The Lightning Test

Maya's palms were sweating so much she half-expected her phone to short-circuit. First house party of sophomore year, and she was currently hiding in the bathroom, scrolling through absolutely nothing on Instagram.

"You gonna hide in here all night?"

Maya jumped. A girl with messy copper hair leaned against the doorframe, holding a red Solo cup like it was a prize. This was Riley, the junior everyone said was "lowkey unhinged" but also kind of a genius.

"Just... recharging," Maya muttered, which was honestly embarrassing. Riley snorted.

"Cool, cool. I'm just here because my ex is out there being the absolute worst, and I'm not trying to catch a case." She tilted her head. "You wanna see something?"

Before Maya could answer, Riley was beckoning her outside, where the party noise faded into crickets and distant bass. The storm that had been threatening all evening finally broke—lightning cracked across the sky, illuminating the backyard.

And that's when Maya saw it: a cat, crouched under the porch stairs, its eyes glowing like something supernatural in the flash.

"He's been showing up here for weeks," Riley said softly, suddenly not looking so tough. "I call him Fox. Because he's sly like that, you know? Always disappears when you actually want him around."

"You named a cat Fox?" Maya couldn't help it—she laughed.

"Shut up, it's ironic." Riley grinned, and something shifted between them. "My little brother says foxes are the only animals that like storms. Because everything else is scared, but they're like, whatever, I'll just be cozy."

Another lightning strike, closer this time. The air felt electric, charged with possibility. Maya realized she wasn't nervous anymore.

"Your brother sounds smart," she said.

"He's nine, he thinks he knows everything." Riley looked at Maya, really looked at her. "You okay? Like, actually okay?"

Maya thought about it. The bathroom hideout felt miles away. "Yeah," she said, surprising herself. "Yeah, I think I am."

"Good." Riley's grin returned. "Because Fox just disappeared, and I'm not about to sit in the rain by myself. Wanna go back inside and make fun of everyone's TikTok dances?"

"Absolutely." They headed toward the back door as thunder rumbled overhead, and Maya thought maybe high school wouldn't be so terrifying after all.