" MIA GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!" Jay yelled as he and Kai chased their three year old sister.

Mia giggled. " You funny!"

Kai groaned. " We are. But give us that picture."

Mia jumped on the table. " No."

" Oh, come on! Pleaseeeee?*

Mia looked at him. " If you bake wit me for whole night."

Kai and Jay exchanged a look. " Uh....."

Jay shrugged. " I guess."

Kai turned. " Sure."

" Yippie!" She exclaimed as she hopped off the table to get the ingredients ready.

" Who's gonna go first?" Kai asked.

Jay shrugged. " I could."

Kai nodded. " Okay. What time is it?* He glanced at the clock. " Ten. Okay. And down breaks at...." He checked his phone. " Five fifty nine."

" Which is six."

" Yeah, so, you take over for four hours, and I'll do four."

Jay nodded. " Got it."

Kai and Jay, feeling relieved they'd come up with a plan, approached Mia, who was already setting out the baking ingredients.

"Alright, Mia," Kai began, rubbing his hands together. "Jay and I figured it out. I'll do four hours, and Jay will take the other four. Sound good?"

Mia, who was pulling out a bag of flour, stopped and looked up at them with wide, determined eyes. "No," she said firmly.

Jay blinked, glancing at Kai. "No?"

Mia crossed her little arms, standing her ground. "You two together do it. The whole night. No switching."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "Mia, that's... a lot of baking."

"Yeah," Jay added, trying to reason with her. "And we might need to sleep at some point."

Mia shook her head, stomping her foot. "No sleeping! You promised! Both together, or no picture." She pointed at the photo that she had tucked into her pocket.

Jay sighed. "She's really holding that picture hostage, huh?"

Kai groaned. "Alright, fine. Both of us, all night. No switching."

Mia beamed, clapping her hands. "Yay! Now we bake forever!"

Jay gave Kai a resigned look. "This is going to be a long night, isn't it?"

Kai chuckled. "Oh, absolutely."

And so, they both rolled up their sleeves, knowing they were in for a marathon of flour, sugar, and tiny demands from their very enthusiastic sister.

Lookie at this guys

Do u like the chicken scene?

Kai and Jay stood in the kitchen, covered head to toe in flour and cookie dough. The countertops were a mess—spilled sugar, scattered chocolate chips, and blobs of half-mixed dough all over the place. It looked like a flour bomb had gone off in the middle of their cookie-making.

Jay wiped his face, leaving a streak of dough on his cheek. "We... we made cookies," he panted, leaning against the counter. "Kind of."

Kai, brushing flour off his hair, sighed heavily. "I feel like we just went through a sandstorm." He glanced at the misshapen cookies, which were either undercooked or burnt. "Well, that's something."

Mia, who was perfectly clean and bouncing with excitement, giggled at them. "More! We bake more!"

Kai looked at the clock. It was only 11:30 PM, and he felt like they'd been baking for hours. "Alright, Mia. Cookies are done, so I think it's time for—"

"No!" Mia interrupted, crossing her arms. "Da whole night! You promised!"

Kai groaned, slumping against the counter. "Mia... we did the cookies. I’m covered in flour. Can we at least clean up a little?"

Mia shook her head firmly. "No cleaning! More baking!"

Jay gave Kai a helpless look. "I think we’re stuck here, man."

Kai let out a deep breath and glanced at Mia, who was now pulling out the ingredients for cake batter. "Alright, alright. More baking it is."

As they dragged themselves to the counter, Mia grinned, already planning their next disaster of the night.

This time, they were attempting to bake a cake. A foolproof plan, or so they thought.

"Alright, what's next?" Jay asked, squinting at the recipe card Mia had placed on the counter. "Sugar... check. Flour... check. Uh, baking soda? Check."

Kai measured out a strange green powder, frowning as he read the label. "Huh. I didn’t know cakes used aloe vera gel.”

Mia beamed. "It makes it soft! Super soft!"

Jay shrugged and dumped it in. "Sure, sounds good to me. We're following the recipe, so we can’t mess this up, right?"

Kai stirred the mixture, which looked a bit more like lotion than cake batter. The texture was strange, almost glossy, but they pressed on without questioning it. Mia insisted they were doing it perfectly, after all.

"Okay, now for the lavender oil," Mia added, proudly measuring it out.

"Uh... I thought cakes didn’t use oil that smells like soap," Kai muttered, watching Mia pour a generous amount into the bowl.

Jay sniffed the bottle. "It’s lavender... maybe it’s some fancy cake Mia found online? Lavender is... fancy, right?"

"Fancy cake! Yummy cake!" Mia chanted, happily dancing around the kitchen as Kai and Jay continued mixing.

