Miranda Meng was born on a crisp November day, a first generation American born from two Chinese immigrants. Her childhood was fairly simple; with an older brother who she absolutely idolized and two parents who just wanted the American dream for their two children. Schooling was extremely important to the Meng family and both Miranda and her brother, Thomas, were expected to excel in everything that they did. That pressure was a lot for Miranda to handle but luckily, she was entirely equipped for the task. Math and science were always strong points for Miranda and she was often the first student to help out fellow class mates by tutoring them and was always the first one to help out. The Meng parents had opened a restaurant in Silver Spring and Miranda's day were often spent doing homework and helping out at the restaurant when she could. Miranda was always a quiet and reserved girl, saving those quirky moments for her brother and for her family. When her older brother announced that he was going to join the army, Miranda was in awe of how courageous her brother was and took the opportunity to announce similar plans once she graduated two years later. Although she could have simply joined the army, Miranda wanted to make it to West Point and started doing as much work as she could with delegates in Washington, DC to make her dream a reality. All of her hard work paid off when she was accepted to West Point.
West Point just proved to be another challenge on Miranda’s way to becoming a respected officer in the Army. She took everything very seriously, making sure she remained in top physical shape, as well as excellent mental health, which meant that she didn’t really have time to date. The Army wasn’t a place to find a man and so she kept her nose to the brimstone and after four years she was released into the ranks of the Army, as a second lieutenant, and was excited to join the ranks of those serving and fighting to keep the country safe. Her parents, though it was not the path that they imagined for their daughter, were extremely proud and elated that their daughter had decided to take on such a noble path in life. Everything was going well for the mild mannered Miranda, who loved wearing a uniform and being a hero to some.
However, Miranda would hit a snag in her military career. When she was overseas during a mission, she was sent to protect a particular area. The mission was going well, nothing seemingly out of the ordinary. That would all change when a fellow lieutenant noticed that a child was wearing a bomb around their neck in what would be a suicide mission. Suddenly met with the realization that Miranda needed to do something but felt that she couldn’t kill a child, she was suddenly in a situation of life or death. The call was made to have the child killed, a decision that Miranda had to make so that the area would continue to be safe. That decision was one that she wrestled with but knew what was best. Once the child was killed, guilt hung over her for the better part of six months before Miranda was honorably discharged from the Army, citing emotional stress. Feeling as though she had let down her family, Miranda picked up and moved to Boston when she returned home, a place that had been recommended to her, and joined the Boston Police Department.
Through her therapy sessions, Miranda started to cope with the guilt that she felt but she was never quite the same after. Her whole demeanor changed, she completely shut down, and since she was in a situation where she could essentially start a new life, she became very cold and distant from those around her. Work was all that she cared about and she started taking karate as a means of relaxation, as well as general skill to help aide in her work as a police officer. When she wasn’t working, Miranda was busy practicing, determined to make her way up the ranks to black belt as soon as she possibly could.
She never expected to find love in the class, however, and she met a quiet and shy man, Adam Gracin, who respected and admired Miranda from afar. Miranda immediately took notice and walked up to him after class and asked him out to coffee. After spending the entire evening together, Miranda knew that was the man that she was destined to marry and the usually cool and practical Miranda eloped ten days later. Her parents were shocked at Miranda’s hasty decision, wondering what had happened to their daughter. Miranda shrugged it off and simply kept at her work, all the while trying to juggle being a wife. The marriage, however, was not built to last, especially when Miranda disclosed she was not comfortable having children, specifically after the traumatic experience she had while in the Army. After two years and Miranda’s incredibly late shifts at work, Adam had enough and filed for divorce. The news didn’t shock Miranda and instead of dealing with the grief of a failed marriage, she simply flung herself into work as she moved up the ranks.
Now, Miranda is a Sergeant at the Boston Police Department and has achieved her dream of being a black belt martial artist. Although she has a dream job, she has not been able to hold down a steady relationship due to her love for her work and the long hours she is always willing to put in. She has casually dated from time to time but nothing ever sticks and she is just fine with that, even if it means going home to a rather empty house at the end of the day. All she wants is for the people of Boston to feel safe, even if she is still battling demons from the past.
