Chapter 6: Help from Friends
General POV
The next morning, the Lee family decided to close the family temple for a month due to the aforementioned family emergency. At their home, Chiang and Jin are preparing breakfast while Ai and Ming are busy sweeping the shed red panda hair scattered all over the floor. They all suddenly feel tremors and hear Mei grunting as Jin caught the thermos and Ming caught the picture frame and hung it back again. The four adults looked at each other worriedly.
In the girls' bedroom, Mei is jumping around trying to get rid of her animal spirit.
"Please just go away!" she muttered to herself in pain and then poofed back into a red panda.
"Mei, hurting yourself won't solve anything," Xia told her, "Auntie Ming said that it's only temporary and I bet that this month will go by very quickly and soon enough, you'll be back to normal!"
Before Mei could respond though, they heard knocking on their bedroom window. We couldn't see who at first because the curtains were pulled.
"Mei, Xia, it's us. Open up," Miriam said from outside.
"Crud, no!" Mei exclaimed, still in her panda form, "Guys, what are you doing? Go away!"
"Are you okay?" Priya asked, "Tap if you can hear us."
"One for 'yes', two for 'no'!" Abby shouted.
"We were so worried!" Miriam told us, "We thought you died of embarrassment."
"It's okay, guys! We just don't want anyone to come in here right now," Xia explained.
"You need more pads, Mei? Priya and I brought extra," Kendra said.
"Forget that. 4 Town's coming to Toronto!" Abby yelled ecstatically.
"What?" Xia and Mei both gasped excitedly, pulling back the curtains. That's when they realized: their friends are looking at a giant red panda.
The four of them started screaming when they saw Mei's animal form. Mei pulled them inside and buried them into her fur. They struggled to free themselves but couldn't due to Mei's tight hold.
"Everybody, be quiet! It's just me! Shut up!" she told them, "It's okay! It's me! It's Mei! Calm down, alright? I'm gonna let go and you're gonna be chill. Got that?"
They all nodded. Mei put them down and they looked at us. The four of them were silent for a few seconds until Priya broke the silence.
"Is she a werewolf?" she asked Xia.
"What? No!" Xia replied. "What made you think she's a werewolf?"
"She is a red panda!" Abby squealed excitedly.
"I thought red pandas are smaller than us," Kendra pointed out.
"Sick," Priya remarked.
"You're so fluffy!" Abby shouted before burying her face into Mei's fur, "You're so fluffy!"
"I've always wanted a tail," Priya told us while stroking her tail.
"Priya, Abby, quit it," Miriam said before turning to us, "Mei, what the heck happened? And if this is some family thing, Xia, why aren't you also a red panda?"
"I'm not one because it's only part of her mom's side and I'm from her dad's side," Xia explained.
"It's just some, you know, inconvenient, uh," Mei explained, "Genetic thingy I got from my mom. I mean, it'll go away. Eventually. Maybe."
She stopped as she burst into tears and I gave her a massive hug.
"I hate this!" Mei sobbed, "Look at me. I'm slobby, I'm smelly. My mom won't even look at me and now 4 Town? When are they coming?"
"May 18th, they just announced it," Abby responded.
"May 18th?" Xia sighed.
"There's no way this will be gone by then," Mei sobbed, "Just go. Go become women without me. That means you, too, cous."
"Mei, it's gonna be okay," Miriam reassured her.
"No, it's not," Mei sobbed, "I'm a freak. Just… just leave me alone."
She curled up into a ball, sobbing and holding Wilfred. Xia turned to Miriam, Priya and Abby and gave them a worried look. That's when Miriam gave her the 'I have an idea' look.
She started beatboxing and turned to Xia, Kendra, Priya and Abby. That's when a light bulb flicked on in Xia's brain, she knew what they were doing! Abby joined her and started beatboxing as well.
"Yeah, let's go," Priya started singing with the beat.
Xia and Kendra started snapping their fingers, making a beat and then Miriam started singing:
I've never met nobody
Like you
Had friends and I've had buddies
It's true
But they don't turn my tummy
The way you do
I've never met nobody
Like you
Mei looked up at us and stopped sobbing.
"You're never not on my mind," she quietly sang to the popular 4 Town song.
Then, all six of us started singing.
Oh my, oh my
I'm never not by your side
Your side, your side
Never gonna let you cry
Oh cry, don't cry
I'll never not be your ride or die
Alright!
Mei was smiling by the end and she embraced us into a massive hug.
"Thanks, guys," she smiled, "You're the best."
"What are cousins and friends for," Xia replied.
"We love you, Mei," Miriam smiled.
"You're our girl," Priya smiled.
"Yeah, no matter what," Kendra grinned, "Red panda or not."
We continued hugging her with our eyes shut and then we heard a poof. Mei was back to normal!
"Whoa, Mei!" Priya remarked.
"You're back to normal!" Kendra gasped.
"You're you! And you look amazing!" Miriam smiled.
"Red looks so good on you," Priya complimented.
"Is it gone?" Abby sighed, missing Mei's animal form.
"For now, yes. But if she gets too excited, it'll come right back!" Xia explained.
Abby then pinched Mei's cheek.
"Ow! Abby! What the heck!" she exclaimed then realized that she stayed as her normal form, "Huh, something feels different. Abby, hit me."
Mei tapped her arm, showing where to hit. Abby ended up hitting her so hard that Mei fell over. Once again, Mei stayed human!
"Oh my gosh!" Kendra exclaimed in happiness, "You stayed calm!"
"Something about you guys, like, neutralizes the panda," Mei explained.
"Aw! It's our love!" Miriam smiled.
"We're like a warm and fuzzy blanket," Priya said.
"This means I can have my room back," Mei smiled.
"You can have your life back! Thank goodness!" Xia gasped excitedly.
"No, even better…" Miriam grinned, "You can come with us to 4 Town! This could be our only chance to see them together. We're all asking our parents tonight."
"We're making our stand," Priya said.
"Yeah, you guys in or you out?" Abby excitedly asked the cousins.
"Of course we're in but Auntie Ming saw 4 Town on TV the other day and she hates them, she won't let us" I sighed. "And even if my parents agree to this, I know Auntie Ming's words will overrule theirs to let Mei go."
"Maybe if she knows you'll be happy, she'll say yes?" Abby suggested.
"And I can't ask my mom!" Mei complained, "I'm a furry ticking time bomb!"
"Of pure cuteness and awesomeness!" Kendra smiled, "And now you have it all under control! Just prove it to her, and she's gonna let you two go!"
Xia started thinking about it and she could see Mei biting her lip in thought as well. Ming might possibly let them go see it, but then again, she hated 4 Town.
"Mei-Mei! Xia!" the six girls heard Ming call out from outside the room.
"Crap! You guys gotta go!" Mei hissed as she and Xia quickly helped their friends out of their bedroom window.
"But-" Miriam started.
"No 'buts', Mir," Mei interrupted, "My mum already doesn't like you or Kendra."
"Wait, she doesn't?" Miriam said.
"And don't get me started on Auntie Ming thinking blondes are dumb, Kendra," Xia added.
"Dumb blondes?" Kendra repeated, offended.
Xia and Mei both shut the window.
"We'll call you, we promise!" Xia told them.
"We love you, guys," Priya reminded us.
"Hang in there, girls," Abby smiled.
Xia and Mei swiftly pulled the curtains. Ming opened the door and entered.
"Everything okay, you guys? I thought I heard-" she started.
We both turned around, smiling like perfect, angelic girls (because we kinda were.)
"Mom, I think Xia and I have made a breakthrough," Mei smiled.