The Riddle of Mercy

The running track stretched before me like my own personal hell, but at least the rhythm of my sneakers against rubber drowned out the chaos in my head. Practice had ended twenty minutes ago, but Coach wanted 'one more lap' from anyone who actually cared about making varsity. So there I was, gasping for air like a fish on dry land, wondering why I'd signed up for cross country when my cardio maxed out at walking to the fridge.

That's when I saw her—Mercy, leaning against the chain-link fence by the parking lot, watching me with this sphinx-like smile that made my stomach do actual gymnastics. She'd transferred to Northwood three weeks ago and somehow already had her own aesthetic: vintage band tees, combat boots, and this whole 'I know secrets about the universe' vibe that had half the junior class obsessed with decoding her.

I slowed to a walk, trying not to look like I was dying. She pushed off the fence and wandered over, all casual grace while I was literally dripping sweat.

'You run like you're escaping something,' she said, instead of hello or 'cool form' or literally anything normal people say.

'Just trying to survive Coach Wilson's sadism,' I managed, still breathless. 'What are you doing here?'

She pulled a plastic bag from her pocket—inside, a goldfish swam in tiny circles, looking remarkably unimpressed with everything. 'His name is Aristotle. My mom said I couldn't keep him, so now I'm conducting a search for his forever home.' She held out the bag. 'Want him?'

I stared at the fish, then at her, then back at the fish. 'Is this a metaphor?'

'Maybe.' That sphinx smile again. 'Life's short. You spend three years running in circles on a track, going nowhere fast. Aristotle here's been doing laps in a bowl for who knows how long, and he's still zen about it. Maybe he's got it figured out.'

Something about the way she said it—like she actually *meant* something instead of just being deep for effect's sake—made me forget I was sweaty and gross. For the first time since Mercy Lin showed up, I wasn't thinking about how to impress her. I was just... curious.

'So,' I said, 'what's the riddle?'

'That's for me to know and you to figure out.' She winked. 'But if you ever solve it, I'll be at the skate park Friday. Aristotle's coming too.'

She walked away before I could respond, leaving me there with a goldfish in a bag and the sudden, terrifying realization that I had exactly four days to solve a riddle I didn't even understand yet.

But for some reason, I didn't mind the running anymore. Some mysteries are worth chasing.