DumbassWriter17

And The_Sage_Ninja_Morro

Hi

" Mia?*

" Mhm?*

" Where's Emma?"

Mia looked at Annie, confused. " What do you mean?"

" I mean, she's not here."

" Are you sure she's not in her studio?"

Annie gave her a plain look. " Mia, our secret hideout may be really big, but it doesn't mean it's not easy to search. I searched this whole place and she's nowhere."

Mia stood up from the couch and turned the TV off. " Okay, okay. Let's split up and check one more time. She has to be somewhere."

" She is." Blackie said. " But not here."

Mia looked at the top of the fridge, where her black cat was staring at her phone. " What do you mean?"

" I mean that she's not in the hideout."

Annie looked at the cat. " Oh? Where is she?"

" Uh..... I can't tell for sure but.... It says she's on a plane."

" Plane?" Mia and Annie exchanged a look. " She doesn't have a flight booked for today, does she?"

Mia shook her head. " Nope. Unless....."

She gasped. " When was the last time you saw the car?!"

Annie's eyes widened, and Blackie grabbed Mia's phone in his mouth and jumped onto his owner's head. " If what you're saying is that I think you're saying...."

Mia brought her hand to Blackie's mouth, and he dropped the phone.

Mia unlocked it and checked the tracking app.

Then she groaned. " Oh no."

" What oh no?" Annie asked.

" Blackie's right. She's flying!"

" And out of the ozone layer is what this is showing." Blackie added

Annie sighed. " Oh no."

" Can you see her?" Mia asked as she and Blackie were glued to the screen of her phone, sitting outside on the grass

Annie was peering through her binoculars. " Nope."

Blackie licked his paw. " It won't be long before she calls."

True to his word, as soon as he finished, Mia's phone rang.

" Told you."

Mia answered the call. " Emma where are you?!"

" Mia!" Emma's cheerful voice came through. " Did you know Earth is both green AND blue? And Venus isn't that hot? Though I might advise for you to bring sunscreen."

Mia almost choked.

" You're ON Venus?!"

" Mhm. And I'm roasting s'mores."

"You're... roasting s'mores?" Mia repeated, her voice somewhere between disbelief and exasperation.

"Yup! Turns out the surface is kinda hot enough to toast marshmallows just right. I didn’t even need a fire!" Emma replied cheerfully, as if this were the most normal thing in the world.

Annie lowered her binoculars, her jaw dropping. "Mia, did she just say she's on Venus?"

"That's exactly what she said," Mia groaned, pressing a hand to her forehead. "Emma, how in the world did you even get there?!"

"Well," Emma began, "I was in the garage, and I noticed this totally cool-looking button on the side of the car. So, naturally, I pressed it, and—boom! Next thing I knew, I was in space!"

Blackie’s ears twitched. "You mean our car can go to space?"

"Apparently," Mia muttered, still processing the absurdity of the situation. "Emma, you can't just press random buttons! How are you even breathing there?"

"Oh, there was this fancy helmet thingy in the trunk. It fits great!" Emma said nonchalantly, as if this were the most logical explanation in the world. "Oh, and get this! I met a bunch of alien bunnies. They're super friendly!"

Mia blinked. "Alien bunnies?"

"Yeah! They hop around and glow! One of them even helped me set up my marshmallow stick!"

Annie snatched the phone from Mia. "Emma, listen to me very carefully. You need to get back here. Right now."

"But I'm having so much fun!" Emma protested. "Besides, I don't even know how to reverse the car."

"WHAT?!" Mia and Annie shouted in unison.

"Relax! I'll figure it out!" Emma assured them. "I think I just need to press a different button... or maybe two?"

"Emma," Blackie interjected, his tone sharp, "you'd better not break the car. Do you know how expensive that thing is?"

"Okay, okay! I'll try to get back. But if I don’t make it, just know that Venus is way cooler than anyone gives it credit for."

"Emma!" Mia yelled. "Don’t even joke about that!"

There was a muffled sound of shuffling and a sudden beeping noise.

"Uh-oh," Emma said.

"Uh-oh WHAT?!" Annie demanded.

"I think I pressed the wrong button... again."

"Emma, what’s happening?" Mia asked, her heart racing.

