Emma blinked, confused. "Wait... we’re stranded?"

Mia groaned and covered her face with her hands. "Oh, for the love of..."

Annie sighed. " Yes.*

Emma stayed silent for a second, then let out a scream.

Annie rushed to her side, covering her mouth, while Mia was shaking her head.

Emma's muffled scream echoed through Annie's hand as she frantically tried to calm her down. "Emma, it’s going to be okay!" Annie said, her voice soothing but firm. "We’ll figure this out, but freaking out isn’t going to help!"

Mia, still shaking her head, sat up from her spot on the deck. "Told you this would happen. Why do you think we didn’t tell her in the first place?"

Emma pushed Annie’s hand away and took a deep breath, though her eyes were wide with panic. "We’re stranded in the middle of the ocean! How is this not a big deal?! What if we’re stuck here forever? What if nobody finds us? What if—"

"Emma!" Mia interrupted, holding her hands up. "Breathe. Please. Just... breathe."

Emma stared at Mia for a moment, her chest heaving, but she eventually followed Mia’s advice, taking deep, shaky breaths until she finally calmed down.

"Okay," Mia said, leaning against the railing. "Now that you're done freaking out, we need to stay calm and think. We’ll figure something out."

Annie nodded in agreement. "We just need to stay put for now. The coastguard will eventually notice we’re not where we’re supposed to be, right?"

Emma frowned, looking at her friends. "But what if they don’t? What if we drift further out to sea?"

Mia shot her a look. "Not helping, Em."

Emma quickly silenced herself again, wrapping her blanket tighter around her shoulders and sitting down with her sketchpad, though her hands were trembling now.

"Look," Annie said, trying to sound confident. "There has to be something we can do. Maybe a passing ship will see us, or we’ll figure out how to rig a signal somehow."

Mia nodded, even though she wasn’t entirely convinced. "Yeah, let’s just wait for morning. Maybe things will look better in the daylight."

They all sat in uneasy silence, listening to the waves and staring up at the cloudy sky. The once-magical night, filled with the beauty of the Blue Supermoon, now felt tense and uncertain.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Mia spoke again, her voice unusually quiet. "Okay, worst-case scenario... we’re stuck out here for a while. But we have food, water, and blankets. We can survive a few days, easy."

Emma, still hugging her knees, nodded weakly. "Yeah, I guess we can."

Annie sighed, sitting back down next to them. "And at least we’re together, right?"

Mia cracked a small smile. "Yeah, together. Plus, if worse comes to worst, maybe we can use that rubber chicken to send a message in a bottle."

Few minutes later, Emma leaned against Mia, her eyelids drooping as exhaustion finally began to overtake her. Mia rested her head back against the wall of the boat, stifling a yawn. Annie, ever the responsible one, clapped her hands gently. "Alright, bedtime, everyone!" she declared, standing up and stretching her arms.

Mia nodded in agreement, and the two of them worked together to lay out the blankets on the floor of the boat. Emma was already halfway asleep, barely able to keep her eyes open as Mia kissed her on the forehead and tucked her in snugly. Annie handed Emma a stuffed cat, and Emma muttered sleepily, “Hope Morro’s taking good care of Chico…”

Just then, Blackie strolled out from the control room, tail flicking lazily. "What’s all the shenanigans about?" he asked, his voice low and inquisitive.

Mia smiled, shaking her head softly. "We'll explain in the morning, Blackie," she whispered. "But for now, go cuddle with Emma. She might need you tonight."

Blackie let out a small "hmph" but padded over to Emma, curling up next to her on a pillow. Emma smiled in her sleep, her arm instinctively wrapping around Blackie.

Mia lay down beside Blackie, cuddling her stuffed orca, feeling the soft fabric against her cheek. Annie, on the other side, hugged her own stuffed rabbit close, pulling the blanket over her shoulders as the boat swayed gently with the rhythm of the ocean.

The night was peaceful as they settled in, surrounded by the gentle sounds of the waves. Mia closed her eyes, drifting off into sleep, feeling the warmth of Blackie by her side and the soft lull of the sea. Despite everything, in that quiet moment, it felt like they would be alright.

