Riddles in Your Palm

The humidity hit Maya like a wall the second she stepped onto Jenna's back patio. She could feel her hair frizzing into a hopeless halo around her head—exactly what she didn't need for her first real party since moving to town.

"You look like you're questioning all your life choices," said a voice from the shadows. A girl with electric blue streaks in her dark hair materialized beside the snack table, holding a bag of Doritos like she was announcing its royal decree. "I'm Cleo. Professional weirdo and amateur palm reader."

Maya laughed despite herself. "Maya. Professional anxiety-haver and—seriously, is palm reading actually real?"

"About as real as half the stuff people tell themselves at fifteen." Cleo grabbed Maya's hand before she could overthink it. "Come on. Let me see what the universe supposedly has in store for you."

Cleo traced the lines on Maya's palm with surprising gentleness. The party noises faded to a distant hum. "You know, the ancient sphinx used to ask riddles before letting anyone pass. Some people think your palm is just another riddle—your future hidden in plain sight, waiting for someone who knows how to read it."

"And what's my riddle?" Maya asked, her pulse weirdly steady.

"That." Cleo tapped the heart line. "You've got this branch here—means you're protective of people, but you're scared of getting burned. And this fork? Classic sign that you're at a crossroads. Like you could be anyone, go anywhere, but you're frozen because—"

"Because what if I pick wrong?"

"Exactly." Cleo looked up, and her eyes were unexpectedly kind. "Here's the thing though. The sphinx's riddle only had one right answer. Life isn't like that. You're not supposed to have it figured out yet. Your palm isn't a prophecy—it's a map you draw yourself."

Maya looked at her hand like she was seeing it for the first time. The frizz of her hair didn't seem so catastrophic anymore. Somewhere inside her chest, something unclenched.

"Your turn to read mine," Cleo said, extending her hand. "But be gentle. I'm sensitive about my future."

"I'll make something up," Maya grinned. "Something with dragons."

"Accepted."

And just like that, the party didn't feel so scary after all.