The mixture smelled vaguely medicinal, but Jay was too tired to notice, and Kai was more concerned about getting through the night without passing out from exhaustion. They finally poured the batter—if you could call it that—into a cake pan and slid it into the oven.

"How long does it bake for?" Kai asked, slumping into a chair. His eyes were already drooping.

"Thirty minutes!" Mia announced, setting the timer. She plopped down next to Kai and handed him a spatula. "Taste!"

Kai stared at the gooey substance coating the spatula. It definitely didn’t look like normal cake batter. He hesitantly licked it, then immediately gagged.

Jay looked over, alarmed. "What? What’s wrong?"

"It tastes like... like I just licked a spa," Kai groaned, wiping his tongue with a napkin. "Why does it taste like face cream?"

Jay grabbed the spatula and took a small taste. His face contorted into a grimace. "Ugh! It’s like eating shampoo!”

Mia blinked innocently. "Tastes good to me!"

Jay hurried over to the recipe card, his brow furrowing as he read the fine print. "Wait... this isn't a cake recipe... this is... this is a face mask recipe!"

Kai's eyes widened as he rushed over to peer at the card. "You’ve got to be kidding me."

Mia tilted her head, confused. "What's wrong?"

Kai groaned, rubbing his temples. "Mia, we didn’t make cake batter... we made a face mask. Look! Aloe vera, lavender oil, honey... we were mixing up something for skin care, not a dessert!"

Jay shot a panicked look at the oven. "And it’s in the oven! We just baked a face mask!"

There was a brief, stunned silence as the realization hit. Mia gasped, then started laughing uncontrollably. She bent over, holding her sides, nearly falling off her chair. "You baked a face mask!" she shrieked between giggles.

Kai leaned back against the counter, defeated. "I knew it didn’t look right..."

Jay, still in shock, watched the oven as the timer counted down. "What do we do now?"

Kai sighed, glancing at Mia, who was still laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world. "Well, I guess we let it... bake?"

"You can't eat that," Jay muttered, shaking his head. "Can you?"

"No way," Kai agreed. "But we’ve got to take it out before it explodes or something."

As the timer beeped, Jay and Kai cautiously approached the oven. The kitchen was filled with the unmistakable scent of lavender and aloe vera—like they had just stepped into a high-end spa. Kai donned an oven mitt, pulling out the pan carefully.

Inside was a greenish, shiny blob that looked more like a puddle of slime than a cake.

"Oh, man..." Jay murmured, staring at the concoction. "What even is that?"

Mia, still giggling, came over and peered into the pan. "It’s a cake! For your face!"

Kai rubbed his face, exasperated. "Well, at least our skin will be soft after this."

Jay sighed, setting the pan down on the counter. "Next time, Mia, maybe double-check the recipe?"

Mia grinned cheekily. "Okay! Next time we bake face masks, you’ll know what to do!"

Kai shook his head, still trying to wrap his mind around how the night had gone so wrong. "I’m going to bed," he declared, heading for the door.

But Mia grabbed his arm. "Noooo! Whole night!"

Jay, trying not to laugh at their disaster, patted Kai’s shoulder. "Well, looks like you’re stuck here for a little longer, buddy."

Kai groaned dramatically, but he couldn’t help but smile. "Fine, fine. But no more spa treatments in the oven, okay?"

Mia nodded eagerly. "Deal!"

After the face mask fiasco, Jay and Kai regrouped with Mia to make another attempt at baking—this time, cupcakes. Mia had already pulled out more ingredients, eager to get things going again.

"Okay, this one’s easy. Cupcakes," Mia said confidently, holding up a piece of paper. "We can’t mess this up."

Kai and Jay exchanged a wary look but nodded, too tired to argue. They both stood around the counter as Mia started delegating.

“Jay, you handle the flour and sugar. Kai, you do the mixing.”

Kai gave a half-hearted thumbs-up, barely keeping his eyes open. Jay sighed and began measuring out the flour, glancing occasionally at the "recipe" Mia had scribbled down.

They went through the motions, mixing ingredients just as they had before, though something seemed off about the instructions. The ingredients list called for a lot of "powder" and "softener." There was even a line about using "detergent." But they assumed it was some sort of strange baking term and pressed on, too exhausted to question it.

By the time the mixture was ready, it didn’t look or smell quite right—it had a faintly soapy odor—but Mia confidently poured it into cupcake liners and slid the tray into the oven.

"Alright, now we wait," Mia said, hopping up onto the counter.

Jay leaned against the fridge, rubbing his face. "Please tell me this one’s not another face mask."