When Mia woke up, the soft pitter-patter of rain on the boat's deck had turned into a steady downpour. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and dark clouds loomed overhead. She groaned and sat up, rubbing her eyes. The once calm sea was now choppy, and the boat rocked gently, but steadily.

Annie was already awake, scrambling around to drag the blankets and supplies inside, trying to keep everything from getting soaked. “Come on, Mia, help me get this stuff inside before it’s ruined!” she called out over the noise of the rain.

Blackie, despite his distaste for water, was helping in his own way, nudging the lighter things like the stuffed animals inside the cabin with his nose. He muttered under his breath, "This is no weather for a cat, I tell ya," but continued helping nonetheless.

Mia quickly shook off her grogginess and noticed Emma, still sound asleep, lying in the rain. The storm hadn’t woken her. "Emma, wake up!" Mia called softly, but Emma didn’t stir. With a sigh, Mia bent down and carefully lifted her, Emma's limp form resting heavily in her arms.

“Geez, she sleeps like a rock,” Mia muttered as she carried her friend into the cabin. The rain had soaked both of them, and Mia could feel the cold bite of the wind as she hurried inside, shielding Emma from the worst of it.

Once inside, Mia laid Emma down on one of the now-dry blankets and looked up to see Annie pushing the last of their gear inside. The storm outside was intensifying, lightning flashing across the sky, followed by more rumbles of thunder. They were safe for now, but it was clear the weather wasn’t going to let up anytime soon.

"That was close," Annie said, wiping the rain from her face as she plopped down beside them. "Thanks, Blackie, for helping out."

Blackie, who had jumped onto a dry chair to avoid the water, gave a nonchalant flick of his tail. "Of course. But next time, try not to wake me up during a storm."

Mia chuckled tiredly, sitting down beside Emma, who was still sound asleep despite everything. She pulled a blanket over herself and Emma, wrapping it tightly to keep warm. "At least we're all inside now," she said, listening to the rain hammer against the roof of the boat.

Blackie padded over to them, his fur still slightly damp from his efforts earlier. He jumped up onto Mia’s lap, giving her a look that said he was none too pleased with the situation.

"Where is my food?" he demanded in his usual sassy tone.

Mia blinked at him, then groaned. "Blackie, we're stranded at sea with no gas, and you're worried about food?"

Blackie gave an indignant flick of his tail. "Sheesh, I wasn’t expecting gourmet, but a cat has his needs." Then, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, he added, "Besides, I’ve got some. I stashed a whole stack in the closet."

Both Mia and Annie looked at him in disbelief. "You... what?" Annie asked, incredulously.

With a proud smirk, Blackie jumped down and sauntered over to a small closet near the back of the cabin. Using his paw, he nudged the door open, revealing a surprisingly well-stocked pile of cat food. It was as if Blackie had been planning for a situation like this all along.

Mia's jaw dropped. "Blackie, you're unbelievable!" she exclaimed, laughing as she scooped him up into her arms and twirled around the small cabin with him.

"Of course I am," Blackie replied smugly, though his eyes half-closed as he enjoyed the warmth of Mia's hug.

Annie chuckled from the sidelines. "Looks like we won’t starve, at least not the cat."

Mia spun one more time with Blackie before setting him down gently. "Well, at least we have something to laugh about while we wait for help," she said, shaking her head fondly at Blackie, who was already making his way to his food stash.

Two hours later, Emma stirred awake, blinking sleepily as she sat up and stretched. "Hi, girls!" she greeted groggily, rubbing her eyes. "Why are we inside?" She looked around in confusion. "And where did Blackie get that food from?"

Mia and Annie exchanged amused glances.

"Well..." Mia began, trying to hold back a grin, "you slept through quite a storm, and we had to drag you inside so you wouldn’t get soaked."

Annie nodded, chuckling. "As for Blackie, our clever little cat apparently had his own secret stash of food hidden in the closet the whole time."