"Um... I might be heading to Saturn now. Don’t worry! I’ll send you pictures of the rings!"

And with that, the call disconnected.

Annie stared at the phone in stunned silence. "Did she just say Saturn?"

Mia groaned, falling back onto the grass. "We’re never getting that car back, are we?"

Blackie sighed. "I just hope she doesn’t crash it into an asteroid."

After five minutes of Annie pacing back and forth, muttering about alien bunnies and interplanetary traffic laws, and Mia absentmindedly stroking Blackie’s fur, the shrill sound of her phone ringing startled them both.

Mia snatched up the phone, her heart racing. "Emma?! Are you okay?"

"Hey, Mia!" Emma’s voice came through, still as cheerful as ever. "Good news and bad news. Which one do you want first?"

Mia exchanged a glance with Annie, who had stopped mid-pace to stare at the phone. "Bad news first," Mia said cautiously.

"Okay, so... I accidentally hit another button, and now I’m sort of... uh... floating somewhere between Jupiter and Saturn. And I might have attracted a bunch of sparkly space fish."

"Space fish?!" Annie shouted, throwing her arms up.

"Yeah, they’re super pretty! They glow, and one of them is kind of nibbling on the car’s antenna, but I think it’s harmless," Emma said casually, as though this were all completely normal.

"Emma, how is that good news?!" Mia exclaimed.

"Oh, that’s not the good news!" Emma corrected her. "The good news is I found the reverse button! So I think I can make it back now. Probably."

"Probably?" Blackie repeated, his tail flicking in irritation.

"Well, I’ve never driven a space car before, okay? It’s a learning experience!" Emma replied defensively.

Mia pinched the bridge of her nose. "Emma, listen to me. Press the reverse button now. And do not—do not—touch anything else!"

"Alright, alright! Geez, no need to yell," Emma said. "Hold on, I’m pressing it..."

There was a loud beep followed by a strange whirring sound.

"Uh-oh," Emma said after a moment.

"Emma, what now?!" Annie demanded, practically pulling her hair out.

"Well, the good news is I’m definitely moving. The bad news is... I think I’m going backward toward the sun."

"WHAT?!" Mia and Annie shouted in unison.

"Relax! I’ll figure it out!" Emma said, the sound of frantic button-pressing echoing through the phone.

Mia groaned, clutching her head. "We are never letting her near that car again."

Blackie sighed, hopping down from Mia’s lap. "At this rate, we might as well start planning a rescue mission."

"I swear, Emma," Annie muttered under her breath, "if we have to build a spaceship to come get you..."

"Hey, I’m doing my best here!" Emma protested. "Oh, wait, I see Earth! I think I’m getting closer!"

"Finally," Mia muttered, sitting back down. "Just... don’t do anything else until you land. Please."

"Got it!" Emma said. "Oh, and by the way, those space fish? They’re following me. So... if you see glowing things in the sky, don’t freak out!"

The line went dead again.

Annie stared at the phone in stunned silence. "Space fish? She brought space fish back to Earth?"

Mia sighed, flopping onto her back. "This is officially the weirdest day of my life."

Blackie nodded, curling up next to her. "And it’s far from over."

"Guys, you won't believe it!" Emma's voice crackled through the phone with her usual excitement.

Mia sighed, already bracing herself. "What now, Emma?"

"The sun isn’t really that hot!" Emma declared triumphantly.

Annie nearly dropped her binoculars. "What did she just say?"

"The sun," Emma repeated. "It's not that hot! Like, sure, it's warm, but I expected way more fire and melty stuff."

Mia's jaw dropped. "Emma, are you telling me you’re near the sun right now?!"

"Well, not too close," Emma said breezily. "But close enough to see it really well! Honestly, it’s kind of nice. Like, toasty—but not unbearable. Oh! And I’m roasting more marshmallows!"

"EMMA, GET AWAY FROM THE SUN!" Annie screamed, grabbing the phone from Mia. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW DANGEROUS THAT IS?!"

"Relax, Ann! I’m fine! The car has this super fancy heat shield. I barely even need the AC!" Emma replied, completely unbothered.

Mia rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. "Emma, the sun is literally a giant ball of nuclear fire. You can’t just treat it like it’s your backyard barbecue!"

