TURNING RED 2 : White Code

Chapter 9 - The number 1 rule

My life went back to how it was before, flat and uninteresting as if nothing had changed and this parenthesis that I experienced had never existed, I found my high school and its uniform,the two or three friends I had and... everything else, the only thing I didn't manage to get back and that everyone pointed out to me, it's my joy of living and my rebellious side, something that doesn't displease my parents, who according to them, I have never been so "perfect" but the truth is that I have never felt so empty inside, as if I let myself be guided by the desires and choices of others because personally I don't want anything. So yes I know we can say that this situation is more enviable than the one I experienced in the street because I lack nothing and that should serve as lessons for me, but unfortunately it doesn't suit me, I don't get my bearings, and what's more, I don't have much time for myself because I have to catch up on my school work from last year. At the end of these first two weeks, a new reception is organized to celebrate "the return of the heir" where I even have to wear the school uniform... and my god what an ordeal... I must receive the congratulations of everyone who is aware of the family secret for having succeeded in getting rid of the tiger... everyone has the same vision on the subject.... Is it really only me in this family who found it cool and extraordinary? I don't even want to say what's on my heart and what I think about it, for one it would be wasted effort,of two it would be a scandal... in short, I only want this evening to end but once again the doorbell rings, more people... great... and latecomers to boot ... and as is customary, I must welcome our guests... so I go to open the door for them and there I remain paralyzed with stupor, because in front of me is... Ming. If there is one person in the world that I didn't expect to see here it was her... I don't know how she found our family's address, but I suppose that since she wanted to talk to my parents for so long, she finally managed to find... at least there will be a little entertainment this evening even if it's not good for me. She greets me with her usual austere air and what a surprise.... She asks to see my parents. I've never really talked to them about what happened during my year of absence and to be honest they don't really want to know either... I really didn't exist in their eyes during all this time, I let her in and my parents arrive, surprised to see a stranger in their home at this time and what she could possibly want from them. She is taken to the living room where there are everyone who must be wondering who she is and what she is doing there. She introduces herself as the mother of one of my friends or rather from a former friend of mine, to whom I wronged, by lying but that it was normal given my nature as a delinquent who steals from honest people by picking their pockets who fights for money , and who above all robs museums... in short my party what, everyone looks at me, my parents have a furious look while apologizing to Ming for my behavior and my actions, that it was unspeakable, that I dishonored the family once again and that I will have to answer for all of this and that severe sanctions will be taken... I'm starting to boil with anger... it's so unfair! I have nothing to do with it! She adds that she knows the secret and that she is the one who got rid of the tiger, the thing responsible for all our problems, she takes the Yin Yang emblem it is enclosed in from her bag to show them. My parents confided to him that they suspected that I had not gotten rid of it on my own and that I must have been forced to do so since I was too weak to do it, my father reached out his hand to recover the jewel but Ming makes a movement of withdrawal. She frowns and tells them that she didn't come to overwhelm me but rather to tell them her way of thinking because the ones responsible for what I became was not the tiger... but them ... everyone is quite surprised by what we hear, she turns to me and tells me that Mei had told her everything, before continuing with them: She cannot understand how parents can get rid of their child just because he is different, that on the contrary I should have been supported and taught to master this difference to make it a strengthrather than seeing it as a weakness and a shame, something she understood having gone through it herself trying to get her daughter to change until she realized it was a mistake. My parents start to rebel and ask her who she is so they can lecture them on a subject that is beyond her control, especially in front of such a family gathering and she simply tells them that she was the one responsible for the pandapocalysis of 2002. because his family shares a gift similar to ours. There are exclamations of astonishment, murmurs between the guests while my parents suddenly no longer say anything when they realize who they have in front of them,obviously the Lee family secret is known to mine but no one wants to talk about it or not necessarily in a good way. Ming turns away from them and approaches me, she looks at me insistently before bowing slightly and apologizing to me for her poor judgment,She then