Reflection (Disney Twisted Tales) - Elizabeth Lim Page 0,46
think Ping was honest, but he wouldn’t think the same of Mulan.
Why do you care what Shang thinks? Mulan berated herself. You’re Ping, his friend. You’re not one of these village girls chasing after him. Besides, if you ever make it home, you’ll have other things to worry about. Like whether Mama and Baba will even welcome you back.
Still, she couldn’t forget Mushu’s sly comment. You like him, don’t you? he’d asked one night, after observing Mulan try to comfort Shang.
She’d denied it then, and she denied it now. She’d only been concerned about Shang! After all, he was her commanding officer, and he’d just received a rebuke from Chi Fu about his capability to lead. That didn’t mean she liked him.
But the swoop in her stomach when she looked up at the captain hinted otherwise. She ignored it, mentally stomping the feeling away, along with her earlier desire to tease him about what he looked for in a girl. Suddenly that subject was the last thing she wanted to talk about. Especially since he’d never look at her that way. He couldn’t.
“So who’s this mystery girl you might know?” Shang asked wryly. “Is it your sister?”
Mulan choked. “My sister? Who said I had a—”
“Chi Fu did.”
“He did?”
“Well, he knew Fa Zhou had a daughter. None of us knew he also had a son.”
Mulan stared at her hands, then leaned down to finish wrapping her ankle. She could not look at Shang right now. “Uh, my father doesn’t talk about me much.”
“That’s what you told us.” Shang chuckled. “Remembering how you were back then, I can understand why. When you go home now, I know he’ll be very proud of you.”
“I hope so.”
“You’re a hero, Ping. I’m guessing when you go home, girls will line up for your attention.”
“Ha!” Mulan laughed awkwardly. “I don’t know about that. It’s not really on my mind.”
Shang cleared his throat. “So tell me…about your sister. Is she—”
“I finished wrapping my ankle,” Mulan interrupted abruptly. “We should get going. We must be getting closer to the gates. Maybe you’ll wake up just in time for breakfast.”
Her brusqueness took him aback. She could tell from the way Shang’s brows jumped up and his lips parted. If they’d been talking about anything else, Mulan might have apologized for interrupting him. But the more he pressed her about her family life, the more uneasy she became.
Thankfully, he recovered quickly and nodded. “All right.”
“Wait.” Mulan said it before she registered what she was doing. She grabbed a handful of grass and let the stalks fly in the wind. She didn’t know when they’d get another chance to talk like this. “I need to tell you something.”
“Yes?”
Mulan paused, and that flush crept back onto her cheeks again. She wanted to tell him who she really was. Not Ping, not Ping’s sister. Mulan. Just Mulan.
But she could already picture how betrayed Shang would be.
I never sought out to earn Shang’s trust. Why do I care so much what he thinks about me? Is it because I’m trying to prove that I’m someone worthy of that trust? Yes, that’s part of it.
But also…
Her stomach fluttered—an uncomfortable, unfamiliar sensation. Also, she scolded herself, I’m an idiot. Keep to the plan. I can’t afford to have anyone finding out who I really am. It could get Baba in trouble. And disgrace the family.
That flutter in her stomach sank. Not to mention, Shang would hate me…if he found out the truth. He’d never trust me again.
“Never mind,” she said bitterly, glancing at the moon. “We should get going.”
“You keep looking up at the sky, Ping.” Shang craned his neck to look up. “Do you think everyone up there is still asleep?”
“Up there? As in, the soldiers in our camp?”
Shang nodded. “I feel like I’ve been here for years. Yet, if my body is still alive, it can’t have been more than a few hours.”
“Didn’t you meet Yama?”
“No,” said Shang. “The last thing I remember was talking to you. When I woke, I was here—in that tower. I thought I was already dead.”
“You aren’t. Time runs differently down here.”
“If that’s the case, why are we in such a rush?”
Her mouth went dry. All this time she’d wanted to confess she was really Mulan, she’d forgotten to tell him the importance of getting back before morning!
“Because…I made a deal with King Yama.”
“A deal?” His brow furrowed. “What kind of deal?”
“If we don’t reach the gates by sunrise,” said Mulan, her voice shaking, “you’ll die.”