"But the marshmallows are perfect," Emma argued. "And the view? Gorgeous. You guys should totally come check it out sometime!"

"Yeah, sure, we’ll just swing by the sun for a picnic," Mia muttered sarcastically.

Blackie snorted, his tail flicking. "At this rate, she’s going to tell us she found a beach on Mercury."

"Oh, funny you should say that!" Emma piped up. "Because I was just thinking about stopping by Mercury next! I hear it’s got some pretty cool craters."

"EMMA, NO!" Mia and Annie shouted at the same time.

"Okay, okay! Geez, you guys are no fun," Emma said with a pout in her voice. "Fine, I’ll start heading back. But I’m bringing some of these sun marshmallows with me!"

Annie groaned, handing the phone back to Mia. "She’s going to get us all grounded for life, I swear."

"Or banned from space travel forever," Mia muttered, shaking her head. "Emma, just get back here in one piece. And please, please don’t stop anywhere else on the way!"

"No promises!" Emma said cheerfully before hanging up.

Mia stared at the phone, half tempted to throw it. "Why are we friends with her again?"

Blackie yawned. "Because life would be boring without her."

As Mia rubbed her temples, trying to process the chaos, Jay strolled into the hideout with his usual relaxed grin.

"Hey, little sis," Jay said, glancing around at the frazzled trio. "What’s going on? You all look like you’ve been chased by a dragon."

Mia groaned, tossing the phone onto the couch. "Emma took the car to space, accidentally visited Venus, almost got roasted by the sun, and now she’s bringing back sun-roasted marshmallows. Oh, and space fish are following her."

Jay blinked. "Wait... what?"

"Exactly what it sounds like," Annie grumbled, throwing her hands up. "And now she’s thinking about visiting Mercury!"

Jay raised a brow. "I leave for, what, an hour? And you guys let Emma take the car to space?"

"We didn’t let her!" Mia snapped. "She just pressed random buttons and blasted off!"

Blackie leapt onto Jay’s shoulder, his tail flicking. "To be fair, you know how Emma is. This isn’t exactly out of character for her."

Jay chuckled. "True. But, uh... should we be worried about these space fish? Because that sounds like the start of an alien invasion movie."

Mia flopped onto the couch. "At this point, I’m worried about everything."

"Don’t worry," Jay said, ruffling Mia’s hair. "Big brother’s here to help. Worst case scenario, I’ll fly up there and drag her back myself."

"Sure, because that’ll make things so much better," Mia muttered sarcastically.

Jay smirked. "Hey, someone’s gotta keep her out of trouble. It’s a full-time job."

As Mia tried to explain the chaos to Jay, the door to the hideout burst open, and Kai, Lloyd, and Wu strode in, looking both bewildered and concerned.

"Okay, can someone explain this?" Kai said, holding up his phone. "We’ve been getting reports from Ninjago citizens claiming they saw a black-haired girl take off into space in some kind of flying car!"

Lloyd crossed his arms, giving Mia and Jay a pointed look. "You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Mia groaned and buried her face in her hands. "That’s Emma. She somehow turned the car into a spaceship and decided to explore the solar system."

"Emma?!" Kai exclaimed, his eyes widening. "What was she thinking?"

"She wasn’t," Annie muttered, pacing again. "She never does."

Wu stroked his beard thoughtfully. "This is no small matter. If the citizens are aware of her actions, it could cause panic. They might think it’s some kind of alien invasion."

"Alien invasion?" Blackie scoffed from Jay’s shoulder. "Oh no, that’s just the space fish following her. Nothing to worry about."

Lloyd blinked. "Space fish? Did you just say space fish?"

"Yup," Jay confirmed with a shrug. "Apparently, they glow and think the car is their leader now or something."

Wu sighed deeply. "This is most unusual, even for you all."

"Tell me about it," Mia grumbled. "Now we just have to wait for Emma to find her way back without crashing into Mercury or the sun."

Kai facepalmed. "You let her drive a car into space?"

"WE DIDN’T LET HER!" Mia and Annie shouted in unison.

Wu held up a hand to calm everyone. "Enough. What matters now is ensuring she returns safely—and that the citizens do not fear an intergalactic threat."