Kai, barely awake, stared at the oven. "I don't even care anymore. I just want to go to bed."

Mia grinned mischievously. "Whole night, remember?"

Kai groaned, slumping into a chair. "I’m starting to regret this."

Ten minutes later, the kitchen filled with a strange scent—something between fresh laundry and cake. Jay sniffed the air, his brow furrowed. "Is that... fabric softener?"

Kai, sitting with his head in his hands, mumbled, "Why does everything smell like soap?"

Mia hopped down and eagerly opened the oven, pulling out the tray of cupcakes. But when they all looked inside, instead of fluffy cupcakes, there were strange, bubbling mounds with a waxy texture. The smell of detergent hit them like a wave.

Jay peered closer. "Wait... Mia, this is a laundry recipe!"

Mia blinked innocently. "Oops?"

Kai stood up, barely able to muster any energy. "That’s it. I’m done. I’m going to bed. I’ve had enough laundry cupcakes for one night."

Mia grabbed his arm, shaking her head. "Noooooo! We have a deal!"

Jay, tired and frustrated, groaned. "Please, Mia. Just let us go to sleep."

Mia considered for a moment, tapping her chin. "Hmm... fine."

Kai exhaled in relief, but Mia’s grin widened. "But... I have to style your hair before you go!"

Jay shot Kai a desperate look, but there was no escape now. They were trapped.

Mia dragged them over to the couch, where she had already set up a hair-styling station with brushes, combs, and a mountain of hair accessories. "Sit still!" she commanded, tugging on Jay’s arm.

Jay sighed and slumped down while Kai followed, looking like he was about to fall asleep any second. Mia got to work, combing Jay’s hair with a bit too much enthusiasm.

"Ow! Mia, easy!" Jay yelped as she pulled at a particularly tangled knot.

"You have so much hair! It’s like a bird's nest!" Mia replied, not slowing down in the slightest.

Kai chuckled, barely keeping his eyes open. "Better you than me, Jay."

"Oh, you’re next," Mia said sweetly, giving Kai a wicked smile.

He groaned. "Of course I am."

Mia started braiding Jay’s hair, adding colorful ribbons and clips in every direction. The more she styled, the more elaborate it became. When she was done, Jay’s head looked like a rainbow explosion, with hair twisted, braided, and tied up in every way possible.

Kai snorted. "You look like a piñata."

Jay shot him a tired glare but didn’t argue. "Just let her finish."

Finally, Mia moved on to Kai, who was too exhausted to care. She brushed his hair quickly, styling it into neat little buns on either side of his head and topping it off with pink hair clips.

"There! Perfect!" Mia said proudly, stepping back to admire her work.

Jay, looking at himself in the mirror, shook his head. "I look like a disaster."

Kai blinked at his reflection. "I look like I’m going to a tea party."

Mia beamed. "You both look adorable."

Jay sighed, patting Kai on the back. "Let’s just go to bed before she decides to make us model this."

Kai nodded in agreement. "Good idea."

As they trudged off to their rooms, their hair still adorned with ribbons and clips, Mia called after them, "See you in the morning! Maybe we can bake real cupcakes then!"

Jay and Kai didn’t respond. They were already halfway to dreamland, hoping that by the next morning, they wouldn’t wake up with hair full of glitter.

Suddenly, Mia stopped them. " Wait!"

They froze

" You said while night! Back to the couch!" She ordered

They sighed and trooped back.

Mia noticed their exhaustion. " Fine. While I make your hair you can sleep!"

" Thanks Mia!" They choursed.

But as they settled, they didn't notice Mias mischievous smile.

Two hours later, Mia shook them awake. She had this glint in her eye, but neither brother noticed.

" Oki you go see in mirror." She said.

Jay groaned. " Fine."

Kai stood up and helped his brother. " Let's go."

In the dim moonlight, they could barely see anything.

But when they got to the bathroom and opened the night, they both let out a scream.

" MY HAIR IS LONG!" Jay screeched.

" MIA WHAT DID YOU DO?! I LOOK LIKE A GIRL!" Kai agreed.

Mia burst into the bathroom, giggling uncontrollably. "Surprise!" she shouted, holding up a bottle of what could only be hair growth serum. "You say whole night, so I thought  give you a makeover!"

Jay and Kai were both staring at their reflections, horrified. Jay's normally wild hair now cascaded down his back in long, unruly waves, practically touching his waist. Kai's hair, once short and spiky, was now long, straight, and silky, framing his face in a way that made him look... well, way too feminine for his taste.

