Mia laughed as she watched Snowball and Blackie purr and nuzzle one another. " Okay, okay! We get it, you love to see each other!"

Blackie shot Mia a look before going back to purring.

Annie sighed as she watched the two cats cuddle. " Looks like fun."

Rose, Jake, Mia and Nelson

Mia scooted closer to Annie. " Wanna make cupcakes?"

Annie grinned. " On our first sleepover ever?! Why not!*

Mia giggled. " Let's make sure to burn the oven!"

Annie stared at her. " What?!"

" Or we could go on a wat-"

" NO WAY!" Annie yelled.

Mia snickered. " Too late."

Annie lunged on Mia, and Mia giggled. " Truce!"

" No! No truce!" Annie laughed, pinning Mia down.

" Blackie, help!" Mia said through laughs, reaching for her cat.

Blackie looked up. " No."

Mia laughed even harder as Blackie simply turned away, uninterested in the playful chaos between the two girls. "Some loyal cat you are!" she teased, still squirming under Annie’s hold.

Annie grinned down at Mia, her laughter mixing with Mia's. "You brought this on yourself, suggesting waterfalls after all that!"

Mia, catching her breath, grinned up at Annie. "Okay, okay, I surrender! No more waterfall talk. How about we actually make those cupcakes?"

Annie loosened her grip and rolled off Mia, sitting up. "As long as you promise not to burn the oven!"

Mia sat up, holding her hands up in mock surrender. "Scout's honor! We'll make them just right."

Annie nodded, still giggling. "Good, because I really want some cupcakes."

Mia got to her feet and extended a hand to Annie. "Come on then, let’s show those cupcakes who’s boss!"

Annie took her hand, and as they got up, Snowball and Blackie finally looked over, seemingly amused by the girls' antics. As they walked toward the kitchen, Mia couldn’t resist one last cheeky comment. "But if something does catch fire… we can always go on a waterf—"

"Don't even think about it!" Annie warned, shaking her head with a smile.

Mia laughed, and the two set to work, ready to make their first sleepover truly unforgettable—just without any more waterfalls.

******

As the smell of smoke filled the kitchen, both girls stared in disbelief at the billowing clouds coming from the oven. Mia quickly grabbed a towel and tried to fan the smoke away, but it was no use—the oven was definitely burnt.

Mia turned to Annie with a mischievous grin. "Well, I guess that’s our cue to—"

Annie cut her off, waving her hands frantically. "No! No way! Absolutely not! We're not going anywhere! Nada! Zilch! Zero waterfalls or any other crazy adventures!"

Mia tried to suppress a giggle but couldn’t help herself. "But—"

Annie pointed at her, eyes wide. "Don’t even say it, Mia! We’re staying right here, and we’re fixing this! No more running away!"

Mia sighed dramatically, though her smile remained. "Fine, fine. But you have to admit, our adventures do make things more interesting."

Annie folded her arms, trying to stay serious but eventually cracking a smile. "Maybe, but next time, let’s aim for an adventure that doesn’t involve burning the kitchen or almost drowning in a waterfall, okay?"

Mia nodded. "Deal. But first, we better figure out how to explain this to my brothers."

Annie groaned, looking at the charred oven. "Yeah… let’s just hope they’re in a forgiving mood."

Mia nudged her playfully. "And if not, we could always—"

"Don’t say it!" Annie interrupted, but they both burst out laughing, knowing that despite the chaos, this would be another memory they’d cherish forever.

*****

A few minutes later, Mia and Annie climbed down the ladder from the monestary, both looking slightly disheveled. They exchanged a glance before Mia broke the silence with a smirk. "Well, that went great."

Annie rolled her eyes, still catching her breath. "Are your brothers always this dramatic?"

Mia laughed. "No, only when they think the house is about to burn down."

Annie shook her head, a smile creeping onto her face. "I guess I can’t blame them this time."

Mia grinned mischievously. "So, now that the kitchen’s off-limits… pillow fight?"

Annie raised an eyebrow. "Pillow fight? How about we make a pillow fort instead? It’ll be safer… and less likely to end in another disaster."

Mia’s eyes lit up. "A pillow fort? I like the way you think, Annie!"

Without wasting any time, the two girls began gathering every pillow, blanket, and cushion they could find. They worked together, arranging the pillows in strategic positions, draping blankets over chairs and the couch, and creating the ultimate pillow fort.

As they stepped back to admire their handiwork, Annie couldn’t help but grin. "This is amazing! We’re like master fort builders."

Mia nodded proudly. "Of course! With our combined skills, we’re unstoppable."

They crawled inside the cozy fort, the soft glow of the living room lamp casting a warm light through the blankets.

Annie flopped down onto a pile of pillows. "Now, this is more like it. Safe, warm, and no chance of burning anything down."

Mia laughed, snuggling into the cushions. "Agreed. This is the perfect way to end our first sleepover."

Annie looked around the fort, then turned to Mia with a grin. "I guess this makes up for the kitchen… and the near-death experiences. Maybe next time, we can aim for a peaceful sleepover from the start."

Mia smiled, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Maybe. But where’s the fun in that?"

Annie chuckled, shaking her head. "You’re impossible, Mia. But I guess that’s why we’re best friends."

The two girls settled into the fort, ready to enjoy the rest of their sleepover in the comfort of their pillow paradise, knowing that no matter what happened, they’d always find a way to make it fun.

Suddenly, the fort’s peaceful atmosphere was shattered when Jay’s voice echoed through the living room. "Found you!"

Both Mia and Annie jumped, their hearts racing as they turned to see Jay peering into the fort with a mischievous grin.

