The Sphinx of Elm Street
Maya hadn't slept in thirty-six hours. She was officially a **zombie** — the kind that shuffled through school hallways with bloodshot eyes and a coffee addiction that would worry any responsible adult. Finals week would do that to you.
Her **iPhone** buzzed against her desk. Again.
u coming 2 the game? - Tyler
Maya stared at the text. Tyler played **baseball**, had the kind of smile that made girls forget their own names, and had somehow noticed she existed. She'd been crushing on him since September, which was approximately how long she'd been pretending to understand his constant sports metaphors.
She reached for the **vitamin** C gummies her mom had left on her desk with a note that said "STAY HEALTHY BUT ALSO GET STRAIGHT A'S OR NO COLLEGE." Parents were weird like that.
The real problem wasn't finals or Tyler or the fact that she'd had three energy drinks in two hours. The problem was the Sphinx.
Not, like, the actual mythical creature. The Sphinx was this legendary prank the senior class pulled every year — some impossible riddle or puzzle that everyone tried and failed to solve. This year, they'd hidden something somewhere in the school, and the clues were appearing on students' phones through some mysterious app.
Maya's phone buzzed again. A new clue: *I have cities but no houses, mountains but no trees, water but no fish. What am I?*
"A map," she whispered, then froze. That was too easy. The seniors wouldn't make it that simple.
Unless...
She pulled up the school map on her phone. There, in the basement, was a room labeled "OLD STORAGE" that didn't appear on the official blueprint. Her heart hammered.
Her phone buzzed one more time. *You have 20 minutes. Bring friends.*
Maya stared at Tyler's unanswered text. Then she typed: *baseball game or adventure? ur choice*
Three seconds later: *adventure. always. where u at?*
Maya grabbed her backpack and headed for the door, feeling more alive than she had in days. Finals could wait. The zombie was waking up, and she had a mystery to solve.