"Why is it so long?!" Jay shrieked, tugging at the ends of his newly grown locks. "How did you even—"

Mia grinned, holding up the bottle of hair grower. "This stuff  magic. Literally. Works overnight! Cool, huh?"

"Cool?!" Kai groaned, running his hands through his ridiculously long hair, which now reached past his shoulders. "I look like a princess! Mia, how are we supposed to explain this tomorrow?!"

Mia shrugged innocently. "Oh, come on. You two  so cute!"

Jay sighed, clearly too tired to deal with the situation. "Mia, how do we make it stop? Is there a way to reverse this?"

Mia tilted her head, thinking. "Hmm... I don't think so. Says 'permanent' on the bottle."

Both brothers froze. "Permanent?!" they shouted in unison.

Kai slumped against the wall, defeated. "I'm never going to hear the end of this, am I?"

Jay buried his face in his hands. "We have to go outside like this tomorrow!"

Mia, still giggling, couldn't contain herself. " You both look awesome! And anyway, hair's just hair. It'll grow on you! Well... it already did!"

"Not funny!" Jay said, glaring at her through a curtain of hair.

Kai groaned again, standing up straight. "Alright, Mia. You've had your fun. But this... this is too much."

Mia grinned cheekily. "You did say 'whole night' and didn’t give me  limits. So, technically..."

Jay and Kai shared a glance of mutual understanding. They were clearly regretting the deal, but there was nothing they could do now.

"Okay," Jay muttered. "Let's get some sleep... if we even can with all this hair."

Kai sighed, looking at Mia. "You *better* not have any more surprises for us tonight."

Mia crossed her heart with a wink. "Promise! No more surprises!"

As they trudged back to their rooms, their hair trailing behind them, Jay whispered to Kai, "We're hiding that bottle first thing in the morning."

Kai nodded, still trying to process the fact that he now had more hair than he ever imagined. "Agreed."

Ten minutes after finally settling back into bed, Jay and Kai were startled by the unmistakable sound of a van's engine revving. Groaning, they rushed to the window, and what they saw made their already chaotic night even worse—Mia was behind the wheel of the family van, her tiny hands barely reaching the steering wheel as she struggled to control the vehicle.

“MIA!” Jay yelled out the window. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

Kai slapped his forehead. “She’s THREE! How did she even get the keys?!”

The van wobbled as Mia slowly drove down the driveway, humming happily to herself. “I drivin’!” she shouted with glee, completely unaware of the panic her brothers were in.

"MIA, GET BACK HERE!" Kai yelled, pulling at his long hair in frustration.

Mia, blissfully oblivious, waved at them through the window. "I go fast! Vrooom!" she giggled, pressing her tiny foot on the gas pedal, making the van jerk forward a little too quickly.

Jay bolted for the door. "We have to stop her before she gets to the road!"

Kai followed, shaking his head. “How does this keep happening?!”

As they rushed outside, Mia called out from the open window. "Bye-bye, Kai! Bye-bye, Jay! I goin' to the stoooore!" Her toddler speech was as adorable as it was terrifying.

Jay ran alongside the van, trying to keep pace. “Mia, pull over! You’re not old enough to drive!”

Mia shook her head, her hair bouncing with every movement. "No! I big girl! I drivin’ good!"

Kai finally managed to get to the driver’s side of the van and tried to open the door, but it was locked. “Mia, unlock the door!” he demanded, running out of patience.

Mia just giggled and sang, “No, no, no, noooo!”

Jay groaned, “Why did we ever let her watch those driving shows?!”

Kai finally tapped on the window again. “Mia, do you want candy?”

That stopped her. Mia's eyes went wide, and she turned to look at Kai with interest. “Candy?”

Jay, catching on, nodded vigorously. “Yeah! We’ll give you lots of candy if you stop the van right now.”

Mia blinked, thinking it over for a moment. Finally, she gave in and muttered, “Okaaay.”

She pressed the brake with her tiny foot, and the van came to a shaky stop. Jay and Kai sighed in relief.

Kai quickly opened the door once Mia unlocked it and scooped her out of the driver’s seat. “You are so grounded.”

Mia pouted, crossing her little arms. “I wanna drive! I big girl.”

Jay ruffled her hair with a sigh. “You’re big, alright, but not big enough for driving.”

Mia blinked up at him, her mischievous grin returning. “Candy now?”

Kai and Jay exchanged a look. Kai sighed, shaking his head. “We’ll talk about candy tomorrow. For now, no more driving, okay?”

Mia huffed but snuggled into Kai’s arms as they carried her back inside. “Okaaay... but I drivin’ 'gain soon!”

Both brothers groaned, knowing this wouldn’t be the last time Mia’s wild antics would keep them on their toes.

