Static & Wild Things
The bass from Maya's speakers vibrated through the floor, making Sofia's chest hum. She stood by the sliding glass door, clutching a red solo cup like it was a lifeline, watching everyone else pretend they belonged here.
"You good?" The voice belonged to Kai, the junior who'd transferred in last month and somehow already had his own orbit. Sofia felt weirdly exposed, like she'd been caught doing something embarrassing.
"Just needed air," she lied. "Party's kinda..."
"A lot?" Kai finished, grinning. "Yeah."
A sudden crack of **lightning** split the sky beyond the patio, illuminating his face in stark white. The lights inside flickered and died, leaving only the storm outside and the blue glow from Maya's phone in the corner. Someone squealed, then laughter rippled through the room.
Sofia slid the door open and stepped onto the wet deck. Kai followed.
"Bold move, leaving during the apocalypse," he said.
"I'm not feeling it tonight. Everyone's performing." She sighed. "Even me."
That's when she saw it—a **fox**, sleek and improbable, frozen at the edge of the backyard. Watching them with eyes like golden coins.
"No way," Sofia breathed.
"Urban wildlife, man. They're everywhere after dark." Kai stepped closer. "You know what foxes represent?"
"She'd better not be out here." Sasha's voice cut through. Maya's cat had escaped again—Sasha was always chasing that **cat** around the neighborhood like it was her full-time job. She squinted at them. "What are you two doing?"
"Nothing," Sofia said, suddenly weirdly defensive. "Just... existing?"
"Right." Sasha raised an eyebrow. "Cool. Cool cool cool."
The fox vanished into darkness like it had never been there at all. Sofia wanted to follow it—away from the party, away from the performative laughter and staged Instagram stories, toward something that didn't need an audience.
"Hey," Kai said softly. "You wanna just... walk?"
Sofia hesitated, then nodded. They left without looking back, stepping into a world that felt suddenly, wonderfully real.