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“Mulan! Take control of yourself!”</p>

At the sound of her mother’s voice, Mulan’s footsteps slowed. Ahead, she saw her mother, Li, standing by the door to their home, arms crossed and a frown on her otherwise beautiful face. Beside her was Xiu. Unlike their mother, the expression on Xiu’s face was one of delight as she watched Mulan—and the chicken—running toward them along the thin balcony outside their apartment.</p>

Up ahead, the chicken had reached the end of the balcony and once again flew into the air. The creature’s short wings and heavy body kept it from going far, but it was able to make it to the rooftop, where it once again took off. Mulan regained her original fast pace and didn’t slow, even as the end of the balcony grew closer and closer. At the very last moment, Mulan reached out and grabbed a hanging clothesline. Quickly, she shinnied up it until she, too, made it to the top of the slanted roof.</p>

Mulan came to a sudden stop, her feet balanced on the peak of the roof. In front of her, the lush green countryside spread out to the horizon. Grass on the rolling hills waved in the gentle wind, like waves on the water. Mulan’s breath, coming in gasps, hitched. The world was so big, so vibrant. She wished, not for the first time, to go and explore what was beyond the horizon. But there was no way she could ever leave. Her life, her fate, were tied to the very building upon which she stood. And as her mother liked to say, there was no escaping fate.</p>

<i></p>

BWACK!</p>

</i></p>

The chicken’s taunting cluck dragged Mulan’s thoughts from the impossible back to the present. Narrowing her eyes, she began to move along the roof. Below her, the group of villagers that had been attracted to the courtyard by the sound of the phoenix statue’s wing crashing down stared up at Mulan. Horror and disapproval lined their faces. A few of the older women whispered among themselves, not bothering to keep their disappointed tones quiet.</p>

As if it had decided the game was over, the chicken stopped, walked over to the edge of the roof, and with a quick flap of its wings, glided to the ground below. Letting out one last</p>

<i></p>

BWACK</p>

</i></p>

for good measure, it sauntered into the coop.</p>

Watching the chicken, Mulan gave a nod of satisfaction. On the ground below, her father rushed over and slammed the gate shut behind the troublesome bird. She felt a small surge of pride. At least one crisis had been averted.</p>

But as her father’s gaze lifted and met hers, Mulan saw there was still one more problem to be solved. She had made it up to the roof, but how was she going to get down? She eyed the distance between where she stood and the spot far below where the chicken had landed. Determination flooded through her, and she clenched her fists at her sides.</p>

“Mulan,” her father said, recognizing the look in her eyes, “listen very carefully. You will take a calming breath, and then slowly—slowly—you will climb down.” Mulan’s eyes didn’t move from the coop and the offending chicken now safely inside. “Climb,” he repeated. “Do you understand?”</p>

Mulan did not reply at once. She felt as though time had stopped. The wind had ceased to blow across her cheeks, and all she could hear was the air coming in and out of her lungs and her heart pounding against her chest. Her toes tingled, itching to move. One step and she could jump. One step and she, like the chicken, could fly. But then time resumed. Breeze once again fluttered against her face. Shaking her head, she let her gaze drift from the coop, over the gathered crowd and once more to her father.</p>

“Yes,” she said.</p>

Zhou started to smile but the smile turned to a gasp as Mulan took a not-so-slow step forward. In her haste, she tripped on the slippery slate roof. Her arms swung out, windmilling wildly at her sides as she struggled to get her balance. But it was too late. She was too off-kilter. As the gathered group below let out a collective gasp, Mulan fell.</p>

For a dreadful moment, Mulan was sure she was plummeting to her death.</p>

But then her mind cleared. The same sensation of time slowing returned and, as if it were highlighted by a ray of sun, a lone beam jutting out from one of the balconies caught Mulan’s eye. Contorting her body in a way that seemed to defy gravity, Mulan stopped flailing her arms and reached out a steady hand to grab it. Using the beam, Mulan slowed her descent. Her body stopped falling and instead began to swing like a pendulum around the beam. When she gained enough control, she let go and flipped in the air, landing safely on the ground—and on her feet.</p>

Unhurt, Mulan looked around at the crowd. Her eyes were sparkling, and her cheeks were flushed from the exhilaration and pride she felt for sticking her landing.</p>

And then she looked over at her father. Zhou didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. His feelings were written all over his face. What Mulan had just done, the damage she had created and the danger she had put herself in, were too much. Mulan had disappointed him.</p>

The smile on her face disappeared.</p>

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