A short message for grown-ups.
Holiday travel with little ones can be an adventure.
Between airport waits and long car rides, it helps to have something calm and engaging ready to go.
Netflix Kids Games has games your kids can play without Wi-Fi, perfect for when you're in the air or on the road.
They feature characters like Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig, and Barbie.
And they're educational, too.
Everything's fully unlocked with your Netflix membership, so there are no extra costs.
You can download shows and movies for offline watching, too.
Visit netflixfamily.com slash travel tips for more ways to make holiday travel easier on everyone.
That's netflixfamily.com slash travel tips.
Happy travels, friends.
Hello, friends, and welcome to Sleep Tight Stories.
Blue is bored in all his classes at school and wants to be moved up and study with Red.
His mom tells him he can't.
It would look unusual.
She suggests he find something else to do that might be more of a challenge.
Maybe something with computers?
The Chronicles of Blue, The Boredom Protocol.
Can't I just go to the same classes as Red, like I did on Mars?
The classes are too easy, Blue asked.
His mother looked up from her herbal tea.
This isn't Mars, Blue.
I noticed.
Blue almost did an eye roll, but thought better of it.
We have to keep up the appearance of normalcy.
What would the Earth media think if, a kid, your age was more advanced than many of Earth's scientists?
Blue slumped in his chair.
So I'm supposed to just sit there, pretending I don't know things I learned when I was eight?
Why don't you do something outside of class?
Mom said, her voice getting that careful tone that meant she was about to suggest something.
Something a bit more challenging?
Maybe something with their computers?
Blue sat up straight.
Are you sure?
His mom's smile was small, but knowing.
She'd lived with a genius kid for ten years.
She knew exactly what he needed.
Just nothing that jeopardizes us.
Blue's brain was already spinning with possibilities.
That night, he sat at his desk, laptop open.
His mom had said computers.
She'd specifically said computers.
That was basically permission, right?
He pulled up the school's website, just to look, just to see how their systems worked.
30 seconds later, he was in their back end.
Oh, come on, he muttered.
That's just sad.
The password was literally password 123.
The admin account was called admin.
It was like Earth wanted to be hacked.
Blue's fingers hovered over the keyboard.
Mom said find something challenging.
This wasn't challenging.
This was insulting.
But it was also...
Kind of funny?
He could just change one tiny thing.
Something harmless.
Something that would make people laugh instead of making them worry about Martian kids being too smart.
The cafeteria menu system loaded on his screen.
Blue grinned.
First target, the cafeteria menu displays.
He changed chicken nuggets to chicken nuggets, probably.
Vegetable medley became vegetable mystery.
Pizza stayed pizza because even he had standards.
At lunch, he watched kids actually laugh at the screens.
Charlie, Red's sneezy friend, nearly choked on his milk.
For the first time in three weeks, Blue felt like he'd actually accomplished something.
Earth network security was a complete joke compared to Mars.
Next, the morning announcements.
One reversed audio file.
Later, the principal sounded like he was speaking an alien language, which was hilarious, considering Blue actually was an alien.
Blue, can you come to the office, please?
Blue walked in wearing his most innocent expression.
Principal Davis looked tired.
Do you know anything about our computer systems being tampered with?
I don't know anything about computers.
Blue made his eyes wide.
We're from another province, very rural.
We barely had internet.
The principal sighed.
Well, if you hear anything, definitely Principal Davidson.
Blue managed to keep a straight face until he reached the hallway.
Then he did a little internal victory dance.
Too easy.
Everything on Earth was too easy.
Except... Red had this phone.
Special AID-issued thing.
Supposedly unhackable.
She'd been bragging about it for days.
Even you couldn't get into this, stinky head.
Challenge accepted.
Blue spent three days on Red's phone.
Three entire days.
Late nights with Earth Energy drinks that tasted like battery acid mixed with fruit punch.
Talking to himself, which he always did when he was really focused, scribbling code on paper because typing was too slow for his brain.
Come on, come on.
There's got to be a backdoor somewhere.
The AID security was actually decent, like Mars-level decent, which made it interesting.
Almost had it.
Almost.
There.
Blue actually punched the air at two in the morning in his room like a total dork.
But he was in.
Now, what to do with this power?
Mess with Red, obviously.
He programmed her phone's AI assistant to develop personality problems.
