(STUDENTS CHATTERING)

I know it feels strange, Mei-Mei, but I promise, nobody will notice a thing.
Thank you for your concern, Mother.
But I'll be fine.
Well, here's your lunch. I packed extra snacks.
And herbal tea. For cramps. It helps relax your…
I got it. Thank you. Bye.
(SIGHS)
(CAR ENGINE STARTS)
(SCHOOL BELL RINGING)
(BREATHES DEEPLY)
GIRL: Let's go, Beavers! Let's go!
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Hey, Mei.
(AWKWARDLY) Hey, girlfriends. What is up?
Uh, what's with the tuque?
Uh… Bad hair day.
(ABBY SNIFFS)
Did you, like, work out this morning?
I got you, girl.
Mei, we gotta talk.
Okay.
(WHISPERING) Tyler's been telling everyone about the Daisy Mart.
What?
He said your mom went nuts.
And that you're kind of a perv.
I am not a…
(BREATHES DEEPLY)
Tyler is an insecure jerkwad.
Words were exchanged.
Slightly uncomfortable secrets were revealed.
End of story… (SLURRING)
(ROMANTIC MUSIC PLAYING)
(HEART BEATING)
(HEART BEATING RAPIDLY)
MIRIAM: Uh, Mei?
(GASPS)
Why are you staring at Carter Murphy-Mayhew?
I wasn't.
(EERIE MUSIC PLAYS)
No!
(GASPS)
(MIRIAM GROWLS)
Tyler keeps putting these up.
Knock it off, butthead.
(LAUGHING)
ABBY: Not funny, Tyler!
Devon, my precious manly man.
PRIYA: I banish you.
Literally go away!
PRIYA: Begone!
(GROWLS) I'm gonna kill him!
(HEART BEATING RAPIDLY)
ABBY: What is wrong with you?
Oh, yeah? Yeah? You wanna do this?
MIRIAM: Leave her alone!
ABBY: You want a piece of me, huh? Come here!
Smell you later, dorks.
Yeah, that's what I thought. Get out of here, dude.
(CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY) Gotta go.
Uh, see you at lunch.
Mei?
(CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY)
(SCHOOL BELL RINGING)
(PANTING)
(SIGHS)
(GRUNTS)
(UNZIPS BAG)
(BREATHES DEEPLY)
What's with her?
What's with your face?
What is with you? You're being weird.
I'm just really excited about math.
(DOOR OPENS)
TEACHER: All right, guys. The quadratic formula.
(EXHALES)
(STUDENTS GROAN)
Let the fun begin.
Who can tell me how the formula begins? X equals…
What a surprise, no one. Okay, listen up.
X equals negative B, plus or minus, don't forget that plus or minus, or I promise you, you will
live to regret it.
(OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING)
(TEACHER CONTINUES SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)
(GASPS) No. No. No.
GUARD: Hi. Uh, ma'am?
This isn't happening.
Hi!
My child goes to this school.
Why don't you come to the front office?
I'm sure that someone can…
Keep your…
(MING GRUNTS)
Ow!
MING: I pay my taxes.
BOY: Whoa, what is that?
All right, all right, settle down, little goblins.
(STUDENTS EXCLAIMING)
MING: Stop it!
Whoa!
Mei-Mei!
No. Please, no.
Mei-Mei, help!
Mei-Mei, tell him it's me!
(HEART BEATING)
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
Mei-Mei!
I will report you for trespassing.
Tell him it's Mommy!
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
Mei-Mei! Tell him you forgot your pads!
(ALL EXCLAIMING)
(SCREAMS, SHRIEKING)
(ROARS IN SLOW MOTION)
(ALL GRUNTING)
(GRUNTS, PANTING)
(ALL COUGHING)
(GASPS)
(WHIMPERS)
(GRUNTS AND COUGHS)
Mei-Mei.
Come back!
(TENSE MUSIC PLAYING)
(WHIMPERING)
(TRUMPET PLAYING)
(BOY GRUNTS)
(WHIMPERING)
(GASPS LOUDLY)
O-M-G!
(DOOR RATTLING)
GIRL: Hey, I gotta go! Open up!
(WHIMPERS, GRUNTS)
(GRUNTS)
Mei-Mei! Stop!
(ENGINE STARTS)
Jin. Jin, get home now. There's been an emergency.
JIN: (ON PHONE) Is it the woman thing?
No! Another one.
It's so good.
(SCREAMS)
(BOTH SCREAMING)
WOMAN: Run!
MAN: It's a monster!
(MAN 2 GROANS)
(GRUNTS, GASPS)
(STRAINING)
(GRUNTING LOUDLY)
(GROANS)
(GAGS)
(MUZAK PLAYING ON SPEAKERS)
Awooga! (GASPS)
Huh?
(TENSE MUSIC PLAYING)
(GASPS)
(SCREAMS)
(CAR HORN BLARING)
(SCREAMS, GRUNTS)
(CAR THUDS)
(BRAKES SCREECH)
(CAR HORNS HONKING)
(MEILIN WHIMPERS)
(ALL ARGUING)
(METAL THUDS)
Uh-oh.
(CREAKING)
(WHIMPERING)
(PEOPLE GASP)
(PEOPLE GASP)
(BRAKES SCREECH)
(GASPS)
Mei-Mei.
Mei-Mei. (GRUNTS)
Gotta get home! Gotta hide!
(GRUNTS)
(ALL MURMURING, EXCLAIMING)
Mei-Mei.
(PANTING)
(MEILIN GRUNTS)
(SERENE MUSIC PLAYING)
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
(GASPS)
(GASPING)
(MUSIC STOPS)
(GRUNTS)
(GROANING)
(BODY THUDS)
(WAILING)
(GATE RATTLING)
(PANTING)
(DOOR CREAKING)
Mei-Mei. (PANTING)
Mei-Mei!
(GASPS)
Oh!
Mei-Mei!
(PANTING)
(MEILIN SOBBING)
Mei-Mei?
Don't look at me! Stay back!
Sweetie, (HESITATES) it's okay. Mommy is here.
What's happening to me?
(SOBBING)
What is it? What… What…
(GASPS) It's happened already?
(SOBBING STOPS)
What did you say?
Ming?
It's time.
(DOOR OPENS)
(WIND BLOWING)
(MYSTICAL MUSIC PLAYING)
(SIGHS) As you 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.
(DRAMATIC TRADITIONAL MUSIC PLAYING)
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 over time, our family chose to come to a new world.
And what was a blessing became… an inconvenience.
Are you serious?
JIN: No!
Mei-Mei, no!
MEILIN: It's a curse!
She meant it as a blessing.
You cursed us! It's all your fault!
Mei-Mei, stop! Listen to me. Listen!
There's a cure!
(PANTING)
Really? How do you know?
Because it happened to me.
Why didn't you warn me?
I thought I had more time!
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.
And then you'll be cured for good.
Just like 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.
Let's see, the next red moon will be the 25th.
That's a whole month away.
We'll wait it out together.
And I'll be with you every step of the way.
(MEILIN PANTING, STRAINING)
(JIN GRUNTS)
Not bad.
I saved Wilfred.
(GASPS) Thanks, Dad.