hands me the jewel, telling me that I and I alone should decide what I want to do. I take the latter and look at it when my father calls out to me, telling me to think carefully about what I was going to do because this time I would definitely be disowned if I decided to take the "monster" again.because he does not intend to lose face in front of the whole family together. My hands tremble slightly and tighten around the jewel, these words make me angry I have the impression of being taken hostage in front of everyone but this feeling calms down when Ming's hands come to rest on mine , she has an expression that I had never seen before, she looks at me, smiles with a mischievous look and nods at me, I understand what that means and I put pressure on the object to break it in two. The spirit of the Tiger instantly comes out of the broken jewel, goes around the room knocking over a few objects along the way, destabilizing a few people in the process and rushes into my chest, making me float in the air A few moments while a flow of energy revolved around me and in a burst of white smoke I became the Tiger again. The living room is a bit upside down... the people too but I'm very happy to have found my imposing feline appearance, I suddenly feel alive again, as if I was really complete, I don't care about the murmurs and indignations that I hear around me, I am such that I must be, that's all! That's all that matters. I then resume my appearance of the real me with the return of my white hair and my stripes, I thank Ming for his support when we are interrupted by my father who shouts "How dare you??" You are the greatest shame and dishonor, the greatest failure of this family!! You don't deserve everything around you, get out of here immediately! Out with the monster and don't come back!!" I agree that coming from a father... these words are very violent to hear... but it doesn't surprise me... even two or three people ask my father to calm down which changes absolutely nothing and he continues on his way sneering that in any case I am doomed to failure and loneliness whatever I do and I have nowhere to go because no one will want a "thing" like me. I clench my fists I want to smash this place to pieces, that nothing remains when ming puts his hands on my shoulders and she retorts that indeed I have nothing to do here in such a detestable environment and that I would be much better off with them, because there are people there who care about me for who I am and without another word she pushes me out of the house. I didn't have time to assimilate what had just happened when I realized that I was in the street and that I found myself in front of a green car, when I got into it next to me on the rear is..."Mei?? »I exclaimed. She came with her mother to... pick me up. She replied with a shy "hi" and seemed quite embarrassed... at the same time given what had happened between us it was logic. She barely found her words but ended up apologizing as much as she could, that she hadn't realized what I was going through and that she had been afraid of me. and a whole bunch of other stuff anyway, in the end she asks me if I can forgive her. I have some false reflection time just to get her going a little but I end up saying yes to her on the condition that it never happens again and that she gives me all her desserts for the coming month... yes I know you will say that I forgive too easily especially after what I have endured but the truth is that he is a very important person for me, maybe even the one who can understand me best and I was just waiting for her to come back to me, now I feel like things are going to be okay for me. I have a little hesitation before speaking to Ming and I shyly thank her for what she has done for me, and she tells me that it's nothing then goes on to talk about the rules in force at home , which makes me and Mei smile.

Do you remember what I told you at the beginning? "The number 1 rule in my family ? Honor your parents". Well, that's the one I wanted to talk about because my family is the Lee's now, I live with them, a room was set up for me in one of the old rooms of the temple which served as a storage room, yes there was unfortunately no room in the house itself but it is already very good and I am the same treated exactly as Mei, I also resumed my studies, well a few gaps to fill but I will quickly make up for them and finally I got back on the right path, I forgave Mei's friends, I still don't like 4*TOWN and yet I hear about it all the time... and finally I no longer steal, I no longer fight, and I no longer need to go into camouflage, just like Mei I am free to show myself as I am , the real me, people quickly got used to my existence and I became as popular as her... we ship together a lot... I... don't understand why! even if I still recognize it, we still make a good duo. In addition I can tell everyone my story and that of my family because the Lees surprised me by having prepared an altar to honor Yazu Kazu and mine (well those who deserve it)Two cultures and two different stories that come together in a single way of life... you know we've all got an inner beast, we've all got a messy,loud weird part of ourselves hidden anyway. And a lot of us never let it out. But i did... how about you ?