Every time Mulan closed her eyes, she saw herself spinning through the air and felt the ground crunch under her feet as she slammed down. She saw the varied looks of the other soldiers—some surprised, some awed, some bothered. But more than anything, she saw Honghui staring at her, and it was that look that lingered in her memory. He had seemed surprised. As if he hadn’t thought her capable of defeating him. She didn’t know whether that made her feel proud, or a bit offended. Either way, his look—and the others’—now haunted her.
She still wasn’t sure what had e over her. Her body had started moving on its own. It was as though a switch had been flipped and all the training and practice had clicked into place. But there was something more to it. Something that felt deeper and bigger than her. When she had been twirling through the air, whipping her spear as though it were an extension of her body, it felt the same as the day long ago when she had chased the chicken through her family’s pound and fallen off the roof. Then, like now, she had been unable to explain what had possessed her.
And that scared her.
Now she lay on her sleeping platform, willing her eyes to close. But every time she shifted, her own body odor assailed her nostrils. She needed to wash herself—and the day—off. Swinging her legs over the platform, she grabbed fresh clothes and tiptoed past the other soldiers out of the barracks.
The encampment was quiet and empty, all of the soldiers retired to their tents for the night, so Mulan was able to move quickly. Her footsteps barely made a sound as she floated over the ground toward the lake at the edge of the camp. A bright moon in the sky above illuminated its still surface. Mulan smiled at the sight of the fresh water.
Taking a quick peek over her shoulder to make sure no one was looking, Mulan undressed. Dropping her clothes in a pile, she slipped into the chilly water.
A sigh of pure bliss escaped her lips. The water washed away the dirt that clung to her skin, and the chill felt good on her aching muscles. Sinking beneath the surface, she let the silence envelope her. She floated there, suspended between the murky lake bottom and the surface above for a long moment, her thoughts slowing. There, in the silence, she was once again just Mulan. Not Hua Jun trying to prove “himself.” She hadn’t realized how hard the act had been on her mentally until now, when she allowed her body and mind to relax.
When her breath ran out, she allowed her body to rise and returned to the lake’s surface. Keeping her eyes closed, she felt the air dry the water on her cheeks. Her hair, heavy from the liquid, made her scalp hurt and she reached for her topknot, eager to let it loose. But just as her fingers touched the long black strands, she heard a voice call out over the water.
“Hua Jun!”
Mulan’s eyes snapped open. Scanning the shoreline, she spotted Honghui. “We need to talk!” he shouted as he took off his own clothes.
Panic filled Mulan. Immediately, she tried to submerge her body while simultaneously averting her eyes from Honghui. He shed his clothes quickly and with no shame.
“I came here to be alone—” Mulan called out, splashing water as she tried to move away. Desperately, she looked around for something, anything, to cover her body.
Honghui ignored her protest. Jumping into the water, he swam toward her. “What was that today?” he said as his arms sliced through the water. “You were incredible.”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Mulan said, turning so her back was to him.
Stopping a few feet away, Honghui treaded water. He looked at her with curiosity. When Mulan didn’t make a move to turn toward him, Honghui swam around to face her. But she mirrored his movements, keeping her back to him. He pressed on anyway. “Teach me how you did it. Show me.”
Mulan shook her head. “Leave me alone,” she repeated. The words came out harsher than she had intended. But Honghui was not bothered.
“Why?” he asked. “What’s wrong with you? I thought we were friends.”
“I’m not your friend!” Mulan shouted. Her voice echoed over the water, bouncing back to her. She cringed. She knew as well as Honghui that that wasn’t true. They were friends. Or at least, they were bing friends. She peeked over her shoulder and saw confusion in Honghui’s eyes. She knew it hurt, but she was trying to protect him. He couldn’t find out her secret. It would mean disgrace for them both.
As Mulan remained silent and the air grew tense, Honghui’s confusion turned to anger. “Then look me in the eye and say that,” he demanded. Mulan did not speak. “I’m not leaving here until you look me in the eye and tell me we’re not friends.”
Mulan swallowed. She knew Honghui meant it. He would stay there for as long as it took to get her to turn to him.
But what could she do? Then Mulan saw a flash of white moving along the surface of the water. Lifting her eyes, she saw the Phoenix. The bird folded its wings and dove toward the water’s surface. She pierced the water behind Honghui with a
SPLASH!
Hearing the sound, Honghui spun around. He peered into the water, trying to see beneath the surface. But the Phoenix’s plunge had stirred the lake bottom and turned the water murky. “What was that?” Honghui asked, nervously scanning the water’s surface. “There’s something down there!” Then his eyes grew wide and he let out a shout as the Phoenix nibbled at his legs. Not waiting to see what was biting him, Honghui turned and began to swim frantically to the shore. When he reached dry land, he grabbed his clothes and raced away, not even daring a glance back.