first chapter of my first ever Turning Red story, Turning Red: Legend of the White Tiger.
(There was a photo of two five-year-old twins, one girl and the other a boy, kneeling in front of their parents who sat on a bench. The girl held a tray holding a pot of tea while the boy held a tray of pastries.)
Shang: The number one rule in our family? Honor your parents.
(There were several photos showing the boy twin doing various things with his father, including cooking.)
Shang: They're the supreme beings that gave you life, who sweated and sacrificed so much to put a roof over your head, food on your plate—an epic amount of food. The least you can do in return is… every single thing they ask. Which is a load of crap. Honoring your parents is great and all, but if you take it too far, chances are that you'll forget to honor yourself.
(Another photo shows the twins in the same position, now older in the current year of 2002. They were around 13 or so.)
Shang: Fortunately, we don't have that problem!
Walking down the street was the boy and his twin sister. He had short, black hair with bangs that covered his forehead. He wore a black, zipped down, hooded denim vest that had multiple pockets, over a navy-blue t-shirt. He wore black sweatbands on his wrist. He wore blue jeans and black and white sneakers.
Shang: I'm Shang Lee, and the girl with the Tamagotchi, walking beside me is my sister Meilin. But you can just call her Mei.
Mei tried to do a cartwheel, only to forget her backpack was open which made her stuff fall out.
"Oh, crap!" Mei swore as she fell over. Shang walked over and helped Mei put her stuff back into her backpack before helping her to her feet, "Thanks, Shang."
Shang nodded in response. The twins then boarded the bus as they showed their bus passes to the driver. As they sat near the back, Mei was doing her practice test while Shang was playing on his handheld gaming device.
Lester B. Pearson Middle School…
"See you at lunch, Mei," Shang said as he and his sister parted ways upon entering the hall, Shang walking ahead.
"Ok, Shang," Mei waved to her brother, "Besties, assemble!"
Before he walked down the hall, Shang caught a glimpse of his twin greeting her friends.
There was Miriam, the tomboy skater girl of the group. While they were all close, it could be argued that Miriam was the one that was probably closest to her in terms of her friends. Shang probably got along with her the best.
There was Abby, the short, slightly chubby one that could be rather intense at times. There were only a few things in this world that scared Shang… and Abby was one of them, especially when she yelled angrily in Korean like she had done minutes earlier. Still though, she seemed to be a good friend to his sister, so he could get along with her.
Finally, there was Priya. Out of the girls in their little group, she was the most chill, which was emphasized more by her usually stoic, deadpan demeanor. Despite said demeanor though, she could be just as excitable as Mei and the others. Shang would be lying if he said he didn't find her at least a little attractive.
But those were Mei's friends. As for Shang… well, he had at least one friend.
She was a blonde-haired girl with blue eyes. She had several butterfly hair clips across her hair, her being tied in a ponytail. She wore a sleeveless blue dress, black leggings and brown ugg boots with white fur trims.
"Hey Stacy," Shang greeted her.
"Hey Shang," Stacy replied as she closed her locker.
"Brought you a juice box," Shang said, pulling out a box of apple juice from on of his vest pockets.
"Thanks," Stacy took the juice, puncturing a whole at the top with the provided straw before taking a sip.
Shang smiled as the girl drank her juice. She had a patch on her upper arm, around the shoulder area. An insulin patch to be exact. Shang had a feeling she needed the sugar. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together. If he were to be honest, Stacy was kind of cute in bubbly sweetheart sort of way. He heard box emptying of its contents.
"Ahh. I needed that…" Stacy said with a relieved sigh, and then tossed to box into a nearby garbage can.
"Come on, we've got a history test," Shang said. Stacy looked at with a raised eyebrow, knowing that history was his least favorite subject. "Mei helped me study last night… even though I hate studying. The sooner we get to class, the sooner we can get it over with"
"That's the Shang I know," Stacy said as she followed him.
After school let out, Shang had said bye to Stacy before they headed their separate ways. He could've gone home with Mei when she left with her friends, but he had other plans in mind.
At a house, a block or two away from his own, a woman around her mid to late 30s was in her backyard having a snack of iced tea and lemon bars. The woman took a bite of one of her lemon bars followed by a sip of her tea.
Shang appeared on the roof of the woman's house, silently walking to the edge. He leaped from the roof, lunging at the woman from behind… only for the woman to lean to the side, grab his arm and toss him aside without looking. Shang rolled across the ground and stopped on one knee. He charged at the woman, the two countering each other by either dodging or blocking the other's attacks.
Shang managed to spot an opening, throwing his palm out with his fingers curled inward in a thrust. He managed to strike her in the center of her chest, causing her to step back a bit. The two looked back at each other with smirks.
"You've gotten better. That's the first time you've managed to land a hit on me. Good job, Shang," the woman told him.
"Thanks, Aunt Jun" Shang replied, bowing to his aunt.
