I own nothing but the story.

Looking back, the day my friend disappeared should have been the start of the best week of my life.

Well, second best. A simple trip to the world renowned Borg Industries couldn't possibly beat the week Nya and I confessed our love to each other for the first time, but the fact of the matter is that the trip should have been fantastic, but it ended in the worst kind of disaster.

It had all started with that stupid science fair. It was an annual thing, at our high school, and the winner got a chance to show their work off at Borg Industries for all to see. My friend Zane and I had both entered, hoping that at least one of us would win. I entered with an amazing flying contraption that actually worked for about thirty seconds, and Zane entered with a robotic bird of his own design. I can remember how we waited for the judges to announce the winner, both of us insisting the other would win, but secretly hoping that it would be ourselves.

"I'm positive it's going to be you," I said, embellishing a little.

"Oh no, Jay!" said Zane, scoffing, "That little flight suit is incredible, there's no way they'd choose a simple, slightly sentient bird."

I laughed, but didn't protest. If Zane was saying I could win, surely I must, right? A trip to Borg would be too good to miss, especially if there was a chance for me to meet Cyrus Borg himself. I remember how sick I felt that day because of the butterflies zooming around in my stomach. Although, I could have argued that it was actually a stampede of elephants rather than actual butterflies, but I digress.

In the end, the head judge, Principal Wu, surprised us with a tie.

"Both Zane and Jay's work win the competition," said Wu with a smile, "Each of their works contains an intelligence and skill that makes it impossible to choose between, and I would be more than happy to send them both off for a week in Ninjago City at Borg Industries."

My response was a rather girlish scream of excitement and a jump into the arms of the person nearest to me: Cole, my best friend and honorary brother. Used to my antics, he took my jump with ease and a bright smile. Zane responded in a more sophisticated manner by smiling and giving the rest of our friend group, which consisted of brother and sister Kai and Nya, a high five and hug.

But the principal wasn't even finished yet, he continued, "You will have to take your projects there on your own. You will go at the end of the month, and, so long as you are willing to pay for an extra room, you can bring as many family members and friends as you wish."

That got me going all over again. A week at Borg Industries, in Ninjago City, with all of my friends? That sounded incredible. Not only would I be able to stand a chance at meeting Cyrus Borg and impressing him with my incredible talent, but in the off time I'd be able to explore the city with my friends. We all looked at each other in excitement. It really should have been the greatest week ever.

At first all of us agreed we would go together. Then, after a couple of days, Kai said he couldn't go that week.

"I'm really sorry," he said, kicking up a cloud of dirt in anger, "but I can't take off a week at work. If I don't stay I'll be fired."

Each of us assured him that it was just fine, that we'd take plenty of pictures for him, that there were no hard feelings. Despite this, we could still see the pouty set of his jaw that let us know that he was still very jealous, and very, very moody.

Nevertheless, we let our excitement grow as the week grew closer and closer. I hate to say it, but I was almost glad that Kai wasn't going to come. It would give me a chance to be alone with Nya. While Kai had assured us that he was totally fine with his sister and I's relationship, he did have a habit of hanging around and eyeing us whenever we were close to being alone together. A week without him there seemed like a sure fire way to get some good boyfriend time with my girlfriend.

But then she said that she couldn't go.

"I'm sorry," she sighed, brushing those gorgeous bangs of hers out of her eyes, "but I signed up for volunteering months ago. I couldn't possibly back out now."

"Okay," I said, trying in vain to keep the disappointment out of my voice.

"Do not worry, Nya," said Zane, "We will contact you every day with messages and pictures, so that you can enjoy the experience from your home."

I nodded at this.

Nya offered a slight smile, "While I doubt that would be the same, I appreciate it, guys. I hope you have fun."

That left just me, Cole and Zane. I was waiting for Cole to come up the day before we were supposed to leave and say that he couldn't go, but he never did. So, on the morning we were to leave for Ninjago City, he placed his one duffel bag of luggage next to Zane and I's collective fifteen, and we were off.

Zane, the most responsible of the group, drove, while I, being the the best of the group, sat with my feet on the dash in the shotgun. Cole, the obvious loser in this whole endeavor, was crammed by the window next to both our science projects, which were stuffed carefully into two large boxes. I remember laughing at him periodically throughout the first six hours of the trip, but I regret it now. Cole was a large person, certainly taller than me. He had to have been uncomfortable back there, but for whatever reason, he was silent in his complaints. Sometimes, I look back and wonder if things would have changed had I been the one in the back seat.

The trip would have been an eight hour trip, going from our town to the heart of Ninjago City. We spent most of the trip on back roads, going through both desert and forest to get to an interstate that would lead us straight to the city, where we would pull off and arrive at our hotel.

When we arrived at the interstate, Zane turned to us and said in excited sing-song, "Only two more hours to go!"

