It was a quiet afternoon at the monastery, the kind of peaceful day everyone had been longing for. Jay was sitting in the living room, flipping through a book with his feet up on the coffee table. Lloyd was on the other side of the room, relaxing on the couch with a drink in hand, and Kai had just walked in after finishing a training session, looking tired but content.
Mia, on the other hand, was conspicuously absent. Jay hadn't noticed at first, but as the afternoon dragged on, he began to feel uneasy. Whenever Mia was too quiet for too long, something was usually brewing.
Suddenly, Mia burst into the room, her face lit up with mischief, holding a glossy photo in her hand. "Hey, look what I found!" she sang, waving it around as she sauntered into the living room.
Jay glanced up lazily, but when he saw the picture, his eyes widened in horror. "Mia... where did you get that?!"
Mia grinned ear to ear. "Oh, you mean this?" She held the picture up for everyone to see. It was a snapshot of Kai cradling baby Jay, the picture exuding pure warmth and brotherly affection. In the photo, Kai was gently rocking Jay, who was nestled against him with his tiny hands gripping Kai's shirt. It was the kind of picture that would embarrass any grown man, let alone someone like Jay.
Jay shot up from the couch, almost tripping over his feet in his panic. " Mia where did you get that from?!"
Kai, now curious, came closer and squinted at the picture. His face immediately flushed as he realized what it was. "Wait, what?! Mia, give me that photo!"
Lloyd sat up straight, eyes wide with amusement. "Oh, this is gold. Mia, how did you get your hands on that?"
Mia tucked the picture behind her back, slowly backing away toward the door. "A magician never reveals her secrets," she teased, glancing at Jay's panicked expression with a gleam in her eyes.
Jay lunged toward her. "Mia! Give it back!"
But Mia was already gone, darting out of the room with surprising speed. Jay, realizing he was now in for a chase, sprinted after her, yelling, "You're so dead when I catch you!"
Mia laughed loudly, the sound echoing down the hall as she dashed up the stairs, expertly dodging Jay's outstretched hand. "You'll have to catch me first, slowpoke!"
Lloyd, not wanting to miss out on the fun, stood up and cracked his knuckles. "Well, I guess I know what I'm doing today. Kai, you in?"
Kai groaned, still flustered from the fact that the photo even existed. But the challenge in Lloyd's eyes was too tempting to ignore. "Fine," Kai muttered, though a small smile crept onto his face. "Let's get her."
They both took off down the hall, joining Jay in pursuit of Mia.
Meanwhile, Mia was laughing uncontrollably as she zoomed around the house, picture still firmly in hand. She skidded around corners, slid across the wooden floor in her socks, and hopped over furniture to keep her distance. Every time she glanced back, she saw Jay closing in on her, with Lloyd and Kai not far behind.
"Come on, Mia!" Jay shouted breathlessly. "We can work something out! How about I do your chores for a week? Just give me the picture!"
Mia only laughed harder. "Oh no, this one's going in the family scrapbook!"
Jay groaned. "Not the scrapbook!"
Lloyd called out from behind them. "Mia, if you give me the photo, I'll keep it safe from Jay and Kai!"
"Like I'd trust you with it!" Mia shouted back, hopping up onto the windowsill in the hallway and scrambling over a small shelf as she tried to escape.
Kai, who was trailing behind Jay, suddenly sprinted ahead, making a grab for her. "Mia, I'll trade you anything! Seriously-anything!"