"Great," Lloyd muttered, rubbing his temple. "How do we explain this to everyone without sounding insane?"

Jay grinned. "Easy. We tell them it’s a top-secret ninja mission. Everyone trusts us, right?"

Kai rolled his eyes. "Sure, because ‘our friend accidentally flew to Venus and made friends with space fish’ will definitely sound legit."

Before anyone could respond, Mia’s phone buzzed with another call.

"Speak of the devil," Mia said, answering it. "Emma, where are you now?"

Emma’s cheerful voice came through. "Oh, hey guys! Quick update: I’m totally fine, but, uh... the space fish are getting a little clingy. They’re asking if they can visit Earth too."

Wu raised a brow. "We may have a larger problem on our hands."

" Also I'm making snow angels on Neptune."

Mia’s jaw tightened as she gripped the phone. "Emma, did you just say… Neptune?!"

"Yup!" Emma replied cheerfully. "The snow here is amazing! I’m making a snow angel right now. It’s so soft and sparkly!"

"NEPTUNE?!" Annie screeched, practically yanking the phone from Mia. "How in the world did you even get there?!"

"Oh, I just hit a few buttons, and whoosh, here I am!" Emma explained. "Don’t worry, the car’s holding up great. And did you know Neptune’s winds are super strong? It’s like being in a snow globe!"

Jay snorted. "You mean the deadliest planet in the solar system is your new playground?"

Emma huffed. "It’s not that bad! It’s kind of refreshing, actually. And I think I saw a couple of friendly aliens waving at me!"

Lloyd blinked. "Aliens? On Neptune?"

"Yup!" Emma chirped. "They’re blue and have three eyes. Oh, and they’re super curious about the marshmallows I brought from the sun."

Kai groaned, running a hand through his hair. "This is getting out of hand. What’s next? She’s going to tame a black hole?"

"Don’t give her ideas!" Mia snapped, rubbing her temples.

"Relax, guys," Emma said, her voice echoing over the line as if she were twirling in circles. "I’ll head back soon. I just need a few more minutes to finish my snow angel."

"Emma," Wu said calmly but firmly, stepping closer to Mia’s phone. "You need to return to Earth immediately. The citizens are already concerned about your unexpected departure. We cannot afford any more… interplanetary incidents."

Emma paused. "Oh, fine. But can I bring back some of this snow? It’s so sparkly!"

"No!" everyone shouted in unison.

Emma sighed dramatically. "Alright, alright. I’m coming back. But if the aliens follow me, it’s not my fault!"

The call disconnected, leaving the room in stunned silence.

Kai was the first to speak. "She’s bringing aliens now?!"

Lloyd threw up his hands. "Great. First space fish, now alien tourists. This is just what Ninjago needs."

Blackie yawned from Jay’s shoulder. "If she lands on the wrong continent, I’m not helping."

Jay smirked. "I kind of want to see her try to explain this to Master Wu when she gets back."

Wu sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I fear the explanation will be… as chaotic as her journey."

Ten minutes of silence passed before Mia’s phone buzzed again. She groaned, already dreading what Emma had gotten into this time.

"Let me guess," Mia muttered as she answered the call. "You’re on Jupiter now?"

"Nope!" Emma’s voice rang with excitement. "I found a new galaxy! And a new planet! You guys wouldn’t believe the colors here—it’s like a rainbow exploded everywhere!"

The room fell silent for a moment before Annie exploded.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" she shouted, pacing furiously. "A NEW GALAXY?! HOW DO YOU EVEN FIND A NEW GALAXY IN TEN MINUTES?!"

Emma, unfazed, replied, "I just pressed a few more buttons. Turns out the car has some warp drive thingy. Super handy!"

Annie was practically tearing her hair out. "YOU ARE LITERALLY BREAKING THE LAWS OF PHYSICS, EMMA!"

Jay leaned against the wall, smirking. "To be fair, she’s been doing that since she left Earth."

Lloyd held up a hand to stop Annie before she could scream again. "Okay, Emma, focus. What’s this planet like?"

"Oh, it’s gorgeous!" Emma replied, her voice filled with awe. "The sky is purple, the grass glows, and the rivers are made of something shiny. Oh! And there are floating rocks everywhere!"

