Riddles in the Rain

Maya dragged herself into third period AP English feeling like a certified zombie. Three hours of sleep would do that to a person. Finals week at Northwood High had transformed the entire student body into the walking dead—pale faces, dark circles, collective shuffling through fluorescent-lit hallways.

"You look terrible," said Jordan, sliding into the desk beside her. "Like, actually concerning."

"Thanks, Jordan. Really boosting my confidence." Maya popped a gummy vitamin from the emergency stash in her backpack. Her mom had started stocking her with them after the last meltdown. "Emergency cognitive support," she'd called it.

Mr. Henderson paced at the front of the room, looking suspiciously energized. "Today's challenge," he announced, "is a sphinx-level riddle. whoever solves this gets automatic bonus points on the final exam."

The class perked up. Even Maya raised her head from her desk.

"What has roots as nobody sees, is taller than trees, up, up it goes, and yet never grows?" Henderson raised an eyebrow. "You have ten minutes."

Maya's brain spun like a frozen computer. Roots. Trees. Growing. Something that didn't grow but went up—

Lightning cracked the explanation. She remembered hiking with her dad last summer, that ancient mountain with caves tucked into its base like something from a fantasy novel.

"A mountain," she said, maybe too loud.

The class went silent.

Henderson nodded slowly. "Correct."

Jordan's jaw dropped. "How did you—you barely slept—"

"I don't know." Maya smiled, actually smiled, for the first time in days. "It just hit me. Like, lightning."

The bell rang, but for once, the zombie shuffle felt different. Her mind wasn't foggy anymore. The riddle had unlocked something, like her brain was finally online after days of buffering. Maybe she'd survive this week after all.

"Hey," Jordan said as they walked out. "You wanna come over later? My brother says he can help us with chem if we help him with history. Mutual aid, you know?"

"Yeah," Maya said, and meant it. "Yeah, actually."