Ten minutes later, as Jay and Kai finally began to relax, they suddenly heard a loud screeching sound from outside. Both brothers jumped up, alarmed.

Kai groaned, “No way…”

They rushed to the window, and their worst fears were confirmed: Mia was driving the van again, but this time she was speeding down the driveway like she had just learned how to race!

Jay's eyes widened in shock. “She’s going even faster this time!”

Kai frantically ran to the front door. “We have to stop her!”

Both brothers sprinted outside, but Mia was already too far down the road. Her tiny hands gripped the wheel as she giggled and leaned forward like she was in a car chase. The van swerved a little, but she kept going, the engine roaring under her control.

Jay panted, trying to keep up, but it was no use. “We’ll never catch her on foot! She’s too fast!”

Kai, gasping for breath, fumbled with his phone. “I’m calling Cole. He’s the only one who can handle this.”

Within seconds, Kai had Cole on the line.

But before Kai could speak, Cole did. " Kai, so you know what time it is?" He asked groggily.

“Cole, you need to get here right now! Mia’s driving the van again, and we can’t catch her!”

On the other end, Cole sounded confused, his sleepiness vanishing. “Wait… Mia? Driving? What do you mean, she's driving the van? Isn’t she, like, three?”

Kai ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “YES! And she’s going way too fast! Just get over here!”

Cole stammered, still processing the information. “Uh… okay! I’m on my way!”

As Jay and Kai tried their best to keep up, they could hear Mia in the distance, shouting from the window, “I goin’ to the stoooore! Vroooom!”

Jay threw his hands in the air. “How does a three-year-old keep getting the keys?!”

Kai shook his head, still out of breath. “We need to get a better hiding spot for those keys. But first, we need to stop her before she hits the highway!”

By the time Cole arrived, looking bewildered, Mia had already driven the van halfway down the street.

Cole hopped out of his car, looking at Jay and Kai with wide eyes. “You weren’t kidding! She’s really driving! How…?”

Kai threw his hands up. “We don’t know! But we have to stop her before she causes a major accident!”

Cole nodded, his earth powers ready to assist. “Let’s go get her before she decides to make a pit stop at the nearest candy store.”

She wasn't at a candy store.

In fact she was at night candy store.

" Where is she?!" Jay exclaimed as he threw his hands up.

Kai shrugged. " What are we missing?"

They thought.

" Chocolate.... I want some chocolate cake." Cole whispered.

Jay's eyes bulged open. " That's it!"

" What's it? She went to a cake store?" Kai asked.

" No! Chocolate!"

" She loves chocolate?" Cole asked thoughtfully. " Hmm...."

Just then, they heard a loud boom.

Kai and Jay stared at the sky as a rocket shot upward, its tail of smoke streaking through the early morning light. Cole, looking baffled, squinted up at the scene.

“I don’t remember any rocket launches scheduled for today...” Cole muttered.

Kai frantically opened the glove compartment, pulling out a pair of binoculars. He raised them to his eyes and gasped. “Because MIAS DRIVING IT!”

Jay’s eyes widened in horror. “WHAT?!”

Sure enough, through the binoculars, Kai could see a tiny figure in the rocket’s window, unmistakably Mia, her hands gripping the controls. She was giggling, her face pressed against the glass as if she were on the world's biggest amusement ride.

Jay immediately panicked, clutching Kai’s arm so tightly that Kai could barely breathe. “Kai! What do we do?! Mia's gonna blast off into space!”

“Jay… I can’t—breathe—let go!” Kai managed to choke out, trying to pry Jay’s hands off his arm.

Jay was hyperventilating, still gripping Kai like his life depended on it. “She’s going to Mars, or worse, the moon! We’ll never see her again! What do we do?!”

Cole, trying to stay calm, watched the rocket climbing higher. “Alright, let’s think—how did she even get into a rocket? Where did she find a rocket? She's three!”

Kai, gasping for air as Jay finally let go of him, yelled into the sky. “MIA! Get back down here!”

As if she could hear him, Mia waved from the rocket window, her little voice faintly carrying on the wind. “Hi Kai! I goin’ to spaaace!”

Jay nearly fainted. “No! No! We have to stop her!”

Kai, regaining his composure, grabbed Jay and shook him slightly. “Calm down! We’re ninjas! We’ve stopped worse things than a toddler in a rocket!”

Cole, still stunned, added, “I mean… have we?”

Kai shot him a look. “Not helping, Cole.”

Jay pointed frantically at the sky, where the rocket was now soaring higher, trailing fire and smoke. “We don’t have time to figure this out! We need to get her back down!”