"Floating rocks?!" Mia echoed, rubbing her temples. "Emma, you need to come back before you—"

"Wait, wait!" Emma interrupted. "I think the locals want to say hi. They’re, uh… really tall and kind of sparkly? Oh no, one of them is holding out what looks like a snack. Should I eat it?"

"NO!" everyone in the room screamed at once.

Emma huffed. "You guys are no fun. Fine, I won’t eat it. But they look friendly! Maybe I should invite them to Earth?"

Blackie, perched on Mia’s lap, flicked his tail in irritation. "First space fish, now sparkly aliens? Does this girl have any sense of boundaries?"

Annie grabbed the phone, her voice frantic. "Emma, listen to me! You need to get back here now! No more planets, no more galaxies, no more interstellar detours!"

Emma sighed. "Alright, alright. I’ll head back. But I’m bringing some of this glowing grass with me. It’ll look great in my studio!"

"EMMA, NO!" Annie screamed, but the line went dead before she could say more.

Mia slumped onto the couch, exhausted. "This is never going to end, is it?"

Jay grinned, patting her shoulder. "Probably not. But hey, at least it’s never boring."

Five minutes later, Mia’s phone buzzed again. She didn’t even bother looking at it before answering with a resigned, "Where are you now, Emma?"

"You’re not going to believe this!" Emma’s excited voice rang through the speaker. "I’m on Pluto! And I found the perfect slopes for skiing!"

Annie, who had just sat down, immediately shot up. "WHAT?! HOW ARE YOU SKIING ON PLUTO?! IT’S A DWARF PLANET MADE OF ICE AND ROCK!"

"Exactly!" Emma replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Perfect skiing conditions! Oh, and I think I saw a snowman. Or maybe it’s an alien in disguise. Either way, it’s adorable!"

Mia groaned, covering her face with her hands. "Emma, Pluto is literally -375 degrees Fahrenheit. HOW are you even alive right now?"

"Oh, I cranked up the car’s heating system. It’s super cozy in here!" Emma said cheerfully. "Plus, I made a new friend—a tiny alien who’s really good at snowboarding. He’s giving me tips!"

Blackie leapt onto the armrest, his ears flattened in irritation. "If she brings home an alien snowboarder, I’m moving out."

Jay laughed. "Come on, Blackie, you’d look great with an alien roommate."

"Not funny, Jay!" Mia snapped, glaring at her brother.

Lloyd folded his arms, looking increasingly concerned. "Emma, you need to come back before you run out of oxygen, crash the car, or—"

"Wait, wait!" Emma interrupted. "Oh no! The alien just wiped out on a slope. Gotta help him—talk later, guys!"

The call disconnected.

Annie stared at the phone in disbelief. "SHE’S HELPING AN ALIEN SNOWBOARDER?!"

Kai groaned. "She’s going to cause an intergalactic incident, isn’t she?"

Mia slumped back into the couch. "At this point, I’m just waiting for her to declare herself the ruler of the solar system."

Jay smirked. "Give it another ten minutes. I’m sure she’s working on it."

Two minutes later, Mia’s phone buzzed again. She reluctantly picked it up, bracing herself for whatever Emma had to say.

"Uh... guys?" Emma’s voice came through, sounding unusually sheepish.

Mia frowned. "Emma, what now?"

"Could you, uh… send me some clothes?" Emma asked hesitantly.

Annie threw her hands in the air. "WHAT?! How do you even lose your clothes on PLUTO?!"

Emma’s voice was defensive. "Hey! It’s not my fault! The alien snowboarder challenged me to a race, and I might’ve... gotten caught in a gust of icy wind. Long story short, my coat and scarf are somewhere on Pluto’s slopes."

Jay burst out laughing. "So, you’re skiing on Pluto in, what, a spacesuit?"

"Not even that," Emma admitted quietly.

Mia’s jaw dropped. "You’re telling me you’re skiing on Pluto, in sub-zero temperatures, without clothes?!"

"Well, I still have my boots!" Emma offered brightly.

Blackie stared at the phone, horrified. "This girl defies all logic and survival instincts."

"Emma!" Annie screeched. "HOW are you not frozen solid?!"

Emma paused. "Oh, I think the car’s heating system is still working, and the alien gave me a glowing blanket. It’s super warm and shiny! But yeah, I could really use a sweater."