Jun was Shang and Mei's aunt on their father's side. Jun was their dad's sister, younger than him by at least five years. She had long black hair tied in a bun, a long bang running down the right side of her face. She wore a sleeveless light rose-colored blouse, two buttons undone at the top which showed a part of her cleavage. She wore faded denim blue jeans that hugged her legs perfectly. On her feet were Chinese slipper shoes and around her neck was a silver necklace with a heart-shaped pendant.
Jun sat back in her original seat, and then gestured for Shang to take the seat next to her.
"So, how was school?" Jun asked while pouring her nephew a glass of iced tea.
"Eh, you know, same old same old," Shang replied, taking a bite out of a lemon bar, "I had a history test today amongst other things…"
Shang pulled several sheets of paper from his backpack, each with a different subject from school. He slid them to his aunt who glanced at them. They varied from low C's to mid B's. The only A he got was in art due to it being so realistic.
"Eh, these are decently good. At least you're not failing," Jun said as she slid the papers back to him.
"Mei's probably showing Mom her papers right about now. Knowing her, she most likely aced everything," Shang said while putting his papers back into his backpack.
"That's because Mei-Mei's a nerd like your mom and a dork like my brother," Jun replied playfully with an amused roll of her eyes.
"Heh. Yeah, she is," Shang chuckled, "I guess that's why Mei's the special twin and I'm… not…" his small smirk faded as he hung his head a little.
Jun knew that look. Ever since they were little, Mei had always been better than Shang at school and in extracurricular activities such as playing instruments, badminton, and various other things. It was what allowed his sister to shine and be praised by their family, leaving Shang in her shadow; the family black sheep. That's when he felt a hand upon his shoulder.
"Hey…" Shang looked at his aunt, who sported a warm smile, "You're more special than you think. You may not be as academically gifted as your sister, but you have just as much potential," she said while caressing the boy's cheek, "You just… need a chance to reach it."
"Really?" Shang asked, perking up a bit.
"Wouldn't have said it if it weren't true," Jun said sincerely which made her nephew smile a bit, "Now, let's finish up our snack. After that, we'll continue your training."
Lee House/Family Temple…
Shang hopped out of his aunt's stylish red car, the two waving to each other before the latter drove off. Turned to the building behind him, a Chinese-themed temple. He and his family owned a business that involved showing customers around the temple and informing them of their family history. From honoring their ancestors (both male and female), to talking about Sun Yee, their most revered ancestor and guardian of the red panda who loved them for their fiery coats and mischievous nature.
At least, that's the story the twins heard a million times growing up. The story was often told by their mother, Ming with Mei frequently helping by dressing up in a crude cardboard red panda costume. As fate would have it, that's what they were doing right now. Seeing as how his mom and sister were distracted with customers, Shang decided to sneak around the temple and head straight for the house which was behind it. Not that his mom would've noticed anyway.
Upon entering the house, Shang saw his dad, Jin, chopping vegetables. Considering the ingredients and the time of day, that could only mean it was almost time for dinner. Shang quickly tossed his backpack into his room.
"Hey Dad," Shang greeted his father while walking into the kitchen.
"Hello, Shang," Jin replied, "How was your day?"
"Eh, same old same old. School was boring for me, as usual," Shang said, drying his hands with a paper towel after washing them, "I stopped by Aunt Jun's for some training though," he added.
"How'd that go?" Jin asked.
"She says I'm getting better. I've gotten strong enough to break wooden boards in half and flexible enough to do a perfect split without hurting my junk," Shang said while putting on a black apron, "She also told me to stop by tomorrow. She said that I'm old enough and have trained long enough to learn a certain special skill. Whatever that means."
Jin's lips curled upward in a small smirk. It was the kind where he knew what was going to happen.
Shang knew they were having meat and vegetables, with bao as a side dish. While Mei helped mom with temple duties, Shang was the one that helped dad with the cooking. Shang pulled a bottle of honey barbeque sauce out of the cabinet.
"Hey, Dad, mind if I…" Shang pointed to the bottle in his hand.
Jin smiled and nodded in approval. Shang poured a fair amount of barbeque sauce into the meat that would be used to stuff the bao buns with, stirring it in for a little extra flavor. Jin always did like it when Shang put his own spin on the recipes. It made him feel proud that he and his son shared a common interest, something that they could bond over. While Shang probably wouldn't ever admit it in public, he actually enjoyed cooking.
The door opened, Mei and Ming walking in, having just finished their tour of temple for the day.
"Oh, Shang. When did you get here?" Ming asked her son.
"A few minutes ago," Shang replied casually.
"I didn't even see you," Ming noted as she removed her business coat.
"I'm pretty stealthy. Plus, I snuck around back," Shang replied without looking away from his work, "How's that, Dad?" he showed Jin the completed bao.
"Hmm…" Jin examined it, "Perfect!" he smiled.
"Aw, yeah!" Shang fist-pumped with pride.