Cole rubbed his chin, thinking. “Alright, maybe I can use my earth powers to...uh... ground the rocket?”

Kai, already moving toward the van, shook his head. “We need to get to the launch site! That’s where the controls will be. Come on!”

Jay, still panicking, followed them, glancing nervously up at the sky. “I can’t believe Mia’s flying a rocket… We're doomed!”

When Kai, Jay, and Cole arrived at the launch site, they were greeted by a crowd of people standing around, looking up at the sky in absolute confusion. Engineers, security guards, and even tourists were gathered, all murmuring and pointing at the rocket that was now just a tiny speck in the atmosphere.

"Is... is that rocket supposed to be launching today?" one bewildered guard asked, scratching his head.

"No!" another engineer shouted, frantically scrolling through his tablet. "We didn’t have anything scheduled! This isn’t on any of the manifests!"

Jay, still out of breath, rushed over to the nearest engineer. "Our sister’s in that rocket! She’s three, and she stole it!"

The engineer blinked at Jay, clearly thinking he’d misheard. "What?"

Kai grabbed Jay by the shoulder and pulled him back. "What he means is, that rocket? Yeah, our little sister is in there and we need to stop it before she goes into space!"

The crowd looked even more confused, whispering amongst themselves.

"How does a three-year-old steal a rocket?" someone muttered.

"I... I don’t even know," Cole admitted, shaking his head. "But we need to find the control room, fast!"

An engineer, clearly still shocked, pointed toward a building nearby. "The main control center is that way, but… if she's already launched, there's not much we can—"

"We’re ninjas," Kai said with a grim determination. "We’ll figure it out."

As they sprinted toward the control center, the murmurs behind them grew louder.

"Did they say ninjas?"

"And their sister is in space?"

"This day just keeps getting weirder..."

When they burst into the control room, the trio found themselves facing a large console filled with blinking lights and screens displaying various data. But to their dismay, the piloting system was locked tight.

"Great, just great!" Jay exclaimed, slamming his fists against the console. "How are we supposed to stop this?!"

"Maybe there’s a code?" Cole suggested, glancing around for any clues.

"Or we could just brute force it!" Jay said, feeling reckless. Without waiting for a response, he jumped onto the console, trying to reach for the buttons.

"Jay, no!" Kai shouted, rushing forward just in time to catch him as he lost his balance. "What are you doing?!"

"Trying to save Mia!" Jay protested, flailing in Kai's grip. "Let me go! I can—"

"You're going to break something!" Kai argued, pulling him back to safety.

"Okay, okay, let’s think this through," Cole said, glancing at the screens again. "There has to be a way to override the system."

Suddenly, a loud alarm blared, and a voice crackled over the intercom. "Unauthorized launch detected. Engaging emergency protocols."

Jay’s eyes widened. "What does that mean?!"

"It means we have to hurry!" Kai replied. He noticed a panel to the side with a keypad. "Maybe we can find a manual override!"

As they rushed over, Cole scanned the area for any instructions. "There’s got to be a manual somewhere—"

"Found it!" Jay shouted, holding up a worn manual. But as he flipped it open, he realized it was all technical jargon.

Kai sighed, "This isn’t going to help. We need something simpler."

Suddenly, the screens flickered, and a countdown timer appeared: 10... 9...

"Guys, we’re out of time!" Cole yelled, panic rising in his voice. "What do we do?!"

"We have to find a way to unlock it, now!" Kai shouted, his mind racing. The situation was getting dire, and their little sister was still up there, unaware of the chaos she had caused.

As they burst into the control room, Kai grabbed Jay's hand, urgency fueling their movements. "Jay, you’re the only one here who knows how to disassemble stuff!"

Jay blinked, clearly confused. "What does 'disassemble' mean?"

Kai groaned inwardly, realizing Jay's focus was drifting. "You know, take things apart! Like your toys!"

"Oh, right!" Jay grinned, but his thoughts seemed elsewhere. "You mean like when we fixed that robot together? That was fun!"

Kai's patience was wearing thin. "Yes, but we don't have time for fun! We need to get Mia down from that rocket!"

Jay leaned closer, a mischievous glint in his eye. "So, you really think I’m good with my hands, huh?"

Kai rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the thing Jay was doing. "Focus, Jay! We need to unlock this control panel before she launches!"

"But you’re so cute when you’re stressed," Jay teased, inching closer.

Kai took a deep breath. "Seriously, this isn’t the time! Just look for something we can use to open this panel."

Jay pouted slightly but complied, scanning the room. "Fine, fine! But if I help, you owe me a cupcake later."

Kai didn't have time to argue. "Just find a way to get this open!"

