The Sphinx in the Stream

Marcus's fingers were cramping from threading ethernet **cable** through the basement walls when his phone buzzed. Another notification from @sphinx_x, the anonymous account that had been haunting his sophomore year like a ghost in the machine.

"Your secrets are leaking, little streamer. ;)"

Marcus groaned. Six weeks of mysterious DMs, weirdly specific predictions about his life, and now accusations that he was leaking secrets? He was barely holding it together as it was—trying to decide between computer science camp and creative writing workshop, nursing a crush on Zara who definitely didn't know he existed, and now THIS.

"Who ARE you?" he typed back. "And why are you **spy**ing on me?"

His older sister Jayden appeared in the doorway, her dyed purple hair falling over one eye. "Mom's worried you're spending too much time downstairs again. Everything okay?"

"Fine," Marcus muttered, shoving his phone deeper into his pocket. "Just finishing up her home office setup."

Jayden raised an eyebrow. "You know you can talk to me, right? About... stuff?"

Marcus felt that familiar teenage sensation of being seen and unseen at the same time. Jayden was cool—she'd figured herself out early, came out freshman year, and now ran the school's GSA while maintaining perfect grades. Meanwhile Marcus was still trying to figure out if he was more into coding or poetry, if he liked Zara or just liked the idea of liking someone.

"I'm good," he lied.

That night, @sphinx_x posted a new riddle: "I crawl through wires but have no body. I watch through screens but have no eyes. What am I?"

Marcus stared at his ceiling, heart racing. Then it clicked. The **cable** he'd installed in Jayden's room last month. The family's shared streaming accounts. The way Jayden always seemed to know exactly what shows he was binging.

She wasn't a creepy internet stalker. She was his older sister, checking in through the only way she knew how.

Marcus marched to Jayden's door and knocked. "You're @sphinx_x."

She didn't even look up from her laptop. "Took you long enough, little bro."

"Why the riddles? Why the cryptic stuff?"

Jayden finally met his eyes. "Because Mom and Dad are always asking 'how was school' and 'what did you learn today' and I figured you needed someone to actually NOTICE you. To notice you're writing poetry in your notes app. To notice you've been researching that creative writing camp for weeks."

Marcus stood frozen. She wasn't spying—she was paying attention.

"So... the workshop?" Jayden asked softly. "You should go. Your writing's actually pretty good."

"You read my stuff?"

"I've been reading over your shoulder since you were twelve. I'm your sister. That's my job."

Marcus sank onto her beanbag chair, grinning despite himself. "You're the worst **sphinx** ever."

"But I solved your riddle, didn't I?" She tossed him a controller. "Now help me decide if I should finally tell Zara you're basically in love with her, or if that's too much sibling interference even for me."

Marcus's face burned. "You knew about that too?"

"Please. You're not exactly subtle, Marcus. Now grab a controller. I'll help you practice talking to actual humans instead of just staring at her in AP Bio."

For the first time in months, the crushing weight of sophomore year felt a little lighter. Maybe being seen wasn't so scary after all—especially when the person watching you had your back all along.