This is dedicated to The_Sage_Ninja_Morro

“ Wake up, Emmy!”
Emma groaned. “ What now?”
“ WAKE UP!”
Emma sat up. “ Okay, okay, I’m up.” She opened her eyes, to find herself nose- to- nose with Mia.
“ Morning.”
Emma yelped and jumped back, then sighed in relief. “ What are you doing in my room?”
Mia grinned. “ It’s literally below my room, you know that, right?”
Emma nodded and buried herself under the covers. “ Yeah, but there are other people to wake up! Go bother them!”
Mia groaned. “ Girl. They're not here. They went on a family vacation, remember? Nelson and Rose went to London to see their cousin, and-”
“ Annie went to Fairy Meadows National Park. I remember.” Emma groaned. “ But why so early?”
“ It’s your birthday.”
When Emma didn’t move, Mia sighed and grabbed her hand and led her to the bathroom.
“ Meet you in five.” She said, exiting the room.
Emma sighed and rubbed her eyes. “ When did Mia get this excited?” She muttered.
_____________________
“ Can I open my eyes now?” Emma asked.
“ Not yet.” Mia replied, gently guiding Emma through some place with a lot of animal sounds and rushing water.
“ Now??
Mia didn’t answer.
“ Okay.. Now!”
Emma opened her eyes, and gasped.
" It's... Beautiful."
It was a waterfall.
Fish were jumping from the water, plants surrounding it.
It was amazing!
" Woah, Mia, it's incredible!" She exclaimed.
Mia giggled. " I know."
Emma looked at Mia wearily. " What did you do?"
" Nothing!"

Emma narrowed her eyes at Mia, who was still grinning mischievously. “Mia, seriously. What did you do?”

Mia raised her hands innocently. “I swear, I didn’t do anything... yet. I just thought you’d like this place! It’s peaceful, right?”

Emma looked around skeptically. The waterfall sparkled in the morning light, and the animals around them were peaceful. It was serene. But Mia’s enthusiasm was always a bit... over the top.

“Well, it’s gorgeous, I’ll give you that,” Emma said, smiling despite herself. “Thank you, Mia.”

Mia grinned widely, clearly proud of herself. “See? I told you it would be worth waking up early for! I planned the whole day.”

Emma raised an eyebrow. “Planned? What else do you have up your sleeve?”

Mia shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. “Oh, just a few surprises. But I promise they’re good surprises. No pranks or anything like that.”

Emma sighed in relief, though she still couldn’t shake the feeling that Mia had something crazy in store. “Alright, I’ll trust you—for now.”

Mia winked. “Great! Now come on, we’ve got a picnic to set up by the waterfall.”

As they walked toward the picnic area Mia had set up, Emma couldn’t help but smile. Despite Mia’s chaotic nature, she always knew how to make things fun. The waterfall, the peaceful surroundings, and Mia’s infectious energy made it a perfect start to her birthday.

Still, Emma knew to keep an eye on her friend—just in case Mia’s “good surprises” turned out to be a little more... surprising than she was ready for.

Suddenly, they heard a sound.

Emma’s eyes widened as the yell echoed through the area. “What was that?!” she exclaimed, scanning the surroundings.

Mia, unfazed, smirked and crossed her arms. “Wait for it.”

A moment later, Morro came stumbling out from behind the waterfall, dripping wet, with no raft in sight. His soaked hair clung to his face, and he looked furious.

“I AM NEVER DOING THAT AGAIN!” he shouted, glaring at Mia.

Emma gasped and covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. “Mia, what did you do?!”

Mia shrugged, barely containing her own laughter. “I may have convinced him to go down the waterfall. Without a raft.”

“You what?!” Morro yelled, stomping over. “Do you know how dangerous that was?!”

Mia grinned. “Oh, come on. You’re a ghost! It’s not like you can actually get hurt.”

Morro threw his arms up in frustration. “That’s not the point! I’m soaking wet, and the water is freezing!”

Emma burst into laughter, clutching her sides. “Mia, you’re terrible! But also... that sounds kind of fun.”

Morro shot her a look. “Don’t you dare let her talk you into it.”

Mia winked at Emma. “See? Told you I had surprises planned.”

Emma wiped a tear from her eye, still laughing. “Well, this birthday just got a whole lot more interesting.”

Suddenly, a bunch of boxes came floating out from behind the waterfall, bobbing in the water and washing ashore.

Morro's eyes widened in horror as he recognized them. "Hold on... THOSE ARE THE BOXES THAT HAVE MY UNDERWEAR! HOLY COW!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the area.

Mia raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Wait, do ghosts even wear underwear?"

Morro crossed his arms, clearly not amused. "Yes, I do, thank you very much."

Emma burst out laughing, clutching her stomach. "Mia, this has got to be your best prank yet!"

Morro sighed in exasperation, walking over to the boxes and trying to salvage them. "This is  NOT funny," he grumbled, pulling one of the soggy boxes from the water. "I liked these!"

