Foxfire Nights

Maya dragged herself through the school parking lot, feeling like the actual walking dead. Three hours of sleep finals week would do that to you. She was basically a zombie at this point— Makeup did a terrible job of hiding the dark circles under her eyes, but at least she'd remembered to apply eyeliner today.

"You look like you've been resurrected," Tessa said, falling into step beside her. "Please tell me you're still coming to Jordan's party tonight."

"If I don't collapse by seventh period." Maya checked her phone—no texts from him. Not that she expected one. Jordan, the guy whose smile made her palms sweat uncontrollably, had barely glanced her way since October.

The urban legends about the woods behind Jordan's subdivision were ridiculous—supposedly some kid had seen something weird there years ago, animal eyes glowing in the dark. The local Fox Creek teens had turned it into whole lore. Maya rolled her eyes at the stories. They'd all watched too many horror movies.

That night, despite her exhaustion, she found herself slipping out the window. Her palms were already sweating just thinking about possibly talking to him. The party was in full swing when she arrived, bass thumping through the walls, someone's terrible attempt at mixing TikTok sounds.

She escaped to the backyard, needing air. That's when she saw it—genuine amber eyes watching from the edge of the woods. A fox, its coat gleaming under the string lights, more beautiful than any urban legend. It tilted its head, almost like it was challenging her: You afraid of everything?

She wasn't. Or maybe she was, but not tonight.

The fox darted into the trees, and without thinking, Maya followed. The woods weren't scary—they were peaceful. She found the fox sitting calmly by a creek, watching her with intelligent eyes. Something shifted inside her, like she'd finally woken up from something.

Her phone buzzed. Jordan: Hey, noticed you left. Everything cool?

She smiled, her palms dry for the first time in months. The fox vanished into the night as she typed back her response, feeling more alive than she had in years. The zombie days were over.