Mia facepalmed. "Emma, we can’t send you clothes! You’re on PLUTO!"

"Oh," Emma said, as if realizing this for the first time. "Well, that’s inconvenient. Guess I’ll just wrap myself in the alien blanket and ski back to the car. Be right back!"

Before anyone could respond, the line went dead.

Kai blinked. "I’ve heard some insane stories, but this? This takes the cake."

Lloyd sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don’t know whether to be impressed or concerned."

Mia groaned, throwing her phone onto the couch. "At this rate, we’ll have to send a rescue team to Pluto just to bring her home."

Blackie curled up on Mia’s lap, grumbling. "Good luck with that. I’m staying right here."

Two minutes later, Mia's phone buzzed once again. She reluctantly answered, already knowing the chaos would continue.

"Uh, guys?" Emma's voice came through, sounding a bit more frantic this time.

Mia rubbed her temples. "What now, Emma?"

"I can’t find the car!" Emma exclaimed. "I’ve been skiing around the slopes, but I’m pretty sure I took a wrong turn or something, and now… it’s gone!"

"YOU’RE TELLING ME YOU LOST THE CAR ON PLUTO?!" Annie yelled, her voice a mix of disbelief and frustration.

"Hey, it’s not that easy to keep track of a car on a tiny frozen planet," Emma defended. "I was distracted by the alien snowboarding competition, and now I have no idea where the car went!"

Jay snorted. "Of course. How could you possibly not notice the car disappearing while racing aliens in space?"

Annie facepalmed. "You’ve got to be kidding me."

"Hold on, guys!" Emma said quickly, as if she’d just had an idea. "I’m going to try using the car’s GPS to find it. It’s gotta be around here somewhere."

Mia groaned. "You mean the GPS that’s probably set to your location on Pluto, with no connection to Earth?"

"Uh... yeah, that," Emma admitted sheepishly. "But I’m sure it’ll work out!"

"You’re going to have to find your way back, Emma!" Annie warned, pacing again. "You can’t just wander around Pluto forever!"

Mia glanced around at the others. "This is turning into an interplanetary scavenger hunt."

Blackie sighed, curling his tail around his paws. "If she ends up in another galaxy, I’m not even going to be surprised anymore."

The phone line crackled as Emma’s voice returned. "Okay, okay. I think I might’ve found the car! I’m going to try to catch up to it, but I’ll let you know if I get stuck in a crater again!"

Before anyone could respond, the call cut off again.

"Stuck in a crater?!" Lloyd exclaimed, shaking his head. "At this point, we should just send her a guidebook on how to survive space travel."

Jay chuckled. "Emma doesn’t need a guidebook. She’s already making her own rules."

Annie rubbed her face in exasperation. "I just want my best friend back on Earth!"

Mia sighed. "At this rate, we might have to go up there and bring her back ourselves."

An hour later, Mia's phone buzzed once more. This time, she didn’t even need to look at the caller ID. She knew who it was.

"Emma…" Mia began, already dreading the conversation.

"Hey, guys!" Emma’s voice was cheerfully oblivious. "So, funny thing… I’m ten planets away from Pluto now!"

Mia’s eye twitched. "Ten planets?! How in the world—"

"Well, you know, I was just following the car’s GPS, and I think I might’ve hit the ‘acceleration’ button by accident," Emma explained nonchalantly. "So now I’m in a new galaxy. But hey, the view here is amazing! You should see the stars—they’re so bright!"

"You’re TEN PLANETS AWAY!" Annie screamed, her hands pulling at her hair in utter disbelief. "You accidentally accelerated to a whole new solar system?!"

"Yep!" Emma said with a giggle. "I might have made a wrong turn at the asteroid belt, but I’m sure I’ll find my way back. Don’t worry about me. I’m in a place where everything is orange. It’s like Earth, but with more... orange!"

Mia shook her head. "Okay, seriously, Emma. What do you mean 'everything is orange'? Are you on an orange planet or just in a really weird space suit?"

"Nope, the whole planet is orange! The ground, the sky, even the trees! Well, they might not be trees, actually, because they keep floating, but the locals call them ‘hover-fronds.’ Pretty cool, huh?"