First message next morning.
This song again?
Really?
Red at breakfast staring at her phone.
What?
Blue eating cereal, trying not to smile.
That afternoon, the asymmetry of your haircut is a choice.
Red actually touched her hair, looking confused.
Blue nearly choked on his sandwich.
By dinner, your last math test was only 99%.
Disappointing.
I like my score, Red snapped at her phone.
Mom looked up.
Who are you talking to?
My phone is being weird.
Blue studied his plate very carefully.
The next morning was the best one.
It's dark in here and you dropped me yesterday.
I'm filing a complaint.
Red to her phone.
You're a phone.
You don't have feelings.
Blue internally dying.
It took her exactly one day to figure it out.
She stormed into his room while he was mid-hack on the school's grade database, just looking, not changing anything.
He frantically closed his laptop.
Blue, what did you do?
He tried his innocent face.
I have no idea what your... My phone was calling my outfit regrettable this morning.
Blue couldn't help it.
He cracked up.
Red was not laughing.
Do you know how long I spent convinced my phone had developed actual artificial intelligence?
That would be cool though, Blue.
Their argument got loud enough that Mom appeared in the doorway, arms crossed.
"'What's going on?'
"'Blue hacked my phone,' Red held it up like evidence.
"'My AID-issued, supposedly unhackable phone?'
"'You said I couldn't do it,' Blue pointed out.
"'I was just proving—' "'That wasn't a challenge.
It was a fact.'
Their mom pinched the bridge of her nose.
Blue, did you hack your sister's phone?
Maybe.
We need to talk about boundaries.
You told me to do something with computers.
I meant like coding games, educational programs.
Their mom was trying not to smile though.
Blue could tell.
Not hacking AID security.
But it was so easy.
Not helping your case, buddy.
Red was still glaring.
Fix it.
Now.
I don't know how.
Total lie.
There was absolutely an undo button.
It's not like there's a reset or anything.
Blue?
Fine, fine, I'll fix it.
Mom pointed at his laptop.
Do it.
Under supervision.
Lou sighed dramatically and opened the phone's code.
Red stood behind him, watching him like a hawk.
Which is when he noticed something weird.
Really weird.
The AID network permissions were wrong.
Lou scrolled through the code, frowning.
That's not supposed to be like that.
What?
Red leaned closer.
These connection protocols, they should be encrypted.
He clicked deeper.
Like, seriously encrypted, but they're just open.
Communication logs he definitely shouldn't be able to see.
Location data, check-in schedules for refugee families, everything.
If I can get in here, Blue's voice went quiet.
Others might be able to.
All the Martian families, their locations, their real identities, everything that was supposed to be protected.
His hands stopped moving on the keyboard.
Mom?
His voice came out smaller than he wanted.
I think we have a problem.
Mom's face went serious.
She looked at the screen and Blue watched her expression change from annoyed parent to Do something else entirely.
I'll call Misty, she squeezed his shoulder.
And Blue?
Yeah?
Good work, but you're still grounded.
Blue could live with that.
Misty arrived 40 minutes later with Shade.
Both of them looked at Blue's laptop, then at Blue, then back at the laptop.
Show me, Misty said.
Blue walked them through it.
The open ports, the unencrypted logs, the entire security flaw he'd stumbled into while trying to unprank his sister's phone.
Shade whistled low.
Kid found this by accident?
I was just looking around, Blue mumbled.
Just looking around into classified AID systems?
But Misty didn't sound mad.
She sounded impressed and worried.
We'll need to patch this immediately.
If you found it, someone else could too.
Blue finished.
Red was quiet beside him, not angry anymore, just thinking.
There, Mom handed Misty a flash drive.
Everything he found is on here.
We'll handle it.
Misty looked at Blue.
This was good work.
Accidentally good work, but still good.
Does this mean I'm not grounded?
Blue tried.
You're absolutely still grounded, Mom said.
Two weeks, no hacking.
What about anything?
Blue slumped.
But later, after the agents left and Red went to her room, Mom sat down next to him.
You know, she said quietly, being smart isn't the problem.
It's what you do with it that matters.
Blue nodded.
She ruffled his hair.
Find better targets next time.
Does that mean goodnight, Blue?
And that is the end of our story.
Goodnight.
Sleep tight.