As Jay rifled through the drawers, Kai felt his heart race—not just from the urgency of the situation, but from Jay's presence. Finally, Jay pulled out a small screwdriver. "I think this could work!"

"Great! Now hurry!" Kai urged, watching as Jay approached the panel.

With shaky hands, Jay began to work on the screws. "You know, if I disassemble this, maybe I can impress you more."

"Jay!" Kai snapped, but he couldn’t help but smile at his brother’s antics. "Just focus on getting it open!"

With a final twist, the panel popped open, revealing a chaotic array of wires and circuits. "Okay, now what?" Jay asked, eyes wide.

Kai pointed at a bright red button. "That’s the launch button! We have to disable it first."

Just then, the countdown ticked down to 5... and both brothers shared a worried glance. "We need to hurry!"

As they pressed the button, the rocket roared to life, surging forward with an alarming speed. Jay screamed and buried his face into Kai's shoulder, gripping him tightly.

"Kai! What have we done?! We're gonna lose her to outer space!" Jay wailed, panic lacing his voice.

"Jay, calm down!" Cole shouted from the back, trying to keep his composure amid the chaos. "We need to focus!"

"My sister is going to become an alien! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Jay's voice echoed, completely disregarding Cole's attempt to soothe him.

Kai tried to push Jay away gently, but Jay's grip was like a vice. "Jay, listen to me! We need to get control of this rocket before it’s too late!"

Jay continued to cling to Kai, his breathing rapid and shallow. "What if she turns green and starts speaking in some weird alien language?!"

Cole facepalmed, glancing at Kai. "I think the more pressing issue is stopping this rocket."

"Right! Jay, you need to help us!" Kai urged, prying Jay’s hands off him and forcing eye contact. "We can’t do this without you!"

Jay finally focused, his panic slightly subsiding. "Okay, okay! What do I do?"

"Look for anything that can help us override the launch!" Kai directed, pointing toward a series of blinking lights and screens.

Jay nodded, albeit still shaking slightly. "I’ll try!" He dashed to the control panel, his hands moving quickly across the buttons, scanning for anything that resembled an emergency stop.

"Just remember, if you see a big red button, don’t touch it!" Cole added, trying to lighten the mood.

Jay shot him a look. "Why would you say that? Now I want to press it!"

"Focus, Jay!" Kai urged again. "We need to divert the power!"

Jay's eyes widened as he slammed his hand down on the bright green button. Instantly, the rocket erupted with a deafening blast of music that could only be described as "Eardrum Death Punch." The bass thumped so hard it felt like it was shaking the walls of the control room.

"WHAT IS THIS?!" Jay screamed, clutching his ears. The sound was overwhelming, drowning out all rational thought.

Cole shouted over the cacophony, "That’s not helping! We need to find a way to stop the rocket, not start a concert!"

Kai winced, trying to think amidst the chaos. "Jay! Focus! Is there anything else there?"

Jay frantically scanned the panel, his heart racing. The music was so loud it was nearly impossible to think. "I can’t hear you! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" he yelled back, but his panic only grew.

Cole groaned, desperate. "Find something—anything that might be an off switch!"

"Wait!" Kai interrupted, spotting a small flashing red light next to the green button. "What’s that? It looks important!"

Jay squinted through the sound. "I don’t know! Should I push it?"

"Yes! Push it!" Kai shouted, feeling the urgency rise.

With a determined look, Jay reached for the red light, his finger trembling. As soon as he pressed it, the music stopped abruptly, replaced by an ominous beep.

The sudden silence was deafening, but before they could celebrate, an alarm blared, and the control panel lit up with warnings.

"Oh great," Kai said, panic returning. "What did we just do?"

"We’re going to blow up!" Jay shouted, his earlier confidence fading. "AHHHHH!"

Cole, trying to regain control of the situation, barked, "Focus! What do the lights mean? Is there a way to disarm whatever we just set off?"

Jay looked frantically at the panel, his mind racing. "There’s a manual here! It says something about entering a code to disable the launch!"

"Do you know the code?!" Kai asked, urgency lacing his voice.

Jay shook his head, panic overtaking him again. "No! I don’t know anything!"

"Okay, breathe!" Kai urged. "Let’s think—what’s the most basic code you can think of?"

"Umm… 1234?" Jay offered, glancing nervously at Kai.

Cole rolled his eyes but nodded. "It’s worth a shot. Try it!"

With shaking hands, Jay punched in the numbers. The screen flickered, and they all held their breath. After a tense moment, the beeping slowed, and a voice announced, "Launch sequence aborted."