Mia pinched the bridge of her nose. "You’re on a floating tree planet and you’re still skiing in a space suit, aren’t you?"

"Yup!" Emma confirmed brightly. "I also made friends with an orange alien who says I should try their local food. It looks like soup, but it’s made of rock. I’m trying it now. It’s... actually not bad?"

Blackie jumped up onto Mia’s lap, ears flicking in annoyance. "This is insane. She’s a walking disaster in space."

"Tell me about it," Mia muttered, staring at her phone in disbelief. "What’s next, Emma? Are you going to join a space circus?"

"I thought about it," Emma responded thoughtfully, "but I’m still trying to figure out the hover-skating competition happening in the next galaxy. Anyway, I’ll check in later! I think I found the car... or maybe it’s just another orange alien with a shiny thing. Who knows?"

The call ended abruptly, leaving everyone in stunned silence.

Annie slammed her hand against the table. "I’m going to build a teleporter for the next time Emma decides to ‘explore’ the universe."

Mia sighed deeply. "We might need to send a rescue team to retrieve her from the entire solar system."

Jay smirked. "I don’t think that’s going to be enough. She’s probably exploring other galaxies by next week."

"Great," Annie muttered, sinking into a chair. "At this rate, she’s going to start claiming planets as her own."

Unfortunately, just as the group started to process the chaos, Mia’s phone buzzed again. She answered with a sigh, already knowing it was Emma.

"Hey, guys!" Emma’s voice rang through, unusually excited. "So, I have some news! I made a planet!"

Mia blinked in disbelief. "You made a planet? Emma, that’s... physically impossible!"

"Well, not if you have a really cool space suit and a lot of determination!" Emma said proudly. "I used some of the hover-fronds I found and... bam, a brand new planet! It’s got everything—hovering mountains, fluffy clouds, and some super cool bioluminescent flowers! It’s perfect!"

"And what did you name this new planet?" Annie asked, sounding more than a little exasperated.

"I named it ‘Cat-tropolis!’" Emma exclaimed, as if it were the most obvious choice in the world. "The locals loved it!"

Mia’s eyebrows shot up. "Locals? What locals? There’s no way you—"

"Yep! The locals are cats!" Emma cut in cheerfully. "Big, small, and talking, too! They all wear little space helmets and live in fancy floating cities. They were really excited when I told them I was their queen."

"What?!" Mia, Annie, and Blackie all shouted in unison.

"Yeah, they’re super friendly! They’ve got a whole space culture based around naps, snacks, and laser pointers. I might have gotten a little carried away and promised to help them build a nap kingdom with a few thousand space cushions." Emma giggled. "But they seem to love the idea!"

Mia stared at her phone, open-mouthed. "Emma... you’ve created a planet, crowned yourself queen, and surrounded yourself with talking cats... and you think this is okay?!"

"They’re adorable, Mia!" Emma protested. "One of them tried to teach me how to speak 'meow', and the others gave me a crown made of space cheese. It’s a pretty great deal so far."

"Space cheese," Blackie muttered, "Of course. Why wouldn’t it be cheese?"

"Well, to be fair, I’m going to need a few more supplies before I can rule properly. Do you guys think you could send me some space snacks? I’m running out of actual food and the cats only seem to eat glowberries."

Mia let out a long, exhausted sigh. "You’ve got to be kidding me. First you lose your clothes on Pluto, and now you’re living on a planet made of naps and space cheese. What’s next, Emma?"

"I might try a new galaxy for dinner," Emma said casually. "Oh! And the cats gave me a spaceship to fly around in! It’s pretty cute, I think I’ll name it the ‘Meow-sterprise.’"

Annie let out a groan. "She’s a space queen with her own spaceship and a planet full of talking cats…"

Mia slowly turned to Blackie. "What do you think? Are we going to have to rescue her from the ‘Cat-tropolis’ throne?"

Blackie narrowed his eyes. "Not if the locals keeps feeding her that space cheese."

Mia slumped back into her seat, feeling the weight of the universe press down on her. "I can't even... just, I’m out."

Jay chuckled from the doorway. "Well, at least we know where Emma's vacation is. When does she want to come home?"

"Probably when the cats demand a new space-furniture line," Mia muttered.