The Sphinx at Sarah's Party

I felt like a **zombie**. Actually, zombies had more life in them. At least they stumbled around with purpose—brains, fresh flesh, the whole zombie apocalypse routine. Me? I was just staggering through Sarah's party because Maya said I "had to experience high school socially before graduation." Whatever that meant.

My phone buzzed. *r u coming???* from Maya. I was already here, somewhere between the kitchen and the living room, holding a red plastic cup like it contained the elixir of life instead of lukewarm punch that tasted like regret.

"Hey!" Maya appeared, dragging me toward the backyard. "You have to meet this guy. His name is Leo, and he's literally the most interesting person here."

Interesting was one word for it. Leo sat on a patio chair, surrounded by... cats. Three of them. One with fur so luxurious it looked like it had its own Instagram account.

"This is **Sphinx**," Leo said, gesturing to the fluffy one. "And that's Potato and Trouble."

"You brought your **cat**s to a party?" I asked, because apparently that was my life now.

"My parents are out of town. Someone had to supervise them." He scratched Sphinx behind the ears, and the cat made a sound like a tiny engine purring. "So, what's your story?"

"My story?" I laughed, but it came out weird. "I'm just trying to survive junior year without losing my mind. How about you?"

Leo shrugged. "I've been working on this graphic novel. About ancient Egypt, but with zombies."

"Zombies in ancient Egypt?"

"Think about it. Mummies are basically zombies, right? But cooler. More bandages." His eyes lit up. "I have this character, a sphinx who's actually a teenager rebelling against her family's tradition of asking riddles and eating travelers. She just wants to... I don't know, be normal?"

Something in my chest shifted. "A **sphinx** who doesn't want to be a sphinx."

"Exactly." Leo leaned forward. "She meets this zombie who's confused about why everyone's afraid of him. He's just hungry, you know? They become friends. Sort of. It's complicated."

"Complicated how?"

"They're from different worlds. Literally different time periods. But they get each other in a way nobody else does." He looked at me. "You ever feel like that? Like you're from a different timeline than everyone else?"

The punch in my gut was unexpected. "Literally all the time."

Maya appeared with a plate. "Guys, you have to try this **spinach** artichoke dip. It's actually fire."

I took a bite, and it was fire. Like, actually delicious. For the first time all night, I felt something other than numb exhaustion.

"So," Leo said, watching me eat. "You think your sphinx and zombie could work? As a... thing?"

"I don't know." I thought about it. "Maybe. If the sphinx could stop asking riddles long enough to have a real conversation."

"And if the zombie could stop thinking about brains long enough to notice she's pretty cool."

We both laughed. It wasn't fake laughter either—the kind you do to fill awkward silences. This was the real kind.

"You know what?" I said. "I think they could be friends. At first. Then see what happens."

"Friends." Leo nodded like this was exactly the right answer. "That's how the best stories start anyway."