Emma's eyes widened, and she looked over at Blackie, who was happily munching on his food, seemingly without a care in the world. "Wait, what? Blackie had food this whole time?" she asked, incredulous.

"Yep," Mia replied, crossing her arms. "He probably planned better than we did."

Blackie, between bites, looked up and casually said, "A cat’s gotta be prepared, you know."

Emma shook her head in disbelief, smiling. "Well, I guess it’s good to have someone like Blackie around." She looked out the window, noticing the skies were still cloudy but calmer than before. "So… any updates on how we're getting home?"

Mia sighed, leaning back against the wall. "Still no signal, but we’ll figure something out."

" We'd better," Annie said as she looked out the window. " We can't survive on melted ice."

Mia rolled her eyes and held up a hand.

Nothing came.

" Wha....?" She said,. trying harder.

Nothing.

" We must not be in the range for you to get stuff." Emma said

" Thanks for the update, Einstein."

Emma looked confused. " But ..... I'm a girl. And I don't have white hair.*

Mia groaned, rubbing her temples in frustration. "Emma... it's a figure of speech."

Annie chuckled softly from where she was seated, still gazing out the window at the now-calmer waves. "Emma, she means 'Einstein' as in someone smart. She wasn’t saying you’re literally the guy with white hair."

"Oh," Emma said, blinking as the realization set in. "I get it now. Sorry, Mia."

Mia sighed and smiled. "It’s okay, Em. Just... focus on something else, alright?"

Emma, still slightly embarrassed, nodded. "Yeah, I can do that." She picked up her sketchpad again, retreating to her favorite way of calming down.

Meanwhile, Annie sighed again, looking out at the endless horizon. "Mia’s right though. We’ll figure something out soon."

Blackie, now finished with his meal, walked over to Mia and sat next to her. "Any other brilliant plans you’ve got in that brain of yours?" he asked in his usual sassy tone.

Mia rolled her eyes again, but this time with a smirk. "Not unless you’ve got some way to magically summon a rescue, Blackie."

"Well, if I had opposable thumbs, I’d be steering us back to shore right now," Blackie said with a flick of his tail.

Annie snickered, and Mia let out a small laugh despite the situation. "Well, we’ll just have to make do without your magical thumb powers, then," Mia teased.

Emma, absorbed in her sketch, softly muttered, "I think we’ll be okay. We’ve got each other."

Annie and Mia both looked at her, and for a moment, the tension eased.

"Yeah," Mia said softly, nodding. "We do."

As the storm raged on outside, the boat rocked violently, its hull creaking and groaning under the strain of the turbulent waters. Inside, Mia, Annie, Emma, and Blackie were huddled together, trying to stay calm amid the chaos.

Emma, still wrapped in her blanket and clutching her sketchpad, had been sketching absently when the boat began to bob up and down in the choppy waves. She glanced up, confusion clouding her features. "Guys? Are we in a washing machine or something?"

Mia, hanging onto the wall to keep her balance, glanced at Emma. "Not quite. It’s just the storm making the boat move like this."

Emma frowned, still not quite comprehending the full extent of their situation. The boat pitched and rolled, sending her sketchpad sliding across the floor. She looked around in disbelief as the room seemed to spin. "And why are we on a merry-go-round?"

Annie, trying to steady herself by gripping the edge of the table, looked over at Emma with a mix of concern and amusement. "Emma, we’re not on a merry-go-round. We’re just being tossed around by the storm."

Emma’s eyes widened as she tried to find a stable spot. "So we’re not going in circles?"

Mia shook her head, barely able to suppress a chuckle as she tried to navigate through the chaos. "No, Emma. We’re just getting thrown around by the waves. The boat isn’t actually spinning."

Emma continued to look around in disorientation. "But everything is moving so fast! It’s like we’re in some kind of crazy amusement park ride."

Annie winced as the boat took a particularly violent roll, causing her to stumble. "It feels like that, but it’s really just the weather. We need to hold on and stay calm."

Emma looked out the small window, her face reflecting a mix of awe and confusion as the storm clouds and lightning flashed outside. "Wow, it’s like we’re inside a giant snow globe being shaken around."