Mia grinned and shrugged. "Hey, at least you won't need to do laundry for a while. Waterfall rinse, right?"

Morro shot her a look but couldn't help a small, reluctant smile creeping onto his face. "You are absolutely impossible."

Emma, still laughing, shook her head. "Mia, you're going to drive him crazy."

Mia winked. "That’s the plan."

Morro eyed Mia suspiciously. "So... what exactly are you planning to do with my wife?"

Mia gave a sly grin and casually replied, "Oh, nothing major. Just drag her inside and maybe, I dunno, hop into a waterfall."

Both Emma and Morro’s eyes widened in horror.

"WHAT?!" they yelled in unison.

Mia cackled. "Come on, guys! It’s just a little fun—waterfall style!"

Emma backed up, holding her hands up defensively. "Oh no, no, no! I’ve had enough water for one day, thank you!"

Morro stepped between them, dripping wet and still holding his soggy box of underwear. "Mia, if you even think about pushing her off that waterfall, I’m gonna—"

"—Gonna what?" Mia teased, laughing as she sidestepped toward the waterfall. "Come on, you two! Live a little!"

Emma shook her head, still laughing nervously. "How is this my life right now?"

Mia threw her head back and laughed. " You two are impossible."

Without waiting for a response, Mia dragged Emma in.

" Go." She said, pushing both husband and wife onto the waterfall.

" WHAT ABOUT YOU?!* they yelled.

" I'm gonna be at the end. I need to tell the baker where to come.

" THERE'S A BAKER?!"they yelled.

Mia gave them a mischievous grin, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "Oh yeah, there’s a baker. Trust me, you’ll love it! Now, go on! The waterfall isn’t going to ride itself!"

Morro and Emma exchanged horrified glances. Before they could protest any further, Mia shoved them toward the waterfall. The roaring water drowned out their protests as they slipped down the slick rock surface, plunging toward the rushing cascade below.

“THIS IS INSANE!” Emma screamed, clutching onto Morro’s arm as they slid down, completely unprepared for the ride.

Morro tried to stabilize them, but the water was too fast, pulling them into the current. “MIAAAA!” he yelled, his voice barely audible over the sound of the waterfall crashing around them.

The world became a blur of water, mist, and the rapid rush of adrenaline as they tumbled downward, completely soaked and disoriented. With a final splash, they were ejected from the waterfall, landing ungracefully in the large, crystal-clear pool at the bottom.

They surfaced, gasping for breath, spluttering as they wiped water from their eyes. Morro's hair was plastered to his face, and Emma was coughing out water.

"That was... horrible," Emma managed between breaths.

"Never again," Morro agreed, shaking his head as he looked up at the massive waterfall behind them.

As they stumbled out of the water, drenched and exhausted, they spotted Mia standing at the edge of the pool, grinning from ear to ear.

"How was the ride?" she called down cheerfully, completely oblivious to their soaked and miserable state.

Emma glared up at her. "You pushed us into a waterfall! Of course, it was terrifying!"

Morro crossed his arms, shivering slightly. "And what was that about a baker, Mia? What’s going on?"

Mia held up a finger, signaling them to wait as she turned to speak into her commlink. “Yeah, bring the cake to the end of the waterfall. They’re ready for the surprise. Oh, and make sure there’s plenty of candles. Thanks!”

Emma and Morro exchanged puzzled looks as Mia finished up her call and turned back to them, still grinning.

“A cake?” Emma asked, incredulous.

Mia nodded eagerly. “Yep! I figured, after all the fun, we’d have a little celebration. What’s better than cake after surviving a waterfall ride?”

Morro sighed heavily. "Mia, do you ever stop with the surprises?"

Mia tapped her chin, pretending to think. "Nope!"

Emma groaned. “Next time, can you at least warn us before shoving us off a cliff?”

Mia giggled. "Where’s the fun in that?"

Before they could respond, a small delivery drone descended from the sky, carrying a large, beautifully decorated cake with bright red and white frosting. A banner trailed behind it, reading, "Congratulations, You Survived!"

The drone carefully set the cake down on a nearby table, and Mia clapped her hands in excitement. “Ta-da! Cake time!”

Morro stared at the cake in disbelief. “You planned this whole thing, didn’t you?”

Mia smirked. “You bet I did. I mean, how else were you going to remember this birthday, Emma?”

Emma, despite being drenched and exhausted, couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re unbelievable.”

Mia winked. “I try.”

They gathered around the cake, shaking their heads but smiling. It was chaotic, messy, and a little bit insane—just like any adventure with Mia.

As they each grabbed a slice of cake, still dripping from the waterfall, Emma took a deep breath and smiled. "You know what? This might be the craziest birthday I’ve ever had... but it’s also kind of perfect."

Mia grinned. "Told you it would be amazing!"

Morro took a bite of his cake and shook his head, chuckling. “I have no idea how we survived this day. But I guess that’s what makes life interesting.”

Mia giggled. " Good. Because your birthday is in two months and I'm planning ahead of time."