They erupted in cheers, but the relief was short-lived as the rocket lurched violently.

"Uh oh," Kai muttered, gripping the panel. "What now?"

Before they could process it, they heard Mia’s giggle echoing through the speakers. "I’m not going to be an alien! I’m coming back!"

" After I visit Maws!*

Jay screamed.

Kai winced.

"MAWS?!" Jay yelled, his voice cracking with panic. "Mia, no! You can’t go there! It’s dangerous!"

Kai took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. "Mia, listen! You need to turn this rocket around right now!"

But all they heard was Mia’s playful laughter. "I wanna see the chocolate planets!"

Cole groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Great, now she thinks she’s on a field trip."

"She’s three! She doesn’t know what she’s doing!" Jay shouted, heart racing. "What if she actually tries to land?"

"We need to get her back to us!" Kai exclaimed, glancing at the control panel, which still flickered ominously. "Jay, can you communicate with her through the speakers?"

"Um, I think so?" Jay replied, hesitating. He pressed the intercom button. "Mia! You need to come back! It’s not safe!"

"Why not?" Mia’s voice came back, bubbly and carefree. "I wanna see the candy stars!"

Jay nearly facepalmed. "Mia, listen! If you don’t come back, we’ll have to come and get you, and that won’t end well for anyone!"

The intercom crackled, and Mia’s giggle faded. "Okay! But only if you promise to make me cupcakes when I get back!"

"Deal!" Kai shouted, his eyes wide with urgency. "Just get back here safely!"

There was a pause, then Mia’s voice chimed in, "I’m coming back! Hold on!"

Suddenly, the rocket jolted again, sending them all stumbling.

"Did she just turn it around?" Cole asked, barely keeping his balance.

"Let’s hope so!" Kai replied, glancing back at the panel. "We need to check if there’s a way to help her land safely."

Jay squinted at the controls. "There’s a button that says ‘Auto-Land’! Should I press it?"

"YES!" Kai and Cole shouted in unison.

Jay slammed his finger down on the button, and the rocket began to rumble as the automated system kicked in. "Please work, please work," he muttered.

As the rocket descended, the three of them held their breath, hoping Mia would actually make it back without any more surprises.

As the rocket settled onto the landing pad, the boys ran in.

To find it empty.

Jay’s heart raced with dread. “Oh no. You don’t think Mia’s on Maws, do you?” His voice trembled with panic.

Kai’s expression shifted from relief to concern. “I mean, she could be… but we have to check first!”

Jay groaned, running a hand through his hair. “Great. That’s just great! My sister, the three-year-old, is out there in space—possibly on an alien planet!”

Cole tried to maintain a semblance of calm. “Look, we can’t just sit here panicking. We need a plan.” He turned to the nearby astronauts, who had gathered around the rocket, clearly confused but ready to assist.

One of the astronauts, a tall man with a friendly smile, approached them. “Hey there, we overheard your situation. We’re here to help bring her back. What do you need?”

“Do you have a ship?” Kai asked, urgency in his tone. “We need to get to Maws!”

The astronaut nodded. “We have a small shuttle that can reach Maws quickly. But we need to prepare it for launch.”

Jay's anxiety bubbled over. “How long will that take? What if she gets into trouble?”

“Just a few minutes,” the astronaut assured him. “We can scan for her signal to ensure we’re headed in the right direction.”

“Please hurry!” Jay exclaimed, glancing at the empty rocket. “She can’t be alone out there.”

As the astronauts began their preparations, Kai, Jay, and Cole watched anxiously. They could see the hustle and bustle of the crew as they ran diagnostics and fueled the shuttle. Jay paced, his mind racing with worst-case scenarios.

“What if she meets actual aliens?” Jay pondered aloud, wringing his hands. “What if they don’t like her?”

“Jay, focus!” Kai snapped, trying to bring him back to the present. “We’ll get her back. We just have to stay calm.”

Cole added, “And remember, she’s resourceful. If anyone can charm their way out of a situation, it’s Mia.”

Just then, the shuttle’s engines roared to life. The lead astronaut approached them again. “Alright, we’re ready to go! You three can come with us. Let’s get your sister!”

They climbed aboard, the interior bright and sterile, filled with buttons and screens flashing data. Jay plopped into a seat, his heart racing. “What if she really is on Maws? What do we even do?”

Kai strapped himself in beside him. “We’ll figure it out when we get there. We’re a team, remember?”

The shuttle launched, piercing through the atmosphere and into the vastness of space. As they soared toward Maws, Jay stared out the window, the stars twinkling around them.

“Hang in there, Mia,” he whispered, hoping she could somehow hear him. “We’re coming.”