Mia gave a small laugh, trying to ease the tension. "I guess you could put it that way, Emma. But let’s not get too distracted. We need to focus on staying safe."

Despite the unsettling conditions, Emma tried to focus on her sketching again, but the constant movement made it nearly impossible. The sketchpad slipped from her hands, and she gave up, clutching her blanket more tightly.

Meanwhile, Blackie, who had been quietly observing the scene, finally spoke up. "Maybe next time, we should try a vacation without all the weather drama."

Mia looked down at him, shaking her head. "Yeah, I think that’s a great idea."

As the boat continued to sway and pitch, Emma’s occasional comments about their "amusement park ride" provided a strange but comforting distraction from the storm’s fury. Despite the dire situation, her lighthearted observations helped the group stay grounded, even if only for a moment.

A very small moment.

The storm finally subsided a few hours later, leaving behind a calm sea and a sky that was beginning to clear. Mia, Annie, and Emma emerged from their shelter inside the boat, their expressions a mix of relief and exhaustion. Blackie, who had also endured the storm, looked up at them with a resigned meow.

Mia, determined to find out their exact location, fumbled with the boat's tracking device. Her fingers shook slightly as she entered the coordinates and waited for the results. The device beeped and displayed a series of numbers that made her heart skip a beat.

"Uh, guys..." Mia's voice was trembling as she read the display. "We're in the middle of nowhere. Home is... 4,738,373,929,383,638 miles away."

Annie’s eyes widened as she looked over Mia’s shoulder. "What?! That can’t be right!"

Emma, who had been trying to sort out the scattered supplies, turned her attention to Mia. "What does that even mean?"

Mia took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "It means we’re extremely far from home. We’re probably somewhere in the vast ocean, and we’ve got a massive distance to cover."

Annie felt her knees go weak and had to lean against the wall for support. "So, what do we do now?"

Mia tried to mask her panic with a forced calmness. "We need to figure out a plan. We’ll have to try and signal for help or find a way to navigate back to land."

Emma looked out at the now serene sea, her previous comments about amusement park rides fading in seriousness. "And how are we supposed to do that? We don't have much in the way of navigation tools."

Mia rubbed her temples, her mind racing. "We have to use whatever we can. We can try using the radio again, set up distress signals, or even try to reach out to other ships if they’re in range."

Blackie padded over and nudged Mia with his head, sensing her distress. "We’ll figure it out," he said, his tone unexpectedly soothing. "Let’s focus on what we can do."

Mia nodded, feeling slightly reassured. "Right. Let’s get organized. Annie, you keep trying the radio and distress signals. Emma, gather up any supplies we might need. I’ll start plotting a course using the stars."

" But it's day." Emma replied, confused.

Mia sighed. " Using the tracker?"

' ohhhhh."

Suddenly, something rang in her pocket . Mia’s heart skipped a beat as her phone rang. She glanced at the screen, and her eyes widened. "It’s Jay!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling with a mixture of hope and relief.

Annie and Emma looked at her, their expressions quickly shifting from confusion to excitement. "Jay?!" Emma repeated, her eyes sparkling.

Mia answered the call, trying to keep her voice steady. "Jay? Is that you?"

On the other end, Jay’s voice came through, filled with concern. "Mia? Are you okay? Where are you?"

Mia’s eyes brimmed with tears of joy. She turned to Annie and Emma, waving her arms excitedly. "Girls! My brother is alive!"

The boat erupted in cheers and shouts of happiness. Emma jumped up, hugging Blackie, who meowed in surprise. Annie spun around in circles, almost knocking over a pile of supplies, and both of them kissed Mia on the cheeks, their excitement palpable.

Jay’s voice crackled over the phone, slightly bewildered by the commotion. "Uh, Mia? Are you there?"

Mia quickly refocused, her face glowing with excitement. "Jay! Oh my goodness, it’s you! Where are you? I wanna hug you so bad!"

Jay’s voice carried a note of gentle amusement. "Mia, where are you? We need to find you."