Cole's protesting groan was even louder than mine, "Only? My sit bones have grown numb, here."

"Already?" said Zane, "But we just took a rest break a while back."

I gawked at him, "That was nearly two hours ago!"

"Oh," Zane said.

Cole let out a chuckle, "That's okay, Zane. I could probably make it a few more hours."

"Yeah, me too," I said, "But if I have to pee, we're stopping."

"Duly noted," Zane smiled, pushing his foot a little harder onto the accelerator.

"I wish Nya was here," I heard Cole say quietly, almost to himself.

I turned back so hard, my neck cracked, "Why?"

He smirked, "So I can ride in the Samurai, and not in this puny car."

"Oh, oh, okay," I said, feeling the knot that had twisted in my stomach dissipate. The Samurai was the nickname for Nya's van, a clunky, but quite roomy and overall an enjoyable machine.

"I wish she was here too," I said, letting out a sigh.

"She and Kai," Zane interjected.

Yes, I thought. Him too, but mostly Nya.

"Yeah," said Cole, bending out of his seatbelt so that he could put his feet up on the seat, "And if I'm being honest, I don't know why I'm even going. I mean, I'm no genius."

It certainly seemed a valid statement, but we thought it was ridiculous.

"Because I want you there!" Zane exclaimed, looking at Cole through the mirror, "Er—we want you there! As our friend and loyal supporter!"

"Plus it'll be fun!" I added, "That is the whole purpose of this trip."

Cole gave a one-shouldered shrug in agreement.

"And!" Zane said with a smile, "I was looking at some places we could visit while in the city, and I've found this lovely art college near Borg."

A smile warmed Cole's face, "Let's check it out, then. I'll have to go there if you two end up working for Borg."

"That would be wonderful," said Zane, grinning at the roadway.

Raising an eyebrow, I refrained from making snarky comments, "Say Cole, do you think Nya would want to go to that college?"

Cole's brows furrowed in thought, "I'd say no; her interests are more inclined towards engineering rather than art," he smirked at me, "But don't worry, I'm sure you'll be able to keep up your relationship."

Despite my best efforts to keep it away, a blush colored my cheeks, "Oh, shut up."

Cole had opened his mouth to give a humorous retort when the sudden voice of the radio announcer cut him off.

I turned to Zane, my mouth open in question when I saw his fingers hovering near the radio's volume, having apparently just turned it up. Then I heard the announcer give the traffic report, where he spoke of a ten car pile up on the very interstate we were traveling on, blocking traffic and effectively cutting off our route towards Ninjago City. Much of the traffic was at a standstill, the cars parked bumper to bumper for several miles. Just the thought of sitting through it made me ill.

When the announcer finished and the commercials took over, Zane turned down the radio, and we sat in silence for a mile or two as the car carried us closer to this terrible wreck. After a while, Zane said, in his usual hopeful way, "Maybe it'll clear up by the time we get down there."

"Are you kidding?" I said, "Did you hear how many miles traffic was backed up? It might take days to clear."

"And a ten car pileup usually resorts in death, Zane," Cole added, "They'll have to get the coroner down there, and that'll take a few good hours in and of itself."

"Well, then, what'll we do?" said Zane, running a hand through his hair, "It's not as if we can sit through it, we have to get to our hotel on time."

"Oh no!" I hadn't even thought of that. What if we didn't get there in time? What if we missed the Borg showcase? Before my mind could spiral downwards into the pits of despair, Cole spoke:

"Relax, guys, I know a couple of back roads we could take. It'll put us to the north side of Ninjago, and it'll add about an hour to the trip, but we'll get there in time."

"Really?" said Zane, "You know the way?"

Cole gave a grim smile, "Yeah, my dad brought me here once because he was doing a show with his quartet. We had to take the back roads because one of them had a bladder problem and the interstate just didn't have enough places for them to stop and take a bathroom break."

I barked out a laugh, but when Cole's face didn't change, I stopped and cleared my throat. "Uh," I spoke, "So you know the way?"

"Yup," Cole leaned forward so he could look at the road, "Exit 43, it'll be here soon."

At that moment, things seemed to be going as planned. Sure, we had a little speed bump, but we were on our way to the city, to Borg Industries! We were so close, surely nothing else could stop us, certainly not on the back roads, which were mostly countrysides and soon to be the desert.

I remember thinking about the hotel we were staying in, how our window was going to have a view that overlooked the Borg building itself, and how I couldn't wait to get there and be out of this car.

Little did I know that we were never going to reach the city.

My first attempt at a multi-chapter story. Hope it pans out okay. A big thank you to everyone who reads and reviews the stories I post here. They never fail to make me smile. Thank you for reading this far, and I hope that wherever you are, your day is full of sunshine and breakfast foods.