Without missing a beat, Mia yelled, "RUN!"

The two girls scrambled out of the pillow fort as fast as they could, knocking over cushions and blankets in their haste. They darted across the living room, giggling uncontrollably as Jay gave chase, his footsteps heavy as he followed them.

"You can’t hide from me!" Jay called out, laughing as he tried to catch up.

Mia and Annie dashed down the hallway, their laughter echoing off the walls. They turned a corner and found themselves in Mia’s bedroom, quickly diving under the bed in a last-ditch effort to hide.

They held their breath, trying to stay quiet as they heard Jay’s footsteps approaching. Annie whispered, "Do you think he’ll find us?"

Mia grinned, trying to stifle her laughter. "If he does, we’ll just have to escape again."

Just as the footsteps got closer, they heard Jay’s voice from the doorway. "I know you’re in here somewhere…"

Annie shot Mia a nervous glance, but before they could react, Jay flung open the closet door. "Aha!"

But to their surprise, Jay hadn’t found them. Instead, he was rummaging through Mia’s stuffed animals, thinking they were hiding there.

Annie whispered, "He’s looking in the wrong place!"

Mia nodded, her heart pounding with excitement. "Let’s sneak out while he’s distracted."

Carefully, the girls crawled out from under the bed, trying to make as little noise as possible. They tiptoed toward the door, but just as they were about to slip out, Jay turned around and spotted them.

"Gotcha!" Jay yelled, making a playful lunge toward them.

The girls screamed and bolted out of the room, their laughter filling the house as Jay chased them down the hallway again. It was all in good fun, and despite their best efforts to escape, they knew Jay would eventually catch them. But that was part of the game—and the best part of their sleepover.

Finally, after what felt like a whirlwind of laughter and chaos, Jay managed to catch up to them in the living room. He grabbed both Mia and Annie by the shoulders, pulling them into a mock-serious huddle.

"Got you two!" Jay said, slightly out of breath but grinning. "Next time, don’t run as soon as I start yelling."

Mia crossed her arms, pretending to be offended. "Hey! It’s not our fault you’re too slow."

Jay chuckled, ruffling Mia’s hair. "Haha, sis, you’re lucky you’re so quick on your feet. But you know I’ll always catch you in the end."

Annie, catching her breath, added with a smirk, "And when you do, we’ll just have to escape again!"

Jay laughed, shaking his head. "Oh, you two are unstoppable. But remember, there’s no hiding from big brother forever."

Mia rolled her eyes playfully. "Yeah, yeah. Just wait until next time, Jay. We’ll be even faster!"

Jay grinned, letting go of them as they all collapsed onto the couch, exhausted but happy. The room was a mess of pillows, blankets, and scattered stuffed animals, but none of them cared. It had been a perfect, chaotic evening, just as it always was when the three of them were together.

Then, Mia collapsed on the couch. " Hey, Annie?"

" Yeah?"

" You wanna go outside and swing?"

Jay overheard and looked at Mia with open eyes. " Mia, it's seven!"

Mia looked at Jay with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

" Oh, come on," she drawled. " It'll be good practice......."

Jay sighed, defeated. " Fine. You know me too well. But I'm coming too."

Mia smiled and hugged Jay.
********

" Okay, Mia. Go easy on me." Annie advised as she sat on.

Mia giggled and took the chains and stepped back. " We'll see."

She let go, and pushed Annie, higher and higher each time. She did t really realize how high Annie was going until she yelled, " MIA?!"

Mia looked up in horror as she realized just how high Annie had gone. The swing was nearly horizontal, and Annie’s panicked yell snapped Mia out of her excitement.

"Oh no," Mia muttered, realizing she needed to slow it down. She grabbed the chains, trying to ease the momentum, but instead, she got caught up in the mess herself. The swing twisted awkwardly, pulling Mia in closer, tangling her up with Annie as the swing continued its wild arc.

"Annie, hold on!" Mia yelled, struggling to untangle herself. But the swing was moving too fast, and now both girls were in a precarious position. Mia’s heart raced as she tried to think of what to do next.

Meanwhile, Jay was sitting on the porch, completely oblivious, enjoying the cool evening air. He hadn’t noticed the chaos until—

Thwack!

A small rock hit him squarely on the arm. Jay looked down in confusion and saw another rock coming his way—this one clearly launched from Mia’s mouth.

"What the—?" Jay started, but then his eyes widened as he saw what was happening. Both girls were caught in the swing, looking like they were about to launch into orbit.

"Mia!" Jay shouted, jumping to his feet and sprinting towards them.

Mia, still tangled and panicking, yelled, "Jay, help!"

Jay reached the swing just as it started to slow down, grabbing the chains and steadying them both. "Hold on, I got you!" he said, carefully bringing the swing to a halt.

Once they were safely back on the ground, Jay took a deep breath and shook his head. "What did I tell you about going easy?"

Mia looked at him sheepishly. "Uh, sorry?"

Annie, still catching her breath, added, "That was… definitely enough practice for tonight."

Jay couldn’t help but laugh, despite the scare. "You two are going to be the end of me."

Mia grinned, hugging her brother again. "But you love us anyway."

Jay sighed, smiling as he wrapped his arms around both girls. "Yeah, I do. But maybe let’s stick to indoor activities for the rest of the night?"

Mia and Annie nodded, still recovering from the adrenaline rush. As they headed back inside, Mia whispered to Annie, "Next time, maybe we should just bake cookies or something."

Annie nodded vigorously. "Agreed. Swinging is officially off the list."