Mia’s face fell slightly as she looked around at the boat. "Uh... that’s the thing. We don’t know."

There was a brief pause on the other end, and then they heard a loud, familiar voice in the background. Kai’s voice boomed with disbelief. "WHAT?!"

Jay's tone grew more serious. "What do you mean you don’t know where you are?"

Mia’s face turned serious as she looked at her surroundings. "We’ve drifted too far, and we can’t get a signal. We’re trying to figure out how to get back."

Jay’s voice was filled with determination. "Alright, listen. We’ll figure this out. Don’t worry. We’re coming to get you. Just stay put and try to keep the line open."

Mia’s tears of joy turned into a mixture of relief and worry. "Thank you, Jay. We’ll do our best."

As she ended the call, Annie and Emma gathered around her, their faces still flushed with happiness. "We’re going to be okay," Annie said, her voice steady despite the chaos.

Emma nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! Jay and Kai are coming for us!"

Mia hugged her friends tightly, feeling a renewed sense of hope. "Let’s get ready. We’ll need to make sure we’re prepared for when they arrive."

As the distant hum of the ice chopper grew louder, Mia, Annie, and Emma stood on the deck, their eyes scanning the horizon. The chopper's approach was a beacon of hope, cutting through the lingering tension of their days at sea. Finally, the massive machine touched down, its powerful blades whipping the air.

The moment the chopper landed, Jay was the first to jump out, his face a mix of relief and concern. Mia didn’t hesitate. She ran towards him, her heart pounding. “I love you, Jay! It’s you!” she cried, enveloping him in a tight hug.

Jay returned the embrace, his voice filled with a mixture of worry and affection. “Mia! Are you alright? We’ve been so worried!”

As Zane, Lloyd, Nya, Cole, and Kai disembarked, their eyes widened as they took in the scene. “What happened?” Zane asked, his tone concerned.

Mia waved her hand dismissively. “It doesn’t matter,” she said, still clinging to Jay.

Jay, his expression growing serious, looked at Mia. “Are you serious?! You’ve been drifting for days!”

Mia froze, her eyes widening in shock. “Days?!” she echoed, her voice trembling. She grabbed Lloyd’s phone from his hand and checked the date.

The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. “Oh great. Just great,” she muttered, her face paling.

Annie, her eyes wide with panic, snatched the phone from Mia’s grasp. “Oh no. No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no!” she screamed.

The panic was contagious. Annie, Mia, and Emma started running around the boat, screaming and flailing their arms. They looked like a whirlwind of chaos, their shouts echoing off the boat’s walls.

Emma, her face flushed with fear, joined in the frantic running, adding her own cries of distress. “We’re lost! We’re lost!”

The other ninjas stood back, a mix of confusion and disbelief on their faces. They watched as the three girls continued their wild, panicked movements. Jay, trying to suppress a smile, turned to his teammates. “Should we be laughing or crying right now?”

Cole, his eyes wide with amusement, shrugged. “I’m not sure. It’s hard to tell whether they’re having a breakdown or just really passionate old ladies.”

Kai rubbed his forehead, his expression a mixture of concern and amusement. “I think they’re in shock. We should probably help them calm down.”

Zane, ever the practical one, nodded. “Let’s get them settled and then we can sort out the details.”

As Jay and the others moved in to help calm Mia, Annie, and Emma, the girls slowly began to regain their composure. The realization of their situation slowly sinking in, they looked around at their rescuers, their faces now a mix of embarrassment and relief.

“Sorry,” Mia said, her voice shaky. “We didn’t mean to cause such a scene.”

Jay smiled reassuringly. “It’s alright. We’re just glad you’re safe. Let’s get you all home.”

Emma sighed. " I can't wait.*

Zane rolled them a tank of gas. " This should be enough to drive you guys home."

They nodded, and watched as the chopper flew away.

Mia smiled mischievously. " Should we go home? Or....?"

Emma squealed excited. " Adventure!"

Blackie meowed sassily. " I stole their food. We should have enough for a few weeks.

" Let's get lost! Again!" Annie cheered.