After dinner, Shang went to his room. He and Mei used to share a room when they were younger, but once they turned 9 or 10, their mom decided it'd be best for Mei to have her own room. That was fine with Shang since they had different interests. While Mei's room had trophies, books and other academic nerdy stuff; Shang's room had posters of Linkin' Park, Dragon Ball Z, and cute kemonomimi anime girls. He also had a shelf full of video games, anime DVDs/movies and manga.
Shang took a bite out of one of the extra bao he had taken, listening to music while finishing up his math homework. He was fairly confident he was going to get a B on this. Well, that was the last of his homework for the night.
"Done and done," Shang said as he put his pencil down, removing his headphones, and then put the paper in his bag, "Now for some video game time."
"Mei-Mei, what IS this?" Shang heard his mom ask through the vents. Since the vent was open and their rooms were right next to each other, he could tell it was coming from his sister's room.
"It's nothing, it's just a boy—"
"A BOY?! Who is he? Did he do these things to you?!" he heard his mom ask in an extremely concerned tone, interrupting Mei who sounded nervous.
"No, it's just made up, Mom. I-It's not real!" he heard Mei try to explain. There was then the sound of several papers ripping. Judging by that, it was most like drawings that their mom probably didn't approve of and was overreacting to.
"That hat. Is that… the sketchy clerk from the Daisy Mart?!" he heard his mom say in an outraged tone as she stomped out of Mei's room.
"Mom, NO!" Mei cried before following.
There was then a slam of the front door.
"Eh, I'm sure she'll be fine," Shang shrugged, climbing on his desk to close the vents. He then walked over to his tv and turned on his PS2 (slim).
Later…
Shang came out of the bathroom in his pajamas, a black tank top and light blue pajama shorts with a dark blue stripe going down the outer thighs, after finishing his business. He was heading back to his room to continue playing his games, when he heard thumping and mumbling coming from Mei's room. It kind of like she was scolding herself.
"How could you draw those things? Those horrible, awful, sexy things?!" Shang heard Mei yell to herself.
"Huh. Mom must've really embarrassed her at the store," Shang muttered to himself as he went back into his room.
As he lied in bed, he remembered something his aunt mentioned.
[Flashback]
"Kick! Punch! Chop! Mulch! Duck! Corkscrew! Backflip! Axe Kick! Tornado Kick! Punch! Kick! And... Punch!" Jun shouted various moves which Shang performed with ease as they trained Jun's backyard which doubled as a small temple.
It wasn't nearly as big as the temple at home, but it was good enough for training. Besides the size, one other difference between the two temples were the statues. While the temple Shang's family owned had two statues of red pandas, Aunt Jun's temple had two statues of tigers in crouching positions.
"Strength!" Jun held a plank of wood in front Shang, which punched in half. Jun then grabbed two plates, "Flexibility!" she tossed them into the air.
Shang leaped 20 feet in the air, did a twirl, and then performed a perfect split, shattering the plates before landing back in his original spot.
"Very good. Although I am still surprised you were able to do that with out hurting your crotch," Jun commented.
"That doesn't mean it doesn't any other part of my lower body," Shang countered, rubbing his hips and inner thighs.
Jun snickered a little. Her nephew certainly came a long way since she first started training him. He certainly knew how to handle himself in tough situations. She had seen how focused he was in video games, art, and martial arts training. While Mei might've been the golden child of the family and worked super hard at school, Shang was tenacious in his own right. At least he knew how to fight. Not bad for a kid his age.
"Shang, how old are you now? 13?" Jun asked her nephew.
"Yeah?" Shang replied while rotating his torso, getting the blood flowing.
"Hm. You and your sister are both officially teenagers now—and don't listen to that crap that Mei says about the public transit thing classifying you as grown-ups, your teenagers, kids," Jun told him, lightly chastising him then quick changing back to her kind demeanor, "Anyway, now that you two are teenagers, you going to be going through some changes; physically, mentally and emotionally. Especially Mei."
"Where are you going with this?" Shang raised an eyebrow.
"Sooner or later, Mei is going to go through a huge change. One that only she and the rest of the women on your mom's side of the family go through…" Jun said rather vaguely.
"What kind of change?" Shang asked.
"You'll know when you see it," Jun said as she approached him, "Just… promise me you'll look out for her when it does happen, ok?" she placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry, I've always got Mei's back," Shang replied with a reassuring wink.
Jun took his face in her hands and kissed his forehead, "Good boy," she said, "Now, come on, let's get you home. It's going to get dark soon."
[End of Flashback]
"So, Mei's going to go through a change that's on mom's side of the family? I wonder kind of change that'll be," Shang said to himself.
What kind of changes would the twins go through? That question would be answered for one of them in the morning.
And that's end of the first chapter. The title for this story was given to me by my friend IrishKatana.
By the way, this won't happen for a while, but my OC could use a rival. I would have it be Tyler, but he's more of Mei's rival… at least for 85% of the movie. So, if you have ideas for a rival OC, give a description of them in a review or feel free to message me.
Oh, and Shang's bangs are the same as Mei's when she has her hair down.
If you have ideas for future chapters, say it in a review or message me about that as well.
Remember to Read, Review and Favorite/Follow.